Senior runningback Luke Bubnowski scores all three touchdowns for third-seeded Bernards, as the Mountaineers outlasted sixth-seed Hanover Park, 21-20, in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 opening round, sending the Mountaineers to a sectional semifinal game for the third time in the last four seasons.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from Olcott Field in Bernardsville, NJ, on October 30, 2026:
In the end, it came down to the little things. It always does.
Third-seeded Bernards had three takeaways – two fumble recoveries and an interception – and came up with a monster defensive stand late in the fourth quarter to emerge with a 21-20 win over visiting sixth-seed Hanover Park Friday night at Olcott Field, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
And that sets up a date for the Mountaineers (7-2) next Friday at second-seed Hoboken (9-1), which beat seven-seed Ramsey in its opening round game, 49-14.
After a scoreless first half which went at a blistering pace with the Hornets controlling the time of possession, defensive back Zach Favreau came up with a goal line interception to end a long Hanover Park drive.
Bernards escaped a safety on the possession, and went three and out, but the punt only put the visitors on the Bernards 39, and 26 seconds into the second quarter, QB Vin Fusella hit Garrett Walters for a 15-yard touchdown pass to put his team up 6-0, after their two-point run failed.
But just three minutes later, Bernards answered with a Luke Bubnowski five-yard run that put the Mountaineers up 7-6 with the PAT, and that would be all the scoring in the first half, which also saw Sean Arcelay leave with an injury; he didn’t return.
Midway through the third, Bernards extended the lead to 14-6 on a 31-yard touchdown run by Bubnowski, but less than four minutes later, Jake Cosentino capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard run, and a Rocco Zirpoli two-point run tied the score at 14.
Into the fourth, Bubnowski scored his third touchdown of the game, on a three-yard run with 8:56 left. The PAT turned out to be critical, putting Bernards up 21-14.
That would be short-lived, as it took Hanover Park just 1:23 to go 50 yards on six plays, scoring on another Fusella-Walters connection, this time from 30 yards out, to cut the deficit to one. But the two-point run was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage by Bernards, allowing them to maintain a one-point lead.
The Mountaineers went three-and-out, and Hanover Park got the ball back, but came up with a huge defensive stand, with Bubnowski sacking Fusella at the 35 yard line with under three minutes to go.
All Bernards had to do was get one first down – even with Hanover Park holding on to two time outs – and they did, eventually going into victory formation for the “W.”
Bubnowski finished the game with 14 carries for 92 yards and three TDs for Bernards.
Click below for postgame reaction from Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau and senior RB/SS Luke Bubnowski, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
In its regular season finale, the Bernards football team took a Saturday Cutoff Weekend trip down to Summit, a team that’s usually very good, and always well-coached by Kevin Kostibos.
His predecessor was John Liberato, who spent seven seasons at the helm, with the Hilltoppers never missing the playoffs. They won two sectional titles in that span, in 2009 and 2012. And again, those teams had excellent coaching.
His son, Nick, has been the head coach at Hanover Park for the past two seasons, and his father is working under him as the offensive coordinator. Again, they’re well-coached, something Bernards mentor Jon Simoneau is very familiar with.
And that’s just one of the backdrops when the third-seeded Mountaineers and sixth-seeded Hornets meet Friday night in the opening round of the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 playoffs.
You can hear that game live Friday night at 7 pm, our Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central (Friday) Game of the week, with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Pregame starts at 6:40; click here to listen.
Bernards started the season with losses at Rutherford and at home to Cranford, which was unbeaten until this past weekend, when they lost to Hillside. But since then, they have won seven straight to come into the contest 7-2, and playing some of their best football all year.
Senior quarterback Nolan Walsh pilots the offense, throwing for 1,212 yards and 16 touchdowns this year, but he also is the team’s leading rusher, with 938 yards on 106 carries – that’s over 8.8 yards per carry – with 12 more touchdowns.
It doesn’t take a scientific calculator to figure out that’s 2,150 yards of total offense – 67 percent of the unit’s total yardage – and 28 of the team’s 37 touchdowns scored in 2026. We know, it’s mind-boggling.
But there’s a solid supporting cast, too, even if the team is senior heavy, with a small junior class. Luke Bubnowski has rushed for 402 yards and two touchdowns, while Sean Arcelay is Walsh’s top target, with 38 catches for 616 yards and nine scores, while Zach Favreau had 22 for 391 yards and six TDs.
On the defensive side, the Mountaineers have logged a whopping 13 picks on the season, five from Favreau, and four from Chase Hawthorne.
Every player mentioned above is a senior, making this an experienced group.
Hanover Park comes in at 5-4, after a 9-1 campaign last year, though they suffered a first-round defeat in this very section at the hands of Becton, 26-22.
This will be the first meeting with Hanover Park since a pair of tussles in the Eisenhower administration. Bernards won both: 46-0 in 1956 and 20-19 in 1957.
Those interceptions may not come in too handy on Friday night however, as the Hornets like to run the ball. They’ve only thrown for 666 yards this season, 500 from starting QB Vin Fusella, who has six touchdown passes to his credit, but seven interceptions.
The runningback room is balanced. Junior Mark Perillo leads the way with 582 yards ans six touchdowns on 126 carries, while senior Luke Morgese has 465 and five scores, and fellow senior Rocco Zirpoli has 285 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Click below to hear pregame interview with both head coaches:
St. Thomas Aquinas holds the Big Central Conference record for most consecutive league wins with 35, a streak that was snapped last season. That put Bernards in the catbird’s seat, and they entered 2026 just three wins away from tying that mark.
But the Mountaineers’ streak came to an end Friday, as Bernards dropped to 0-2 on the season, dropping their league opener at home, 31-24 to Cranford.
Of the top four active league win streaks, two came to and end this past weekend. Besides Bernards, Manville had a 12-game league stretch going, but the Mustangs lost their 2026 BCC opener as well, falling by a field goal at Brearley on Friday night, 21-18.
So who does that leave next?
New Providence now owns the league’s best current streak with 15 straight wins. They’re 1-0 this year, opening the season in fine form Thursday night, with a 27-7 home win over Voorhees, the first win for new head coach Anthony Conzentino. He took over for Chet Parelvecchio, Jr., who’s now the Defensive Coordinator at Delbarton. New Providence will look to extend that streak Thursday when they visit Johnson at 7 pm.
Next up is St. Joseph-Metuchen. The second-ranked Falcons have won nine-in-a-row, dating back to the start of last season, when they won all eight of their league contests. St. Joe’s will put that streak on the line Friday afternoon at 4 pm when they visit Gary Kehler Stadium in Westfield to take on the Blue Devils.
State leaders all from down South…
Around the state, Glassboro and Washington Township have the top two overall winning streaks, with no one else even close; that’s because they were thew only two non-Ivy teams (Super Football Conference squads with a “relief” schedule who are ineligible for the playoffs) to finish last year entirely undefeated.
Glassboro has won 29 straight; the Bulldogs are the two-time defending state Group 1 champions, and finished 13-0 in 2024, then 14-0 last year. They are off to a 2-0 start this season, their most recent win coming Friday at Mainland, 38-6. This week, they host Winslow at 6 pm Friday. The Eagles have won two straight state Group 4 titles, and 15 straight games, including their last 13 last season, and their first two this year, over Neptune and defending South Jersey Group 5 champion Kingsway.
In the regular season, Glassboro has won 21 straight – the best streak in the state – while Washington Township has won 13 regular season contests in a row.
As for losses…
The state’s longest active skid currently belongs to Dunellen, which will try and break it Friday when the Destroyers host Belvidere. Longtime mentor Dave DeNapoli stepped down after the 2024 season, and Phlip McGuane came in to take over, while also becoming the new AD in the middle of the school year. That turned out to be a transition year for football, with Kyle Baach becoming the head coach this off-season.
Dunellen dropped its opener at JP Stevens, 12-7, and they will have some opportunities to get off the schneid this season if they can develop what has always been a small group. Their last win came on October 19, 2023, a 34-28 win at Columbia Park over Brearley.
After that, it’s Orange and West Windsor-Plainsboro at 16, but the next two teams both snapped their skids last week. Long Branch had lost 14 straight, but is 1-1 now after a 51-0 win at Keansburg last Thursday. And Paterson Kennedy (an Ivy team) snapped its 13-game losing streak with a season-opening win at Ferris Saturday, 32-6.
The storm threat that wiped out much of Thursday night’s schedule in the Big Central Conference and across New Jersey meant a busy Friday in the league, with plenty of coverage from our Central Jersey Sports Radio team.
No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan dominated No. 8 Woodbridge up front on both sides of the ball in a 28-7 road win heard on CJSR, while Highland Park blanked New Brunswick 29-0 in another live broadcast heard on CJSR; it was the Owls’ first shutout win in 15 years, since a 37-0 victory at now-shuttered Cardinal McCarrick in South Amboy on Halloween 2011.
Meanwhile, Delaware Valley blanked North Hunterdon at home, 17-0, in a game covered by CJSR football analyst Marcus Borden.
Scroll through for other game recaps and interviews, plus all Friday night (and Thursday) scores, as well as the schedule for Saturday afternoon.
Highlanders score big in season opener over Dayton…
Coming off a 5-5 season, expectations are high for Governor Livingston, which returns a tremendous amount of talent. And nearly everyone got into the act Friday afternoon in a BCC crossover matinee against Dayton.
Five different players scored in a 40-27 win over visiting the Bulldogs, including a pair of touchdown runs for 38- and 16-yards from junior Mateo Liloia.
Junior Connor Jakubowski opened the scoring with a ten-yard touchdown catch courtesy of sophomore QB Colin Hughes, who was 7-of-11 for 122 yards and two touchdown passes. Elijah Garcia added 195 yards and a score on 30 carries.
The Highlanders led 13-7 after one quarter, 27-13 at halftime, and never trailed in the game.
Raiders pick up win in Game One after winless ’25…
Coming off a winless campaign in 2025, North Brunswick was all business in the preseason, and at least for the Raiders’ opener, everything clicked on all cylinders.
They beat Snyder out of Jersey City Friday night at home, 39-8, the Raiders’ largest margin of victory since a 43-7 win at East Brunswick in mid-October 2023. They finished 8-1 that year.
Senior Sal Fama-Linn scored three times, all in the first half, after Josh Jeanty scored the opening touchdown of the game on a run. Fama-Linn caught a 94-yard pass from QB Jasiah Hogans to make it 13-0, and added another TD run and a catch in the second quarter to give the Raiders a 27-0 lead at the break. They also got a TD run from Hogans, a field goal from Engels Coello, and recorded a safety.
Other Notes…
FRIDAY SCOREBOARD
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
THURSDAY SCOREBOARD
Most seasons, in most sports – at least as far as we’re concerned – are a crap shoot when it comes to preseason rankings.
It is, of course, impossible to get to see all 59 teams we cover in the Big Central Conference. There are scrimmages, but no true preseason games like in the pros. Coaches are going to talk up their teams, whether they were 1-8, 5-5, or 14-0 and state champs. Sometimes that 1-8 team will have a big turnaround, sometimes a sectional champ will lose a lot of players.
We do our best to weigh who’s coming back, and who graduated, but more often than not, we’ll give the top teams from the year before the benefit of the doubt: a place in the Top Ten is theirs to lose.
And of course, it’s never where you start, but where you finish. And rankings based on opinion are just that: opinion – no matter how objective we try to be.
Nevertheless, there’s a little bit of both in the 2026 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio High School Football Preseason Top Ten, starting at the top.
Phillipsburg opens the season at No. 1, coming off a 10-3 season a year ago in which they reached their fourth straight sectional final, and won their second straight North 2, Group 4 title. Though they’re expected (official classifications are not out yet) to bump up to Group 5 this year due to the “success formula” for open-enrollment and similar type schools, that doesn’t affect who they play in the regular season. They’ve got a bunch back, and should be solid again.
St. Joseph-Metuchen begins the year at No. 2, up one spot, coming off a very good 8-2 season in which they beat all eight of their Big Central Conference opponents before falling in their regular season finale to Donovan Catholic, and in the opening round of the playoffs to Bergen Catholic.
Old Bridge has lost some key talent, but the Knights are coming off a 10-2 season in which they were one of only two BCC schools in Group 3 or higher to win ten games. The Knights – who went to the Central Jersey Group 5 title game last year, will start the season at No. 3.
Right behind them at No. 4 is Piscataway, which was 8-3, and beat to Old Bridge in the regular season by a touchdown, but was knocked out of the playoffs in the sectional semis. The Chiefs, however, bring back an experienced group led by Landon Pernell at quarterback.
Checking in at No. 5 is Somerville. The Pioneers had a surprising early exit from the playoffs in the first round last year, but finished 8-2 and are expected to be right back in the mix for the division and a sectional title this year. At 20-3 over the past two seasons under Matt Bloom, with a Central Jersey Group 3 title in 2024, that’s the expectation every year, and they have the horses.
Checking in at No. 6 is last year’s North Jersey, Section 2 Group 4 champion, Bridgewater-Raritan. The Panthers were 6-3 heading into the playoffs last year, but won all three games in their section – including a thriller in the final against Bayonne – to claim their first-ever sectional title. Still, they face some significant losses, and they’ll work to earn their way back up in ’26.
Sayreville will begin the year at No. 7, taking a huge blow in the loss of Shaun Jackson, who led the Big Central in rushing each of the last two seasons. Still, that’s a program, and alum Mark Poore has done a great job his first two years, and they will remain in the mix this season.
Woodbridge – which will start at No. 8 – finished out of the Top Ten at the end of 2025, but coming off an 8-3 season in Year two under veteran mentor Joe Goerge – after going 10-1 his first year – we know the Barrons are well-coached, and that Goerge can adapt his offensive system to the talent he has, and there certainly is talent in the cupboard.
Summit checks in at No. 9, coming off a 9-3 season and a trip to the North 2, Group 3 final last year, where they lost to West Morris. They dealt with all kinds of injury adversity last year, and this well-coached program will again be highly-competitive.
Bernards comes in at No. 10, and another tremendous regular season, despite a firs-round playoff loss. The numbers speak for itself: The Mountaineers haven’t lost to a Big Central opponent since September of 2022, a defeat at the hands of Hillside. Since then, they have won 32 straight BCC contests, three shy of the record 35 set by St. Thomas Aquinas, which came to an end last year. Since the start of 2022, Bernards has an overall record of 40-5, by far the best in the league over that stretch.
Below is the complete 2026 preseason Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:
Junior quarterback Nolan Walsh was a thousand-yard passer last year, throwing 12 touchdowns against just three interceptions.
Top receiver Sean Arcelay – another junior – hauled in 25 passes for 470 yards and five touchdowns. And four of six non-QBs who carried the ball last year return as well.
Then, on the defensive side, the team’s leading tackler, Tyce Hanratty, has 86 tackles last year, along with two sacks, five TFLs, two forced fumbles, one recovery and two picks.
That would be enough to give any team championship aspirations, but for Bernards, hold the phone: there’s more.
Head coach Jon Simoneau says quarterback may be one of their deepest positions, while Walsh has only lost two games as a starter, and is a district wrestling champion to boot. Couple that with Hanratty giving up the chance to run the rock on offense to play up front instead, and Simoneau says, “how can you not be excited?”
That doesn’t mean there won’t be work to do.
Simoneau says one of the biggest priorities for Bernards is developing depth, with a very thin junior class. Never one to sit back, the veteran coach has been scouring the hallways looking for more 11th graders to help the cause. Now it’s time to put them to work.
Bernards also will enter the season with the longest active Big Central Conference win streak, having won 32 straight against BCC opponents. Their last loss in league play came on September 2, 2022, a 35-20 defeat at the hands of Hillside, and they’re just three wins shy of the all-time league mark, held by St. Thomas Aquinas.
If they’re to break it, it would come in Week Four, when they visit Delaware Valley. Should they keep winning, Hillside could be their potential 37th straight BCC win.
Click below to learn more about the Bernards Mountaineers in 2026 from head coach Jon Simoneau and senior offensive lineman/middle linebacker Tyce Hanratty with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko at Big Central Conference Media Day:
The United Silver Division of the Big Central Conference looked like it would be a tight race last season, and it was indeed. This year, North Plainfield and New Brunswick move to smaller school divisions, while Patriot Gold champion Bernards takes a step up into the division. And that could make this fun to watch.
Governor Livingston went 5-5 overall, but won the division at 4-0, with South Plainfield and JFK both finishing the year two games over .500 overall. Now, add in the Mountaineers, who have won 32 straight BCC games, and are three away from the all-time mark held by St. Thomas Aquinas, which had its streak snapped last season in a loss to fellow non-public Big Central rival St. Joseph-Metuchen. And they very well could have the horses to do it.
And give credit where credit is due: The Highlanders were 4-5 at the cutoff, while lesser teams made the playoffs in other sections, but they didn’t – partly a product of their schedule. The Big Central moving Bernards in – and New Brunswick and Hillside out – will help, even if they end up with a similar record again. And the same goes for South Plainfield and JFK, both of which were 6-4 and also failed to make the playoffs. The stronger schedule, even if they end up 5-5, should be a boost.
Here are the preliminary schedules for the United 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.
Governor Livingston Highlanders (5-5, 4-0, United Silver Division Champions)
Head Coach: Pete Ramiccio, 5th season (20-20)
Two tough season-opening losses last year were followed by three straight Division wins for the Highlanders, who were a young squad in 2025 and will come back with a ton of experience. Of their three biggest offensive players stat-wise, two were sophomores, and one was a freshman. The ninth-grader was QB Colin Hughes, who threw for 248 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Mateo Liloia went for 216 yards and a touchdown. Their top receiver was a sophomore, Parker Chatfield, who caught 15 passes for 157 yards, but GL did most of its damage on the ground, to the tune of 1,755 yards, led by soph Elijah Garcia, who carried 130 times for 806 yards and eight scores. The pump for the offense should be primed this year – and next. Chatfield also had three picks on defense in the secondary, as did sophomore Connor Jakubowksi, accounting for six of the team’s seven interceptions. And every single return man was as sophomore last year.
South Plainfield Tigers (6-4, 3-1, 2nd place United Silver)
Head Coach: Bill Hamilton, 6th season (25-24)
The young man the Tigers will miss most is Dominic Massaro, not just for his 1,165 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, but also his grittiness, physicality and leadership – the prototype South Plainfield football player. Freshman QB Lucas Habe didn’t have to do a lot last year, throwing for just 226 yards and 2 TDs, while the offense rolled off nearly 2,500 yards on the ground. And they have a defensive beast back in Aiden Noblecilla, who registered a whopping 16 sacks and 39 1/2 TFLs, as well as three forced fumbles and a recovery. Massaro’s six interceptions will be missed, but surely the Tigers will be solid on D. And they’ll have to fill Dom’s loss on special teams, where he returned six kickoffs for 161 yards and seven punts for over 300. The opener at Somerville will be a beast.
JFK Mustangs (6-4, 2-2, 3rd place United Silver)
Head Coach: Anthony Nyers, 1st season
Woodbridge alum Anthony Nyers leaders his Offensive Coordinator position at Westfield to take over the Mustangs program in his first head coaching job. But to listen to his former boss with the Blue Devils, he’s going to be just fine. “Our players immediately gravitated toward him,” Andzel told Central Jersey Sports Radio when he was hired in February. The Mustangs were a solid 6-4 last season, winning three games by shutout, splitting their four division games. But Nyers will have to find some key offensive replacements. All seniors, QB Richie Trotman threw for 1,387 yards, while Grant Lorentzen caught 55 passes for 1,221 yards and 22 touchdowns, and Fiheem Howell ran it 168 times for 1,058 yards. That was a shad under 80% of their offense, not counting other seniors who were in the mix. Rising senior Braylon Diaz will be a key part of the defense; he had four sacks, two forced fumbles and one recovery last season. But Lorentzen (3) and Howell (2) combined for five of the unit’s eight picks last season.
Bernards Mountaineers (9-1, 3-0, Patriot Gold Division Champions)
Head Coach: Jon Simoneau, 19th season (130-58)
Not only does Bernards bring in the second-longest win streak in the BCC at 32 games (the longest active streak), but the Mountaineers have won 34 straight regular season games. Their last defeat before either of those came on September 2, 2022 to Hillside, a 35-20 defeat. Since then, they have one sectional title (2024) in two trips to the finals (their second was last year.) And they should be loaded again, despite the loss of senior runningback Logan Stevens, who ran for 1,100 yards even last year and 14 touchdowns. But junior Patrick Carlisle (324 yards, 4 TDs) will be back to take the handoffs from returning QB Nolan Walks, who threw for 1,096 yards as a junior last season, while his favorite target, Sean Arcelay (25 catches, 470 yards, 5 TDs) also returns. Defense should be solid, too. Thomas Diemar – the school’s all-time sack leader with 22 – only played three games before a torn ACL ended his scholastic career, but others stepped up. Tyce Hanratty had two sacks and five TFLs as a junior, plus two picks, while junior Jordan Riley and sophomore Victor Nina combined for four sacks and 14 tackles for loss. No shortage of talent here, and few teams can match Bernards’ physicality.
The coaches from the Skyland Conference have unveiled their 2026 All-Division teams, honoring 139 players from across its four divisions, including the 14 Somerset County schools in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.
Here’s the full list of players honored, by division, with teams in alphabetical order:
SKYLAND CONFERENCE – DELAWARE DIVISION
First Team
Second Team:
Honorable Mention:
SKYLAND CONFERENCE – RARITAN DIVISION
First Team:
Second Team:
Honorable Mention:
SKYLAND CONFERENCE – VALLEY DIVISION:
First Team:
Second Team:
Honorable Mention:
SKYLAND CONFERENCE – MOUNTAIN DIVISION
First Team:
Second Team:
Note: The Mountain Division coaches did not choose any Honorable Mentions.
Both higher seeds advanced Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Somerset County Tournament, with 11-seed Bernards and 12th-seed Pingry both coming up with wins.
They’ll both move on the the second round, scheduled for Monday, with eight games on tap, and winners heading to Thursday’s quarterfinals, with all games at higher seeds.
(11) Bernards 13, (14) Bound Brook 3: In a ten-run rule walk-off, the Mountaineers (12-6) scored in every inning, including two in each of the first two innings, five in the third, one in the fourth, and three in the bottom of the fifth to end it when James Renz singled to left field, bringing in Casey Hocekele. Sean Arcelay had a 3-for-4 afternoon with a double, one RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored in a complete effort; seven different players drove in runs, with James Ferrante and Sonny Liranzo each knocked in in a pair.
On the mound, starter Landon Farmer went four innings, giving up three runs, only one of them earned. He also fanned six, then Tucker Gallagher pitched a scoreless fifth.
Bound Brook falls to 2-11.
Next up, Bernards will visit sixth-seed Hillsborough (7-9) Monday afternoon in the second round at 4 pm. It’ll be their first meeting since 2023, a meeting the Mountaineers won 5-0.
(12) Pingry 8, (13) Manville 1: The Big Blue (8-9) never trailed, scoring one in the second and three in the fourth before the Mustangs (7-9) could get on the board. Freshman Connor Lahey drove in two runs and scored once on a 3-for-3 day, while Langston McDonald also went 3-for-3 on the afternoon, and scored twice.
Zach Zaslow improved to 3-0 with the win, going the distance and scattering four hits over seven innings, giving up one unearned run, while striking out seven.
On Monday, Pingry will head to 5th-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (6-14). The two have not met since at least prior to 2008, the last year for which records are available online.
Here’s the Monday Somerset County Tournament second round schedule, with a look ahead to projected quarterfinal matchups on Thursday, all at higher seeds: