Tag: Dunellen

by Mike Pavlichko

Phlip McGuane, longtime Dunellen resident, past assistant, to take over as Destroyer football coach

You could call Phlip McGuane a journeyman.

But you could also call him an excellent football coach, even if he’s coached in all three parts of New Jersey – North, South, and Central. (Yes, of course it exists!)

Now, the man who has lived in Dunellen for three decades is taking over as the head coach of the Destroyer football program, after Dave DeNapoli stepped down following 29 years as head coach back in early April. His hiring was approved by the Board of Education at its May 20th meeting.

McGuane came down from his native Masschussetts and started his coaching in Jersey at Scotch Plains-Fanwood, where he was an assistant for three years. He then became head coach at Whippany Park, spent 18 years as the head coach at South Plainfield, and was at Parsippany and New Egypt in between assistant gigs under DeNapoli.

He came back to become the head coach at Middlesex in 2022, and was there two seasons – going 11-8, including 7-2 in 2023 – before stepping down after a cancer diagnosis that he’s now gotten through. At the time, he said he felt okay, but didn’t want any treatments he might need to have to take away from his time with the team.

Now, at age 71 and with a clean bill of health, McGuane is back in the game.

He’s hit the ground running, taking a look at the strength program, retaining a couple of assistants, and recruiting more. And he’ll even use a scheme similar to the double-wing “offense in a phone booth” DeNapoli has used over the years.

Click below to hear new Dunellen football coach Phlip McGuane talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Late coaching departures leave several Big Central schools looking for new football coaches

Ridge, Linden, AL Johnson, New Brunswick, Dunellen and now St. Thomas Aquinas. Although that last one didn’t last long.

Most high school football coaches who decide to leave – or aren’t brought back – depart in December or January, with new mentors coming on board in January, February or even March.

But at one point this week, a half-dozen schools are in various stages of looking for head football coaches and it’s already early May.

The reasons are as wide and varied as the type of schools still searching for new football leadership. Here’s a closer look at each:

St. Thomas Aquinas: The latest coach to step down was Jonathan Germano, who came down from Bergen Catholic to replace Tarig Holman, who was not brought back by the school after an unprecedented run in three seasons, going 27-6. But while school principal Harry Ziegler said in a Wednesday message to the school community obtained by Central Jersey Sports Radio that a new head coach would be named “in the coming days,” they wasted no time, announcing the hiring of Shamir Bearfield from St. Peter’s Prep less than 24 hours later. Read that story – and hear our one-on-one interview – here.

New Brunswick: Steve Gluchowski told the school back in December he wouldn’t be coming back for a third season. The Zebras went 0-18 in his two campaigns, plagued mainly by dwindling numbers – from about 40 at the start of each season to fewer than two dozen by the time it was all over. New Brunswick has lost 23 straight games, dating back to 2022, and the search there continues.

Linden: Al Chiola stepped down in March from the Tiger program, and his resignation was accepted by the Board of Education at its April 29th meeting. He’ll likely spend some time watching his son Tyler, who will be a senior this season, but he has no plans to coach this season. Chiola was 44-49-1 in ten seasons with Linden, going 4-6 last season after a 6-3-1 campaign in 2023. Listen to our one-on-one interview here.

Dunellen: Dave DeNapoli has had a long career at Dunellen, and while he’ll remain as Athletic Director, he retired from coaching the Destroyer football program last month after 29 years as the program’s mentor. He finishes his career with a record of 133-172-1 over that time span. He took the reins in August 1996, at the age of 39, and followed a legend in his own right, Pio Pennisi, who brought the school a Central Jersey Group 1 championship in 1993 and had just stepped down to become vice-principal at the high school. He played quarterback for Dunellen, graduating in 1975, and has lived in town all his life. The search for a successor is ongoing.

Ridge: Andy West stepped down earlier this spring after five seasons at the helm of the Red Devil program earlier this spring. Coming off back-to-back 8-2 seasons, West’s went 6-2 in his initial campaign in 2020 – while many programs struggled during the COVID-shortened season – then went 7-3 each of the next two seasons, and 8-2 each of the past two. He finishes 36-12, with a .750 winning percentage, and never missed the state playoffs in four seasons. (There were no state playoffs in 2020 due to COVID.) We’re hearing a new coach may be named shortly.

AL Johnson: Anthony DelConte is out after eleven seasons leading the Crusaders, the last three of which were among their best, winning six games each in 2022 and 2023, then going 7-2 last season. DelConte’s best season was an 8-3 campaign in 2017, and he went 56-48 during his tenure there. No word yet on a replacement. School officials say the job posting closes shortly, and the goal is to have a new coach approved by the Board of Education at its next meeting later this month.

by Mike Pavlichko

Power Points Analysis: Metuchen continues to lead Central Group 1, but Middlesex inches closer

We’re exactly two weeks from the NJSIAA cutoff for the state playoffs – May 17th – and teams across the area continue to jockey for position in the standings. Here’s a closer look beyond the numbers at where teams stand and what their chances are, based on NJ.com’s official standings as of games played on May 2nd. For a full explanation of the new power point formula, click here.

Central Jersey Group 2: The No. 1 team is still Metuchen (12-3, 22.127), as the Bulldogs went 4-1 since our last update, but they’re just 1.127 ahead of the next team, which is now Middlesex (11-4, 21). The Blue Jays were even better, going a perfect 3-0 in the week gone by, jumping them over Point Pleasant Beach (13-3, 19.2), which went 2-2 since our last check-in. With the fourth-place team, Delaware Valley (8-6) at 16.469 power points, we think it’ll be the Bulldogs, Blue Jays and Garnet Gulls battling it out for the top two spots, so Metuchen and Middlesex – if they keep doing what they’ve been doing – are locks for at least the top four.

Manville (9-5, 14.923) slipped from fifth to seventh this week, despite winning all three games they played, and their power point average going up. They could finish either side of the top eight, with a lot of teams closely bunched in here. South Amboy (5-9, 14.433) is right behind them, as well as Piscataway Magnet (7-7, 14.386) in ninth and Somerset Tech (6-6, 13.297) in tenth. Only 1.626 points separate the four, and we haven’t even talked about Florence, New Egypt or Dunellen (10-6, 12.543), all within less than two power points of the No. 8 spot. Anyone could land anywhere, and this one is just too close to call right now.

The next CJSR-area teams are all on the wrong side of the bubble, but at that spot in the standings, one or two late wins – when you only have a couple to begin with – could do wonders. That’s the hope for Perth Amboy Magnet (3-10, 9.177), Highland Park (2-11, 7.631) and Bound Brook (1-10, 7.209), all of whom are in positions 17 through 19, with the target being to at least outs 16th place Keyport (4-5, 9.677). If any of those teams can string together a couple of wins the last two weeks, they might just edge into the playoffs.

by Mike Pavlichko

East Brunswick Magnet holds off 7th inning Dunellen rally for 13-12 win; Hutchins collects three milestones in one game for Destroyers

Next time you take a look at league standings in baseball, note that you’ll see wins, losses, win percentages, division records, and runs for and against.

One thing you won’t see: style points.

Good thing for East Brunswick Magnet, which saw a five-run lead nearly evaporate in the bottom of the seventh at Columbia Park in Dunellen Wednesday, but hung on for a 13-12 win to keep them in first place in the Greater Middlesex Conference Gold Division.

There were some good hard hits – even an Anthony Bienvenue solo homer to lead off the third for the Tigers – but it was hardly a slugfest. EB Magnet benefitted from four Dunellen errors, and nine walks issued by Destroyer pitchers.

It was back-and-forth early on. The Tigers got a leadoff double from Tommy O’Neill and a walk from Nomar Carreras, with both getting driven in on a Stephen Zappola double two batters later. But Dunellen got back four in the home half, on two hits and two walks. One came in on a double-steal of second and home.

East Brunswick Magnet got four back in the top of the second to take a 6-4 lead – with only one hit in the frame – but Dunellen answered right back with three in the bottom of the second, to take a 7-6 lead after two.

The Tigers continued to score, while Carreras – the starting pitcher – settled in. After giving up seven runs on five hits in the first two innings, he struck out the side in the third, got out of a jam that could have been worse in the fourth, allowing just one run, and faced four batters in the fifth, his final inning. The final out came with a runner at third, with a wild pitch that brought him home, except the hitter, Ryan Hutchins, was called out for batters’ interference. The home plate umpire said he hadn’t cleared enough room for the play to be made.

The Tigers for two in the third, one in the fourth, and two more in the fifth and sixth to take a 13-8 lead heading into the seventh, where they were held scoreless for the first time all day.

In the bottom of the inning is where it got interesting. Jack Clements came on to close it out and fanned the first two hitters. No. 9 hitter Jackson Portik reached on an E4, then Ryan Hutchins doubled him in to cut the deficit to four. It was his 100th career hit. He also logged his 100th career stolen base in the first, and scored his 100th career run in the seventh.

Dunellen players gather with Ryan Hutchins, who collected his 100th career hit, steal and run in a 13-2 home loss to East Brunswick Magnet on April 30, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

But his hit moved Protik to third, the Kristian Roman got hit by a pitch to load the bases. Mark Stein hit one to short and reached on an error, scoring Portik and moving the other runners up. With Cole Mayer at the plate, Hutchins came in from third on a wild pitch. Then Mayer drove in two when he reached on a chopper to short that took a bad bounce and went high over Chase Meyer’s glove. Michael Dow was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Joseph Reyes swung and missed at a 2-2 pitch to end the game.

East Brunswick Magnet improves to 14-2, 10-1 in the GMC Gold Division, a half game ahead of second-place New Brunswick (9-1 overall and in the White). The Tigers play at Perth Amboy Magnet Friday, while the Zebras has Timothy Christian Thursday and Monday. But EB Magnet and New Brunswick face each other after that fir the first time this year, Wednesday in East Brunswick, and Friday – after the GMC seeding meeting that morning – at Memorial Stadium.

Dunellen dropped to 9-6, 7-4 in the White with the loss.

Both starters got the decisions; Carreras (5-0) the win for East Brunswick Magnet, Danny Watts (2-2) the loss for Dunellen.

Click below for postgame reaction from East Brunswick Magnet starting pitcher Nomar Carreras and head coach Sean Radu:

by Mike Pavlichko

Dave DeNapoli on retiring from football, his start in coaching, and how he developed Dunellen’s signature “offense in a phone booth”

The longtime coach, who’s been at the same school for decades, is hard to come by anymore.

Just this year, the Big Central Conference lost two football mentors who long predate the superleague.

Earlier this year, Zoran Milich stepped down at Montgomery, having started the program quarter century ago, and last week it was Dave DeNapoli at Dunellen putting away the clipboard.

Milich will still be in the building at Montgomery, and DeNapoli remains Dunellen’s athletic director, but there’s still a void that won’t easily be replaced.

Consider this: The average tenure of the 50 Big Central Coaches who were at their schools last season is 6.1 years. And of those, 30 have four or fewer years under their belt at their current school.

Be that as it may, we got a chance to talk to DeNapoli about his retirement, his playing days, his coaching mentors, and how and why he installed the double-wing “offense in a phone booth” in the middle of a season. Click below to listen.

by Mike Pavlichko

They don’t make ’em like this anymore: Marcus Borden talks about longtime football coaches Dave DeNapoli, Zoran Milich hanging them up

First, there was Zoran Milich stepping down, the only man ever to coach Montgomery High School football. That was back in Janaury, after a quarter century building and running the Cougars’ program.

This week, it was Dunellen’s Dave DeNapoli, who has been the Destroyers’ coach since 1996, stepping down after 29 years at the helm. A lifelong Dunellen resident, DeNapoli played quarterback there, graduating in 1975.

There are few left like these two. While many coaches have been around a long time – like Joe Goerge, who has had great success at places like Woodbridge last year, Franklin, South Brunswick and Dayton, where he completely restarted the program – few grow up, play and coach in the same time.

The last of their breed in our area would be Rich Marchesi, who has won well over 200 games and is the winningest coach in Rams’ history. This upcoming season will be his 29th on the sidelines.

Rich Marchesi and his players on the sideline in an August 28, 2021 game against South Plainfield. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

We sat down with Central Jersey Sports Radio football analyst Marcus Borden to talk about DeNapoli’s retirement, Zoran Milich stepping aside, and the dedication these longtime coaches have shown to their football programs, their schools, and their communities. Click below to listen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Dave DeNapoli steps down after nearly three decades as venerable Dunellen football coach

Through tough times and good, and a bevy of both wins and losses, the one constant for Dunellen football for nearly 30 years has been Dave DeNapoli.

But now, he’s putting away the clipboard.

DeNapoli announced his retirement from coaching on Twitter Thursday evening, after 29 seasons as head coach in the tiny Middlesex County town. He finishes his career with a record of 133-172-1 over that time span.

He took the reins in August 1996, at the age of 39, and followed a legend in his own right, Pio Pennisi, who brought the school a Central Jersey Group 1 championship in 1993 and had just stepped down to become vice-principal at the high school.

“This is a dream come true, something I’ve always wanted to do my whole life,” DeNapoli told Home News Tribune reporter John Haley at the time. He had joined the Destroyers as a volunteer assistant just six years prior.

He played quarterback for Dunellen, graduating in 1975, and has lived in town all his life.

DeNapoli for years ran the double-wing offense, also dubbed “offense in a phone booth.” At a school where talent could certainly be found, but often in small numbers due to its sheer size – it’s the smallest high school in the Greater Middlesex Conference – the system often helped make Dunellen competitive.

DeNapoli brought them to two sectional finals. the first came in 2010, when they lost as the third-seed in Central Jersey Group 1 to Shore Regional at Rutgers, finishing 10-2. Four years later, they were the top-seed in North 2, Group 1, but fell to Shabazz, 14-6, at Kean University in Union, and ended the season 9-3.

Check back later as we plan to update this story with audio from DeNapoli.

by Mike Pavlichko

Manville boys’ just a win away from second straight sectional finals appearance, after 56-37 state tourney win over Dunellen

“The kids wanted a prime time game, and they got it”

The atmosphere was electric in Manville’s gym Saturday night, as head coach Bill Rooney’s Mustangs – the four seed in Central Jersey Group 1 – topped fifth-seed Dunellen in an old-school, small-school battle, 56-37 in the sectional quarterfinals.

The victory puts Manville a win away from its second straight trip to a sectional title game, and just its third overall. Tuesday, they’ll travel to Trenton take on Thrive Charter (22-4) in the semifinals.

Senior Edryn Morales scored 25 points in the win, while junior Josh D’Ambrosio added another 10 points, as Manville led most of the game, including 9-6 after one quarter, and 21-5 at halftime.

Notably, while many talked about the great run Manville had through last year’s state tournament, this year’s team is an even better version. That squad finished 16-13, but this year’s edition has topped that, to the tune of an 19-8 record, and Rooney can see it on the court, too.

Thrive has garnered a lot of attention because they’re the former Trenton Catholic, a non-public school, now playing in the public ranks as a charter school, which is considered a public school because it receives public funding.

And while they’re very good, they’re beatable. Rutgers Prep counts Thrive as one of its victories, and on Saturday, Bound Brook played them close in the other quarterfinal on Manville’s side of the bracket. The Crusaders kept it within a possession for most of the first half until a late Thrive run gave them a 14-point halftime lead. And the Crusaders kept pace the rest of the way.

Now, Manville just has to watch that tape.

Click below to hear Manville head coach Bill Rooney talk about the Mustangs’ win over Dunellen, and Tuesday’s semifinal matchup with Thrive Charter:

by Mike Pavlichko

Opening Night NJSIAA roundup: Top-seeded Colonia boys win, Dunellen wins all-GMC Silver matchup over Highland Park

On the opening night of the NJSIAA state basketball tournament, the top-seeded Colonia boys were winners, along with nine other teams, five on the girls’ side, five on the boys.

One of the highlights was a 61-58 win for fifth-seed Dunellen over 12th-seed Highland Park in an all-GMC Silver Division state tourney matchup in Central Jersey Group 1. It was the Destroyer’s third win this season over the Owls, the other two coming early in the season.

Jamael Davis led Dunellen (16-9) with 21 points, while Ryan Hutchins added 16 and Danny Watts scored 10. Now, the Destroyers move to Saturday’s sectional quarterfinal round against fourth-seed Manville (18-8), a team they lost to 62-61 in the championship game of their own Mike Shello Holiday Tournament back on December 28th. The Mustangs – CJ1 finalists last year – were 60-53 winners over 13-seed Shore Regional Wednesday night, behind 32 points from Edryn Morales. It was his third game of the season topping 30 points, and he’s now done it in back-to-back games after scoring 31 last Thursday in a 72-71 loss to Spotswood.

Click below to hear Dunellen coach Matt Cianfrone talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the Destroyers’ opening-round playoff win, and their quarterfinal matchup against Manville:

Dunellen’s win also was its first in the playoffs since they went to the Central Jersey Group 1 final in 2020, where they lost to University out of Newark.

Here are all the results from Wednesday night’s first round action in Groups 1 and 3, in sections involving CJSR-area teams. Check back later for scores of games not yet reported.

BOYS’ RESULTS

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3
(1) Colonia def. (16) Cranford, 61-42
(9) Cliffside Park def. (8) Warren Hills, 52-47
(12) Millburn def. (5) Somerville, 61-54
(4) Chatham def. (13) Lincoln, 59-48
(3) Payne Tech def. (14) Nutley, 91-48
(11) Orange def. (6) South Plainfield, 69-63
(10 Summit) def. (7) Rahway, 63-49
(2) Mendham def. (15) Randolph, 50-22

Central Jersey Group 1
(1) Thrive Charter def. (16) College Achieve Central, 79-32
(8) Bound Brook def. (9) Piscataway Magnet, 68-63
(5) Dunellen def. (12) Highland Park, 61-58
(4) Manville def. (13) Shore, 60-53
(3) Pt. Pleasant Beach def. (14) South Hunterdon, 63-34
(6) Henry Hudson def. (11) Florence, 63-49
(10 New Providence def. (7) Keyport, 66-58
(2) Middlesex def. (15) Perth Amboy Magnet, 58-51

GIRLS’ RESULTS

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3
(1) Chatham def. (16) Orange, 71-29
(9) South Plainfield def. (8) Payne Tech, 57-48
(5) Randolph def. (12) North Plainfield, 66-49
(4) Mendham def. (13) North Hunterdon, 59-28
(6) Cranford def. (11) Millburn, 52-33
(7) Carteret def. (10) Nutley, 40-33
(2) Somerville def. (15) Colonia, 52-30

Central Jersey Group 1
(1) New Providence def. (16) STEMCivics, 85-33
(9) Pt. Pleasant Beach at (8) Keansburg, 48-34
(5) Shore Regional def. (12) Highland Park, 78-32
(4) Middlesex def. (13) South Amboy, 39-8
(3) Bound Brook def. (14) Florence, 53-24
(6) Roselle Park def. (11) Brearley, 58-44
(7) Dayton def. (10) Manville, 65-41
(2) Thrive Charter def. (15) Woodbridge Magnet, 75-14

Here are matchups for the next round, which will be played on Saturday:

BOYS

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3
(9) Cliffside Park at (1) Colonia
(12) Millburn at (4) Chatham
(11) Orange at (3) Payne Tech
(10) Summit at (2) Mendham

Central Jersey Group 1
(8) Bound Brook at (1) Thrive Charter
(5) Dunellen at (4) Manville
(6) Henry Hudson at (3) Point Pleasant Beach
(10) New Providence at (2) Middlesex

GIRLS

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3
(9) South Plainfield at (1) Chatham
(5) Randolph at (4) Mendham
(6) Cranford at (3) Summit
(7) Carteret at (2) Somerville

Central Jersey Group 3
(9) Pt. Pleasant Beach at (1) New Providence
(5) Shore Regional at (4) Middlesex
(6) Roselle Park at (3) Bound Brook
(7) Dayton at (2) Thrive Charter

by Mike Pavlichko

A GMC first? Middlesex’s Reynolds, Dunellen’s Hutchins join 1,000 point club in same game

We had to dig a little deep on this one.

Every year, a good number of players in the Greater Middlesex Conference – and statewide – join the 1,000 point club. It’s a big milestone for a high school basketball player. Some even top 2,000.

But what are the chances of two players hitting the 1,000-point mark in the same game? How about from opposing teams?

That’s what happened last Thursday when Dunellen and Middlesex squared off.

The Destroyers’ Ryan Hutchins was approaching the mark, and so was the Blue Jays’ Owen Reynolds. And they both got to the 1,000 mark in the same game.

Has that ever happened before?

We actually checked with longtime sportswriter John Haley, who – along with his father, the late Gene Haley – were often encyclopedic with their knowledge of local hoops history. John says he believes John Carpenter and Darrell Cross did it in the same game for Perth Amboy years ago, but they were on the same team.

So, we sat down to talk with the the Dunellen and Middlesex seniors about this unique occurrence, and how it all played out.

Who hit 1,000 first? Well, you’ll have to listen…

Click below to hear Dunellen’s Ryan Hutchins and Middlesex’s Owen Reynolds talk about scoring their 1,000th career points in the same game: