Category: Notebook

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 4 Old Bridge builds early lead, hangs on to edge out No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas, 26-24

They might not be the powerhouse they were when they won a Big Central Conference record 35 straight league games from 2020 through 2025, but St. Thomas Aquinas is a very, very talented football team – playing more of the big boys every year – and creates a lot of headaches for a lot of opponents.

But it was No. 4 Old Bridge that likely gave the eight-ranked Trojans and their coaching staff headaches Friday night at Vince Lombardi Field, as the Knights built up a 23-0 lead before STA could get on the board, and it was enough to power a 26024 victory for Old Bridge.

The Knights opened the scoring at 6:38 of the first quarter on a three-yard touchdown run by Chase Rizzo to make it 7-0.

Then, just past the midway point of the second quarter, the Knights’ scored again, as QB Aiden Rios hit Amari Alsbrook for an eleven-yard touchdown strike. to make it 14-0 with 5:12 to go before the half.

Old Bridge called a time out with 3:30 to in the second anticipating an STA punt, and it helped the Knights punch in a one-yard run from Rizzo with 41.6 to go to make it 23-0. But that was enough time for Aquinas, which got on the board with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Zymere Weaver to Tristan Bester as time expired, and a good two-point try made it 23-8 at the break.

In the second half, the Trojans were not done. They got a touchdown closer at the 6:31 mark of the third, when Weaver hit Aaron Crooms for a 69-yard touchdown pass, with a two-point run making it 23-16.

But with 1:34 to go in the third, Old Bridge got perhaps its most important score of the game: a 34-yard field goal by Arain Mezera to put them up by ten, and they would need almost all of it.

That’s because with 8:23 to play, Tristan Bester picked off a pass from Rios, and the ensuing drive resulted in a Zymere Weaver one-yard touchdown run at 7:46 left to make it 26-24 with their third two-point conversion of the game.

Old Bridge, though, would chew up clock the rest of the way, and win the game to improve to 3-1, with all three wins in BCC play. St. Thomas fell to 3-1 on the year.

Click below for postgame reaction with Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue, senior RB/DB Chase Rizzo and junior QB Aiden Rios, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Alec Crouthamel

No. 7 Elizabeth races past No. 2 St. Joseph (Met.), 62-35, for first 4-0 start in 11 years

It was a night of snapped streaks at Williams Field in Elizabeth on Friday night.

No. 7 Elizabeth ran all over the stadium, defeating No. 2 St. Joseph (Met.) 62-35 in one of the wilder games of the season.

For one, the Minutemen (4-0) notched their first 4-0 start since 2015. They also handed the Falcons (2-1) their first Big Central American Gold Division loss in three years, since a loss to Union on September 16th, 2023, as well as their first conference loss in ten tries. It was also the first win in the head-to-head series since 2023, before any players on either side suited up in their respective uniforms.

And it was a wild, back-and-forth affair all night.

The gaudy yardage totals came from both ends.

Elizabeth senior quarterback A’rique Fleming notched a whopping 366 yards and five touchdowns through the air, plus 98 yards and a touchdown on the ground, in which he ran through multiple Falcons defenders on the way to a 20-yard scamper.

Senior Qua’Yon Williams might have had the crazier evening. He caught seven passes for 146 yards and three scores, while also scampering for a 55-yard punt return touchdown in the first quarter to give Elizabeth an early double-digit lead.

The Minutemen forced a three-and-out on the game’s opening drive, and got to work right away on offense.

On a fourth-and-long, Fleming lofted a pass into the corner of the end zone to senior wideout Erick Cespedes to open the scoring late in the first quarter.

Then, after forcing another punt, Williams weaved through the coverage to add another quick-strike score.

The Falcons got on the board on the ensuing possession, as quarterback Cole Seyler laced a 71-yard score up the middle to tight end Edgar Cruz, cutting the deficit in half.

But Elizabeth once again came back to score, marching down the field before a two-yard touchdown by running back Jah’Ki Williams.

St. Joseph’s offense stayed hot, as tight end Maddox Mingucci tiptoed the sideline for another quick score.

Williams scored on a jet sweep for his third touchdown of the evening, putting the Minutemen back up by two possessions with six minutes left in the first half, and Elizabeth got the ball back minutes later, working the clock perfectly to score another touchdown – Cespedes’s second score of the night – with just ten seconds on the game clock.

St. Joseph stole some of the momentum back to start the third quarter, forcing a three-and-out and marching down the field.

But Elizabeth defensive back Nahjae Smith stole it right back, boxing out receiver Nick Brust for an interception to get the ball back.

Backed up near their own goal line, the Minutement still marched down the field, aided by a 39-yard run from Fleming, setting up another strike to Williams from 30 yards out.

Down 42-14, the Falcons worked their way back into the game, with an efficient drive capped by a ten-yard throw to Brust for a score. They then recovered the onside kick, and struck again for another as Seyler found Mingucci again.

But Williams sprang free for a 39-yard score, taking a hard turn multiple times over the middle in between would-be tacklers, to put Elizabeth back up 49-28 in the final minute of the third quarter.

In the fourth, the Minutemen notched two more scores, a rumbling 25-yard run by Fleming and a strike to Williams for his fourth score on offense in the final seconds.

St. Joseph continued to fight back into the game with a long score from Seyler to Brust. Seyler finished with 377 yards passing, the most by a Falcon since Justin Scaramuzzo threw for 394 against Ridge in 2024.

In the end, Elizabeth controlled the game from the start and sent a message to the rest of the Big Central: They aren’t afraid to throw and run the ball all over the yard, and run straight past you.

The Minutemen did much of that all night, to start 4-0 for the first time in over a decade.

Click below to hear CJSR’s Dylan Allen talk with Elizabeth head coach Eugene Kline following the Minutemen’s victory over St. Joseph (Met.), sponsored by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Nick Hart

JFK looks for first win under new head coach Anthony Nyers Saturday at Governor Livingston

It has been a less-than-ideal start for first-year head coach Anthony Nyers and his JFK football team. 

The Mustangs (0-3, 0-1 BCC United Silver) have yet to break into the win column this season, with double-digit losses to East Brunswick, Spotswood, and South Plainfield. This week, the goal remains the same: notch the first win in the Nyers era against Governor Livingston (1-2, .

​Now, taking over a program as a new head coach is difficult enough, but basically starting from scratch at your major skill positions is another challenge entirely. 

​Last season, JFK featured a receiver room with four seniors, led by Grant Lorentzen, who caught 55 passes for 1,221 yards and 22 touchdowns. On the ground, the story was the same, senior running back Fiheem Howell Jr was the feature man with 168 carries for 1,058 yards and nine touchdowns. The Mustangs also graduated senior quarterback Richie Trotman, who threw for nearly 1,400 yards and 24 touchdowns. 

​Fast forward to this year and a team full of seniority looks a lot different than just a season ago. JFK goes from a senior signal caller to sophomore Hayden Morrison, and a senior-driven receiver room to one that has seen four underclassmen with receptions on the season, out of seven total players with a catch. 

You can hear Saturday afternoon’s game at 2 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio, our Saturday Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Pregame starts at 1:35 with Chris Tsakonas and Nick Hart on the call; click here to listen.

Although the offense has yet to hit its groove, there have been some players who have been bright spots for the Mustangs. 

Senior wide receiver Braylon Diaz has been a player to watch for JFK, totaling 128 yards receiving to go along with 79 yards on the ground in three games so far.

Looking at the other side of the ball, the Mustangs have been anchored by a more senior group of players. Diaz has made an impact on the defense with 13 tackles this season, along with Justice Figueroa with 10.5 tackles, both seniors. 

Sticking with the theme of youth, however, sophomore linebacker Jason Asmah has made quite the impact in the secondary for JFK. Asmah has recorded 13 tackles, six solo tackles, and one tackle for a loss so far this season.

Looking at the last four games between the Mustangs and the Highlanders, it has been Governor Livingston who has seen more success, boasting a 3-1 record in the series dating back to 2022.

While the results tell one story, the final scores of the games tell another, as three of the last four matchups have been decided by just one score. Last season, the two teams needed overtime to decide the winner, as the Highlanders ultimately took the 38-26 victory. 

Heading into this week, coach Nyers has seen improvements in his squad in each of its last three performances but knows there is one thing his team has to do to be victorious on Saturday:

“We’ve got to put the ball in the end zone.”

Click below to hear JFK football head coach Anthony Nyers talk about the Mustangs’ season so far and upcoming matchup against Govenor Livingston, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart:

by Alec Crouthamel

No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen travels to division foe No. 7 Elizabeth in battle of strong unbeatens

On paper, No. 2 St. Joseph of Metuchen may have looked set up for a downturn after back-to-back Big Central American Gold Division titles. The Falcons (2-0) lost their leading passer, top four rushers, and top three receivers from 2025.

But on the field, St. Joseph has been just fine.

The Falcons, with a strong mix of rising youngsters and returning veterans, have continued their winning ways, already with a division win in their pocket, as they target a third straight crown. They’re also looking for their tenth straight win in the division, having not dropped an American Gold contest since nearly three years ago to the day, a 22-15 loss to Union on September 16th, 2023. They have also won ten straight Big Central Conference matchups.

Who stands in their way? No. 7 Elizabeth, armed with a star quarterback and a high-flying offense, as well as a desire for vengeance.

Nobody on St. Joseph’s roster has lost a division game in their time on the field, and the Falcons have beaten the Minutemen three straight times, including one- and two-point victories in 2023 and 2024.

The two unbeaten teams will battle at Williams Field, in a Big Central American Gold showdown, on Friday at 6 pm, with both teams already 1-0 in division play. You can hear it live as one of two Bellamy & Son Paving Games of the Week this week, with pregame at 5:45. Alec Crouthamel and Dylan Allen are on the call; click here to listen.

After losing standout quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo to graduation, rising junior Cole Seyler has fit in seamlessly. He’s spread the ball through the air, with 571 yards and seven touchdowns in two games.

The run game has been strong as well, as it always is under fifth-year skipper Bill Tracy. All around, the offense is versatile, featuring several different contributors, with a stable of options to run the ball and catch passes from Seyler.

And the Falcons have been tested in the early goings as well.

In the Week 1 opener against No. 5 Bridgewater-Raritan, St. Joseph held a 20-point lead early in the third quarter. But a fellow high-powered offensive attack from the Panthers helped them storm back into the game, rallying to take a one-point lead in the fourth quarter.

But the Falcons kept to their plan, and Seyler came through with two touchdown passes in the quarter to give St. Joseph the lead back, eventually holding on for a wild 43-36 victory.

Things came a little bit easier in a 28-6 win over division opponent Westfield in Week 2, but the goals remain the same.

It’ll be another tough test for a stout Falcons defense on Friday, facing fourth-year starting quarterback A’rique Fleming, the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week. Fleming and his strong cast of targets are going to put a lot of pressure on first-year DC Don Sofilkanich’s unit, but St. Joseph has shown over the years it can handle nearly anything the Big Central slate throws its way.

That doesn’t mean it has to be easy, though.

Click below to hear St. Joseph (Met.) head coach Bill Tracy talk about the Falcons’ season so far and the upcoming trip to Elizabeth with CJSR’s Alec Crouthamel:

by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA moves all state finals to Thanksgiving weekend, but how many teams will it affect?

The NJSIAA loves MetLife Stadium.

Whether you do or not – and Giants and Jets fans have strong feelings one way or the other – clearly, it’s the state athletic association’s preference to have as many games as they can in the biggest venue they can.

And who can blame them, when you look at a kid taking a picture with his team on that big NFL logo?

But almost instantly came criticism from some corners of the state where Thanksgiving Day games are played. For the first four years of crowning state champions, Turkey Day-playing teams would get to play their final on a Wednesday, six days after thanksgiving, and following along the NJSIAA regulations that limit teams to no more than two games in a nine-day span.

That went out the window with Wednesday’s announcement by the NJSIAA, with Executive Director Colleen Maguire saying teams would have to figure out Thanksgiving on their own.

That could mean moving a Thursday Thanksgiving game to Wednesday, or cancelling altogether.

So, we decided to take a look back at the first four years of state finals, which began in 2021, to see how many teams that play on Thanksgiving actually went all the way.

In four seasons, there have been five public and two non-public championship games played each year. That’s seven total games a year, 14 berths in the finals.

There have been two Thanksgiving teams to make the finals every year but one, in 2023, when none of the finals teams played on Thanksgiving. With 14 berths a year in four years, that’s 52 finals berths, and six Turkey Day teams making it to the state finals, meaning 12 percent of the berths in state championship games were taken by Thanksgiving teams.

That’s small number overall, but not insignificant.

READ MORE: NJSIAA announces all state football finals to be held at MetLife Stadium on Thanksgiving Weekend, even teams that play on Turkey Day

We didn’t really consider teams who made the state semifinals – there were two in each of the four years who fell into that category – because the short turnaround for Thanksgiving has always been part of high school football since the playoffs expanded to four teams in each section in 1975: the opening round came the week before Thanksgiving, and the finals were in early December, at the end of the week after Thanksgiving.

Even when the NJSIAA expanded to eight-team playoff sections, the semis were still held the Friday and Saturday before Thanksgiving, and the finals at the end of the week after the holiday.

Here’s the breakdown of which Thanksgiving Day teams made the state finals in each of the last four seasons:

  • 2025: Camden and Shabazz both made the Group 2 final, with the Panthers winning 27- after beating Camden Eastside on Thanksgiving, 41-0. The Bulldogs beat Weequahic in the “Soul Bowl” on Thanksgiving, 20-6.
  • 2024: Shabazz made the Group 2 final, and Phillipsburg made the Group 4 title game. The Bulldogs lost, 19-14, to Weequahic on Turkey Day, then lost to Rumson-Fair Haven in the Group 2 title tilt, 26-24. The Stateliners took a double hit, losing 17-14 to Easton (PA) on Thanksgiving, then were blanked, 35-0, in the Group 4 final by Winslow.
  • 2023: None
  • 2022: Woodbury finished the season 12-2 after a 31-7 win over Mountain Lakes in the state Group 1 final, ten days after beating Thanksgiving rival Gateway, 6-0. Millville won the Group 4 title to also cap a 12-2 season, taking down Northern Highlands 18-14 after beating Turkey Day foe Vineland on the road, 35-16, the Thursday prior.

by Mike Pavlichko

North Plainfield gets back to .500 with shutout win at New Brunswick

Anthony Costello caught two touchdown passes from quarterback Ian Lameira as North Plainfield evened its record at 2-2 with a 25-0 win at New Brunswick Thursday night, in the Big Central Conference Patriot Gold Division opener for both schools at Memorial Stadium.

After a season-opening 7-0 shutout win over Orange, that record mirrors the 2-2 start the Canucks had last season, with those two victories coming over Orange and New Brunswick.

It’s also the first time North Plainfield has won two games via shutout in the same season since 2011, when they beat Holmdel in a consolation game, 37-0, on November 11th, then blanked rival South Plainfield on Thanksgiving, 28-0, to finish the season with four straight wins and a 4-6 record under Bob Lake.

The Zebras hung in for the first 24 minutes, with Costello grabbing a nine-yard pass in the back left corner of the end zone, just barely staying in bounds, to take a 6-0 lead after the PAT was blocked.

It would stay that way through halftime, but the Canucks would get another score in the third and two more in the fourth. First, it was a one-yard touchdown run by Alex Kruszczynski in the third period that made it 12-0 after a two-point run failed

Then, in the fourth, Isaiah Broy scored on a five-yard run, but the PAT failed, making it 18-0. And Costello’s second TD reception of the night, a 12-yard pass from Lamiera, made it 25-0, after Edwin Nunez connected on the extra point.

New Brunswick falls to 0-4 with the loss.

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 3

High school football across the state – and in the Big Central – is in mid-season mode now, and it’s time to talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football analyst with Marcus Borden!

We open the show looking back at last week’s games, including Coach Borden’s trips to see Highland Park at JP Stevens Thursday and Belvidere at Dunellen on Friday.

Borden also shared recent observations on inconsistencies with application of the running clock rule, and then we moved on to breakdown the three Top Ten games in the Big Central this week, including No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 4 Old Bridge – which he’ll be covering – as well as our Bellamy & Son Paving Game of the Week Friday between No. 7 Elizabeth and No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, plus No. 9 Ridge and their visit to No. 5 Bridgewater-Raritan.

The episode concludes with “breaking news” that emerged during our Wednesday taping, that the NJSIAA would host all state finals at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, throwing some potential chaos into the mix for Thanksgiving Day teams that reach the state championships.

Click below to listen to the Week Three edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”:

by Mike Pavlichko

Immaculata football program seeks admission to Big Central Conference, could join league in ’28

The Immaculata football program is in discussions to join the Big Central Conference, Central Jersey Sports Radio has learned.

League president Scott Miller confirmed the Somerville Catholic school’s request to CJSR on Thursday afternoon.

While Miller says the potential admission of Immaculata is in the “extreme infant stage,” he confirmed that it’s definitely a topic that is on the table.

The process for admission is that once a school approaches the league, the Executive Committee must decide whether to present the request to the entire conference, where the league membership would vote on admission. In between, there would likely be multiple meetings to discuss any issues or concerns.

Miller says the Executive Committee did indeed vote to present Immaculata’s request to the full league, and it would be up to the 59 existing Big Central athletic directors to make the ultimate decision. That process could take several months, Miller noted.

The BCC is in the first year of a two-year scheduling cycle, so if Immaculata were added, Miller says the Spartans would not begin play until the 2028 season.

Their addition would give the Big Central an even 60 teams across four counties – at least for now – including all the Greater Middlesex Conference schools, as well as the schools that made up the former Mid-State 38 Conference, which included Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and parts of Warren Counties.

It would also give the league three non-public schools, including St. Joseph of Metuchen and St. Thomas Aquinas, formerly known as Bishop Ahr (though Aquinas was its original name when the school opened).

Immaculata was one of the original BCC members, having been in the Mid-State Conference, but over the summer of 2020, before the inaugural season kicked off, and in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, they withdrew due to scheduling disagreements.

Warren Hills also was an original member of the Big Central, playing in the league in its inaugural season of 2020 and in 2021, but moved to the Super Football Conference in 2022.

And in news coming out of Robbinsville Wednesday, where the NJSIAA held its first Executive Committee meeting of the year, Bernardsville is in the process of seeking a split from the Skyland Conference in most sports, and the BCC in boys’ football and girls’ flag football, seeking to join the NJAC and Super Football Conference, with travel seemingly a key issue.

Immaculata parted ways with Mike Columbo after the 2025 season and in early February hired Class of 2011 alum Dallas Whitaker as head coach, with mentor Jeff Vanderbeek also on board as the Football Program Coordinator.

Vanderbeek took over at Somerville in 2015 as co-head coach with Chris Cassamento, then went solo the next year as the Pioneers went 10-1, falling in the Central Jersey Group 3 semifinals to Rumson-Fair Haven. They went 11-1 the next season, in 2017, and beat Rumson for the CJ3. Whitaker was his Offensive Coordinator.

Vanderbeek handed Whitaker the keys in 2018 and the team went 36-6 under his leadership, finishing with a No. 4 ranking in the state (7-0) in the COVID-shortened 2020 season with one of the highest-octane no-huddle offenses you’ll ever see at the high school level.

The Spartans are currently 1-2, with a Week One win over St. Joseph-by-the-Sea of Staten island, 50-28. They dropped a 40-20 decision in their opener to Glassboro, and fell 38-16 this past week at Archbishop Stepinac (NY). Though they are affiliated with the Super Football Conference to help with scheduling, they are considered independent within the league and do not play in an SFC division.

by Dylan Allen

After best start in over a decade, No. 7 Elizabeth hosts No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, looking to remain unbeaten

With one exception, St. Joseph-Metuchen and Elizabeth have played some tight games the last few years.

The Falcons won this game 41-20 a year ago. The previous two times these two clashed, in 2023 and 2024, the combined margin of victory for St. Joseph was three points. And in 2022, Elizabeth won 23-21, but that was four years ago.

This new class of Minutemen and head coach Eugene Kline, since being named the head man at Elizabeth, have yet to know the feeling of defeating the Falcons.

In order for history to be made Friday night, fourth-year staring quarterback A’rique Fleming has to be on his A-game. The senior is 0-3 against St. Joe’s in his career, completing 58.9% of his passes for 565 yards (188.3 ypg), six total touchdowns, and three interceptions.

You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio in the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Kickoff is set for 6 pm, with pregame at 5:40 pm from Williams Field. Alec Crouthamel and Dylan Allen are on the call; click here to listen.

More importantly, the Minutemen’s run defense has to be top-notch.

In the past three games against St. Joseph, the Falcons have averaged 197.7 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns per contest. In that span, the closest Elizabeth has been to victory was a 21-20 loss in 2024. The Minutemen held Joe’s to just 62 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, while shutting them out in the second half.

It was almost a comeback for the ages as Elizabeth trailed 21-0 at halftime. But across the other two losses, the Falcons ran for a combined 531 yards.

Fortunately for A’rique Fleming – the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week, who earned the award for a big pick-six he had late to seal the win, in addition to his QB exploits – he has some star-studded wide receivers to choose from in Qua’Yon Williams, Erick Cespedes, and Nahjae Smith.

Williams and Cespedes have combined for 433 yards and five touchdowns, while Smith has missed time due to an ankle issue, according to Kline, he’s still a player you do not want to take lightly. In 2024, his sophomore season, Smith had his breakout year with 32 receptions, 640 yards, and seven touchdowns – all career highs.

What’s at stake for these two teams besides snagging a win in the American Gold division? Remaining unbeaten. St. Joseph enters the contest at 2-0; Elizabeth at 3-0, for the first time since 2015, when they started 4-0, and finished 7-2.

St. Joseph is coming off a 28-6 win at Westfield, while Elizabeth took the trip to Union, beat the Farmers 19-7, and now are playing their first home game of the season.

Click below to hear Elizabeth football head coach Eugene Kline talk about the Minutemen’s season so far and upcoming matchup against St. Joseph-Metuchen, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Dylan Allen:

by Mike Pavlichko

A four-year starting QB, A’rique Fleming gets it done on defense, too, and earns Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week honors

It was August 25, 2023 at Kean University in Union when a fresh-faced ninth-grader named A’rique Fleming took to the field to play quarterback for the Elizabeth football team.

He might be a little raw, then-head coach John Fiore told us, but “You’ve gotta see this kid,” he added.

Sometimes coaches are given to hyperbole, and Fiore is no exception. But he was dead on the money on this one.

Elizabeth didn’t win the game, falling 27-22 to the rival Tigers, but Fleming showed great poise for a freshman in a back-and-forth game where the lead was always changing: 7-of-12 passing, 140 yards, one touchdown, one interception. Fiore was on the Fleming bandwagon, and now we were, too.

Fast forward three years to 2026, and he’s been one of the premier quarterbacks in the Big Central for a while now, and he’s already thrown for 622 yards and seven touchdowns in three games.

His latest performance was 17-of-21 throwing the ball for 220 yards and a touchdown, with a team-high 45 rushing yards (and a touchdown). But more impressive? He also plays defense, and is very good at it.

He was especially good last Friday night in a 19-7 win at Union. Playing linebacker, he had a forced fumble and recovery, a team-high tackles, and two interceptions.

One of them was quite critical in the win, too: a 72-yard pick-six with Union driving deep into Elizabeth territory with under two minutes left in a 13-7 game the Minutemen led.

“He made a great read on the play,” says his head coach, Eugene Kline, breaking “multiple tackles on the play” as Elizabeth hung on and made it a 3-0 start to a season for the first time since 2015.

For his efforts, Xavier Wilson is the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Player of the Week for Week Two.

Logo of Bellamy & Son Paving highlighting the Big Central Player of the Week.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko with Week Two Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week A’rique Fleming of Elizabeth:

We’ll get to see Fleming at least one more time on Central Jersey Sports Radio when No. 7 Elizabeth hosts No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) in the Friday night Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week. Kickoff is 6 pm at Williams Field, with pregame at 5:40. Alec Crouthamel and Dylan Allen will have the call; click here to listen.

The Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week is chosen from nominees by Big Central coaches. At the end of the season, one player will be chosen to receive a $500 scholarship courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving. As always, we will recognize selected “Honorable Mentions,” and recognize all other all nominees in our weekly story.

Honorable Mentions:

  • Nolan Walsh, Bernards: In a 49-29 win over Governor Livingston – the Mountaineers’ first of the season after starting 0-2 – the senior QB rushed for four touchdowns (of 3, 34, 30 and 11 yards) while throwing for 54- and 19-yard scores. He completed 13-of-18 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. logging 348 yards of total offense and accounting for all five of Bernards’ first-half scores.
  • Zach Mutton, Montgomery: The senior plays five positions for Sean Carty’s Cougars, who got their first win of the season Thursday, 32-14 up at Watchung Hills. At running back, he took the rock 23 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns. He’s also a kicker, and made two field goals of 32 and 41 yards, the latter a new school record. He had a punt, too, that pinned the Warriors back on their own two-yard line early to help establish momentum. At defensive back, he also added two tackles, both of the solo variety.
  • Ja’Quan Robinson, Rahway: The senior quarterback often does a lot of great things on the field, but it was more than that Friday night in a 42-21 win at Woodbridge. He tossed 2-for-6 for 50 yards and two touchdowns, and carried ten times for 129 yards and two more scores of nine and 55 yards. On defense, at linebacker, he also had three solo tackles and a TFL. And he even had three punts for 109 total yards. But his coaches say the captain did his biggest work in the locker room, bringing the group together and spurring them on to outscore Woodbridge 21-7 in the second half. And then, he put his money where his mouth is, scoring a 55-yard touchdown to finish the game.
  • James Hampton, Somerville: In a 54-6 shellacking of North Hunterdon Thursday night, the junior wide receiver had seven catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns of 32 and 15 yards. At cornerback, he also had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown.
  • Tyler Hicks, South Hunterdon: The senior quarterback for the Eagles – 2-1 in Kyle Hart’s first season as head coach – went 16-of-29 for 210 passing yards and a touchdown in a 21-15 win over Middlesex Thursday night. Facing a 15-13 deficit with under a minute to go, he scrambled on fourth down to evade two tacklers. His pass went incomplete, but drew a pass interference call. Eventually, on third down on the Blue Jay six, he hit Charlie Dickerson for a touchdown to take a 19-15 lead, then hit him again for a two-point conversion for the final score.

Other Notable Performances:

  • Elijah White, Belvidere: IN a 42-2 win at Dunellen Friday, the senior wide receiver had four catches for 2333 yards, with three of those hauls going for touchdowns, including a 96- and a 55-yarder. He Laos had an 80-yarder called back on a penalty.
  • Marcus Smith, Highland Park: In the third straight win for the Owls – a 43-0 win at JP Stevens that gives them their second 3-0 start in three seasons – Smith threw for 74 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 48 and a second score. Highland Park has outscored its first three opponents 99-0, and has three consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1964. (They had six in a row that year.)
  • Jonathon Gosk, Manville: The senior quarterback – in his first year starting – was 9-of-13 passing to 148 yards and touchdown passes of 46 and five yards in a 35-7 home win over arch-rival Manville Friday night, heard here on Central Jersey Sports Radio. He also rushed five times for 18 yards and scoring runs of 21 and two yards.
  • Tommasso Demetrio, Monroe: In a 42-7 win at North Brunswick, the senior wide receiver caught five balls for 60 yards and a touchdown, as well as five rushes for 25 yards and another score. Four of his first five touches were either a touchdown or gave his team a first down. At outside linebacker, Demetrio had three tackles, two TFLs, and a sack. Oh, and he also was 6-for-6 on PATs and booted two 50-yard punts.
  • Charlie Maneely, New Providence: The senior runningback carried 12 times for 87 yards and a score, while also catching four passes for 36 yards and another score in a 27-20 win at Johnson on Thursday. At linebacker, he also had three tackles and two fumble recoveries.
  • Ariel Rosario Sime, Perth Amboy: In a 42-6 win over Roselle
  • Gabriel Manson, Sayreville: The senior H-back carried six times for 104 yards and two scores for the Bombers, while adding a 60-yard catch in a 41-6 home win over Edison. More impressively, he allowed zero catches from his position at cornerback.
  • Vinny Young, Spotswood: Very similar to his last outing, the senior runningback carried eight times for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while also grabbing two passes for 22 yards in a 47-14 home win over Metuchen Thursday night. At outside linebacker, he added four solo tackles, two assists and a TFL.
  • Aiden Morse, St. Thomas Aquinas: The junior running back carried ten times for 73 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-0 win at Franklin on Friday night.