Tag: Big Central

by Mike Pavlichko

Monroe’s Logan Richter is voted as the 2026 Borden’s Baller of the Year!

Just as it’s been for the past two seasons since expanding from Middlesex County to the entire 59-team Big Central Conference, it was three strong candidates coming down to the wire to be selected as Borden’s Baller of the Year for 2026.

Every season, CJSR analyst Marcus Borden picks his “Borden’s Ballers” team, featuring one outstanding student-athlete from each of the Big Central’s 59 member schools, and then lets the fans have their say. The first round of voting crowns one finalist from each of three different regions: Middlesex County, Union County, and the Big Central “West,” featuring schools from Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties.

Then, there’s a runoff vote among the the finalists. This year saw well over 40,000 overall votes, and the winner, with 9,5460 in the final round alone… is Logan Richter of Monroe!

Click below to listen to our “Borden’s Baller of the Year” 2026 reveal show:

Here are Coach Borden’s blurbs on the three finalists for the 2026 Borden’s Baller of the Year!

MIDDLESEX COUNTY

Logan Richter, Monroe: Logan has been the consummate leader for the Falcons, who finished the season 6-4, the best mark in four years under head coach Nick Isola, and their highest win total since going 6-4 in 2014, Chris Beagan’s final season. Unfortunately, Monroe lost out on a playoff opportunity due to a tie-breaker rule in the seeding process. Richter can make the big play running, catching or defending. He is one of two seniors that have been with the program for all four years. He finishes his career with 102 career catches for 1,182 yards and eight touchdowns . He has also scored twice this year rushing the ball, and on the defensive side has 37 career tackles and one interception.

UNION COUNTY

A’rique Fleming, Elizabeth: The 6’3″ 230-pound quarterback and linebacker has had the Minutemen focused all season, leading them to a 9-0 undefeated regular season, their first since 2011. A starter since his freshman year, Fleming finished his career with 7,387 yards and 76 touchdowns. He also has 2,154 career rushing yards and 29 scores! Did we say he plays defense? He sure does, having a major impact in his team’s success. At linebacker this season, he 42 tackles, 22 solo, with two sacks, 6 1/2 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and recoveries, and four interceptions, one of which went for a touchdown in a 19-6 Week 2 win at Union. Oh, by the way, he’s the punter too, averaging nearly 39 yards per kick, with nine landing inside the 20!

BIG CENTRAL WEST (SOMERSET, HUNTERDON, WARREN)

Justin Bowen, Somerville: Bowen has been a two-way performer for the Pioneers for three years as a running back and linebacker. His career rushing totals include 1,488 yards on the ground and 21 touchdowns, while also snaring 48 passes for 641 yards and five scores. Defensively, he has 112 career tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks. He has scored twice on fumble recoveries and has one interception, which came at Cranford in Week One of their 2024 sectional title season. As a team leader, Justin always has his Pioneers ready to bring their “A” game!

by Mike Pavlichko

Fresh off shutout of Sayreville, Rancocas Valley brings perfect record to Old Bridge Friday night for Central Jersey Group 5 title game

Rancocas Valley football ins 2026 has a lot of zeros on the board.

The one that immediately jumps out at you is the loss column: zero losses.

Then there are the seven zeros that sit in the score column of their opponents: seven shutouts this season, including one last week in the postseason.

But some bigger numbers also are a key for the Red Devils, where none of the tallies in their own scoring column are smaller than 21: Valley is averaging 37.3 points per game, and has scored exactly 42 points each in their last five games.

The only exception? The 52 they scored against Pleasantville on October 16th. They have scored 42 in each of their last three games, including playoff contests with Jackson Township and Sayreville.

But there’s one difference from those first two playoff games. This Friday night, second-seeded Rancocas Valley (11-0) will be on the road for the first time this postseason, as it travels to top-seed Old Bridge (10-1) for the Central Jersey Group 5 title game.

You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko calling the play-by-play and Max Scheiner on color, with kickoff at 6 pm; pregame starts at 5:40; click here to listen.

Everybody takes part for the Red Devils, one of the big reasons for their immense success in 2026. Junior QB Zach Merhar runs the show, passing for 1,856 yards and 33 touchdowns. Three different receivers have the bulk of the catches: seniors Mikey McQueen (35 for 623 yards, 15 TDs) and Malcolm Harrison (23 for 447 yards, 7 TDs) and junior Andre Byrdsong (24 for 521 yards, 5 TDs).

But Merhar can also distribute on this very balanced squad, that has passed for 1,962 yards and run for 1,890, a difference of just 72 yards. That’s about as close as you can get.

While Rancocas Valley doesn’t have a thousand-yard rusher, junior Hakeem Theresa, Jr., is close enough, with 915 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns to lead the team. Last week, against Sayreville in the CJ5 semis, he had a career night: 262 rush yards and five touchdowns, to send his team to a final for the second time in three years.

Fellow junior J.J. Stewart had 477 yards and five touchdowns, while Aahmil Alghanee has 347 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Defensively? How about 30 sacks and 162 tackles for loss, led by senior David Ogunsola, with 10 1/2 sacks and 43 TFLs all on his own. Junior Michael Beasley follows, with 7 1/2 sacks and 29 tackles for loss. As a team, they also have 12 picks, led by five – and two pick-sixes – from McQueen, who also plays in the Red Devil secondary.

Click below to hear Rancocas Valley head coach Garrett Lucas talk about the Red Devils’ matchup against Old Bridge in the Central Jersey Group 5 final with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Chris Tsakonas

Passaic Tech has found its groove as it heads to Maloney to face Phillipsburg in North 2, Group 5 title tilt Friday night

When Phillipsburg hosts Passaic Tech in the North 1, Group 5 championship game Friday night, the Stateliners will have to face one of the most consistent programs in New Jersey high school football.

Since the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Passaic Tech has won at least eight games every year, with three Group 5 sectional titles in the last five seasons.

It’s been more of the same from the Bulldogs this fall, as fourth-seed Passaic Tech (8-3) will heads to Maloney Stadium to take on third-seed Phillipsburg (8-2), in a game you can hear Friday night on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Kickoff is at 7 pm, with pregame starting at 6:40. Alec Crouthamel and Chris Tsakonas are on the call; click here to listen.

For the PCTI, that consistency wasn’t quite there at the start of the year. They went 2-3 in their first five games, but since then – and with the eligibility of transfer quarterback Bryce Longo from St. Joseph-Montvale – the Bulldogs have hit their stride with six straight wins.

It’s been dominant play on both sides of the ball. Tech is averaging 29.7 points per game offensively, led by the Longo, who’s completing nearly six of every ten passes for 1,213 yards and 16 touchdowns. Featured running back Randy Lewis has 168 carries for 1,031 yards and 11 scores.

The Bulldogs have been equally impressive defensively, allowing just 13.9 points per game this year. Passaic Tech has particularly tightened up on that side of the ball as the season has gone on, allowing just one touchdown in their last three games. Linebacker Ian McDuffie has been a do-it-all player for that unit with 120 tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss, five forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Click below to hear Passaic Tech head coach Matt Demarest talk about the Bulldogs’ meeting with Phillipsburg for the North 2, Group 5 title with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas:

by Mike Pavlichko

“Gameday with Marcus Borden” presented by NEXUS: Championship Weekend!

It’s Championship Weekend in high school football across New Jersey – and it’s time to talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

In the show’s opening segment, Mike Pavlichko and Coach Borden look at the weekend’s first two title games, which will be played on Friday night, along with sound bites from the head coaches. First, it’s the Central Jersey Group 5 final as Old Bridge hosts Rancocas Valley at 6 pm, followed by the North 2, Group 5 title game, with Phillipsburg entertaining Passaic Tech at 7:00.

Then, we take a look at Saturday’s championship game in the North 1, Group 5 bracket, with Piscataway taking on Irvington at home at 1 pm.

All games can be heard live here on Central Jersey Sports Radio!

Click below to listen to the Championship Weekend Edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”:

by Alec Crouthamel

Phillipsburg in familiar territory, hosting fifth straight sectional final at Maloney in North 2, Group 5 title bout against Passaic Tech

In high school football, many things come and go, many things change, and some things stay the same.

One of those being Phillipsburg playing for a championship at Maloney Stadium.

The third-seeded Stateliners (8-2) are back in the hunt for a title in their return to Group 5 — as part of the NJSIAA’s competitive balance formula — after back-to-back sectional titles in Group 4.

And for the fifth consecutive year, that trophy will be awarded to a team at Bellis Field.

Phillipsburg will host fourth-seeded Passaic Tech, with the Bulldogs (8-3) fresh off back-to-back 35-0 victories over high-level Big Central opponents in fifth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan and top-seeded and previously unbeaten Elizabeth.

Passaic Tech has won six straight games and are playing like the hottest team in the state, while the Stateliners have remained steady through years of title chases, shaping up for a heavyweight battle at Maloney Stadium, set for Friday at 7 pm. Alec Crouthamel and Chris Tsakonas will call all the action, with pregame starting at 6:40; click here to listen.

The bracket may not have lined things up this way to start, but the Stateliners will have a chance for their third straight sectional title (across two groups) on their home field.

They got here with two workmanlike efforts, defeating sixth-seeded Ridgewood 38-27, then second-seeded East Orange 31-13 on the road, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

In the win over the Jaguars, three touchdowns from senior tailback Shane Moore propelled Phillipsburg to victory, as well as its usual stout defense, holding an explosive East Orange offense to just six points for much of the afternoon, while adding a score of its own on a 40-yard pick-six by linebacker David Pacewicz, one of two interceptions on the day.

But even with all the pomp and circumstance that comes with yearly deep postseason runs, Stateliners’ 11th-year head coach Frank Duffy upholds a culture that doesn’t put any one game over another. It’s all ingrained in their program mantra: D.I.G. (Discipline, Ignore the Noise, Grit.).

Duffy and his staff consistently preach the same message: Do your job, follow the process, and the results will follow.

That process will certainly be tested by a white-hot Passaic Tech team, led by dual-threat southpaw quarterback Bryce Longo. A transfer from St. Joseph Regional in Montvale, Longo made his season debut on September 25th, a 17-14 double-overtime loss to Ramapo (the now-eliminated top seed in North 1, Group 5), but since then, the Bulldogs have been nearly unstoppable, with six straight wins while scoring at least 30 points in all of them.

Longo didn’t even need to carry the offense with his arm against the top-seeded Minutemen, completing three of his four pass attempts for 50 yards. He did add 102 yards and a score on seven rush attempts, as Passaic Tech racked up 357 yards and four scores on the ground. But the Bulldogs have shown they can win in multiple different ways on offense, against two strong teams comparable to Phillipsburg, at that.

But two programs with champion pedigrees will face off playing their best football, and only one can walk away with the sectional crown.

Click below to hear Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy preview the Stateliners’ North 2, Group 5 final matchup against Passaic Tech with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge, in return trip to CJ5 title game, faces tough task as unbeaten Rancocas Valley visits Lombardi Field Friday night

Old Bridge, in return trip to CJ5 title game, will face unbeaten Rancocas Valley Friday night

Even when you’ve won ten games in a row, you still have to look at game film, and study the opposing defense, figure out what the quarterback’s tendencies are, but at the end of the day, you don’t change much.

You dance with the one you came to the party with.

Or, to hear head coach Matt Donaghue say it: “We’ve just got to play Old Bridge football.”

That indeed will be the case Friday night, when the Knights – for a second year in a row – will play for the Central Jersey Group 5 championship.

But unlike last year, Old Bridge (10-1) is the top seed, and will avoid a long bus ride to deep South Jersey. They’ll host second-seed and undefeated Rancocas Valley (11-1) Friday night at 6 pm, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Pregame starts at 5:40 pm with Mike Pavlichko calling all the action joined by analyst Max Scheiner; click here to listen.

Old Bridge hasn’t lost since a season-opening defeat in the Battle at the Beach down in Ocean City, where they hung in against – but lost to – Shawnee, 43-35. Rancocas Valley beat them 36-6 three weeks later. But both also beat their other common opponent, with the Knights edging Sayreville 14-12 a few weeks ago, while the Red Devils blanked the Bombers 42-0 last week in the sectional semifinals.

Old Bridge also is coming off a shutout win, beating fourth-seed Williamstown, 35-0, last week in the rain, winning the turnover battle by four. The Braves committed five turnovers – two picks and three fumbles – with two of those fumbles coming on the first play of a drive.

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In that game, junior QB Aiden Rios was 7-of-9 passing for 101 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Chase Rizzo, Romeo Roman and Jordan Mercado, while Rizzo ran for 196 yard and a touchdown, and Rios ran for another.

It was an all-around effort, the type that will clearly be needed Friday night – and then some – to beat one of the eight remaining undefeated teams in the state in Rancocas Valley.

Click below to hear Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue talk about Friday night’s Central Jersey Group 5 title game against Rancocas Valley with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

“The Big Central in 2 Minutes” – Championship Weekend!

We’re finally here! It’s Championship Weekend in high school football, time for the sectional title games with three Big Central teams vying for titles, and Mike Pavlichko has a closer look at all three games on “The Big Central in 2 Minutes!”

First, a look at Friday’s two games, including Old Bridge hosting Rancocas Valley in the Central Jersey Group 5 final, and Phillipsburg entertaining Passaic Tech in the North 2, Group 5 title tilt. Then, we look at Saturday’s North 1, Group 5 championship game, as Piscataway welcomes in Irvington.

All on this week’s edition of “The Big Central in Two Minutes!

Click below to listen to the 2026 Championship Weekend edition of “The Big Central in Two Minutes”:

by Mike Pavlichko

Where would Big Central teams play if they win sectional titles this weekend? We break down the potential scenarios

There are three Big Central Conference public schools playing for sectional titles this weekend, with all of them in Group 5. And if and when they bring home trophies this weekend, it’s on to the state semifinals.

Before the NJSIAA expanded the playoffs to include state championships in 2022, those state semifinals were called “Regional Championship,” and were the end of the line from 2018 through 2021. They were played at neutral sites, typically MetLife Stadium or Rutgers. Once the state championships were in the mix, those state semifinals moved back to high school sites.

According to NJSIAA regulations, the highest-ranked UPR team in each supersection will host the state semifinals. So, we’ve broken down the scenarios for you.

NORTH GROUP 5 SUPERSECTION

Sectional Finals:
North Jersey, Section 1: (4) Irvington at (3) Piscataway, 1 pm Saturday
North Jersey, Section 2: (4) Passaic Tech at (3) Phillipsburg, 7 pm Friday

UPR Standings

  • (5) Phillipsburg, 4.8 UPR
  • (5) Piscataway, 4.8 UPR
  • (7) Passaic Tech, 7.6 UPR
  • (8) Irvington. 8.6 UPR

Note: Tie-breaker goes to Phillipsburg over Piscataway on the following critera: 1) Head-to-head: none; 2) Common opponents: both beat St. Joseph-Metuchen; OSI: Phillipsburg gets the tiebreaker at 59.9 compared to 56.82 for Piscataway.

If Piscataway wins: The Chiefs would host the state semifinal next Saturday afternoon if Passaic Tech beats Phillipsburg. If the Stateliners win, Piscataway would visit Phillipsburg next Friday night.

If Phillipsburg wins: They would host either way, whether Piscataway or Irvington win, since they are the highest-ranked team of the four.

SOUTH GROUP 5 SUPERSECTION

Sectional Finals:
Central: (2) Rancocas Valley at (1) Old Bridge, 6 pm Friday
South: (3) Toms River North at (1) Washington Twp., 6 pm Friday

UPR Standings

  • (1) Washington Twp., 1.4 UPR
  • (2) Old Bridge, 2.2 UPR
  • (3) Rancocas Valley, 2.4 UPR
  • (5) Toms River North, 5.0 UPR

If Old Bridge wins: The Knights would host the state semifinal next Friday night if Toms River North upsets Washington Twp. If the Minutemen win, Old Bridge would travel down there next Friday night.

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg keeps winning to stay atop Big Central Power Rankings for Week 10, but there’s yet another new team at No. 1 in New Jersey

Yet again, there was no change atop the Big Central Conference power rankings for Week Ten, as Phillipsburg stayed at No. 1, while the last two BCC public schools left in the state playoffs, not surprisingly, moved up into the top three.

The Stateliners increased their SI from 84.69 to 87.46 and climbed back into the state Top 25 this week (more on that below) after a 31-13 win at East Orange Saturday in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 semifinals. They’ll host Passaic Tech (No. 8 in the state power rankings) for the sectional title Friday night at 7 pm at Maloney Stadium.

Moving up to two this week in the BCC is Old Bridge. The Knights’ 35-0 win over Williamstown in the Central Jersey Group 5 semifinals last Friday drove their SI up from 78.56 to 83.66, and puts them back home again this week – Friday at 6 pm – for the title game against undefeated Rancocas Valley, which is No. 2 in the state power rankings this week, up two spots.

And in third is Piscataway, which beat West Orange in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 semifinals Friday night, 38-35, on a 29-yard field goal by Patrick Novak with :01 left on the clock. Their SI increased from 80.55 to 83.20 with that win, which sends them back home to take on Irvington in the sectional title game at 1 pm Saturday.

Hillside – which was knocked out in the first round – and Elizabeth, which got upset by Passaic Tech Friday night in the semifinals – round out the top five.

The power rankings are simply based on the state’s Strength Index formula, which helps determine a team’s OSI, and is 60% of the UPR playoff formula. SI values and will change each week as games are played. See the methodology at the bottom of this page.

Statewide, we have our seventh different No. 1 team as Glassboro jumps up from No. 5 to take the top spot away from Washington Twp, which dropped to third. Rancocas Valley jumped from four to two, while Don Bosco Prep fell on an idle week from three to four, and West Deptford fell from two to five.

As for the Big Central, Phillipsburg pulled up from 28 to 23, joining the state Top 25 this week, while Old Bridge skyrocketed from 60 to 35, and Piscataway went from 48 to 37, climbing 18 spots the past two weeks. Hillside – although their season is done – holds at 43.

Strength Index Methodology: Team A and Team B are compared to find the difference between their rankings, which provides the Expected Result. The margin of the final score is figured in positive or negative terms compared to the Expected Result. The difference is divided by five, and the teams increase or decrease by the resulting number.

Example #1: Team A has an SI value of 80, while Team B has an SI value of 60. The Expected Result is +20 for Team A. When the game is played, Team A wins by 30. That is 10 points higher than the expected result. Than number is divided by 5, meaning Team A increases by 2 (Team A now has an SI of 82) while Team B decreases by 2 (Team B now has an SI of 58).

Example #2: In the same scenario, Team A defeats Team B by 20. That is the same as the Expected Result, no there is no change. Team A remains with an SI value of 80, while Team B retains its 60 SI value.

Example #3: Team A defeats Team B by 10. That is 10 points fewer than the expected result. Divide by 5 to get 2, but in this case, Team A drops by 2 points to 78 (because Team A “underperformed”) while Team B increases by 2 points to 62.

Out-of-State Opponent SI: Strength Index ratings for non-New Jersey teams are calculated by finding their MaxPreps ranking, then averaging the SI ratings of the next New Jersey team above and below them in the MaxPreps rankings.

by Mike Pavlichko

We’re down to three! Vote for one of the “Borden’s Ballers” 2026 Finalists!

Thanks to your more than 20,000 votes, our 59 Borden’s Ballers for 2026 have been whittled down to three finalists – one each from Middlesex County, Union County, and the Big Central “West,” featuring schools from Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties.

Now, it’s your turn to pick the ultimate Borden’s Baller for 2026!

Here are the three finalists:

MIDDLESEX COUNTY

Logan Richter, Monroe: Logan has been the consummate leader for the Falcons, who finished the season 6-4, the best mark in four years under head coach Nick Isola, and their highest win total since going 6-4 in 2014, Chris Beagan’s final season. Unfortunately, Monroe lost out on a playoff opportunity due to a tie-breaker rule in the seeding process. Richter can make the big play running, catching or defending. He is one of two seniors that have been with the program for all four years. He finishes his career with 102 career catches for 1,182 yards and eight touchdowns . He has also scored twice this year rushing the ball, and on the defensive side has 37 career tackles and one interception.

UNION COUNTY

A’rique Fleming, Elizabeth: The 6’3″ 230-pound quarterback and linebacker has had the Minutemen focused all season, leading them to a 9-0 undefeated regular season, their first since 2011. A starter since his freshman year, Fleming finished his career with 7,387 yards and 76 touchdowns. He also has 2,154 career rushing yards and 29 scores! Did we say he plays defense? He sure does, having a major impact in his team’s success. At linebacker this season, he 42 tackles, 22 solo, with two sacks, 6 1/2 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and recoveries, and four interceptions, one of which went for a touchdown in a 19-6 Week 2 win at Union. Oh, by the way, he’s the punter too, averaging nearly 39 yards per kick, with nine landing inside the 20!

BIG CENTRAL WEST (SOMERSET, HUNTERDON, WARREN)

Justin Bowen, Somerville: Bowen has been a two-way performer for the Pioneers for three years as a running back and linebacker. His career rushing totals include 1,488 yards on the ground and 21 touchdowns, while also snaring 48 passes for 641 yards and five scores. Defensively, he has 112 career tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks. He has scored twice on fumble recoveries and has one interception, which came at Cranford in Week One of their 2024 sectional title season. As a team leader, Justin always has his Pioneers ready to bring their “A” game!

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Borden's Ballers 2026 Finalists

Sorry, voting is closed!  We'll announce the 2026 Borden's Baller winner Thursday morning!