Author: Mike Pavlichko

October 5, 2026October 4, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

There’s a new team atop the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten after Phillipsburg falls at Ridge, and it’s their first No. 1 ranking in BCC history

For the first time since the formation of the Big Central Conference in 2020, Elizabeth has reached the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Six.

The Minutemen are 6-0 for the first time since 2012, when they went undefeated, 11-0, and won the first-ever North 2, Group 5 championship, beating Piscataway in the final at Kean University in Union.

Phillipsburg had been No. 1, with their only prior loss coming out of state, to Freedom (PA) out of Bethlehem. But they were knocked off by No. 1 Ridge on the final play of the game Friday, and Elizabeth’s win helped cement the change. All in all, only two teams are in the same positions they were last week.

Elizabeth stayed unbeaten with a 39-18 home win against Linden Friday night, and the Minutemen will put that perfect mark on the line again this Friday when they host Hillsborough (1-4) in a crossover game.

Old Bridge (5-1) edged up a spot to No. 2 after a thrilling 14-12 home victory over then-No. 8 Sayreville Friday night, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. This week, the Knights visit much-improved Monroe (4-2) in a National Gold Division contest.

Ridge (3-2) – which has played four ranked opponents, three of which have been in the top three at one point or another – moved all the way up to No. 3 after knocking off Phillipsburg at home Friday, winning on a touchdown catch off a tipped ball at the goal line on the game’s final play. This week, the Red Devils host Westfield Friday night in a BCC crossover. Phillipsburg (4-2) dropped down to four, and is off this week.

Piscataway (5-1) was a 46-6 winner over Franklin Saturday afternoon in the first meeting of the former Thanksgiving Day rivals in three years. The Chiefs are back at it Friday night at home in a crossover game against No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen.

Holding at six and seven are Bridgewater-Raritan (5-1) and Cranford (5-0). The Falcons were 5-18 winners at Hunterdon Central Friday, and visit Piscataway this Friday. The Cougars remained undefeated with a 13-12 home win over Montgomery Friday, and this Friday night are at South Plainfield for a crossover game.

Down three spots to eight is St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-3), which has dropped three straight after starting 2-0, including an impressive win over Bridgewater-Raritan. Saturday, they lost a non-conference matinee at Delbarton, 56-24. They visit No. 5 Piscataway Friday night in a crossover game.

Making its debut this season is Union (5-1), which already has topped last year’s win total by two. The Farmers won their third strai9ght on Saturday afternoon at Cooke Field, blanking Plainfield, 24-0. This week, they play a home crossover against No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan.

And down two spots to the final position at ten is Sayreville (4-2), which lost 14-12 at Old Bridge Friday night, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Bombers are back at it again this with a crossover matchup Friday, visiting previously-ranked Somerville.

Previous No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas dropped out of the rankings this week, dropping its third straight game – 42-26 at Somerville – after starting the season 3-0. They host North Brunswick in a BCC National Silver Division game Friday night in North Edison.

Below is the complete 2026 Week Six Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:

October 4, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: No. 3 Old Bridge 14, No. 8 Sayreville 12

Quarterback Aiden Rios ran for a touchdown and threw one to Amari Alsbrook, and that was enough for third-ranked Old Bridge to beat No. 8 Sayreville 14-12 in a Big Central Conference crossover game. The Bombers got two field goals from Philip Sayouwah and a 52-yard touchdown run by Sherwin Appiah.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from Lombardi Field in Old Bridge, NJ, on October 2, 2026:

1st Half

2nd Half

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

With Taylor gone from St. Joseph, Corrigan leaving Aquinas, where does it leave them, and GMC boys’ and girls’ basketball?

The first announcement was enough to send some shockwaves through the girls’ basketball community in Middlesex county, and came out on a football Friday in the fall, rather than in the Spring or Summer: third-year St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ basketball coach Tim Corrigan was leaving to become as assistant at his alma mater, St. Joseph of Metuchen, in the boys’ side.

This is the same Trojan program that has won seven straight GMC Tournament championships with very talented players, over three coaches and two school names: the first under Brittney Griffin as Bishop Ahr, the next three under Joe Whalen under original name St. Thomas Aquinas, and the last three under Corrigan. All have been characterized as a physical, dominating style of play that has led them to unprecedented heights, winning GMC Red Division games by an average 40-plus points.

When the news broke last week via Simeon Pincus of MyCentralJersey.com, the move was a surprise to many, even though Corrigan had taken that track before. He left his post as head girls’ basketball coach at Watching Hills to join Whalen’s staff at STA, then eventually took over once Whalen stepped down as he dealt with MS.

*St. Thomas Aquinas and East Brunswick play in the 40th GMC Tournament Championship Game at Monroe Twp. H.S. on February 20, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

The first question became: what would happen at St. Thomas, where two of their top returning players had transferred out – guards Lauryn Downing to Blair Academy and bug Leah Kearney to CAPS a ademy of Boston, where she’ll be joined by Aleah Sunkins of Franklin, another big loss of star power in New Jersey – and Jordan Barnes graduated and is now playing at Rider. Numbers have been an issue, and the program had no JV team last season.

St. Thomas has been the dominant program in GMC girls’ hoops for the better part of a decade. They have not lost a league game since January of 2022 at Monroe, winning 80 straight since, including the regular season and GMCT. Will there be a vacuum?

At first glance: yes. And every single one of those opponents wants the first crack at them.

Or will they find someone internally or look outside to boost the numbers and keep the streak and dominance alive? Time will tell, but there’s not much time at all, with the season’s first practice less than two months away.

Meanwhile, Corrigan has wanted to coach on the boys’ side for some time now. He was put his name in the hat, and was very much in the running for the St. Joe’s job the first time around, two years ago, when the Falcons unceremoniously dumped Jan Cocoziello, whose only crime appeared to be not being a part of a decade-long GMC tournament run where the Falcons and won nine of ten championships under Dave Turco and Mike Thompson.

But they were a solid contender year after year, and there was stability.

Enter Karl Towns, the father of one of the school’s most celebrated student-athletes of all-time, Karl-Anthony Towns, who won a Tournament of Champions in 2014, played a year at Kentucky under John Calipari then went to the NBA. It was a big splash and also brought KAT back into the fold, after he’d all bust disowned the place when they let go of his head coach, Dave Turco in 2017.

But when Karl-Anthony was traded to the Knicks in September 2024, things changed. His father would be seen often courtside at Madison Square Garden, and St. Joe’s seemed to take a backseat. His assistants not only were running practices but taking the lead in games. Eventually, the school and Towns parted ways as the program foundered, punctuated by an early exit from the GMC Tournament.

And so, the school was looking for a new coach again, and again, Corrigan was in the mix. But when they looked back to the past glories 1983 alum Mark Taylor brought them, both as a player and coach, he became the home run choice. He mentored Jay Williams and Andrew Bynum, among a host of other major D1 recruits. He later did the same at St. Benedict’s and even turned around Ridge in Somerset County. The move seemed like a great fit. No way Taylor was coming here to lose.

He brought in three high-profile transfers, raising eyebrows across the state. Aiden Carter was coming in from right down the road at St. Thomas, big man Andrew Kretkowski shuffled over from Rutgers Prep, and Ghana native Joel Patrick signed on as well. The three helped lead the Falcons to the 2026 GMC Tournament championship – its first in seven years since that nine-in-ten run from 2010 to 2019 – and a 29-2 record. They were the Central Jersey Sports Radio Boys’ Basketball Team of the Year, too.

*St. Joseph’s Andrew Kretkowski (in white) plays defense on Piscataway’s Josh Lima in a GMC Red American Division game in Piscataway on January 3, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

But then, one by one, they transferred out during the summer: Carter to an academy in Kansas, Kretkowski to a brand-new one in Massachusetts, and Patrick to Montverde in Florida.

And now, whatever brought it about, Taylor is gone, too.

So where does that leave St. Joe’s, besides entering its third coaching search in as many years, and being a program now that will have had four different head coaches in four seasons once 2026-27 tips off?

Again, it’s getting late early to find a new coach. They’ve got one if they want one, in Tim Corrigan, who’s currently in a state of not-his-fault limbo.

To add to it, leadership at the Metuchen school changed over the summer. President John Nolan retired, and Stephen Balog (Class of ’73) is the interim president. Football coach Bill Tracy is no longer doubling as Athletic Director, the school also confirmed this week, though he is still listed on the St. Joseph website as such. (But one can also be relatively certain the Towns and Taylor hirings were not his doing; at least Towns very likely came from above, as the school long wanted to heal the wounds left with his son.)

One would not have assumed Taylor was going to stay at St. Joseph forever. Many, when they heard the Corrigan story, figured he might be in line for the job some day (though not today) and it probably sounded like a great opportunity to at least get back in the door of the school he once attended, after coming oh-so-close to landing the head job in 2024 and 2025. How could it hurt?

At the end of the day, the best course of action very well might be for St. joseph to hand the keys to Corrigan after all. And not just because of the time crunch, and certainly not to settle. In fact, maybe he should have gotten the job three years ago?

Jan Cocoziello’s tenure was the last time St. Joseph had stability. The Towns hire made headlines, and the kids were surely excited figuring they’d see KAT around more, but the year was pure chaos. Taylor brought instant success, but even if he’d stayed as coach, he’d have to replace his three biggest stars; would he be able to turn the same trick again so quickly? The point is moot, though, and now, he’s gone, too.

*Then-St. Joseph-Metuchen head coach Jan Cocozziello talks to Central Jersey Sports Radio after a 46-42 win at Montgomery on February 22, 2021. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

Corrigan has proven to be a very good coach. He’s an alum. He has connections that can bring in and develop freshmen. St. Joe’s has an academic eighth grade “Bridge Program” that can work as a feeder. They’ve got the infrastructure and the history, and Corrigan is a part of that history. He was on the very first St. Joe’s team to win the GMC Tournament, in 1993, with Joe Koslick as head coach and one of the greats in John Somogyi also on the staff.

But most importantly, Corrigan’s even-keeled demeanor, the way he runs a program? He’d be the ideal fit and bring much-needed stability to a program that has always been a winner. He’s been in the running before, now should be his chance.

Despite a GMC championship last year, the way it all ended, that’s a swing and a miss on the last two hires. St. Joe’s isn’t looking to strike out.

As for the rest of the league, the boys’ coaches wait with baited breath, too. Joe’s may not dominate, at least right away, but they will compete. Face it, the Falcons would have been the odds on favorite to repeat as GMC champions had Taylor, Carter, Kretkowski and Patrick stayed on. But now none are there, and GMC boys’ hoops this year could look more like 2024-25, when it was a wide-open tournament.

You don’t always need a home run to win the game.

October 3, 2026October 3, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Saturday Big Central Roundup: Dunellen ends long losing streak, Bernards rallies late to hand Hillside its first loss, No. 5 St. Joseph falls at Delbarton, No. 4 Piscataway handles Franklin

It was a fairly busy Saturday afternoon in the Big Central Conference, with a half-dozen games on tap.

Only two were truly competitive and both came down to the wire, as Dunellen snapped a 24-game skid with an 8-6 win at South River where the Destroyers had to keep the Rams at bay, while Bernards scored two unanswered touchdowns in the second half to hand Hillside its first loss of the season.

Read on for recaps, audio, scores, Notes and Nuggets, and all scores from Week Five in the Big Central.

Down 19-7? No problem for Bernards…

Well, let’s dial that headline back a moment.

It sure wasn’t easy, but Bernards – which led after scoring on the game’s first possession – trailed 19-7 in the third quarter Saturday afternoon against Hillside at Conant Street Park before rallying late to win it, 20-19. It was their fourth straight victory after starting the season 0-2, while Hillside took its first loss and fell to 5-1.

It wasn’t easy, but they might have made it look that way

Behind by a dozen, the comeback started with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Nolan Walsh to Zach Favreau with 2:47 to play. Favreau then recovered a fumble on Hillside’s next possession, and Walsh then ran in a score to cap to give his team the lead for good, before Favreau again came up big. This time it was an interception that gave his team the ball back, allowing the Mountaineers to run out the clock in victory formation.

Bernards is now 4-2 on the season, while Hillside drops to 5-1.

Click below to hear Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau talk about Saturday’s win over the Comets with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Notes and Nuggets…

Not only was Dunellen’s victory the first for new coach Kyle Baach, it snapped a 24-game losing streak, which was the longest active streak in the state. Their last win gad come on October 19, 2023, a 34-28 win over Brearley at home. It was their first road win since September 29th of that year, a 28-0 shutout over Manville. That leaves Gloucester Catholic – the school that almost had Jalen Parker, or did, for a hot minute – with the longest active losing streak in New Jersey – now at 17 games – as the Rams (0-5) lost at home to Pitman Saturday afternoon, 48-8. Morristown is next up at eleven losses in a row, heading into Saturday’s 2:30 game at Bayonne.
Back to Bernards for a moment, it was somewhat ironic that the Mountaineers were the first team to beat Hillside this season. Bernards had a 32-game Big Central win streak snapped – the second longest in league history, behind St. Thomas Aquinas’ 35 – in Week One when they lost to still-unbeaten Cranford. The last BCC team Bernards had lost to, all the way back in 2022, was Hillside.
All that being said, there are now just four undefeated teams left in the Big Central. Elizabeth and Highland Park are both 6-0, while Cranford and New Providence are both 5-0. All have three games remaining to run the table in the regular season. Here’s who they all have left
- The Minutemen host Hillsborough (1-5) this Friday, then travel to Westfield next Saturday (1-5), before closing out on the Friday night of Cutoff Weekend at home against Somerville (4-2).
- The Owls’ next two games may be their toughest stretch all season, both Freedom Gold Division contests that will determine the division. First up is Brearley (5-1) at home this Friday, whose only loss is to Dayton (4-2), which is Highland Park’s next game after the Bears, on the road. A win could set up a winner-take-all scenario in that game on October 16th. (Dayton is at South River this coming Saturday.) Highland Park closes at home against Metuchen (2-3), their longtime former Thanksgiving rival.
- The Pioneers are home next week against Perth Amboy (5-1), but New Providence may be the toughest team they’ll play all year. Then they travel to Spotswood (2-4) before closing out at home against Governor Livingston (3-3).
- The Cougars may have the toughest three-game closing stretch to the season of them all. First up is a Friday night trip to South Plainfield (4-2), which they’ve beaten each of the last two seasons. Then they have to go to Carteret (3-3) before closing on the Friday of Cutoff Weekend at home against Hillside (5-1).

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

Delbarton 56, #5 St. Joseph-Metuchen 24
Dunellen 8, South River 6 (Recap and Video via Marcus Borden)
Union 24, Plainfield 0
Johnson 26, Governor Livingston 0
#4 Piscataway 46, Franklin 6
Bernards 20, Hillside 19

FRIDAY SCORES

#10 Ridge 14, #1 Phillipsburg 13 (Recap with Audio)
#2 Elizabeth 39, Linden 18
#3 Old Bridge 14, #8 Sayreville 12 (Recap with Audio)
#6 Bridgewater-Raritan 35, Hunterdon Central 18
#7 Cranford 13, Montgomery 12
Somerville 42, #9 St. Thomas Aquinas 26
Highland Park 35, Bound Brook 7
Woodbridge 13, Westfield 7
New Providence 41, Dayton 21
Colonia 31, Hillsborough 13
South Hunterdon 30, JP Stevens 14
Perth Amboy 42, New Brunswick 14
South Plainfield 28, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 14 (Recap and video via Marcus Borden)
Brearley 48, Roselle 13
Carteret 33, North Brunswick 14
Summit 21, Watchung Hills 0
North Plainfield 28, Spotswood 27 (OT)
Belvidere 34, Manville 28
Edison 21, East Brunswick 0
Monroe 28, North Hunterdon 20
Metuchen 35, JFK 28
Delaware Valley 35, Voorhees 0

THURSDAY SCORES

Roselle Park 29, Middlesex 28 (OT)
Rahway 38, South Brunswick 20

October 3, 2026October 3, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Dunellen ekes out 8-6 road win at South River, gets new head coach Kyle Baach his first victory, and snaps NJ’s longest active losing streak at 24

It may not have been pretty, and it certainly was low scoring, but the Dunellen football team will take it.

The Destroyers (1-4) got a lone first half touchdown and made it stand, in an 8-6 road victory at South River (0-5) in a Big Central Conference crossover game between two winless schools, one of who – Dunellen – no longer has that destination.

What turned out to be the decisive score came at the 8:45 mark of the second quarter, when sophomore quarterback Kayson Boyd hit junior wideout Jermal Goodridge for a touchdown pass, then Boyd – after an off-side by South River – ran it in from the one for a two-point conversion to make it 8-0 Destroyers.

That’s the way things stayed until late in the third quarter, when South River got a 48-yard touchdown run from Ethan Chamberlain to cut the deficit to 8-6. But the Rams failed on the two-point try, and Dunellen kept the lead.

South River would threaten again, moving the ball late in the third quarter, but sophomore defensive back Jowell Morales jumped the route in front of the intended receiver, Jordyn Ramos, and picked off the pass.

And in another general display of how the afternoon went, after that interception, Dunellen got a big run to get to the Ram 25 yard line, but fumbled, with Ramos recovering the ball. They failed to score, got the ball back on another fumble recovery by the Rams, but again, they were stopped, turning it over on downs with 5:14 to go.

At that point, Dunellen controlled the football and ate the clock, for an 8-6 road win, their first of the season, and the first for first-year head coach Kyle Baach. It also snapped the state’s longest active losing streak at 24 games, leaving that distinction now to Gloucester Catholic at 17, after a loss Saturday to Pitman.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden with Dunellen head coach Kyle Baach, junior WR/DB Jermal Goodridge, and sophomore quarterback Kayson Boyd, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

October 3, 2026October 3, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Friday Night Big Central Roundup: Elizabeth, three others stay undefeated, Ridge stuns No. 1 at the horn, Old Bridge heroics save the day, and much, much more

It doesn’t get much better than the home stretch of the regular season in high school football, where the games are bigger and seemingly anything can happen. And on Friday night in the Big Central Conference alone, just about anything did.

Start with a stunner in Basking Ridge, where No. 10 Ridge got a touchdown as time expired to knock off No. 1 Phillipsburg, 14-13. In the other top ten game of the night, No. 3 Old Bridge got an interception from Chase Rizzo to seal a 14-12 victory over visiting No. 8 Sayreville.

That’s two top ten matchups decided by a combined three points.

And all four unbeaten teams remained so after Friday, with one more to play Saturday. Elizabeth made a strong case for being the top team in the Bellamy & Son Paving rankings come out for Week Six with a 29-18 win over Linden, improving to 6-0 on the year.

Highland Park’s amazing season continues, improving to 6-0 with a 35-7 win at Bound Brook. Cranford edged Montgomery 13-12 at home, and New Providence beat Dayton 41-21, as the Cougars and Pioneers both moved to 5-0.

Read on more more recaps, scores, Notes and Nuggets, and the rest of the weekend schedule.

Can Middlesex surge late?

Going back to Thursday night for a moment, while Middlesex is just 1-4 after a 29-28 overtime home loss to Roselle Park, they started the year with a homegrown talent missing the first four games of the year.

Brian Cilento had been at Immaculata, where as a sophomore last season he was the team’s second-leading rusher with 818 yards and 15 touchdowns. (He also was a starting outfielder for the Spartans’ Somerset County Tournament runner-up baseball team.)

But after the coaching change with Dallas Whitaker replacing Mike Columbo, and an influx of transfers, he decided to make a move himself and go back home, according to Middlesex Athletic Director Mike O’Donnell.

Since he transferred after pre-season practice had already started, that meant he would have to sit four games, even though it was his first transfer. But had he waited the year, he’d have to sit out three next year as a senior transfer. Cilento could be a difference-maker down the stretch for the Blue Jays, who ran the ball for 192 yards Thursday night against the Panthers; that’s almost half their total over the previous four games combined.

Middlesex might be too far gone to make the playoffs this season, but perhaps the addition will lead to a stronger finish in 2026 and some positive vibes to build off of heading into next year, when Cilento will get a full senior season, a reason to feel optimistic about 2027, when the rest of an inexperienced squad will have another year under its collective belt..

Notes and Nuggets…

Highland Park is slipping! We jest, but the Owls were allowing a Big Central best 1.2 points per game through their first five, and still are allowing just 2.2 a game after their 35-7 win at Bound Brook. (Oh, and the TD they allowed Friday night was a pick-six, so the defense is has let up just six points all year, just one point per game on average now.) They have allowed just 13 points on two TDs all season – allowing 2.2 points a game. Marcus Smith was an efficient 7-of-9 passing for 163 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing four times for 43 yards and a TD. Jacob Quiros also carried 20 times for 102 yards and a score, while Ziquan Grier had 140 yards receiving and two scores. But things get tougher the next couple of weeks. They host Brearley (5-1) next week and visit Dayton (4-2) the Friday after before closing at home against longtime Thanksgiving Day rival Metuchen on Cutoff Weekend.
Edison’s 21-0 over East Brunswick was the Eagles’ first since its opening game of the 2024 season. That also came against the Bears, 27-0. Their last whitewash against a team other than East Brunswick came in Game Two of the 2023 season – Matt Yascko’s first at the helm of his alma mater, and his first win there – a 57-0 blowout of in-town rival JP Stevens.
Elizabeth continues to put up huge numbers, as the Minutemen beat Linden, 39-18. It’s the fourth time in their first six games they’ve scored more than 30 points. They also scored 53 in their opener against Carteret, 43 at Plainfield the next week, and 62 against St. Joseph-Metuchen two weeks ago.
Belvidere is now 5-1 for the second time in three years after a 34-28 win against Manville one of the two toughest games of their four remaining heading into this week, including Delaware Valley at home on Cutoff Weekend. In 2024, the County Seaters lost their opener at Boonton, but reeled off eight straight – all in Big Central play – before taking a 20-0 loss at Veronia in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 opening round.
The New Providence offense continues to thrive, as they rolled up 357 total yards in a 41-21 win over Dayton in Springfield Friday night. Kevin Reilly was 10-of-14 passing for 162 yards and three scores, while four different backs and Reilly combined for 280 yards and three scores on the ground, including 192 from Charles Maneely. And it was only the second game this year in which the Pioneer defense has allowed more than a touchdown, allowing seven to Voorhees in their opener, and three to Metuchen in Week Two, before blanking Roselle on the road last week. The 21 points they allowed Friday night was a season high.

FRIDAY SCORES

#10 Ridge 14, #1 Phillipsburg 13 (Recap with Audio)
#2 Elizabeth 39, Linden 18
#3 Old Bridge 14, #8 Sayreville 12 (Recap with Audio)
#6 Bridgewater-Raritan 35, Hunterdon Central 18
#7 Cranford 13, Montgomery 12 (OT)
Somerville 42, #9 St. Thomas Aquinas 26
Highland Park 35, Bound Brook 7
Woodbridge 13, Westfield 7
New Providence 41, Dayton 21
Colonia 31, Hillsborough 13
South Hunterdon 30, JP Stevens 14
Perth Amboy 42, New Brunswick 14
South Plainfield 28, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 14 (Recap and video via Marcus Borden)
Brearley 48, Roselle 13
Carteret 33, North Brunswick 14
Summit 21, Watchung Hills 0
North Plainfield 28, Spotswood 27 (OT)
Belvidere 34, Manville 28
Edison 21, East Brunswick 0
Monroe 28, North Hunterdon 20
Metuchen 35, JFK 28
Delaware Valley 35, Voorhees 0

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

#5 St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-2) at Delbarton (2-3), 1 pm
Plainfield (2-3) at Union (4-1), 1 pm
Franklin (1-4) at #4 Piscataway (4-1), 2 pm
Johnson (2-2) at Governor Livingston (3-2), 2 pm
Dunellen (0-4) at South River (0-5), 2 pm
Bernards (3-2) at Hillside (5-0), 2 pm

THURSDAY SCORES

Roselle Park 29, Middlesex 28 (OT)
Rahway 38, South Brunswick 20

October 2, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Noblecilla scores twice, South Plainfield wins second straight, doubling up Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 28-14

South Plainfield picked up its second straight win, and improved to 4-2 on the season, with a 28-14 home win at Jost Field Friday night over visiting Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

Senior tight end Aiden Noblecilla caught two touchdown passes in the win.

He got the scoring going after the Tigers blocked a punt on the Raiders’ first possession with just 1:42 into the game, and by the 9:41 mark, sophomore quarterback Lucas Habe hit Noblecilla with a 16-yard strike to make it 7-0.

They added to that in the second period after a Nick France interception, resulting in a second Habe-Noblecilla connection with 10:40 to go before the half, but Scotch Plains responded on the next possession with a seven-yard touchdown run just 3:47 before the half, and the game was 14-7 at the break.

After a scoreless third, the Tigers went up 2-17 on a two-yard run by Micah Anderson with 7:08 to play, but Jayden Sanders made it a one-score game again for the Raiders, returning the ensuing kickoff for a score.

South Plainfield once again would punch back, however, as freshman Mason Smith scampered 71 yards for a score with 6:11 left. The Raiders turned it over on downs on their next possession, but still couldn’t score after they held the Tigers, and got another crack at it.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden with head coach Bill Hamilton and senior TE/DL Aiden Noblecilla, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

October 2, 2026October 2, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Frank-Pickell connection help No. 10 Ridge stun top-ranked Phillipsburg, 14-13, on game’s final play

Sometimes you’d rather be lucky than good, but Friday night at Lee Field, No. 10 Ridge was both.

As a result, the Red Devils knocked off No. 1 Phillipsburg – handing the Stateliners their first New Jersey loss of the season – 14-13, as two seniors came up the heroes, with quarterback Tristan Frank hitting wide receiver Jack Pickell for a four-yard touchdown pass as time expired.

Phillipsburg opened the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown run by Vincent Berger, plus the PAT, to go up 7-0. And that was all the scoring the first half would see.

Frank scored on a one-yard run in the third to make it 7-6, and the Red Devils decided they wanted to play to win and went for two. Frank ran it in to put Ridge up 8-7. Shane Moore then scored on a two-yard touchdown run in the fourth, but a two-point conversion pass attempt failed, and the score held at 13-8 Stateliners.

With just under three minutes left, Ridge had one drive left. They got down to the four, and with one more play to go, Frank found Pickell for the winning score.

Ridge – which has now played four Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten opponents in five games, three of which were in the top three at one point or another – improves to 3-2, 1-1 in the Big Central American Silver Division, with a home game against Westfield next week.

Phillipsburg drops to 4-2, 1-1 in the American Silver, with a bye next week before Bridgewater-Raritan visits Maloney on Friday, October 16, a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Click below for postgame reaction from Ridge head coach Jeff Sutherland with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

October 2, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Rizzo saves the day for No. 3 Old Bridge with late pick to down No. 8 Sayreville, 14-12

Even the rain that burst from the clouds at halftime at Lombardi Field in Old Bridge couldn’t spoil the Knights’ evening.

The PA speakers blared Neil Diamond and Miley Cyrus singalongs, and everyone enjoyed themselves, even as No. 8 Sayreville got as close as within two with under four minutes to go in the third, and as they threatened to go ahead of No. 3 Old Bridge in the closing minutes.

But on a 4th-and-11 from their own 48, sophomore quarterback Marcus Butka threw a bomb down the right sideline that was picked off in stride by junior Chase Rizzo, who smartly slid to the turf at the ten knowing the Bombers had just one time out, and that his team could close out the victory with a knee.

Which they did – in the Big Central Game of the Week on Central Jersey Sports Radio, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving – to improve to 5-1, win their second straight over their neighbors, and keep them in the hunt for a top-seed in the playoffs in the South Group 5 supersection.

Senior quarterback Aiden Rios threw a six-yard TD pass to Amari Alsbrook to open the scoring on the game’s first possession, and ran for a 36-yard score of his own in the third quarter, enough to give the Knights the win. He finished with 80 yards rushing on ten carries, and was 6-of-7 passing with an interception for 114 yards, while Rizzo – the only other player to run the ball – finished with 120 yards on 20 carries.

For Sayreville, Philip Sayouwoh kicked two first-half field goals, a 20-yarder, then a 42-yarder – a career best – while Sherwin Appiah had a 52-yard touchdown run in the third; he finished with 117 yards on 17 carries.

Sayreville drops to 4-2 with the loss, and has a visit to Somerville looming next week, while Old Bridge will head down to Monroe.

Click below for postgame reaction from Alec Crouthamel with Old Bridge QB Aiden Rios, RB/LB Chase Rizzo, and head coach Matt Donaghue, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

October 2, 2026October 3, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

After just one year in second run, Mark Taylor is out as St. Joseph-Metuchen head coach

When former St. Joseph-Metuchen standout Mark Taylor – Class of 1983 – was hired for a second go ’round with the Falcons back in April of 2025, the news was a big splash in the world of high school basketball in New Jersey.

A standout in the ’80s, he later coached the school in the 90s, responsible for several D1 college players, most notably Jay Williams.

And after a year with Karl Towns, Sr., the father of the school’s biggest name since Williams, Karl-Anthony Towns, leading the program to disastrous effect – the team floundered as he often missed games to watch his son play in at Madison Square Garden, after he was traded from Minnesota to the Knicks, much closer to home – the move seemed like a slam dunk.

But now it’s over, as Taylor – who orchestrated a major turnaround last season, bringing in some high profile transfers like Andrew Kretkowski from Rutgers Prep and Aiden Carter from St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as Joel Patrick from Ghana – has stepped down, school officials confirmed to Central Jersey Sports Radio Friday afternoon.

Taylor did not immediately return a message from Central Jersey Sports Radio seeking comment.

In a press release posted on the schools’s website issued soon after Central Jersey Sports Radio broke the story, the school said it “wishes Mark Taylor ’83 well following his decision to resign as head basketball coach.”

It also contained a quote from Taylor, saying “Today I am stepping down as head basketball coach of St. Joseph High School to pursue other professional opportunities. I am grateful to my alma mater for the impact it has had on my life and for the opportunity to coach such fine young men. I wish Saint Joe’s nothing but the way in the future.”

What’s notable is that all three of his standout transfers from last season had already transferred out over the last few months. Kretkowski is now at the brand-new Masters Academy International in Massachusetts; Carter is at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, and Patrick is now at national powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida.

News broke last week, first reported by Simeon Pincus at MyCentralJersey.com, that St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ basketball coach Tim Corrigan had left the Trojan program to join Taylor as an assistant; Corrigan is a St. Joseph alum as well.

School officials could not confirm Corrigan’s status on the record Friday afternoon, saying a search for a new head coach is underway. They would not say whether Corrigan would be in the running for the position. Corrigan says he’s still interested in coaching at St. Joseph, and in being the head coach, but could not comment further on whether he’s officially a candidate.

As a player, Taylor twice went to the Middlesex County Tournament finals – prior to the formation of the Greater Middlesex Conference – then played in College at Fordham. He also in the St. Joseph Athletics Hall of Fame.

He came back to coach at St. Joe’s for eleven seasons, breathing new life into the program, winning two GMCT crowns in six trips to the finals, as well as two state sectional titles and seven division championships.

After that, he went to Ridge, and revived that program as well, winning 94 games in five seasons from 2006 to 2011, more than any other Somerset County public school in that time frame, winning the Somerset County Tournament title in 2010, their first such trophy since 1977.

Taylor then moved to St. Benedict’s, and in 14 seasons, went 333-60, bringing his overall record – compiled from various sources – to 599-171 in 30 seasons overall at the scholastic and prep levels. Current UConn coach Danny Hurley had spent nine years there – with a down year in between – before Taylor arrived and rejuvenated the program.

Overall, he’s produced eight NBA draft picks and over a hundred Division I NCAA players.