Tag: Dunellen

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: Freedom Silver Division

Our second divisional preview this season is the Freedom Silver, another six-team grouping of some of the Big Central Conference’s smaller schools.

It was a big rebound year for Belvidere, which finished 8-2 to win the Freedom Silver, following a 3-7 campaign in 2023. The County Seaters again are loaded, and should be right there again this year, but Middlesex could very well challenge them. The Blue Jays have some holes to plug, but the cupboard is far from bare, and they should be in the mix.

So should Manville, which completely flipped the script in 2024, reversing from a 3-7 year in 2023 to 7-3 last season. They’re loaded on defense.

South Hunterdon is coming off a .500 season, but should also factor into the mix, with players like senior runningback McCade Cummings back for another year.

Bound Brook will look to take a step up after a tough 2024, but with some key players returning, and Dunellen will look to rebound from a winless season with a new head coach, Phlip McGuane.

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

Belvidere wins the Big Central Central Freedom Silver Division title over Middlesex.
by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Top Freedom Silver teams Belvidere, Middlesex, Manville all lose key senior standouts

After an 0-9 debut season and a 3-7 campaign in 2023, Belvidere shot to the top of the pile in the Freedom Silver Division, but they – like many others – will have to deal with some big losses. Kyle Blew was great last season for the County Seaters, as was Naquavere Thomas at Manville, Dom Parenti at Middlesex, etc., etc. The question is whether the supporting casts – solid in their own right – will be able to take it to the next level with whoever fills those shoes.

South Hunterdon loses a lot, while Dunellen and Bound Brook are looking to improve from tough seasons; the Destroyers went winless but have a new head coach and some talent coming back, while Bound Brook is coming off a one-year campaign, and faces some significant losses.

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

Belvidere County Seaters (8-2, 5-0, Freedom Silver champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Jordan Schreffler (11-18, 2nd season)

  • Week 0: Hackettstown (Thurs, 7p)
  • Week 1: at North Plainfield
  • Week 2: at Manville*
  • Week 3: Dunellen*
  • Week 4: at Bound Brook*
  • Week 5: Dayton
  • Week 6: South Hunterdon*
  • Week 7: North Warren (Sat, 1:30p)
  • Week 8: at Middlesex*

Head coach Jordan Schreffler’s first two seasons – 0-9 and 3-7 – were a slow, but steady build to last year’s Freedom Silver championship, sweeping their five divisional games. But it will be tough to replace senior QB Kyle Blew, who threw for 1,230 yards and 22 touchdowns with just five picks on the season. All but 115 of 1,116 yards on the ground came from seniors last year, so that will have to be replaced as well. Top receiver Elijah White (421 yards, 11 TDs) returns. Two big rising seniors are back on defense, including DL Brayden Duckworth (3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, one for a TD) and LB Geoddrey Young *5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 for a score and 1 INT). Kardin LaBar – a sophomore linebacker – also could play a big role; he had two sacks and two fumble recoveries a year ago.

Bound Brook Crusaders (1-8, 1-4, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Dave LePoidevin (12-32, 6th season)

  • Week 0: North Warren (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 1: JP Stevens
  • Week 2: at Dunellen*
  • Week 3: South Hunterdon*
  • Week 4: Belvidere*
  • Week 5: at Spotswood (6p)
  • Week 6: at Middlesex*
  • Week 7: at New Providence
  • Week 8: Manville*

It could be another tough year for the Crusaders, depending on who’s waiting in the wings. Senior quarterback Jeremiah Norwood (698 pass yards, 5 TDs; 336 rush yards, #2 on the team, 5 TDs) is gone, as top rusher Andy Perpignan (536 yards, 1 TD). Same with the receivers, where the biggest impact player back is junior John Archer (7 receptions, 179 yards, 1 TD). The defense was mostly young in 2024, with some key seniors gone, too, but last year’s experience could pay off here.

Dunellen Destroyers (0-10, 0-5, 6th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Phlip McGuane (1st season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Highland Park
  • Week 2: Bound Brook*
  • Week 3: at Belvidere*
  • Week 4: Middlesex*
  • Week 5: at Roselle Park
  • Week 6: at Manville*
  • Week 7: Dayton
  • Week 8: South Hunterdon*

After a 5-4 season in 2023, but a some key talent graduating, the Destroyers suffered through a winless season, and longtime head coach Dave DeNapoli retired from coaching. But he’s staying as Athletic Director, and brought in longtime boro resident Phlip McGuane. Don’t expect major changes to the double-wing scheme on offense, especially with DeNapoli still in the building able to lend a hand, if needed. Senior QB Mark Stein graduates, as does top rusger Jose Marin (513 yards, 5 TDs), but juniors Jamael Davis (RB, 410 yards, 4 scores) and TE Kahbir Casey (289 rush yards, 2 TD) should make in impact in their senior years. Freshman DL Ben Howard came up big last year with three sacks and seven TFLS, best among returnees.

Manville Mustangs (7-3, 3-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Dave Markowitch (10-10, 3rd season)

  • Week 0: at Keyport (Sat, 12p)
  • Week 1: at Hopatcong (6:30p)
  • Week 2: Belvidere*
  • Week 3: Middlesex*
  • Week 4: at South Hunterdon*
  • Week 5: at JP Stevens (Sat, 4p)
  • Week 6: Highland Park
  • Week 8: at Bound Brook

The Mustangs will lose a lot with the graduation of Naquavere Thomas, an all-over-the-field player who lead the team in rushing and receiving yards last year, with 947 yards and 13 scores on the ground, plus another 213 and two touchdowns through the air. But QB Josh D’Ambrosio is back. Not only did he throw for 453 yards and four scores last year, but he also ran for 764 yards and 13 touchdowns, while junior Isaiah Bennett chipped in with 489 yards and eight scores. Bennett also contributed defensively with a pick, three sacks, and four TFLs last season. Manville should be right in the thick of things again this season.

Middlesex Blue Jays (6-4, 4-1, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Bobby Swerchek (6-4, 2nd season)

  • Week 0: at Spotswood (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 1: at Roselle Park
  • Week 2: South Hunterdon* (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 3: at Manville*
  • Week 4: at Dunellen* (6p)
  • Week 5: New Providence
  • Week 6: Bound Brook*
  • Week 7: at FJK
  • Week 8: Belvidere

It could be a bit of a rebuild year for what was a very veteran Blue Jays team that played some solid football in 2024 under first-year head coach Bobby Swercheck. Senior QB Dom Parenti (1,013 yards, 14 TD, just 3 INTs) graduates, as do all three triple digit runningbacks from last season – Parenti, Jax Jarvis and Jack Killian) as well as all but one receiver, Julian Sameuls, who caught 20 passes for 371 yards and three scores as a junior. The defense may be a little better off and could keep Middlesex in some games. Junior Blake Wilkins (3 sacks, 3 TFLs) should contribute as a senior, and sophomore JoJo Pham had a solid varsity campaigm, with a sack, two TFLs, a forced fumble, and an interception last season.

South Hunterdon Eagles (4-4, 2-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Toby Jefferies (72-74, 26th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: Dayton
  • Week 2: at Middlesex* (Thurs, 7p)
  • Week 3: at Bound Brook*
  • Week 4: Manville*
  • Week 5: Brearley
  • Week 6: at Belvidere*
  • Week 7: Spotswood
  • Week 8: at Dunellen*

Gone is senior Ed Cooper, who rushed for 1,185 yards and 17 touchdowns last year, accounting for all but three of the touchdowns the Eagles scored last season. Someone will have to replace those numbers, and that will be the challenge for Toby Jefferies, the veteran coach of this bunch. He’s dealt with the cyclical nature of high school sports before. They had a couple of nine-win seasons in 2013 and 2014, then went 22-7 over three years from 2021 through 2023, before going .500 last season. Which way will they swing in 2025?

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: