Manville completed its first undefeated regular season since 1968 with a 49-7 win at Bound Brook on October 24, 2025, that also clinched the Big Central Freedom Silver Division title. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
My final regular season Friday night game versus Manville at Bound Brook was for the Big Central Football Conference Freedom Silver Division Title.
The Crusaders home game was Senior Night for the Football team and Cheerleaders. Bound Brook would win the toss and defer the choice to the second half.
The Mustangs would start their initial drive at the 40-yard line after the Bound Brook senior placekicker Zion Quesada would sqiub kick the ball to prevent a huge return from Manville’s dangerous returners.
The visitors, who run the Wing-T offense which uses multiple ball carriers, motions and misdirection while eating up the clock, forces the defense to be disciplined.
So it was no surprise that Manville’s first six plays would be running plays while moving into Crusader territory and facing a 4th and three from the Bound Brook 39-yard line. Senior Josh D’Ambrosio would line up at quarterback in the shotgun formation and run up the middle behind his center who picked up the blitzing linebacker while Josh gets the first down for a tough three-yard gain.
On the very next play, senior quarterback Samuel Echeverri, who aligns at halfback too, fakes the sweep to the halfback and rolls left hitting tight end Trevor Metz who is wide open for a 36-yard touchdown pass at 7:28 in the first quarter and a 7-0 lead.
Ironically Manville would send out sophomore placekicker Jaret Quesada, yes the cousin of Zion, to also squib kick while keeping rival Bound Brook’s returners at bay.
The Crusaders would also get the ball in decent field position running the ball with senior quarterback John Archer and senior running back Jake Markey also carrying the ball. Facing a 4th and one from midfield Archer would try to keep it himself but was stopped short when Manville’s middle linebacker Evan Canica blitzed into the backfield.
Manville would waste little time running senior Isaiah Bennett and D’Ambrosio for moderate gains, while the later would also attempt a pass to Metz which was overthrown, however, there was a roughing the passer penalty on the play moving the ball to the Crusader 41-yard line.
After a shotgun run for a 9-yard gain, D’Ambrosio would take the handoff from Echeverri going the distance while outrunning the defense for a 30-yard touchdown and a 14-0 Manville advantage with 3:42 in the first quarter.
Bound Brook would try to answer with Archer finding Zhamir Moore on a deep ball down the home sideline to Mustangs 45-yard line. On the very next play there was a holding call on the offense moving the ball back ten yards. There would then be an intentional grounding and an incomplete pass forcing a Crusader punt with 1:41 remaining in the first quarter.
The Mustangs would go back to running the ball with Bennett and D’Ambrosio getting the ball to the Bound Brook 28-yard line as the first quarter would come to a close with the Mustangs threatening and a 14-0 lead.
When play resumed D’Ambrosio was in the shotgun and giving the ball to Bennett who would go right towards the Manville bench while handing off to Echeverri on a counter play left while cuts up field inside the kick out block from his lead blocker for a 28-yard touchdown at 11:50 in the 2nd quarter and a 21-0 Mustang lead.
On the ensuing kickoff Manville decided to kick away to Zhamir Moore who lined up to the right instead of his normal spot on the left. It looked like that move was going to backfire as Moore took the ball at his 5-yard while getting knocked out of bounds at the Mustang 45-yard line. There was a holding penalty called on the return moving the ball back to the Crusader thirty yard line.
Bound Brook would go three and out after the penalty as the Manville defense was physically dominating the game and forced a punt at the 9:48 mark in the 2nd quarter up 21-0.
The Mustangs would only need 58 seconds for Echeverri to throw his second touchdown pass, this time to a leaping D’Ambrosio across the middle of the field for a 53-yard score and a 28-0 lead with 8:46 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Bound Brook would get the ball to around midfield but would fumble the ball as a relentless Mustang defense knocked the ball out which was recovered by senior John Lunsford with 6:20 before halftime.
Manville needed only one play, as D’Ambrosio in the shotgun would roll slightly to his right, stop and throw back left to Bennett on a screen pass with left guard Tyler Johnson throwing the key block as the senior captain hid behind his blocker and then cutback right sprinting untouched for a 55-yard touchdown and 35-0 lead at the 6:05 mark before intermission.
The Crusaders would work their way down the field with trying to go deep with Moore but the Mustangs defense was not about to give up the deep pass so Archer would take the shorter routes as they advanced the ball to midfield.
However with the Bound Brook quarterback under pressure rolling to his right, he lofted a pass to his receiver who was momentarily open near the Manville sideline however a leaping D’Ambrosio from his safety position intercepted the pass with 3:54 still on the game clock before halftime.
The Mustangs would methodically run the ball with everyone getting touches and milking the clock as they moved into the red zone. With the ball on the Crusader 18-yard line, Echeverri would score again on the scissors play (counter) this time for 18-yards with 50.7 seconds before halftime and a 42-0 lead they would take into the locker room.
The Crusaders were set to receive the second half kickoff and fumbled the ball on the return at their 30-yard line. With a running clock in effect for the second half, the opportunities for the home team would be limited.
Manville would add one more score when senior Collin Shimp would take it in on a 6-yard run at 6:55 in the 3rd quarter making it 49-0.
Bound Brook would finally get on the board at 6:35 in the 4th quarter with a Jake Markey 1-yard run which made the final score 49-7 as Manville ran down the clock with their 2nd team finishing the game.
The celebration was on as the Mustangs captured the BCC Freedom Silver Division trophy, finished undefeated at 9-0 for the first time since 1968 and secured a home Central Jersey Group 1 first round playoff game against Asbury Park.
Here are my Week 8 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County. There will be no more Top Tens until the conclusion of the season:
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