Category: Football

a person holding stainless steel fork and knife slicing cooked meat
by Mike Pavlichko

A look at all-time Thanksgiving rivalries: Phillipsburg-Easton and Westfield-Plainfield

The changing high school football schedule over the years has whittled away at traditional Thanksgiving Day rivalry games, with many being moved earlier in the season or to Week Zero.

But there are still some that are alive and kicking, including the big one out at Lafayette College, with Phillipsburg taking on Easton (PA). And, of course, in Union County, there’s Westfield and Plainfield.

Here’s a closer look at those rivalries, with all-time records. Scores are from the Dr. Roger Saylor special collection at Penn State and Gridiron New Jersey.

Phillipsburg-Easton Series:

The Red Rovers lead the Stateliners 61-50-5 all-time, with the first meeting coming in 1905. This will be the 117th meeting.

In 1907, they played each other twice, and the only year they didn’t play was 2020, the COVID-shortened season. That year, the NJSIAA and state restrictions kept teams from playing out-of-state opponents.

This year will be the first time Phillipsburg has ever played Easton after winning a state sectional title, as all their other championships were won after Thanksgiving. That schedule has changed now, with the expanded playoffs.

A win on Turkey Day, and a win in the state Group 4 Final – which can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio on Wednesday, December 4 at 7 pm from Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium – would give Phillipsburg its 750th win all-time.

No one has ever won more than six straight in the series, which the Red Rovers did from 2015-2021, with no meeting in 2020. Otherwise, Phillipsburg won five-in-a-row from 1945-1949 and again from 1960-1964. They will look to make it three straight for the first time since they won four-in-a-row from 1987-1990.

Easton’s five-game win streaks came from 1936-1940 and 1950-1954.

  • 1905: Easton, 32-0
  • 1906: Easton, 47-0
  • 1907: Easton, 5-0 and 16-0 (played twice)
  • 1908: Easton, 11-0
  • 1910: Phillipsburg, 5-0
  • 1911: Easton, 6-0
  • 1914: Easton, 7-0
  • 1915: Easton, 3-0
  • 1917: Easton, 356-0
  • 1918: Phillipsburg, 9-0
  • 1919: Easton, 13-7
  • 1920: Phillipsburg, 14-7
  • 1921: Easton, 41-7
  • 1922: tie, 7-7
  • 1923: Easton, 31-7
  • 1924: Easton, 21-0
  • 1925: Easton, 27-7
  • 1926: tie, 6-6
  • 1927: Easton, 20-13
  • 1928: Easton, 21-12
  • 1929: Phillipsburg, 13-0
  • 1930: Easton, 20-0
  • 1931: Easton, 7-6
  • 1932: Phillipsburg, 32-0
  • 1933: Phillipsburg, 13-0
  • 1934: Phillipsburg, 13-0
  • 1935: Phillipsburg, 24-0
  • 1936: Easton, 28-0
  • 1937: Easton, 7-0
  • 1938: Easton, 12-7
  • 1939: Easton, 7-0
  • 1940: Easton, 7-2
  • 1941: Phillipsburg, 7-0
  • 1942: Phillipsburg, 12-6
  • 1943: Easton, 7-2
  • 1944: tie, 0-0
  • 1945: Phillipsburg, 6-0
  • 1946: Phillipsburg, 19-0
  • 1947: Phillipsburg, 31-0
  • 1948: Phillipsburg, 46-0
  • 1949: Phillipsburg, 33-7
  • 1950: Easton, 20-13
  • 1951: Easton, 28-13
  • 1952: Easton, 14-7
  • 1953: Easton, 14-7
  • 1954: Easton, 6-7
  • 1955: Phillipsburg, 7-6
  • 1956: Phillipsburg, 18-6
  • 1957: Easton, 20-7
  • 1958: Easton, 26-6
  • 1959: Easton, 21-0
  • 1960: Phillipsburg, 7-6
  • 1961: Phillipsburg, 7-0
  • 1962: Phillipsburg, 9-0
  • 1963: Phillipsburg, 33-6
  • 1964: Phillipsburg, 7-0
  • 1965: Easton, 13-6
  • 1966: Easton, 13-6
  • 1967: tie, 0-0
  • 1968: Easton, 20-0
  • 1969: Phillipsburg, 41-8
  • 1970: Easton, 23-0
  • 1971: Phillipsburg, 8-0
  • 1972: Phillipsburg, 15-13
  • 1973: Phillipsburg, 18-6
  • 1974: Easton, 10-6
  • 1975: Easton, 7-0
  • 1976: Phillipsburg, 28-0
  • 1977: Phillipsburg, 7-6
  • 1978: Easton, 14-7
  • 1979: Easton, 35-22
  • 1980: Easton, 14-3
  • 1981: Phillipsburg, 23-0
  • 1982: Phillipsburg, 32-0
  • 1983: Phillipsburg, 14-7
  • 1984: Phillipsburg, 14-12
  • 1985: Easton, 14-7
  • 1986: Easton, 20-10
  • 1987: Phillipsburg, 19-10
  • 1988: Phillipsburg, 20-15
  • 1989: Phillipsburg, 21-12
  • 1990: Phillipsburg, 28-0
  • 1991: Easton, 24-15
  • 1992: Easton, 29-0
  • 1993: tie, 7-7
  • 1994: Easton, 34-6
  • 1995: Easton, 25-13
  • 1996: Easton, 27-7
  • 1997: Phillipsburg, 26-6
  • 1998: Easton, 34-0
  • 1999: Easton, 41-7
  • 2000: Easton, 17-14
  • 2001: Easton, 28-7
  • 2002: Phillipsburg, 25-0
  • 2003: Phillipsburg, 26-23
  • 2004: Easton, 31-0
  • 2005: Phillipsburg, 17-0
  • 2006: Easton, 21-7
  • 2007: Easton, 17-16
  • 2008: Easton, 35-14
  • 2009: Easton, 26-10
  • 2010: Phillipsburg, 3-0
  • 2011: Easton, 24-8
  • 2012: Easton, 35-18
  • 2013: Easton, 16-7
  • 2014: Phillipsburg, 19-15
  • 2015: Easton, 26-0
  • 2016: Easton, 24-14
  • 2017: Easton, 21-14
  • 2018: Easton, 31-26
  • 2019: Easton, 16-13
  • 2020: No Game (COVID)
  • 2021: Easton, 7-3
  • 2022: Phillipsburg, 35-14
  • 2023: Phillipsburg, 47-12

Westfield-Plainfield Series

Believe it or not, this is an even longer-running series than Phillipsburg and Easton, although they haven’t played as many games. The two first met in 1900, with the Blue Devils leading the Cardinals 54-44-7 heading into this 106th meeting.

Westfield has won 17 straight in the matchup, the longest streak by either team. Plainfield’s longest win streak in the series came when they won 11 straight from 1949 through 1959.

  • 1900: Westfield, 26-0
  • 1903: Plainfield, 15-0
  • 1905: Plainfield, 24-6
  • 1907: tie, 6-6
  • 1907: Westfield, 11-0
  • 1908: Plainfield, 5-0 and 12-0 (played twice)
  • 1909: Plainfield 35-6
  • 1910: Westfield, 6-0
  • 1911: Plainfield, 37-6
  • 1912: Westfield, 19-7
  • 1913: Westfield, 20-6 and 27-7 (played twice)
  • 1914: Plainfield, 19-0
  • 1915: Plainfield, 7-0 and Westfield, 7-3 (played twice)
  • 1916: tie, 0-0 and Plainfield, 7-3 (played twice)
  • 1917: Plainfield, 39-0
  • 1919: Plainfield, 6-0
  • 1921: Plainfield, 28-0
  • 1922: Plainfield, 19-0
  • 1923: Westfield, 3-2
  • 1924: Plainfield, 18-0
  • 1925: Plainfield, 7-2
  • 1926: Plainfield, 20-0
  • 1931: Westfield, 21-0
  • 1932: Westfield, 13-6
  • 1933: tie, 0-0
  • 1934: Westfield, 7-6
  • 1935: Plainfield, 7-0
  • 1936: tie, 0-0
  • 1937: tie, 0-0
  • 1938: Plainfield, 13-0
  • 1939: Westfield, 20-0
  • 1940: Westfield, 13-0
  • 1941: Westfield, by forfeit
  • 1944: Westfield, 12-0
  • 1945: Westfield, 12-6
  • 1946: Plainfield, 6-0
  • 1947: Westfield, 32-12
  • 1948: Westfield, 14-6
  • 1949: Plainfield, 19-6
  • 1950: Plainfield, 33-7
  • 1951: Plainfield, 14-6
  • 1952: Plainfield, 27-14
  • 1953: Plainfield, 25-6
  • 1954: Plainfield, 6-0
  • 1955: Plainfield, 20-0
  • 1956: Plainfield, 19-6
  • 1957: Plainfield, 19-12
  • 1958: Plainfield, 21-0
  • 1959: Plainfield, 7-0
  • 1960: Westfield, 13-7
  • 1961: Westfield, 13-6
  • 1962: Plainfield, 27-7
  • 1963: Westfield, 14-12
  • 1964: Plainfield, 12-6
  • 1965: Westfield, 21-0
  • 1966: Plainfield, 33-14
  • 1967: Plainfield, 12-7
  • 1968: Westfield, 25-21
  • 1969: Westfield, 45-0
  • 1970: Westfield, 49-6
  • 1971: Westfield, 12-6
  • 1972: Westfield, 27-6
  • 1973: Westfield, 20-0
  • 1974: Westfield, 31-14
  • 1975: Westfield, 9-6
  • 1976: Westfield, 34-0 and 14-0 in playoffs (played twice)
  • 1977: Westfield, 38-0
  • 1978: Westfield, 6-2
  • 1979: Westfield, 3-2
  • 1980: Westfield, 14–0
  • 1981: Westfield, 28-6
  • 1982: Plainfield, 21-3
  • 1983: Plainfield, 14-6
  • 1984: Plainfield, 14-0
  • 1985: tie, 0-0
  • 1986: Westfield, 27-14
  • 1987: Westfield, 35-6
  • 1988: Westfield, 7-6
  • 1989: Westfield, 13-6
  • 1990: Westfield, 21-6
  • 1991: Westfield, 28-0
  • 1992: Plainfield, 19-14
  • 1993: tie, 0-0
  • 1994: Westfield, 20-7
  • 1995: Westfield, 28-20
  • 1996: Plainfield, 38-7
  • 1997: Westfield, 22-7
  • 1998: Plainfield, 28-7
  • 1999: Plainfield, 20-14
  • 2000: Westfield, 42-25
  • 2001: Westfield, 24-21
  • 2002: Westfield, 14-6
  • 2003: Plainfield, 9-7
  • 2004: Plainfield, 40-0
  • 2005: Plainfield, 9-6
  • 2006: Westfield, 17-7
  • 2007: Westfield, 28-27
  • 2008: Westfield, 21-19
  • 2009: Westfield, 26-6
  • 2010: Westfield, 35-6
  • 2011: Westfield, 22-21
  • 2012: Westfield, 30-16
  • 2013: Westfield, 34-0
  • 2014: Westfield, 6-0
  • 2015: Westfield, 32-6
  • 2016: Westfield, 30-14
  • 2017: Westfield, 37-7
  • 2018: Westfield, 27-20
  • 2019: Westfield, 24-0
  • 2020: cancelled, COVID
  • 2021: Westfield, 14-0
  • 2022: Westfield, 42-13
  • 2023: Westfield, 28-9
by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Thanksgiving Day Rivalry Edition!

Thanksgiving is here, and it’s time for two big rivalry games involving Big Central Conference schools, Plainfield taking on Westfield, and Phillipsburg clashing with Easton out at Lafayette College.

Mike and Coach Borden take a look back at Somerville and the Stateliners in Group Semifinal action last week, and look ahead to Thursday’s Turkey Day games:

Click below to listen to the Thanksgiving Day Rivalry Edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg has been playing football since 1899, but Stateliners are still making “firsts”

The 2024 North 2, group 4 title won by Phillipsburg a couple of weeks ago was far from its first championship.

The winningest program in New Jersey History has won 14 state sectional championships and 748 games through last week’s dominating Group 4 semifinal win over Ramapo. But there are still some things they haven’t done, and still some milestones yet to achieve.

Let’s start with the Thanksgiving Day game against Easton. The appetizer has already been devoured, as the P’burg girls defeated the Red Rovers 40-31 in the annual powder puff game, part of a week’s worth of festivities surrounding this year’s 117th annual meeting.

Quarterback Saafiyah Wilson was involved of five of the six touchdowns scored by the Stateliners. Sounds like someone else we know, whose initials might be J.G.

For the varsity boys, nine of their sectional titles in New Jersey have come in the playoff era. The title they won two weeks ago over Northern Highlands was their first since 2018.

But they have more firsts to come.

When Phillipsburg meets Easton Thursday out at Lafayette College, it will be the first time they will have played the Red Rovers on Thanksgiving while being a playoff champion in the same year.

That’s a quirk of the schedule. In previous years, the sectional finals were played after Thanksgiving. As the playoffs expanded – with two teams at most, and some declared – in the inaugural 1974 playoffs, the earlier rounds moved before Turkey Day. But the title games were always after the holiday.

In 2018, the state added an extra round, a “bowl championship” that was rebranded a “regional championship” for 2019, and through 2021, after which the postseason expanded again to group championships for the first time ever.

Phillipsburg lost in the finals in 2022 and 2023, but brought home the hardware this season, two weeks before their Thanksgiving rivalry game.

When beating Easton first, the ‘Liners are 3-0 all-time, with wins in 1977 – their first playoff title win in New Jersey – 2005 and 2014. When falling to Easton first, they are 5-6.

But they’ve never played them after a sectional championship.

Oh, and one more milestone. Currently sitting at 748 wins, if the Stateliners can beat Easton and win the Group 4 championship on Wednesday, December 4th at Rutgers against Winslow – a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – it would be the program’s milestone 750th win all-time.

Yes, Phillipsburg still has football history to write, even after nearly 130 years of football.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central unveils 2024 All-Division Teams

The Big Central Conference has announced its 2024 All-Division Teams, with representatives from all 59 schools in the league.

Honorees are chosen by the league’s coaches, with the breakdown of players determined by order of finish.

Here’s the complete list, division by division:

American Gold First Team

   

American Gold Second Team

   

American Silver First Team

  

American Silver Second Team

   

National Gold First Team

National Gold Second Team

National Silver First Team

National Silver Second Team

   

Liberty Gold First Team

   

Liberty Gold Second Team

   

Liberty Silver First Team

    

Liberty Silver Second Team

   

United Gold First Team

United Gold Second Team

United Silver First Team

United Silver Second Team

Patriot Gold First Team

Patriot Gold Second Team

Patriot Silver First Team

Patriot Silver Second Team

Freedom Gold First Team

Freedom Gold Second Team

Freedom Silver First Team

Freedom Silver Second Team

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central, NJ Power Rankings: Week 12

Even though we’re down to the final three days and seven games of high school football in New Jersey – as champions are set to be crowned at Rutgers and Met Life Stadium following Thanksgiving – Strength Index continues to be measured across the state.

Simply based on the state’s Strength Index formula – which helps determine a team’s OSI, which is 60% of the UPR playoff formula – the rankings will change each week as games are played. See methodology at the bottom of this page.

The rankings typically use the official NJSIAA Strength Index values calculated by Gridiron New Jersey, which updates them on each team’s page on a weekly basis. However, since those are only updated in the regular season, we do our own unofficial calculations for the entire state.

Here are the Week 12 rankings in the Big Central and statewide.

In the Big Central, Phillipsburg and Somerville flip-flop, with the Stateliners moving on to the Group 4 championship thanks to a 35-6 win over Ramapo, while Somerville lost in overtime, 36-35 to Mainland in the Group 3 semifinals.

Statewide, Winslow solidified its top spot in the rankings with a 13-7 win Saturday in the Group 4 semifinals over Millville. The Eagles will face Phillipsburg in the Group 4 title game Wednesday, December 4th at Rutgers University, with kickoff time set for 7 pm.

Meanwhile, DePaul moved up from No. 5 to third, while Bergen Catholic moved from No. 7 to fourth, and Don Bosco Prep fell from third to fifth.

Among Big Central teams, Phillipsburg rose four spot to No. 13, while Somerville dropped to right behind them, in 14th. St. Thomas Aquinas dropped two spots to No. 15.

Strength Index Methodology: Team A and Team B are compared to find the difference between their rankings, which provides the Expected Result. The margin of the final score is figured in positive or negative terms compared to the Expected Result. The difference is divided by five, and the teams increase or decrease by the resulting number.

Example #1: Team A has an SI value of 80, while Team B has an SI value of 60. The Expected Result is +20 for Team A. When the game is played, Team A wins by 30. That is 10 points higher than the expected result. Than number is divided by 5, meaning Team A increases by 2 (Team A now has an SI of 82) while Team B decreases by 2 (Team B now has an SI of 58).

Example #2: In the same scenario, Team A defeats Team B by 20. That is the same as the Expected Result, no there is no change. Team A remains with an SI value of 80, while Team B retains its 60 SI value.

Example #2: Team A defeats Team B by 10. That is 10 points fewer than the expected result. Divide by 5 to get 2, but in this case, Team A drops by 2 points to 78 (because Team A “underperformed”) while Team B increases by 2 points to 62.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Group 3 Semifinals: Mainland 36, Somerville 35 (OT)

The Somerville Pioneers took their first loss of the season in the Group 3 semifinals, rallying from a 28-14 second half deficit to send the game to overtime, but they fell 36-35 in overtime to Mainland. Somerville finishes the season at 12-1, Central Jersey Group 3 champions.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Nick Kosko call all the play-by-play live from Brooks Field in Somerville on November 22, 2024:

1st Half
2nd Half

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg-Winslow will close the 2024 HS Football season in New Jersey; NJSIAA releases finals dates and times

The first-ever Big Central Conference team to make the state finals – in the third year of their existence – will be one of the last two teams to play this season.

Phillipsburg and Winslow in the Group 4 title game were given the prime-time, late start on Wednesday, December 4th, and will square off at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium in Piscataway at 7 pm.

That will follow the Group 2 title game at 4 pm at Rutgers between Rumson-Fair Haven and Shabazz.

The Stateliners are 11-1, their only loss coming to Ridge by a touchdown on September 20th. They beat Northern Highlands last Friday 13-11 on a school-record 46-yard field goal by Alexie Moriera, to take the North 2, Group 4 championship. Phillipsburg easily handled Ramapo, 35-6, in the Group 4 semis this Friday night.

Winslow is undefeated, 13-0. They are the South Group 4 champs, beating Shawnee, 32-8, in the title game, then got by Millville, 13-7, Saturday afternoon in the Group 4 semifinals, in a matchup of the two highest-ranked Strength Index teams in the state.

Here’s the complete schedule, as released by the NJSIAA:

Friday, November 29 – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford

  • 11 am – Non-Public Group B Finals: DePaul vs. Pope John
  • 2 pm – Group 5 Final: Toms River North vs. Union City
  • 5 pm – Group 1 Final: Glassboro vs. Cedar Grove
  • 8 pm – Non-Public Group A Final: Bergen Catholic vs. Don Bosco Prep

Sunday, December 1 – SHI Stadium, Rutgers University, Piscataway

  • 1 pm – Group 3 Final: Mainland vs. Old Tappan

Wednesday, December 4 – SHI Stadium, Rutgers University, Piscataway

  • 4 pm – Group 2 Final: Rumson-Fair Haven vs. Shabazz
  • 7 pm – Group 4 Final: Winslow Twp. vs. Phillipsburg
by Mike Pavlichko

Winslow takes out Millville in Group 4 semifinals, will get Phillipsburg in state finals at Rutgers

Phillipsburg knows who it will play in two weeks at Rutgers in the Group 4 title game, even if they have another very big game in between.

First things first, right? The Stateliners, of course, have their big Thanksgiving Day rivalry with Easton coming up this Thursday, a game they’ve won each of the last two years.

But after that, with the North 2, Group 4 championship in hand – and a dominating Friday night Group 4 semifinal win over Ramapo, 35-6 – the Stateliners (11-1) know who their last opponent of the year will be: Winslow Twp.

The Eagles (13-0) are the top team in the state according to the New Jersey Power Rankings, which use the NJSIAA’s Strength Index formula to rank teams. Winslow was No. 1 this week with a 110.54 rating, just a bit higher than Millville, at No. 2 (108.81), which they beat Saturday afternoon at home, 13-7, to advance to the Group 4 finals.

The Group 4 Final will be played at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium in Piscataway on Wednesday, December 4th – the last of three days of finals – since Phillipsburg has that Thanksgiving Day game next Thursday. That prevented P’burg from playing in any of the four expected games at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands on Friday, or even the available slots at Rutgers on Sunday, December 1st, which would still only leave two days in between games.

It will be the first trip to the state finals for both Phillipsburg and Winslow Twp. Neither had advanced beyond the sectional finals since the playoffs expanded to four rounds in 2018.

Winslow had to come from behind to win this one, as Lotzeir Brooks’ 12-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Robert O’Connor in the second quarter gave Millville a 7-0 lead heading into halftime.

But Winslow answered with a touchdown in each of the remaining two quarters. In the third, Nyqir Helton caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Parker, with the PAT tying it at seven.

Then, in the fourth, the Eagles – after recovering a Bolts fumble – got a one-yard touchdown run from Nakeem Powell – but the kick failed – to put Winslow up 13-7. Each team failed to score on their next possession, and Millville got it back with 3:29 left, but Winslow’s Cam Miller picked off a pass just six seconds later, and the Eagles were able to run out the clock.

by Mike Pavlichko

Somerville drops heartbreaker to Mainland in Group 3 semis, 36-35 in overtime, on game-winning two-point conversion

Somerville didn’t lead all night until overtime, and it looked like the Pioneers and visiting Mainland were headed for a second OT period, as the Mustangs pulled within one on a seven-yard touchdown run by Rocco DiBiaso, and lined up for the PAT.

But Chuck Smith called timeout, and set up for two. Quarterback John Franchini found top receiver Jake Blum just across the goal line near the pylon for two, setting off a raucous celebration, and leaving Somerville’s players emotionally spent on the turf.

In the end, it was a 36-35 loss for the Pioneers as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio that ended what otherwise was an amazing season: 12-0 after winning the Central Jersey Group 3 title over Delsea last week, and the first Somerset County team to reach the group semifinals since the playoffs expanded to play down to group champions for the first time in 2022.

Somerville’s season ends at 12-1 – with a lot to look back on – after the sting from this one dissipates.

Mainland – last year’s Group 4 champion, now playing in Group 3 – improves to 10-3 and will get a crack at back-to-back state titles next weekend when they play Old Tappan, a 43-14 winner Friday night in the other semifinal. That game likely would be either Black Friday at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, or Sunday, December first at Rutgers. The NJSIAA will announce dates and times after all this weekend’s games are complete.

Somerville played catchup all game, but was right in the thick of a back-and-forth game with a lot of momentum swings. Rocco DiBiaso led off the scoring on Mainland’s first possession, after they held Somerville on the Pioneers’ first.

With a 7-0 lead heading into the second, both offenses heated up on a night where the temperature hovered around 37 the entire evening, with snow falling before kickoff and well into the first half.

Josh Rodriguez scored on a three-yard run out of the wildcat less than two minutes into the second quarter to knot the game at seven. Mainland answered with a touchdown run by Franchini, but Rodriguez caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Brenden Pacheco to tie it at 14-14. Franchini then found Blum for a 42-yard touchdown strike 2:18 before the half, and the teams went into the break with Mainland up 21-14.

They would strike again early in the fourth, after a scoreless third quarter. Rocco DiBiaso scored from 14 yards out to make it 28-14 with 10:46 to play, but Somerville came back.

Terrell Mitchell capped a five-play, 56-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown run, and Max Nuzzi caught a ten-yard TD pass from Pacheco with 1:36 to go to tie it at 28.

They tried a squib kick that was recovered by Mainland, but there was a penalty on the play, and they kicked again. But eventually, the clock ran out on the Mustangs, and they headed to overtime.

Somerville struck first, taking just four plays to get a four-yard touchdown run by Pacheco, giving the Pioneers their first lead of the game. Spencer Carran – 4-for-4 on PATs – missed the extra point, but he got another chance after a roughing the kicker penalty, and made good, to make it 35-28.

It took only three plays for Rocco DiBiaso to score from seven yards out, setting up the heroics from Franchini and Blum to win the game.

Somerville quarterback Brendan Pacheco played a stellar game, throwing for 202 yards and three scores

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko of Central Jersey Sports Radio with Somerville head coach Matt Bloom:

by Mike Pavlichko

Genovese, Phillipsburg dominate Ramapo 35-6, clinches Big Central’s first-ever trip to state finals

For all the talk about the laundry list of talented players who’ve contributed to Phillipsburg football this season, it came down to one of the mainstays.

Jett Genovese, the senior quarterback in his third year as a starter, put on a master class Friday night at Maloney Stadium. He scored four of the Stateliners’ five touchdowns in a 35-6 win over Ramapo in the Group 4 semifinals, making history in the process.

Phillipsburg will be the first team from the fledgling Big Central Conference to make the state finals in the third year of the expanded playoffs.

Phillipsburg will face one of the top two teams in New Jersey – as far as the power rankings based on Strength Index is concerned – in the Group 4 final at Rutgers on Wednesday, December 4th. Winslow Twp (12-0) hosts Millville (9-2) Saturday at 1 pm in the South end of the Group 4 semis.

The title game will be played on December 4th because Phillipsburg still has a Thanksgiving Day game ahead, next Thursday against Easton at Lafayette. The Stateliners have beaten the Red Rovers on two straight Turkey Days.

After a scoreless first quarter, Genovese opened the scoring with a five-yard run, and while Ramapo got what looked like the equalizer, they missed the PAT, and it was 7-6 Stateliners. But P’burg got two more touchdown runs of 12- and 22-yards from Genovese – who finished with 149 rushing yards on 15 carries – to take a 21-6 lead into the break.

By that time, it was nearly over, as Felix Matos added a one-yard touchdown run in the third, and Genovese added a 36-yard run in the fourth.

Either way, Group 4 will have a brand-new champion, though last year’s title winner still has a shot at one. That’s because Mainland – which won Group 4 last season – is down to Group 3, but they’ll face Old Tappan in the Group 3 final at a time, date and location to be determined after beating Somerville in overtime Friday night at Brooks Field, 36-35 in overtime.

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