Aedan Hywel – Central Jersey Sports Radio

Everyone knows the Phillipsburg mystique, but Frank Duffy prefers to call it “the standard.” The measuring stick by which all Stateliner teams are judged.

That stick has 758 marks on it, one for every win the program has, the most in New Jersey history, spread across 120 years of football that sometimes has taken them to Pennsylvania, more often here at home in the Garden State, and – like next year – will see a mix of Pennsy and Jersey schools on the schedule.

But in 2025, after losing key contributors like Jett Genovese, Matthew Scerbo Jr., and Felix Matos to graduation, Phillipsburg barely skipped a beat.

They went into the playoffs at 7-1, their lone loss coming to St. Joseph-Metuchen. In the last two years, they’ve lost to just one New Jersey pubic school (Ridge last season).

And with three playoff wins, they took the North 2, Group 4 title with ease, starting with a 55-14 joke of a blowout win against a horribly over-matched eight-seed in Newark Central, then a 35-7 win over Colonia, and a 41-21 victory over Montgomery to claim their second straight state sectional title.

For that, Phillipsburg is crowned – once again, for a second straight year – Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Team of the Year.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy, and seniors Sam Dech and Aedan Hywel about their 2025 season:

With a reputation for being one of the Big Central Conference’s most physical football teams, having someone who’s a ball-hawk all over the field is a nice touch.

More than that, senior Aedan Hywel is not just a ball-hawk, he’s a quarterback hawk.

He is a major reason the Phillipsburg Stateliners shut out two teams, held two more to single digits, and – through the North 2 Group 4 championship game, were holding teams to an average of just 12.4 points per game, despite playing in perhaps the most challenging division in the league, top to bottom.

And a big reason why they’re state sectional champs for the second year in a row.

It’s hard to argue with the numbers.

Hywel had 27 tackles for loss and a monster 17 1/2 sacks, along with 68 tackles, and 59 of them all by himself.

Beyond the numbers, he’s a player you have to account for, forcing opposing offenses to play defense.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Defensive Player of the Year Adena Hywel of Phillipsburg:

Honorable Mentions:

Jamelle Jones, Bridgewater-Raritan: Just a sophomore, he’ll remain a key for the Panther program is they look to build off their 2025 North 2, Group 5 title, the first sectional crown in program history. Jones had just 38 tackles, 20 solo, but made an impact with eight sacks and 12 TFLs. He also had a critical scoop-and-score for 35 yards in the third quarter of the final against Bayonne. Down 7-0 at the half, that tied the game at seven, and Bridgewater would score two of the next three TDs for a 21-14 win over the Bees.
Julien Jones, Colonia: The middle linebacker recorded a whopping 162 tackles – a busy man – with 104 of them solo. He also had eight sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and a 75-yard pick-six against Cranford in a 40-15 win on October 17th.
Michael Wellett III, St. Joseph-Metuchen: A senior who transferred in from Seton Hall Prep, and sat out the early season due to transfer rules, he recorded 41 tackles in just six games, 15 solo, with five sacks and eight TFLs, as well as a fumble recovery. Hr signed his NLI with the University of Rochester last week.
Anwar Witherspoon, St. Thomas Aquinas: With 115 tackles, eight TFLs, 1 1/2 sacks, two forced fumbles and a recover, first-year head coach Shamir Bearfield calls him “a menace” on defense. The linebacker just signed his National Letter of Intent last week with Buffalo.
Anthony Trujillo, Summit: Named first-team All-Big Central in their division, the senior defensive tackle had 60-plus tackles, 14 TFLs and nine sacks. HEad coach kevin Kostibos says he “singlehandedly” shut down the inside run game, and was the “main reason” they made the North 2, Group 3 title game.
Matt Seward, Westfield: The linebacker was “all over the field” this year, accoridng to head coach Matt Andzel, with 83 tackles, seven TFLs, five sacks and four forced fumbles, three of which recovered. His stat line continues with three blocked kicks, a pick and a safety. But more impressive? The kid is just a tenth grader!