Category: Football

by Mike Pavlichko

“The Big Central in 2 Minutes” – State Semifinals!

We’re down to two teams left in the Big Central Conference schools, while Phillipsburg and Somerville now vying to become the first Big Central team(s) to reach the state finals, in the third year of its existence.

CJSR veteran reporter Mike Pavlichko takes a look at the Stateliners and Pioneers – as well as the title game runs of Bernards and New Providence – on this week’s edition of “The Big Central in Two Minutes!”

Click below to listen to this week’s edition of “The Big Central in Two Minutes”:

Former Immaculata head coach and Athletic Director Pierce Frauenheim. (Source: Immaculata Athletics Website)
by Mike Pavlichko

Legendary Immaculata football coach, Athletic Director Pierce Frauenheim dies at age 83

Pierce Frauenheim coached his last game for Immaculata in 2012, but his presence could still be felt in the decade-plus since throughout New Jersey high school football, whether it be the countless student-athletes who moved on or those who coached under him.

All are now mourning Frauenheim, who passed away late Monday morning at the age of 83, according to his family and Immaculata Athletic Director Tom Gambino.

Frauenheim had been having health problems the last several months, and his wife, Ann Marie, passed away less than a year ago. according to his daughter-in-law, Kathy Frauenheim.

Former Immaculata football coach and Athletic Director Pierce Frauenheim. (Credit: Patrick Frauenheim/Unitas Caritas TV)

CLICK HERE for information on visitation, funeral services, and where to donate in lieu of flowers.

Pierce Frauenheim was an Immaculata original. He was there in 1962, when it opened its doors, and started its football program a few years later, in 1966. His Spartans won four state championships in football – coming in 1984, 1985, 1994 and 2006 – along with 23 Conference titles, and had a state record of 16 consecutive regular season shutouts at one point.

He also had a run of 29 straight winning seasons from 1978 to 2003, and never finished under .500 again from 1978 through his final season in 2012, finishing with an overall record of 337-137-2. He is a member of the Immaculata Hall of Fame, was inducted into the NJFCA Hall of Fame in 2002, and the NJSIAA Hall of Fame in 2001.

A Pittsburgh native, Frauenheim was a standout in football, basketball and baseball, he was also a star at Rutgers, a two-way player on the school’s first undefeated team, in 1961.

Note: We corrected Frauenheim’s overall record and number of conference championships won, which were inaccurate in an earlier version of this story.

by Mike Pavlichko

Championship Weekend Big Central Playoff Notebook: A look back at Phillipsburg’s thrilling win, Somerville’s dominant victory, and tough losses for Bernards and New Providence

The four public schools from the Big Central Conference split the deal Friday night, as Somerville and Phillipsburg came away with trophies, and Bernards and New Providence fell in their sectional title games.

There were some tight games, dominant performances, and tight ballgames throughout the evening.

Title Winners top their Regions:

Somerville’s win was its ninth title in 16 finals berths, both the best in Somerset County. They also are tops in playoff win percentage (.630) and playoff wins, with a 34-20 overall mark.

Phillipsburg, meanwhile, is easily tops among the Western portion of the Big Central. Among Warren and Hunterdon County schools, Phillipsburg has the most playoff appearances, with 28, has the most titles (9) and the most finals appearances (18). They also have won more games in the playoffs than any other Big Central school with 45, one ahead of Piscataway.

Central Group 3 Final: Somerville tops Delsea for ninth title…

Somerville’s win was a dominant one in every sense of the word. Even the opening coin toss went their way, even though it didn’t.

Delsea won the toss, but deferred, which gave Somerville the ball to start, and they put the Crusaders behind the eight ball after the opening drive, on which the Pioneers scored via a four-yard run by Terrell Mitchell to cap a 12-play, 59-yard drive.

Delsea, with its plodding Wing-T – the backbone of the program for most of its existence – in tow, put together a mammoth, 14-play, 89 yard drive that ran into the second quarter and took almost nine minutes off the clock. That tied the game on a two-yard run by tough-to-bring-down runningback Dan Russo.

Little did they know, the Somerville defense would stiffen, and those 89 yards would be more than they’d get the rest of the game. Delsea ended up with 166 yards of offense, all on the ground. They attempted just one pass.

The wide runs to either side to try and stretch the field may work against some South Jersey teams, but it was no match for Somerville’s speedy, ball-hawking defense. When a Delsea runningback tried to turn a corner, any corner, that corner turned into a ready defender clad in all black with orange numbers.

The Pioneers have widely been considered a favorite to win Group 3 all year, and the result against Delsea solidifies it.

North 2, Group 4 Final: Third time was indeed the charm for Phillipsburg…

Look, we don’t root for anyone during the regular season when we’re broadcasting a game between two Big Central Conference teams, schools we regularly cover. But when it comes to the postseason and it’s “our” Big Central versus “them,” we’re still fair and objective, but we’re pulling for our local teams to do well.

Let’s face it, we spend a lot of time around these coaches and players through the course of a year. Talking about wins, losses, injuries, hopes and dreams.

Well, after two straight losses in the sectional finals for Phillipsburg, they had enough. Beating Easton is the main goal every year, but even doing that back-to-back years for the first time in decades wasn’t enough. They wanted more.

And they finally got it. It might have taken exactly 48 minutes, winning it on a field goal by rookie kicker Alexie Moriera, but they got it. A wise mentor of mine once said, “No one asks how, just if.”

Well, there’s no more if. Northern Highlands was a sneaky good team. They caught Woodbridge last week in the semis, handing the Barrons their first loss of the season after ten wins. P’burg wasn’t having any of it.

And they still have more football to be played.

But what was perhaps most satisfying is that someone like Moriera made a difference. So much is written and talked about Jett Genovese, Felix Matos, Matthew Scerbo, Jr., Sam Dech and others, that it’s easy to forget sometimes it’s a total team effort.

House money?

Once you get to a championship game, you want to win it. But some losses sting more than others. Sometimes it’s because of all you overcame to get there. Sometimes it’s just the last game you’re going to play with your friends.

Bernards and New Providence – both of whom fell in sectional finals Friday – were playing with a little house money in a way.

Bernards won its first-ever state sectional title of the playoff era – they had two prior to 1974 – last season, going 12-0, losing its first and only game in the Group 2 semifinals to Westwood. No one imagined they would go undefeated this year and make it to yet another sectional final, only the fourth in program history.

But they did. Why? Because Bernards is a “program,” in every sense of the word. Head coach Jon Simoneau has established a program up there at Olcott Field, and everyone knows what’s expected of them. Surely, it stings.

As he told Alec Crouthamel after the game – and here’s another reason why Simoneau’s Mountaineers have had such great success and often overcome any adversity thrown their way – “For as devastsating as a loss this is, you see a lot of hugs and smiles out here, too.”

Well said, Jon.

As for New Providence? Sure, it had been a long time since they were in a final, but this year’s run might have been a little unexpected.

Sure, they grabbed the two seed and had home games in the first two rounds. They also played Cedar Grove tight, to a 14-14 tie, in fact, at halftime.

But they will go down as a memorable team in school history, even without a title. T.J. Munn was a special player to watch, and the duo of him and junior runningback A.J. Whitehead were fun to watch, and nearly unstoppable in the first two rounds of the playoffs. In the opening round against Boonton, Munn had a run for a loss of a yard that was the Pioneers’ only loss on a play from scrimmage – not counting penalties – all day.

Munn ran for a touchdown on the very next play.

We’re looking forward to watching Whitehead next year, as he’ll be one of the top returning runningbacks in the Big Central.

Big Central’s First Trip to the Finals?

In the two seasons since the NJSIAA expanded the playoffs to have public schools play down to group champions, there have been 20 chances to vie for a state title – two in each of five groups, ten a year, 20 total – but no Big Central team has made it yet.

Here’s the breakdown of teams and leagues in both seasons:

2022

  • Super Football Conference: 5 (2 winners)
  • West Jersey Football League: 3 (3 winners)
  • Shore Conference: 2 (1 winner)
  • North Jersey Interscholastic Conference: 1

2023

  • Super Football Conference: 5 (2 winners)
  • West Jersey Football League: 3 (2 winners)
  • Shore Conference: 2 (1 winner)
  • North Jersey Interscholastic Conference: 1

Both years, the Shore Conference teams were Toms River North in Group 5 – with the Mariners winning both years – and Rumson-Fair Haven in Group 2.

The Big Central is the only league to have never sent a team to the finals, but CJSR area teams (and later, the BCC) might have had some teams in it had the NJSIAA gone right to group champs in 2018, the year the playoffs expanded one more round to a quasi group semifinal they called “Bowl Championships” the first year, and “Regional Championships” in 2019 and 2021.

In 2018, Piscataway became the first Middlesex County team to win 13 games, when they won the North 5 Regional Championship, while Sayreville – which finished 11-1 – won the South 5 title. That year, we would have been guaranteed a GMC (soon-to-be Big Central) school to win a Group championship, as the Chiefs and Bombers would have played each other.

In 2019, Hillside won the South Group 2 regional championship (don’t get us started on the geography thing!) and finished 12-0 on the season. They would have met North champ Verona had there been a group final that year.

And in 2021, Hillsborough – which became the first Somerset County school to go 13-0 – finished its season with a win over Kingsway in the South Group 5 title game. They would have played another unbeaten squad, East Orange (also 13-0) in the Group 5 final, but that game would not take place until the next season.

Here are the teams that have made group finals so far, with some appearing twice. Teams in bold are still alive in the group semifinal stage.

  • Toms River North (2, won both)
  • Passaic Tech (2, lost both)
  • Northern Highlands (2022, lost)
  • Millville (2022, won)
  • Ramapo (2023, lost)
  • Mainland (2023, won)
  • Old Tappan (2021, won)
  • Delsea (2, won in 2023)
  • West Essex (2022, lost)
  • Caldwell (2022, won)
  • Rumson-Fair Haven (2, lost both)
  • Westwood (2023, won)
  • Mountain Lakes (2, won in 2023)
  • Woodbury (2022, won)
  • Glassboro (2023, lost)

In the Group Finals era, three teams had a shot from the Big Central. Edison and North Hunterdon reached the group semifinals in 2022.

The Eagles beat Lenape to win the Central 5 title, but lost to Toms River North in the semis. North Hunterdon topped Randolph to win the North 2, Group 4 championship, but lost by one in overtime to Northern Highlands in the semifinals.

Last season, only Bernards won a sectional title – in North 2, Group 2 – but the Mountaineers were blanked 17-0 in the group semifinals by Westwood.

Now, the question is, can Somerville and/or Phillipsburg make it, and if they both do, who will be the first? It might just come down to whether the clock strikes :00 first at Maloney Stadium or at Brooks Field.

The Route 22 connection…

From the auxiliary press box at Brooks Field in Somerville – behind the visitors’ stands – a look past the far right corner of the end zone will get you a glimpse of the traffic passing by on Route 22 eastbound.

Look to the same corner from the home stands and press box at Maloney Stadium in Phillipsburg, and you’ll see cars and trucks whizzing by on Route 22 westbound, headed for Easton.

If you head west on Route 22 for about 40 minutes – depending on traffic, and you’ll join Route 78 in Clinton before getting off again around Alpha Boro to stay on 22 – you could go right from Brooks Field to Maloney. Leave at halftime of the Somerville game and you just might get to see the finale of the Phillipsburg game.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central, NJ Power Rankings: Week 11

As the playoffs continue on the the group semifinal stage among all schools – public and non-public – and everyone else wrapped up with regular season play, except for those who keep Thanksgiving rivalries alive, 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 11 rankings in the Big Central and statewide.

In the Big Central, Somerville’s win over Delsea in the Central Jersey Group 3 final – coupled with St. Thomas Aquinas losing in the Non-Public Group B quarterfinals – moves the Pioneers ahead of the Trojans. The rest of the top eight remain the same.

Statewide, Winslow and Millville remain Nos. 1 and 2, but Don Bosco’s Prep big win over St. Joseph-Metuchen propelled them up to third, a jump of two spots. That knocked Bergen Catholic to fourth, while DePaul went from tenth to No. 5, knocking Union City from fourth to eighth.

Among Big Central teams, title winners Somerville and Phillipsburg gained, while St. Thomas dropped. The Pioneers edged up from No. 11 to tenth, while Phillipsburg soared six spots to No. 12. St. Thomas Aquinas. dropped from eighth to 13th.

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 – Central Jersey Group 3 Final: (1) Somerville 24, (7) Delsea 6

The top-seeded Somerville Pioneers won their ninth sectional championship – and first since 2017 – with a 24-6 victory over seventh-seed Delsea in the Central Jersey Group 3 final. Brendan Pacheco threw for two touchdowns in the win, as the Pioneer defense was stellar against the challenging Wing-T run by the Crusaders.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play live from Brooks Field in Somerville on November 15, 2024:

1st Half
2nd Half
by Mike Pavlichko

Ramapo scores often, gets key defensive stops to claim back-to-back North 1, Group 4 titles; will visit Phillipsburg Friday in Group 4 semis

Much like Somerville and Delsea Friday night in the Central Jersey Group 3 championship game, Saturday afternoon’s North 1, Group 4 title tilt was a contrast in styles.

Ramapo likes to play at a high rate of speed, and the Morris Knolls triple-option keeps defenses on their toes.

Well, Ramapo prevailed, 38-25 to win the North 1, Group 4 title for the second year in a row.  Now 8-3, they’ll next visit North 2, Group 4 champion Phillipsburg  Friday night at 7 pm for a chance to go to the state Group 4 title game.

Phillipsburg won the North 2, Group 4 title Friday night in thrilling fashion, 13-11 over Northern Highlands on a school-record long 46-yard field goal by Alexis Moriera.

Ramapo beat Morris Knolls on the road Saturday, 35-38, to win its second straight North 1, Group 4 title.  (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Much like Somerville did against Delsea’s Wing-T, the key was coming up with just enough defensive stops.

The biggest two of which came in the fourth quarter.  First was a fumble recovery at their own 36 after the Golden Eagles botched a pitch play.  Ramapo looked like it might go three and out, but extended the drive a bit, converting a fourth and short.  They punted four plays later.

That pinned Knolls back to their 20 on a touchback with 3:05 left, down seven.

Bobby Bruckner peeled off a 59 yard run for Knolls a few plays later, setting up the Golden Eagles in the red zone.  free a few runs, they were left with a fourth and two and had to go for it.

It was time for another Ramapo stop, and they got it. By inches.  One kneel and the game was over.

The chain gang shows Morris Knolls is short on 4th down with under a minute to go. Ramapo took over and took a knee to run out the clock in a 35-28 win in the North 1 Group 4 four title game.  (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

This one was tight in the first half, with each team trading touchdowns.  Casey Grusser hit Salvatore Livoti from 11 yards out for the Raiders, but the Golden Knights came back with a five-yard TD run with 2:40 to go in the quarter to deadlock the game at seven.

But the scoring blew up in the next 12 minutes.  Liam Hayward ran in a two-yard score to put Ramapo up 14-7, but a 50-yard run by Chris Kaiser for Knolls tied it up with 4:28 to go before the half.

The Raiders took the lead right backol on a long drive capped by a five-yard TD run by Dylan Rosano, but Morris Knolls tied it again, this time on a 51-yard scamper by Kaiser.

Then, Rosano got his second score of the afternoon from a yard out with :35 to go before the half, making it 28-21 Ramapo at the break.

Things were not as busy in the second half, with a lot of back and forth. Morris Knolls opened the half with a seven-minute drive to tie things at 28 on a four-yard run by Kaiser.

Ramapo answered back with 1:17 left in the third on another one-yard run by Rosano, then held on by inches for the win. 

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Ramapo head coach Nick Guttuso:

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Joseph-Metuchen ousted from state tournament with Friday losses

It was the end of the line for St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Joseph-Metuchen in the state playoffs Friday night, as the Trojans and Falcons both lost their round of 16 games in the state playoffs.

Non-Public B Quarterfinals: (4) Holy Spirit 35, (5) St. Thomas Aquinas 31

Coming off their first playoff win in over two decades – a 61-6 throttling of St. Mary-Rutherford – the Trojans fell just short down in Absecon Friday night, 35-31.

This was a back-and-forth affair, as St. Thomas was playing catch up all night, and even did, twice.

Jahcere Ward’s two-yard run opened the scoring for the Spartans in the first quarter, but STA countered with a 71-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to tie it at 7-7.

In the second, Ward scored on a one-yard run, and St. Thomas countered with a Brandon Falke 32-yard field goal to cut it to 14-7. The teams traded touchdowns before the half, with Holy Spirit getting a 36-yard touchdown pass from Ty Costabile to Ryan Abbott. At which point, Aquinas QB Roman Blanks said “Anything you can do, I can do, better,” and hit Anthony Perez from 61-yards out to make cut the deficit to 21-17.

The Trojans took a 24-21 lead on a seven-yard run by Chukwuma Odoh, then gave it back. Ca’si Thomas’s 46-yard touchdown run but Aquinas up 31-28 heading into the fourth.

But the lead would not hold, as Brady Kolbe caught a five-yard TD pass from Costabile, for a 35-31 lead. And Holy Spirit made two goal line stands in the final four minutes of the game to seal the deal.

St. Thomas Aquinas finishes the season 8-3, while the Spartans are now 9-1 and will play next Friday night in the Non-Public B semifinals at top-seed DePaul, a 45-14 winner over 8-seed Paul VI.

Non-Public A Quarterfinals: (2) Don Bosco Prep 45, (7) St. Joseph-Metuchen 6

In the only opening round game in the section played Friday night, Don Bosco scored big in the first half, taking a 10-0 lead after one quarter, and a 38-0 lead with a running clock heading into the locker room.

Five different players got on the board for the Ironmen, who improve to 7-3 and will play the winner of Saturday’s game between 6-seed St. Augustine and third-seed Delbarton in next week’s Non-Public A semifinal.

St. Joseph – which got its lone touchdown in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Justin Scaramuzzo to Ashton Irving – finishes 5-5, having lost five in a row after starting the season 5-0.

by Alec Crouthamel

Bernards takes first loss of season, falls 28-14 to Shabazz in North 1, Group 2 final at home

Bernards’ quest for a second straight sectional title – and second straight undefeated season through the sectional championship – fell short on Friday night as the second-seeded Mountaineers fell 28-14 to fifth-seeded Shabazz in the North 1 Group 2 final.

The Bulldogs used a strong rushing attack and opportunistic defense to take home the title, upsetting the top two seeds in the process.

It was a defensive rock-fight for the first 30 minutes, as the teams went into the halftime locker room scoreless. In the third quarter, however, the scoring exploded, with three touchdowns coming in the third and another three in the fourth.

Bernards was led on the ground by running back Logan Stevens, who had a solid game running and receiving. He ran for 102 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown on the ground, as well as catching four passes for 72 yards through the air. Quarterback Nolan Walsh relied on him as a safety net out of the backfield and he delivered in a big way.

Wide receiver Jack Morra had another big game, catching three passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. Walsh for the game completed 10 of his 21 pass attempts for 174 yards and a score. It was a strong day for the Mountaineers’ passing attack, particularly in the second half, but it was not enough to keep up with Shabazz.

Bulldogs quarterback Romeo Tables led the way with his arms and his legs, as he threw for 86 yards and a touchdown while carrying the ball 12 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns. All three scores were on big plays from 20, 17, and 53 yards out. His final carry – the 53-yard score – essentially iced the game after Shabazz’s special teams unit recovered an onside kick, giving the Bulldogs a 28-14 lead with three minutes to play. Running backs Zaiden McDonald and Jalen Cline each ran for 64 and 63 yards respectively.

A key factor in the game turned out to be the penalties, as the Mountaineers committed several pre-snap penalties to push them back and stall drives, as well as give Shabazz good field position on defense. Bernards also had an interception called back due to a defensive pass interference, a drive that Shabazz later scored on.

The Mountaineers finish their season at 11-1, while the 9-2 Bulldogs will advance to the Group 2 semifinals where they will face Hanover Park, which beat top-seeded Glen Rock in the North 2 Group 2 finals earlier tonight.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

by Mike Pavlichko

Finished Business! Phillipsburg wins North 2, Group 4 title in dramatic fashion on Moreira’s career-long, school record FG as time expires

Two years in a row, Phillipsburg was the top seed heading into a sectional title game and came up empty.

That wasn’t going to happen again.

The Stateliners vowed it wouldn’t as soon as the 2023 football season wrapped up with last year’s Thanksgiving Day win over Easton. They lived that vow in the off-season, during camp, and the entire 2024 season to this point.

Friday night, they made it pay off, thanks to the foot of Alexie Moreira.

He hit a career-best and school record 46-yard field goal as time expired – not long after third-seed Northern Highlands took an 11-10 lead – to give top-seed Phillipsburg a 13-11 win in the North 2, Group 4 title game over the third-seeded Highlanders.

The kick was just his third in his high school career, and a career long at that.

It was a wild finish, as Highlands took a one-point lead with 24 seconds left. They did it on an eight yard touchdown pass from Jack O’Callaghan to senior wide receiver Shane Hanlon, then a two point conversion between the two.

That gave the Stateliners the ball back at their own 36. Senior QB Jett Genovese ran it twice, and hooked up with senior wideout Matthew Scerbo, Jr., twice, to set up Moreira’s heroics.

His first career field goal came in last week’s semifinal win, and his second came earlier in the game to give the Stateliners the lead.

Now 10-1, with their ninth NJSIAA sectional title in hand, the Stateliners wait to see who they will play next week. They’ll face the winner of North 1 Group 4, and that title game is Saturday afternoon at 1:00, when third-seed Ramapo (7-3) visits top-seed Morris Knolls (10-0).

Genovese finished 7-of-9 for 92 yards, rushing for 65 yards on ten carries and the only Phillipsburg TD of the night. Scerbo finished with four catches for 56 yards.

Click below for postgame reaction from Phillipsburg’s North 2, Group 4 title game win over Northern Highlands, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Dom Savino

New Providence hangs tough, but run ends in North 2, Group 1 final at Cedar Grove

It was a fun run, but in the end, not to be.

Second-seed New Providence managed to rally from a two-score deficit in the first half, but couldn’t do the same in the second, falling at top-seed and undefeated Cedar Grove, 35-14, in the North 2, Group 1 sectional championship game Friday night.

The contest marked the Pioneers’ 20th sectional final appearance – a Union County record – and their first in 14 years since they won it all in 2010.

New Providence (9-3) struggled to contain Cedar Grove (12-0) wide receiver Jackson Morrice, who racked up 272 combined yards and three touchdowns.

Morrice contributed two scores in a five-minute span during the third quarter, sending Cedar Grove into the lead for good. The senior’s final touchdown came on the craftiest play of the game, a direct snap to Morrice as quarterback Stephen Paradiso walked toward the sideline pretending to strain to hear a play call.

Cedar Grove’s Paradiso-Morrice connection proved fruitful again, as the two linked up for 246 of Paradiso’s 301 passing yards.

New Providence had trouble slowing Cedar Grove’s passing attack early. Paradiso — the school’s all-time passing yards and touchdowns leader — found the end zone on each of the Panthers’ first two drives. Cedar Grove took a 14-0 lead with 2:42 left in the first quarter on a deep ball that Morrice ran under for an 80-yard score.

But, in a hole and playing in the team’s biggest game in more than a decade, New Providence looked unfazed. The Pioneers’ defense forced turnovers on the following two Cedar Grove possessions, thanks to a Quinton Moore interception and a strip sack recovered by James Keneally.

New Providence’s two-headed monster of quarterback T.J. Munn and running back A.J. Whitehead jumpstarted the offense from there. Whitehead capped a grinding, 12-play, 55-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. And, soon after Keneally’s fumble recovery gave the Pioneers the ball inside Cedar Grove’s 30, Munn picked out Jack Fitzgerald in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown throw with 45 seconds left in the half.

Munn finished with a game-high 132 rushing yards on 16 carries. Whitehead provided yeoman’s work, too, earning 22 carries for 89 rushing yards.

But after churning up 164 yards in the first half, New Providence’s vaunted run game was slowed to just 63 yards after halftime as Cedar Grove found greater success carving into the backfield.

Cedar Grove earns its second North 2, Group 1 sectional championship in the last four years. The undefeated Panthers advance to play Butler in a matchup of sectional No. 1 seeds in the Group 1 state semifinals.

New Providence finishes the season with nine wins, matching the program’s most since 2010. In Munn and Whitehead, the Pioneers had two 1,000-yard rushers for the first time since at least 2010, as well.

Click below to hear New Providence head coach Chet Parlavecchio Jr. talk postgame with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Dom Savino: