Bridgewater-Raritan’s D.J. Catalano led Panthers to first title, is named 2025 Central Jersey Sports Radio Coach of the Year

Being Coach of the Year isn’t just about having the best team or the most skilled players.

Well, you probably have to have most of them, or you’re not playing for championships any time soon.

But often, it’s about something extra: overcoming some adversity, or simply making a key decision or two, more than the next guy. Sometimes, it’s Xs and Os, sometimes it’s something most don’t see. Sometimes it’s just a steady, guiding hand.

That’s the case for Central Jersey Sports Radio’s 2025 Coach of the Year: D.J. Catalano of Bridgewater-Raritan.

Catalano has been the head man in Bridgewater for just a few seasons, spending a year there under Rick Mantz in 2022 before taking over in 2023. It’s been a steady progression since then, from 3-7 to 4-7 to a 9-4 campaign this year, and the North 2, Group 5 championship.

The Panthers won their first four games this year, something they had not done since 2016, when they finished 11-1, losing in the finals to Westfield (for the second time in what two years, with a third to come in 2017). But then, potential tragedy struck.

Quarterback Declan Kurdyla went down in the Hunterdon Central game, and it looked serious. Ultimately, he missed two games, and came back two weeks later for a 30-18 loss at Hillsborough. At the cutoff, they were 6-3, finishing 1-3 in the division, and having dropped three of their last five games.

But with a top-seed in the state tournament, what better time for a playoff run?

And that’s just what they did, Catalano keeping the group laser-focused on the task at hand. They cruised past Linden, 35-6, in the opening round. They were masterful against Union City, a team many didn’t give them a shot against considering their high-powered offense averaging just under 40 points per game.

And, down 7-0 at halftime, they came back to beat Bayonne, 21-14, in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 title game, claiming the program’s first-ever NJSIAA hardware.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas talk with Bridgewater-Raritan head coach D.J. Catalano, our 2025 Coach of the Year: