Dunellen’s Chiekezie Ogbuewu scoops and returns a Brearley fumble 60 yards for a score in the second half of a 34-28 win over Brearley at Columbia Park in Dunellen on October 19, 2023. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
Middlesex had a nice bounce-back year in its second season under Phlip McGuane, going from 4-6 a year ago to 7-2 with a playoff berth this season. Sayreville went from 4-5 to 8-3 under first-year head coach Don Sofilkanich, and Voorhees went from 3-6 to 7-4, also a plus-four in the win column.
But Dunellen went from 2-7 in 2022 to a 6-3 season with a playoff berth, a massive success any way you slice it. And that was thanks in large part to a pair of slice-and-dice runningbacks, Aidan Sangiray and Chiekezie Ogbuewu.
With a roster of barely two dozen, not all of whom start, Dunellen suffered two shutouts last year, had to forfeit a game with not enough players to suit up against Brearley, and had a heartbreaking overtime loss.
This year, they won their first three games, scored 50 in a win over Highland Park, shutout Manville, and beat Brearley by six, while qualifying for the postseason.
That’s why Dunellen is Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Turnaround Team of the Year for 2023.
Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Dunellen head coach Dave DeNapoli:
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