Tag: Franklin

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 3 Rutgers Prep faces Franklin Tuesday as Argonauts look to go on a run

The time is now for the Rutgers Prep boys’ basketball team.

With a record of 6-6, and still the No. 3 ranking in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, the Argonauts are looking to make some noise over the next couple of weeks, jockeying for position in both the county and state tournaments, with the SCT seeding looming first, on January 27th.

Tuesday night will be one of those key games, as Prep (3-1, second place in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division) takes on Franklin (5-6, 2-2) in a game that could be a turning point for both seasons.

Prep will hope to use it as a springboard to a solid run toward the postseason. Franklin would land a signature win if the Warriors can take the victory. Game time is 7 pm, and it can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame at 6:45. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel will call all the action; click here to listen.

Last year’s Rutgers Prep squad was on the young side and inexperienced. Many of those key parts are back, including senior Myles Parker, who leads the way with 15.6 points per game and a squad-best 34 treys. Sophomore Jacob Canton adds 14.6 per game and has dished out a team-best 58 assists through 12 games, while another second-year player, Andrew Kretkowski, also is averaging 14.6 per game, along with a team-leading 6.4 rebounds.

They do a lot well – play defense, rebound, shoot from the perimeter, get up and down the floor – and just watching for a few minutes, it’s evident this group has a bond and meshes well. Bloom will have the core of Canton, Kretkowski, and also sophomore Rocco Loomis (9.3 ppg) for a few years.

To say Prep has struggled to its 6-6 mark would be inaccurate. Would they love to have more wins? Sure. But losses have come to the likes of Gill St. Bernard’s, Don Bosco Prep and Manasquan, among others. But those three have come by a combined 12 points

The run, though – they hope – starts now.

Click below to hear Rutgers Prep boys’ basketball coach Matt Bloom talk about the Argonauts with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

We unveil the 2024 “Borden’s Baller of the Year”: Listen to the show with all three finalists to find out who took home top honors!

The newly-expanded Borden’s Baller of the Year voting has reached its conclusion, and we have a winner after a more than a week of voting, and over 122,000 votes cast!

But, we’re not going to tell you that easily!

This year’s voting added another round. With 59 Big Central Conference teams now represented, we divided the total vote to come up with three finalists: one from Middlesex County, one from Union County, and a third from the “Big Central West” – Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties.

The finalists were:

  • Middlesex County: Brody Nugent, Old Bridge
  • Union County: Jordan Walsh, Westfield
  • Big Central West: Christian Lewis, Franklin

And we’re still not going to tell you who won. Click below to listen to the “2024 Borden’s Ballers Awards Show” to find out!

by Mike Pavlichko

Borden’s Ballers down to three finalists: See who finished first in each region, and VOTE for the ultimate 2024 Borden’s Baller of the Year!

One more round to go!

With nearly 45,000 votes cast for the 2024 Borden’s Baller of the year, we now have three finalists – one in each of three regions – and now it’s time for them to face off to determine the ultimate Borden’s Baller.

Adding in all the Big Central Conference schools this season, we have one finalist from each of three regions: Middlesex (24 teams), Union (17 teams) and Big Central West, including Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties (20 teams).

Here are the finalists, and the next couple of vote-getters in each region:

Middlesex County

  • Brody Nugent, Old Bridge (finalist)
  • Kyle Johnston, Metuchen
  • Shaun Garland, Edison

Union County

  • Jordan Walsh, Westfield (finalist)
  • Andrew Avent, Rahway
  • Oscar Marx, Summit

Big Central West (Somerset, Hunterdon Warren Counties)

  • Christian Lewis, Franklin (finalist)
  • Terrence Hanratty, Bernards
  • Jett Genovese, Phillipsburg

So, now it’s down to three! Here are the bios for your finalists for the 2024 Borden’s Baller of the Year!

  • Old Bridge – Brody Nugent: Junior quarterback Brody Nugent might be called the Houdini of the Big Central Football Conference! In just two seasons this Knight has dissected enemy defenses for 2100 yds in the air for 23 touchdowns while traversing the field for 1745 yards and 21 scores on the ground in just 18 games.  Just when the defense thinks they have him pinned in or stopped, he spins out of a tackle extending the play while being laser-focused on finding his target or the end zone!
  • Westfield – Jordan Walsh: The sophomore receiver/quarterback has started the last two games for the Blue Devils with wins over North Brunswick and Bridgewater-Raritan. He has accounted for 182 yards passing for 2 touchdowns, 181 yards rushing for 3 scores and 71 yards as a receiver. On defense he has 20 plus tackles with 2 scores on and interception and fumble returned for six.
  • Franklin – Christian Lewis: Franklin’s football program has improved steadily each year under Blair Wilson, going winless in his first campaign while giving the Warriors the opportunity to finish 2024 with a winning record for the first time since 2012. The senior Lewis has been an integral part of this transformation. The 6’3 180 WR/DB has the size and speed to play at the next level. He has 13 catches for 173 yards and 1 touchdown. As a defensive back he recorded 21 tackles, 1 interception and a forced fumble and one for a recovery.
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2024 Borden's Baller of the Year

Choose from the three finalists for the Borden's Baller of the Year for 2024!

Sorry, polling is closed!
Good luck to your favorite Borden's Baller!
We'll announce the winner soon!

by Mike Pavlichko

Franklin ends three-game skid after 3-0 start with last-minute TD, 22-0 victory at Sayreville

No one led by more than a touchdown, and Franklin snapped a three-game losing streak that found them back at .500 after a 3-0 start with a 22-20 road win at Sayreville Friday night.

Troy Hyman scored two touchdowns for the Warriors, including the game-tying touchdown with under a minute to play, before a two-point conversion pass put them ahead for good.

Franklin’s Michael Rogers opened the scoring, catching a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jah’naad Cady, but Shuan Jackson ran one in from four-yards out for Sayreville, which missed the extra point, making it 7-6.

Hyman scored on a one-yard run in the second to put Franklin up 14-6, and then Sayreville roared back after halftime. Devyn McCall made it 14-12 on a ten-yard touchdown run, and Jackson then scored and ran in a two-point try to make it 20-14 Bombers at the end of three.

The fourth quarter was tense. The Warriors got stopped on fourth down early. Later, Cady threw a deep ball that was picked off by Sayreville’s Sherwin Appiah, but he fumbled it as he was tackled, and Franklin recovered inside the ten.

That set up Hyman’s heroics to tie the game at 20 on an eight-yard touchdown run, and Cady hit Alieu Kallon for the two-point conversion to make it 22-20 Franklin.

Sayreville got the ball back, but Franklin stopped them on a fourth-down play to hang on for the win.

Franklin (4-3) will visit Monroe next Friday night, while the Bombers dropped to 2-5 and will visit Montgomery next Friday evening.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Edison gets back in the win column with 27-13 win at Franklin; Eato helps cause with 2 TDs

With the game tied at seven coming out of halftime, Nykier Eato made sure Edison was going to come out of Friday night’s road game at Franklin with a win.

Eato scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to put the Eagles up two scores, and quarterback Anthony Calantoni added a 12-yard run to make it 27-7.

That gave Edison enough insurance to pick up the win after Franklin answered with one more score. But they would get no closer, as the Eagles picked up the 27-13 victory.

Edison improves to 2-3, and snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. The 27 points was its best offensive output since a 27-0 home win over East Brunswick in its opener.

Franklin has lost two straight and drops to 3-2 ahead of a home game with Plainfield next Friday night.

The Eagles will face Colonia (4-1) at home next Friday night in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. The Patriots beat Perth Amboy 27-20 Friday night.

Click below for postgame reaction from Edison head coach Matt Yascko:

Edison football players work on drills in preseason camp. (Source: @ehsgridiron on Twitter)
by Mike Pavlichko

2024 Big Central Preview: National Silver Division

It’s a hellulva swap.

The National Silver Division in the Big Central Conference just got a whole lot tougher, with New Brunswick moving out, and St. Thomas Aquinas moving in. And it makes this division just that much more intriguing.

The Zebras were winless last year, but Aquinas has won 25 straight games against Big Central competition, the longest active streak of its kind. Now, that could spell doom for the division, but there are some pretty good teams here.

Both North Brunswick and Sayreville won eight games each a year ago, and should contend with Aquinas, which was in the United Gold last year, playing against schools like Cranford and Summit. Now, the Trojans are in with the big boys, the Group 5 schools.

Edison should also make a play in this division, with the Eagles looking at a bounceback year. Franklin has a tough road with all those powerhouses in the division, and even their crossover against Plainfield will be a challenge.

One good thing for the rest of the division, though: St. Thomas will be a multiplier, so even a loss to the Trojans would be better for an opponent’s playoff hopes than a defeat at the hands of a “traditional” team.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls headed to fourth straight SCT final with 57-24 home win over Franklin; Gill advances with home win over Hillsborough

Make it 9 straight finals appearances in the Somerset County Tournament for the Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball team.

The top-seeded Lady Argonauts – 20 years after head coach Mary Klinger won her first-ever county title – will now have a chance to win their fourth straight, and seventh in nine seasons, thanks to a 57-24 win over fifth-seed Franklin.

Saturday’s final will have Prep against 2nd-seed Gill St. Bernard’s, which beat 4th-seed Hillsborough 76-47 in Peapack-Gladstone Thursday evening. (Scroll down for more on that game.)

From the very first basket of the game – scored by Chloe Escanillas, who bolted like a lighting strike to the basket off the opening tip – the Argonauts were off and rolling.

It was a sign of things to come as the junior led her team with 14 points including a pair of three-pointers.

Vanderbilt commit and senior Mikayla Blakes showcased her incredible speed on the floor off a fast break to lay in a basket with just under five minutes to play in the first.

Overall, it was aggressive offense, stingy-defense, and stellar communication in the first half that had the No. 1 seed up 30-11 at the break with sophomore GiGi Battle leading the team with eight points

Franklin senior Iyanna Cotten led the Warriors (14-12) in points with 6 at the break while the team committed that many fouls in the first half and had an additional 8 fouls in the 2nd half.

Cotten finished the game with 10 points in the loss.

Sophomore guard Ava La Monica left the game midway through the first half for Rutgers Prep (20-4) after appearing to twist her left ankle. 

She didn’t put any weight on her leg and had to be helped off the floor and didn’t return. Coach Klinger said Ava will be going for x-rays and her status for Saturday is unknown at this point.

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

Rutgers Prep junior guard Chloe Escanillas
Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger

(2) Gill St. Bernard’s 76, (4) Rutgers Prep 47: The Knights led virtually wire-to-wire, ahead 24-12 on the visiting Raiders after one quarter. Gill held a 40-19 lead at the half. Four players scored in double figures for the Knights, who got 18 from Sydney Quinn, 17 from Gandy Malou-Mamel, and 10 each from Maya Abrmson and Brooke Baisley. Hillsborough (16-8) was led by Francesco Schiro’s 23 points, a game high. It’ll be the third straight trip to the finals for Gill St. Bernard’s (23-3), which made it the last two years, losing both times to Rutgers Prep, 64-35 in 2022 and 64-39 last season. Both regular season meetings went to Rutgers Prep this year, 71-46 (as heard on CJSR) on January 4th, and 68-45 on February 6th.

by Mike Pavlichko

Boys’ SCT second round goes to chalk as well, as Franklin, Ridge, Pingry and Gill St. Bernards win

Just like on the girls’ side, all top eight seeds will be in Tuesday’s Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, as all the higher seeds won Saturday afternoon in the second round.

The semifinals will be at the higher seeds, the top four teams that got byes to the semis.

(8) Pingry 54, (9) Bound Brook 52: The Big Blue had a seven point half time lead, but Bound Brook almost came back. They cut it down to three by the end of the third, trailing 41-38, but couldn’t get close enough, falling by two, dropping to 15-10 on the season. Pingry (16-4) has three players record double-doubles, as Trey Maultsby had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Mason Vance added 12 and 12, and Donnie Gregory chipped in 12 and 10. Pingry will come down from the Watchung Mountains to take on top-seed Rutgers Prep (16-6) for their first meeting since 2015 in the SCT quarterfinals Tuesday night, in likely the second game of a doubleheader with the Argonaut girls’ team, which will be hosting Ridge.

(5) Ridge 48, (13) Somerville 40: The Red Devils led this one most of the way, yet it was still close, as Ridge led by just two entering the fourth quarter, pulling away to take the game by eight. Quin Dashefsky scored 11 points and added seven rebounds, while Owen Chwatek had nine points on a trio of treys for Ridge (14-8). Quinn Carran led all scorers with 19 in defeat for Somerville (10-14). The Red Devils travel down to Hillsborough (14-7) to take on the fourth-seeded Raiders Tuesday in the SCT quarterfinals. The two didn’t play this year, but last season, Ridge won both matchups by similar scores, 55-53 in the first meeting, 54-45 in the second.

(6) Franklin 66, (11) Bridgewater-Raritan 42: The Warriors (13-10) used a huge second quarter to bury Bridgewater-Raritan (10-14) before the break. They led by four after one, but used a 26-8 second quarter to get its lead to 45-23 at half, and the rest was just gravy. Landen Miller led all scorers with 19, while Keith Morris chipped in 18 and Jah’naad Cady added 10. Johny Magner led the Panthers in defeat with 17. Franklin will visit third-seed Watchung Hills Tuesday in the SCT quarterfinals, which won their only meeting this year on January 18th in a tight one, 40-39.

(7) Gill St. Bernard’s 57, (10) Immaculata 50: The Knights’ – who’ve uncharacteristically struggled this season, their second in a row with big roster turnover – snapped a four-game skid with the win over the Spartans, improving to 10-13 on the year. They trailed 16-15 after the first eight minutes, but doubled up ‘Lata (10-12) in the second period to take a 35-26 lead, and hung on in the second half. Stanley Njekwe had a doble-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Dorsett Mulcahy led all scorers in the game with 16. Gill now will travel to second-seeded Montgomery on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. The Cougars (19-2) last played Gill in 2022. It’s believed Montgomery has never beaten Gill, going 0-8 against the Knights, with their first meeting coming in 2011

by Mike Pavlichko

All four higher seeds win SCT girls’ first round games as Ridge, Franklin, Somerville and Mount St. Mary advance

There were no real surprises – at least not seed-wise – in the girls’ Somerset County Tournament second round Saturday afternoon.

All four higher seeds – Ridge, Franklin, Somerville and Mount St. Mary – advanced, meaning it’ll be all chalk matchups in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round, which will be played at the higher seeds, the top four seeds who have yet to begin play in the tournament, earning the coveted double-byes.

(7) Somerville 49, (10) Bound Brook 47: The Pioneers and Crusaders were locked in a low-scoring game the first eight minutes, with Somerville holding a 6-5 lead after one quarter. But the offense opened up, and the Pioneers had a 21-17 lead at the half. Bound Brook rallied to up 38-33 after three, but Somerville used a strong fourth-quarter to come out with the two-point win. Kaylee Lauber led The ‘Ville (20-3) with 20 points, while Emily Kolodziej chipped in 10 and had six rebounds. Bound Brook fell to 13-8. It’s Somerville’s first 20-win season since 2020, when they finished 20-8m lost to Bound Brook in the SCT semis, and went to the North 2, Group 3 quarterfinals before bowing out to West Morris. They’ll try to make it 21 on Tuesday at second-seed Gill St. Bernard’s (21-3), a mark they last reached in 2018 with a team that went 22-7 and won the North 2, Group 3 title over Warren Hills.

(8) Ridge 57, (9) Watchung Hills 43: The Red Devils fell behind 18-14 after one quarter, but stepped on the gas the rest of the way for a 14-point win, after taking a 28-24 lead into halftime. Three players finished in double-figure scoring, the top two both recording double-doubles of 13 points and ten rebounds apiece – Sofie Squizziato and Olivia Holiday. Emily Grigonis kicked in 11 for Ridge (10-14), while Watchung Hills dropped to 5-16. Next up for Ridge is top-seed Rutgers Prep (18-4) – one of the top teams in all of New Jersey – in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Mary Klinger earned her 700th career coaching win against Ridge on January 18th in an 85-42 victory, their only meeting this year. The Argonauts have won the last five matchups with Ridge by an average 59 points.

(5) Franklin 67, (12) Bernards 35: The Warriors dominated this one wire to wire, holding Bernards to just four points in the opening quarter, leading 21-4 after the first eight minutes and 37-11 at halftime. Franklin improves to 13-11, while Bernards drops to 11-13. The Warriors will visit fourth-seed Pingry on Tuesday in the SCT quarterfinals, a team they rarely face. Their lone meeting this year, a 64-51 Pingry win, was their first head-to-head matchup since 2011.

(6) Mount St. Mary 37, (11) Immaculata 25: The Lions were superb on defense, even if at the sacrifice of scoring early. Mount blanked the Spartans in the first quarter, but only led 5-0, then took a 15-5 lead into halftime before closing out ‘Lata in the second half. Mount St. Mary (13-10) got 11 points apiece from top scorers Calleigh Kreitz and Rachel Castela. Immaculata drops to 9-13 with the loss. Next up for Mount is third-seed Hillsborough in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. The Raiders won their lone meeting this year, 72-54, just two days ago, this past Thursday, in a regular season game; now they meet again in the tournament.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: No. 6 Gill St. Bernard’s 51, No. 8 Franklin 39 (Boys)

Freshman Kieran Quinn scored 18 points – nine in each half – to help power 6th-ranked Gill St. Bernard’s to a 51-39 win over No. 8 Franklin, in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division game on Tuesday, December 19, 2023. 

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the action from the Gill St. Bernard’s School in Peapack-Gladstone on Central Jersey Sports Radio: