Manville’s Josh D’Ambrosio still has sports to play, but four-year starter takes CJSR’s 2025 Longevity Award

“You never had the makings of a varsity athlete.” -Junior Soprano

“Josh has been a varsity athlete since he stepped on the gridiron as a freshman.” Dave Markowitch

The Manville coach has it right.

Josh D’Ambrosio got into the game as a ninth grader at outside linebacker, and has had an extraordinary career. This season – at free safety – he had 32 tackles, 13 solo, nine TFLs and two interceptions for a defense that allowed just nine touchdowns all season. He’s been there his entire four-year career in blue and gold.

But it was on offense where he may have helped the team most all year. He threw for 720 yards and nine touchdowns without a single interception in 51 pass attempts, but also carried 156 times for 1,268 yards and 18 scores, with a long of 74.

The Wing-T isn’t an easy offense to run, but D’Ambrosio did it well in his three years as the starting signal caller. In his career, he’s accumulated over 4,300 yards.

But even more importantly, he developed over time into a vocal leader, the person his teammates looked to in good times or bad.

And in the end, he went out making history – helping lead the team to its first undefeated regular season since 1968, and a program record for wins with 10, the last one coming at home against Asbury Park, for the Mustangs’ first playoff win in school history.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas talk with Manville senior Josh D;Ambrosio:

Honorable Mentions:

• Logan Stevens, Bernards: In a three-year varsity career, he never lost a single regular season game. A runningback/defensive back, Stevens rushed for 2,386 yards in his career, also grabbing 59 passes for 814 yards, scoring 39 career touchdowns and 236 points. On defense this year, he had 34 solo tackles, three interceptions, nine pass breakups, a TFL and a forced fumble. He also excelled on special teams, with 642 kick return yards – for a 23.8 average – with the Mountaineers’ getting average field position of their own 36-yard line.
• Andrew Avent, Rahway: Spending four years on varsity, Avent came on the scene as a baby-faced freshman. He leaves as a baby-faced senior with a million-dollar smile, and several program records, including career rushing yards (4,524), single-season rushing yards (1,961), career touchdowns (77) and points scored.
• Nate Endgdahl, Ridge: Sophomores rarely play line on the varsity Red Devils team, but Engdhal did, making him the first defensive lineman in first-year head coach Sutherland’s time at Ridge (five years, the first four as Defensive Coordinator) to have started three consecutive years. Sutherland calls him a “once-in-a-decade player.” This season, he had four sacks in six games played, logging 33 tackles and six TFLs.
• Filipe Granadiero, South River: The senior linebacker led his team with 91 tackles this season, and also owns the career record with 264, taking the mantle from his brother, Marcus, who also was a Rams’ linebacker for longtime head coach Rich Marchesi.