Category: Marcus Borden

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

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s back! The Bellamy & Son Paving “Borden’s Baller of the Year” returns to Central Jersey Sports Radio: Vote for your favorite from all 59 Big Central Conference teams!

As the football analyst for Central Jersey Sports Radio, it is my pleasure to introduce the 59 football players – one from each of the Big Central Conference’s schools – who I have selected to the 11th annual Bellamy & Sons Paving “Borden’s Ballers” team.

It is now up to the readership and football fans to choose one winner from the 59 nominees to be named the “Borden’s Baller of the Year.”

All may cast their vote on the ballot found at the end of this story.  Voting will close on Sunday, November 9th at noon.

There will be three finalists, one each from Middlesex County, Union County and Somerset County. Those three will face-off in one more vote next week to determine the ultimate “Borden’s Baller” for 2025.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE 2025 BORDEN’S BALLER OF THE YEAR!!!

The player with the most votes will be featured in a story that will appear online at cjsportsradio.com as well as posted on Twitter. In addition, all the players will receive a special commemorative football courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving.

They’ll also receive a black, long sleeve t-shirt with the Borden’s Ballers logo on the front and their name and school on the back. Metro Team Sports and Elite Custom Apparel, once again, have graciously provided their services to our 2025 awardees.

These 59 players and their teammates have been challenged since the early season openers on the weekend of August 28-30 up through the end of the regular season on the weekend of October 23-25 and the start of the playoffs on October 31 which will culminate with the crowning of overall Group Championships on the first weekend in December.

The 2025 Borden’s Ballers have learned to adapt and to not take for granted the time spent with teammates in off-season conditioning, summer workouts, game preparation and finally the weekly thrill of competition.

The selection process was not easy as there are so many outstanding players in the Big Central Conference.  Therefore, I have recognized an honorable mention list which can be found at the end of the player profiles.

The following criteria was used to select each of these weekend warriors who make up Borden’s Ballers Class of 2026:

  • Performance: an athlete who has played at a high level throughout the season
  • Leadership: a player who epitomizes the adage, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”
  • Camaraderie: a teammate who can be relied upon as a positive influence under any situation
  • Intangibles: someone who thrives in crunch time, represents his or her program and school well, is coachable and has what I call, “ganas,” heart, or an intense desire

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE 2025 BORDEN’S BALLER OF THE YEAR!!!

Big Central Football Conference American Gold

Elizabeth – Qua’Yon Williams: “The junior wide receiver has made a big impact this season as one of the reliable targets for the Elizabeth offense that likes to throw the ball around in their spread offense. The 5’9 165lb. speedster is a threat to go all the way any time he touches the ball. His 39 catches for 535 yards and 6 scores are second best amongst the nine other receivers. As a return specialist, he has three scores, and he can change the complexion of the game in a heartbeat. As a defender in the secondary, you are taking your chances if you throw in his direction!”

St. Joseph – Justin Scaramuzzo: “Justin is the emotional leader of the Falcons who are currently the #1 team in the BCC at 7-0. The senior quarterback will do whatever it takes to win whether it is throwing, running or playing defense as a free safety as long as his team wins. His career passing statistics are impressive with 185 completions for 2848 yards and 29 touchdowns. As a runner he has 167 carries for 528 yard and 19 scores. With two more regular season games before the Parochial playoffs begin the first weekend in November, you can bet Scaramuzzo will get the best out of his teammates as there are goals to be achieved!”

Union – Uyi Igiehon: “The Temple Commit made his name while at Hillside and then transferred to Union in his senior season to finish out his career with his coach who took over the program. His 100 total tackles,18 tackles for a loss and 1 interception for a TD are his sophomore and junior statistics. His senior numbers are equally impressive as the 6’5 235 edge rusher has 5 tackles for a loss and 26 tackles as he had to sit out due to NJSIAA transfer rules. There is no doubt this talented player will make a name for himself as an Owl!”

Westfield – Luke Spaide: “Luke has taken on the load of running the football in his senior season for the Blue Devils. His 110 carries for 667 yards and 5 touchdowns help take the focus off his quarterback in their spread offense. The former wide receiver is still a threat catching too as he has the second most catches for Westfield. With one more regular season game before the playoffs, Luke and his teammates are still in the hunt to secure an opportunity to participate in the post-season which begins on Halloween weekend.”

Big Central Football Conference American Silver

Bridgewater-Raritan – Declan Kurdyla: “Declan has been a two-way threat for the Panthers as a runner and passer. His ability to change the outcome of a contest whether it is a big touchdown toss or his elusiveness when facing defensive pressure, Bridgewater can win when he is in the game. His career passing statistics include 2826 yards through the air for 30 touchdowns while on the ground he has 771 yards rushing for 6 scores. The Silver and Black playoff journey begins on Halloween night as Kurdyla and company look to win back-to-back opening round games.”

Hillsborough – Andrew Schwarz: “Schwarz has been a 3-year starter while being the work horse for the Raiders running offense this season. His 1031 yards rushing, and 12 scores has helped Hillsborough secure a first-round playoff bid on Halloween night at Rancocas Valley. Andrew is also a threat to catch the ball as he has 48 receptions for 146 yards and 4 scores. The senior captain knows what it takes to win and will continue to inspire his teammates as he has done throughout his career.”

Hunterdon Central – James Mongno: “When the BCC Camp Caravan tour visited Red Devil Country in early August, there was one guy who made a lasting impression on both sides of the ball, #5 the ball hawk Mongno! His precise route running, excellent body control and glue-like hands were evident in practice and an early game versus Phillipsburg. The senior leader has 83 career receptions for 1246 yards and 17 touchdowns as of mid-October. With the post-season on the horizon, Hunterdon Central will look to one of their emotional leaders to make plays in crunch time.”

Phillipsburg – Sam Dech: “Dech has relished his role as the consummate leader for the State’s winningest football program in New Jersey. He exemplifies that toughness which is a staple of the Stateliners program. He can run you over or beat you down the sideline. His career rushing totals include 2415 yards and 32 touchdowns, as a kick returner this season, he has 8 returns for 197 yards which includes a 72-yard score. Defensively, Sam has hit his opponents hard 90 times while letting them know his team’s mantra which is DIG! Phillipsburg’s playoff success will be decided by this guy’s desire to be the best.”

Ridge – Toby Nicholson: “The Ridge Red Devils new mentor Jeff Sutherland inherited one of the Big Central’s top football programs that consistently wins and makes it to the post-season. Toby is one of those program players who understands that it’s not about me but how we can succeed. The senior tight end and defensive end will do whatever it takes to win whether it’s running the ball, blocking or catching passes. The team’s leading receiver has 13 catches for 270 yards and 2 scores in a running offense. Defensively the two-year starter has 3 sacks, 6 tackles for a loss and 41 total tackles with two more regular season games and the playoffs.”

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE 2025 BORDEN’S BALLER OF THE YEAR!!!

Big Central Football Conference Freedom Gold

Brearley – Mathew Resende: “The shifty returning 2024 Borden’s Baller has the Brearley Bears faithful feeling good about their resurgence under rookie head Coach Elliot Platt. After ending a 14-game losing streak, the Navy and Gold are on a 4-game winning streak thanks to Resende’s performance on offense and defense. In 7 games, Matt has 115 carries for 940 yards and 8 scores. He is also the leading tackler with 57 solos, 5 tackles for a loss and 1 sack. A humble leader who has laid it all on the line over his 4-year career is not done as there are more opportunities to lead his team to victory!”

Dayton – Chidiogo Iherobiem: “Chi has been an integral part of the resurgence of the Bulldogs football program under head coach Nick Iannacone. Dayton is currently 5-1 and they are in the playoff conversation with two regular season games remaining. On the offensive side of the ball, he has been a threat as a wide receiver, but his biggest impact has been on defense as he closes in on 200 career tackles. What is even more impressive about this remarkable leader is what he does in the classroom and the community. Iherobiem maintains a 4.2 GPA with while taking multiple AP courses and volunteering at youth football games in his spare time!”

Highland Park – Kosta Hantsoulis: “The Hantsoulis name is legendary in Highland Park as cousins and brothers helped the Owls end a 51-game winless streak in 2023. Kosta has made his mark as a wide receiver and defensive back. His current career numbers are 34 catches for 767 yards and 12 touchdowns. Defensively he has 20 tackles and 6 interceptions, 2 for touchdowns. Kosta has also excelled on special teams by kicking 2 field goals and 14 extra points. Oh, let me not forget his one punt return for a 60-yard race to paydirt!”

Roselle Park – Anthony Cianfrocca: “As a captain for Roselle Park, Cianfrocca will play his last game on Thanksgiving at home versus rival Roselle for the last time, ending a 118-year tradition. The two-way performer at running back and linebacker has 1394 career rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in the Wing-T offense that shares the ball with 3 other potential ball carriers. Defensively at linebacker, he is always around the ball with 106 total tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 4 sacks. You can be sure of this, on Turkey Day Anthony will be bringing that tough, old-school mentality for the Panther faithful!”

Spotswood – Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage: “This Charger has been a dominant force on offense and defense for Spotswood in his two years with the program. His current 2-year career passing and rushing numbers as a dual-threat quarterback are eye-popping with 2674 total yards and 38 touchdowns! Oh, did you know, he plays defensive end and is not afraid to mix it up with the opposition having 4 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, as well as an interception for a score. With two more regular season games and the playoffs on the horizon, his team’s fortunes rest on the shoulders of their 6’4 225 senior captain.”

South River – Filipi Granadeiro: “The Granadeiro family name echoes in South River over the years as brother Marcus was a linebacker and now assistant coach for the Rams while Filipi keeps the family tradition alive tackling enemy ball carriers. Whether he’s punishing you at fullback or knocking over at middle linebacker, this captain leads by example with over 240 career tackles and two regular season opportunities to make sure you remember the name!”

Big Central Football Conference Freedom Silver

Belvidere – Brayden Duckworth: “Brayden is a four-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines. As Captain for the last two seasons, #52 is one of the reasons the Seatters won the Freedom Silver Divisional title defeating Middlesex in their final regular season game in 2024. He was also named to the Group 1 All-State defensive team last year too. With two regular seasons remaining, his 4-year defensive numbers are impressive: 215 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 defensive scores. As a true leader, he has encouraged him teammates to never quit or give up no matter what the situation.”

Bound Brook – Moaaz Abdelmonem: “The senior captain mans the offensive line on a team that has been a surprise so far this season as the Crusaders are currently 5-2 with two remaining games, the last one for the Freedom Silver Divisional title on the line versus Manville. Defensively, Moaaz has been one of the tackling leaders with 19 solos, 16 assists, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 sack. Bound Brook’s fortunes and potential post-season play can be attributed to Abdelmonem and his fellow senior classmates who believe what the coaching staff has been preaching since the start of the season.”

Dunellen – Jackson Portik: “Jackson is the consummate team player who epitomizes what this award is all about, doing whatever is needed of me to help the team. The senior Captain was willing to play offensive guard instead of his normal position at tight end when asked by his coach. He is a vocal leader who has been a positive influence in the locker room and on the field for a team that is under new leadership and currently winless. Portik has 2.5 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, 25 solo tackles,1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries. With one regular season game remaining, this guy will make sure his team is ready to go.”

Manville – Josh D’Ambrosio: “9-0 Manville won the Freedom Silver Division title and went unbeaten in the regular season for the first time since 1968. They will host a playoff game on Halloween weekend. D’Ambrosio, a 4-year starter with 2316 career rushing yards and 33 touchdowns leading the Mustangs Wing-T offense, you can bet he will carry the ball often and he will not be afraid to pass it either as he has thrown for 457 yards and 6 TD’s this season. On the defensive side, the senior Captain, who plays free safety, has 163 career tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 9 interceptions.”

Middlesex – Julian Samuels: “Julian been a two-year starter for the Bluejays having played wide receiver and defensive back. Whether he is catching passes or occasionally running a jet sweep he has 617 yards receiving for 5 touchdowns and an additional 203 yards rushing with one score. Defensively he has 30 tackles and 1 interception for a 60-yard touchdown. With one more game remaining as a regional crossover, Samuels will leave it all on the line to lead his teammates to victory!”

South Hunterdon – Dayton Ratkowski: “Dayton has been a 3-year starter for South Hunterdon and is a positive influence on a young team that has struggled to find the win column this season. He will be counted on as a running back or receiver as the Eagles final regular season game at Dunellen will be the first win for either team this season. Ratkowski has made his mark on defense and as the team’s punter. He has registered 74 career tackles, 1 fumble recovery and two interceptions with one for a touchdown.”

Big Central Football Conference Liberty Gold

Woodbridge – Joshua Allen: “Allen is one of the top rushers in New Jersey with 1409 career yards and 18 touchdowns after 8 regular season games. A dynamic runner with speed, power and cutback ability, he can beat you in multiple ways. As a kick returner, most teams elect to kick away from for good reason. As a 3-year starter on defense, Josh has 80 career tackles and 5 interceptions. With one remaining regular season game, the Barrons should have a home playoff game come Halloween weekend. You can expect this senior leader to be the one to set the tone for his young teammates come the post-season!”

Colonia – Rynal (RJ) Wortman: “The 6’5 Wortman has been one of the best route running, sure-handed wide receivers that I have seen the past two years. His size and leaping ability make him a difficult player to cover one on one, thus he often will have safety help over the top. His 64 catches for 871 yards and 12 scores make him one of the top targets in New Jersey and a viable collegiate prospect in my book. He is also a standout on the hardwood which should tell you what kind of athlete RJ really is and can be if you haven’t already met him. With one more regular season game and the playoffs starting on Halloween weekend, you can expect to hear this guy’s name often!”

Linden – Daryl Agyei: “Agyei, a 6’2 265 offensive and defensive lineman, is a three-year starter for the Tigers. He has been a stalwart on the offensive line as his team is predominately a run-oriented offense. On defense his 92 total career tackles, 20 behind the line of scrimmage and 7 sacks are tops for the orange and black of Linden. With a guaranteed playoff game on Halloween, you can expect Daryl to be at his best”

Perth Amboy – Zishawn Majette: “Majette is a first-year senior with the Perth Amboy program who made his debut in the fourth game of the season as a running back in the Panthers spread offense, His 52 carries with 214 yards are the most except for his quarterback who makes the read in the multiple offense. He does have one catch for a score as he has been become more comfortable in the offense. Defensively, he has 19 tackles in his 4 games while helping the team win their first game of the season last week.”

Plainfield – Devin Thomas: “Devin has put up some extraordinary numbers as a first-year quarterback for the Cardinals. An exceptional basketball player, the signal caller has distributed the ball to eight different receivers for 27 touchdowns and 2050 yards through the air. As a runner he has tallied 466 yards for 4 scores. Having won a championship in basketball, Thomas has already faced the pressure of playoffs on the hardwood. With Plainfield’s football first round playoff game scheduled for Saturday November 1 at Piscataway, you can be assured that he will be the calming force for his teammates!”

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE 2025 BORDEN’S BALLER OF THE YEAR!!!

Big Central Football Conference Liberty Silver

Montgomery – Michael Bellamy: “Mike has been a 4-year starter for Montgomery, playing offensive guard and defensive end, as a long snapper and in his senior season as a fullback in the Bronco formation. He is considered a 4.5-star long snapper by Kohls Kicking. Bellamy is a weight room warrior and is exceptionally athletic and physical on the field. One of his career highlights must be the 67-yard caused fumble and return for a touchdown as this 235 lb. defensive end outran all the skill players on the field. His career defensive statistics include 158 total tackles, 20.5 behind the line of scrimmage, 2 caused fumbles and the fumble recovery for a score. With one regular season game to go and the playoffs on Halloween weekend, you can be sure this Cougar captain will be making some more noise!”

North Hunterdon – Dan Figurski: “Dan has been a 3-year starter for the Lions as a receiver and defensive back. He has 75 career receptions for 1067 yards and 8 touchdowns with one more regular season game and then the post-season. Defensively, the senior captain has 108 career tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 caused fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and three interceptions. If need be, Figurski can run the football too, as he is averaging nearly 4.5 yards every time he carries the ball.”

Rahway – Andrew Avent: “The senior captain Avent has been a two-way starter for Rahway since his freshman year. He currently he is the top rusher in New Jersey with 1832 yards and 22 touchdowns in 9 games. Career wise, he has 4,395 yards for 53 scores. As a linebacker he has registered 283.5 tackles, 52.5 tackles for a loss and 15.5 quarterback sacks. Andrew is an outstanding collegiate linebacker scholarship prospect who is athletic enough to be in pass coverage and physical enough to bring down a runner. With at least one guaranteed playoff game, you can expect this guy to bring his A-game!”

Somerville – Griffin Kaye: “Griffin is a returning starter in the defensive secondary from the 2024 squad that went 12-1 winning the Central Jersey Group 3 Championship. His team is currently 7-1 and will return to the playoffs Halloween weekend to defend their title after one more regular season game at Watchung Hills. Kaye’s career defensive stats include 88 total tackles, 2 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 2 fumble recoveries. On offense he has thrown 5 passes while completing 3 and one for a 48-yard touchdown. As a runner he has 15 carries for 52 yards and one score.”

Watchung Hills – Dillon Nunes: “This Team Captain has heart, believes in his team and has that Warrior Pride! He made an impact in all three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. As a three-year starter at defensive back, Dillon has recorded 48 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 5 interceptions. When lining up as wide receiver, his 32 catches for 505 yards have resulted in 9 touchdowns. Finally, with Nunes as the Warriors placekicker, he has kicked 5 FG’s and 14 PAT’s while also punting this season 11 times with a long of 38-yards.”

Big Central Football Conference National Gold

Piscataway – Landon Pernell “The junior quarterback has been the starter since his freshman year and has displayed poise and leadership qualities which are beyond what you would expect from someone his age. Landon has completed nearly 63% of his throws for 3058 yards and 36 touchdowns. Whereas he doesn’t run often, he can get the critical first down if needed. What’s most impressive about Pernell is how he has handled himself in pressure situations like the playoffs, he is a gritty competitor who gets the maximum effort from his teammates.”

East Brunswick – Noah DeJesus; “Noah has been one of the team’s top performers for the Bear’s under rookie head coach Zach Gega. His 34 catches for 546 yards and 5 scores on offense have been tops on the team. Defensively, DeJesus’ career stats include 13 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 60 total tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown and one interception all as a physically disruptive lineman. With one more regular season game and a crossover game #8 will have opportunities to add to his career totals.”

Monroe – Jayden Badillo: “Monroe was a senior dominated team in 2024; thus the 2025 team has experienced the growing pains with a roster made up of predominantly juniors, sophomores and two freshmen getting playing time. Badillo, a junior offensive and defensive lineman, has been a leader for the Falcons spread offense and aggressive defense. He is the team’s top tackler with 2 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss, 19 solos and 3 assists. With one more regular season game and an additional crossover, Jayden will continue to lead by example setting the foundation for his senior season.”

Old Bridge – Brody Nugent: “The 4-year starting quarterback is on a mission, get to the playoffs and advance!  His innate ability to escape the defense has been on display at the Battle at the Beach in week 0 and throughout the current season as the Knights are 7-1 with one regular season game to play before the playoffs begin on Halloween. Let these career numbers sink in 3,750 passing yards with 36 touchdowns, 2527 rushing yards with 37 scores and he has even played some defense this year intercepting 2 passes. If Old Bridge is to advance, they will need to play great defense and let their seasoned signal caller do his magic!”

South Brunswick – Jacob Walczyk: “Jacob is the heart and soul of the Viking defense according to second year head coach Ibrahim Halsey. As a starter for two years at linebacker, the physical senior leader has recorded 89 total tackles, 8 tackles for a loss along with 5 quarterback sacks. With South Brunswick traveling to Lenape to play a crossover game, Walczyk will be the force behind his team’s opportunity to even their record for the 2025 season.”

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE 2025 BORDEN’S BALLER OF THE YEAR!!!

Big Central Football Conference National Silver

Edison – Shaun Garland: “A returning 2024 Baller as a sophomore, Shaun has all the characteristics of being a team leader as he plays with great passion and encouragement for his teammates. Garland is a physical presence in the offensive backfield as a runner or from his linebacker position on defense. The opposition knows who hit them no matter what side of the ball! As a runner he has averaged 6 yards a carry since his freshman year as well as having caught 50 passes for 490 yards. His greatest impact though is on defense with 7 sacks, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 100 tackles and 3 forced fumbles.”

Franklin – Amir Glover: “Franklin’s football program has improved steadily each year under Blair Wilson and for the first time since 2012, they are above 500 and in the win column at 5-4. Glover has been a 4-year starter on defense recording 122 total tackles, 6 tackles for a loss and 3 interceptions. Playing wide receiver in the spread offense, he has tallied 59 catches for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns. Amir occasionally carries the ball on a jet sweep, returns kickoffs and has a 2-point conversion this season. This Warrior has done whatever it takes to help his teammates be successful on the playing field.”

North Brunswick – Zach Cipot: “Yes, Zach plays for his uncle and comes from a football family. He will play any position on the team if needed and he will lead by example. He has played defensively at linebacker since his sophomore season and is the quarterback for the Raiders in his senior campaign. Cipot is a physical player whether he is on offense or defense. He has completed over 50% of his passes for 664 yards and has rushed for 222 yards on a young team that looks to their captain who never gives up. Defensively he has registered 112 career tackles, 2 sacks 2 tackles for a loss, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 interception.”

Sayreville – Shaun Jackson: “A 3-year starter for Sayreville, Jackson has been one of the Big Central Conference’s top rushers as well as in New Jersey with 1650 yards on 162 carries and 20 touchdowns in 9 games. He is fast, powerful and he can have an impact in all three phases of the game. His career rushing totals are 3,472 yards on 342 carries with 39 scores. With his team currently 8-1, he will undoubtedly add to these totals in the first round of the playoffs which begin on October 31.”

St. Thomas Aquinas – Ian Roberts: “Roberts has made an immediate impact for Aquinas as he was predominantly a defensive player the past few seasons and he auditioned at running back for the new coaching staff during the preseason. Roberts brings a blend of power, cutback ability and speed in the team’s spread offense. He possesses great vision and when he finds the crease he will burst to daylight. Ian has 779 yards on 786 carries in 9 games. He will be a critical part of the offense as the Trojans finish the regular season and begin the Parochial playoffs in the first week of November.”

Big Central Football Conference Patriot Gold

Bernards – Logan Stevens: “Stevens has a been constant for the Mountaineers on offense and defense since his sophomore season. That’s an incredible 32 wins and 2 losses, as the Nards are currently 9-0 with a first-round playoff game at home on Halloween. Over his career he has 2044 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, as a receiver 54 catches for 666 yards and 4 scores and on defense he has 72 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 fumble caused, 1 fumble recovery, an interception and a blocked kick. This humble leader will do whatever it takes to help his team win that Overall Group 2 Championship!”

Delaware Valley – Kelton Ibach: “The 6’1 170 lb. quarterback has been a 2-year starter for the Terriers with this year’s squad only returning about 4 starters from last year’s senior-dominated team. Ibach, whose father is the Delaware Valley’s head coach, plays with confidence and poise. His career passing stats include 2589 yards and 32 touchdowns while he has run sparingly for 234 yards and 3 scores. With one more regular season game and crossover, Kelton will do everything in his power to help his to team go out winners!”

J.P. Stevens – Zamarr Raiford: “Raiford was a freshman receiver who witnessed, experienced and participated in the ending of a historic losing streak that burdened the program. Now as a sophomore, he has a more active role in helping new head Dave Kunyz in continuing the rebuilding process. His 35 catches for 533 yards and 5 touchdowns are the most among the 12 wideouts on the roster. As a dangerous kick returner, he has returned 2 kickoffs for touchdowns in 5 attempts. You would think with those odds, you might not want to let the youngster get his hands on the ball!”

Voorhees – Matteo Tramutola: “Having seen Matteo as a junior, I was impressed with his physicality and quickness carrying the football. This team’s 7-1 record is in a large part due the senior class and their leadership with Tramutola and quarterback Sam Meekings. The veteran running back has 2792 career rushing yards and 36 touchdowns and as a receiver 271 yard and 3 scores. He is also the team punter average about 40 yards per punt. With one more regular season game and the playoffs on Halloween, you can bet Voorhees will be up for the challenge.”

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE 2025 BORDEN’S BALLER OF THE YEAR!!!

Big Central Football Conference Patriot Silver

Arthur L. Johnson – Jack Kalikas: “Jack has been a 3-year starter on defense for Johnson and has played as a triple-option quarterback since he was in sixth grade. He was severely injured in a game last October with a broken leg which required surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process which forced him to miss playing hockey or lacrosse. The senior field general has the Crusaders currently at 5-1 with two regular season games remaining and a likely playoff berth come Halloween weekend. Kalikas’ ability to read the defense and distribute the ball is like having a coach on the field making it difficult for the opposition.”

Metuchen – Cameron Hayes-Durina: “Hayes-Durina has handled the move to quarterback from wide receiver like the leader he is by putting the team first over individual accomplishments. His athletic and physical nature has made him a threat running the ball as well as throwing it to his receivers. The Bulldogs have evened their record at 4-4 with one regular season game against North Plainfield at home. Cam’s quarterback statistics include 1229 passing yards for 13 touchdowns along with 323 rushing yards and 5 scores. During his previous two seasons as a receiver, the senior Captain managed 650 yards on 61 catches and 7 touchdowns. Defensively this Baller made his mark with 3 tackles for a loss, 53 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries and 5 interceptions with one of them for a score.”

New Providence – Mike Petses: “Petses has been a 3-year starter for the Green and White as an occasional running back and inside linebacker. He is a fiery leader for the New Providence defense who lets you know it was #5 who just hit you! His career statistics are impressive when you consider there are two more regular season games and the post season. Mike has 9 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 198 total tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and 1 safety. The Pioneers’ post-season success hinges on the play of Petses and an experienced senior class that knows a thing or two about winning.

Roselle – Shymir Burgess: “Shymir has three years of experience in the Rams football program playing wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner. His career totals as a receiver 78 catches for 986 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a returner he had nearly 600 yards on punts and kickoffs. Defensively he recorded 43 tackles, 5 interceptions and 1 for a touchdown. Burgess’ leaping grab over two defenders with 18 seconds remaining in the game resulted in the team’s only victory thus far in the season.”

Big Central Football Conference United Gold

Carteret – Jonathan Hughes “A 3-year starter for the Ramblers on the offensive and defensive lines or even in the backfield as a fullback, Hughes is ‘a throwback player from the 90’s’ according to his head coach Kevin Freeman. What that means is he may be undersized; however, he makes plays with tremendous heart and desire. The senior leader is a mentor to the younger players on the field and in the weight room. He currently has 13 career tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 76 total stops with 2 more regular season games. One thing is certain, this 4.0 student will continue to bring his all in the classroom and on the playing field!”

Cranford – Joey Acinapura: “Acinapura has been a force on defense for the Cougars for 3 years and a senior captain. His career numbers are impressive with 79 solos, 133 assists, 13.5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries with one for a touchdown, 1 safety and 2 blocked kicks. I happened to see him block a punt and return it 32-yards for a score in an early season game. With one more regular season game and a potential playoff berth on the line, you can be sure of this, Joey will bring his A-game.”

Hillside – Kamari Robinson: “Kamari has been a 3-year starter for the Comets as a running back, receiver and defensive back. Under first year head coach Isa Abdul-Quddus, the powerful and nifty running back has helped his team make the transition to the new regime. His career rushing statistics include 726 yards and 9 touchdowns, while as a receiver he has 81 receptions for 908 yards and 11 scores. It is duly noted that as a kick returner, most teams avoided kicking to him, but when they did, he had 20 returns for nearly 450 yards.”

Scotch Plains-Fanwood – Callum Fynes: “Fynes has been a leader on both sides of the ball according to second year head coach Shawn Johnson. His versatility and leadership have been critical to the development of the younger players on the team. As a running back Callum has 397 career rushing yards and 8 scores, 367 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns. His biggest impact has been however on defense with 180 career tackles, 16 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 4 forced fumbles, 3 recovered fumbles and 5 interceptions, one for a touchdown.”

Summit– Anthony Trujillo: “When the coach of a storied program says you are a ‘weight room warrior, and the most dominant lineman’ on the team, that is saying something! Trujillo an offensive and defensive lineman has been an integral part of an offense that runs “no huddle” looking to wear down the opponent with a punishing ground attack and occasional play action pass. Defensively the Hilltoppers come after you with Anthony coming off the edge with 16 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. With two more regular season games and the playoffs, Summit’s fortunes will be decided by Anthony and his senior teammates.”

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE 2025 BORDEN’S BALLER OF THE YEAR!!!

Big Central Football Conference United Silver

J.F. Kennedy – Grant Lorentzen: “Grant is one of the best receivers that I have seen in all my years coaching and covering high school football!  His 1221 yards in receptions is #1 in New Jersey and his 20 touchdowns catches are currently the most in the state. Career wise, he has 142 receptions for 2243 yards and 32 scores. As a kick returner he has hit paydirt three times, once on a kickoff return and twice on punt returns. With his hands, leaping ability and precise route running he certainly can play in a 1AA college football program.”

Governor Livingston – David Dorsett: “David has been a leader for the Governor Livingston football program that prides itself on being physical. As an offensive and defensive lineman, he has made an impact on both sides of the ball. He guided his team to the BCC United Silver Division title and with one more regular season game and a crossover, the goal is to finish with a winning record. Dorsett’s career defensive statistics include 82 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.”

New Brunswick – Jabril Bright: “New Brunswick underwent a coaching change in early June as Geoffrey Chrisman took over the reins of the program which has struggled with numbers the last few years. Jabril Bright has bought into the program as have many others who have Chrisman as their Social Studies teacher. Jabril as a team captain has been one of the leaders who is helping change the mindset in the program and community. The defensive back and wide receiver’s career statistics include 17 tackles for a loss, 55 solos, 38 assists, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries and 1 interception. Offensively he is the team’s leading receiver. Most importantly however, he is determined to lead his teammates in a new direction!”

North Plainfield – Jordan Burnett: “Burnett has been an integral part of the Canucks rebuilding process as a team leader and captain. As a featured running back in the spread offense, he has 571 yards and 7 touchdowns. He has also lined up as quarterback in recent games, doing whatever it takes to help the team win. As a defensive back, the senior has 30 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. With one regular season game and a crossover remaining, Jordan will leave it all on the field for his teammates!”

South Plainfield – Dylan Oller: “Dylan is a tackling machine and has been at the top or near the top of the BCC and New Jersey’s leader boards all season as we approach the final 2 regular season games and the playoffs. As the middle linebacker he has that seek and destroy mentality which is clearly evident when you watch him in person or when you view his highlights. His career statistics are staggering with 213 solo tackles 175 assists, 34.5 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. Offensively he is punishing blocker and has capable hands with 15 career receptions.”

Honorable Mention

  • Arthur L Johnson – C.J. DiBiasi
  • Belvidere – Geoffrey Young
  • Bernards – Justin Simpson
  • Bound Brook – Jake Markey
  • Bridgewater-Raritan – Jack Cifuentes
  • Carteret – Ronelle Nimneh-Gilbert
  • Colonia – Julien Jones
  • Cranford – Andre Pereira
  • David Brearley – Carter Stein
  • Delaware Valley – Brayden Picardo-Leask
  • Dunellen – Khabir Casey
  • East Brunswick – Sean Nieves
  • Edison – Brayden Roma
  • Elizabeth – Ezekiel Penick
  • Franklin – Jah’naad Cady
  • Governor Livingston – Max DiDonato
  • Highland Park – Kaseem Qualls
  • Hillsborough – Sanjay Mills
  • Hillside – Jayden Ashford
  • Hunterdon Central – Drew Cella
  • J.F. Kennedy – Fiheem Howell,Jr.
  • Jonathan Dayton – Tyler Fuscaldo
  • J.P. Stevens – Josh Collins
  • Linden – Joshus Williams
  • Manville – Evan Canica
  • Metuchen – Justus Leitner
  • Middlesex – Blake Wilkins
  • Monroe – Logan Richter
  • Montgomery – Trey McFadden
  • New Brunswick– Machai Coffee
  • New Providence – James Keneally
  • North Brunswick – Ruhan Sriram
  • North Hunterdon – Antonio Sauchelli
  • North Plainfield – Louie Spagnuolo
  • Old Bridge – Amari Alsbrook 
  • Perth Amboy – Victor Montalvo
  • Phillipsburg – Aedan Hywel
  • Piscataway – Sean Love
  • Plainfield – Tylor Hunter
  • Rahway – Zaire Fields
  • Ridge – Nate Engdahl
  • Roselle – Jaeden Shorey
  • Roselle Park – Nick Salas
  • Sayreville – Brian Zangrillo
  • Scotch Plains-Fanwood – Paul Boyle
  • Somerville – Sam Muse
  • South Brunswick – Peyton Lynch
  • South Hunterdon – Parker Rampel
  • South Plainfield – Dominic Massaro
  • South River – Malachi Newson
  • Spotswood – Gavin Pereira
  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Zy’mere Weaver
  • St. Joseph – Reggie Bropleh
  • Summit – Alex Schwark
  • Union – Elijah Bryant
  • Voorhees – Sam Meekings
  • Watchung Hills – Liam Morris
  • Westfield – Jordan Walsh
  • Woodbridge – Jhonny Collado

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE 2025 BORDEN’S BALLER OF THE YEAR!!!

Be sure to VOTE early and often. Remember, polls close on Sunday November, 9th at noon, with finalists announced Monday, November 10th at 7 am, with the final vote between the three finalists that week!

Thanks for voting!

by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge takes late lead, hangs on for 38-31 home win over Freehold Twp. in CJ5 1st round

The NJSIAA counts power points, and Strength Index, but luckily for Old Bridge, style points aren’t a thing, only the points on the scoreboard.

And that’s where the Knights were a winner Saturday evening, as third-seed Old Bridge topped sixth-seed Freehold Twp., 38-31, on a late Brody Nugent touchdown and a fumble recovery on the Patriots’ ensuing drive.

Nugent scored from 32 yards out with 6:32 to play to give his team a 38-31 lead. But a bad snap exactly a minute later on the clock went right over the Freehold quarterback’s head, and Justin Valinotti fell on it to give Old Bridge the ball back, allowing them to eventually ice the victory.

The win was Old Bridge’s first in the playoffs since 2017, when they beat Trenton in the opening round of Central Jersey Group 5.

Nugent got the Knights on the board first at 6:44 of the first quarter with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0, and the period ended that way. But just 45 seconds into the second, Dakota Lasater ran in a score from a yard out, and a fake PAT netted two to make it 8-7 Patriots.

Lasater then gave Freehold Twp. a 14-7 lead on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Mikey Lorenzo just over three minutes before halftime to make it 14-7, Nugent tied it up at 14-all with a 19-yard run, but a 37-yard Freehold field goal with 1.2 ticks left before the break made it 17-14 at halftime.

After halftime, Michael Firetto hit from 28-yards out on a field goal to make it 17-all with 6:54 to go in the third, then Brody Nugent took back the lead with his third touchdown of the game, this one from 68-yards out, making it 24-17 with 4:58 to go in the third.

And after Xavier Diaz picked off a long Freehold pass downfield, Chase Rizzo scored from 61 yards out to give the Knights some breathing room: a 14-point lead with just under 14 minutes to go in the game.

That proved to be important, as Freehold Township would get the next two scores in a nine-second span of game action to even it at 31 late in the third, recovering an onside kick after Lasater hit Jake Schultzel for a TD. The two hooked up again for the second score right after.

But then Nugent took over, and his run from 32-yards out with 6:32 left gave Old Bridge a 38-31 lead, after which Justin Valinotti recovered a Freehold Twp. fumble with 5:40 to go. And yet, it still wasn’t over. Old Bridge failed to score, then Freehold did, too, and the Knights were able to run out the final 1:36 thanks to a big first down run from Nugent.

The win sends Old Bridge (9-1) to the semifinals of Central Jersey Group 5 next Friday at 6 pm at second-seed Sayreville (9-1), which beat seventh-seed Trenton 36-0 Friday night. Freehold Township’s season ends at 5-5.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden in Old Bridge, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

Battle of neighbors goes to Chiefs as Piscataway tops Plainfield, 29-14 in North 2 Group 5 opener

The way Plainfield’s first drive went it looked like this would be a fast game, and one where points would be at a premium.

They were, but more for the Cardinals than their neighbors from Piscataway.

The second-seeded Chiefs got two touchdown runs from Mickye Simmons, and two touchdown passes from Landon Pernell – one each to Josiah Zayas and Sean Love – en route to a 29-14 win over seventh-seed Plainfield that wasn’t quite as close as the final score indicated.

Seal of the Township of Piscataway, featuring a yellow and black design with a tree and the founding year, 1666.
Thanks to Piscataway Township and Mayor Brian Wahler for sponsoring Saturday’s broadcast!

Plainfield won the toss, took the ball, and held it for more than 12 minutes, into the second quarter, but came up empty. So too, did Piscataway, but after holding the Cards to a three-and-out, got on the board with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Sean Love with just 44 seconds to go in the first half. A two-point conversion after a penalty on the PAT made it 8-0, and that was how the first half would end.

After the break, Pisctaway started to take control. A seven-yard TD pass to Josiah Zayas made it a two-score lead at 15-0, and a three-yard run by Simmons made it 22-0 with 8:06 to go in the fourth.

Plainfield eventually got on the board on a 12-yard catch by Tylor Hunter, but Piscataway answered right back with another Simmons run, and anything else would just change the final score, but not the outcome.

Piscataway had a stronger game up front – one of head coach Dan Higgins’ goals coming in – and that ended up being the difference, as Pernell had time to throw when he wanted to, and the Chiefs only had one or two negative yardage plays.

The Chiefs (8-2) will move on to host 6th-seed Bayonne (7-3) in the sectional semifinals next Saturday at noon at Kenny Armwood Stadium. A win would give Piscataway its first berth in a sectional final since 2018, when they won the North 2, Group 5 title and beat Ridgewood in the North 5 bowl championship, becoming the first – and no one has done it since – Middlesex County school to win 13 games in a season, finishing 13-0.

The other semifinal will feature top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (7-3) hosting fourth-seed Union City (6-3).

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

Wednesday Night Big Central Roundup: Carteret tops JFK in “consolation” game behind 6 TD night from Boseman; New Brunswick snaps state’s longest active skid; South River picks up first win of season in finale

Al-Naiquan Boseman scored five touchdowns for the Carteret Ramblers, who won a track meet against JFK, 49-31, Wednesday night at “The Pit” in a Big Central Conference crossover “consolation” game.

While the NJSIAA no longer assigns consolation games, teams that miss the playoffs are allowed to set up their own matchups. Scroll down for scores and notes on the rest of the games, many of which were moved from Thursday due to the Nor’easter that’s in the forecast.

Meanwhile, for Carteret, Boseman scored four of his six touchdowns in the first half, after which the Ramblers led 26-25.

Carteret went ahead 33-25 less than a minute into the second half, then went up 40-25 on Boseman’s fifth TD run of the game, a three-yard score with 4:16 to go in the third. He’d score again as time ran out to make it 46-25.

After a Gatik Bhardwah 30-yard field goal made it 49-25, JFK got the game’s final score with 3:49 left on a pick-six by Grant Lorentzen.

Carteret improves to 4-5 with the win, while the Mustangs fall to 6-4.

Carteret Ramblers football team celebrating on the field after a victory, posing for a group photo in their blue and white uniforms.
Carteret celebrates on last win on its home field in 2025, after a 49-31 victory over JFK. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with Carteret head coach Kevin Freeman and players Ronelle Nimneh-Gilbert and Al-Naiquan Boseman, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Here are other scores from around the Big Central Wednesday night:

  • New Brunswick 36, West Windsor-Plainsboro South 0: The Zebras ended the state’s longest active losing streak Wednesday night, winning for the first time in its last 33 games. The 36 points was the most scored by New Brunswick in a game since a 43-14 win at Monroe on October 29, 2021, and it was their first win since a September 16, 2022 home victory over Franklin. And after being shutout four times this season – never scoring more than eight points – it was their first shutout victory since a 14-0 victory over Carteret in 20009, when John Quinn was head coach. They also played Matawan to a shutout tie in 2012.
  • South River 19, Dunellen 0: The Rams picked up their first win of the season Wednesday, finishing the year 1-9. With New Brunswick’s loss, and Dunellen now 0-9, the Destroyers will take the state’s longest losing streak into 2026, now at 19 games. Their last win came against Brearley, 34-28, on October 29, 2023.

  • Millburn 51, Roselle 14
  • Keansburg 27 Middlesex 6
  • South Plainfield 35, Spotswood 28
  • Union 28, Columbia 7
  • Edison 39, Watchung Hills 14
  • East Brunswick 35, Perth Amboy 12
  • Dayton 34, Keyport 6
  • Manchester Twp. 18, JP Stevens 12
  • North Plainfield 42, Highland Park 13
by Marcus Borden

St. Joseph still No. 1 with changes in Marcus Borden’s Week 8 Big Central Top Ten… plus rankings for BCC West, Middlesex and Union Counties

My final regular season Friday night game versus Manville at Bound Brook was for the Big Central Football Conference Freedom Silver Division Title.

The Crusaders home game was Senior Night for the Football team and Cheerleaders. Bound Brook would win the toss and defer the choice to the second half.

The Mustangs would start their initial drive at the 40-yard line after the Bound Brook senior placekicker Zion Quesada would sqiub kick the ball to prevent a huge return from Manville’s dangerous returners.

The visitors, who run the Wing-T offense which uses multiple ball carriers, motions and misdirection while eating up the clock, forces the defense to be disciplined.

So it was no surprise that Manville’s first six plays would be running plays while moving into Crusader territory and facing a 4th and three from the Bound Brook 39-yard line. Senior Josh D’Ambrosio would line up at quarterback in the shotgun formation and run up the middle behind his center who picked up the blitzing linebacker while Josh gets the first down for a tough three-yard gain.

On the very next play, senior quarterback Samuel Echeverri, who aligns at halfback too, fakes the sweep to the halfback and rolls left hitting tight end Trevor Metz who is wide open for a 36-yard touchdown pass at 7:28 in the first quarter and a 7-0 lead.

Ironically Manville would send out sophomore placekicker Jaret Quesada, yes the cousin of Zion, to also squib kick while keeping rival Bound Brook’s returners at bay.

The Crusaders would also get the ball in decent field position running the ball with senior quarterback John Archer and senior running back Jake Markey also carrying the ball. Facing a 4th and one from midfield Archer would try to keep it himself but was stopped short when Manville’s middle linebacker Evan Canica blitzed into the backfield.

Manville would waste little time running senior Isaiah Bennett and D’Ambrosio for moderate gains, while the later would also attempt a pass to Metz which was overthrown, however, there was a roughing the passer penalty on the play moving the ball to the Crusader 41-yard line.

After a shotgun run for a 9-yard gain, D’Ambrosio would take the handoff from Echeverri going the distance while outrunning the defense for a 30-yard touchdown and a 14-0 Manville advantage with 3:42 in the first quarter.

Bound Brook would try to answer with Archer finding Zhamir Moore on a deep ball down the home sideline to Mustangs 45-yard line. On the very next play there was a holding call on the offense moving the ball back ten yards. There would then be an intentional grounding and an incomplete pass forcing a Crusader punt with 1:41 remaining in the first quarter.

The Mustangs would go back to running the ball with Bennett and D’Ambrosio getting the ball to the Bound Brook 28-yard line as the first quarter would come to a close with the Mustangs threatening and a 14-0 lead.

When play resumed D’Ambrosio was in the shotgun and giving the ball to Bennett who would go right towards the Manville bench while handing off to Echeverri on a counter play left while cuts up field inside the kick out block from his lead blocker for a 28-yard touchdown at 11:50 in the 2nd quarter and a 21-0 Mustang lead.

On the ensuing kickoff Manville decided to kick away to Zhamir Moore who lined up to the right instead of his normal spot on the left. It looked like that move was going to backfire as Moore took the ball at his 5-yard while getting knocked out of bounds at the Mustang 45-yard line. There was a holding penalty called on the return moving the ball back to the Crusader thirty yard line.

Bound Brook would go three and out after the penalty as the Manville defense was physically dominating the game and forced a punt at the 9:48 mark in the 2nd quarter up 21-0.

The Mustangs would only need 58 seconds for Echeverri to throw his second touchdown pass, this time to a leaping D’Ambrosio across the middle of the field for a 53-yard score and a 28-0 lead with 8:46 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

Bound Brook would get the ball to around midfield but would fumble the ball as a relentless Mustang defense knocked the ball out which was recovered by senior John Lunsford with 6:20 before halftime.

Manville needed only one play, as D’Ambrosio in the shotgun would roll slightly to his right, stop and throw back left to Bennett on a screen pass with left guard Tyler Johnson throwing the key block as the senior captain hid behind his blocker and then cutback right sprinting untouched for a 55-yard touchdown and 35-0 lead at the 6:05 mark before intermission.

The Crusaders would work their way down the field with trying to go deep with Moore but the Mustangs defense was not about to give up the deep pass so Archer would take the shorter routes as they advanced the ball to midfield.

However with the Bound Brook quarterback under pressure rolling to his right, he lofted a pass to his receiver who was momentarily open near the Manville sideline however a leaping D’Ambrosio from his safety position intercepted the pass with 3:54 still on the game clock before halftime.

The Mustangs would methodically run the ball with everyone getting touches and milking the clock as they moved into the red zone. With the ball on the Crusader 18-yard line, Echeverri would score again on the scissors play (counter) this time for 18-yards with 50.7 seconds before halftime and a 42-0 lead they would take into the locker room.

The Crusaders were set to receive the second half kickoff and fumbled the ball on the return at their 30-yard line. With a running clock in effect for the second half, the opportunities for the home team would be limited.

Manville would add one more score when senior Collin Shimp would take it in on a 6-yard run at 6:55 in the 3rd quarter making it 49-0.

Bound Brook would finally get on the board at 6:35 in the 4th quarter with a Jake Markey 1-yard run which made the final score 49-7 as Manville ran down the clock with their 2nd team finishing the game.

The celebration was on as the Mustangs captured the BCC Freedom Silver Division trophy, finished undefeated at 9-0 for the first time since 1968 and secured a home Central Jersey Group 1 first round playoff game against Asbury Park.

Here are my Week 8 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County. There will be no more Top Tens until the conclusion of the season:

A graphic displaying the Week 8 Top 10 rankings for the Big Central Conference in football for 2025, featuring team names and their records against a background of stadium lights.
Graphic displaying the Week 8 Top 10 rankings for the Big Central Conference West in 2025, featuring team names and win-loss records.

Graphic displaying the Week 8 Top 10 rankings for the Middlesex division of the Big Central Conference football teams for 2025, with team names and records.
Graphic displaying the Week 8 2025 Top 10 rankings for the Big Central Conference, featuring team logos and rankings.

by Mike Pavlichko

Perfection! Manville caps first undefeated regular season since 1968 with 49-7 win at Bound Brook; Mustangs claim Freedom Silver title

It was all there laid out for the Manville football team this week. A chance to clinch their first perfect regular season since 1968, and a chance to win the Freedom Silver Division title in the Big Central Conference.

They took those chances, and ran with it. And threw it. And scored a bunch in a 49-7 road win at Bound Brook, which has put together a nice five-win regular season, and may still have a chance at making the playoffs with some help.

But Friday night, Manville made it clear they are the premier Group 1 school in the league, and by a large margin.

On a night when senior QB Josh D’Ambrosio threw, ran and caught a pass for a touchdown, while fellow senior Sam Echeverri ran for two and threw two of his own, the defense also did its part, allowing just one touchdown. Manville has shut out four opponents this year – Hopatcong, Belvidere, Middlesex and South Hunterdon – and allowed no more than 14 points in a game all season long, while scoring no fewer than 41 a game in their last six.

Manville (9-0, 5-0) will finish in the middle of the pack in the South Group 1 supersection, and we’ll have to see where they land in Central Group 1, where they will be placed when the brackets are sorted by Northing numbers (geographically). Bound Brook (5-4, 4-1) will wait to see if other teams’ wins or losses can get them in.

We’ll have updated playoff standings later Friday into early Saturday morning on the site here at Central Jersey Sports Radio, and you can hear the likely brackets on our 2025 Playoff Projection Show Saturday at 6 pm, with Mike Pavlichko and Marcus Borden live in studio.

Watch postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with victorious Manville below, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio’s coverage plans for Cutoff Weekend in high school football

The entire high school football season is a lot of fun, from the eternal hope that springs in the hot summer days of August through pre-season camp and scrimmages, to that first time under the lights, to the air getting cooler, right through the sectional and state championships at Rutgers and the Meadowlands.

But Cutoff Weekend is one unique ride, indeed.

Some teams have their positions locked down, or at least relatively so. Others are jockeying for home games. Some face a “win and you’re in” scenario, while others need to come out victorious and need four wishes from a genie in a bottle to get in.

Some years, we even think a team is in, then out, then back in again when that one, random residual game gets added to the mix.

Don’t worry, Central Jersey Sports Radio has you covered!

Here are our plans for coverage this weekend.

FRIDAY:

  • We’ll take a look at the weekend schedule with times and notes on what implications each game have on the playoff standing of Big Central Conference teams.
  • Marcus Borden will be at LaMonte Field in Bound Brook as the Crusaders take on undefeated Manville in a great rivalry game. It’ll also decide the Freedom Silver Division title, where a Mustangs win would give it to them outright, and a Crusaders win would leave them tied, with Bound Brook taking the title on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Follow Coach Borden on Twitter for updates during the game, and we’ll have his video postgame reaction on the site late after the game.
  • Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino will be in Rahway as the Indians entertain No. 3 Montgomery. Click here to listen. The Cougars are looking to improve their standing, while Rahway appears to be facing a “win and in” situation where a loss requires a lot of help. We’ll have a recap and postgame reaction on the site after the game.
  • Check out our Friday Night Big Central Roundup for notes on some of the key games, links to individual game coverage and interviews, as well as a full Friday night Big Central scoreboard, and the Saturday schedule, with times.
  • We’ll have an unofficial playoff standings update Friday night, once all the results are in. We’ll update the full standings for all ten public supersections, with minimal notes on who may have made a big move up or down, clinched a playoff spot or a top seed, or been eliminated.

SATURDAY

  • Throughout the day Saturday, we may have some additional analysis on those standings, as warranted, as we get a chance to take a closer look at how the teams moved, and how it affects any playoff scenarios for games being played on Saturday. That’s going to be one of the busiest Saturdays in the league this season, with 16 teams involved in eight games.
  • At 6 pm, we’ll have the 2025 Playoff Projection Show, hosted by Mike Pavlichko with analyst Marcus Borden in studio. Click here to listen. We’ll go through the sections, one by one, and rundown the field of 16, explain any tiebreakers, and give you our projections as to what we believe the final brackets will look like. We’ll also hear from several Big Central coaches. Gridiron New Jersey – which does the official calculations for the NJSIAA – will reveal its projections later that evening, and the NJSIAA will release the brackets sometime Sunday, with the parings typically becoming official at noon Monday (in case there are any issues, appeals, etc.)
Aquinas Stadium
by Marcus Borden

St. Joseph still No. 1 in Marcus Borden’s Week 7 Big Central Top Ten… plus rankings for BCC West, Middlesex and Union Counties

My Friday night game versus No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas and No. 1 St. Joseph of Metuchen was dubbed “The Battle of Plainfield Avenue” as the distance between the only two parochial schools in the Big Central Conference is a mere 1.8 miles.

Both schools did not play each other the first year of the Falcon football program, which was 2011 under Bob Molarz, the school’s first gridiron coach. They would play however in 2012 and from 2014-16 under Casey Ransone, Molarz’s successor. For whatever reason they did not play again until last season’s tilt at St. Joseph, which was won by Aquinas 34-20.

This year’s game was Senior Night for the Trojans Football team, the Marching Band and Cheerleaders. The home team would win the toss and defer the choice to the second half.

Joe’s would get the ball in decent field position at their 35-yard line and move the ball, mixing the run and pass with fullback Mike Wellet, halfback Reggie Bropleh, quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo and tight end Edgar Cruz deep into Trojan territory before they were stopped on fourth down at the 25-yard line with 7:15 remaining in the first quarter.

Aquinas would take over and run Ian Roberts on two consecutive power plays to the left for little or no gain. Quarterback Zymere Weaver would then find Anwar Witherspoon over the middle for a first down around the 40-yard line.

The Trojans would try Roberts again on a quick toss to the right but he was swallowed up immediately by the Falcons fast-flowing defense. On 2nd down Roberts took the handoff left for no gain. Weaver would then be sacked by Sebastian Assuncao on a safety blitz. Aquinas would punt at 2:35 in the first quarter with neither team scoring on their initial drive.

St. Joseph would waste little time on their second possession as Scaramuzzo would reverse pivot faking the belly looking downfield as his tightend ran down the middle of the field, the wingback running a deep out while the halfback Kenny Noonan runs a shallow out towards the home sideline while getting a tremendous block from Reggie Bropleh who knock three Aquinas players to the ground while Noonan stayed in bounds sprinting for a 55-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 2:23 in the first quarter.

St. Thomas’ Anthony Perez looked to have a decent return which was nullified by a holding penalty. Aquinas would try to get the running game going by getting their workhorse Ian Roberts the ball. However the Falcons defensive interior front line of Jason Gross, Tom Kwiatkowski, and Brody Picariello were reeking havoc early and often on three successive run plays as the first quarter came to a close.

When play resumed St. Thomas made the decision to go for it on fourth and two with Weaver faking the inside run to Roberts while looking to throw a slant pass which was batted down by St. Joseph linebacker Dylan Pierce.

The Falcons would look to run the ball with Scaramuzzo, Bropleh and Wellet getting most of the work while getting the ball to the Aquinas 22-yard line. After an incomplete play action pass to the left for dragging tightend Edgar Cruz, Joes would run counter for 2 yards setting up a 3rd and 8 from the St. Thomas 20-yard line. This time Scaramuzzo in the shotgun would find Bropleh on a slant play for a 20-yard score and a 14-0 advantage with 8:55 before halftime.

The Trojans would start at their 30-yard line with Weaver in the shotgun looking to throw. After a miscommunication and deep throw down the field, the sophomore quarterback would hit Perez on a deep out towards the Aquinas bench. On third and four Weaver would roll right and takes off to the Trojan’s 40-yard line and the first down.

Aquinas would get to about midfield with Weaver hitting Jaylen Frias on a slant route setting the offense up on about the 25-yard line of St. Joseph. On the very next play, the sophomore signal caller hits Perez on another slant who cuts back outside after the grab setting up St. Thomas with 1st and goal from the four yard line.

Weaver would try to run it in from the four but would lose a few yards and call timeout at 3:04 in the second quarter down 14-0. When play resumes Weaver sends Perez in motion to his left and then finds Witherspoon for a 6-yard touchdown on hook pattern while closing the gap to 14-7 at the 2:59 mark of the second quarter.

The Falcons would get the ball around the 40-yard line after an injury timeout on the kick return. Scaramuzzo would go deep on a fly pattern over throwing Dwayne Hunt. He would then run a screen to Wellet down the Aquinas sideline and then keep it himself getting to midfield. The very next play he would scramble again but there was a holding penalty on the play.

After moving the ball back, the shifty Scaramuzzo would run again this time straight down the middle of the field sidestepping the defense to the Trojans 25-yard line. Joes would run a screen to Wellet for three yards followed by an other quarterback scramble for a few yards with a timeout with 1:04 on the clock before halftime. Another inside run would force Joes to call their last timeout with 4th down and 5.

The Falcons elected not to kick the field goal as Scaramuzzo in the shotgun looked downfield as his right tightend Tom Meyers slow blocked the defensive end and then released wide open in the flat while getting the ball to the one setting up Scaramuzzo’s 1-yard plunge in the end zone and a 21-7 lead with 29 seconds on the game clock.

Aquinas would make it interesting with three straight completions, the last to Witherspoon who made it to the Falcons 25-yard line as he was knocked out of bounds by Falcon Franco Reinoso as time expired.

The Trojans took the second half kickoff but had a holding penalty on the play forcing them to start on their ten yard line. Weaver would throw a quick stop route but there was a roughing the passer penalty on the play moving the ball to the 25-yard line.

Weaver would hit Witherspoon on a quick out to about the 37-yard line. The Trojans would have a false start penalty making it 3rd and 8. A quick flair pass to Jaylen Frias who would sidestep multiple defenders getting the ball down to the 9-yard line setting up Aquinas with first and goal.

After a quick pass for four yards, Weaver would hit Witherspoon who would barrel his way through two would-be-tacklers into the end zone for an apparent 5-yard touchdown but a holding penalty nullified the score.

On second and goal Weaver would be sacked at the 20-yard line. He would scramble out of bounds toward the home sideline losing yardage. Aquinas would be stopped on 4th down after an in complete pass at 8:11 in the 3rd quarter down 21-7.

St. Joseph’s offensive line would start to wear down the Aquinas defense running the ball on ten consecutive plays while dominating the line of scrimmage and the game clock. After an injury timeout, Scaramuzzo would find Edgar Cruz for a 16-yard waggle pass and a 28-7 lead over St. Thomas Aquinas with 3:54 remaining the 3rd quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff Anthony Perez would take the ball towards the middle of the field and then cutback sharply to his right down the Aquinas sideline for an 88-yard score. A failed two-point conversion made at 3:42 made the score 28-13.

A fired-up Aquinas defense would force the Falcons to punt on their next play sequence with the snap hitting a Falcon player which was scooped up quickly and fortunately not blocked but setting up St. Thomas around midfield.

The Trojans would throw an incomplete pass and then have a short run for no gain. On 3rd and long Weaver would find Tyler Montgomery who would move the ball down inside the St. Joseph 30-yard line as the third quarter would run out with the score 28-13.

When play resumed to start the final stanza, Weaver would be sacked at the Joes 35-yard line. On the very next play Weaver looked to throw the ball to Montgomery but it went off his finger tips into the hands of Witherspoon who was running a crossing route behind him for what was surely the most unlikely of scores I have seen over my 13 years covering games.

The Aquinas two-point conversion play would fail making the score 28-19 with 11:25 remaining in the game. Following the score, Trojan placekicker Brandon Falke would attempt a pooch kick which was recovered by a leaping Elijah Contaldi giving St. Joseph excellent field position.

Scaramuzzo would run left on back to back runs then hand off to Wellet going right for a 1st down to the St. Thomas 25-yard line with an injury timeout with 10:00 to go in the game. On the very next play Scaramuzzo would find a wide-open Reggie Bopleh down the visitor sideline for a 25-yard touchdown pass and a 35-19 lead with 9:25 left on the game clock.

The Falcons would squib kick forcing Trojan returner Perez to dive on the ball to get possession. After getting a first down, St. Joes would strip the ball from the Aquinas runner while recovering it at the 8:22 mark in the game.

After two runs and facing third and eleven from the Aquinas 41-yard line, Scaramuzzo would launch a bomb down the middle of the field to Bropleh for his third score of the night and a comfortable 41-19 margin following a missed PAT with 6:49 left in the contest.

St. Thomas Aquinas would make a valiant effort to get back in the game but the Falcons defensive line made it extremely difficult as they put constant pressure on Weaver and his offensive line. The athletic sophomore would scramble but lose the handle on the ball while being chased down by the defense. Jack Cummings would recover the ball with 4:15 remaining in the game.

St. Joseph would run out the clock on St. Thomas Aquinas while ending their 35-game win streak against conference opponents which was the longest in the state while improving to 7-0 on the season.

Here are my Week 7 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

A digital graphic showing the Week 7 Top 10 rankings for the Big Central Conference in high school football, with team names and records listed against a backdrop of stadium lights.
A graphic displaying the Week 7 Top 10 rankings for the BCC West football conference, listing teams and their records.

A graphic displaying the Week 7 Top 10 rankings for Middlesex teams in the Big Central Conference, featuring team names, records, and logos on a dark background with bright floodlights.
Graphic showing Week 7 Top 10 rankings for the Big Central Conference, including team records and logos.

Zoran Milich Stadium
by Marcus Borden

St. Joseph is the new No. 1 in Marcus Borden’s Week 6 Big Central Top Ten… plus rankings for BCC West, Middlesex and Union Counties

My Friday night game in Montgomery had that “playoff feeling” as the Cougars hosted Woodbridge on Senior Night for the Marching Band, Dance Team, Cheerleaders and the Football Team.

The home team captains won the coin toss and elected to play defense by deferring the choice until the second half.

Woodbridge would open up the game with a play action pass by sophomore quarterback Dylan Stephen, who had only attempted 31 passes in the prior six games, hoping to catch the Cougar defense focused on one of the league’s premier rushers, Joshua Allen.

Senior free safety Trey McFadden was not fooled and snared the errant pass while returning it to the Woodbridge 22 yard line.

Montgomery wasted little time as senior quarterback Jack Kristjanson would toss a quick screen to wide receiver Obinna Obuba who sidestepped a would-be-tackler while sprinting to the end zone for the early score as only 27 seconds had elapsed off the game clock.

Woodbridge would get the ball on the 20-yard line as the Montgomery squib kick hugged the home sideline bouncing past the pylon into the end zone.

The Barrons would mix up the inside run and outside option with Allen getting the bulk of the carries. Fullback Kyle Campos and Stephen would keep the defense honest as they marched to the Cougars 45-yard line.

With the Barrons motioning Campos to the wide side of the field Stephen and Allen optioned to the visitors sideline with the rookie quarterback faking the pitch while avoiding one defender and sprinting to the Montgomery 3-yard line. Allen would tie the game with a run up the middle at 6:31 remaining in the first stanza.

The Cougars would get poor field position following a holding call on the kick return. After two incomplete passes and a batted down pass, Montgomery would punt from their ended zone setting up the Barrons at the home team’s 28-yard line.

Woodbridge would try to take advantage of the short field having Stephen throw deep to tight end Dylan Mastrola who was split out wide toward the visitors sideline. The pass was overthrown and there was a lineman down field moving the ball back to the Montgomery 33-yard line.

On the ensuing play, Stephen would run the option left and look to attempt a pitch which was batted in the air and recovered by senior defensive end Mike Bellamy who raced untouched for a 67-yard touchdown and a 13-7 Montgomery lead after a failed two-point conversion with 4:26 remaining in the first stanza.

The Barrons would start their third drive of the night at their own 20-yard line with two consecutive runs which set up a safe and effective swing pass to Allen towards the Montgomery sideline with the nifty senior running back’s cutback ability getting the ball to the Montgomery 40-yard line.

Allen would then take the handoff on a sweep play to the visitor’s bench led by backfield mate Kyle Campos moving the ball to the 31. After successive runs and an injury timeout, the 1st quarter would come to a close with the Barrons trailing 13-7 and having second-and-eight, with the ball on the Montgomery 16-yard line.

When play resumed, Campos would go in motion toward the wide side of the field taking the jet sweep handoff while barreling down the Montgomery sideline setting up 1st and goal at about the five yard line. An illegal procedure penalty on the Barrons would move the ball back five yards.

After a short gain by Campos, Stephen would hit Allen on a quick swing pass setting up a 2nd and goal from the five yard line. An inside run by Allen would only net two yards as the Cougars defense stiffened.

On 3rd and goal from the Montgomery 3-yard line and Stephen under center, he signaled Campos to motion left while tossing the ball to Allen who would score his second touchdown giving the Barrons a 14-13 lead at the 8:57 mark of the second quarter.

Montgomery would try to establish a running game with Caiden Miller, however the Barron’s defensive front led by seniors Jhonny Collado, Dylan Saab and A’arrow Andrewz made sure the gains were minimal.

The Cougar’s however were not afraid to let their quarterback Kristjanson take matters in his own hands as he hit Trey McFadden for a first down around their 31-yard line. A run to the left by Miller was thwarted by the Barron’s diving defensive tackle Collado for a loss back to the 30-yard line.

Kristajanson would look to pass on second and long but pulled down the ball and scrambled for the first down himself to the 42-yard line. He would then launch a bomb to a streaking McFadden down the middle of the field to the visitors 14-yard line.

A face mask penalty on a Miller run moved the ball half the distance to the goal setting up his inside run for three yards and a second and goal for Montgomery. On the very next play Kristjanson would audible to a quarterback power scoring on a four-yard run with 4:07 remaining before halftime. The Cougars would go for two but the pass was intercepted by defensive tackle A’arrow Andrewz, his third of the season, making the score 19-14 for the home team.

The ensuing kickoff would go out of bounds giving the Barrons the ball on their 45-yard line. They would gain two yards on run a play and call timeout with 3:08 remaining on the clock before halftime.

After the time out Stephen would throw an incomplete pass on an out route and then a quick screen to Sean Russo gaining only four yards which forced the Barrons to punt with 1:47 from their 49-yard line.

With Woodbridge looking to attempt a Rugby kick, Montgomery overloaded the left side of the defensive line with junior Zach Furey coming in freely to block the kick sending it out of bounds at the Barrons 35-yard line with 1:42 on the game clock.

Kristjanson would look to throw but he took off getting 8 yards down to the 27 of Woodbridge in the hurry up offense. Montgomery would quickly align in Trips Left Open Gun but hand off to Miller on the outside zone who raced down the Cougars sideline getting knocked out of bounds around the one.

Enter Mike Bellamy (OL/DL/LS/FB) into the backfield as the fullback scoring from 1-yard out with 37.8 seconds before halftime making the score 25-14 as the Cougars third consecutive 2-point conversion attempt failed.

Woodbridge would take the ensuing kickoff to about the 25-yard line and take a knee and head back to the locker room to make halftime adjustments only down eleven points.

Montgomery would receive the second half kick with junior Xaviar Harrigan setting the Cougars up on their 24-yard line after a 14-yard return. Miller would carry the ball three straight plays while Kristjanson would scramble for another. Facing third-and-five from their 39-yard line Kristjanson’s pass to senior Walcott Gesira who motioned across the formation, looked short of the first down by about 2 yards.

Montgomery would elect to go for it on fourth down coming up short of the line to gain and turning the ball over to Woodbridge at their 42-yard line up 25-14 with 9:03 in the third quarter.

The Barrons wasted little time getting right back in the game as Stephen would pump fake to his left and turn back right to find his tight end Dylan Mastrola streaking down the middle of the field for an easy 42-yard touchdown catch while closing the gap to 25-21 at the 8:54 mark of the third quarter.

Harrigan’s 13-yard return would allow Montgomery’s offense start on their 31-yard line. A quick hitch to McFadden would only net three yards as Allen from his right cornerback position was in tight coverage. The same play was called to the right or wide side of the field on 2nd down with McFadden the middle receiver in a trips formation. A quick reacting Dylan Mastrola from his linebacker position forced an incompletion.

On third and seven yards Kristjanson would look right to pass but dip his shoulder and turn up field running as defensive tackle Andrewz dragged him to the ground short of the first down at the Cougars 43-yard line. Montgomery would elect to go for it on fourth down lining up in a full house backfield. A high snap doomed the play as Kristjanson tried to pick up the ball while being swarmed by the Barrons defense.

Woodbridge would start their drive on the Cougars 38-yard line handing the ball to their workhorse Allen who would get about six yards on an Iso play on first down. Montgomery would be offsides on the next play to Campos on the fullback dive. Allen would then take the toss down the visitor sideline with a key block by Campos. On the next play the junior fullback would be rewarded with the inside handoff coming out of the mass of humanity for an 11-yard touchdown run at 5:48 in the third quarter and a 28-25 lead.

Montgomery would get decent field position as Harrigan returned the kickoff to the Cougars 38-yard line. With Bellamy at fullback, Miller would line up behind him in the I taking the handoff for a five-yard gain. They would line up in the same formation this time running the toss towards the visitors sideline for little or no gain.

Kristjanson would look to pass to a leaping McFadden across the middle on 3rd down but the normally sure-handed receiver couldn’t secure the catch forcing the Cougars to punt at 3:54 in the third quarter down 28-25.

Woodbridge would start their drive in the worst field position of the night thanks to a booming kick by McFadden to the Barrons 13-yard line. An inside run on 1st down netted about a yard. It was the 2nd down call however, a toss to Allen towards the Cougars sideline with great blocking by Mastrola and Campos which had the Barron faithful screaming as Allen was tackled short of the goal line by a streaking Miles Dawson from the opposite end of the field.

With first-and-goal from the eight, Allen would get to about the 2-yard line while Stephen finished the drive with a one-yard plunge at 1:23 remaining in the third quarter and an eleven point advantage for the visitors 35-24.

Both teams would trade punts with Montgomery getting the ball on their 21-yard line with a little more than eight minutes remaining in the game. Kristjanson would then toss a beautiful pass over the middle to a leaping Obuba who would score his second touchdown of the night a 79-yard sprint to the end zone drawing the Cougars to within 35-31 at 8:06 in the fourth quarter as the PAT attempt failed.

Woodbridge would methodically work its way down the field milking the game clock with Allen mostly carrying the ball as Stephen waited patiently to snap the ball as the official with the red wrist band started the delay of game countdown. Montgomery would call a time out with 5:17 remaining in the game as the Barrons moved into the red zone.

Stephen would keep the ball on third and 1 from the Cougars 21-yard line taking to the 17 as the clock continued to run. A short inside iso by Allen was followed up by his third score of the night a 14-yard sprint to pay dirt on a toss left as he split the blocks of his tight end Mastrola and fullback Campos giving Woodbridge a 10-point advantage at 41-31 with 3:47 remaining in the contest.

Montgomery would get one last opportunity to mount a comeback but were stopped by the Barrons on 4th down with 1:58 remaining in the game.

Woodbridge would move the ball forcing Montgomery to use up their remaining timeouts while letting the clock hit zero for a 41-31 hard-fought road victory while remaining perfect at 7-0.

Here are my Week 6 Top Tens for the entire Big Central Conference, plus the BCC West, Middlesex County and Union County:

A graphic displaying the Week 6 Top 10 rankings for the Big Central Conference in 2025, featuring team names and records, along with sponsor logos and a football icon.
Graphic listing the Top 10 teams in the BCC West for Week 6 of 2025, featuring team names and their records.

A graphic displaying the Week 6 Top 10 rankings for Middlesex in the Big Central Conference for 2025, featuring a football logo and a glowing background.
Graphic displaying the Week 6 Top 10 rankings for the Big Central Conference, highlighting teams and their records, including Summit, Cranford, Rahway, and others.

South Hunterdon Cheer with township youth
by Marcus Borden

No. 1 Phillipsburg stays unbeaten as do three others in Marcus Borden’s Week 5 Big Central Top Ten… plus rankings for BCC West, Middlesex and Union Counties

My Friday night game in Lambertville at South Hunterdon was my first time covering a game in Samuel E. Jefferis Athletic Stadium, which was named after the legendary coach who guided the smallest public high school in New Jersey for 40 years.

His record of 188-182-8 was impressive when considering they played against teams which had twice or more the enrollment size like Hunterdon Central or North Hunterdon. The Eagles won the Central Jersey Group 1 Sectional title in 1975 and 1979.

Toby Jefferis, Sam’s son, has been around the program since he was a youngster, and played for his father who retired in 2006. Toby took over the reins of the team as he was part of the fabric of a tight-knit small school community which supports their academic and athletic programs as well as having that toughness no matter who they play.

With the Brearley Bears entering the pristine confines of the real grass stadium – which looked like a golf course – the pink-clad student section, cheerleaders and band members welcomed the visitors and their local youth organizations as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

South Hunterdon would receive the opening kickoff and proceed to methodically run the football with sweeps, counters and a bit of option with an occasional play action pass by Junior quarterback Tucker Hicks, who is a running threat too.

Hicks would get the ball to the Brearley 12 yard line using his legs, however a penalty, a short gain and incomplete pass left the home team with a fourth down and about 10-yards. South Hunterdon would go for it with Hicks sprinting right looking like he was going to keep it, but instead he tossed it to sophomore Mason Currie who was short of the line to gain.

Brearley would get a first down running the ball with senior running back Mathew Resende, who ran inside and outside. The Eagles were up to the challenge and forced the visitors to pass on third and long which was well-defended resulting in a punt with 1:40 remaining in the first quarter of a scoreless game.

The Eagles would get great field position around midfield and run the ball two consecutive plays losing a few yards as the first quarter would come to a close with zeros on the scoreboard.

On third and long Hicks would open left and bootleg right looking to run or pass. As he tried to escape the defender, Brearley was called for a horse collar tackle which allowed the Eagles to continue their drive.

Once again South Hunterdon would mix it up running the dive option, counters and quarterback keeps moving inside the 10-yard line. On 3rd down and about 4-yards, Hicks would execute a perfect fake dive to the fullback and toss the ball to a wide open tight end at the near pylon of the end zone but he couldn’t secure the ball. There was no hesitation to go for it on 4th down, nevertheless Brearley was ready for the option and pitch which was just short of the first down marker with 7:38 remaining before halftime.

Brearley would run the ball with Resende moving out of the shadows of the scoreboard end zone getting close to midfield. Quarterback senior Joe Squillaro would try a play action pass across the middle which fell incomplete as the receiver could not hang on to the ball. An inside counter run would not get the first down so Brearley would sprint Squillaro right, he would stop and throw a screen to Carter Stein who would get the ball in the red zone.

Brearley would mix it up with Resende and Squillaro carrying the ball while milking the clock. On fourth and one with 1:19 on the clock Squillaro would call his own number easily getting the necessary yardage as the Bears were starting to feel the momentum shift in their favor.

With the ball on the Eagles 17-yard line, Resende would have consecutive runs as he was hit out of bounds on the Brearley sideline. The penalty moved the ball to the five-yard line setting up Squillaro’s shotgun keeper to the right as he put the visitors up 7-0 with 31 seconds before halftime.

After receiving the squib kickoff, South Hunterdon would run one play and let the clock run down as both teams headed to the locker room for halftime.

Brearley would receive the second half kickoff as they chose to play defense at the coin toss. The Eagles looked to recover a squib kick which was quickly recovered at the Bears 40-yard line.

It didn’t take long for the visitors to capitalize on their great field position, as Resende took the snap in the Wildcat formation sprinting down the Bears sideline for a 60-yard touchdown at 11:43 in the 3rd quarter for and a Brearley 14-0 lead.

Brearley would kick the ball deep into the Eagles end zone and force them to start from the 20-yard line. A fired up Bears defense would force South Hunterdon to punt from their 23-yard line, nearly blocking the rugby kick which went out of bounds near the Eagles 30-yard line.

Resende would have his second Wildcat run called back as the senior crisscrossed the field towards the visitors sideline. Two more runs by the senior tailback would set up Squillaro for a three-yard keeper and a 21-0 David Brearley lead with 7:26 in the third quarter.

South Hunterdon was not about to pack it as running backs Dayton Ratkowski, Kellen Healy continued to run hard while trying to get back in the game. Nevertheless, a spirited Bears defense continued to apply pressure as Squillaro from his free safety position intercepted an Eagle’s pass with 53 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Brearley would run the ball as Resende and Squillaro would control the clock and the tempo of the game, driving into Eagle’s territory before missing a 27-yard field goal at 7:05 remaining in the game.

The young Eagle’ would have one more opportunity to score but were stopped on fourth down near the end of the game falling to 0-5, while the Bears improved to 3-3, having won their last three games and ending a 14-game losing streak.

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

A graphic displaying the Week 5 Top 10 rankings for the Big Central Conference in 2025, featuring team names and records against a backdrop of stadium lights.
Graphic showcasing the Week 5 Top 10 rankings for the BCC West football teams, with Phillipsburg at 1 and Manville at 10, including team records and logos.

A graphic displaying the Week 5 Top 10 rankings for the Middlesex division of the Big Central Conference, featuring team names and their respective records against a sports-themed background.
A graphic displaying the Week 5 Top 10 rankings for the Big Central Conference, featuring team names and their records against a blue and gold background with football-themed elements.