JFK looks for first win under new head coach Anthony Nyers Saturday at Governor Livingston

It has been a less-than-ideal start for first-year head coach Anthony Nyers and his JFK football team. 

The Mustangs (0-3, 0-1 BCC United Silver) have yet to break into the win column this season, with double-digit losses to East Brunswick, Spotswood, and South Plainfield. This week, the goal remains the same: notch the first win in the Nyers era against Governor Livingston (1-2, .

​Now, taking over a program as a new head coach is difficult enough, but basically starting from scratch at your major skill positions is another challenge entirely. 

​Last season, JFK featured a receiver room with four seniors, led by Grant Lorentzen, who caught 55 passes for 1,221 yards and 22 touchdowns. On the ground, the story was the same, senior running back Fiheem Howell Jr was the feature man with 168 carries for 1,058 yards and nine touchdowns. The Mustangs also graduated senior quarterback Richie Trotman, who threw for nearly 1,400 yards and 24 touchdowns. 

​Fast forward to this year and a team full of seniority looks a lot different than just a season ago. JFK goes from a senior signal caller to sophomore Hayden Morrison, and a senior-driven receiver room to one that has seen four underclassmen with receptions on the season, out of seven total players with a catch. 

You can hear Saturday afternoon’s game at 2 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio, our Saturday Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Pregame starts at 1:35 with Chris Tsakonas and Nick Hart on the call; click here to listen.

Although the offense has yet to hit its groove, there have been some players who have been bright spots for the Mustangs. 

Senior wide receiver Braylon Diaz has been a player to watch for JFK, totaling 128 yards receiving to go along with 79 yards on the ground in three games so far.

Looking at the other side of the ball, the Mustangs have been anchored by a more senior group of players. Diaz has made an impact on the defense with 13 tackles this season, along with Justice Figueroa with 10.5 tackles, both seniors. 

Sticking with the theme of youth, however, sophomore linebacker Jason Asmah has made quite the impact in the secondary for JFK. Asmah has recorded 13 tackles, six solo tackles, and one tackle for a loss so far this season.

Looking at the last four games between the Mustangs and the Highlanders, it has been Governor Livingston who has seen more success, boasting a 3-1 record in the series dating back to 2022.

While the results tell one story, the final scores of the games tell another, as three of the last four matchups have been decided by just one score. Last season, the two teams needed overtime to decide the winner, as the Highlanders ultimately took the 38-26 victory. 

Heading into this week, coach Nyers has seen improvements in his squad in each of its last three performances but knows there is one thing his team has to do to be victorious on Saturday:

“We’ve got to put the ball in the end zone.”

Click below to hear JFK football head coach Anthony Nyers talk about the Mustangs’ season so far and upcoming matchup against Govenor Livingston, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart: