Felix Matos – Central Jersey Sports Radio

Just what the rest of the Big Central needs: More offensive weapons at Phillipsburg.

The first touchdown against visiting St. Joseph of Metuchen came late in the first half. It was a one-yard run.

Less than ten game minutes later – after a 92-yard run and a 69-yard scoop and score after a St. Joseph field goal got blocked – Matos already had nearly single-handedly given seventh-ranked Phillipsburg a 21-0 lead over the visiting and undefeated fifth-ranked Falcons.

But Matos’ night wasn’t done. He started the second half with a two-yard run less than two minutes into the second half, then added a seven-yard run later in the period, and finally a fifth rushing touchdown from 27 yards outwith 5:29 to go in the game.

Quarterback Jett Genovese and receiver Matthew Scerbo, Jr., get a lot of ink for their offensive exploits. But this time, in a big game, with a lot of power points on the line against an unbeaten parochial school, it was Matos who was the difference-maker.

The senior had 14 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns through four games played heading into last Friday’s game against the Falcons. He finished with 12 carries, 168 yards, and five offensive touchdowns – all career highs – en route to a 49-14 win. Click here to read our game story.

And for that, Felix Matos of Phillipsburg is the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week for Week Six.

The Stateliners (5-1) now travel to Union (1-6) for their first of two road games to close the regular season, besides the usual tussle with Easton on Thanksgiving.

Click below to hear two of Matos’ TDs, followed by Chris Tsakonas’ postgame interview with Week Six Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Felix Matos of Phillipsburg:

The Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week is chosen from nominees by Big Central coaches. At the end of the season, one player will be chosen to receive a $500 scholarship courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving. As always, we will recognize selected “Honorable Mentions,” and recognize all other all nominees in our weekly story.

Honorable Mentions:

Brayden Stefan, Belvidere: In a 36-0 win at South Hunterdon on Thursday night, the senior linebacker held South Hunterdon’s top runningback Edward Cooper to just 44 rushing yards, the first time he was held under 100 all season. Stefan had 21 tackles, and a forced fumble, along with multiple tackles for loss. He “called out the offense’s plays pre snap” and was “all over the field,” according to head coach Jordan Schreffler.
Jack Dally, Governor Livingston: In one of the wildest games of the year, a 50-46 win at Voorhees Saturday, the senior runningback carried a big load: 26 rushes for 214 yards and three touchdowns with an offense that ran for 479 yards total. On defense, at outside linebacker, Dally had a key pass breakup late in the fourth quarter, along with seven tackles and a TFL.
Aidan Steiglitz, Ridge: In a 41-13 win at Hunterdon Central Thursday, the senior scored five touchdowns on just nine rushing attempts, going for 114 total yards on the night.
Terrell Mitchell, Somerville: In just the first two quarters of action – that’s all he played – the senior running back scored four touchdowns: an 83-yard kick return, 31-yard pick six, and rushing TDs of 67 and 59 yards. He also had four rushes for 146 yards and a catch for 31, giving him 260 all-purpose yards in a 56-7 win over North Hunterdon.

Other Notable Performances:

Thomas Diemar, Bernards: The junior had three sacks, 10 tackles, a QB hurry, a TFL and a forced fumble to go along with ten tackles in a come-from-behind win over Summit, 29-22, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Ben Cobb, Delaware Valley: The senior linebacker had 19 total tackles to help the Terriers to a 42-34 win over previously-undefeated Johnson. On offense, the wide receiver had five catches for 60 yards and two touchdowns.
Jackson Jankowicz, Hillsborough: In the Battle of Route 206, the Raiders’ senior had three rushing touchdowns (of one, four and 54 yards) as well as a 24-yard touchdown catch in a 34-24 win at Bridgewater-Raritan Thursday night. He ended up with three catches for 59 yards on the night, while rushing 26 times for 165 yards.
Na’quavere Thomas, Manville: In a 42-14 win at Dunellen Thursday, the senior fullback opened the scoring on the opening play from scrimmage with a 65-yard touchdown scamper. Then, he bookended the half with a 73-yard touchdown run to put the Mustangs up 28-6. He finished with 164 yards on just seven carries. Defensively, coach Dave Markowitch called him a “game-wreecker,” leading the unit with 14 tackles, six solo, and two TFLs.
Kyle Johnston, Metuchen: In a 40-6 win Thursday night at JP Stevens, the senior defensive end registered five tackles, and disrupted the Dunellen offense with three TFL and 2 1/2 sacks, while registering two pancake blocks from his left guard position on offense.
Trey McFadden, Montgomery: In a 28-7 loss at No. 1 Woodbridge Friday, the junior wide receiver had 11 receptions for 145 yards with a touchdown, and also booted the extra point.

Quarterback Jett Genovese and wide receiver Matthew Scerbo, Jr., have become the big name, 1-2 combo that has made mince meat of many teams over the two-and-a-half years they’ve been starters for the Phillipsburg football team.

Now, you have another name to learn: Felix Matos.

What did he do Friday night in a 49-17 win for the 7th-ranked Stateliners over visiting No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio?

He scored six touchdowns, five on offense, and thoroughly dominated the Falcons almost single-handedly in every facet of the game.

He opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run on P’burg’s first possession, capping a nearly seven-minute drive late in the first quarter. He followed it with a 92-yard touchdown run a few minutes later.

Then, as St. Joe’s attempted to get on the board with a 39-yard field goal attempt midway through the second quarter, the Stateliners blocked it, and Matos scooped it up, taking it 78 yards to the house to give his team a 21-0 lead with the PAT.

The Falcons eventually got on the board, on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Justin Scaramuzzo to Triston Bester to cut it to 21-7 before the half, but the big play was about all St. Joseph could muster.

While Scaramuzzo finished with 269 yards passing, the Falcons were held to 18 rushing yards in the first half by a stout Phillipsburg defense. The Falcons’ first three drives ended in punts, with only one first down, their next ended with the blocked field goal. And after the touchdown, another field goal – this time from 43 – fell short.

The second half was much of the same. Matos added two short rushing TDs of two and seven yards in the third before Joe’s could get on the board again, and then he scored one more – on a 27-yard run – to give him his sixth touchdown of the night.

Only in mop-up duty did Matos lose his steel grip on Phillipsburg’s scoring for the night. Sophomore Shane Moore added the final score, making it 49-14.

It was the first meeting between the teams – with St. Joseph only beginning varsity play in 2011, while the ‘Liners have been playing since 1899 – but it was the third time Frank Duffy and Bill Tracy, the two head coaches, had faced off. Duffy beat Tracy twice when he was at Ridge in 2018 and 2019.

The Stateliners improve to 5-1, with a visit to Union coming up next Friday. St. Joseph lost for the first time this season, now 5-1, and they also lost their multiplier status. That doesn’t hurt them, but the five opponents who have beaten them so far now will get just 50% of the SI toward their OSI average, like every other team, instead of the 70% they would have gotten for being a Tier D multiplier.

The Falcons will host No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas next Saturday morning at 11 am in Metuchen, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Click below for postgame reaction from Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy and senior Felix Matos, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: