A.J. Bosch – Central Jersey Sports Radio

It’s one thing to put up big numbers in a game, but to do it when the season on the line is extra special.

And so it went for junior A.J. Bosch last Friday night, in a must-win home game for Woodbridge that they needed to clinch a playoff berth.

All Bosch did was score all five of his team’s touchdowns – three on catches, two on runs – and then, on defense, seal the game with a late interception for a 35-21 win that got the Barrons a top 16 finish in North Group 4, earning them the seventh seed in North 1, Group 4, where they’ll visit second seed Ramapo next Friday.

The final numbers for Bosch – which won him the ninth and final Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Year award for Week Eight – were six catches for 190 yards and three touchdowns (71, 66, and 35 yards) along with 15 rushes for 85 yards and two more scores (3 and 27 yards). Then, on defense, that nail-in-the-coffin pick, and ten tackles from his safety position.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Woodbridge junior A.J. Bosch:

Like all winners, Bosch will receive a custom football at the end of the year, and one of the weekly winners will receive a $500 scholarship from Bellamy & Son Paving and Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Honorable Mentions

Shawn Purcell, Manville – The senior runningback had 10 carries for 194 yards and six more rushing touchdowns to give him 28 total touchdowns on the year (including 6 receiving) and 170 points. He’s believed to be the state’s scoring leader heading into the playoffs, according to MaxPreps. (Not all schools report to MaxPreps, and NJ.com does not provide statewide scoring totals.)
Manny Faxas, Colonia – Usually, massive stats earn these honors, but why not give it to a defensive end and an offensive guard? In a tense 21-20 win over Rahway Friday, Faxas had eleven total tackles, two TFLs and a sack, which came on the final drive to help secure the win. He also had key blocks on 79- and 50-yard touchdown runs.
Anthony Christian, Spotswood – The senior runningback carried 20 times for 124 yards and all three touchdowns in an 18-7 win at JP Stevens Friday night.
J.J. Jackson, Scotch Plains-Fanwood – First-year head coach Michael Henderson says it was “the best game of his career.” The senior runningback had two catches for 55 yards and a touchdown, 10 carries for 107 yards and a score, plus ten tackles and a pick-six on defense, though it wasn’t enough in a 21-19 loss to JFK Friday night.

Other Nominations

Nickie Kouflie, Bernards – In essentially one half of play, the senior runningback had two long rushing touchdowns, eleven carries for 125 yards, and a catch for 14 yards on offense, while recording two solo tackles at cornerback in a 42-0 win over Governor Livingston at Olcott Field.
Matt Maciolek, Bridgewater-Raritan – The senior had six catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns – including a circus catch for a 32-yard score – in a critical 34-0 win over Old Bridge that kept Bridgewater-Raritan in the playoff chase, and got them a spot in the post-season. Head coach Rick Mantz says he’s been the “team’s most consistent player.”
Matt Botvinis, New Providence – The junior defensiveback/wide receiver had a stellar game on D, recording 10 tackles, and was plus-3 all on his own in the tournover category, logging two INTs and a fumble recovery in a 26-6 win over Middlesex Friday night. One of thos epicks halted a potential go-ahead drive and led to a Pioneers’ touchdown at the end of the first half. The other snuffed out a potential game-tying drive.
Angel Ruiz, JFK – In a 21-19 win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, the wide receiver had 7 catches for 119 yards and a 44-yard touchdown, plus an interception as a defensive back.
Terrell Mitchell, Somerville – The sophomore set the pace for the Somerville offense in a 41-28 must-win victory at South Brunswick that gave the Pioneers’ their second straight victory since Matt Bloom took over as head coach, and propelled The ‘Ville into the playoffs. He had 14 carries for 190 yards and a touchdown, an 81-yarder.

Officially, the play would go as a throwing error for missing the cutoff man on a triple, allowing the batter to score. But for all intents and purposes, it was just about an in-the-park home run.

A.J. Bosch never looked behind him. He didn’t see right fielder Luke Somelofske run past the ball as it fell just inside the foul line. Didn’t see the throw miss the cutoff man behind second base and go into the outfield. And he didn’t see the throw that came way too late to catch him after he dove head first into home plate to score the go-ahead run.

All that happened with one out in the eleventh inning, after the leadoff man, Dean Fiore, tried to bunt for a base hit and popped it foul behind the plate, where it landed in the glove of catcher George Busnach.

All of a sudden, it was 5-4 Woodbridge. But still, the Barrons and their fans could not exhale.

That’s because Ridge, with two outs, loaded the bases on an E6 and a pair of walks, before Eddie Nunez got Matt Aber to pop up to second baseman Drew Lukachyk to end an epic, marathon, wacky ballgame in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 semifinals, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Final: Woodbridge 5, Ridge 4, in 11 innings, and now the Barrons have a crack at their first-ever state sectional title.

It sure wasn’t without a lot of grief for both teams.

Combined, they left 24 men on base: 13 for Ridge, 11 for Woodbridge. Combined, there were six errors in the game: four for the Red Devils, including a pickoff move that sailed wide in the first, and two for the Barrons. And it rained for most of the first few innings, even if only a very light drizzle.

And yet, Woodbridge was in control most of the way, if only because they never trailed.

They scored in the top of the first on a bloop RBI single by Drew Lukachyk, but Ridge got it right back on a two-out single by Matt Aber.

Woodbridge went ahead 3-1 in the third on an bases loaded walks by Tyler Webster and Bosch, but Ridge got an RBI single by Luke Somelofske following a one-out triple by George Busnach in the fourth, and an RBI triple by Mile Olivo in the 5th to tie it at three.

No one would score until the Barrons score in the top of the ninth, in extra innings. With two out, Brett Lukachyk walked. On a Josh Vazquez hit to second, Andrew Shawah stopped a hard hit ball in the hole, had no play to first, but saw Lukachyk going for third. His throw was wide, went to the fence, and Lukachyk came in to score on the E4.

But then Ridge would tie it in the bottom of the inning. After a leadoff single by Somelofske and a sac bunt by Andrew Shawah moved him to third, Eddie Nunez came in to pitch. After Matt Shawah struck out, Brian Leitz hit a ball to the right side that first baseman Shawn Kish – in for the injured Ty Kobylakiewicz – fielded in front of the second baseman. He threw to Nunez covering at first but he couldn’t get there in time. Somelofske, scored, tie game again – but not before two intentional walks heightened the tension and Nunez got Matt Aber to strike out to keep things going.

That’s when the eleventh inning heroics by Woodbridge kicked in, sending the Barrons to the North 2 Group 4 final, where they will try and make history Friday, visiting top-seed Hunterdon Central.

Nunez got the win in relief for Woodbridge (25-6) to improve to 9-2 on the year; Mike Olivo took the loss in relief for Ridge (24-2) to fall to 5-1.

Click below to hear live postgame reaction on the air with hero A.J. Bosch, reliever Eddie Nunez, and head coach Mike Monaco: