Tag: Frank Duffy

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 1 Phillipsburg cruises past Hunterdon Central, 55-14, on four TD night from Sam Dech; Stateliners pick up program’s 750th win

Sam Dech had a historic night in the season opener for Phillipsburg back on Saturday, scoring on a 95-yard touchdown run in a 28-0 win at Westfield that set two program records: it was the longest touchdown run, and longest run in Stateliner history, a pretty remarkable achievement when you think of how long they’ve been playing football out on the state line.

What he was a part of Friday night in Flemington was even bigger. No. 1 Phillipsburg beat 7th-ranked Hunterdon Central 55-14, behind four touchdowns from Sam Dech, and earned the program its 750th win all-time.

The machine that is Phillipsburg – they don’t rebuild, they reload, and sometimes even stronger – just continues to roll along, as the Stateliners improved to 2-0 on the young season ahead of a matchup with Ridge next week.

Dech was again incredible for P’burg. He scored from 11, 46, 17 and nearly 50 yards out in the game, running with power, nearly impossible to bring down.

Phillipsburg is now 2-0, with Ridge (1-1) coming to Maloney Stadium next week. Ridge was the only team in the Big Central to beat the ‘Liners last year, doing so at home. Hunterdon Central drops to 2-1, and will visit Bridgewater-Raritan next Friday night in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy and Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Kickoff is set for 6 pm.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden with head coach Frank Duffy and senior runningback Sam Dech, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg Stateliners finish their business, win title, make history… and are Central Jersey Sports Radio 2024 Big Central Team of the Year

Of all the excellent teams in the Big Central Conference in 2024, only one did what Phillipsburg did. And they’re the first to do it in league history.

The reached the state finals.

New Jersey only started playing to overall Group Champions in 2022, and in the third year, Phillipsburg became the first Big Central team to play in one of those title games.

And while they fell to a very good Winslow Twp. team at Rutgers last Wednesday night, the title game berth was historic. Coupled with an 11-3 season and the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 title, that makes Phillipsburg our Big Central Team of the Year in 2024.

They were also No. 1 in our final Top Ten rankings, which don’t always correlate to the Team of the Year. But this season, it did.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy about their 2024 season:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg may be looking to make history, but they’re just focused on themselves heading into Group 4 Final against Winslow at Rutgers

All year long, and even before this year, Phillipsburg’s motto has been D.I.G.

That’s Discipline, Ignore The Noise, and Grit.

They have lived that to the letter all year long, and despite a pair of losses to two very good teams – Ridge back in late September and Easton on Thanksgiving – it has gotten them where they are today. Or, more accurately, where they’ll be Wednesday night.

And that’s playing in the final game of the year in the entire state of New Jersey: Phillipsburg (11-2) vs. Winslow (13-0) for the state Group 4 championship.

We’ll have that game on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with live coverage beginning at 6:40 pm, and kickoff at 7:00 as Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino cover all the action. Click here to listen.

There certainly is a lot of noise to tune out. All year, it’s been about how good Phillipsburg has been. A few weeks ago, it was about their state championship win over Northern Highlands on a school-record game-winning field goal by rookie Alexie Moriera. And last week, it was about the Thanksgiving defeat to Easton.

As a fictional New Jersey gangster once said – in one of the show’s many malapropisms – “all water under the dam.”

That is, to say, ancient history. Might as well be talking about the Mayans. All that’s been done this year matters not one whit Wednesday night when these two teams take the field.

Click below to listen to Phillipsburg coach Frank Duffy talk about Wednesday night’s Group 4 state final against Winslow Township:

by Mike Pavlichko

Genovese, Phillipsburg dominate Ramapo 35-6, clinches Big Central’s first-ever trip to state finals

For all the talk about the laundry list of talented players who’ve contributed to Phillipsburg football this season, it came down to one of the mainstays.

Jett Genovese, the senior quarterback in his third year as a starter, put on a master class Friday night at Maloney Stadium. He scored four of the Stateliners’ five touchdowns in a 35-6 win over Ramapo in the Group 4 semifinals, making history in the process.

Phillipsburg will be the first team from the fledgling Big Central Conference to make the state finals in the third year of the expanded playoffs.

Phillipsburg will face one of the top two teams in New Jersey – as far as the power rankings based on Strength Index is concerned – in the Group 4 final at Rutgers on Wednesday, December 4th. Winslow Twp (12-0) hosts Millville (9-2) Saturday at 1 pm in the South end of the Group 4 semis.

The title game will be played on December 4th because Phillipsburg still has a Thanksgiving Day game ahead, next Thursday against Easton at Lafayette. The Stateliners have beaten the Red Rovers on two straight Turkey Days.

After a scoreless first quarter, Genovese opened the scoring with a five-yard run, and while Ramapo got what looked like the equalizer, they missed the PAT, and it was 7-6 Stateliners. But P’burg got two more touchdown runs of 12- and 22-yards from Genovese – who finished with 149 rushing yards on 15 carries – to take a 21-6 lead into the break.

By that time, it was nearly over, as Felix Matos added a one-yard touchdown run in the third, and Genovese added a 36-yard run in the fourth.

Either way, Group 4 will have a brand-new champion, though last year’s title winner still has a shot at one. That’s because Mainland – which won Group 4 last season – is down to Group 3, but they’ll face Old Tappan in the Group 3 final at a time, date and location to be determined after beating Somerville in overtime Friday night at Brooks Field, 36-35 in overtime.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Finished Business! Phillipsburg wins North 2, Group 4 title in dramatic fashion on Moreira’s career-long, school record FG as time expires

Two years in a row, Phillipsburg was the top seed heading into a sectional title game and came up empty.

That wasn’t going to happen again.

The Stateliners vowed it wouldn’t as soon as the 2023 football season wrapped up with last year’s Thanksgiving Day win over Easton. They lived that vow in the off-season, during camp, and the entire 2024 season to this point.

Friday night, they made it pay off, thanks to the foot of Alexie Moreira.

He hit a career-best and school record 46-yard field goal as time expired – not long after third-seed Northern Highlands took an 11-10 lead – to give top-seed Phillipsburg a 13-11 win in the North 2, Group 4 title game over the third-seeded Highlanders.

The kick was just his third in his high school career, and a career long at that.

It was a wild finish, as Highlands took a one-point lead with 24 seconds left. They did it on an eight yard touchdown pass from Jack O’Callaghan to senior wide receiver Shane Hanlon, then a two point conversion between the two.

That gave the Stateliners the ball back at their own 36. Senior QB Jett Genovese ran it twice, and hooked up with senior wideout Matthew Scerbo, Jr., twice, to set up Moreira’s heroics.

His first career field goal came in last week’s semifinal win, and his second came earlier in the game to give the Stateliners the lead.

Now 10-1, with their ninth NJSIAA sectional title in hand, the Stateliners wait to see who they will play next week. They’ll face the winner of North 1 Group 4, and that title game is Saturday afternoon at 1:00, when third-seed Ramapo (7-3) visits top-seed Morris Knolls (10-0).

Genovese finished 7-of-9 for 92 yards, rushing for 65 yards on ten carries and the only Phillipsburg TD of the night. Scerbo finished with four catches for 56 yards.

Click below for postgame reaction from Phillipsburg’s North 2, Group 4 title game win over Northern Highlands, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Third time’s the charm? Phillipsburg seeks elusive sectional title to cap big three year run as Northern Highlands visits Maloney

Phillipsburg hasn’t been on a three-year run like this in quite some time.

With a 30-4 mark since the opening kickoff of the 2022 season, the Stateliners are having their best stretch since they went 32-4 from 2004-2006, winning a state title in 2005, under coaches Phil Rohm the first year, and Bob Stem the next two.

One big difference so far is that group had a championship. This one has been to the finals the last two years, falling to West Orange in 2022, and Union City last year.

Then again, on this recent three-year run, the ‘Liners have beaten Easton back-to-back, hoping for a third this year. That team only beat the Red Rovers once.

Regardless, Friday night at seven in Phillipsburg, the top-seeded Stateliners (9-1) will entertain third-seed Northern Highlands (6-4) for the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 title. And as much as the team’s slogan – among other things – may be “Beat Easton,” “win a championship” might be 1b on the list.

They’ve called it unfinished business. Junior runningback Sam Dech says they have an “underdog mentality.” Call it what you will, the Stateliners have been laser focused all year, with one setback: against Ridge on September 20th. Other than that, it’s been all wins for P’burg, and they plan to continue it Friday night.

Click below to hear Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy talk about Friday night’s matchup with Northern Highlands in the North 2, Group 4 title game:

by Mike Pavlichko

Third time’s a charm? Phillipsburg back in sectional finals again with 31-14 win over Chatham

Who says “You can’t go back again?”

Not Phillipsburg.

For the third year in a row, the Stateliners will play for a state title – and try to finish their “unfinished business” after falling in their last two trips – after the top-seed in North 2, Group 4 beat 5th-seed Chatham at home Friday night, 31-14.

The Stateliners were in control most of the way. All four Phillipsburg touchdowns came on the ground, two from Jett Genovese, and one each from Sam Dech and Felix Matos, while Alexie Moreira also kicked a field goal in the win.

Next up for the Stateliners will be Northern Highlands at Maloney Stadium Friday for the North 2, Group 4 title. The third-seeded Highlanders (6-4) knocked off previously unbeaten second-seed Woodbridge on the road Friday night, 26-7, ending the Barrons’ season at 10-0.

Click below for postgame reaction from Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg seeking third straight title game berth as Stateliners entertain Chatham Friday

Getting to a sectional final for a third straight year is on the list of goals for the Phillipsburg football team, but the aspirations out on the state line are higher.

After all, Phillipsburg has made the finals each of the last two years, but they’ve come away empty both times, falling to West Orange in 2022 and Union City last season.

And while they’ve beaten Easton the last two years as well, the lack of hardware has left Phillipsburg players and coaches with a feeling of unfinished business. It was first described by senior quarterback Jett Genovese, a three-year starter who’s experienced the ups of beating Easton twice, and the sting of playoff title game losses twice in his first two years at QB.

And so, the top-seeded Stateliners (8-1) will take on fifth-seed Chatham (7-2) Friday night at 7 at Maloney Stadium for a chance to go to the North 2, Group 4 final.

This is a bit of new territory for P’burg, after being in Group 5 the last few years. The Stateliners often have shuttled back between Group 4 and 5 over the years.

It’s easy to talk about Genovese and his favorite wide receiver target, Matthew Scerbo, Jr., both of whom have been three-year starters, and set all kinds of school career records, but they are not the whole team, and others like receiver Felix Matos, runningback Sam Dech and defensive players like Jah’quil Dooley and defensive linemen Like and Aeden Hywell, who have combined for ten sacks between them.

Chatham, meanwhile, comes in on a three-game win streak, including an opening round “upset” win at fourth-seed Wayne Valley last week, 42-7. This will be the first-ever matchup between the Cougars and Stateliners.

Chatham likes to spread the ball around in the air, with senior quarterback Will Allen throwing for 1,881 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, but they have attempted virtually just as many passes as rushes, with 242 attempts – all but two by Allen – and 244 run plays. Allen has run for 289 yards and five scores, while Alex McWilliams leads the offense with 393 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns.

Defensively, P’burg is led by junior linebacker Hunter Bingham with four sacks, and fellow LB Caden Gabriele – also a junior – with four interceptions.

Click below to hear Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy talk about the Stateliners, and their playoff matchup against Chatham:

by Mike Pavlichko

Matos is masterful as No. 7 Phillipsburg topples No. 5 St. Joseph, handing Falcons first loss

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:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg continues quest to take care of “unfinished business” as St. Joe’s visits Maloney

The main goal of every football season in Phillipsburg is to beat Easton. That’s always No. 1.

But for someone like third-year starting quarterback Gett Jenovese, there’s still something nagging at him: the fact that while the Stateliners have beaten the Red Rovers in back-to-back seasons, they also reached the state sectional finals both years, and came home without a trophy.

In 2022, it was West Orange they fell to in the North 2, Group 5 title game. Last year, it was Union City.

They got a measure of redemption last week in a rare, mid-season non-conference matchup, beating the Mountaineers 21-14 on the road. But that’s still not the ultimate goal.

And yet, while sixth-ranked Phillipsburg wants another championship trophy for its display case at the shiny, new, high school up on the hill, they have taken it day-by-day, game-by-game, according to head coach Frank Duffy.

And the Stateliners (4-1) will have to do that again Friday night when No. 4 St. Joseph of Metuchen (5-0) rolls into town for a big matchup. You can hear it on the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, with pregame at 6:45 and kickoff at 7 pm. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas have the call; click here to listen.

Genovese has been his usual solid self, throwing for 690 yards and eight touchdowns while rushing for 242 yards and three scores. And he has back top wide receiving target Matthew Scerbo, Jr., who has 19 catches for 275 yards and five TDs. The pair have been playing on the varsity squad for three years together.

Scerbo owns the Phillipsburg career touchdown and reception records, both set this year, and Duffy says he’s about 200 yards away from the becoming the school’s all-time receiving yardage leader.

Defensively, the ‘Liners can get after the quarterback, with eight sacks on the year, while they’ve also recovered five fumbles.

Click below to hear Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy talk about the Stateliners, and Friday night’s clash with St. Joe’s: