New Providence captains head out for the coin toss before the North 2, Group 1 final against Cedar Grove at Leider Field in New Providence on November 14, 2025. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
Could the third time be the charm?
If the New Providence football team wins one more game, they’ll get the chance to find out.
But the fourth-seeded Pioneers – who won their opening round game over fifth-seed Becton in the North 2, Group 2 playoff section, 48-27 last week – will have to go on the road this week, where they’ll face the top-seed, the Waldwick/Midland Park Co-Op out of the NJIC at 7 pm.
A win, and they’ll be in a sectional final for the third straight year, seeking to win their first title since 2010.
Both teams come into Friday’s sectional semifinal at 8-1. New Providence was a three-way co-champ with A.J. Johnson and Perth Amboy in the Big Central’s Patriot Silver Division. The Warriors were the NJIC Liberty Division champs, and then won the league’s two-game playoffs, beating Garfield 35-34 in the title game on Cutoff Weekend.
New Providence, of course, has a first-year head coach, but it’s not his first year with the program. He spent five years under Chet Parlevecchio, Jr., as an assistant, so he already was well-familiar with the program and the personnel, and he has subscribed to most of the theory “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
To that end, the Pioneers have great balance on offense, throwing for 1,641 yards behind senior QB Kevin Reilly, but running as a team for 1,439 yards. And Reilly has 460 of those, while senior Charles Maneely leads the group with 788 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Defensively, they feats on turnovers, with eight forced fumbles and recoveries – including one four a touchdown – and nine interceptions. When your own QB has thrown just three picks all year – compared with 28 touchdowns – that means you’re winning the turnover battle.
That same balance cannot be found with Waldwick, which runs the rock to the nth degree. The Warriors have passed for barely 1,000 yards, but have run for an eye-popping 2,869 yards and 43 touchdowns. Junior Luciano Mayer leads the way with 270 carries for 1,734 yards and 24 touchdowns; he’s one of the top ten rushers in the state.
Click below to hear New Providence first-year head coach Anthony Conzentino talk about the Pioneers’ second-round playoff game against Waldwick/Midland Park with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
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