Tag: Brearley

by Mike Pavlichko

The playoffs are here! Part Two of our first round, Big Central postseason preview, with a look at Groups 1 through 3

It’s time for the playoffs!

We got through opening weekend in the sweltering heat of the late dog days of August. We didn’t really have much of a fall, but the weather mostly nice. And Cutoff Weekend last weekend saw some teams sweating it out, some disappointed, and others rewarded for their play during the season.

Now, it’s time to get it all going!

Here’s Central Jersey Sports Radio’s look at all the playoff games in Groups 1, 2 and 3 involving BCC schools this weekend, section by section, including game dates and times. Games are Friday, except where noted.

Click here to read our preview of playoff games in Groups 4 and 5.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3:

  • #5 Cranford (4-5) at #4 Roxbury (6-3), 7 pm: The Cougars could be tough to figure out, or maybe not. Their season has been perfectly symmetrical, a football anagram. They lost their first two, then won two, lost one, then won two again, and lost two coming into the playoffs, falling 40-15 at Colonia, and 23-22 in overtime at Hillside last Saturday. And to move on in the playoffs, they’ll need to win on the road, a place they’re 0-4 this season. Talk about a balanced attack: though they run it more than they pass, Cranford has just 31 more yards passing than they do on the ground, 1,337 to 1,306. But they don’t rely on any one person. For example, five different receivers – led by senior Quinn Smith with 32 and junior John Fiore with 23 – have at least 15 receptions this season. Roxbury, meanwhile, likes to keep it on the ground, and in the hands of duel threat quarterback Frankie Falco. He’s just a sophomore, but he’s completing 62% of his passes for 608 yards and three touchdowns – but seven picks – while rushing for a team-best 1,048 and eleven scores. This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools.
  • #7 Warren Hills (5-4) at #2 Summit (7-2), Saturday 1 pm: These schools were more familiar when they were in the Mid-State Conference together, but haven’t played since 2021. The Blue Streaks have been back and forth all season, never winning or losing more than two straight all year long. Coming off a 48-20 win at Hackettstown that locked down a playoff berth, they’re a balanced attack with a good aerial game, but turnover-prone, while Summit has seven picks on the year and two fumble recoveries, with senior Andrew Trujillo disruptive up front. Say this, the Hilltoppers are battle-tested. Their two losses came to two very tough opponents – Somerville and Bernards, who combined for just one loss between them this season, by the Pioneers – and they’ve beaten some outstanding squads as well, including Montgomery and Woodbridge. Back-tunred-QB Alex Schwark continues to shine running the offense, also running himself, to the tune of 918 yards – and that’s after missing those two games due to injury. There’s a reason Summit is perfect this season with him in the lineup, but he’ll have to have another Alex Schwark type of game for his team to move on to the next round.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 3:

  • #7 Matawan (5-4) at #2 Somerville (8-1), 7 pm: Here’s another first-ever matchup, as the Huskies come in to Brooks Field sporting a 1-4 road record this season, with losses at Hightstown, Red Bank, Middletown North and Shore. Then again, they’re the only team to beat Manasquan this season, so who knows what they’ll come up with. They should be a huge underdog on the road in this first round game to a team that likes to play no-huddle, switching back-and-forth, and also run Aidan Vesuvio-Bush out of the wildcat. The Pioneers are a tough team to keep up with, that’s for sure. But they will have a good shot at defending their 2024 Central Jersey Group 3 title as one of the favorites in this section.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 2:

  • #7 Madison at #2 Bernards, 7 pm: It’s been a long time since these two teams played, their last meeting in September of 2018, predating the Big Central. But Bernards has been the winningest program in the Big Central Conference for three straight seasons. They have not lost a single regular season game, and have a sectional title to their credit, going 32-2 since the start of the 2023 season. The Mountaineers have a program folks, and they play smash-mouth football. As CJSR analyst Marcus Borden once said, “After you play Bernards, you know you played Bernards.” Junior QB Nolan Walsh has been back for a couple of games after missing two due to injury, but it’s good to know that freshman A.J. MacCracken – the first ninth-grader to start at the position for Bernards in at least 50 years, according to head coach Jon Simoneau – wouldn’t miss a beat if he was needed, as he didn’t in two starts. Bernards has put up some big offensive numbers this year, with senior Logan Stevnes nearing 1,000 yards rushing, and Walsh just 77 shy of the same milestone on the passing side. Madison will run it a lot, but yardage-wise they’re very balanced, and rarely turn it over, while their defense stays at home. The Dodgers come in on a three-game winning streak.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 2:

  • #8 Voorhees (8-1) at #1 Camden (6-2), 6 pm: This is a loaded section, and even the top teams will be challenged here. And this will be good measuring stick – win or lose – for the Vikings, who have an incredibly stout run-game and a potent offense, as they face a challenging, explosive South Jersey foe. That includes senior runningback Matteo Tramutola (1,338 yards, 17 TDs) and QB Sam Meekings (99-165, 1,560 pass yards, 19 TDs). With 20 sacks – and a team-best five from senior Madden Kramer. Voorhees’ only loss this season came to Bernards, 31-21, in Week Three (Game Four – don’t get us started on this again!). The Panthers have some strong wins over teams like Kingway and Rancocas Valley. They have been back and forth between QBs this season, as senior Ahman JOnes and freshman Gregory Wyche, Jr., have combined for 1,231 yards passing. And boy can their defensive line play. They have 29 sacks and 47 TFLs on the season, with senior Jerome Foster logging 9 1/2 of each, while fellow senior DB Ibn Muhammad also has 4 1/2 sacks. It’s the first meeting between the schools.
  • #5 Johnson (7-1) at #4 Mansquan (7-1), Saturday 1 pm: No recent history here either, as these two last played in 2016, with ‘Squan coming up with a 33-29 win that year. The Warriors have had a challenging schedule, their lone loss coming to Group 3 Matawan, with wins over Shore (6-2) and Red Bank (5-3). But Johnson has beaten its share of good teams, including Brearley, Metuchen and Delaware Valley, all 5-4. Their lone loss came to undefeated New Providence. While the Big Blue are led by senior runningback Ace Etienne – perhaps the coolest football name ever – ALJ will keep it on the ground even more, almost exclusively. They have run 268 running plays, and made just 27 pass attempts this season, rushing for 2,079 yards and 26 touchdowns behind a balanced attack that includes juniors Zaire Majerska and Manny Rendiero, and sophomore Julian Colon, all with at least 300 yards rushing, with several more close behind.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 1:

  • #8 Brearley (5-4) at #1 Mountain Lakes (6-2): And so they meet again. The Bears last made the trip up north in 2022 for the North 1, Group 1 title game, and fell 16-6. This year, they open up the playoffs with the Herd, a team they’ve met four times prior, splitting the wins two games apiece. After starting the season 1-2, Mountain lakes has won five straight since, and scored no less than 28 points in any of those games, three times scoring over 40. Included in that are two solid wins over Madison and Newton. It’s almost exclusively a ground attack, having attempted just 39 passes on the year, with 30 runs for a total of 2,592 yards on the ground. Might be best if Brearley can get up early and get the Herd playing from behind. Brearley started the year 0-3, but has won five of six since, the lone loss coming two weeks ago, 27-9, to Metuchen. They beat Dayton 10-7 last weekend to clinch their playoff berth. Senior QB Matthew Resende has put up Matt Sims type numbers on the ground (he was the QB on the ’22 team) but doesn’t do the same through the air; he’s more a runner than a passer. In fact, he hasn’t thrown a TD pass all year in 55 attempts. Sophomore defensive lineman Rocco Federico, however, can get after the QB; he has 13 1/2 sacks on a team that has 19 overall.
  • #6 Secaucus (5-3) at #3 New Providence (8-0), 7 pm: Some way, some how, Chet Parlevecchio, Jr., has been able to keep this team perfect, despite graduation losses and injuries. T.J. Munn, a huge part of last year’s North 2, Group 1 finalist team, graduated, but star runningback A.J. Whitehead returned, only to break his leg late in the season, ending his 2025 campaign. That’s shifted the load to seniors like Jack Fitzgerald, Daniel Porretti, and Mike Petses, who, for example, combined for over 150 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries last week in a win over Delaware Valley. Maybe the secret is how well-coached this team is, and well-prepared. Secaucus has won two straight coming in, and has an interesting setup, with co-head coaches – Charlie Voorhees and Tom Curry, Jr. Their best wins have come over Hawthorne and Bogota. Brandon Vega is the team’s leading rusher at 867 yards and nine scores, but QB Chase Berckes has been turnover-prone, throwing for nearly 700 yards and five TDs, but with six picks. The New Providence defense – with four touchdowns on the year – must be salivating; as a group, they’ve got ten picks this year, returning three for scores. They also have seven fumble recoveries.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1:

  • #8 Bound Brook (5-4) at #1 Burlington City (8-1), 5 pm: This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools, and not an easy task. The Crusaders are a hard team to figure, as they haven’t beaten the best teams, but three of their losses came to undefeated squads. Four of their wins came over teams that have combined for just three victories themselves, and they lost to 1-8 North Warren in their opener by a score, but they also beat 5-4 Belvidere. But they were likely still working things out, as line coach Rich Hilliard has really transformed the play up front in his first season on head coach Dave LePoidevin’s staff. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils’ only loss came in a rivalry game with Group 3 Burlington Twp., and they’re a veteran group with quality wins on the schedule. This is the epitome of how a tough schedule rewards a team – if they win.
  • #5 Asbury Park (5-3) at #4 Manville (9-0): Throw out the Mustangs’ first undefeated mark since 1968, but note two things here. First, this may be the best Manville team every, at least in the playoff era (since 1974) and b) this is a different level of competition than what they’ve seen most of the year. Take nothing away from their accomplishments: they were hands-down the most dominant Group 1 squad in the Big Central this year, with three shutouts, and averaging 48.5 points per game over their last six, while allowing just under nine per contest. Their best wins were over a pair of 5-4 teams in Bound Brook and Belvidere. And they have a two-headed quarterback situation with Josh D’Ambrosio (1,038 rushing yards, 15 TDs) and Sammy Echeverri, and then there’s Isaiah Bennett (762 rush yards, 15 scores). The defense has 14 sacks on the year. They’ll have to slow one of the top runningbacks in the state in A’Meire Massie, who has breakaway speed, and finds holes opened by the offensive line – which, by the way, includes twin sisters! And boy (girl?) are they legit: Elani and Eniya Johnson. They have made a difference on a team that’s back in the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, under second-year head coach and former Blue Bishop standout QB Will Johnson, who won two titles playing in that majestic stadium along Deal Lake.

by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Friday Playoff Update – Group 1: New Providence misses top-seed, Brearley faces Saturday play-in, Manville should get a home game, Highland Park looks out even with Saturday win at South River

With Friday night’s Cutoff Weekend high school football games all in the books, Central Jersey Sports Radio is updating the unofficial NJSIAA playoff standings as we head into Saturday action.

We’ll have further analysis late morning into the afternoon Saturday, with our 2025 “Playoff Projection Show” scheduled for 6 pm where we give our bracket projections. The full tournament for the public schools will be unveiled on Sunday by the NJSIAA via Gridiron New Jersey. We’ll have them shortly after. The brackets become official at noon on Monday.

NORTH GROUP 1

Table showing the unofficial NJSIAA playoff standings for North Group 1 high school football, including team names, win-loss records, points per average, and rankings.
  • There was a lot of movement in this supersection Friday night, and it saw New Providence drop from second overall to fourth. And since the highest-ranked team yet to play this weekend is Wallkill Valley at eight, we think the Pioneers stay there, and will be the third-seed in North 2, Group 1.
  • Brearley will have the same scenario as their opponent Saturday when they visit Dayton. Win and they’re in, lose and they’re out. A win could get them to 15 if Hawthorne loses, but if they win, the Bears would likely get in at 16.

SOUTH GROUP 1

Table displaying high school football standings for South Group 1, including team names, wins, losses, ties, points per game, and rankings.
  • A lot changed Friday, and more could happen Saturday with eight teams in contention yet to play. One of those is Highland Park, which edged down to 16 Friday night, but they have winless South River, and even a win there likely drops them out, regardless what anyone else foes.
  • Manville pulled up to seventh from 12th with a win over Bound Brook Friday night to take the Freedom Silver Division title in the BCC. Right now, they would be a four-seed hosting Asbury Park in the first round, but that could change, as Asbury hosts Freehold Boro Saturday, one of seven games that very well could reshape both brackets significantly.
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

Brearley pulls away from South Hunterdon for 21-0 road win, third straight victory

Following an 0-10 season, Brearley made a football coaching change for 2025, bringing in alum Elliot Platt.

And after three losses to start the season, making it 15 straight defeats going back to the final game of 2023, all of a sudden the Bears have figured it out and won three straight.

The latest came Friday night all the way out in Lambertville against South Hunterdon, a 21-0 victory that evened their record at 3-3, with winnable games down the stretch against South River, Metuchen and Dayton.

Much of the first half was scoreless. Senior quarterback Joe Squillaro got the Bears on the board with a five-yard touchdown run just 31 seconds before the half, and Brearley took a 7-0 lead into the locker room.

Their lock down defense against a physical Eagles squad – now 0-5 – continued in the second half, while two more scores in the third quarter gave Brearley some breathing room.

Senior Matthew Resende ran one in out of the wildcat just 17 seconds into the half, and Squillaro ran in another three-yard score with 7:26 to go in the third.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with Brearley head coach Elliot Platt, and seniors Joe Squillari (QB/DB) and Matthew Resende (RB/LB) presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 5

With just four more weeks to go in the regular season, high school football is in crunch time in New Jersey. And it’s time to talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including St. Thomas Aquinas and a big win over Elizabeth, then we get Coach’s mid-season report card! No grades, but Borden talks about leading candidates – from big schools and small – for Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Year, along with a couple of MVP and Coach of the Year candidates. It’s not a full list, but it’s a fun listen!

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus talk about how the new playoff formula could shake out, rundown the nine unbeaten teams left in the league, what Big Central Conference stadiums Mike hasn’t been to yet, and the Friday game Coach Borden will be covering – Brearley at South Hunterdon – as he gets to see his 59th and final team of the last two seasons, representing every team in the BCC!

It’s a long one, so get comfortable!

Click below to listen to the Week Five edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”:

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: Freedom Gold Division

Since we worked our way from the Group 5 schools down to the Group 1 last year, Central Jersey Sports Radio will start our 2025 division previews with the some small school love, beginning with the Freedom Gold and Silver, then the Patriot, and running all the way up to the Group 5 divisions.

In the Freedom Gold, Spotswood is coming off its second straight 8-2 season, and second straight division title under head coach Chris Meagher, whose team should again, at the very least, compete for the title.

Last year at this time, Highland Park was coming off a one-win season, but a big win. It came over Point Pleasant Beach and was the Owls’ first victory since 2016. A year later? They are coming off a 6-3 campaign, and still have talent, despite the loss of quarterback Markos Hantsoulis to graduation.

Dayton won four games last year, but finished red-hot, winning three of their last four. Roselle Park and South River will look to make inroads, after each won three games last season.

And Brearley has some renewed enthusiasm after a winless season last year, but also has a new coach in Elliot Platt.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Crowded Freedom Gold returns with GMC stalwarts Spotswood, Highland Park leading the way

Based on recent success, Spotswood’s sweep of the Freedom Gold Division in 2024 didn’t come as a shock to anyone who follows Big Central Football, but boy was Highland Park a pleasant surprise after breaking the state’s longest active losing streak of 51 games in 2023.

The Owls finished second in the six team division, going 6-3 overall, 4-1 in the division – their only loss to the Chargers – en route to their best season since going 6-4 in 2016, the last time they’d won a game until they closed their season two years ago with a 46-29 win at Point Pleasant Beach. Spotswood was very good, as well, and both very well could be at or near the top of the division in 2025. The question is, who will join them? Can South River, Roselle Park or Dayton make inroads? And can Brearley get back in the game after an 0-10 season with a very young club, but just two years removed from an undefeated regular season and a trip to a sectional final?

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Freedom Gold 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 (*).

Brearley Bears (0-10, 0-5, 6th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Elliot Platt (first season)

  • Week 0: Wallington Twp.
  • Week 1: at A.L. Johnson
  • Week 2: at Spotswood* (6p)
  • Week 3: Highland Park* (6p)
  • Week 4: Roselle Park* (6p)
  • Week 5: at South Hunterdon
  • Week 6: South River* (6p)
  • Week 7: Metuchen (6p)
  • Week 8: at Dayton (Sat, 1p)

Eliott Platt takes over at Brearley, coming over from immaculata, where he was the defensive line coach. A Montclair-Kimberley alum, Platt will be looking to snap a 12-game skid to start the season with a Bergen County foe in Wallington before the BCC schedule kicks in with back-to-back road games. The offense should produce more with the return of QB Joe Squarillo for his senior year. The Bears didn’t throw much, but all 1,449 rushing yards return. In fact, every single skill position player on offense is back for Brearley. The defense had just a single senior as well, and the baptism-by-fire experience should pay dividends this fall.

Dayton Bulldogs (4-6, 2-3, tied for 3rd with Roselle Park, South River in ’24)
Head Coach: Nick Iannacone (11-18, 4th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at South Hunterdon
  • Week 2: at Highland Park*
  • Week 3: Roselle Park*
  • Week 4: South River* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 5: at Belvidere
  • Week 6: Spotswood*
  • Week 7: at Dunellen
  • Week 8: Brearley* (Sat, 1p)

The Bulldogs finished strong last season, winning three of their last four games after a 1-5 start. They’ll be hurt by the loss of John John DeSarno, who threw for 1,2888 yards and ten touchdowns as a senior, and the other skill positions will be young, too. Defensively, defensive back Chidiogo Iherobiem could have a big senior year, after recording a sack, six TFLs, a fumble recovery and a pair of pick-sixes last season.

Highland Park Owls (6-4, 4-1, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Shawn Harrison (7-29, 5th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: Dunellen
  • Week 2: Dayton*
  • Week 3: at Breareley* (6p)
  • Week 4: at Spotswood* (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 5: Metuchen
  • Week 6: Roselle Park*
  • Week 7: at Manville (Thurs, 7p)
  • Week 8: at South River* (Sat, 1p)

Being 7-29 in four seasons never looked so good. What a joy to see joy in Highland Park again, in its best season in nearly a decade. While the graduation of QB Markos Hantsoulis – with 984 pass yards, nine touchdowns, and a team-leading 583 rushing yards – will leave a mark, there’s still some Hantsoulis blood left; receivers Kosta (350 yards, 5 TDs) and Stamatis (76 yards, 1 TD) will be back for their senior years, and Kaseem Qualls has the skills to make an impact, too. Whether they can finish 6-3 again will be a challenge, but the Owls should be in the thick of things again this year. Losing can be contagious, but so is winning.

Roselle Park Panthers (3-7, 2-3, tied for 3rd with Dayton, South River in ’24)
Head Coach: Greg Dunkerton (17-31, 6th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: Middlesex
  • Week 2: South River*
  • Week 3: at Dayton*
  • Week 4: at Brearley* (6p)
  • Week 5: Dunellen
  • Week 6: at Highland Park*
  • Week 7: JP Stevens
  • Week 8: at Spotswood* (6p)

Starting QB Anthony Damiano (466 yards, 3 TD) and top runningback Anthony Cianfrocca (893 yards, 6 TD) should be back for their senior seasons, and they’ll rely on the run game again, having rushed just one shy of 2,200 yards last season and 16 touchdowns. On the defensive side, Damiano once again will be a defensive stalwart. Hr had two sacks, a TFL and a forced fumble last year, and will be one of few returnees from a senior-laden unit. The Rams should bounce back this year after back-to-back five-plus in seasons.

South River Rams (3-7, 2-3, tied for 3rd with Dayton, Roselle Park in ’24)
Head Coach: Rich Marchesi (228-149, 39th season)

  • Week 0: at Point Pleasant Beach
  • Week 1: Metuchen (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 2: at Roselle Park*
  • Week 3: Spotswood* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 4: at Dayton* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 5: Delaware Valle (Sat, 2p)
  • Week 6: at Brearley* (6p)
  • Week 7: at South Plainfield (6p)
  • Week 8: Highland Park* (Sat, 1p)

Last year was a bit of a bounce-back for the Rams, who were winless in 2023 before winning three games last season, including their finale against Dunellen. And while South River will lose senior receiver Aiden Velez (765 yards and 7 TDs), every other major contributor at the skill positions is back, including QB Orion Familia (41-72, 478 yards, 8 TDs) and No. 2 runningback Kah’mori Cotto. The Sophomore went for 525 yards on 135 carries – tops on the team – and scored three touchdowns. They will, however, miss Coach Marchesi’s son, Michael, who led the team with four sacks last year, and was second on the team in tackles. Rising seniors Jake Dehner (DL) and Filipe Granadiero (LB) could help take up the slack.

Spotswood Chargers (8-2, 5-0, Freedom Gold champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Chris Meagher (24-15, 5th season)

  • Week 0: Middlesex (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 1: Roselle (6p)
  • Week 2: Brearley* (6p)
  • Week 3: at South River* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 4: Highland Park* (6p)
  • Week 5: Bound Brook (6p)
  • Week 6: at Dayton*
  • Week 7: at South Hunterdon
  • Week 8: Roselle Park* (6p)

With back-to-back eight-win seasons under their belt, and a ton of talent back, expect the Chargers to contend for yet another division title under Chris Meagher, who – after a 1-8 debut season – turned things around, and they haven’t won fewer than seven the last three seasons. They’ll open up with perhaps their biggest adjustment – playing night games under their brand new lights entertaining Middlesex on a Thursday. Dual-threat quarterback Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage (791 yards, 10 TDs passing; 638 yards, 11 TDs rushing) is back, and so is No. 1 rusher Sebastian Saracino (692 yards, 5 TDs). Their top receiver returns, too; Ryan Foster grabbed 28 passes for 418 yards and 4 TDs a year ago, while junior Vinny Young (129 yards, 2 TD) as back as well. Tolbert-Brimage and Saracino also will be key on defense. Other highlights include senior Julian Sanchez (three fumble recoveries last year as a junior) and DL Dan Keelan (1 sack, 7 TFLs, 1 fumble recovery last season).

by Mike Pavlichko

2024 Big Central Preview: Freedom Gold Division

Our final two divisions to preview in the Big Central Conference are the Freedom Divisions, a pair of six-team groupings including some of the smallest schools in the league.

The Freedom Gold defending champion is Spotswood, which was 8-2 a year ago, but lost a big senior group. North Brunswick transfer Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage will take over at quarterback.

Brearley and Roselle Park are expected to challenge. The Bears were 3-1 in what was a five-team division last year, and the Panthers were 6-5 overall, coming into this year on a three-game winning streak.

Dayton is looking to take a step up, as is South River. And Highland Park is coming into a season off a win for the first time since 2017, as they snapped the state’s longest active losing streak of 51 games in last year’s finale, a win over Point Pleasant Beach.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Dunellen tops Brearley, 34-28, to inch closer to top 16 in playoff chase

Dunellen star Chiekezie Ogbuewo scored all five Destroyer touchdowns in a 34-28 victory over visiting Brearley Thursday night, to help keep his team alive in the playoff chase.

This one wasn’t a win-and-you’re-in scenario for either team, it was a lose-and-go-home.

The Destroyers (5-3) didn’t move up in the standings from 17th in North Group 1, just out of the top 16, but they did inch closer in UPR. They were 3.8 points behind 16th-seed Pennsville entering the evening, but now are just one UPR point behind, at 16.2, compared to 15.2 for Pennsville (4-3) which visits Pitman (2-4) tomorrow.

A Pennsville loss would help the Destroyers, and move them into 16th not counting any other results. They might still need help to get in. A Pennsville win, and Dunellen still could make it, but they may need several losses to play their way.

Brearley (3-5) fell to 21st in the North 1 standings and is out of playoff contention.

The teams traded touchdowns in the first half and went into the locker room tied 14-14.

In the second half, Dunellen went ahead by two scores for the first time all night on a pair of touchdowns – two and 40 yards – by Ogbuewu.

When Brearley got within another score at 28-20, Ogbuewu scored what looked like insurance, but turned out to be the winning points with 2:51 to play, recovering a bad snap by his team and turning a lemon into lemonade, going 60 yards for a touchdown to make it 34-20.

That would keep the Bears at bay as they scored once more with 1:33 left to make the final 34-28.

Click below for postgame reaction with Marcus Borden presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 7 Friday night Playoff Analysis: Group 1

Through the end of the season, Central Jersey Sports Radio will be updating unofficial playoff standings following Friday night’s games. Full analysis after the weekend will come during the week as the official standings are released by Gridiron New Jersey.

Here’s a look at unofficial standings after games of Friday, October 13th in Group 1. Results are calculated using scores on Gridiron New Jersey as of 9:30 am on October 14th:

Brearley’s 36-14 loss to Middlesex last night drops the Bears one spot further to No. 19, and their UPR down to 17.4, one power point rank spot. They go from 1 UPR point ouot of the playoffs to 1.8 points behind 16th place Glen Ridge. Roselle Park is tied with Brearley at 17.8 after a big win over Dunellen, jumping from 23-20, but with a weak Newark Collegiate next week, we think they’re out.

A win for South Hunterdon in its last NJSIAA-member school game of the year – they play rival New Hope-Solebury out of PA next week – keeps them in fourth, with the same UPR as last week, at 5.2 points. Middlesex improved its UPR from 8.4 to 6.8 with a win over Brearley, but the Jays hold in seventh. However, their lead over the ninth place team is bigger. Last week it was 0.6 points over Audubon, and Woodbury was tied for seventh with them. Now, they lead 8th place Penns Frove by 0.6 UPR points, and have a 1.6 point lead over ninth place Woodbury.

Dunellen’s 52-24 loss to Roselle Park last night puts the Destroyers out of the top 16 for now, at No. 17, 1.6 UPR points behind 16th place Salem, but the Rams are just 1-6. Two wins is the minimum for the playoffs. So, as of now, they wouldn’t make it. Salem hosts 2-5 West Deptford today, then is at 3-3 Woodbury next week.

Manville, right behind Dunellen, is in 18th at a 19.4 UPR, but with 1-6 Bound Brook next week, shouldn’t be a factor. That said, there are a number of winless teams behind Dunellen, so it may be the Destroyers dueling it out with Salem for that last spot, and doing some scoreboard watching in the process.