Tag: East Brunswick

by Marcus Borden

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan 2026: Week 1 Notebook

Week One (August 10-15) of the Caravan was hot and humid with the temperatures in the high 80’s and 90’s!

Monday morning, I kicked off the 2026 preseason at J.F. Kennedy’s Louis M. Bartha Memorial Stadium as first year head Coach Anthony Nyers and his young staff, which includes his younger brother Nick, never stopped coaching/talking to the forty-plus players who have been working hard since February.

Senior WR/DB Kamali “KJ” Walker emphasized the importance of being there for his teammates and stressing the need to encourage them to focus in on what has to be done to have back to back winning seasons.

SCROLL DOWN FOR LINKS TO WEEK ONE OF MARCUS BORDEN’S CAMP CARAVAN
AS WELL AS LINKS TO THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE AND COVERAGE!

Fellow senior captains Braylon Diaz and Dushyant Kumar know that the youthful Mustangs have to continue to put in the work by being prepared, knowing the plays and having each others back.

Junior Jonathan Sedlmayer, who has not missed a workout since his new coach was hired, said he looks forward to playing defense for J.F. Kennedy and he can’t wait until they kick off the season August 28 at East Brunswick.

Spotswood’s Andy Steinfeld talking to the Offense (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Tuesday’s stop at Spotswood High School saw the Chargers marching into the stadium all wearing the same blue and gold tee shirt with a clear message on the back: Work Hard, COMPETE, Do it Right.

Emphasis in pre-practice was the kicking game while the lineman worked on footwork and blocking progresions. This was followed by a team dynamic warm-up.

Individual period saw a variety of drills performed by position groups and it was obvious that plenty of work was done during the summer by the 40 plus players in attendance.

Head Coach Andy Steinfeld had the practice well-scripted and there was little time wasted as the coaches focused on technique and intensity.

Spotswood has great Senior leadership with QB Jonathan Regan, and Linemen Nicholas Albert and Phil Palmer. Junior WR/DB/KR Ryan Foster made a name for himself last year in all three phases of the game and will be counted on to do the same as the Chargers prepare for a Week 0 match-up with Monmouth Regional on Thursday August 27.

Delaware Valley senior WR Brayden Picardo-Leask. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Wednesday’s nine am practice at Tapp Webb Memorial Field at Delaware Valley H.S. saw about 45 players in half-pads with the Varsity in navy and JV’s in white.

Ben Ibach begins his fourth campaign as head football coach without his talented son Kelton who was the quarterback the past two seasons. All he did was throw for nearly 3000 yards and 36 touchdowns. The younger Ibach, a talented lacrosse player leaves for Hood College tomorrow.

How do you replace your signal caller? Insert the 6’5″ athletic Junior Chase Kraucheunas who has an offer from Syracuse as a free safety. His ability to throw and run the ball was quite evident throughout the practice as teammate Picardo-Leask will attest with his catch above.

Expectations are high for the Terriers who return a plethora of defensive starters like Marcus Gary, Ben Culberson, Brayden Costello as well as Picardo-Leask and Kaucheunas.

The focus of this group is to return to the playoffs with the goal of earning the right to play for a championship. With that being said, Delaware Valley will rely on their defense as the offense continues to develop throughout the preseason.

The Terriers open up Week O with an August 27 Thursday night 6:00 p.m kickoff vs. neighboring North Hunterdon.

East Brunswick Bears Tackling Drill. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Thursday the East Brunswick Bears were on the field at 7:30 am at Jay Doyle Field. Second-year head coach Zach Gega wasted little time getting his team focused on the practice plan which was defense.

There was plenty of energy as the players moved quickly between drills and scripted periods which covered every phase of the game.

Senior linebackers Cole Zebro and Nicholas Espindola were vocal leaders as they encouraged their teammates to give the maximum effort and focus in on the finer details of alignment and play recognition.

Senior Brendon Adams a stalwart on the offensive and defensive line was equally impressive as he laid the leather during a one on one drill with force and and leg drive as the circle of his Bear teammates “oohed and aahed” during the drill.

East Brunswick had about 70 players on the main field while their 8th grade team was down on the lower turf field.

The Bears will host J.F. Kennedy on Thursday August 27 at 6:00 p.m. with two head coaches who are quite familiar with each other as they were on the Woodbridge staff with former coach Joe LaSala.

New Brunswick FS Arisniel Mota-Sánchez interception during preseason camp. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Friday’s practice in New Brunswick was held at Memorial Stadium on Joyce Kilmer Ave which is behind the New Brunswick Middle School. Players were picked up and bused to practice.

Second-year head coach Geoffrey Chrisman and his assistants were there early unloading the players equipment which was tied together with the helmet and shoulder pads. Practice pants and knee and thigh pads were distributed as players got off the bus then headed to the locker room under the stadium.

Practice got underway after listening to an impassioned speech by their coach with the emphasis on building off last year’s season-ending victory which ended the Zebras 32-game losing streak.

Sophomore Arisniel Mota-Sánchez a running back and free safety was impressive as a defender during the defense’s Skelton Pass session and reminded me of Maurice Ffrench who played at the University of Pittsburgh. Senior Alan Rodriguez along with Juniors Arion Lugo-James and Ervin Muñoz-Juares all bring experience and leadership to a team that opens their season at Highland Park.

Christian has increased the team’s roster to about 50 kids with a large sophomore class with several players who got their feet wet as freshmen in last year’s season finale.

Aquinas Red and Black Scrimmage. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

The final stop of the Week 1 BCC Camp Caravan Tour was Saturday morning at St. Thomas Aquinas as the Trojans hosted a Red and Black intrasquad scrimmage as well as a barbecue for players and coaches prepared by the parents Booster Club..

The return of junior quarterback Zymere Weaver who threw for 2236 yards with 24 touchdowns last season along with seniors Tristan Bester at receiver and defensive back, Sebastian Azofeifa on the offensive and defensive line and linebacker Jaylen Frias with over 100 tackles in 2025 has second-year head coach Shamir Bearfield feeling good about the team improving this season.

If Saturday’s situational scrimmage was any indication of how this team can handle adversity on game day, the Aquinas faithful can be rest assured that the Trojans will be ready for anything that comes their way this season as they open up on the road at Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn on August 29 at 1:00 p.m.

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan Week 2 Scrimmage Schedule is as follows (subject to change):

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan Week 1 Coverage:

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan 2026: East Brunswick seeks improvement in second year under Zach Gega

Preseason football camp continues around New Jersey this week for the 2026 season, and Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden continues Camp Caravan 2026 – where he’ll visit more than a dozen Big Central Conference schools – with a trip to East Brunswick to see the Bears.

Watch Borden’s full coverage below, including clips from camp, and interviews with second-year Bears head coach Zach Gega and seniors Sean Christie (QB/FS), Cole Zebro (RB/LB), Brandon Adams (OT/DT) and Nicholas Espindola (TE/LB).

Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan visit to East Brunswick!

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Old Bridge, Piscataway will try to hold off South Brunswick, East Brunswick, Monroe in National Gold

The Big Central Conference realignment in the off season didn’t touch the two big school “GMC” (sort of) Divisions, with no changes made to the National Gold and Silver Divisions for the next two season. (We say “sort of,” of course, because all but one of the ten teams in those divisions are from Middlesex County, the only outlier being Franklin, which at one point years ago attempted to defect from the Skyland Conference to the GMC.)

That said, in the National Gold, 2025 champion Piscataway and runner-up Old Bridge both should be in the running for another division title. The Chiefs bring a lot back, while the Knights will have to figure some things out after the graduation of Central Jersey Sports Radio Offensive Player of the Year Brody Nugent. South Brunswick has a new coach, while East Brunswick’s newest mentor is in his second season, and it’ll be Year Three for Nick Isola in Monroe; all will look to make inroads this season, and all have the potential to do it.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the National Gold Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication, along with a few notes on each squad. Division games are starred.

Piscataway Chiefs (8-3, 4-0, National Gold Division Champions)
Head Coach: Dan Higgins, 23rd season (181-61)

  • Week 0: East Orange (Jim Grasso Classic at Northern Highlands)
  • Week 1: Somerville
  • Week 2: at East Brunswick*
  • Week 3: South Brunswick*
  • Week 4: at Old Bridge*
  • Week 5: Franklin
  • Week 6: St. Joseph-Metuchen
  • Week 7: at Monroe*
  • Week 8: at Sayreville

The Chiefs will open against the Jaguars up at Northern Highlands, a team that went 9-2 last season, but was knocked out of the playoffs in the sectional semifinals by eventual Group 5 finalist Passaic Tech, and they’ll close the regular season at rival Sayreville, with a lot of tough games in between. Fortunately, Piscataway has two senior linemen back, plus QB Landon Pernell for his final year, after an excellent 2026 in which he threw for 1,382 yards and 14 TDs, and just three picks. Top rusher Zaire Young went for 758 yards and seven scores in his junior campaign last year. The defense should have some key returnees back as well, and this veteran coaching staff led by Higgins knows what they’re doing.

Old Bridge (10-2, 3-1, 2nd place National Gold)
Head Coach: Matt Donaghue, 5th season (25-17)

  • Week 0: Shawnee (Battle At The Beach at Ocean City)
  • Week 1: at Montgomery
  • Week 2: at South Brunswick*
  • Week 3: St. Thomas Aquinas
  • Week 4: Piscataway*
  • Week 5: at Sayreville
  • Week 6: at Monroe*
  • Week 7: East Brunswick*
  • Week 8: at Ridge

This won’t be an easy schedule for Old Bridge, then again they did go down and beat Cedar Creek last year in the Battle of the Beach; this year, they open with Shanwee in the same event, but back in Ocean City this year after being at Rowan in 2025 due to a once-every-few-years scheduling conflict. The Knights’ only regular season loss last year came at Piscataway, before they fell to Washington Township in the “Central Jersey” Group 5 final. But the big task will be replacing Brody Nugent, who threw for 2,276 yards and rushed for 1,262 on the season, accounting for more than 3,500 yards of offense in 2025. His backup, Aiden Rios, a sophomore last season, only three three passes last year, completing two for 33 yards, while mostly playing receiver and grabbing 13 catches for 268 yards and three TDs. Much of the receiving corps is back, but the defense will have some spots to fill, though rising senior Justin Barkaszi (7.5 sacks, 3 blocked kicks, 1 fumble recovery) and Latrell Alexander (2 1/2 sacks) should return on the defensive line.

South Brunswick Vikings (4-6, 2-2, 3rd place National Gold)
Head Coach: Mike Gerst, 1st season

  • Week 0:  Watchung Hills
  • Week 1: North Brunswick
  • Week 2: Old Bridge*
  • Week 3: at Piscataway*
  • Week 4: Monroe*
  • Week 5: at Rahway
  • Week 6: at East Brunswick
  • Week 7: Franklin
  • Week 8: at Colonia

The Vikings got off to a 2-1 start last season, but faltered as the schedule got tougher and lost four straight in the second half of September and first half of October to miss the playoffs. Now, Ibrahim Halsey is out after two seasons (and has joined Derrick Eatman as an assistant at Franklin under Blair Wilson) and Mike Gerst steps in from Fort Lee, whose team went 9-0 last year playing in the Super Football Conference Ivy Red Division, meant for rebuilding programs, and who are not eligible for the postseason. It was the Bridgemen’s first 9-0 season in over 100 years of football. But against this competition, it’ll be much more of a challenge. He’ll likely have a returning starting quarterback in Brenden Shearstone, who threw for 675 yards and seven touchdowns last season, while top runningback Oscar Duran rushed for 642 yards and three scores, while fellow junior Kamari Toney went for 606 and five touchdowns. A very senior-laded defense, though, will need to be retooled.

East Brunswick Bears (3-7, 1-3, 4th place National Gold)
Head Coach: Zach Gega, 2nd season (3-7)

  • Week 0: JFK
  • Week 1: North Hunterdon
  • Week 2: Piscataway*
  • Week 3: at Monroe*
  • Week 4: Voorhees
  • Week 5: at Edison
  • Week 6: South Brunswick*
  • Week 7: at Old Bridge*
  • Week 8: at North Brunswick

One thing Zach Gega won’t need to worry about in his second season as the head coach is qho will be the quarterback, as junior Sean Christie returns off a season where he threw for 1,257 yards and six TDs, but he’ll need to cut back on the interceptions. He also ran it for nearly 500 yards, but the only other back to crack 100 was senior Nathan Charleston, who’s now graduated. Tight end Noah DeJesus, Christie’s favorite target, also is gone. And he led the defense with 8 1/2 sacks, too, so the defense will need some figuring out as well. The schedule isn’t easy, but manageable for the Bears.

Monroe Falcons (1-8, 0-4, 5th place National Gold)
Head Coach: Nick Isola, 4th season (10-20)

  • Week 0: at Perth Amboy
  • Week 1: Governor Livingston
  • Week 2: at North Brunswick
  • Week 3: East Brunswick*
  • Week 4: at South Brunswick*
  • Week 5: at North Hunterdon
  • Week 6: Old Bridge*
  • Week 7: Piscataway*
  • Week 8: at Carteret

The Falcons won just their opener last season, a 41-0 victory at West Windsor-Plainsboro, then lost their last eight to end the season, and didn’t play a “crossover” – what the NJSIAA now calls consolation games, which are up to leagues and teams to schedule. But they were only shutout twice and could put up some points. Junior QB Ghayoor Abbas was a thousand-yard passer last year and is expected to be back for his senior year, while top rusher Julian Hughes (492 yards, 4 TD) was just a sophomore. Jayden Badillo – a junior with two sacks and eight TFLs – will be counted on over on the defensive side of the ball.

by Mike Pavlichko

Longtime East Brunswick boys’ hoops coach Mark Motusesky steps down after 13 years leading the Bears

Coming off one of the program’s most successful campaigns in over a decade, East Brunswick boys’ basketball coach Mark Motusesky has stepped down as head coach after 13 seasons at the helm.

Motusesky made the announcement Friday afternoon.

“It was a very difficult decision,” Motusesky wrote, “but ultimately it was the right one to be made. My daughter is going to be a freshman, and I know I would regret not being there.”

That’s his daughter Ashley, who will be on the freshman team this coming school year. And, the girls’ program is somewhat of a family affair.

Sophomore Ava Catanho – the reigning CJSR GMC Girls’ Player of the Year – is his niece, and his sister Kara is an assistant in the program under head coach Travis Retzlaff. The Lady Bears were a GMC Tournament finalist this year, and also reached the semifinals of the Central Jersey Group 4 section in the state tournament.

Under Mark Motusesky, the boys won the GMC’s Red National division this past season, going 8-0 in their division and finishing 21-7 overall.  They reached the GMC Tournament quarterfinals, and made it to the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals in the state tournament, where they fell to Jackson Twp., 63-58.

Motusesky was 180-145 during his decade-plus tenure as head coach, but more than that, he was an East Brunswick lifer.

He was a standout for the Bears on the hardwood, graduating in 1988 with a GMC title the team won in 1987.

Nearly a decade later, he coached the eighth grade girls for two years in the late 1990s, then switched to the boys’ side, spending 14 years as an assistant to longtime varsity head coach Bo Henning, and won four JV tournament titles as that squad’s head coach.

He was named head coach by then-Athletic Director Frank Noppenberger for the 2013-14 season, taking the team to the GMC Tournament finals his very first year, just after going toe-to-toe in a double-overtime title game loss to St. Joseph-Metuchen in 2013.

Click here to listen to Mark Motusesky talk about his decision to step down as East Brunswick boys’ basketball coach with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: Woodbridge 3, East Brunswick 2

After East Brunswick tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh on a passed ball with the bases loaded, Woodbridge left fielder Michael Gurovich worked out a five pitch walk – also with the bases loaded – to give the Barrons a walk-off win over the Bears in the opener of their two-game set Tuesday in GMC Red Division play.

Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel and Nick Hart call all the play-by-play live from Woodbridge High School on April 27, 2026.

Woodbridge shortstop Gavin Slicner (6) hits a ball.
by Alec Crouthamel

Woodbridge walks off East Brunswick, wins pivotal GMC Red slugfest 3-2

Tuesday’s game between Woodbridge and East Brunswick on the diamond featured two offenses that had been tearing the cover off the ball of late, as each team shook off slow starts to jockey for position in a tough GMC Red Division. Both coaches expected offense to reign supreme, even with the top arms on the bump for each side.

So, naturally, the Barrons (6-7) came away victorious in walk-off fashion, 3-2, in a good-old-fashioned pitcher’s duel.

As they say in the Tri-State area, “That’s baseball, Suzyn.”

The Bears (6-8) trailed the entire way until they were down to their final out, tying the game in the top half of the seventh on a passed ball with the bases loaded. Third baseman Javier Casacuberta scored easily to tie it at 2-2, but the throw from Woodbridge catcher Anthony Lyczkowski skidded past pitcher Kevin Arroyo’s glove, and the ball rolled back into the infield.

Pinch runner Sean Christie advanced to third on the play, then tried to snag home plate after the low throw to give East Brunswick the lead. But Barrons’ star shortstop Gavin Slicner fielded the ball cleanly, fired a laser home, and Arroyo applied the tag to end the inning and keep the game deadlocked.

Then in the bottom half, Woodbridge pinch-hitter Endy Soto grounded a single into right field, flipping the lineup back to Slicner. He reached on an error after a pitching change, putting second baseman Josh Hines on the mound, and first baseman Xavier Diaz walked on four pitches to load the bases. Left fielder Michael Gurovich — five days removed from a five-inning no-hitter in a 14-0 victory over Edison — drew a five-pitch walk to end it in walk-off fashion.

Now time to catch your breath.

Before the wild seventh inning, both teams were locked into a classic pitchers’ duel. Arroyo and Bears’ starter Tyler Ditzel controlled the pace for much of the first half of the game, with just a single run coming through in the first four innings.

The bottom of Woodbridge’s order came to play on Tuesday, and they helped open up the scoring. Right fielder Hogan Boyd — batting seventh — reached on a single to lead off the bottom of the third after Ditzel had retired the Barrons’ first six batters in order. He then stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and came around to score after Lyczkowski reached on an error.

Slicner then threatened with a two-base error, after a long fly ball bounced off the glove of East Brunswick centerfielder Joe Spinello, to put runners on second and third. Ditzel held strong, though, inducing an infield fly and a lineout to end the inning with only one run on the board.

Arroyo continued to breeze through his outing, as Woodbridge added a second run in the fifth, also helped by the bottom of the order. Boyd worked another leadoff single and stolen base, and centerfielder Jack Kobylakiewicz walked to put two runners on with nobody out. The Barrons tried a double steal, and Boyd got caught at third, but Kobylakiewicz found his way there anyway on a passed ball as Lyczkowski walked.

With runners on the corners, Ditzel got the ground ball he needed, but Slicner legged out an RBI fielder’s choice, beating the double-play throw at first.

The Bears finally got on the board in the sixth, as they started to figure out Arroyo’s stuff and varied pitch mix. Catcher Brandon Bastek lined a double down the left-field line, and Spinello reached on an infield single. Hines brought courtesy runner Jaiden Valdez in on an RBI groundout, but with the tying run one base away, Arroyo froze DH Cole Zebro on a two-strike breaking ball to end the inning.

Woodbridge looked to score once again in the bottom half, with back-to-back one-out walks, but Ditzel found his mojo with a pop-out and strikeout of Kobylakiewicz to keep the game within a run.

Then the seventh inning madness came into play.

By the time the dust — or turf pellets — settled, the Barons’ offense manufactured the game-winning run when they needed it most, on the back of a patient approach after a slow start to the game.

Arroyo earned the win with seven innings of two-run ball, surrendering five hits while striking out five with one walk. Ditzel was given the loss despite a standout outing, allowing three runs in six innings on four hits, five walks, and two strikeouts.

Woodbridge also notched a big win in GMC Red Division play, bringing the standings even closer. Edison leads the pack at 9-2, but second place through sixth place sit just two games apart.

The Barons won their fifth game in seven tries, and even on a day where the bats took a bit to heat up, they’re proving they can win the close ones.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with Woodbridge head coach Mike Monaco and shortstop Gavin Slicner about the Barrons’ 3-2 victory over East Brunswick on Tuesday:

by Alec Crouthamel

Woodbridge readies for yet another key matchup in rugged GMC Red division against East Brunswick

As the adage in sports — and much of life — goes, the numbers don’t lie.

But sometimes, they don’t tell the whole story.

Woodbridge baseball sits at 5-7 on the year, but don’t be mistaken. The Barrons boast a run differential of +32, and have put up eight runs or more in all but one of their victories.

They’ve also rebounded from a 1-5 start — where all five losses came by three runs or fewer and the lone win was a 10-0 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas — to win four of their last six games.

The losses have all come late in games, where Woodbridge was in each one of them, and even had a lead in many, while the wins have come with impressive offensive outputs.

Now to close April, the Barrons open a two-game set against East Brunswick, another team with a similar story: high-powered offense with some close losses at the beginning of the year, playing in an extremely tough GMC Red division.

You can hear the first division game live from Woodbridge High School at 4 pm Tuesday, with pregame at 3:45. Alec Crouthamel and Nick Hart will call all the action; click here to listen.

Woodbridge brings both returning veterans and younger talent to the lineup, and the production speaks for itself. Five players with regular at-bats are hitting over .300, and the lineup as a whole has combined for 33 extra-base hits.

Senior shortstop Gavin Slicner has set the table at every turn, as the head of the Barrons’ metaphorical offensive snake. He sports a .486 batting average, with 11 extra-base hits of his own. After him, the rest of the lineup is dangerous as well. The coaching staff has put full trust into anybody that steps into the batter’s box, and more times than not, that trust is validated.

And with the season nearing the midway point, now is the time to start playing your better baseball, and the Barrons have done that. Their last two series against St. Joseph (Met.) and Edison — one of the favorites for the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament’s top seed — saw the bats come alive with wins of 16-6 over the Falcons and 14-0 over the Eagles as they split each series. With the Red Division as tough as it is this year, each series and game means more and more.

But tournament seeding isn’t everything, and Woodbridge knows it. It earned the top seed last year and was upset by 16-seed South River in the first round. All that matters is putting together your best ball as the season continues along, and the Barrons will look to continue their upward trajectory against a division rival jockeying for momentum themselves in the Bears.

It all starts at 4 pm on Tuesday.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with Woodbridge head coach Mike Monaco:

by Nick Hart

East Brunswick looks to extend win streak to four games in GMC Red road matchup against Woodbridge

After an up-and-down start to the season, East Brunswick is on the brink of a four-game win streak as it travels to face Woodbridge. A win Tuesday afternoon would bring the Bears back to .500 on the season as they approach the home stretch of the 2026 regular season campaign.

It has been an offensive outpouring for East Brunswick over the past three games, outscoring opponents 36-19, while recording 31 hits during the stretch, something that head coach Chris Kenney always knew his guys were capable of.

“We’ve always been a pretty good hitting team,” he said. “Our top four or five guys really put the ball in play, very selective, good bat speed.”

You can hear that GMC Red Division game live from Woodbridge High School at 4 pm Tuesday, with pregame at 3:45. Alec Crouthamel and Nick Hart will call all the action; click here to listen.

While production has come from throughout the lineup, it has been the veterans who have shined bright for the Bears. The top four players with the highest batting average this season are all seniors. 

Two players in particular, Julian Satterthwaite and Jaidon Coello have stood out the most as both are sporting a batting average over .400 through 13 games. 

On the mound, it still has been the upperclassmen who have flourished this season, but instead of seniors, it has been by way of a pair of juniors. Tyler Ditzel and Jordan Rudolph both are spotting a sub-three ERA on the season and have played a key role in their team’s success. With seven starters returning from last season, it is no surprise that East Brunswick has seen most of its production from familiar faces. 

Despite now playing twice a year, the Bears have only faced Woodbridge five times dating back to 2025 and have fallen to the Barrons in four of their last five matchups. Coming into Tuesday’s contest, Woodbridge has won three of its last five games, with the biggest victory being an impressive 1-0 win over Edison, the number one team in the GMC Red division. 

With both teams teetering around the .500 mark, the upcoming home-and-home series could be the difference between a winning and losing record this season. At the same time, both squads sit towards the middle of their division and will look to improve their seeding heading into the GMC tournament.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart talk with East Brunswick head coach Chris Kenney:

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio unveils 2026 High School Baseball Broadcast Schedule featuring a dozen regular season games, plus County, State tourneys

With a dozen regular season games, plus coverage of the GMC and Somerset County Tournaments – as well as state tournament coverage to be announced at a later date – Central Jersey Sports Radio has announced its 2026 high school baseball broadcast schedule.

It all gets started next week, with our opener on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 pm between defending 2025 SCT champion Immaculata and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 winner Hillsborough. Then, after the calendar turns to April mid-week, we get state Group 1 champion Middlesex visiting Spotswood, on Thursday, April 2.

Coverage also includes two regular season games at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater – Montgomery vs Pingry on April 11, and Rutgers Prep against South Plainfield two Saturdays later – as well as the semifinals and finals of the Somerset County Tournament on April 18th and 20th, respectively.

The schedule includes three of last year’s SCT semifinalists, and all four of 2025’s GMC Tournament semifinalists, including a rematch of the title game between Edison and St. Joseph-Metuchen, and a rematch on the Invitational final between New Brunswick and East Brunswick Magnet.

Last year’s North 2, Group 3 winner South Plainfield also is on the schedule, as well as finalist Colonia.

Click here to see the full 2026 broadcast schedule.

by Mike Pavlichko

Stellar sophomore campaign earns East Brunswick’s Ava Catanho CJSR GMC Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year

We get asked a lot about our process for naming a Player of the Year. It starts out that they have to be really good, of course, but there are a lot of very good ball players out there.

So, our next criteria is the value to their team. A team is just that, never one player, but sometimes, there’s one star who stands out, without whose contributions the success of that season might very well not have been possible.

For East Brunswick, that’s sophomore Ava Catanho.

Sure, senior Julianna DelosSantos-Branson had a huge impact, nearly averaging a double-double, with 64 steals, and no one really knew what she might be able to do this year coming off an ACL injury. Juniors Sophia Tannura and Zoey Alexio could hit the three, with 50 each. And sophomore Ave Krzywdzinski dished the ball to the tune of 161 assists with the best of them.

But without Catanho – the team’s top scorer with 543 points (18.7 per game) and a team-best 61 treys, and now a member of the 1,000 point club (at 1,011 and counting) – East Brunswick doesn’t reach the GMC Tournament finals, nor do the Lady Bears get to the CJ4 semis.

And for that reason, Catanho is our 2025-26 GMC Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year.

Catanho also has the athletic lineage: her mother, Kara (nee Motusesky), is an assistant under Travis Retzlaff, who was named CJSR Coach of the Year in the GMC as well, and was a thousand-point scorer at East Brunswick when she was in high school. Her father is Alcides Catanho, a standout football player at Elizabeth and Rutgers who spent two seasons in the NFL with New England and Washington.

“I’ve been shooting since I was in the crib,” Ava says.

And she’s still going to be shooting for years to come.

Click below to listen to East Brunswick sophomore Ava Catanho – with additional comments from head coach Travis Retzlaff – with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Jordan Barnes, St. Thomas Aquinas: Barnes finishes a four-year career in North Edison with 1,385 points and 746 rebounds, good for career averages of 11.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. This year, she averaged 16.2 points and 5.6 boards in helping lead STA to its record seventh straight GMC Tournament championship, and next year, she’ll be playing at Rider.
  • Trista Whitney, St. Thomas Aquinas: The senior – who played her first year at Edison – also has been a huge factor in the last three championship seasons for the Trojans. This year, she averaged 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and next year, will play at Maryland-Eastern Shore.
  • Angel Smith, Woodbridge: The senior was consistent for the Lady Barrons, scoring double figures in all but four games this year, while also registering 15 double-doubles. She hit for 15.7 points per game and 11.2 boards, helping Woodbridge flip the script this year, going 17-9 coming off a 6-19 campaign a year ago.
  • Layla Gutierrez, North Plainfield: Finishing her career with 1,289 points, the senior was one of the league’s most prolific scorers the last three seasons. She even dropped 50 in a GMC Tournament game this season against New Brunswick, less than a month after scoring 42 against South Brunswick. And she opened the season with 30 against a solid Piscataway team.
  • Gabrielle Hill, Spotswood: Though her scoring was down a tad from last year (15.4 to 13.8), the junior more than doubled her rebounding numbers from a year ago, grabbing 6.4 a game this year. She also got to the foul line 24 more times and hit 34 triples on the season for the Chargers.