Category: Gameday with Marcus Borden

Mike Pavlichko hosts as legendary high school football coach and CJSR analyst Marcus Borden weighs in on the week gone by and the week ahead in the Big Central Conference. Drops every Friday morning during the season!

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 6

We continue to barrel toward Cutoff Weekend in New Jersey high school football, with just three games to go in the regular season for the public schools, including this week. And it’s time to talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including undefeated Sayreville’s big win over Piscataway, Hillsborough’s comeback win Saturday at Westfield, and Somerville’s win at Summit, handing the Hilltoppers their first loss of the season.

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus talk about look at the playoffs, where six Big Central teams currently sit with top seeds, but only two of those are undefeated. The other six unbeatens are either in the running – like Sayreville and Bernards – or well out of the chase, but still in the field of 16, like unbeaten Spotswood and Manville.

We also look at this weekend’s games, including Coach’s Friday trip to Montgomery to see the one-loss Cougars take on unbeaten Woodbridge, and Saturday’s Bellamy & Son Paving “Big Central Game of the Week,” featuring a battle of unbeatens, as Phillipsburg travels to St. Joseph-Metuchen.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 5

With just four more weeks to go in the regular season, high school football is in crunch time in New Jersey. And it’s time to talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including St. Thomas Aquinas and a big win over Elizabeth, then we get Coach’s mid-season report card! No grades, but Borden talks about leading candidates – from big schools and small – for Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Year, along with a couple of MVP and Coach of the Year candidates. It’s not a full list, but it’s a fun listen!

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus talk about how the new playoff formula could shake out, rundown the nine unbeaten teams left in the league, what Big Central Conference stadiums Mike hasn’t been to yet, and the Friday game Coach Borden will be covering – Brearley at South Hunterdon – as he gets to see his 59th and final team of the last two seasons, representing every team in the BCC!

It’s a long one, so get comfortable!

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 4

As we get set for Week Four of action in high school football – and, hard to believe, approach the midway point of the season – it’s time to talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including Sayreville’s solid win over Hillsborough, Bridgewater-Raritan’s win over Hunterdon Central – and Panther QB Declan Kurdyla’s injury – as well as Franklin’s offensive outburst in a tough home loss to St. Thomas Aquinas.

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus examine a first look at how the NJSIAA state playoffs will shake out bracket-wise after another adjustment this year that sorts teams by geography rather than snaking balanced brackets, as well as this weekend’s games, including Friday’s “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving – Franklin at Edison – and the game Marcus will be covering Friday, Elizabeth at St. Thomas!

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 3

As the high school football season in New Jersey rolls on, the games – and the stakes – get bigger, so let’s talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including No. 1 Phillipsburg’s continued success, Bernard’s loss of Thomas Diemar to a season-ending injury, and Roselle’s thrilling win over Metuchen on a wild TD catch by junior Raekwon Anderson.

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus discuss look ahead to key Week Three games, including Coach Borden’s visit to Sayreville Friday night – where the Bombers host a Hillsborough team that needs a win – and our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, featuring No. 7 Hunterdon Central at No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan, Plus, a look at the “bragging rights” game between Colonia and No. 2 Woodbridge, as well as No. 5 Somerville at Rahway!

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 2

Now that high school football is in full swing, things are really starting to heat up in the Big Central and around the state, so let’s talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including Aidan Vesuvio-Bush and Somerville’s win over Cranford, Bernards’ two-day win at Hillside, and then look ahead to this week’s matchups, which sees the fourth-ranked Mountaineers face Delaware Valley in a battle of 2-0 teams in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Then, Marcus will be at another big clash in Flemington between unbeatens Hunterdon Central and Phillipsburg, before traveling to Metuchen Saturday for a small-school meeting between the Bulldogs and Roselle.

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus discuss similarities between the Week 0 and Week 1 “Bellamy & Son Paving Players of the Week,” the mindset of kickers who also play on offense, and the most scenic high school football stadium in the Big Central!

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 1

Opening Week is behind us, it’s Week One where everyone gets into the act in high school football, and it’s time to talk about it with Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including a big win for Old Bridge down at the Battle of the Beach over Cedar Creek, Arique Fleming’s masterful performance for Elizabeth in a rivalry game win over Linden, and then peek ahead to this week’s games, including those Coach Borden will see: Somerville at Cranford on Friday night, and Bernards at Hillside on Saturday.

Also on the show, we discuss other key games in the BCC, Montgomery adding longtime founding coach Zoran Milich’s name to Cougar Stadium, and our new feature, the “Speedster of the Week” presented by Higgins Speed Lab, with the Week 0 winner being Summit’s Alex Schwark.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 0

The 2025 high school football season begins today, and it’s time to talk about it with Marcus Borden!

The majority of Big Central Conference teams open up this weekend, and we talk about our Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week, featuring Spotswood at Middlesex in the Chargers’ first game with their brand-new lights.

Also on the show, Coach Borden talks about the games he’ll be covering this weekend down at the Battles at the Beach, with Hillsborough taking on Washington Township on Friday, then Old Bridge battling Cedar Creek on Saturday, both at Rowan University in Glassboro. We also take a quick look back at the 2025 Big Central Camp Caravan, talk about the big numbers out for Dunellen football, and some other key Week Zero games around the league!

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: State Finals!

After two years of playing down to Group Champions in New Jersey High School Football, the Big Central has joined the party, and CJSR analyst Marcus Borden talks about it all with Mike Pavlichko on our final edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden” this season!

Mike and Coach Borden take a look back at Thanksgiving Day games between Plainfield and Westfield, along with Phillipsburg-Easton, then delve into the Stateliners’ Group 4 Championship Game at Rutgers Wednesday night against Winslow Twp.

Click below to listen to the State Finals Edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”:

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

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Group Semifinals Edition!

We’re on the Group Semifinals of the state playoffs, and with just two Big Central Conference teams left – Phillipsburg and Somerville – we talk about it on “Gameday with Marcus Borden!”

Mike and Coach Borden preview the Group 3 Semifinals in the South between Somerville and Mainland, as well as the Group 4 Semifinals in the north between Phillipsburg and Ramapo.

Click below to listen to the Group Semifinals Edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”: