Jack Kristjanson: Player of the Week After Big Upset Win

Football is a team game, no doubt about it. On both sides of the ball, it takes everyone doing their part, and even then a W isn’t guaranteed.

But sometimes, in big games, individuals stand out, and do just a little bit more.

That’s what senior quarterback Jack Kristjanson of Montgomery did on the road last Friday night at Brooks Field.

In a big 22-15 upset win over then-No. 2 Somerville, Kristjanson – who’s also an Elite QB trainee with CJSR sponsor Matt Bastardi – threw 14-of-27 for 172 yards and three touchdowns. He also showed he was a dual threat, rushing 22 times for 107 yards, giving him 279 total yards of offense.

The biggest of his scoring tosses came in the fourth quarter against the Pioneers – following a drive where he fumbled – when Kristjanson threw the go-ahead score to Trey McFadden. And for good measure, he also ran in the two-point conversion to put them up by seven.

Monty hung on for a wild win, and the rest, as they say, is history. And Kristjanson is the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week for Week Two.

The Cougars are back home Friday night, when they take on North Hunterdon (0-3).

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko’s interview with Week Two Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Jack Kristjanson of Montgomery:

The Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week is chosen from nominees by Big Central coaches. At the end of the season, one player will be chosen to receive a $500 scholarship courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving. As always, we will recognize selected “Honorable Mentions,” and recognize all other all nominees in our weekly story.

Honorable Mentions:

Dominic Labisi, Governor Livingston: In a 36-28 overtime win at JFK Friday, the senior runningback was quite the workhorse. He ran the rock 40 times for 240 yards and five touchdowns – all career bests – and had two two-point conversion runs, the second of which came in OT. It wasn’t planned though; their long snapper and left tackle lost their helmets on the score, and Labisi punched it in for the extra two points.
Trevor Metz, Manville: The senior tight end had four catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns on the offensive side, with scoring catches of 34 and 27 yards. On the defensive side, at outside linebacker, he led the defense with seven solo and eleven total tackles, along with a pass breakup and a TFL.
Dom Massaro, South Plainfield: The senior runningback carried 12 times for 106 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-7 win over Thanksgiving rival North Plainfield last Friday night. One defense, Massaro had nine tackles and two interceptions in the secondary.
Zymere Weaver, St. Thomas Aquinas: The sophomore quarterback put up big numbers in a 50-8 rout of North Brunswick. He was a mind-blowing 12-of-13 for 285 yards and three passing touchdowns. That was a 92 percent completion rate!
Joshua Allen, Woodbridge: The senior runningback carried 28 times for 228 yards – an average of 8.1 yards per carry – scoring four touchdowns, from seven, 24, 42 and 14 yards out. Playing every snap of the game in all three phases, he also had a 15-yard kick return, three solo tackles, and a four-yard reception in a 27-18 win at Plainfield Friday night.

Other Notable Performances:

Justin Simpson, Bernards: The senior left tackled had a “dominant performance up front,” according to head coach Jon Simoneau. He and the rest of the offensive line paved the way for a 7.2 yards per carry night in a 43-7 home win over Delaware Valley, heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio on the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week. And for the second week in a row, the Mountaineers didn’t allow a single sack!
Rynal “R.J.” Wortman, Colonia: The senior wide reciver made every catch count, grabbing eight passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns (72, 42, and 14) in a 35-18 home win over Linden.
Noah DeJesus, East Brunswick: The senior TE/DL made his mark on both sides of the ball in a tough 50-19 home loss to Franklin. He had seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, while recording a sack, three tackles, a forced fumble, an interception, and a defensive score on the other side of the ball.
Grant Lorentzen, JFK: The senior wide receiver had nine catches for a whopping 168 yards, and touchdowns of 54- and 16-yards in a tough overtime loss to Governor Livingston, 36-28. Coach Mike Henderson says he also had multiple third- and fourth-down conversions during the game, all while facing double and triple coverage.
Joe Boyd, Linden: The junior quarterback/runningback carried 24 times for 263 yards in a 35-18 loss to Colonia Friday night.
Trevor Metz, Manville: The senior came up in in a 31-0 home win over Belvidere. He had four catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading the defense at outside linebacker with eleven tackles (seven solo) as well as a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup.
Andrew Avent, Rahway: The senior is known for his video game-like rushing numbers, and back on Thursday last week, he carried 11 times for 175 yards and three touchdowns of 54, 9 and 29 yards. He also played his first game at defensive end after three seasons as a linebacker, and recorded six solo tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks and two QB hurries. The kid can play anywhere!
Ryan Foster, Spotswood: Just a sophomore, the future is here now for the Chargers. He scored three times in a 40-7 win over Brearley Friday: a five-yard rushing touchdown, and 49-yard TD catch, and an 85-yard kick return for a score. He finished with six catches for 105 yards, and also had three tackles on defense.
Sam Meekings, Voorhees: The senior quarterback was 8-of-11 for 192 yards and five touchdowns – all in the first half – of a 45-8 win at JP Stevens that moved the Vikings to 3-0 for the first time since 2015. (The last time they were 4-0 was 2014.)
Dillon Nunes, Watchung Hills: The Week Zero Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week, Nunes had three catches for 106 cards and two touchdowns, while recording four tackles and grabbing two interceptions playing in the secondary.