Author: Chris Tsakonas

by Chris Tsakonas

After rebound win over Bayonne in opening round, Piscataway seeks first title game berth since 2018 when Chiefs visit West Orange

When Piscataway opened up the North 1, Group 5 tournament against Bayonne last Saturday afternoon, there were two other goals besides getting a playoff win in mind.

First, it was a rematch against a Bees team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year, and Piscataway got its revenge, defeating the Bees 20-7 at home to keep their season alive for another week.

Second, they were coming off a regular season Cutoff Weekend loss at Sayreville in which they admittedly did not play well. Check that box as well, as Piscataway played well in all three phases against Bayonne.

Now, the third-seeded Chiefs (8-2) will face another difficult matchup with a trip up Route 287 to face second-seeded West Orange (8-1) Mountaineers in the sectional semifinals, in a game that kicks off at 7 pm in Essex County.

The Chiefs have a veteran-heavy offense, led by senior running back Zaire Young (224 carries for 1,476 yards and 14 touchdowns) and senior quarterback Landon Pernell (103 of 160 passing for 1,506 passing yards for 15 touchdowns, with just four interceptions). Young alone is responsible for 46.7 percent of Piscataway’s total offensive yardage this season.

On the defensive side, the Chiefs have been highly effective, allowing only 12.5 points per game with less than 10 points allowed in half of their games. Defensive lineman Donald Young has 64 tackles and 17 tackles-for-loss to lead the Chiefs in both categories, while senior linebacker Xavian Ali has 63 tackles and eight tackles-for-loss.

Another key contributor in Piscataway’s first round win over Bayonne was Myles Elliott, who had an interception and nearly blocked a field goal against the Bees.

West Orange was the Freedom White Division champion in the Super Football Conference, going 5-0 in divisional play. Since a season-opening 13-12 loss to Ramapo, the Mountaineers have won eight straight, five by shutout.

And they’ve beaten three teams still alive in the playoffs: Irvington, Shabazz and East Orange. And the Blue Knights are the fourth-seed in the very same section; they play top-seed Ramapo – which beat West Orange 13-12 in the season opener – in the other semifinal in North 1, Group 5.

Click below to hear Piscataway head coach Dan Higgins talk about Piscataway’s sectional semifinal against West Orange with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas:

by Chris Tsakonas

Summit, Manville fall among 18 Big Central schools to fall in opening round of playoffs

In the opening round of the NJSIAA high school football playoffs, 18 of the 27 Big Central teams in action saw their seasons come to an end Friday night, Summit and Manville among them.

Read on for game recaps and postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden in Manville, and reporter Chris Tsakonas up in Morris County:

North 1, Group 4: (3) Morris Knolls 42, (6) Summit 21

Summit quarterback Matt McKeever completed 14 of 20 passes in the loss for 188 yards and picked up 92 yards and a touchdown on 17 rushes, while Gavin Schnall led the Hilltoppers in the passing game with five catches for 85 yards.

Summit received the opening kickoff and moved the ball efficiently, taking eight plays to go from their own 35 to the Morris Knolls 35 before failing to convert on fourth and one.

The Golden Eagles got the ball on downs and wasted no time capitalizing. On the second play from scrimmage, McDonald found space on the left side and ran 59 yards for an uncontested touchdown to open the scoring.

The Hilltoppers had another efficient drive, and this time it paid off. McKeever ran it in from six yards out to level it at 7-7 with 2:03 to go in the first quarter.

On the second play of the next drive, Morris Knolls did it again. McDonald found a lot of room to run on the left and took it the distance again, this time scoring on a 79-yard run to take a 14-7 lead with 6:40 left in the quarter.

Summit followed up on that by going three-and-out, and a short punt set the Golden Eagles up in dangerous field position at the Hilltoppers’ 28 yard line. Six plays later, McDonald punched in a one-yard run to give Morris Knolls a 21-7 lead with 10:18 left in the first half.

Summit responded with a methodical scoring drive, capped off by an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a 13-yard Jackson Marx touchdown run with 4:37 to go in the second quarter. The Golden Eagles responded with another drive of their own, and Lucas Zurvansky scored on a five-yard touchdown run with 1:14 left in the half to go up 28-14.

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After receiving the second half kickoff, Morris Knolls immediately worked the clock with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off by a one-yard touchdown run from McDonald to grow the lead to 35-14 with 4:11 to play in the third quarter.

The Hilltoppers answered again on the next drive, which culminated in a 21-yard McKeever touchdown run that saw him break through several tackles to reach the goal line. At the end of the third quarter, it was a 35-21 game.

Morris Knolls got the ball with 35 seconds left in the third quarter, and they burned the next 10:11 of game clock on a 14-play, 76-yard drive that ended in a five-yard touchdown run from Zurvansky with 2:22 to play that clinched the game at 42-21.

For Morris Knolls, McDonald led the way with 11 carries for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Zurvansky also contributed with 24 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas with Summit head coach Kevin Kostibos, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

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South Jersey, Group 1: (5) Shore 34, (4) Manville 7

The Blue Devils jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a four-yard touchdown run by Cole Torres, and he added four more before Manville could get on the board.

Torres scored three times in the second – from seven, eleven and 12 yards out – to build a 28-0 halftime lead, and he got a 42-yarder in the third to make it 34-0, before Jovani Maldonado got the Mustangs on the board, with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Ayden Hernandez.

Manville’s season ends at 6-4. Shore (4-5) will visit top-seed and unbeaten Schalick (10-0) in the sectional semifinals next Friday night.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with Manville head coach Dave Markowitch, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Chris Tsakonas

Sitting at .500, Summit seeks back-to-back wins for first time in ’26 when Edison visits

It’s been an up-and-down four weeks for Summit football.

After starting the season in style by scoring the first 23 points in a win over Colonia, the Hilltoppers have traded wins and losses over the next three weeks to get to 2-2 on the season. Summit suffered another setback last week, as the Hilltoppers fell to Cranford 29-0 last Friday night.

Summit has another chance to bounce back when they host Edison on Thursday night in one of two Big Central Games of the Week here in Week Four, which you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call. Kickoff is at 6:30, pregame at 6:15. Click here to listen.

Offensively, the Hilltoppers have leaned heavily on the duo of quarterback Matt McKeever and running back Gavin Schnall, who have combined for 679 yards of offense on the ground – 72 percent of Summit’s total offensive yardage – through the first four games of the year.

While Summit is primarily a run-oriented offense, McKeever has had no shortage of targets when he’s dropped back to pass. Six different Hilltopper receivers have pitched in, led by Lucas Kubeck with three catches for 52 yards.

Summit also boasts a veteran-heavy defense, led by McKeever at middle linebacker with a team-high 49 tackles. On the defensive line, Max Zucker made the move from the secondary before the season and has quickly made his presence felt with 21 tackles and two sacks. Jackson Marx leads the Hilltoppers’ secondary with 30 tackles and three tackles-for loss, with JT Zobel making 20 tackles, three tackles-for-loss and a team-high two interceptions.

Summit now has a chance to get back over .500 against an Edison team that is coming off of its first win of the season against North Brunswick last week.

Click here to listen to Summit head coach Kevin Kostibos talk about the matchup against Edison with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Chris Tsakonas

Highland Park kicks off 2026 with 29-0 win over New Brunswick, first whitewash in 15 years

Highland Park opened the 2026 season in emphatic fashion as the Owls defeated New Brunswick 29-0 at Joseph Policastro Stadium Friday night.

In the process, Highland Park picked up its first shutout win in 15 years, when they won 37-0 at now-shuttered Cardinal McCarrick on Halloween 2011.

Highland Park totaled 240 yards of offense, with 143 of those yards coming on the ground. Jacob Quiros led the way with 11 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Marcus Smith completed eight of nine passes for 97 yards through the air and had eight carries and 38 yards for two touchdowns on the ground.

Highland Park received the opening kickoff in this game, and the offense wasted no time setting the tone. Led by a rushing attack of Jacob Quiros and quarterback Marcus Smith, the Owls scored first on an eight-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off by a 14-yard touchdown run from Smith with 6:42 to play in the first quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out on the Zebras’ opening drive, Highland Park turned the ensuing punt into a safety. Three tacklers teamed up to make it an 8-0 Owl lead with 4:07 to go in the opening quarter.

Highland Park caught another break when the ensuing kickoff was muffed, and the Owls recovered to immediately go back on offense. Highland Park made it count with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that ended in a seven-yard touchdown run from Ziquan Grier with three seconds left in the first quarter.

New Brunswick finally put a promising drive together, going 60 yards in seven plays to set up a 4th and 12 from the Owls’ 11-yard line. The pass from Jo Jo Morfa was broken up to end the first half.

The Zebras got the ball back to start the second half, and traded a pair of empty possessions before another promising scoring drive ended in an interception.

Highland Park got the ball back on their own 15 with 3:19 to play in the third quarter, and methodically led the ball down the field in an eight-play, 85-yard scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run on a quarterback sneak from Marcus Smith.

New Brunswick went three-and-out twice in the fourth quarter, with Highland Park getting the ball back with 1:25 to play. The Owls kneeled the game out to seal the first win of 2026.

Offensively, the Zebras finished with 100 total yards of offense. Quarterback Jo Jo Morfa completed six of 10 for 64 yards, while Arisnel Mota-Sanchez had eight carries for 32 yards on the ground.

Click below to hear postgame reaction with Highland Park seniors Marcus Smith and Jacob Quiros, and junior Du’an Fleming, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Chris Tsakonas

Pingry visits TD Bank Park in Bridgewater Saturday to meet Montgomery in Skyland Conference crossover

After rolling with an underclassman-heavy squad last year, there’s no shortage of familiar faces in the Pingry dugout this season.

The Big Blue have brought back almost their entire roster, graduating only four seniors from the 2025 season. Pingry’s offense returns several hitters who played key roles at a young age, as three of the top four RBI leaders – Aaron Wu, Sam de Laurier and Riley Wong – were freshmen or sophomores last season.

The Big Blue split the first four games of the season at 2-2, most recently going 1-1 against Warren Hills. The trio of Wu, de Laurier and Varneckas has picked up right where it left off: they have ten of Pingry’s 18 RBIs so far this season.

They’ll take all that offense to TD Bank Park in Bridgewater Saturday afternoon, as the Big Blue battle Montgomery (2-4) in a Valley-Raritan Division crossover in Skyland Conference play. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 2 pm, with pregame set for 1:40. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas are on the call; click here to listen.

On the pitching side, And four different pitchers have taken the mound already for Pingry, three with good starts, as senior Michael Cardona leads the way with a 1.27 ERA in 11 innings thrown. Langston McDonald (2.47 ERA) and Shane Varneckas (3.32 ERA) have also seen a heavy workload early this season.

They’ll face a Montgomery lineup that, thus far, has struggled a bit at the plate, but probably won’t for long. Sophomore Michael Englert, who went 3-for-5 with a triple and five RBI in the season-opener against Warren Hills – a 13-1 victory – could be back in the lineup Saturday after tweaking his knee in that game.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas talk with Pingry head coach Anthony Feltre:

by Chris Tsakonas

Fourth time’s the charm! Bridgewater-Raritan wins first sectional title, topping Bayonne 21-14 in North 2, Group 5 final

In 2015, the Bridgewater-Raritan football team made its first-ever sectional final – 23 years after the merger of the East and West high schools – with an undefeated record.

They would fall that year to unbeaten Westfield. The same happened the next year. And they would fall to Westfield one more time in 2017.

It took eight more years for the Panthers to get back to that stage, and this time they made it count.

Friday night at Basilone Field, the Panthers clinched the first sectional title in program history with a 21-14 win over Bayonne.

Bridgewater-Raritan started the game on the back foot, as Bayonne went ahead 7-0 off a 20-yard touchdown run from Chance Fisher with 2:56 left in the first quarter. The Panthers marched 77 yards down the field late in the second quarter, but the drive stalled at the nine-yard line with an interception thrown by Declan Kurdyla.

The first turning point came with 1:14 remaining in the first half. On fourth and goal from the 1-yard line, Bridgewater-Raritan’s front seven held up to deny a touchdown for Nico Sampson to keep it at 7-0 entering the second half.

The Bees received the second half kickoff – but the first play of the half went awry as a botched snap led to a fumble that was returned 33 yards for a touchdown by Jamelle Jones to tie the game. 

The Panthers took the lead for the first time with an 11-yard touchdown run for Jahmier Black with 2:56 to play in the 3rd quarter. Bayonne responded quickly, as Fisher punched in a 66-yard touchdown to tie it up at 14 with 28 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Bridgewater-Raritan went ahead for good late in the fourth, as a fourth-and-one turned into a 58-yard touchdown pass from Kurdyla to Jack Cifuentes to take the lead for good with 2:33 to play. A muffed kickoff was recovered by the Panthers to seal the win.

Black led Bridgewater-Raritan with 15 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown in the win, while Kurdyla completed six of 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown through the air. Cifuentes led all Panther receivers with four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Next up, Bridgewater will play in the Group 4 semifinals at home next Friday – likely at 6 pm – against North 1, Group 5 champion Passaic Tech. The second-seeded Bulldogs knocked off top-seed West Orange Friday night, 56-42 on the road.

Logo for Sportsplex at Metuchen featuring various sports icons and contact information.

Click below for postgame reaction from Chris Tsakonas with Bridegwater-Rartitan’s Declan Kurdyla, Jahmier Black, Jack Cifuentes, Jamelle Jones and head coach Declan Kurdyla, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Bridgewater-Raritan players
Bridgewater-Raritan head coach D.J. Catalano

-Mike Pavlichko contributed to this report

by Chris Tsakonas

New Providence looks to take next step, starting with season opener at rival Governor Livingston

After a 9-3 season with a run to the state championship game, New Providence will bring back many familiar faces as it looks to take the next step in 2025. The first test of the year comes against a familiar foe, as the Pioneers will take on Governor Livingston at this Saturday in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

Game time has been moved earlier to 11 am, due to the threat of thunderstorms around 3 pm, as of the latest forecast on Friday afternoon.

While starting quarterback T.J. Munn has since graduated after last year’s run to the North 2, Group 1 final – where they ultimately lost at Cedar Grove – the offense will have no shortage of returning talent. On the ground, New Providence will once again turn to star back A.J. Whitehead, who is coming off of a 13-touchdown, 1,130-yard junior season.

First-year junior starting quarterback Kevin Reilly will have plenty of weapons to work with in the passing game, with Jack Fitzgerald (14 catches for 214 yards and 3 touchdowns), Mike Petses (9 catches for 157 yards and one touchdown) and Daniel Porretti (10 catches for 105 yards) all returning from 2024.

Defense was a strong suit for the Pioneers last season, who allowed just 17 points per game in 2024. In addition to the returning pass rushing duo of Drew Gullo and James Keneally, Petses (112 tackles, five tackles-for-loss) and Gui May (52 tackles, two tackles-for-losss) anchor the linebacker room while Porretti and Whitehead are the key contributors returning from last year’s secondary.

It’s a big rivalry game, but New Providence has won the last six in the series, with Governor Livingston’s last win coming in 2018.

You can hear Saturday’s game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame at 10:45 am and kickoff at 11:00. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will call all the action; click here to listen.

Listen to Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas talk to New Providence head coach Chet Parlavecchio Jr. ahead of Saturday’s game:

by Chris Tsakonas

Montgomery looks to keep rebound going after tough loss in opener with trip to South Amboy

When Montgomery tipped off the season against Hudson Catholic last Saturday, the Cougars were coming off of a season that ended with a Central Group 4 title, a run to the Somerset County Tournament final, and a 25-4 overall record.

After narrowly falling 48-44 in that season opener at the New Jersey Basketball Coaches’ Tip-off Showcase last Saturday, No. 3 Montgomery has delivered in the clutch with back-to-back single-digit wins over Pingry and Immaculata.

Tonight, the Cougars (2-1) have a chance to make it a three-game winning streak on a neutral site, as they take on St. Joseph-Metuchen in the nightcap of the 12th annual Friends of South Amboy Charity Basketball Tournament. The game tips at 8 pm, and you can hear it live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call. Click here to listen.

While the high-scoring senior duo of Steve Donahue and Jack Fromelt have graduated from last year’s team, Montgomery returns two key players in junior Ethan Lin and senior Bohdan Bieketov.

Lin – who missed much of the late season, the SCT and state tournament last year with a broken ankle he suffered in a game against Hillsborough – has been the Cougars’ primary scoring option, most recently dropping 24 against Immaculata. 

Another key player for Montgomery through the first week of the season has been Christian Hill, who has developed into the Cougars’ third-leading scorer with just over eight points per game to help replace the lost production from Donahue and Fromelt.

Click below to hear Montgomery boys’ basketball head coach Kris Grundy preview tonight’s game with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas:

by Chris Tsakonas

Delsea – with just two wins at the Cutoff – coming into form ahead of Friday’s Central Jersey Group 3 final at undefeated Somerville

After starting the season with just one win through the first six weeks of the 2024 campaign, Delsea made a big change.

The Crusaders now have won three of their last four games, with two playoff wins heading into the Central Group 3 sectional championship game at top-seed and undefeated Somerville Friday night.

For Delsea, the improvement has come on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Crusaders switched to back to their longtime Wing-T offense midseason. To do that, they brought back Sal Marchesi – who retired last year after 31 seasons – to be their offensive coordinator.

The goal was to create better looks for its talented group of backs – and that’s reflected in the box scores with a total of 2,028 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground. 

Getting starting quarterback Jimmy Reardon back from injury was also a big key.

Leading the way offensively for Delsea is running back Dan Russo, who has 897 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns through ten games this year. Delsea has plenty of reinforcements in the run game, including Alex Grippo (93 carries for 507 yards and three touchdowns), Reardon (47 carries for 345 yards and five touchdowns) and Joel Anderson (48 carries for 250 yards and a touchdown).

The Crusaders have also shown improvement on the defensive side of the ball, where they’ve allowed just 13.25 points per game over the last four weeks.

In addition to Russo’s team-high 81 tackles and three interceptions at linebacker, Delsea has also relied on strong seasons from Grippo (59 tackles and one tackle for loss), Reardon (who has a team-high four interceptions) and defensive lineman Charles Mapp (19 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks).

You can hear Friday night’s game on Central Jersey Sports Radio – our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving – with kickoff slated for seven and pregame at 6:30. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will have the call. Click here to listen.

Click below to hear Delsea first-year head coach Jason Volpe talk about the season and Friday night’s title tilt against Somerville with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas:

by Chris Tsakonas

Every week a challenge for No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen, as unbeaten Falcons travel to No. 7 Phillipsburg for big Friday night clash

With an unbeaten 5-0 record already through the first month of the season, the St. Joseph-Metuchen Falcons now face another tough test as they prepare for a Friday night road matchup against No. 7 Phillipsburg (4-1).

That’s our Friday night “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio, and you can hear all the live play-by-play beginning with pregame at 6:45, and kickoff at 7. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will call all the action; click here to listen.

For St. Joe’s, the offense has thrived under junior dual-threat quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo, who has completed 60 of 97 passes for 1,100 yards and ten touchdowns while also rushing for 191 yards and five TD in his first year as the Falcons’ starter.

The run game has also featured a heavy contribution from leading rusher Javon Hudson (51 carries for 232 yards and three touchdowns), while Scaramuzzo has regularly linked up with Jacob Pappas (15 catches for 456 yards and four touchdowns) and Ashton Irving (21 catches for 345 yards and four touchdowns).

The Falcons’ defense has also thrived, allowing an average of just 18 points per game through the first five weeks. Irving has played a key role in the secondary with a team-high six interceptions, while Tyler Huseth has been effective on the defensive line with 23 tackles, a team-high seven sacks and one safety.

Click here to hear head coach Bill Tracy talk about the Falcons’ perfect start – and Friday’s game against Phillipsburg – with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas: