Category: Marcus Borden

Read all posts by Marcus Borden, including his Camp Caravan, Borden’s Ballers coverage, and more!

by Marcus Borden

No. 1 Phillipsburg still at top of Marcus Borden’s Week 5 Big Central Top Ten with Sayreville making its debut … plus rankings for BCC West, Middlesex and Union Counties

My Friday night game in Rahway at Madden Field was everything you would want in a battle of unbeaten teams as the Indians hosted the Cranford Cougars in a thriller if you like games that come down to the wire!

Cranford would win the toss and defer the choice to the second half. Rahway would be forced to punt on their first series as the Cougar defense was up to the challenge early in the first quarter.

The Cougar offense would run inside and outside while Senior Gabe Worrell burst a down the visitor sideline for a 27-yard touchdown and 7-0 lead at the 6:09 mark of the first quarter.

The Cougars would come up short two more times in the red zone turning the ball over on downs while keeping Rahway off balanced with their shifting defense. Cranford would take a 7-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The visitors would start the second half mixing the inside and outside run while methodically keeping the ball out of the hands of Rahway’s explosive offense. Worrell would cap a nearly 10 minute drive with a 5-yard burst up the middle of the Indians defense and a 14-0 lead.

WATCH: Postgame reaction from Marcus Borden’s coverage of Cranford-Rahway

Rahway would get back in the game quickly as the Robinson to Robertson toss throwback to the quarterback at 11:11 in the fourth quarter made the score 14-7.

Cranford would be forced to punt and then lose Worrell to a leg injury with about five minutes remaining in the game. They would then stop a Rahway threat with an interception however they would have to punt on their ensuing drive.

Rahway would get to the Cougars 5-yard line with 5 seconds remaining on the clock. The sprint pass and throw from Robinson to Jaylen Eastman was out of bounds with :00.3 seconds on the home score board. The officials concurred that the game was over and that time had expired with Cranford hanging on to win 14-7.

Monday I was at St. Joseph’s Brenner Family Field for a 3:00 pm make-up game with Phillipsburg, which was postponed due to the Nor’easter which began late Friday and ended Monday around 1 pm. Needless to say the crowd was not as large as it could have been if the game was played on Saturday.

Phillipsburg would get on the board first as Junior LB David Pacewicz intercepted a pass and returned it for a 46-yard touchdown at the 8:28 mark in the first quarter. The Falcons would respond with a 5-yard Julian Colon run knotting the score at 7-7 with 35 seconds in the initial stanza.

Both teams traded punches on their next series until St, Joseph’s QB Cole Seyler hit WR Dillon Diaz on a 47-yard quick screen and a 14-7 lead with 7:10 remaining in the second quarter.

Phillipsburg’s RB Shane Moore would tie the game at 14-14 with his 45-yard burst to pay dirt with 2:36 before halftime. Both teams would trade punts on their next series while the Falcons ran a hurry-up after a Stateliner punt with 1:30 still on the clock.

Seyler would find a leaping Diaz for an 8-yard fade pattern as time expired giving St. Joseph a 21-14 lead at the half.

Phillipsburg would take the 2nd half kickoff and march down the field running the football when RB Xavier Campbell-Graham hit inside run for 29-yards tying the game at 21-21 at 6:38 in the third quarter.

Placekicker Austin Loreti would give the Falcons a 24-21 lead on a 22-yard FG however that was short-lived as Markus Jordan would take the ensuing kickoff 90 yards giving the Stateliners la 28-24 lead going into the fourth quarter.

WATCH: Postgame reaction from Marcus Borden’s coverage of Phillipsburg-St. Joseph

St. Joseph would punt on their next series whereas Phillipsburg would add to their lead with a 2-yard Vincent Berger touchdown run at 7:30 remaining in the game.

Cole Seyler would score on a 1-yard plunge with 5:55 remaining on the game clock cutting the deficit to 35-31. Xavier Campbell-Graham would add his second score on a 14-yard jaunt to the end zone and a 42-31 lead with 1:37 remaining in the game.

St. Joseph would turn it over on downs as Phillipsburg took a knee in Victory formation while improving to 4-1 on the season.

Here are my Week 5 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

by Marcus Borden

Phillipsburg, Piscataway still 1 and 2 in Marcus Borden’s Week 4 Big Central Top Ten; plus BCC West, Middlesex and Union County rankings

My Friday night game saw Old Bridge build an early 23-8 halftime lead over Aquinas with a pressure defense and opportunistic offense which mixed the run and pass early knowing they needed to keep the Trojans talented quarterback Zymere Weaver on the sideline.

Like two heavyweight boxers who traded punches in a highly-anticipated matchup, Weaver would strike quickly in the third quarter on a 69-yard pass fake off a power read to the right while a slanting Aaron Crooms would take the dart 69-yards down the Knights sideline for the score. Aquinas would quickly lineup and run Aiden Morse on a quick dive for the two-point conversion closing the gap to 23-16 midway in the 3rd quarter.

Old Bridge would follow the script of putting the ball in the hands of their workhorse Chase Rizzo as they answered with a 37-yard field goal by Arain Mezera increasing the home teams lead to 26-16 late in the 3rd quarter

Aquinas would respond by driving down the field deep into the red zone but turn the ball over on downs as the Knights kept the defensive pressure on the Trojans offense.

Tristan Bester’s interception at 8:23 in the 4th quarter would give the visitors the ball back with Weaver sprinting to his right while pulling up to throw a bomb to sophomore Elijah Delirus who was streaking across the field to the left and then down the visitors sideline. He was tackled at the one yard line. Weaver would hurry up and run it for the touchdown followed by his 2-point conversion making it 26-24 with 7:46 remaining in the game.

Old Bridge would put the ball in Rizzo’s hands as he refused to be taken down by one tackler and finished the night on 27 carries for 252 yards and two scores. The Knights would force the Trojans to use their remaining timeouts as they methodically milked the clock while dealing St. Thomas Aquinas their first defeat of the season.

Saturday I made the short trip to Bill Denny Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. match-up with the David Brearley and South River. The Rams are a youthful squad with several freshmen playing on a team of about 24 players.

The Bears would keep the ball pretty much on the ground using their two backs Monroe Passmore and Nehemiah DeLeon who tallied a combined 252 yards and 3 scores while quarterback Ryan Nelson would toss two TD passes to Rocco Federico and Nate Bonnet.

Brealey would earn every one of their 42 points as the Rams led by seniors Dominic Harris and lineman Junior Funez showed incredible passion and desire as they kept fighting and leading by example for their young teammates. Harris would score on a 53-yard jaunt in the 3rd quarter and a 20-yard dash in the final stanza while Funez did his best to block the opposition.

Here are my Week 4 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

by Marcus Borden

Phillipsburg still #1 in Marcus Borden’s Week 3 Top Ten… plus rankings for BCC West, Middlesex and Union Counties

Thursday night’s matchup between the JP Stevens Hawks and Highland Park Owls was between two proud programs that have struggled in recent years trying to overcome extended losing streaks which in turn caused rosters to be depleted.

Highland Park ended a 51-game losing streak in their final game on November 2, 2023, defeating Point Pleasant Beach, 46-29, whereas Stevens buried their 42-game losing skid in an overtime thriller on September 6, 2024, taking down Bound Brook, 22-21.

I was in attendance for both of those games and I can tell you that the weight of the world was off their shoulders as they were leaping for joy and hugging everyone in sight as tears streamed down their smiling faces!

Kudos to the Big Central Conference braintrust for scheduling these two rebuilding teams to face each other as they continue to bring their programs back to competiveness and respectability.

The visiting Owls wasted little time making their presence known as Senior quarterback Marcus Smith would score on their 3rd play from scrimmage going 48 yards to paydirt. The defense led by Smith, Jacob Quiros, Duan Fleming, Ziquan Grier and a host of others would stifle the Hawks offense as their own would put up 36 first half points forcing a running clock for the 2nd half. Bryce Morales would make the final score 43-0 on a 13-yard scamper late in the 3rd quarter.

Friday nigh,t I was at Columbia Park in Dunellen, as the Destroyers hosted Belvidere in white uniforms as their new, navy jerseys have yet to arrive.

Belvidere would win the toss and defer the choice until the 2nd half. The Seaters would stop the Destroyers new spread offense on their first series and proceed to score quickly with Junior quarterback Jake Enderley finding his elusive wide receiver Elijah White – a four-year starter for the Seaters – and the early 7-0 lead.

Enderley would execute a perfect option pitch to Kaiden Drake for a 33-yard score in the second quarter, followed by his own 23-yard cutback run for a 21-0 lead late in the second quarter.

Dunellen would muster a drive toward the scoreboard end of the field coming up short on a 4th down play to the Seaters 2-yard line with 1:23 before halftime. They would be rewarded a safety as they tackled the ball carrier as they snap sailed over the quarterback’s head. The halftime score would stand at 21-2

The combination of Enderley to White would account for a 55-yard score on the first play of the third quarter and a 97-yard hitch pass down the visitor’s sideline for a 35-2 lead with 40 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter which meant there would be a running clock for the remainder of the game.

Senior linebacker Kayden Thorpe would cap the scoring with a 60-yard interception return making the final score 42-2 as the Belvidere improved their record to 2-1. Dunellen would fall to 0-2.

Here are my Week 3 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union Count

by Marcus Borden

Piscataway moves up; Rahway, Union join Marcus Borden’s Week 2 Top Ten… plus rankings for BCC West, Middlesex and Union Counties

We are fully underway in the Big Central, with every team playing in Week One, as ten teams who did not start the season in Week Zero made their debut.

This past Thursday, I was in Springfield for Jonathan Dayton’s home opener versus Bound Brook on their newly refurbished stadium turf field.

The Bulldogs scored early and often as Senior quarterback Adrian Bernknopf’s dominant first half passing performance of 11 completions in 14 attempts for 160 yards and five touchdowns to four different receivers made it an early night for the starters on offense and defense as Dayton’s 43-6 halftime lead meant the Junior Varsity would play the second half with a running clock.

Senior RB/LB Tyler Fuscaldo was a physically dominant performer on both sides of the ball as well as WR/DB Jackson Babiarz who had 2 receiving touchdowns while Junior Dominic Pintado who returned an interception 61 yards, led the defense with eight tackles.

Friday night I made my way to Hugh P. Walsh Field in Monroe as the Falcons hosted Governor Livingston in their new blackout uniforms before a raucous student section which was entirely blacked out as well.

Sophomore Xavier Wilson would break off an 85-yard touchdown run showing his shiftiness and speed late in the first quarter putting the home team up 7-0.

The Highlanders and Falcons traded punches with Monroe containing GL’s running game and and putting plenty of pressure on their sophomore quarterback. Neither team would score in the second quarter.

Monroe would punt on its first possession of the third quarter and then stop the visitors on 4th down. On their very next possession Senior Ghayoor Abbas finds fellow classmate Logan Richter on a 35-yard fourth down pass for a 14-0 lead heading into the final stanza.

“Mr. 4th down” would strike again as Richter would take the handoff from Abbas on a jet sweep barreling through defenders for a 3-yard TD and a 21-0 lead with 7:28 remaining in the game

The Highlanders would get to within 21-7 when Colin Hughes hit Parker Chatfield for a 6-yard TD at 3:44 remaining in the game.

Monroe’s Wilson would go 80-yards bouncing off would-be-tacklers down the home sideline making the final score 28-7 giving the Falcons their first win of the young season.

On Saturday, St. Joseph faced visiting Bridgewater in a much anticipated heavy-weight battle between two highly successful programs.

Both teams would shake off the jitters turning the ball over in their early possessions as two sophomore signal callers found out what it was like to be in a “playoff atmosphere” in just the 2nd week of the season!

The Falcons would strike first as Cole Seyler would find paydirt first late in the first quarter on a 13-yard run. Bridgewater end up punting with 15 seconds to end the quarter down 7-0.

Seyler would waste little time giving Joes a 14-0 at the 9:31 mark in the second quarter with a 39-yard pass to Maddox Mingucci down the middle of the field.

The Panthers would rely on the power of their 210 lb. feature back Jahmier Black who would score on a 1-yard plunge followed by a 2-point swinging gate conversion making it 14-8.

Joes would methodically march down the field and score on a 9-yard Seyler to Noonan corner route making it 21-8 as the first half came to a close.

Both teams would trade punts and turn the ball over before Dominic Rodriguez busted a 59-yard run down the home sideline for a 28-8 lead at 6:26 in the third quarter.

Bridgwater would follow that with their own drive as Jonathan Okolo would score on a 2-yard at 3:46 while drawing to within 28-15.

In the 4th quarter Bridgewater would put the ball into the hands of their powerful back as Black would score from 9-yards and 26-yards bringing the Panthers into the lead 29-28 with 9:59 remaining in the game.

Nick Trust would score on a 7-yard pass from Seyler at 8:05 in the 4th quarter regaining the lead at 35-29.

Both teams would turn the ball over before Seyler finds Dillon Diaz for a 28-yard score and a 43-29 lead with 5:39 remaining in the game.

Bridgewater would close the gap to 43-36 on a 1-yard Black touchdown with 2:47 remaining in the contest. The ensuing insides was recovered by the visitors, however the Falcons defense was able to put the finishing touches on a hard-fought battle between two teams that laid it all on the line in this early season matchup!

Here are my Week 2 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

by Marcus Borden

Marcus Borden unveils Big Central Week 1 Top Ten, debuts Union, Middlesex and BCC West Rankings

Thursday’s opening slate of games had to be rescheduled as Mother Nature did not cooperate with severe thunderstorms ravaging the Garden State.

This forced me to adjust my coverage plans which meant I would head west to Delaware Valley who was hosting neighboring North Hunterdon at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Unfortunately I would not be able to attend Old Bridge’s game in Ocean City as they were taking on Shawnee H.S. in the Battle at the Beach. Their game was delayed over an hour as the Southern half of the state was under a severe weather alert.

The Terriers led by QB/LB Junior Chase Kraucheunas, WR/LB Brayden Picardo-Leask, RB/LB Ben Culberson, G/LB Marcus Gary, Brayden Costello WR/DB/PK and a host of underclassmen blanked the visiting Lions 17-0 in front of a raucous and packed Stadium on Senator Stout Rd. in Frenchtown, NJ.

If you have never been at Delaware Valley H.S. for a football game, I recommend you take the trip in October when the fall foliage is in full bloom!

Here are my Week 1 Top Tens for the entire BCC, BCC West, BCC Middlesex and BCC Union.

by Marcus Borden

CJSR analyst Marcus Borden announces his preseason All-Big Central Team for 2026

As the football analyst for Central Jersey Sports Radio, I can say that I have seen all 59 teams in the Big Central Conference since joining CJSR, whether it was at practice, a scrimmage or a game.

The conference has so many outstanding players who will be instrumental in their team’s success and there will be others who will come out of nowhere to surprise us all! Your accomplishments will not go unnoticed.

I will continue to recognize the top weekly performers for the entire BCC. This will include offense, defense and special teams performers. Please make sure your statistics are available by Tuesdays at the latest.

It is now my pleasure to introduce my 2026 preseason All-Area Big Central Conference Offensive and Defensive Teams.

As a reminder to all the players in the 59 BCC football playing schools, what matters most is not how you start the season, it is how you finish it!

Best of luck to all the players and coaches.

by Marcus Borden

Marcus Borden unveils his preseason Big Central Conference Preseason Top Ten

These past two weeks of the Big Central Camp Caravan have been exciting and eye-opening for those who follow high school football.

It has been my pleasure to witness six schools during the first week of official practice, which included John F. Kennedy, Spotswood, Delaware Valley, East Brunswick, New Brunswick and St. Thomas Aquinas.

I am extremely grateful to all the coaches who welcomed me and afforded me the opportunity to interview their players and themselves. I met many outstanding leaders who shared their team’s philosophy and vision for the upcoming season.

Scrimmage week was just what I expected with high energy, intense, and a much needed opportunity to hit someone in a different color jersey.

The Monday tri-scrimmage at Elizabeth H.S. with Hillside and Toms River North was a track meet when TRN had the ball, as they ran 17 no-huddle plays in a 12-minute sequence. Elizabeth and Hillside had great speed and size with several key returning starters.

Tuesday’s quad scrimmage at Somerville featured Woodbridge, Ridge and Wall. The Pioneers proved they could match athleticism and size with schools that have much larger enrollments. There were plenty of big plays by all three BCC teams, which should have their fans excited.

Wednesday’s trip to Montgomery was another quad scrimmage with Hillsborough, Linden and Nottingham. The Tigers showed incredible improvement since their first round playoff loss to Bridgewater last year as they had an entire off-season with their coaching staff. The Cartys look to continue the family legacy of winning.

Thursday at Edison saw the Eagles battle Watching Hills in game conditions. Each team is looking to improve from last year with a solid running game and opportunistic defense. They both possess playmakers.

The double-header at Old Bridge versus Red Bank Catholic was moved up from 6 pm to 2 pm due to the impending thunderstorms. I made it there with fifteen minutes to spare. The Caseys were the dominant team which should come to no surprise that know their program. Old Bridge was in the midst of a pre-season quarterback duel as they prepare to open up at the Battle of the Beach versus Shawnee this Friday at 4 pm in Ocean City.

This past Friday, the Caravan traveled to Westfield as the Blue Devils hosted neighboring Cranford in similar game-like conditions. The Cougars looked impressive in their first scrimmage as they open up Week 1 at Bernards. Westfield opens with Scotch Plains-Fanwood this week.

The last stop of the 2026 preseason Camp Caravan was at Bound Brook, where the Crusaders played two full quarters of game conditions with Point Pleasant Beach. Both teams were looking to stay healthy as they are small schools with lower numbers. There were several playmakers on both squads as they worked in their youngsters in the second half.

So, now you will ask me, “Why isn’t my school in your Preseason Top 10?”

Well as the football analyst for Central Jersey Sports Radio, I have had the honor to see all 59 teams during my stint as a sideline reporter/videographer.

It is not an exact science, nevertheless, I can say their are some teams who are perennially in the mix for the playoffs and post-season championships. (And, I’ll have additional county/regional Top Tens throughout the year.)

If I may, just let me remind you of this, it is not where you start the season, it is where you finish it!

Good luck to all 59 Big Central Conference football programs in 2026. Keep working hard!

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan 2026: That’s a Wrap! A look back at coverage of 20 Big Central teams over 12 days

“Put it in the books” … as the great Howie Rose would say.

Camp Caravan 2026 has come to an end, and teams are now into Week Zero prep as the 2026 high school football season in New Jersey gets set to kick off! And Mike Pavlichko joins Marcus Borden at LaMonte Field in Bound Brook to talk about it all.

Scroll to the bottom for links to all of Marcus Borden’s “Camp Caravan 2026” coverage…

Click below to watch Mike and Marcus look back at Camp Caravan 2026, with coverage of 20 Big Central Conference teams over two weeks:

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan 2026 Coverage Links:

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan 2026: Bound Brook welcomes Point Pleasant Beach

Week Two of high school football preseason camp has come to an end in New Jersey, and on Saturday morning, Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden wrapped up his Camp Caravan 2026 tour with a visit to Bound Brook, where the Crusaders hosted a scrimmage against Point Pleasant Beach.

Watch Borden’s full coverage below of Saturday’s scrimmage, featuring interviews with head coaches and key players.

Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan coverage of Bound Brook with sixth-year head coach Dave LePoindevin along with seniors Jayden Cruz (QB/MLB) and Zahmir Moore (WR/FS), junior Dallas Kelton (WR/DB) and sophomore Elijah Viera (DT):

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan 2026: Westfield entertains neighbor Cranford

Week Two of high school football preseason camp has nearly wrapped up in New Jersey, with more scrimmages through the weekend. On Friday morning, Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden took a visit to Kehler Stadium in Westfield as the Blue Devils hosted Cranford

Watch Borden’s full coverage below of Thursday’s scrimmage, featuring interviews with head coaches and key players.

Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan coverage of Westfield with third-year head coach Matt Andzel along with seniors Shaquann McKenith (RB/DB/KR) and Gianluka Ciucci (OT), and juniors Max Hymans (QB) and Matt Seward (RB/LB):

Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan coverage of Cranford with head coach Erik Rosenmeier – entering his 22nd season – as well as seniors Aiden Capizzi (QB), Gabe Worrell (RB/LB), John Fiore, Jr. (WR) and Luke Owens (TE/LB):