Tag: Franklin

September 14, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Sunday Conversation: Woodbridge’s Joe Goerge on 250 (or 251?) career wins, spanning NJ and NY

Sometimes, you can do the math over and over again, and it just doesn’t add up.

Such was the case when Woodbridge football assistant Jason Goerge – who coaches with his father, Joe, the head man for the Barrons – called me to discuss a milestone his dad was close to reaching.

Or, maybe he’d already reached it?

After beginning his career at Port Richmond on Staten Island, Joe Goerge eventually landed in New Jersey at Franklin. He won two championships, then resurrected the program at Dayton before heading to South Brunswick, where he won three more state titles. He left there to go to St. Joseph by the Sea back in New York, then came back to South Brunswick before arriving in Woodbridge in 2024.

The St. Joseph by the Sea website put his record at 221-137-4 heading on a web page introducing the 2021 coaching staff. They went 4-5 that year, putting him at 225-142-4. Back at South Brunswick, the Vikings went 5-5 in back-to-back seasons, for a total of 10-10, putting him at 235-152-4.

With a 10-1 season last year, and a 3-0 season this year, that’s 245-152-4.

But before coming to Woodbridge, a Mike Kinney article on NJ.com gave him a 238-158-4 record “at five schools – South Brunswick (twice), Franklin and Dayton in New Jersey, and Port Richmond (where he began his career) and St. Joseph by-the-Sea.”

That would make him 251-159-4, and that his 250th career win actually came two weeks ago in a 26-23 win at Watchung Hills.

Since school websites are not always up to date, and to be honest, we trust Mike Kinney more (and Athletic Director Joe Ward, who confirmed the same)… we’re going with those numbers.

But really, what are we talking about here? Joe Goerge has reached quite the milestone. He’s won multiple championships at multiple schools, including 1994 and 1996 in Central Jersey Group 3 at Franklin, along with Central Jersey Group 5 titles in 2012, 2015 and 2017 at South Brunswick.

A jubilant football coach holds a championship trophy aloft while surrounded by celebrating players in their uniforms, cheering and raising their hands in triumph. — *Joe Goerge celebrates with his players after South Brunswick’s 2015 Central Jersey Group 5 championship over Manalapan at Rutgers University. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

Over the years, he’s touched the lives of thousands of boys and turned them into young men with the life lessons football provides. Accountability, respect, hard work, and overcoming adversity.

Certainly, the championships will be remembered.

But the joy, for Goerge, is in the teaching, and then seeing them years later with their families, their kids, using the lessons they learned – whether at Port Richmond way back when he first started in the 1980s, or in 2040 when he sees anyone on his current Barrons squad, either with their wives and kids, coaching, or maybe playing in the NFL.

To see what they’ve become, what they’ve made out of their lives, that’s the real victory.

And you can be pretty sure there are a lot more than 250 of those victories in Joe Goerge’s career.

And at the rate he’s going, there will be many more to come.

Click below to hear Woodbridge football coach Joe Goerge talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about his long and storied career in coaching, and win No. 250 – whenever it came!

August 21, 2025August 17, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: National Silver Division

There’s no doubt who was the cream of the crop in the Big Central Conference’s National Silver Division last year. In fact, St. Thomas Aquinas has been one of the top teams in the entire league for several years now and two prior coaches, winning 31 straight against BCC competition coming into this season.

With a new coach, they’re looking for much of the same success, and despite a handful of transfers, still have the horses to do it. The question is: who else will challenge them in the division?

Sayreville enters its second year under alum Mark Poore, but their new starting QB Tyler Butka did see significant action last year in a half-dozen contests.

North Brunswick had an uncharacteristically off year under head coach Mike Cipot, so this year will be somewhat of a reset for the Raiders, while one of their big rivals, Edison, had a bounce-back year last season, thanks in part to a ground game that ran for well over 2,000 yards without the benefit of a thousand-yard rusher.

And Franklin might have had too much success too soon in 2024, starting 3-0, but ending 4-5. That has head coach Blair Wilson keeping a closer eye on the Warriors this year.

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

June 26, 2025July 3, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Longest league win streak lives in National Silver Division, with St. Thomas Aquinas at 31 and counting

Whatever division St. Thomas Aquinas football has played in over the last four seasons, they have essentially dominated. With a 31-game winning streak against Big Central opponents that dates back to their last game of 2021 (their last loss came to Bernards, which has won 23 BCC games in a row, second best) the Trojans enter 2025 with more change than ever before.

Head coach Tarig Holman was not brought back – the school has never publicly said why – and new hire John Germano was in and out, heading back to Bergen Catholic before the team ever got to practice with him. Shamir Bearfield comes in from St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, and inherits the streak, but will have many challenges ahead.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the National Gold 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 (*).

Edison Eagles (5-5, 1-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Matt Yascko (8-12, 3rd season)

Week 0: at Piscataway (6p)
Week 1: Old Bridge
Week 2: Sayreville*
Week 3: at North Brunswick*
Week 4: Franklin*
Week 5: at Colonia
Week 6: St. Thomas Aquinas*
Week 7: at South Brunswick
Week 8: at Paterson Eastside

The Eagles graduated a ton for Yascko’s first season at the helm of his alma mater, and last year they improved from 3-7 to 5-5. But just like his first year, when he head to replace his son at quarterback, he’ll now have to replace Brian Calantoni, who threw for nearly 1,000 yards last season. Robert Roma could step into that role, but he only threw one pass last season as a junior. There will be some good underclassmen runningbacks returning, including Lenier Whetstone, who leads those coming back with 110 carries for 535 yards and three touchdowns, as well as some options to throw to. The defense will look to limit points, as it allowed 35 or more points in four of Edison’s five losses last season.

Franklin Warriors (4-6, 1-3, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Blair Wilson (7-22, 4th season)

Week 0: at Hammonton (Thu, 6p)
Week 1: Passaic (6p)
Week 2: at East Brunswick
Week 3: St. Thomas Aquinas (6p)*
Week 4: at Edison*
Week 5: at Plainfield (6p)
Week 6: Sayreville* (6p)
Week 7: Monroe
Week 8: North Brunswick*

Wilson has seen improvement since his first season, going 0-8 in 2022, then 3-8 in 2023, and 4-6 last season. They started like gangbusters, with wins over Trenton, Passaic and East Brunswick, but then lost six of their next seven to close the season. They’ll look to Jah’naad Cady, who threw for 1,040 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore, to lead the offense, which has its top five runningbacks returning, and plenty of options to replace the senior receivers graduating. Key defensive pieces return, too, like seniors Miles Muldrow (3 sacks, 1 TFL, 1 INT) and Maurice Langford (1 sack, 7 TFLs).

North Brunswick Radiers (4-6, 2-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach Mike Cipot: (58-23, 9th season)

Week 0: Jackson (Thu, 6p)
Week 1: South Brunswick (6p)
Week 2: at St. Thomas Aquinas* (6p)
Week 3: Edison*
Week 4: at Sayreville*
Week 5: St. Joseph-Metuchen (6p)
Week 6: Westfield (6p)
Week 7: at Ridge
Week 8: Franklin* (7:15p)

After a 6-4 debut season, head coach Mike Cipot had never won fewer than seven games over a span of the six seasons that followed. That ended last year, when they started 0-3 and stumbled to a 2-7 finish. They didn’t exactly light it up on offense, throwing for only 446 yards, while rushing for just 1,217. Gone are both quarterbacks, Al Trevelise and Tommy Koroma, as well as top key skill guys. The defense – typically a strong suit under Cipot – also will lose some key players from a team

Sayreville Bombers (4-6, 2-2, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Mark Poore (4-6, 2nd season)

Week 0: at Colonia (Thurs, 6p)
Week 1: Linden
Week 2: at Edison*
Week 3: Hillsborough
Week 4: North Brunswick*
Week 5: at Piscataway (6p)
Week 6: at Franklin* (6p)
Week 7: Montgomery
Week 8: St. Thomas Aquinas*

After Don Sofilkanich took the Bombers to an 8-3 mark in 2023, but was let go, Mark Poore’s club struggled to a 4-8 record in the Sayreville alum’s first season, never putting together back-to-back wins, but then again, never losing more than two in a row either. Either they scored a ton of points – topping 40 three times – or rarely scored, like in two shutout losses, and even a 7-0 win at Montgomery late in the season. Junior Tyler Butka, who took over QB duties halfway through the year, is back after throwing for 301 yards, just one touchdown, but no picks in six games. Even more impressive is that junior Shaun Jackson (1,485 yards, 14 TD) returns as well. A number of juniors made their mark on defense as well last season, including linebackers Brian Zangrillo (2 sacks, 8 TFLs, #3 tackles with 65) and Charles Barnes (1 sack, 8 TFLs, 1 INT, 1 FR).

St. Thomas Aquinas Trojans (9-1, 4-0, National Silver champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Shamir Bearfield (1st season)

Week 0: Montclair (1p)
Week 1: at Red Bank Catholic
Week 2: North Brunswick*
Week 3: at Franklin*
Week 4: Elizabeth
Week 5: Paramus Catholic
Week 6: at Edison*
Week 7: St. Joseph-Metuchen
Week 8: Sayreville*
Week 9: Pope John

Forget about the 31-game Big Central winning streak; if Bearfield can coach up his remaining players, it could take care of itself. The non-division schedule is what’s daunting, but that’s been the Trojans’ way of scheduling in the last couple of years, looking for stronger opponents to challenge themselves and boost their seeding come playoff time. Offensively, though, two big stars are gone. Senior Roman Blanks (1,367 yards, 16 TDs) is gone to graduation, as is RB Chase Young (611 yards, 8 TD), but so is sophomore Chukwuma Odoh, who transferred to Paramus Catholic after rushing for 1,418 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. Can they find someone – or multiple backs – to take up that slack? That might be the biggest question mark – than and how a whole new staff comes together – for the Trojans in 2025.

June 18, 2025June 18, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Edison hangs on, defeats Franklin 4-2 in Central Jersey Group 4 to advance to first sectional semifinal since 2016

Even with a chance to put their ace on the mound, third-seeded Edison knew it was going to have a battle on its hands facing off against 11th-seeded Franklin in the Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals.

A battle is what the Eagles got, but ultimately, they powered through on the backs of their veteran stars.

Edison outlasted the Warriors 4-2 in a game that started as a pitching duel, with junior Connor Murphy on the bump for the Eagles and Franklin putting Dafraily Sosa on the mound. It puts Edison in the semifinals of a state playoff section for the first time since 2016, where they lost to Hunterdon Central.

Through three and a half innings, the game remained scoreless, with Murphy working in and out of a jam in the first inning, while Sosa did not allow a hit until the end of the third.

Once the bottom of the fourth inning came around, so did the Eagles’ bats.

They got close in the third. With left fielder Sam Kentos on second base, center fielder Darren Tirado lined a hard-hit ball… right into Kentos’ back. Kentos was ruled out, and the potential scoring situation was squashed.

After another inning from Murphy where two Franklin baserunners reached with two outs without coming around to score, Edison shortstop Anthony Calantoni led off the bottom of the fourth getting plunked in the arm with the first pitch.

First baseman Robert Roma followed, and he dropped a 2-2 fastball into the left-center gap, scoring Calantoni with a double and breaking the scoreless tie. Murphy moved Roma over to third, and second baseman Ray Tavarez lined a ball over the outstretched glove of Warriors third baseman Stanley Madera to score a second run. Sosa got out of the inning with a groundout and strikeout, but not before Edison snatched the momentum with the game’s first two runs.

Franklin did not give in, however.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Warriors put four straight runners on with one out, with two hits sandwiching two walks against Murphy. Shortstop Mike Schiermeyer provided the first run with a bases-loaded ground ball into the outfield for an RBI single, and two batters later Madera beat out a potential double-play ball that would have ended the inning to tie the game.

Even with the game tied, Franklin missed an opportunity. With runners on the corners and two outs, Murphy dialed up the heat and struck out catcher Jacob Gordon swinging to end the inning with the game tied.

Sosa retired the side in the ensuing bottom half of the fifth inning, keeping the momentum in Franklin’s favor.

That would not last long, however, as third baseman Dom Innocenti relieved Murphy in the top of the sixth and threw a 1-2-3 inning of his own with two strikeouts.

In the bottom half, Edison took its chance.

Calantoni singled to lead off the inning, but an errant pickoff attempt from Sosa went all the way to the fence, advancing Calantoni to third base. Roma once again came through, launching a fastball to the wall in left-center field once again. While it did not leave the park, coming just three feet shy of doing so, it was deep enough for Calantoni to score the go-ahead run on Roma’s sacrifice fly.

Edison added another run later in the sixth as Murphy walked, prompting a pitching change with Sosa at his pitch count limit. Left fielder Shayne Rooney relieved him, but Innocenti singled and brought Murphy all the way home from first after a misplay in the outfield. Innocenti was thrown out at third base, but the damage was done.

In the seventh, Innocenti allowed a leadoff single by Rooney. Centerfielder Izaiah Robinson flew out to right with the lineup card flipping over. With one out and second baseman Shaylen Patel up, Rooney was caught stealing at second, and two pitches later Patel grounded out to short to end the game and send the Eagles to the sectional semifinals.

While Murphy did not earn the win – that went to Innocenti in two shutout innings – he had a solid outing, throwing five innings with two earned runs, five hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. Sosa recorded the loss despite a solid outing of his own, going 5.1 innings and allowing four runs, with three hits, three walks, and two strikeouts.

Edison advances to the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals next Tuesday at second-seeded Old Bridge, which defeated Manalapan 1-0 on Thursday.

Click below for postgame reaction from Edison pitcher Connor Murphy, first baseman Robert Roma, shortstop Anthony Calantoni, and head coach Vinnie Abene, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Murphy, Roma, and Calantoni

Head coach Vinnie Abene

May 27, 2025May 27, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Montgomery, Franklin pull upset wins in opening round of Central 4 NJSIAA playoffs; Old Bridge, Edison, Hillsborough also advance on Day One

The NJSIAA baseball tournament isn’t even out of the first round, and already there were two upsets in the Central Jersey Group 4 bracket. And both teams responsible hail from Somerset County.

At Memorial Stadium in the Hub City, 12th-seed Montgomery shot past five-seed New Brunswick, 14-2, while 11-seed Franklin was a 2-1 road winner over six-seed East Brunswick Tuesday afternoon.

Three other CJSR-area teams also advanced out of the first round, including Edison, Hillsborough, and Old Bridge.

(12) Montgomery 14, (5) New Brunswick 2 (5 inn.): After a scoreless first inning, the Cougars (9-14) finally got the bats going, knocking out 12 hits in the win. They scored two in the second, six in the third and five more in the fourth, all with only one extra base hit in the game. Patrick Fogerty and Mason Neufeld each knocked in two runs apiece, while Montgomery hitters worked out nine walks. Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational champion New Brunswick (15-3) committed two errors in the game. Cougars’ head coach Peter Mueller earned career win No. 301, after taking his 300th over the weekend against Bernards. Next up, Monty gets a trip to second-seeed Hightstown, a team they played in Game One of the season back on April 2nd, taking a 5-3 loss.

Listen to Montgomery coach Peter Mueller talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the Cougars’ opening round playoff win.

(11) Franklin 2, (6) East Brunswick 1: All the scoring came early in this one, as the Warriors (11-8) got a run in the top of the second on a sac fly by Patrick Ziegler to score Elijah Zavatsky, then another in the top of the third when Mike Schiermeyer reached on an error by the shortsctop, scoring Izaiah Robinson. The Bears (11-13), though, could only get one back, on a Tyler Zeichner triple that scored Sean Christie. The Warriors will play Thursday at third-seed Edison.

(3) Edison 4, (13) Sayreville 2: After a gut-wrenching walk-off loss to St. Joseph-Metuchen Saturday in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship game, the Eagles (16-10) bounced back with a victory. They fell behind 1-0 in the first on a bases loaded walk to Thomas Schlaline, but tied it in the bottom of the second when Teddy Eyler grounded into a fielders’ choice. The Bombers (10-15) again went up a run in the top of the third , on a single by Chase Cannan, but Edison again knotted the score on a groundout by Ray Tavarez, bringing in Anthony Calantoni. The score stayed that way until the fifth, when the Eagles took their first lead, when Robert Roma doubled with one out to score Calantoni, and they got more insurance in the sixth when Sam Kentos singled to knock in Dom Innocenti, who had led off the inning with a triple. Edison will host 11-seed Franklin Thursday.

(2) Old Bridge 13, (15) North Brunswick 0 (5 inn): The Knights (16-10) made short work of the Raiders (5-16), scoring four runs right out of the gate in the bottom of the first, with two more in the third before they exploded for seven more in the bottom of the fourth, as starter John Smith allowed just two runs in five innings for the win. Noah Balbeuna went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, while Jared Volpe was 2-for-2 with a couple of runs batted in as well. Next up, Old Bridge will host 10-seed Manalapan on Thursday.

(9) Hillsborough 6, (8) Freehold Twp. 2: The Raiders (11-10) picked up a road win in a battle of two .500 teams that were both 10-10 coming in. The Patriots (10-11) opened the scoring with a run in the first and another in the fifth, but Hillsborough answered the 2-0 deficit with a five-spot in the top of the sixth. After a hit by pitch, a fielder’s choice and a single, Drew Kipila drove in a wun with a single, then Jason Williams tied it at 2-2 with one of his own. Kipila then scored on a wild pitch with TJ Westlake at the plate, who later walked. Andrew Advani doubled to score Williams, and Brayden Fox lined a shot to right to bring in Advani and Westlake, making it 6-2. Aidan Cooper got the win in relief, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings, and retiring all six batters he faced once the Raiders had taken the lead. They’ll visit top-seed Hunterdon Central Thursday, a division-mate in the Skyland Delaware with whom they split two games this season – albeit almost two months ago – losing 4-3 on April 1st, but rebounding with a 2-1 win on April 3rd.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4 QUARTERFINALS
THURSDAY SCHEDULE:

(9) Hillsborough at (1) Hunterdon Central
(12) Montgomery at (4) Hightstown
(11) Franklin at (3) Edison
(10) Manalapan at (2) Old Bridge

May 20, 2025May 19, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: SCT Semifinals: (2) Immaculata 1, (11) Franklin 0

Junior Ryan Auten struck out 13 hitters en route to a no-hitter, helping second-seed Immaculata get past 11th-seed Franklin, 1-0, to get to its first Somerset County Tournament final since 2019, when it won the second of back-to-back championships, and its record 14th SCT title overall.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen call all the action, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 19, 2025:

May 19, 2025May 19, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Ryan Auten complete game no-hitter sends Immaculata to SCT finals for first time since 2019 with 1-0 win over Franklin

For the first time since before COVID – and back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019 – Immaculata is going back to the Somerset County Tournament semifinals.

And a big reason why is Ryan Auten, a much-ballyhooed transfer in from Delaware Valley, who threw a complete-game no-hitter, striking out 13 in a 1-0 victory for the second-seeded Spartans over upset-minded 11-seed Franklin, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The Warriors (10-8) actually got eight baserunners against ‘Lata, but a few were errors, a couple fielders choices, and a couple of walks. But they could get nothing across.

Immaculata (13-7) got its only run in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Luca Catanzarite singled, then Jayden Capindica hit a ball of starting pitcher Dylan Shah’s glove, that was picked cleanly in front of second base by the shortstop, Mike Schiermayer. Capindica beat the throw, but it was in the dirt and got up the line, allowing Catanzarite to score.

But that was all they’d get, thanks to good Franklin defense. After a pop up out, Owen Schilling reached on a fielder’s choice to third, where Stanley Madera made a great throw to the plate, and backup catcher Jacob Gordon applied the tag to Capindica for the second out.

Auten struck out 13 in the no-hitter, and improved to 5-1. Dylan Shah took the loss to fall to 1-4.

Immaculata will face top-seed Ridge – the team they shared the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title with – in Wednesday night’s 6 pm final at TD Bank Park, which you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Red Devils beat fourth-seed Rutgers Prep 11-0 in five innings in Monday’s second semifinal.

Click below for postgame reaction with Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust and pitcher Ryan Auten, presented by Sportsple at Metuchen.

May 18, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Franklin seeks first SCT finals berth in 45 years when Warriors, Immaculata clash Monday

It’s a story of two teams with vastly different histories in the Somerset County Tournament.

One of them has won 14 times in 22 trips to the finals. Those are the Immaculata Spartans.

The other has been just once – in 1980. Those are the Franklin Warriors.

But just ask the 2023 edition of the Rutgers Prep baseball team how much that really matters? Four games below .500 at the time of the seeding meeting – which, to be fair, was just two weeks into the season – the Argonauts upset everyone in their path, and knocked off Ridge to win it all as the 12 seed.

So why can’t 11th seed Franklin get there?

To do it, they’ll have to stop second-seed Immaculata, which shared the Skyland Conference Delaware Division with top-seed Ridge.

Monday afternoon, Franklin and Immaculata will go at it at 1 pm at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, followed by the other semifinal at 4:00 between Ridge and fourth-seed Rutgers Prep.

Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen will call all the play-by-play; click here to listen. You’ll also be able to watch the game with our play-by-play on our YouTube channel.

Here’s a closer look at the first semifinal game of the day:

(2) Immaculata (12-7) vs. (11) Franklin (10-7)
1 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio (LISTEN LIVE) (Watch on YouTube)

PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Immaculata: Ryan Auten (4-1, 4.00 ERA)
Franklin: Dylan Shah (1-3, 3.00 ERA)

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:

Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust

Franklin head coach Derrick Castillo

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Immaculata: The Spartans had a bye to the second round as one of the top four seeds, and had to rally from three runs down in the seventh to beat seven-seed Hillsborough, 10-9 back on Thursday at Diamond Nation. And they did it all without the benefit of a hit, with a combination of walks, batters hit by a pitch, and a passed ball.

Franklin: After winning its opening round game, 16-1, over 14-seed Bound Brook in five innings, the Warriors pulled off two upsets to get here. First, they beat six-seed and defending champion Bridgewater-Raritan, 4-3 on Monday. Then, it was a dramatic, 12-10 victory over third-seed Watchung Hills that took eight innings, and three hours and 40 minutes, according to Franklin head coach Derrick Castillo.

TOP HITTERS:

Immaculata: As a team, the Spartans are hitting .287, with five regulars over .300, led by Owen Schilling at .365 with 23 runs batted in. But a number of other players also lead in key statistical categories. Justin Labrador (.344) leads the team with four doubles. Schilling and Connor Quinn each have three home runs, And senior Colin Kassai, batting .271, leads the team in walks with 12. Immaculata also is known for the timely hit – or even walk – so they can take advantage in a big situation,

Franklin: The Warriors are hitting just a bit better – .295 – than the Spartans, and they have even more guys hitting better than .300, showing a balanced lineup from top to bottom. Mike Schiermayer is the top-hitting regular at .385, with a team best 20. Izaiah Robinson – Castillo calls him “perhaps the most impressive player we have” – leads the team with two home runs and 23 stolen bases. Stanley Madera and Rodrick Ray each are tops with 15 runs batted in.

LAST FINALS BERTH:

Immaculata hasn’t been to the finals since before COVID – in 2019, when they won the second of back-to-back titles, but they’ve won the most SCT titles in the event’s history, with 14 in 22 appearances. They won ten of 12 in a stretch from 1997 to 2008, the most dominant run of any program in Somerset County.

Franklin has only made it once, in 1980, falling to Ridge, 7-1.

PAST COVERAGE:

Somerset County Tournament Coverage

Immaculata

Franklin

May 14, 2025May 14, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Three of top four seeds advance in Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, as Ridge, Immaculata, Rutgers Prep earn wins; 11-seed Franklin upsets Watchung Hills in 8 innings

The semifinals of the Somerset County Tournament are set, as three of the top four seeds won their quarterfinal games on Wednesday out at Diamond Nation in Flemington, with 11-seed Franklin knocking off third-seed Watchung Hills in extra innings..

Due to the rain, all games were moved out to Hunterdon County, and somehow, they managed to get them in between the raindrops.

It sets up Monday’s semifinals at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, where second-seed Immaculata and 11th-seed Watchung Hills will meet in the 1 pm opener, while top-seed Ridge will battle fourth-seed Rutgers Prep in the 4 pm game. Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live coverage with Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen, presented by Zoned Sports Academy of Bridgewater.

The finals will be at 6 pm next Wednesday at TD Bank Park, and can be heard live on CJSR as well.

Read on for a recap of Wednesday’s quarterfinal action.

(1) Ridge 7, (8) Bernards 1: Seemingly every time Aiden Stieglitz takes the mound, it’s a stellar performance, and Wednesday was no different. The Red Devils’ senior scattered three hits and allowed one run in six innings of work, striking out 12, to improve to 6-2 on the year. The Red Devils scored in the bottom of the first on a bases loaded walk by Sawyer Paul. Bernards tied it in the top of the second when Casey Hoeckele came home from third on a daring double steal with two outs. But from there, the rest of the night belonged to Ridge. As Stieglitz mowed down the Mountaineers, Ridge (15-4) got two more in the bottom of the third, another in the fourth, and three more insurance runs for good measure in the sixth. Paul ended up with a 2-for-3 day with three runs batted in, a walk and a stolen base. Bernards falls to 9-10 with the loss.

(2) Immaculata 10, (7) Hillsborough 9: In one of the wildest finishes of the day, the Spartans (12-6) trailed 9-6 heading into the seventh inning, and rallied for four runs to walk it off in a gut-punch to the Raiders (8-10), all without the benefit of a hit, and without making a single out. Owen Schilling got hit by a pitch from Samuel Malone to lead it off, then Jayson Labrador walked, and his brother Justin got plunked as well. That brought in Shane Borer for ‘Boro, who walked Collin Kassai to make it 9-7. With Aidan English at the plate, a passed ball allowed Dan Brea to score to cut it to 9-8. English ended up getting on via a walk to reload the bases, then Connor Quinn got hit by a pitch to tie the score. Jackson Lewis then came to the plate with a chance to win it, and that he did, working a five-pitch walk to bring in Kassai.

(4) Rutgers Prep 6, (5) Somerville 4: The Argonauts (10-7) scored five times in the third, to take a 5-1 lead over the Pioneers, then held them off for the win, avenging an 8-7 regular season home defeat just last Saturday. Somerville (10-8) got on the board first with a run in the top of the second when Ethan Flynn scored on a wild pitch. But Prep stormed back in the third with a run that came in on a walk, a two-run single by Li Perez, and RBI single by Alex Perez, and a groundout by Micah Kruger-Serrano. Somerville looked to rally in the fifth. They got a two-run single to left from Owen Melchione, then an Andrew Kessler single to center, all with two out, but Ethan Flynn flew out to center to end it, stranding two, leaving it 5-4 Argos, before Prep got one more insurance run for good measure in the bottom of the sixth. Starter Li Perez got the win for Rutgers Prep, striking out ten in four innings of work.

(11) Franklin 12, (3) Watchung Hills 10 (8): In a battle of Warriors, Franklin (9-7) erased an early 1-0 deficit and took a 7-0 lead that eventually evaporated, only for them to rally with three in the top of the eighth, then hold off Watchung Hills (11-8) in the bottom of the inning for the win. Hills got one back in the bottom of the fourth to cut it to 7-2, then Franklin added two in the fifth to go up 9-2. From there, Watchung Hills got two in the fifth, two more in the sixth, and tied it at 9-9 with three in the seventh on three RBI singles by Stefano DiGeronimo, Jake Kierstead and Max Eder. In the top of the eighth, though, Franklin took the lead back, and did it all with two outs. Stanley Madera singled to center to make it 10-9, then Jacob Gordon did the same to left to drive in two and make it a three-run lead. Still, Watchung Hills wasn’t done. A bases loaded walk with two outs brought up Max Payne. On a 2-2 count, Landon Pudlak scored on a passed ball, with the other runners advancing to second and third. Pudlak worked the count to 3-2 against reliever Izaiah Robinson, but Robinson got him looking to end the game. Franklin is a win away from just its second finals berth ever, and first since 1980.

MONDAY’S SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater

1 pm: (2) Immaculata (12-6) vs. (11) Franklin (9-7)
4 pm: (1) Ridge (15-4) vs. (4) Rutgers Prep (11-7)

Both games can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio by clicking here.