Game Preview: 2023 Bellamy & Son Paving Marisa Rose Bowl

When graduated senior all-stars from Middlesex County take part in the Bellamy & Son Paving Marisa Rose Bowl Thursday night at Nicholas Priscoe Stadium, the main goal is to draw in the fans to raise money for the Marisa Tufaro Foundation, Lakeview School in Edison, and the PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick.

That’s never a given, considering the uncertainty in the world, but it’s a pretty good bet considering the game’s track record, which dates back to its inception as the Snapple Bowl in 1994, the brainchild of then-East Brunswick coach Marcus Borden.

Consider that the game has raised nearly $740,000 for charity in that time.

It’s a game that, historically, means nothing – there are no power points or home field playoff games or division titles at stake – but always ends up meaning something on the field.

You can hear tonight’s game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, beginning with pregame at 6:25, and kickoff at 7:00. Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will provide the play-by-play, while Korbid Thompson will report from down on the field. Click here to listen live.

There have been wild plays, rallies, stadium lights turned out by broadcasters (whoops!) and more. Consider the 2023 version no different.

The game feature two of Middlesex County’s top quarterbacks for the past three years, with Edison’s Matt Yascko behind center for Team Marisa, while North Brunswick’s Frankie Garbolino will be the QB for Team Rose.

In a normal year, that would be enough of a storyline. But then you have to consider the history.

Yascko and Garbolino faced off against each other in 2020 and 2021, with the Frankie’s Raiders winning both teams. Yascko missed this year’s regular season meeting due to injury, which also was a loss for the Eagles, but played in their playoff matchup in the Central Jersey Group 5 semifinals, an Edison win for the ages. In it, the Eagles scored two touchdowns and a field goal in the closing minutes to stun North Brunswick, en route to Edison’s first sectional title in over three decades.

Marisa Tufaro Foundation founder Greg Tufaro (left) and game organizer Marcus Borden talk with then-North Brunswick rising senior QB Frankie Garbolino at halftime of the Marisa Rose Bowl on July 21, 2022. Garbolino will play in this year’s edition before heading off to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

But it’s not only those two, as both schools have some significant key contributors playing in the Marisa Rose Bowl.

For Edison, there’s Selbin Sabio, their top tackler at linebacker, who also is a pretty good kicker; he put a foot on two consecutive on-side kicks for the rally against North Brunswick, and kicked the go-ahead, game-winning field goal. There’s also receiver’s Michael Strachan and Jon Baio (6 TDs apiece in 2022), center Matt Beuno, defensive lineman Israel Rodriguez (9 TFLs), and disruptive defensive end Adekunle Shittu (4 sacks in ’22).

As for the Raiders, there’s Davidson-bound wide receiver Alani Ajigbotosho, a good target for Garbolino. There’s defensive end Amanuell Gray (7 TFLs, 2 sacks last year), lineman Isaiah Barnes (2 fumble recoveries in ’22), and linebacker Willie Wilson (1 INT, 3 TFLs last season). Two key pieces of the offensive line are playing, including Arnold Samuels and Katrell Periera.

That’s where the storylines deepen.

The game has special meaning for Pereira, whose older brother, Kahlil, suffered a traumatic brain injury during an automobile accident in 2013, and spent several months rehabilitating at Children’s Specialized in New Brunswick, one of the game’s beneficiaries.

Team Marisa also has Marcella Iverson of JP Stevens at wide receiver. She is an accomplished dancer, having trained at the Joffre Ballet School, but traded it in to play football, where last year she became the second female in New Jersey football history to score a two-point conversion.

Their head coach, Mike Cipot, just celebrated – somehow, amid Raiders’ practice and his own camp – his tenth wedding anniversary with his wife Lauren this Wednesday.

Yes, the storylines never end, and that’s just before the game. There may very well be more before the night is done.

BELLAMY & SON PAVING MARISA ROSE BOWL AT-A-GLANCE

Where: Nicholas A. Priscoe Stadium at Woodbridge High School
When: Thursday, June 29, 7:00 pm
Tickets: $10 at the door, benefitting the Marisa Tufaro Foundation, Lakeview School in Edison, PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick.
Listen: Pregame starts at 6:25 pm. Click here to listen to all the play-by-play.
Announcers: Mike Pavlichko, Justin Sontupe (pxp); Korbid Thompson (sideline)
Team Rosters: Click here