Tag: Dayton

by Mike Pavlichko

Bound Brook girls roll past Dayton, 54-26, in Central Jersey Group 1 first round

First round matchups with high seeds aren’t always tight matchups.

The 15th-seeded Dayton girls’ basketball team is young, with a new coach, with Marissa Liberato promoted from her assistant post in the off-season, in her first year leading a program. And they play in a brutally tough division in the Union Conference with the likes of Linden and Elizbaeth.

On the other side, second-seed Bound Brook is led by veteran coach Jen Derevjanik, who has a solid core and an uber-freshman in Peytan Pugh, an excellent scorer averaging 18.5 points per game, but also leading the state with over 200 steals.

And so it was Thursday night, when the Crusaders rolled past Dayton in the opening round of play in the NJSIAA state tournament in Central Jersey Group 1, 54-26 behind 21 points from Pugh, and another dozen from senior Ti’asjah Ferguson. Lauren Polakiewiz added nine for the Crusaders, all on three from beyond the arc.

Bound Brook was in control from the opening tip, starting the game on a 17-0 run. And after they took the foot off the gas a bit in the second, the game opened up in the third, with sophomore Maggie Hildebrand connecting twice from beyond the arc. The sophomore was the top scorer in the game for Dayton (3-21) with 13 points, including three triples.

The Crusaders (22-3) will move on to the sectional quarterfinals Monday at home against the winner of Friday evening’s first round game 7th-seed Thrive Charter out of Trenton and 10th-seed Manville.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Bound Brook senior Ti’asjah Ferguson and freshman Peytan Pugh:

by Mike Pavlichko

Middlesex defense again powers Jays in 42-32 GMC-Union crossover win against Dayton

When you lose someone the caliber of Jess Divine – who scored 2,135 points in a four-year varsity career at Middlesex – who’s going to pick up the points?

For the Blue Jays, though, it’s always been the defense fueling the offense, and that was on full display Saturday as they picked up a 42-32 win over visiting Dayton in a GMC-Union County crossover.

Senior Alyssa Young scored nine points, including a pair of treys, one of which was a four-point play in the first quarter. But the more impressive part of her stat line was the fact that she had a dozen steals.

No matter who the coach is – Kevin Harper, Stew Lester, and now first-year skipper and 2016 MHS grad Zakiya Beckles – that’s the program, the consistency: defense and pressure.

And it works.

The game was a tight one until the Jays (12-7) pulled away in the fourth quarter. No one led by more than five throughout the first half, not until the final period, in fact, when Middlesex built as big as a ten-point advantage.

Sophomore Kaylee Devine, Jess’s younger sister, led all scorers with 13 – including three from downtown – while Avery Iskra had 12.

Sophomore Aria Molinelli had 12 for Dayton, which was highly competitive, despite falling to 2-13 with the loss. Junior Madison Tarrant – the only junior to dress, with no healthy seniors on the squad, added six, while sophomore Maggie Hildebrand added five.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Middlesex senior Alyssa Young and head coach Zakiya Beckles:


by Mike Pavlichko

Middlesex, Dayton to meet Saturday morning in small school GMC-Union County crossover

They are two teams with some definite similarities: short rosters, short benches, as well as some inexperience and youth.

And that’s not just the players on the floor, it’s the two head coaches.

Middlesex is led by 2016 grad Zakiya Beckles, who was here under Stew Lester, who left after last season to coach the boys at Middletown North. Marissa Liberato is the head coach at Jonathan Dayton in Springfield; she’s a 2015 Toms River North grad, and spent the past six years under longtime head coach Dave Rennie.

The two teams will square off Saturday morning at 11:30 in Middlesex, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will be on the call; pregame starts at 11:15; click here to listen.

For Middlesex, it’s getting used to life after Jess Devine, even if her sister, Kaylee, could be her doppelganger. Devine graduated in June as the all-time leading scorer at the school, girls’ or boys.

Middlesex is scrappy defensively. Ball control against the Blue Jays is an absolute must. That’s one big reason they’re 11-7, playing as a Group 1 school in the GMC’s Red National Division.

Another big reason is Sophomore Avery Iskra, who’s taken baton as the team’s scoring leader this season, averaging 11.8 points a game, while senior Alyssa Young – the team’s only 12th grader – is leading the squad with 30 treys.

But a senior is something Dayton won’t even have this year. Their only one – Bella Pintardo, with two years’ varsity experience – is out due to injury. That leaves two juniors, two sophomores, and four freshmen – eight players, the same as Middlesex – in the scorebook for Saturday’s game.

The top two scorers are sophomores. Maggie Hildebrand is averaging 10.3 points per game, tied for the team lead with 4.7 rebounds per contest, and leads the squad with 15 from downtown, and 16 assists. Aria Molinelli is second with 8.8 points per game, and has been the top scorer in six of 14 games so far. Hildebrand has led in the other eight.

The schedule also hasn’t been kind to small-school Dayton, a Group 1 program which is just 2-12, but has played a brutal slate including Elizabeth – the largest high school in the state – as well as Linden. Their wins have come over Whippany Park and South Plainfield.

But in a number of games, they’ve been that close, including a four-point defeat at the hands of Oak Knoll on January 6th. They also fell three points shy at Elizabeth last Saturday, and came within seven of Summit.

Click below for interviews with both head coaches previewing Saturday’s Middlesex-Dayton game:

Middlesex head coach Zakiya Beckles with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas
Dayton head coach Marissa Liberato with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Friday Playoff Update – Group 2: Bernards edges up, but still no top-seed; Voorhees locks up bid, Dayton can play itself in, Spotswood will miss playoffs at 8-1

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 2

Table displaying the unofficial NJSIAA playoff standings for North Group 2 high school football teams, including team names, win-loss records, points averaged, and other statistics.
  • Even with a win Friday night over Carteret, Bernards still won’t get the top-seed, even though they edged up one place overall. Westwood and Shabazz will get top-seeds, with Shabazz getting it in North 2, Group 2, the same section as the Mountaineers, who would then be the two-seed.
  • Dayton sits in 18th but hosts Brearley Saturday. It’s a true play-in game. Win and they’re in, lose and they’re out.

SOUTH GROUP 2

Table displaying the playoff standings for high school football in South Group 2, including team names, wins, losses, ties, point average (PP AVG), and rankings.
  • The top two seeds flipped here, even though both won. Haddonfield should get the South Jersey Group 2 top seed, while Camden will be the Central Jersey Group 2 No. 1 seed.
  • Johnson held in 8th.
  • Voorhees wrapped up a spot with a win in the Milk Can Game at North Hunterdon.
  • Spotswood, however, is going to be the big news. You could talk about their schedule not being as good as some others, but they beat the teams that were given to them – all but Dayton – including five-win Roselle Park, five-win Bound Brook, and four-win Brearley (who has a chance at a fifth Saturday at Dayton.) Having an 8-1 team miss the playoffs is just absurd, and it’s a combination of a) moving down in divisions after some down years heading into the most recent two-year Big Central scheduling cycle (the new one starts next season), b) a need for better scheduling of crossovers in the Big Central (we’ll have some ideas next week) and c) a state scheduling formula that still gives too much emphasis to losses against strong competition. Welcome to New Jersey, where a win isn’t just a win anymore. You know the old adage, “You don’t get style points?” Apparently, here, you do.
by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Group 2 Playoff Update: Bernards a longshot for a top seed, Spotswood’s in trouble (at 8-1!), while Dayton and Voorhees face play-in type games

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 2 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 2

  • Bernards: Upon closer inspection, it looks like the Mountaineers (8-0) are most likely going to get squeezed out of a first round playoff game, unless they get a lot of help. Coming in with a 4.2 UPR, it’s not a lot to get to the two teams tied for second at 2.8, Shabazz and Rutherford. But Friday night they play Carteret, and the Ramblers aren’t bad at all; their SI is 56.54 and they’re worth 15 power points. But Bernards’ OSI is a 56.81, and its power point average is 16.13, so it’s just not enough to move the needle either way very significantly. In that scenario, a win on its own keeps them tied for fourth (and with no common opponents and no head-to-head, Hanover Park would get the tiebreaker for now). Now, if they can get some help, that would be good. It looks like if Bernards wins, and Rutherford, Shabazz and Hanover Park all lose – regardless of what Westwood does – Bernards may be able to get the two-seed overall, and a top-seed in North 2, Group 2. But it’s unlikely all three lose. A loss by Bernards, and they could drop to six or perhaps a bit lower.
  • Dayton: The Bulldogs (6-2) get Brearley Saturday, worth 18 power points and with a 49.52 SI value. Both are higher than their current averages (11.43 power points, 40.03 OSI) so a win on their own bumps them up to 15 from their current seat in the 16th position. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but giving wins to the five teams behind them in that scenario – Becton, Vernon, Lyndhurst, Mahwah and Cresskill – still keeps them in at 15; Vernon would jump them, but the others wouldn’t be able to make up enough ground. Should they lose, they’re out. So, we think this is a play-in game for Dayton.

SOUTH GROUP 2

  • A.L. Johnson: The Crusaders (7-1) play Perth Amboy (1-7) Friday, so even a win on its own would drop them from eighth place to a tie for ninth with Gloucester City. That wouldn’t drop them in their section, necessarily, however, because Gloucester City will be in South Jersey Group 2, and Johnson will be in Central Jersey Group 2 when split by geography. Even a win by Bordentown behind them would keep them there, as the Scotties have Pemberton (1-6) on the schedule Friday. A loss, however, could drop them to 11 or lower. Johnson certainly is in the playoffs, but we think either way, they likely play on the road, and they most likely scenario is a 5th seed in CJ2.
  • Voorhees: The Vikings (7-1) are having a fantastic season, but only in 16th coming into Cutoff Weekend. Their schedule is not as bad as some of the smaller-school six- and seven-win teams, but this section is a brutal one. Only one team above them – Point Pleasant Boro at 3-4 – has fewer than four wins. Now, we think that’s mainly the way it should be, but not every supersection is like this. North 5 for example has six of the last seven teams in the top 16 with three wins or fewer, including Montclair at 16 with a 1-7 record. (They would have to reach two wins to be eligible, but something is wrong with a system that allows that to even happen in the first place.) In any event, Voorhees will be hurt by having North Hunterdon (1-7) this weekend in the annual Milk Can Game, a rivalry that dates back to 1976, in which the Lions have a wide advantage. A win alone won’t move them up, though they could edge up if Willingboro and Overbrook – currently ahead of them – were to lose. A loss would drop them to 17, and even losses by Overrook Camden and Willingboro won’t help. Note that Camden Eastside – also ahead of them – is idle this week. It’s possible some quirk would get them in, but the best path is a win over North Hunterdon.
  • Spotswood: Seems like we have this discussion every year with the Chargers. They’re 7-1, their lone loss is to Dayton, and they are on the outside looking in at 18. Let’s just get the easy part out of the way: A loss to 5-2 Roselle Park makes them toast. Now, can they find a way in? The big thing is Roselle Park is 5-2, and they’re a big prize for the Chargers: a 56.10 SI team, where their average is currently 39.45, and worth 21 power points, almost double their current average. But guess what? It still doesn’t move them from 18th! It’s a sign the system is broken and rewards teams more for losses to good teams than wins. (We’ll have more on this Saturday night, during our live projection show, you can be sure of that.) So, is there a path in? We’re going to assume a Voorhees win, which isn’t a big stretch. This one we’re going to dive deep on. What you have to look at is where you can gain in each metric, power points and OSI. The five teams ahead of Spotswood in power points (Spotswood is 13 there currently – by the way, we’ve advocated for ditching power points, going to solely OSI, and making losses less valuable (like 30 or 40 percent) – are Sterling, Collingswood, Voorhees, Manasquan and Lower Cape May. Giving all but Voorhees a loss, the Chargers are still at 17. Now, let’s try OSI, where Spotswood is 21st. The teams ahead of them are Delaware Valley, Governor Livingston, Raritan, Voorhees and Lower Cape May. We already got those last two, and Governor Livingston should beat winless New Brunswick (which hasn’t scored more than eight points in a game since 2022, a streak of 28 games). So we’ll be realistic, and give losses to Del Val and Raritan, and they still don’t get in. Maybe there’s a quirk we haven’t found yet – like a loss by Willingboro -but it looks pretty bleak for Spotswood, even with a win. Will it change anything? Probably not, but it should.

by Mike Pavlichko

Gridiron New Jersey updates out-of-state SI; changes help Plainfield, Dayton edge up.

Gridiron New Jersey – the official calculator of the NJSIAA’s NJ UPR playoff formula – has updated the out-of-state Strength Index values for dozens of teams, with only 13 public schools affected as we head into Cutoff Weekend. But the changes helped give a boost to two Big Central Conference teams.

The changes affected North and South Group 5 and Group 2, as well as South 4 and North 3 supersections.

In four of those six sections, the teams that played out-of-state opponents only saw a minor increase or decrease, typically less than one full point. South 5, South 4, North 3 and South 2 saw no change in the standings or UPR numbers as a result.

But in the Big Central Conference, Plainfield and Dayton got boosts.

In the North 5 supersection, Plainfield – which lost at Haverford (PA) back on September 27th, 41-25 – bumped up from 18 to 15, putting themselves squarely on the right side of the playoff bubble. And the Cardinals could move up this week, as they close out Friday night at Linden (3-5), which sits in 12th place, and didn’t move with the new adjustments.

Here are the new standings in North 5:

A table displaying the standings for North Group 5 high school football teams, including columns for wins, losses, ties, points average, out-of-state index average, UPR, northing, UPR rank, and N rank.

Meanwhile, in South Group 2, Dayton (6-1) – one of the small schools struggling to get in the playoffs – edged up from 17 to 16. The Bulldogs have been hurt by wins over three unbeaten teams this year – South Hunterdon, South River and Dunellen – but also have wins over Roselle Park (5-2), Spotswood (7-1) and Belvidere (4-4). Their final game, this Saturday at home against Brearley (4-4), might be a play-in game, and we’ll have to do further analysis to see if there’s a chance they can get in with a loss, or not make it even with a win. It’ll be close!

Here are the new standings in North 2:

Table displaying the updated standings for North Group 2 teams in New Jersey high school football, including team names, wins, losses, ties, and other statistics.
by Mike Pavlichko

Sunday Conversation: Woodbridge’s Joe Goerge on 250 (or 251?) career wins, spanning NJ and NY

Sometimes, you can do the math over and over again, and it just doesn’t add up.

Such was the case when Woodbridge football assistant Jason Goerge – who coaches with his father, Joe, the head man for the Barrons – called me to discuss a milestone his dad was close to reaching.

Or, maybe he’d already reached it?

After beginning his career at Port Richmond on Staten Island, Joe Goerge eventually landed in New Jersey at Franklin. He won two championships, then resurrected the program at Dayton before heading to South Brunswick, where he won three more state titles. He left there to go to St. Joseph by the Sea back in New York, then came back to South Brunswick before arriving in Woodbridge in 2024.

The St. Joseph by the Sea website put his record at 221-137-4 heading on a web page introducing the 2021 coaching staff. They went 4-5 that year, putting him at 225-142-4. Back at South Brunswick, the Vikings went 5-5 in back-to-back seasons, for a total of 10-10, putting him at 235-152-4.

With a 10-1 season last year, and a 3-0 season this year, that’s 245-152-4.

But before coming to Woodbridge, a Mike Kinney article on NJ.com gave him a 238-158-4 record “at five schools – South Brunswick (twice), Franklin and Dayton in New Jersey, and Port Richmond (where he began his career) and St. Joseph by-the-Sea.”

That would make him 251-159-4, and that his 250th career win actually came two weeks ago in a 26-23 win at Watchung Hills.

Since school websites are not always up to date, and to be honest, we trust Mike Kinney more (and Athletic Director Joe Ward, who confirmed the same)… we’re going with those numbers.

But really, what are we talking about here? Joe Goerge has reached quite the milestone. He’s won multiple championships at multiple schools, including 1994 and 1996 in Central Jersey Group 3 at Franklin, along with Central Jersey Group 5 titles in 2012, 2015 and 2017 at South Brunswick.

A jubilant football coach holds a championship trophy aloft while surrounded by celebrating players in their uniforms, cheering and raising their hands in triumph.
Joe Goerge celebrates with his players after South Brunswick’s 2015 Central Jersey Group 5 championship over Manalapan at Rutgers University. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Over the years, he’s touched the lives of thousands of boys and turned them into young men with the life lessons football provides. Accountability, respect, hard work, and overcoming adversity.

Certainly, the championships will be remembered.

But the joy, for Goerge, is in the teaching, and then seeing them years later with their families, their kids, using the lessons they learned – whether at Port Richmond way back when he first started in the 1980s, or in 2040 when he sees anyone on his current Barrons squad, either with their wives and kids, coaching, or maybe playing in the NFL.

To see what they’ve become, what they’ve made out of their lives, that’s the real victory.

And you can be pretty sure there are a lot more than 250 of those victories in Joe Goerge’s career.

And at the rate he’s going, there will be many more to come.

Click below to hear Woodbridge football coach Joe Goerge talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about his long and storied career in coaching, and win No. 250 – whenever it came!

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).