Tag: Aleks Sitkowski

by Mike Pavlichko

Aleks Sitkowski grabs Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week honors

Year in, year out, Westfield is consistently good, especially its defense.

That’s what makes what Watchung Hills senior quarterback Aleks Sitkowski’s performance against the Blue Devils on Sunday that much more impressive.

In a 34-20 road win last Saturday, Sitkowski passed 21-30 for 165 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing 13 times for 100 yards and two more scores.

He’s the first quarterback to pass and rush for over 100 yards each in a game against Westfield since Andrew Sanborn of Union threw for 178 yards and a touchdown, while running for 101 yards and a score on October 5, 2018. Sanborn also threw three picks in the game; Sitkowski threw none.

The victory has 6th-ranked Watchung Hills at 2-0 on the season, heading into a Week 2 matchup at North Hunterdon this Friday night.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Week One Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Aleks Sitkowski of Watchung HIlls:

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 we did last year, we will recognize a few “Honorable Mentions,” and include all other all nominees in our weekly story.

Honorable Mentions:

  • Terrell Mitchell, Somerville: The junior runningback scored three touchdowns in a 33-14 win over Old Bridge last Friday night. He had touchdown catches of 37 and 26 yards, while adding a 21-yard rushing score. Overall he had seven receptions for 98 yards, and seven carries for another 94 yards.
  • Quinn Esser, Spotswood: In a come-from-behind, 9-8 win at Belvidere on Friday night, the senior two-way lineman led the team with six tackles, then went in as the QB in the “heavy” package and capped the game-winning 99-yard touchdown drive with a short, four-yard trip into the end zone. He then helped run the clock out with a game-clinching four-yard gain for first down.
  • Aiden Woomer, Edison: The senior had 155 yards on three punt return opportunities – one of which went back 60 yards for a score – while also logging a one-yard touchdown run in a 57-0 win at JP Stevens last Thursday.
  • Derek Anderson, Woodbridge: The junior QB kept his team in a high-flying game, a 46-36 loss to Summit. He went 19-of-38 passing for 301 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for a score.

Other Nominations:

(in alphabetical order, by school)

  • Logan Ritchie, Bernards: In a come-from-behind win over Hillside, the Mountaineer two-way lineman paved the way. He had six tackles – half of them for a loss – on defense, while keeping his quarterback untouched on offense, registering three big pancake blocks.
  • Tyrece Parrot, Carteret: In a 42-7 win over arch-rival Perth Amboy, the senior QB was 11-for-14 passing for 240 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried six times for 34 yards and another score. (He had another rushing TD called back on a holding penalty.)
  • Jaeden Jones, Colonia: The star senior QB carried 11 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns – one for 58 yards – in a 21-12 win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood. He also threw a 19-yard touchdown. Then, on defense, as a safety, recorded 16 tackles, 12 solo.
  • Fire Anderson, Cranford: In a shutout win over North Hunterdon, 4-10 last Friday night, the senior runningback got the rock 26 times and racked up 190 yards with a long run of 25. His three touchdowns went for 10, 5 and 3 yards.
  • Luke Brogan, Delaware Valley: In a 27-9 victory over Roselle on Friday, he threw for 181 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 49 and two more. In addition to being involved in all four scores, he kicked two extra points in the game.
  • Jack Dally, Governor Livingston: In a 33-21 win Thursday afternoon over Johnson, the junior runningback had 15 carries for 217 yards and three scores – of 61, 60 and 43 yards. The 61-yarded gave the Highlanders the lead back for good, after trailing 21-20. On defense, at outside linebacker, he added seven tackles, five solo.
  • Na’quavere Thomas, Manville: In a 12-7 win at Brearley, the junior fullback carried nine times for 50 yards ad a touchdown, had two catches for 22 yards and a touchdown. On defense, at middle linebacker, he recorded 13 tackles, 9 solo, and had a fumble recovery.
  • Michael Schmelzer, Montgomery: In a 49-6 win against Franklin on Friday, the senior QB was 12-of-19 passing for 188 yards and three touchdowns – often extending many plays into big gains – while rushing twice for 32 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown run.
  • Jack Garbolino, North Brunswick: The Raiders’ season opener was a 38-6 success over South Brunswick in large part to the junior’s four catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns, and five rushes for 12 yards, also including a score. On defense, the linebacker picked up nine tackles and a TFL.
  • Michael Schroeck, North Hunterdon: The senior linebacker recorded 12 tackles in a 41-0 loss to Cranford last Friday.
  • Patrick Smith, South Plainfield: In a 26-7 win at JFK on Friday, the senior carried 20 times for 167 yards and a touchdown.
  • Chase Young, St. Thomas Aquinas: The junior runningback carried 14 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns – the longest of which was 54-yards – in a 41-0 win over New Providence on Friday.
  • Kordal Hinton, Union: In a 27-21 overtime win over Bridgewater-Raritan, the senior linebacker logged 21 tackles, 15 solo, and was big late in the game, ultimately carrying the ball 12 times from his runningback position for 132 yards and two scores.
  • Brandon Kurzeja, Voorhees: The senior runningback rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns, while also playing a monster game at linebacker in a 48-8 win against North Plainfield last Thursday, registering five sacks.
by Mike Pavlichko

Watchung Hills gets a big QB transfer as Aleks Sitkowski moves from Piscataway

Every year, dozens of high school kids move to a new town for one reason or another, but one of the biggest in Big Central high school football in the off-season is the move of Aleks Sitkowski to the Watchung Hills Regional School District.

The younger brother of Art Sitkowski – the former Old Bridge star who played for a couple of seasons for Rutgers before transferring to Illinois – Aleks played the last two seasons for Piscataway, but transferred out just before Christmas, Central Jersey Sports Radio has learned.

An Internet search shows an address for the Sitkowski family in Watchung.

The Twitter bio for Aleks Sitkowski says he’s now a member of the Watchung Hills football team. (Source: Twitter screenshot)

Watchung Hills head coach Rich Seubert says Sitkowski would have been eligible to play basketball, but decided not to play this winter. That apparently means Sitkowski would not have to sit out 30 days per NJSIAA rules since he would have a bonafide change of address. The NJSIAA is considering updated transfer rules in the near future, but they have not won final approval yet.

As a junior last year for the Chiefs, Sitkowski was 57-of-117 passing for 752 yards and six touchdowns and six interceptions on a team that primarily ran the ball, rushing for over 1,600 yards.

Advertisements

Two years ago – as a sophomore – playing all eight games in an 0-8 season following a full fall athletic department COVID shutdown in 2020, Sitkowski went 31-75 for 294 yards, two touchdowns and three picks.

Assuming he remains at Watchung – Sitkowski’s Twitter bio says he is a “Quarterback Class of 2024 at Watching Hills Regional High School” – he would figure to compete for a starting job after the graduation of senior Dylan Kelley and his 1,117 passing yards and seven TDs. The Warriors’ lone returning QB is Brendan Fenton, a full-time varsity player who only attempted one pass last year as a junior.

That means, at the moment, Sitkowski is the only varsity QB on the roster with any meaningful action under his belt.

by Mike Pavlichko

Piscataway notches huge win, 14-8 at No. 6 Sayreville behind Sitkowski, Hilliard

The Piscataway football team has now won five games this season, after going 0-8 last year following a DNP in the 2020 COVID season.

But this… this one may have been the victory to put Piscataway Chiefs football back on the map, as they beat No. 6 Sayreville 14-8 at War Memorial Stadium Friday night, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Piscataway carried a 7-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, thanks to a 64-yard touchdown run by tight end-turned-tackle-turned fullback Ossie Hilliard.

Sayreville got it back in the third quarter on a two-yard touchdown run by Caidan Holmes, and he ran it it for two to give the Bombers an 8-7 lead.

But Piscataway answered right back, capping off a nice drive with a one-yard Run by Antonio Rivera to go up 14-7, and the defense held the rest of the way in another P’way-Sayreville instant classic in one of Middlesex County’s great rivalries.

So, yes, this may be the one that restores the lustre to the Piscataway program.

Sitkowski finished 10-for-14 passing for 137 yards, while Hilliard had two carries for 64 yards and the touchdown as Piscataway improved to 5-2 on the season, while Sayreville fell to 4-3.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Piscataway quarterback Aleks Sitkowski, fullback Ossie Hilliard, and head coach Dan Higgins: