Tag: Big Central

by Mike Pavlichko

Joe Goerge departs South Brunswick, is approved as new Woodbridge football coach

After two seasons in a second stint at South Brunswick, Joe Goerge is heading up the Turnpike to become the next head coach of the Woodbridge football program.

The veteran mentor’s hire was approved by the Woodbridge Board of Education Thursday night.

The 69-year-old Goerge takes over from Joe LaSala, who handed in his resignation on March 26th after six seasons where the Barrons went 37-20, with a trip to the North 1, Group 4 title game in 2019.

Goerge led the Vikings to unprecedented success in his first go-round in Monmouth Junction, a seven-year tenure that ran from 2012 to 2018, including a 63-17 record and the only three state titles in program history. He spent a year as an assistant at Matawan before taking a head coaching job on Staten Island, where he began his career before coming to Franklin, where he won state titles in 1994 and 1996.

South Brunswick put together back-to-back 5-5 seasons under Goerge, who took over for John Viotto, who ironically replaced Goerge after he stepped down following the 2018 season.

Though the hire is late in the calendar – many coaching departures take place closer to the end of the season in December, with hires typically coming soon after – Goerge will hit the ground running with a ton of talent back and great facilities.

The Barrons return starting quarterback Derek Anderson, who last year threw for 1,750 yards and 21 touchdowns. Two of their top three rushers return, in Jamier Beal (593 yrds, 6 TD) and Kyle Anderson (328 yds, 6 TD), while top receiver Bryan Anderson (30 catches, 524 yds, 4 TD) is also back. All are seniors.

On defense, the top three tacklers are all back: Bryan Anderson (65 tackles, 5 TFLs, 3 INT) and Jose Tejierio (64 tackles) – both seniors – and Ian Roberts (68 tackles, 1 fumble recovery), who will be a junior.

All that said, South Brunswick now is in the market for a nearly-immediate hire late in the school year, and has already posted for the job.

Click below to hear Joe Goerge talk about becoming the new Woodbridge football head coach:

by Mike Pavlichko

Joe LaSala talks his exit from Woodbridge, building lifelong connections with Barrons

The news began circulating less than a week ago, making the rounds privately at first, then publicly on social media as current and former players chipped in their praise, plaudits, sadness and disappointment.

By Wednesday morning, it was out: Joe LaSala had resigned at Woodbridge after six seasons. It was news that came as a shock to many.

The 34-year-old was 37-20 during his tenure, taking Woodbridge all the way to the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 title game in 2019. Their run ended there, losing to Northern Highlands, which won its first of three straight sectional titles.

And even when the Barrons weren’t making a championship game, LaSala’s teams were always competitive. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Woodbridge faced off against Somerville in a battle of undefeated teams in the first week of post-season pods, and it was a “must attend” event, even if crowds were still limited to 1,500 fans at that point in the pandemic.

Still, to read the comments from players – present and past – on social media, clearly LaSala valued more than wins and losses during his time in red and black, at a rival to his alma mater, Colonia.

Rumors swirled about how and why it could all happen, but LaSala – in a one-on-one interview with Central Jersey Sports Radio – says ultimately, it was all his decision, and it was the right time.

And he’s looking forward to spending more time with his 15-month-old daughter Olivia and his wife Olivia. Now, who could blame him for that?

LaSala says he takes away a lot of memories, and a lot of friendships, whether with former or current players, still keeping in touch with many. He’ll surely surface somewhere else, at some point. Any program would be lucky to have someone as dedicated.

But for now, he says, he’ll surely enjoy time with his family.

Click below to listen to Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Joe LaSala:

by Mike Pavlichko

Woodbridge coach Joe LaSala steps down

After six seasons at the helm of the Woodbridge football program, head coach Joe LaSala resigned last night, confirming the news this morning to Central Jersey Sports Radio.

LaSala says he plans to meet with with his team on Friday to talk about his decision.

“I’ve worked every single day for the last six years, and just recently had my first daughter,” LaSala said.

LaSala was 37-20 in his time as the Barrons’ head coach. Debuting with a 5-5 season in 2018, Woodbridge followed that up with a 10-1 campaign in 2019 – its best season under LaSala – which featured a trip to the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 finals. The Barrons lost in the title game at Northern Highlands.

LaSala played high school ball at Colonia – one of three high schools in the Woodbridge school district – for his father, Ben LaSala, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Next year’s team will bring back starting quarterback Derek Anderson, who last year threw for 1,750 yards and 21 touchdowns. Two of their top three rushers return, in Jamier Beal (593 yrds, 6 TD) and Kyle Anderson (328 yds, 6 TD), while top receiver Bryan Anderson (30 catches, 524 yds, 4 TD) is also back. All are seniors.

On defense, the top three tacklers are all back: Bryan Anderson (65 tackles, 5 TFLs, 3 INT) and Jose Tejierio (64 tackles) – both seniors – and Ian Roberts (68 tackles, 1 fumble recovery), who will be a junior.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big-name universities aren’t the only ones not thrilled with expanded Friday night college football coverage coming this fall

Earlier this month, FOX Sports announced it will air a package of college football games on Friday nights, involving teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Mountain West Conferences. But the news didn’t exactly draw rave reviews from everyone.

The goal for FOX is to take advantage of what has generally been an open time slot. Typically, Friday night games might happen early in the season or the day after Thanksgiving. But the new package will be for the entire season, though no matchups have been announced.

Still, some schools aren’t thrilled. And neither is the NFHS, the National Federaton of State High School Associations.

Writing on the NFHS website this week, in a post called “The NFHS Voice,” Dr. Karissa Niehoff – the organization’s CEO – has come out against the plan.

“On any given Friday night in the fall, there are about 7,000 high school football games being played in communities throughout our country,” she writes. “But they are more than just ‘games’ – they are symbols of school and city pride and prime opportunities for people to stand together while cheering on their hometown squads. Simply put, FOX’s plans stand as a threat to these impactful community events.”

You can read the whole post by clicking here.

Dr. Niehoff notes that “among teams in the Big Ten Conference, Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa have expressed reluctance to play at home on Friday nights, and Michigan has said ‘no’ altogether to playing on Friday nights.” That was reported in a story on The Athletic from back in October with new Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti.

An Ohio State spokesman said in a published report picked up by SI.com that Friday night games “do present challenges, namely: significant all-day traffic concerns on a Friday with classes in session and our stadium on campus; and the fact we don’t want to go head-to-head with the rich tradition of Ohio high school football Friday nights.”

Of course, Saturdays used to be the day for high school football until more and more high schools started adding lights. In the Big Central Conference, Spotswood will be adding permanent lights for next season. Out of the 59 schools in the league, only a handful play Saturday afternoons anymore.

Dr. Niehoff concludes by noting that some schools have had to move games to other days of the week to accommodate conflicts with colleges playing on Friday nights, adding “This should NEVER be the case.”

She adds, “Instead of flooding every day of the week with college football games, we urge the major conferences and TV networks to leave Friday nights alone, because in the fall, those nights should be spent in the stands, not on the couch.”

by Mike Pavlichko

Poore brings a wealth of experience in Sayreville tradition, but plans some new traditions, too

If there’s one thing Mark Poore knows, it’s how deeply-rooted football is in Sayreville.

Like the sign says, it is Bomber Country.

Not every town in Middlesex County is like that. Sure, they may have long histories, and successful pasts, but football beats through the heart of Sayreville like few other places. You could see it when football helped heal the town after Superstorm Sandy, and a couple of years later when a hazing scandal practically ripped out the town’s heart.

Poore was there well before all of it, and has been ever since. As a quarterback, he was All-Area in 2003, then went on to Montclair State to play in college. Not long after graduation, he was back on the Sayreville sidelines, coaching – and learning how to coach – with George Najjar, Chris Beagan, and finally Don Sofilkanich last season.

Poore was approved last last month by the Board of Education, and already has three assistants. Mike Novak – who recently retired as the Bombers’ baseball coach – will remain on staff, while Poore has already hired Gary Andrewshetsko – with whom he played and coached at Sayreville and in college – and James DiPaolo, who’s been an outstanding ballplayer and coach at North Plainfield.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mark Poore talk about his formative experiences at Sayreville, and his plans for the future of the Bomber program:

by Mike Pavlichko

Bomber alum Mark Poore promoted, taking over the reins as football coach at Sayreville

Sayreville assistant and alum Mark Poore has been promoted and named the Bombers’ new football coach.

The former quarterback – who later played at Montclair State – was approved by the Sayreville Board of Education at its February meeting – per the meeting minutes – along with two assistants, Gary Andrewshetsko and James DiPaolo.

DiPaolo was previously head coach at his alma mater, North Plainfield, from 2017 through 2021 following two seasons as defensive coordinator.

Poore passed for nearly 1,000 yards and ran for more than 500 while running the option during his senior season at Sayreville in 2003, in which the Bombers went 10-1, their lone loss coming to Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the North 2, Group 3 semifinals. He was named All-Area first-team by the Home News Tribune. Poore also played defensive back.

He later came back as an assistant under his former coach, George Najjar, then returned under Chris Beagan following the 2014 hazing scandal, and has remained on staff ever since.

Poore replaces his most recent boss, Don Sofilkanich, who coached just one season for the Bombers after Beagan retired following the 2022 season. Beagan revived the program after the hazing scandal, going 51-31 in eight seasons, winning state titles in 2016 and 2018.

The Bombers went 8-3 in Sofilkanich’s only season, falling to Mount Olive in the second round of the state playoffs.

by Mike Pavlichko

Sofilkanich out as Sayreville football coach

After just one season, Don Sofilkanich is out as the head football coach at Sayreville War Memorial High School.

Athletic Director Jen Badami confirmed the news to Central Jersey Sports Radio Tuesday morning in a text message, saying “Coach Sofilkanich will not be returning to Sayreville next year.” 

Badami did not comment further, and a messages for the Sayreville Superintendent, Dr. Richard Labbe, and Soflikanich were not immediately returned.

It appears to be the first coaching change in the Big Central following more than two dozen over the past two seasons, with 14 new mentors heading teams going into 2022, and another ten changing leaders for the 2023 season.

Sofilkanich was a volunteer assistant in 2022 under Chris Beagan – who retired after eight seasons at his alma mater, and resurrected the program after a hazing scandal – then was elevated to head coach last February.

The Bombers went 8-3 this past fall, finishing 8th in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten. The resurgence of runningback Zaimer Wright – who was slowed by injury in 2022 – helped the Sayreville to a 7-2 regular season. They beat Montgomery in the opening round of the playoffs, but lost in the sectional semifinals to Mount Olive, 30-28.

Sofilkanich came to prominence as a coordinator under John Quinn at New Brunswick on two state championship teams, the first of which came in 2003 when he led the defense on a team headlined by future New York Giants captain and two-time Super Bowl winner Jonathan Casillas and future NCAA All-American at USC Dwayne Jarrett. That was the Zebras’ first title since 1926. They won again in 2006 with him as the Offensive Coordinator..

He then left to become head coach at Asbury Park, turning around a program that went 1-9 in 2006, going 11-1 in 2007 with a Central Jersey Group 1 title.

After two more 11-1 seasons, he moved next door to to Neptune for a year before coming back to the GMC to lead then-Bishop Ahr, going 12-8 from 2011-2013. He spent the next three years at New Brunswick, going 15-16, including 9-2 in 2015.

Before working under Beagan at Sayreville, he coached at Plainfield in 2019 and 2020, going 4-11 in those two seasons.

by Mike Pavlichko

NJFCA honors more than two dozen Big Central football players on annual Super 100 Team

The New Jersey Football Coaches Association has announced its Super 100 list, honoring players from all across New Jersey for their efforts on the field this past season.

The Super 100 features 25 players from each geographic section of the state, those traditionally in South, Central, North 1 or North 2, regardless of group size. Players are nominated by member coaches.

With many Big Central Conference teams split between two sections, 12 were named on the Central list, with another 11 named in the North 2 section, giving the league 23 honorees out of 100 statewide.

Below are the players from the Big Central honored by the NJFCA. For the full list, visit the NJFCA Twitter page by clicking here.

Central

  • Carteret: Sir Hezekiah Ragland
  • Hillsborough: Jonathan Lobelo
  • Linden: Myles Hamilton
  • Montgomery: Matthew D’Avino, Michael Schmelzer, Jr.
  • North Brunswick: Samaad Hicks, Payton Wieczerzak
  • Perth Amboy: Jahmeil Brown
  • Sayreville: Zaimer Wright
  • South Plainfield: Patrick Smith
  • St. Thomas Aquinas: Christian Magliacanao
  • Woodbridge: A.J. Bosch

North 2

  • Bernards: Connor Laverty
  • Colonia: Jaeden Jones
  • Elizabeth: Ibn McDaniels
  • Phillipsburg: Colin Higgins
  • Plainfield: Josue Cordoba
  • Rahway: Marquis Diggs
  • Ridge: Will Deady, Christopher Oliver
  • Summit: Tyler Kessel
  • Watchung Hills: Aleks Sitkowski
  • Westfield: Max Cho
by Mike Pavlichko

PHOTO GALLERY: Historic Bill Denny Stadium is demolished in South River

After nearly 90 years of fans packing into its wooden bleachers, and several renovations and attempts to keep the place standing, demolition began Tuesday on South River’s historic Bill Denny Stadium, home to many great Rams football teams over the decades since it opened in 1934.

Central Jersey Sports Radio stopped by to see the demolition first hand; our photo gallery is below:

  • The September 20, 1934 edition of New Brunswick’s Daily Home News heralds the opening and dedication of Bill Denny Stadium on September 22nd. While the Rams played that day, rain postponed the official dedication ceremony weeks later. (Source: Newspapers.com)
  • South River and South Plainfield do battle on August 28, 2021 at Bill Denny Stadium (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River head coach Rich Marchesi on the sidelines during a game against South Plainfield on August 28, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River cheerleaders pep up the crowd at a game against South Plainfield on August 28, 2021. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River QB Ricky Kurtz drops back against South Plainfield, with the Denny Stadium bleachers and press box towering in the background. After the bottom half of the sign, which read “Ram Country” was vandalized, the district painted over the word “Country” and simply left “Ram.” (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River QB Ricky Kurtz tries to avoid a sack from South Plainfield’s Jason Greer on August 28, 2023, as fans watch from the now-demolished Denny Stadium bleachers. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River fans watch their Rams play South Plainfield on August 28, 2021 from the Denny Stadium bleachers. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • Bill Denny Stadium as it appeared in April, 2023, already closed to the public, though the track and grass field remained open. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • Denny Stadium’s grandstand is closed in April, 2023, due to safety concerns. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • The underside of Bill Denny Stadium, built in 1934, is made entirely of wood. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • A backhoe eats at Bill Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • The view from the Denny Stadium Parking lot as the venue is demolished on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • The demolition of South River’s Bill Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • Demolition of South River’s Bill Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • A sign that at one time honored legendary South River Ram Joe Theisman sits among the rubble in the demolition of Bill Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. Newer versions were taken down from the facade several years ago and put in storage. These apparently remained below the stadium. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)(Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River football coach Rich Marchesi – the winningest coach in program history – watches the demolition of historic Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River football coach Rich Marchesi is interviewed by Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden as the demolition of Denny Stadium continues in the background on Decemmber 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River head coach Rich Marchesi (middle) flanked by his sons Michael and Matthew with the half-demolished Bill Denny Stadium in the background. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
  • Demolition of South River’s Bill Denny Stadium as seen from near the end zone on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • A backhoe dumps what appears to be a lawn tractor into a dumpster during the demoltion of Bill Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • Bill Denny Stadium – nearly half demolished – as seen from David Street on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • The press box of Bill Denny Stadium is knocked down by a backhoe on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
  • The press box at Bill Denny Stadium in South River tumbles after being knocked down by a backhoe during demolition on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
by Mike Pavlichko

Nine Big Central players honored as “Mini Max” Award winners

Some of the Big Central’s top players have earned Mini Max Awards from the Maxwell Football Club, which annually chooses one player of the year each from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

The club has honored 55 players overall from New Jersey, nine of whom came from the Big Central.

The student-athletes are nominated by their coaches, and are evaluated based not just on their football skills, but also academics and community service.

Those student-athletes will are finalists for the Player of the Year awards for each state, all three of which will be candidates for 38th annual Jim Henry award as the Outstanding Player for the region. All will be announced on February 4th at the Mini Max Awards, to be held in Drexel Hill, PA.

Here’s the list of players honored from the Big Central:

  • Connor Laverty, Bernards
  • Ibn McDaniels, Elizabeth
  • Matthew D’Avino, Montgomery
  • Sean Donnelly, New Providence
  • Tyler Anderson, North Hunterdon
  • Quinn Carran, Somerville
  • Tyler Kessell, Summit
  • Maxwell Cho, Westfield
  • Scott Drews, Watchung Hills