Old Bridge looks to continue domination in Battle of Route 18 vs. East Brunswick Friday

It may not be “the granddaddy of ’em all” like Carteret and Perth Amboy, whose Thanksgiving Day rivalry game – now played in the regular season – has been a fixture in those communities since 1927, but East Brunswick and Old Bridge are rivals in many sports, including football.

For the Knights, it has been almost entirely one-sided on the gridiron, and Old Bridge wants to keep it that way when the teams face off at Vince Lombardi Field on Friday at 6 pm, our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

You can hear that game on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame starting at 5:45 pm. Mike Pavlichko and Vin Ebenau will be on the call; click here to listen.

The two have played every year since 1994, when Madison Central and Cedar Ridge merged to form Old Bridge High School. And the Knights lead the series 27-3. East Brunswick has never won back to back games, and OB has won the last nine, with the Bears’ last victory coming in 2010.

But hold the phone: the closest East Brunswick came during that stretch was last year, a 30-28 loss, and four of the last five meetings have been decided by five points or less.

The Old Bridge offense is led by Brody Nugent, a junior in his second year as starting quarterback for third-year head coach Matt Donaghue. Nugent has rushed for 416 yards and seven touchdowns while throwing for 540 yards and another eight scores.

Defensively, senior lineman Zahmir Evans leads the team with 2 1/2 sacks and 15 tackles for loss, while junior defensive back Xavier Diaz has two interceptions.

The Knights come into the game at 2-2, their two losses coming by a total of three points, while East Brunswick is 1-3, and has failed to score in either of its first two road games.

Click below to hear Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue talk about the Knights and Friday’s “Battle of Route 18” matchup with East Brunswick: