Tag: Aidan Vesuvio-Bush

by Mike Pavlichko

Workman’s effort, nearly 300 rushing yards from Somerville’s Aidan Vesuvio-Bush earn him Higgins Speed Lab “Speedster of the Week” honors for Week 7

As we’ve been doing all season long, Central Jersey Sports Radio is highlighting the high school football “Speedster of the Week” presented by Higgins Speed Lab in South Brunswick, recognizing the top runningbacks in the Big Central Conference every week.

And the Week Seven winner is Somerville’s Aidan Vesuvio-Bush!

Back on Friday night, in a 40-28 win over Plainfield heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, the senior runningback went for 288 yards on an eye-popping 40 carries, along with three touchdowns, while he also caught a four passes for another 76 yards.

He’s now amassed 1,042 yards and 14 touchdowns this season and has helped put the Pioneers (7-1) in a position to possibly grab a top-seed in the playoffs, a year after winning the Central Jersey Group 3 championship.

Scroll down for a list of the top ten rushing performances of Week Seven in the BCC!

Image highlighting Aidan Vesuvio-Bush, a football player from Somerville, showcasing his stats: 40 carries, 288 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a 40-28 victory over Plainfield.

Higgins Speed Lab in South Brunswick was founded by Kyle Higgins, son of longtime Piscataway head coach and NJFCA Hall of Famer Dan Higgins. Kyle grew up around the program and remains a Chiefs’ assistant coach to this day. At Higgins Speed Lab, Kyle has developed a system to help athletes increase speed while in a competitive small group environment of similar age and skill. Click here to listen to our interview with Kyle Higgins and learn more about Higgins Speed Lab!

Logo of Higgins Speed Lab, featuring bold lettering in black with a clean design.

They offer sport-specific training in football, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, baseball, golf, volleyball, track, gymnastics, and tennis. And “speed” isn’t their only focus. They’ll also work on proper running mechanics, plyometrics, acceleration/deceleration, top speed, linear and multi-directional speed, first-step quickness, endurance, strength, coordination, mobility and injury prevention.

Listen to Mike Pavlichko run down the Top Ten rushing performances in the Big Central for Week 7!

Here are the top ten rushing performances from Week Seven in the Big Central:

  • Aidan Vesuvio-Bush, Somerville: 40 carries for 288 yards and 3 TDs in a 40-28 win over Plainfield
  • Andrew Avent, Rahway: 9 carries for 240 yards and 4 TDs in a 41-6 win at New Brunswick
  • Brody Nugent, Old Bridge: 11 carries for 186 yards and 3 TDs in a 45-29 win at Hunterdon Central
  • Matthew Resende, Brearley: 22 carries for 171 yards and 1 TD in a 27-9 loss to Metuchen
  • Sam Dech, Phillipsburg: 18 carries for 156 yards and 4 TDs in a 42-0 win over Union
  • Devin Thomas, Plainfield: 8 carries for 152 yards and 1 TD in a 40-28 loss at Plainfield
  • Shaun Jackson, Sayreville: 10 carries for 150 yards and a 94-yard TD in a 43-15 loss to Montgomery
  • Al-Naiquan Boseman, Carteret: 23 carries for 147 yards in a 10-0 win over Linden
  • Jeremiah Dixon, Old Bridge: 9 carries for 132 yards and 1 TD in a 45-29 win at Hunterdon Central
  • C.J. Griffith, Ridge: 11 carries for 130 yards and 2 TDs in a 57-20 win over North Brunswick

Disclaimer: All statistics are gathered from multiple public online sources. If someone is missing from this list, it likely means their coach has not updated statistics. All coaches are urged to do so no later than 11:59 pm on Sundays during the season.

See Higgins Speed Lab in action!

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 7 Somerville wins home finale, 40-28 over Plainfield on near 300-yard rushing night from Aidan Vesuvio-Bush

A strong regular season finish into the playoffs continued Friday night at Brooks Field in Somerville, where the seventh-ranked Pioneers won a bit of a see-saw battle – at least in terms of momentum – with visiting Plainfield, 40-28, in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The ‘Ville got a 288-yard rushing game from senior Aidan Vesuvio-Bush, who finished with three rushing touchdowns, and also added four catches for 76 yards.

The rest of the night went much better than his first touch, when Vesuvio-Bush fumbled on the first play from scrimmage trying to extend a long run. But Plainfield went three-and-out, and the Pioneers got the ball after a punt further up field than they had it on the prior possession.

Then the scoring began, as the teams totaled fifty first-half points.

The Pioneers got a 17-yard touchdown catch from Justin Bowen, but had the extra point blocked. Then Tylor Hunter caught a 17-yarder of his own, with a two-point conversion making it 8-6 Cardinals with 3:39 to go in the quarter. And Vesuvio-Bush answered on the next possession to make it 14-8, including a two-point conversion, with 40 seconds to go in the first.

On the ensuing kickoff, freshman Connor Kossowitz blooped one that was recovered about 20 yards downfield – in between two Plainfield players – by Shyheim Hobbs-Harris, setting up a drive that would end in a two-yard touchdown run by Bowen, making it 22-8 with another successful two-point try.

But Plainfield would get two of the next three scores, answering with a Kion Jones nine-yard TD catch, with Somerville busting off a 77-yard TD run out of a nothing play to keep it a two-score game 28-15. But the Cardinals got it right back with 61 seconds left in the half, on another nothing play run that turned out to be a 35-yard score on the ground by QB Devin Thomas. That left it 28-22 at the half.

After the break, Somerville slowed down its up-tempo, no-huddle offense, and that limited the possessions. They got a 34-yard touchdown catch by Justin Bowen – and a failed two-point run – to make it 34-22 with 9:22 to go in the quarter. Plainfield got it back – on a 16-yard strike from QB Devin Thomas to Tylor Hunter with 29 seconds left in the third, but they missed the extra point try with a bad snap, leaving it 34-28.

That’s when Somerville really ate the clock. They put together a 13-play, 5:16 long drive that only had to go 60-yards, with a steady diet of Vesuvio-Bush, who capped things with a one-yard touchdown run.

Somerville is now 7-1, winners of 5 straight heading into their regular season finale at Watchung Hills (3-5) next Friday night. Plainfield (3-5) will be at Linden, which was 2-5 heading into this weekend.

Click below to hear Justin Sontupe with postgame reaction from Somerville RB Aidan-Vesuvio Bush and head coach Matt Bloom, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Cranford strikes first, but No. 2 Somerville finishes off Cougars, extending Pioneers’ regular season win streak to 12

Cranford may have gotten on the board first, and had a lead at halftime, but the final 24 minutes belonged to Somerville.

The Pioneers got three touchdowns from senior Adian Vesuvio-Bush to get past visiting Cranford, 28-12, Friday night at Brooks Field in Somerville.

John Fiore – the son of former Elizabeth, Spotswood and Montclair coach John Fiore – scored the game’s first touchdown in the first quarter, putting the Cougars up 6-0, but they missed the extra point.. Vesuvio-Bush answered with a 42-yard touchdown run in the second to go up 6-7, but Cranford answered back by blocking a Pioneer punt, and bringing it back 32-yards for a touchdown.

The Cougars went for two, but the pass was incomplete, and they led 12-7 at the break.

After that, the Pioneers took over.

Vesuvio-Bush scored from two-yards out in the third quarter, and ran in a two-point conversion to put Somerville up by an even field goal, 15-12. He then ran another in from a yard out in the fourth to make it 21-12; the kick failed. And then, for insurance, sophomore James Hampton picked off a potential touchdown pass a couple yards deep into the end zone, and brought it all the way across the opposite goal line to secure a 28-12 victory.

The Pioneers – who are 2-0 and are on a 12-game regular season win streak – will play host to Montgomery (1-1) next Friday night, while Cranford (0-2) will play its third straight road game to start the season, visiting Carteret (1-0) next Friday night.

Click below to watch postgame reaction and highlights from Marcus Borden with Somerville head coach Matt Bloom, senior Aidan Vesuvio-Bush and sophomore James Hampton, presented by Sportsplext at Metuchen: