Tag: Belvidere

by Mike Pavlichko

Friday Night Big Central Roundup: Cranford stops Bernards’ long streak; Rahway upsets Summit; JP Stevens is 2-0 for first time in over two decades

There was a lot to talk about Friday night in the Big Central Conference, besides No. 3 Piscataway shutting down a very good Somerville offense in a big 28-14 home win over the No. 5 Pioneers, in the Bellamy & Son Paving Game of the Week.

Two of the three longest active league win streaks came to an end, Rahway had a big upset of No. 8 Summit at home, and JP Stevens is 2-0 for the first time in a long time.

Read on for game recaps and notes, audio, and links to other coverage, as well as the full slate of Friday night scores, plus Saturday’s games and coverage plans.

Rahway gets big win at No. 8 Summit…

After winning a wild opening game down at Willingboro in Week Zero, including lightning delays, things didn’t look to get any easier for Rahway in Game Two with eighth-ranked Summit coming to town.

But that didn’t daunt the Indians, who jumped out to a 14-0 lead, saw that advantage shrink to four, then pulled away for a 21-0 win over the Hilltoppers with an excellent defensive effort at Madden Field.

The win leaves Rahway 2-0 for the second time in three seasons as head coach Brian Russo returns to his old stomping grounds next Friday when the Indians take on Woodbridge (1-1), which rebounded off a season-opening home loss to Bridgewater-Raritan last Friday (heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio) with a 14-8 road win at Edison Thursday night.

They’ll be looking to avenge a 21-7 loss in the first round of last year’s North 2, Group 4 playoffs. Before that, Rahway had been 4-0 against the Barrons in three meetings from 1927 to 1929 and in 1915.

Click below for postgame reaction from Rahway head coach Brian Russo and Defensive Coordinator Troy Eastman:

Bernards, Manville see Big Central win streaks end…

It had been straight 32 Big Central wins for the Bernards football program heading into Friday night’s home game at Olcott Field against Cranford, and the visiting Cougars made sure that streak went no farther.

In the season opener for the Cougars, Aidan Capizzi threw touchdown passes to Luke Owens and John Fiore, Jr., to help power Cranford to a 31-24 win.

After a 24-7 lead shrunk to 24-21 in the third following a 15-yard Bernards TD catch by Sean Arcelay, and a 35-yard pick-six by Luke Bubnowski, Logan Murray’s 45-yard TD run for Cranford in the fourth gave them enough cushion to survive late field goal.

Bernards was within three victories of tying the league record for most consecutive BCC wins of 35, held by St. Thomas Aquinas. That streak ended last year.

The Mountaineers’ last Big Central loss had come on September 2, 2022, to Hillside, 35-20.

Click here for postgame reaction from Cranford head coach Erik Rosenmeier with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

But that wasn’t the only one that ended Friday night.

Manville – which had won 12 in a row against BCC competition, including its last five in 2024 and all seven last season – fell Friday night at Brearley, 21-18.

That leaves New Providence with the league’s top active win streak against BCC opponents. The Pioneers have won 14 Big Central games in a row, including their last five in 2024, all eight last season, and Thursday night’s league opener against Voorhees, 27-7.

Now, the second longest league win streak belongs to St. Joseph-Metuchen. The No. 2 Falcons host No. 6 St. Joseph-Metuchen at 1 pm Saturday. Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for live coverage, with a recap and postgame reaction to follow later on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Stevens in uncharted recent territory…

When the final horn sounded in North Edison Friday night, JP Stevens did two things it hasn’t done in a very long time: start a season 2-0, and win back-to-back regular season games.

To start, it’s the Hawks’ first 2-0 start since Frank Zarro was the head coach in 2003. That team beat North Brunswick, 14-7, in the season opener on September 12th, a date which seems quaint these days, with the season now starting in late August. they followed it up with a 35-7 win over Perth Amboy the following week. The started that season 3-0, and finished 6-4, with a North 2, Group 4 first-round playoff loss to Union, which lost to Piscataway in the finals at Giants’ Stadium, earning Dan Higgins his first of seven state titles.

Secondly – no pun intended – the 2-0 start gives JP its first back-to-back regular season wins since that same stretch in 2003. The Hawks have won consecutive games in a season only three times since – in 2006, 2009 and 2012, but all three included a “postseason” consolation game win.

Notes and Nuggets…

  • East Brunswick’s 2-0 start – after a 36-19 home win over North Hunterdon – also is its first in quite some time. The last time they did that, CJSR analyst Marcus Borden was the head coach. It was in 2009, and the Bears began the year 3-0, en route to an 8-4 season and a 9-0 win over Brick Memorial in the Central Jersey Group 4 final.
  • Piscataway’s Zaire Young finished with 268 rushing yards Friday night in a 28-14 win over Somerville, and volunteer Chiefs assistant John Thompson says that’s the fifth-highest single-game rushing performance in school history. The only four better: Kelvin Veras (289 vs. Old Bridge on October 16, 1998), Tyshnn Jackson (300 vs. Franklin on Thanksgiving, November 28, 1989), Juwon Jackson (303 vs. Edison on November 3, 2017) and Tevin Shaw (304 vs. Elizabeth in the North 2, Group 4 final on December 3, 2011). That also makes it the No. 2 rushing performance against a Somerset County school, as well as the fourth-best regular season rushing output in a game in program history.

FRIDAY SCORES:

  • #1 Phillipsburg 24, Emmaus (PA) 10
  • #3 Piscataway 28, #5 Somerville 14 (Recap with Audio)
  • #4 Old Bridge 49, Montgomery 21
  • Ridge 21, #7 Sayreville 7
  • Rahway 21, #8 Summit 10
  • #9 Elizabeth 43, Plainfield 20
  • #10 St. Thomas Aquinas 24, Westfield 20
  • Union 15, Watchung Hills 12
  • Monroe 28, Governor Livingston 7 (Coverage from Marcus Borden)
  • Metuchen 29, New Brunswick 0
  • Spotswood 51, JFK 13
  • East Brunswick 36, North Hunterdon 19
  • Brearley 21, Manville 18
  • South Brunswick 27, North Brunswick 19
  • Colonia 16, Franklin 14
  • Highland Park 27, Middlesex 0
  • South Hunterdon 35, South River 8
  • Cranford 31, Bernards 24
  • JP Stevens 21, Dunellen 7
  • South Plainfield 20, North Plainfield 10

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

  • #6 Bridgewater-Raritan at #2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 1 pm (Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates)
  • Roselle at Hillside, 1 pm

THURSDAY SCORES:

  • Hillsborough 21, Hunterdon Central 14 (Recap w/ Audio)
  • Dayton 43, Bound Brook 12 (Coverage from Marcus Borden)
  • Woodbridge 14, Edison 8
  • Belvidere 28, Roselle Park 27
  • Delaware Valley 34, Johnson 33
  • New Providence 27, Voorhees 7
  • Carteret 26, Perth Amboy 20
  • Linden 34, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 6

by Mike Pavlichko

Thursday Night Big Central Roundup: Hillsborough defense holds off Hunterdon Central; Dayton pours it on; Delaware Valley, Belvidere eke out wins

It was a rare busy Thursday night in the Big Central Conference, with eight games on the slate, highlighted by some great games.

Hillsborough beat Hunterdon Central, 24-21, in a game where all the offense came in the first half, and the game was essentially sealed on a pass break-up on fourth down near the goal line, while Belvidere and Delaware Valley both eked out one-point wins. And Dayton got five first-half touchdown passes from senior Adrian Bernknopf an route to a home blowout of Bound Brook.

Scroll through more details, all of Thursday’s scores, links to individual game stories, and the Big Central schedule for the remainder of Labor Day Weekend.

County Seaters get past Roselle Park…

Belvidere scored the first touchdown of the game, and the last, to come up with a 28-27 road win in Union County Thursday night. Elijah White’s 47-yard touchdown catch from QB Jake Enderley got the Seaters on the board first with 1:43 to go in the first quarter, but the Panthers tied it on a 52-yard touchdown run from Maxwell Griffin down the left sideline as time expired in the period..

They went up 13-7 on Nick Salas’ 52-yard touchdown run, but missed an extra point that turned out to be critical, and led 13-7 early in the second, before Belvidere scored twice before the half – on a Kaiden Drake three-yard run and another touchdown catch, this one five yards, by White – to take a 21-13 lead into the break.

Roselle Park got a 53-yard run for a touchdown by Nasir Cheston in the third quarter to open the second-half scoring, and Salas ran in a two-point conversion to knot the game at 21. Then, in the fourth, Cheston scored from 17 yards out, but again, the Panthers missed the PAT, leaving them up by six.

Kaiden Drake’s 53-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Jake Enderly then knotted the game, and White’s PAT gave Belvidere a 28-27 lead with 5:29 to go.

THURSDAY SCORES:

  • Hillsborough 21, Hunterdon Central 14 (Recap w/ Audio)
  • Dayton 43, Bound Brook 12 (Coverage from Marcus Borden)
  • Woodbridge 14, Edison 8
  • Belvidere 28, Roselle Park 27
  • Delaware Valley 34, Johnson 33
  • New Providence 27, Voorhees 7
  • Carteret 26, Perth Amboy 20
  • Linden 34, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 6

FRIDAY SCHEDULE:

  • #5 Somerville at #3 Piscataway, 6 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
  • #4 Old Bridge at Montgomery, 6 pm
  • #8 Summit at Rahway, 6 pm
  • #9 Elizabeth at Plainfield, 6 pm
  • Westfield at #10 St. Thomas Aquinas, 6 pm
  • Colonia at Franklin, 6 pm
  • Union at Watchung Hills, 6 pm
  • Governor Livingston at Monroe, 6 pm (Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates)
  • New Brunswick at Metuchen, 6 pm
  • Spotswood at JFK, 6 pm
  • North Hunterdon at East Brunswick, 6 pm
  • Manville at Brearley, 6 pm
  • South Brunswick at North Brunswick, 6 pm
  • #1 Phillipsburg at Emmaus (PA), 7 pm
  • Ridge at #7 Sayreville, 7 pm
  • South River at South Hunterdon, 7 pm
  • Middlesex at Highland Park, 7 pm
  • Dunellen at JP Stevens, 7 pm
  • Cranford at Bernards, 7 pm
  • South Plainfield at North Plainfield, 7 pm

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

  • #6 Bridgewater-Raritan at #2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 1 pm (Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates)
  • Roselle at Hillside, 1 pm

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Big graduation losses for Manville could level playing field in Freedom Silver Division

Just like some of the large school divisions, no change was made on the opposite end of the spectrum by the Big Central Conference when it comes to the Freedom Silver Division, which will keep the same six teams it had last year.

Manville is coming off a 10-1 season and a year in which it scored the first playoff win in school history, but they will see some significant graduation losses that could allow others to make a move. Bound Brook and Belvidere are coming off .500 seasons, while Middlesex will look to gain some ground, South Hunterdon has a new coach – but one who’s been with the program – and Dunellen will enter its second year with head coach Phlip McGuane, who took the post last season after longtime mentor Dave DeNapoli retired.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Freedom Silver Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication, along with a few notes on each squad. Division games are starred.

Manville Mustangs (10-1, 5-0, Freedom Silver Division Champions)
Head Coach: Dave Markowitch, 4th season (20-11)

  • Week 0: at Keansburg
  • Week 1: at Brearley
  • Week 2: Bound Brook*
  • Week 3: Dunellen*
  • Week 4: at South Hunterdon*
  • Week 5: Belvidere*
  • Week 6: Middlesex*
  • Week 7: Hillside
  • Week 8: at Dayton

It was a dominant year for the Mustangs in 2025, who went 10-1, beating Asbury Park for their first-ever postseason victory, before falling in the second-round at Burlington City. Manville posted four shutouts during the season, and never scored fewer than 31 points in league play. But, there are some big graduation losses, starting with senior quarterback Josh D’Ambrosio, who threw for 720 yards and nine TDs (with no picks!) while also rushing for 1,268 yards and 18 scores. No. 2 rusher Isaiah Bennett (925 yards, 17 TDs) also was the top receiver, with 262 yards and three TDs, but he’s also graduated. At QB, rising junior Aiden Johnson could get a shot. He threw just one pass last year, a 37-yard touchdown in a win over Highland Park. Senior tight end Collin Shimp is gone, too, and he was solid on the other side of the ball as well, logging three sacks and three TFLs last season. So is Evan Canica, who had three sacks and ten tackles for loss. But two freshmen who made an impact will return: linemen Levan Chankotadze (3 1/2 sacks, 8 TFLs) and Matthew Gorbatuck (3 sacks, 4 TFLS).

Bound Brook Crusaders (5-5, 4-1, 2nd place Freedom Silver)
Head Coach: Dave LePoidevin, 7th season (17-37)

  • Week 0: at Point Pleasant Beach
  • Week 1: Dayton
  • Week 2: at Manville*
  • Week 3: South Hunterdon*
  • Week 4: at Belvidere*
  • Week 5: Highland Park
  • Week 6: at Dunellen*
  • Week 7: Middlesex*
  • Week 8: Sussex Tech

The Crusaders are coming off their best season since the COVID-shortened year, when they went 5-2. Going 5-5 was a big step for Dave LePoidevin’s group, and they even made the playoffs, falling at Burlington City in the opening round. Rising senior Jayden Cruz should get a look at QB after the graduation of starter John Archer (829 pass yards and 7 TDs, 609 rush yards and 8 TDs), but he only threw one pass last year. The Brook also will have to replace top rusher Jake Markey, who carried 124 times (ten more than archer) for 910 yards and seven scores. But they will bring back top receiver, Zahmir Moore (22 catches, 347 yards, 4 TDs), for his senior season. The defense was very senior heavy, too, but Moore should continue to make an impact there, after logging three TFLs and three interceptions, including one for a touchdown last season. Rising junior Kayden Bailey (2 TFLs, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT) also could have an impact.

Belvidere County Seaters (5-5, 3-2, 3rd place Freedom Silver)
Head Coach: Jordon Schreffler, 5th season (16-23)

  • Week 0: at Hackettstown
  • Week 1: at Roselle Park
  • Week 2: at Dunellen*
  • Week 3: Middlesex*
  • Week 4: Bound Brook*
  • Week 5: at Manville*
  • Week 6: at South Hunterdon*
  • Week 7: at North Warren
  • Week 8: Delaware Valley

Primarily a running team, the Seaters should be set at the quarterback position, with sophomore Jake Enderley (457 yards, 8 TD) back for his junior year, with No. 2 Elijah White (162 yards, 1 TD) also back for his senior year. Top rusher Geoffrey Young is gone with his 729 yards and six touchdowns, but White could make an impact there, and on the receiving end, where he caught 10 passes for 157 yards, while rising senior Kayden Thorpe also is back at wide receiver, with 14 catches for 141 yards and two scores last season. Defensively, the loss of senior lineman Brayden Duckworth (5 sacks, 1 TFL) will have an impact, but sophomore Nick Muha (5 sacks) should make a bigger impact now as a junior, while White also had two picks and a fumble recovery playing defensive back last season.

Middlesex Blue Jays (2-8, 2-3, 4th place Freedom Silver)
Head Coach: Robert Swercheck, 3rd season (8-12)

  • Week 0: at New Providence
  • Week 1: at Highland Park
  • Week 2: South Hunterdon*
  • Week 3: at Belvidere*
  • Week 4: at Dunellen*
  • Week 5: Roselle Park
  • Week 6: Manville*
  • Week 7: at Bound Brook*
  • Week 8: JP Stevens

The Blue Jays struggled last season, but were young, with a sophomore QB in Matthew Petti, Jr., who threw for 681 yards and seven touchdowns, while top rusher Gerard Boateng – also just a tenth-grade – rushed 70 times for 343 yards and two more scores. The experience should pay off there, and in the receiving unit. The top defensive players were a bit more senior-heavy, so Swerchek will have to work on that, looking to younger players like defensive back Tyler Orts, who ha d a TFL, two forced fumbles/recoveries and two interceptions last season. There’s talent, and Middlesex should be improved this season.

South Hunterdon Eagles (1-7, 1-4, 5th place Freedom Silver)
Head Coach: Kyle Hart, 1st season

  • Week 0: New Hope
  • Week 1: South River
  • Week 2: at Middlesex*
  • Week 3: at Bound Brook*
  • Week 4: Manville*
  • Week 5: at JP Stevens
  • Week 6: at Belvidere*
  • Week 7: Dunellen*
  • Week 8: OPEN

The first new coach out in Lambertville in 16 years, Hart’s No. 1 job is to increase numbers in the program, part of what led to a one-win season last year. But he played for the Eagles, and has spent the last several years working under Jefferis, so he’s intimately acquainted with the scenario out there. The bright side is their QB last year, Tucker Hicks, was a junior. he threw for 284 yards and a touchdown last year, while top rusher Kellen Healy (119 carries, 541 yards, 5 TDs) is back for his junior year. Their defense was young, too, and will be more experienced in 2026. That includes freshman Brendan Paciulli (3 sacks), freshman Tommy Silagy (1 sack, 2 TFLs) and Healy, who had two interceptions, one for a touchdown. The Big Central notes Week 8 is open with the possibility of picking up an NJIC squad later in the year.

Dunellen Destroyers (0-9, 0-5, 6th place Freedom Silver)
Head Coach: Phlip McGuane, 2nd season (0-9)

  • Week 0: at Metuchen
  • Week 1: at JP Stevens
  • Week 2: Belvidere*
  • Week 3: at Manville*
  • Week 4: Middlesex*
  • Week 5: at South River
  • Week 6: Bound Brook*
  • Week 7: at South Hunterdon*
  • Week 8: OPEN

The Destroyers were shut out four times last year, and scored in double figures just once, but the team was young. Never a big passing team, they only managed 90 passing yards and just a shade over 700 yards on the ground as a team, but Dunellen also was young. Of the three quarterbacks on their roster to play, two were sophomores and one was a freshman. Of eleven players to rush the football, only three were seniors. That could bode well for the program as many will be back, with another year experience under their belt. On defense, they’ll miss seniors line linebackers Kahbir Casey (3 1/2 sacks, 10 TFLs) and Jackson Portik (1 1/2 sacks, 14 TFLs), but freshman lineman Colin Reynolds had seven TFLs, and sophomore Ben Howard had 12, so the cupboard isn’t bare. Again, they’ll look to bank on a baptism by fire in 2025 to make 2026 a more successful season.

by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Group 1 Playoff Update: New Providence still has good shot at No. 1 seed, but may need help; can Brearley make it with a win?

It’s Cutoff Weekend in New Jersey high school football, and we’re taking a look at the playoff scenarios for every Big Central team in contention.

This week, Strength Index values are locked in, and out-of-state opponent SI values also have been updated by Gridiron New Jersey, which does all the official calculations of the NJ UPR formula for the NJSIAA. And we’ve double- and triple-checked our own standings to make sure they match with Gridiron’s.

We’ll have another update to the standings after Friday night’s games – yes, there are Thursday games, but none in the BCC, and we’ll only update if there are significant changes.

And, of course, Central Jersey Sports Radio will have its annual “Playoff Projection Show,” airing LIVE on Saturday at 6 pm. Mike Pavlichko hosts with analyst Marcus Borden, and they’ll run through all the projected brackets. Plus, you’ll hear from some of the league’s coaches as well.

Here’s our breakdown of the Group 1 supersections. We won’t be getting into how the brackets look just yet, but we’ll do that with our update after Friday night’s Week 8 action. Click the supersection header to see the official standings on Gridiron New Jersey.

NORTH GROUP 1

  • New Providence: The Pioneers sit in a good position, but aren’t guaranteed a top seed, even with a win Saturday against at Delaware Valley (5-3) Friday night. They don’t appear to have a path to the overall No. 1 seed, but we think they also need losses by both Hasbrouck Heights and Mountain Lakes to stay second overall, and get the top seed in North 2, Group 1. They should be in that section regardless, but we think if either Hasbrouck Heights or Mountain Lakes win, they’ll finish third overall, and be the No. 2 seed in their section. If both win, they’ll end up fourth. With a loss by New Providence, we still think the lowest they could end up is fourth.
  • Brearley: The Bears sit in 18th, and a loss at Dayton (6-1) Saturday would actually push them up to 16th, but a Boonton (4-3) win at Cedar Grove (5-3) the night before would eliminate them. It doesn’t appear anyone else would be able to bump them, so Brearley will be watching the scoreboard Friday night. In that scenario, they’d be two full UPR points out of 16th, and it’s unlikely some random quirk somewhere else would allow them in. A loss appears to eliminate them, with no way to get closer to 16, even with help.
  • Belvidere: Starting the week at 20, it looks like even a win over Middlesex (2-6) would leave them shy of 16th place. We believe they County Seaters are out.

SOUTH GROUP 1

  • Manville: The Mustangs – even with an 8-0 record – are a “true” No. 12; we call as team “true” when their power point rank, OSI rank and UPR are all the same. (Some teams can be 8th in one metric, 12th in another, and be 10th in UPR.) In any event, Manville has a big window, and there could be lost of different scenarios here. Friday night, they play a resurgent Bound Brook team that’s 5-3. It’s on the road, and for the Freedom Silver Division title, as if they needed more motivation! We think their range is eight to 12, maybe 14, if they were to lose to the Crusaders and have a lot of results break the wrong way. But it’s too early now to tell how all the different scenarios could shake out.
  • Highland Park: The Owls are in 15th, and oh-so-close to making the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Unfortunately, we think that streak is going to continue, since Highland Park (2-5) has a road game at South River Saturday, and the winless Rams are 0-8. Even a win would drop them to 18, and it’s unlikely there’s enough help to get them in. We believe the Owls are out.
  • Bound Brook: While the Crusaders are three spots behind Highland Park, they have a much stronger opponent in Manville (8-0) Friday night. They should be in with a win, as there are big-time power points at stake, but the Mustangs are such a strong opponent, it’s possible Bound Brook has a path to the field of 16 even with a loss.

by Mike Pavlichko

Belvidere’s big year deserves an encore; can the County Seaters make it even bigger in 2025?

While Highland Park may have been Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Turnaround Team of the Year in 2024, winning six games last season after going 1-51 from 2017 through 2023, you could have put Belvidere down as “1b” in that category just looking at one year to the next.

Jordon Schreffler’s team went from 0-9 in his debut season at the tiny Warren County school to 3-7 in 2023, and then 8-2 last year, a truly impressive five-win improvement. The Seaters’ only regular season loss came to Boonton in their opener, and they made the playoffs, falling to Verona in the opening round of the North 2, Group 1 bracket.

The numbers were impressive: 1,230 passing yards from quarterback Kyle Blew, who threw for 22 touchdowns. Mason Chamberlain racked up a team-high 36 catches for 400 yards and seven touchdowns, while the ground game put together a 1,116-yard season, led by 316 yards and two TDs from Julian Dorfman in a runningback-by-committee situation.

All of them are seniors, though, and gone for 2025, as are a few key others, but Schreffler likes what he has back. That includes Elijah White, a sophomore wide receiver who only had 19 catches a year ago, but outdid Chamberlain by 21 yards (421 total) on the receiving end. He also had seven runs for 53 yards.

And then there are seniors Brayden Duckworth and Geoffrey Young, who Schreffler had with him at Big Central Media Day back on August 7th.

Both were freshmen in Schreffler’s first season. Duckworth is a two-way lineman, while Young plays offensive line and linebacker. And that could be an indication of where Belvidere’s strength lies: line play.

Three of their five starters up front on D are back, while the entire offensive line returns. Defensively, Young racked up five sacks last season, two fumble recoveries including a scoop-and-score, and an interception, while Duckworth had three sacks, 84 total tackles, and also logged two fumble recoveries, one for a touchdown.

Click below to hear Belvidere head coach Jordon Schreffler and seniors Brayden Duckworth and Geoffrey Young talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko at Big Central Media Day:

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: Freedom Silver Division

Our second divisional preview this season is the Freedom Silver, another six-team grouping of some of the Big Central Conference’s smaller schools.

It was a big rebound year for Belvidere, which finished 8-2 to win the Freedom Silver, following a 3-7 campaign in 2023. The County Seaters again are loaded, and should be right there again this year, but Middlesex could very well challenge them. The Blue Jays have some holes to plug, but the cupboard is far from bare, and they should be in the mix.

So should Manville, which completely flipped the script in 2024, reversing from a 3-7 year in 2023 to 7-3 last season. They’re loaded on defense.

South Hunterdon is coming off a .500 season, but should also factor into the mix, with players like senior runningback McCade Cummings back for another year.

Bound Brook will look to take a step up after a tough 2024, but with some key players returning, and Dunellen will look to rebound from a winless season with a new head coach, Phlip McGuane.

Click below to hear our preview of the Freedom Silver Division from Big Central Conference Media Day:

Belvidere wins the Big Central Central Freedom Silver Division title over Middlesex.
by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Top Freedom Silver teams Belvidere, Middlesex, Manville all lose key senior standouts

After an 0-9 debut season and a 3-7 campaign in 2023, Belvidere shot to the top of the pile in the Freedom Silver Division, but they – like many others – will have to deal with some big losses. Kyle Blew was great last season for the County Seaters, as was Naquavere Thomas at Manville, Dom Parenti at Middlesex, etc., etc. The question is whether the supporting casts – solid in their own right – will be able to take it to the next level with whoever fills those shoes.

South Hunterdon loses a lot, while Dunellen and Bound Brook are looking to improve from tough seasons; the Destroyers went winless but have a new head coach and some talent coming back, while Bound Brook is coming off a one-year campaign, and faces some significant losses.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Freedom Silver Division teams – in alphabetical order – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge. Please note game dates and times may be changed without notice as the season approaches. Division games marked with an asterisk (*).

Belvidere County Seaters (8-2, 5-0, Freedom Silver champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Jordan Schreffler (11-18, 2nd season)

  • Week 0: Hackettstown (Thurs, 7p)
  • Week 1: at North Plainfield
  • Week 2: at Manville*
  • Week 3: Dunellen*
  • Week 4: at Bound Brook*
  • Week 5: Dayton
  • Week 6: South Hunterdon*
  • Week 7: North Warren (Sat, 1:30p)
  • Week 8: at Middlesex*

Head coach Jordan Schreffler’s first two seasons – 0-9 and 3-7 – were a slow, but steady build to last year’s Freedom Silver championship, sweeping their five divisional games. But it will be tough to replace senior QB Kyle Blew, who threw for 1,230 yards and 22 touchdowns with just five picks on the season. All but 115 of 1,116 yards on the ground came from seniors last year, so that will have to be replaced as well. Top receiver Elijah White (421 yards, 11 TDs) returns. Two big rising seniors are back on defense, including DL Brayden Duckworth (3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, one for a TD) and LB Geoddrey Young *5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 for a score and 1 INT). Kardin LaBar – a sophomore linebacker – also could play a big role; he had two sacks and two fumble recoveries a year ago.

Bound Brook Crusaders (1-8, 1-4, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Dave LePoidevin (12-32, 6th season)

  • Week 0: North Warren (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 1: JP Stevens
  • Week 2: at Dunellen*
  • Week 3: South Hunterdon*
  • Week 4: Belvidere*
  • Week 5: at Spotswood (6p)
  • Week 6: at Middlesex*
  • Week 7: at New Providence
  • Week 8: Manville*

It could be another tough year for the Crusaders, depending on who’s waiting in the wings. Senior quarterback Jeremiah Norwood (698 pass yards, 5 TDs; 336 rush yards, #2 on the team, 5 TDs) is gone, as top rusher Andy Perpignan (536 yards, 1 TD). Same with the receivers, where the biggest impact player back is junior John Archer (7 receptions, 179 yards, 1 TD). The defense was mostly young in 2024, with some key seniors gone, too, but last year’s experience could pay off here.

Dunellen Destroyers (0-10, 0-5, 6th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Phlip McGuane (1st season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Highland Park
  • Week 2: Bound Brook*
  • Week 3: at Belvidere*
  • Week 4: Middlesex*
  • Week 5: at Roselle Park
  • Week 6: at Manville*
  • Week 7: Dayton
  • Week 8: South Hunterdon*

After a 5-4 season in 2023, but a some key talent graduating, the Destroyers suffered through a winless season, and longtime head coach Dave DeNapoli retired from coaching. But he’s staying as Athletic Director, and brought in longtime boro resident Phlip McGuane. Don’t expect major changes to the double-wing scheme on offense, especially with DeNapoli still in the building able to lend a hand, if needed. Senior QB Mark Stein graduates, as does top rusger Jose Marin (513 yards, 5 TDs), but juniors Jamael Davis (RB, 410 yards, 4 scores) and TE Kahbir Casey (289 rush yards, 2 TD) should make in impact in their senior years. Freshman DL Ben Howard came up big last year with three sacks and seven TFLS, best among returnees.

Manville Mustangs (7-3, 3-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Dave Markowitch (10-10, 3rd season)

  • Week 0: at Keyport (Sat, 12p)
  • Week 1: at Hopatcong (6:30p)
  • Week 2: Belvidere*
  • Week 3: Middlesex*
  • Week 4: at South Hunterdon*
  • Week 5: at JP Stevens (Sat, 4p)
  • Week 6: Highland Park
  • Week 8: at Bound Brook

The Mustangs will lose a lot with the graduation of Naquavere Thomas, an all-over-the-field player who lead the team in rushing and receiving yards last year, with 947 yards and 13 scores on the ground, plus another 213 and two touchdowns through the air. But QB Josh D’Ambrosio is back. Not only did he throw for 453 yards and four scores last year, but he also ran for 764 yards and 13 touchdowns, while junior Isaiah Bennett chipped in with 489 yards and eight scores. Bennett also contributed defensively with a pick, three sacks, and four TFLs last season. Manville should be right in the thick of things again this season.

Middlesex Blue Jays (6-4, 4-1, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Bobby Swerchek (6-4, 2nd season)

  • Week 0: at Spotswood (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 1: at Roselle Park
  • Week 2: South Hunterdon* (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 3: at Manville*
  • Week 4: at Dunellen* (6p)
  • Week 5: New Providence
  • Week 6: Bound Brook*
  • Week 7: at FJK
  • Week 8: Belvidere

It could be a bit of a rebuild year for what was a very veteran Blue Jays team that played some solid football in 2024 under first-year head coach Bobby Swercheck. Senior QB Dom Parenti (1,013 yards, 14 TD, just 3 INTs) graduates, as do all three triple digit runningbacks from last season – Parenti, Jax Jarvis and Jack Killian) as well as all but one receiver, Julian Sameuls, who caught 20 passes for 371 yards and three scores as a junior. The defense may be a little better off and could keep Middlesex in some games. Junior Blake Wilkins (3 sacks, 3 TFLs) should contribute as a senior, and sophomore JoJo Pham had a solid varsity campaigm, with a sack, two TFLs, a forced fumble, and an interception last season.

South Hunterdon Eagles (4-4, 2-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Toby Jefferies (72-74, 26th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: Dayton
  • Week 2: at Middlesex* (Thurs, 7p)
  • Week 3: at Bound Brook*
  • Week 4: Manville*
  • Week 5: Brearley
  • Week 6: at Belvidere*
  • Week 7: Spotswood
  • Week 8: at Dunellen*

Gone is senior Ed Cooper, who rushed for 1,185 yards and 17 touchdowns last year, accounting for all but three of the touchdowns the Eagles scored last season. Someone will have to replace those numbers, and that will be the challenge for Toby Jefferies, the veteran coach of this bunch. He’s dealt with the cyclical nature of high school sports before. They had a couple of nine-win seasons in 2013 and 2014, then went 22-7 over three years from 2021 through 2023, before going .500 last season. Which way will they swing in 2025?

by Mike Pavlichko

Belvidere runs the rock to run the clock in Week 8 Chris’ Auto Body “Drive of the Week”

Thanks to our newest sponsor, Chris’ Auto Body of Lambertville and New Hope, we have a new segment this football season on Central Jersey Sports Radio: “The Chris’ Auto Body Drive of the Week.”

Each week, we’ll pick the best drive from the previous weekend’s games, as shot by our high school football analyst Marcus Borden. And you’ll be able to watch the drive right here on cjsportsradio.com.

This week, it’s Belvidere, which capped an 8-1 regular season with a 34-26 win over Middlesex. After the County Seaters took a 20-0 lead in the second quarter, the Blue Jays got on the board with their first score, then found the end zone three more times in the third quarter to take a 26-20 lead. Belvidere then got a fumble recovery for a score by Mason Chamberlain, followed by a two-yard TD run by Kyle Blew in the fourth quarter to take an eight-point lead, and late in the game, needed to control the clock to run it out. And that they did, earning a tough fourth-down conversion in the final minute to go into victory formation.

Click below to watch the “Chris’ Auto Body Drive of the Week” for Week Eight:

by Mike Pavlichko

“The Big Central in 2 Minutes” – The Playoffs!

It’s Playoff Time! There will be 28 Big Central Conference public schools in action this weekend in the postseason, and we take a look at key notes, favorites and more heading into the opening weekend of the sectional playoffs.

CJSR veteran reporter Mike Pavlichko takes a closer look at all that and much more on this week’s edition of “The Big Central in Two Minutes!”

Click below to listen to the playoff edition of “The Big Central in Two Minutes”:

by Mike Pavlichko

Saturday Big Central Roundup: Hunterdon Central dominates East Brunswick, Old Bridge falls to Morristown, Belvidere stays red-hot

A beautiful Saturday in Central Jersey – with bright, sunny skies and temperatures in the mid- to upper-70s throughout the state – was the perfect backdrop for some matinee high school football in Week Five of the season.

In our Saturday “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio, Metuchen snapped a two-game losing streak and beat Highland Park at home, 29-0. Meanwhile Watchung Hills stopped South Brunswick at home, shutting out the Vikings 33-0 to improve to 5-1.

We take a look at some of the other key matchups from the day below:

Hunterdon Central 28, East Brunswick 8: The Red Devils got three touchdown passes and a touchdown run from Drew Cella en route to a shutout win over the visiting Bears in Flemington.

Cella hit James Mongno from 48-yards out after a scoreless opening 12 minutes, then Nick Vasquez caught an 11-yard pass from him to make it 14-0 at the break.

Hunterdon Central hosts East Brunswick on October 5, 2024. (Source: Hunterdon Central Television Live on YouTube)

And after a scoreless third, Cella ran for a two-yard score, then threw a 56-yard pass to nick Vasquez to make it 28-0.

East Brunswick scored in the final minute and completed a two-point conversion pass to make the final 28-8.

Cella finished 9-of-14 for 196 yards, while Giovanni Veliz ran for 117 yards on 16 carries.

Hunterdon Central improves to 4-2 with the win and will host Ridge (4-1) in an American Silver Division matchup next Thursday night. East Brunswick drops to 1-5 and will host Piscataway (4-2) Thursday night.

Morristown 14, Old Bridge 7: In a rare mid-season non-conference matchup, Old Bridge went up to Super Football Conference territory and lost 14-7 at Morristown.

The Knights’ lone score came on a Brody Hunt touchdown pass to Jaden Griffith.

Old Bridge takes a trip Thursday to Monroe for a Big Central National Gold Division battle of 3-3 teams.

Belvidere 35, Dayton 7: The County Seaters improved to 5-1 and are on a five-game win streak after starting the season with a loss, following a 35-7 win over Dayton. The Bulldogs were the first team to score against Belvidere in four games, having pitched shutouts in their last three against Manville, Dunellen and Bound Brook. They have allowed just 27 points in six games this season.

It’s also Belvidere’s best start under third-year head coach Jordan Schreffler, whose team had an 0-9 season in his debut year of 2022, and was just 3-7 a year ago.

The last time the Seaters won five games in a season was a 5-4 year under Jeff Kolodziejczyk in 2019. It’s their best start since 2016, when they opened 3-1, and went 7-1 heading into the playoffs before getting knocked out in the North 1, Group 1 first round by New Milford.

Other Saturday scores:

  • Johnson 41, Governor Livingston 13
  • Hillside 46, Roselle 12
  • Linden 13, Montgomery 10