Tag: Dayton

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

Spotswood capitalizes on Dayton miscues as Chargers continue playoff push with 34-7 victory in first game on brand-new turf

The sun was shining on a gorgeous fall day, glistening off the field just in time for the Chargers’ first game on their brand-new turf.

Saturday afternoon didn’t start well for Spotswood, which went all the way down the field on its opening drive of the game, only to fumble on the one-yard line.

But most of the rest of the way? It all went their way in a 34-7 home victory in their first game on their brand-new turf field.

Dayton took the lead briefly in the game. After Gavin Periera booted a 34-yard field goal to put the Chargers up 3-0 with 30 seconds to go in the first quarter, J.J. DeSarno found Adrian Bernknopf for an eight-yard touchdown pass, putting the Bulldogs up 7-3 in the second quarter.

And that’s when the Charger offense came alive. First, quarterback Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage ran in a 12-yard score at 6:14 of the second to give Spotswood the lead back at 10-7 with the PAT.

On the next possession, the Chargers forced Dayton into a punt, then blocked it, with Jayson Tejada returning it for six, making it 17-7.

Another Dayton turnover on their next possession boosted Spotswood yet again, as Julian Sanchez recovered a fumble, and Seb Saracino capitalized with a three-yard TD run to make it 24-7 with 47 seconds to go before the half.

And they still weren’t done. Spostwood recovered a pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff, and with timeouts in hand, got down to the ten before Tolbert-Brimage hit Vinny Young for a touchdown pass 12 seconds before halftime to make it 31-7 going into the break.

Periera added a 35-yard field goal late in the third quarter.

Spotswood improves to 6-1 as it continues to push toward the playoffs. Despite one loss, they entered the week at No. 17 in the South Group 2 supersection, but unofficially pulled into 15th before the Dayton game based on results from Thursday and Friday night.

Gridiron New Jersey typically releases updated official NJSIAA UPR standings as early as Sunday during the season.

The Chargers will face South Hunterdon (3-3) Friday night at home. Dayton will host Dunellen (0-7) Friday night.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with the Spotswood Chargers, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Saturday Big Central Roundup: Great starts continue for No. 3 Somerville, No. 9 St. Joseph, and Summit

Dayton was the one to spoil the party Saturday afternoon.

In four Big Central football games, third-ranked Somerville, No. 9 St. Joseph of Metuchen and Summit all won, but South River fell to the Bulldogs at home.

Here’s a look at the Saturday afternoon contests:

No. 3 Somerville 22, Hillside 0: The Pioneers are quickly approaching a level they haven’t seen since the COVID-shortened season. With Saturday’s victory, The ‘Ville is off to a 5-0 start, its best since they ran the table in 2020, going 7-0. That season was cut short one game when their “postseason pod” finale with 6-1 Phillipsburg was cancelled due to players testing positive and contact-traced for COVID on both teams.

This one was all Somerville, which got all three touchdowns on the ground, including two from Terrell Mitchell, and one from Josh Rodriguez.

Somerville hosts Summit (4-0) next Friday night at Brooks Field, while Hillside (2-3) will host Roselle (0-5) Saturday afternoon at Conant Street Park.

No. 9 St. Joseph-Metuchen 35, Westfield 16: It’s the Falcons’ best start (4-0) since 2017, when they ran the table in the GMC and regular season for a second straight year and third time in five campaigns, finishing the season at 9-1 under Rich Hilliard, with their only defeat coming in the Non-Public Group A first round, 35-7 to Paramus Catholic.

Westfield had the only score of the first quarter, a 31-yard field goal from Enzo Ferrero, but St. Joe’s got the next five scores, including three touchdown passes from junior quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo in the second quarter, to take a 21-3 lead at the break. He ended up throwing five on the day, going 13-of-18 for 280 yards. The Falcons got two touchdowns in the third to make it 35-3, and with a 32-point lead, triggered the running clock for the remainder of the game, in which Westfield got a rushing touchdown from Luka Blasi and an 81-yard fumble recovery scoop-and-score for 81 yards from Jordan Walsh.

Next up, St. Joseph entertains North Brunswick (1-4) for a rare Friday night game under the lights at Brenner Family Field at 6:30 pm. Westfield drops to 2-2, and will visit Hillsborough next Friday night.

Summit 21, Cranford 7: The Hilltoppers are off to their best start since 2018, when they finished 10-2, beat Rahway for the North 2 Group 3 title, then lost to Ramapo at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands in the inaugural North Group 3 “regional bowl” game.

Quarterback Cole Sabol completed just three of 11 passes in the game, but for 105 yards, and two of those three completions went for touchdowns. He also rushed for one.

Summit visits Somerville – also 4-0 – in a battle of unbeatens Friday night, while Cranford (2-2) travels to Rahway (4-1) Friday night.

Dayton 12, South River 8: The Bulldogs got their first win of the season and improved to 1-3 behind two touchdown passes from John John DeSarno to Adrian Bernkopf.

Next Saturday, Dayton hosts Belvidere (4-1), while the Rams (1-3) visit Delaware Valley (3-1).

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

Marcus Borden’s 2024 GMC/BCC Camp Caravan: Monday Morning quad scrimmage kicks off Week Two with JFK, Dayton and New Providence

Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football analyst Marcus Borden opened up Week Two of coverage with a busy morning, visiting a quad scrimmage at JFK in Iselin that included the Mustangs, New Providence and Dayton, along with non-conference Lakewood out of the Shore Conference.

You can find videos – including video highlights and interviews – from all three participating Big Central Conference teams below:

JFK: Head Coach Mike Henderson and seniors Brenden Denti (C/DL), Manny Perez-Quijano (FB/NG), Dylan Driz (MLB/FB) and Lee Tobon (WR/DB)

New Providence: Head Coach Chet Parlevecchio, Jr., and seniors TJ Munn (QB/CB), Owen Silver (WR/S/Ret), Sam Sicolil (OT/DT), and Jameson Moore (RT/DT)

Dayton: Head Coach Nick Iannacone and seniors John DeSarno (QB) and James Walker (RB/MLB)

by Mike Pavlichko

“The Big Central in 2 Minutes” – Week 6: Titan Tussle, Monty’s Monsters

Things are heating up in the Big Central Conference. It’s the last three weeks of the season and big games continue to abound. Montgomery won a big battle with Watchung Hills, led by the dynamic duo of QB Michael Schmelzer, Jr., and WR Matt D’Avino. There are five unbeaten teams left in the league, and Phillipsburg and Summit could be primed for top seeds come the playoffs.

CJSR veteran reporter Mike Pavlichko takes a closer look at all that and much more – on this week’s edition of “The Big Central in Two Minutes!”

Click below to listen to the Week Six edition of “The Big Central in Two Minutes”:

by Mike Pavlichko

Career night for Sangiray, big TD run by Duplesis give Dunellen 18-7 win over Dayton in season opener

The Dunellen football team was without Chiekezie Ogbuewu for its season opener Friday night against Dayton. With just 24 players available, it was certainly likely to be a detriment to the Destroyers’ chances against the Bulldogs.

Well, his teammates did just fine without him, thanks very much.

After holding Dayton to a three-and-out on its first possession, Dunellen got an 81-yard touchdown run by Elijah Duplesis on its first play from scrimmage to take a 6-0 lead (they failed on the two-point run) that they would never relinquish.

Aidan Sangiray is all smiles after a career-high rushing performance in Dunellen’s season opening win over Dayton, 18-7 at home on September 1, 2023. (Photo: Dylan Allen)

While Dunellen (1-0) held Dayton to 87 yards of total offense in the first half – and just one first down – the Destroyers added another score late in the first quarter on a 10-yard run by Aidan Sangiray.

Dayton (0-1) cut it to 12-8 on a 51-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter by quarterback John John DeSarno, but that was all they’d get.

While Sangiray was rushing toward a career high 153 yards on 22 carries, he added a one-yard TD run in the third to give his team an 18-7 lead that would hold until the final horn.

Click below for postgame recation from Dunellen head coach Dave DeNapoli and senior Aidan Sangiray:

Dunellen senior Aidan Sangiray
Dunellen head coach Dave DeNapoli
by Dylan Allen

Dayton looks to make it four in a row against Dunellen in its season opener

Yes, you read that correctly, Dayton has beaten Dunellen three straight seasons.

These two faced off in the season opener last season with Dayton getting the 14-8 win. Senior quarterback Lujuan Quinones ran the ball eight times for 44 yards and scored both touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

And Friday night, the Bulldogs get a chance to extend the streak when they visit Columbia Park to take on the Destroyers in the Big Central Game of the Week on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Kickoff is 7 pm; pregame starts at 6:45 with Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen calling all the action. Click here to listen.

But with Quinones graduating, in steps junior quarterback John John DeSarno – the nephew of longtime Westfield head coach Jim DeSarno – who will make his first high school start this Friday night. (And with the Blue Devils home Saturday to Watchung Hills, it’s quite possible he’ll get to watch him play.)

Second-year head coach Nick Iannacone looks to win his fifth career game since being hired last August. The Bulldogs finished 4-5 in his first season with wins over Dunellen, Roselle Park, Highland Park, and Metuchen.

Click below to hear Dylan Allen talk with Dayton head coach Nick Iannacone ahead of the season opener vs. Dunellen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Dunellen looks for revenge against Dayton to open Destroyers’ ’23 campaign

Last year’s 3-7 Dunellen team almost got off on the right foot.

The Destroyers were up in Springfield to play Dayton and held the Bulldogs scoreless in the first half. The problem was Dunellen couldn’t score either.

Dayton got the first two touchdowns, and Dunellen answered with a kick return to the house by Chiekezie Ogbuewu to make it 14-8, but that was as close as they could get.

This year, Dunellen – with a 25-man roster, now 24 with Ogbuewu unavailable Friday – will try and flip the script when Dayton comes down to Middlesex County to open the season.

You can hear it all on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen on the call. Kickoff is at 7:00 from Columbia Park, with pregame set for 6:45. Click here to listen.

Dunellen runs the tough-to-defend double-wing offense, with some single-wing mixed in. It’s been dubbed the “offense in a phone booth,” and though head coach Dave DeNapoli says the goal is “two-and-a-half yards a carry” – they rarely throw the ball, if ever – it has been known to break some big runs.

They’ll need that in order to have a successful season in 2023.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko preview the Dunellen-Dayton game with Destroyers’ head coach Dave DeNapoli: