Tag: GMC Conference

by Mike Pavlichko

A handful of teams have started their seasons, but Opening Day for dozens in GMC, Skyland Conference is this coming week: Here’s a look at every opener on the schedule

There were a smattering of local high school baseball teams who had their Opening Days for the 2025 baseball season Friday and Saturday, but many more get started this coming week.

Friday was Opening Day for four Central Jersey Sports Radio-area teams, including Dunellen, Bound Brook, JFK, and Pingry, with all three games involving those teams ending in mercy-rule wins.

  • The Destroyers scored six times in the top of the fifth, then closed out Bound Brook on the road for a 12-2 victory. Senior Mark Stein went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in.
  • JFK exploded for 18 runs in the third inning of a 21-1 win over Linden, working out a dozen walks while only getting eleven hits. Grant Lorentzen and Angel Peralta each knocked in three runs for the Mustangs, while Lorentzen started and got the win.
  • Pingry fell 12-1 to Pennington. Michael Cardona knocked in the only run for the Big Blue with and RBI single, and had a stolen base.

Five more teams open up on Sunday, including CJSR’s opener, featuring South Amboy at No. 9 Spotswood at 11 am. Pregame starts at 10:40 am. Click here to listen as Mike Pavlichko calls all the action.

Here’s the schedule of Opening Day games for all teams in the Greater Middlesex and Skyland Conferences, by day. Area teams playing their first game are in bold:

SATURDAY, MARCH 29

  • Rutgers Prep at Manville, 10:30 am
  • South Amboy at Spotswood, 11 am (Listen on CJSR)
  • Gill St. Bernard’s at Morris Catholic, 3:30 pm

MONDAY, MARCH 31 (all games at 4 pm)

  • Perth Amboy Magnet at Keyport
  • Highland Park at Timothy Christian
  • Carteret at JP Stevens
  • Metuchen at JFK
  • New Brunswick at Somerset Tech
  • North Plainfield at Piscataway
  • Mendham at Hillsborough
  • South River at South Amboy
  • Woodbridge at St. Joseph-Metuchen
  • Piscataway Magnet at East Brunswick Magnet

TUESDAY, APRIL 1 (all games at 4 pm except where noted)

  • Edison at South Plainfield
  • Monroe at South Brunswick
  • North Brunswick at Sayreville
  • East Brunswick at Old Bridge
  • Somerville at Franklin
  • Bernards at Rutgers Prep
  • Ridge at North Hunterdon
  • Watchung Hills at Phillipsburg
  • Hillsborough at Hunterdon Central
  • Bridgewater-Raritan at Immaculata (Listen on CJSR)
  • Middlesex at St. Thomas Aquinas
  • Perth Amboy at Colonia, 4:30 pm

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2

  • Hightstown at Montgomery, 4:00 pm
by Mike Pavlichko

As dust settles at St. Thomas Aquinas, Whitehurst remains Trojans coach, but sits out for now

As phones lit up in basketball and football coaching circles Friday afternoon with rumors that St. Thomas football coach Tarig Holman and basketball coach Austin Whitehurst had been let go on the same day, a confluence of events led to confusion.

Whitehurst had just finished serving the eighth and final game of an NJSIAA suspension for improper contact with a student-athlete from another school, and word started trickling out that he was gone. He even said goodbye to his players, and the tears flowed.

Central Jersey Sports Radio broke the news, and other media outlets soon followed.

But by the middle of the following week, STA parents and guardians were emailed by the school’s president, Kevin Sacco, and Principal Harry Ziegler, to set the record straight.

While they said that the football head coaching job already had been posted, they noted that “Basketball Coach Austin Whitehurst has not been fired. We are following the directives issued by the NJSIAA and working with Coach Whitehurst to resolve that situation.”

Ziegler and Athletic Director Jerry Smith did not return emails and texts seeking comment Friday before Central Jersey Sports Radio published the story. Ziegler returned CJSR’s email Monday saying he couldn’t comment on the status of Whitehurst or Holman because they were personnel issues.

Whitehurst told Joe Zedalis of NJ Advance Media in a story published Monday on NJ.com that there was an issue of a photograph purported to be of him at a game between St. Thomas Aquinas and Bayonne on December 28th in the city as part of the Bayonne Holiday Classic. That was brought to the attention of administrators at Aquinas weeks ago, but Whitehurst says the person in the photos was someone he was mentoring, with a resemblance to him, but not him.

Whitehurst told Central Jersey Sports Radio via text Thursday morning that he is “working with the school as well as the NJSIAA to resolve any confusion regarding my status as head coach,” but confirmed he has not been fired.

“There are many moving pieces, and have been many stories about my status, however the school and I have been working in conjunction with the state to make sure we get things right and are all on the same page. As a precaution, I have not been with the team.”

It’s unknown how soon Whitehurst could return, if indeed he does. Assistant Victor Verdecia will continue running the team in Whitehurst’s absence, and – unless the issues are resolved by then – is expected to be on the bench when the seventh-ranked Trojans (6-3) travel to top-ranked Colonia (11-1).

Despite the noise, St. Thomas has won two straight, and on Tuesday beat Old Bridge at home, 74-56, in their first and only game since Friday. Thursday, the Trojans visit Saddle River Day 6-4) at 7 pm.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Boys’ Basketball: Monroe 57, Spotswood 49

The Monroe Falcons got career highs of 20 points from senior Logan Fotiadis and 15 from senior Taran Singh, leading nearly wire-to-wire in a 57-49 win over the Spotswood Chargers in a Greater Middlesex Conference crossover game.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the play-by-play from Spotswood High School on January 13th, 2025, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Boys’ Basketball: No. 3 Montgomery 61, No. 5 St. Joseph-Met. 47

Junior point guard Ethan Lin set a second career high in scoring in four games this season with 27 points as No. 3 Montgomery beat No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 61-47, Saturday night in the nightcap of the Friends of South Amboy Charity Basketball Tournament.

Click below to listen to the full game broadcast as heard on December 21, 2024 from South Amboy High School on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Boys’ Basketball: No. 1 Colonia 80, Piscataway 61

Top-ranked Colonia got 32 points from junior Aiden Derkack – who joined the 1,000 point club with a basket in the third quarter – as the Patriots beat Piscataway 80-61 in the Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division opener for both schools.

Click below to listen to the full game broadcast as heard on December 19, 2024 from Piscataway High School on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call:

by Alec Crouthamel

Colonia looking to build off huge win over St. Peter’s when Patriots visit Piscataway in another battle of mentor vs. student

For Colonia, a long basketball season began on a high Saturday evening, taking down St. Peter’s Prep in an upset win at the New Jersey Basketball Coaches Tip-off Showcase in Montgomery. The 46-40 victory came after a slow start that saw the Patriots trail 16-7 after a quarter, only to tie it up at halftime.

Colonia doesn’t get much of a break in Game Two, however, as they travel up Route 287 to face off against a Piscataway team under new leadership at 5:30 pm. You can hear that game on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Pregame starts at 5:15; click here to listen.

While Chiefs head coach Bob Turco is new to the school, Patriots head coach Jose Rodriguez is all too familiar with matching up against him.

Rodriguez played in high school at Carteret, where Turco was an assistant coach and his brother Dave was the head coach. Dave is now in his fifth season as the head coach at Kean University, where he looks for his fourth consecutive winning campaign.

Bob took over at Piscataway after six seasons at St. Thomas Aquinas, where Turco and Rodriguez faced off several times. That includes three games last season – all Patriots wins – punctuated by a 55-45 win in the GMC Tournament final to snap the Trojans’ streak of three consecutive titles.

While Turco may have a new home, the intensity remains unchanged. Colonia looks to move forward with several returning pieces from last year’s team, which won its first GMC Tournament since 2015, but its third straight North 2, Group 4 state sectional title.

The group includes star junior wing Aiden Derkack, who scored a game-high 23 points against the Marauders, but are without mainstay point guard Jaeden Jones, now playing football at Monmouth.

Derkack is just 28 points away from cracking the 1,000-point milestone.

Rodriguez says it has been a team effort to replace Jones, noting that multiple players have taken on roles that Jones would fill. That includes returning guards Dylan Chiera and RJ Wortman, as well as senior forward Zach Smith, as all three started against St. Peter’s Prep.

The main scoring load falls on Derkack’s shoulders, and he came through game in and game out last season and early on this season. Already receiving offers from high-major programs such as Miami (FL), TCU, Villanova, Providence, and Rutgers – where his older brother Jordan plays – the 6-foot-6 guard is the engine of Colonia’s offense with his athleticism and shooting prowess.

The Patriots will look to continue their strong start ahead of a pivotal season, with a familiar rival in a new place up next.

Click below to hear Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez talk about the team’s upset win over St. Peter’s Prep, and Thursday’s road matchup against Piscataway, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

by Mike Pavlichko

Turco starting over at Piscataway, but as they get set to open against GMCT champ Colonia, the cupboard is far from bare for Chiefs

Take out three-time defending North 2 Group 3 champion Colonia, which also won the GMC Tournament last year, and the rest of the GMC might be a free-for-all.

And that’s just the way Bob Turco likes it.

After six seasons, three GMC Tournament titles and more than 120 wins at St. Thomas Aquinas – which followed a run at Notre Dame in Lawrenceville – Turco went back to his public school roots last Spring, signing on to succeed Darius Griffin in Piscataway.

Turco was an assistant for years under his brother, Dave – now at Kean – at Carteret, and later was the head coach at Monroe. Now he’s back at a public school at age 60, no longer worried about filling a roster every year.

He gets who he gets, and is more than happy with it.

His Chiefs will take the floor for their opener Thursday night against Colonia, a top ten team in the state that just beat another top ten team in Jersey, St. Peter’s Prep, 46-40, in the Tip-Off Classic at Montgomery Saturday evening.

Game time is set for 5:30, and you can hear all the action on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame set for 5:15. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel have the call; click here to listen.

Turco coached Patriots mentor Jose Rodriguez when the two were at Carteret, and the game will be a coaching rematch of last year’s GMC Tournament final, when the Patriots finally broke through, winning their first crown since 2015. (They won the four-team Karl-Anthony Towns/Jay Williams GMC Pod in the COVID-shortened 2021 season over Aquinas.)

As for Piscataway, he likes the group. They work hard, and want to be there. While top scorer Logan Smith is gone to graduation, the next three on the list are back, including senior Vaughn Turner, junior Donald Nwaigwe, and senior Nate Davis, all of whom were part of a balanced scoring attack last year.

Not that Turco has noticed. He says he never even looked at their stats. Instead, he trusts his observations on the floor, and believes his team will compete for whatever is left in a Red Division where two of the top three programs the last several years – Aquinas and St. Joseph – both have new coaches in Austin Whitehurst and Karl Towns, Sr.

Click below to hear new Piscataway coach Bob Turco talk about the Chiefs with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

South River’s Alex Grospe looking for big things in senior year for experienced Rams

Two years ago, the South River boys’ basketball team had an extraordinary run.

The Greater Middlesex Conference – and the state – took notice when, four games in the season, they beat one of the league’s blue bloods, on their own floor, topping St. Joseph in Metuchen, 74-66.

That team would start the season 11-0 before suffering their first loss. They reached the GMC Tournament semifinals, and went all the way to the Central Jersey Group 2 title game, falling in their own gym by eight to Manasquan.

Current senior Alex Grospe was on that team, as a sophomore, along with his younger brother, Jeremy, and their cousin, Roman Santos. It was a well-balanced group, with players like Lax Rodriguez, Gavin Franco, and the off-the-bench spark of the enthusiastic Kobe Taylor.

A year later, Alex was the focal point of the Rams, scoring 797 points and averaging 30.7 points a game – tops in the state – a year after leading the state in assists. Last year, he led his team in that category, scoring, rebounding, steals and assists.

Now, coming off a 13-15 season, Grospe and company are looking for improvement, and the first goal is to compete with a strong Spotswood club – their arch-rivals – for the GMC’s Gold Division title.

As leadership, Grospe says Edward Herrera – “my best friend” – is right there with him, a real physical player who will make an impact.

But in the end, Grospe says, “All we can really do is focus on ourselves and what we need to do better.”

South River will open its season Friday with a home game against GMC Gold Division foe Middlesex at 5:30 pm.

Click below to hear South River senior Alex Grospe talk about the Rams’ upcoming season with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Middlesex feels “Devine” heading into 2024-25 with state’s No. 2 returning returning scorer

There’s no doubt basketball is a team sport, but sometimes there’s that one individual that makes the team go.

At Middlesex, that player is Jess Devine.

The second-highest scoring girls’ basketball returnee in all of New Jersey is back for her senior year with the Blue Jays, and they are looking to fly high in 2024-25 before she heads off to East Stroudsburg University..

Last season, Devine poured in 723 points – just four fewer than Madison’s Charlotte Tuhy, the state’s top returning scorer – for an average 23.3 points per game, and she scored in double figures in all 31 contests she played in a year ago.

With 1,576 career points, she should reach the 2,000 point mark this year, but she already is the all-time leading scorer in school history, boys or girls. She passed Brian Feath’s boys’ mark of 1,322 years ago, as well as the previous girls’ record holder, Tiana Mayer, who graduated in 2009 with 1,471 in the scoring column.

Last year was the first for head coach Stew Lester, who took over following the retirement of Kevin Harper, one of the all-time greats in the state. And Devine says it has been a pleasure playing for both coaches. Her first two seasons in the program were under Harper’s tutelage.

And while Devine could play anywhere, she’s happy to “stay home” and play for her small, hometown public school, noting there’s a lot of pride in Middlesex, and she’s all about making sure that name stays on the map in New Jersey high school sports.

Middlesex graduates two other significant contributors in swing Jaclyn DeShields and post McKenna Healey, but senior Lexi Demeter returns as well, along with other key players like Taylor Lawrence and Armani Nguestop.

Middlesex junior Jess Devine. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

The Blue Jays open their season at home Thursday at 6:30 when No. 10 Spotswood (0-1) visits in both team’s GMC White Division opener.

Middlesex will make an appearance on Central Jersey Sports Radio on Tuesday, January 21st when they host JP Stevens at 5:30 pm.

Click below to hear Middlesex senior Jess Devine talk about the Blue Jays with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Spotswood girls basketball falls to… Spotswood? Chargers took on Virginia counterparts to tip-off season in historic She Got Game Classic matchup

“And in girls’ basketball news, Spotswood beat Spotswood.”

Wait, what?

No, it wasn’t an intersquad scrimmage. The Spotswood Chargers girls basketball team – from a small Group 2 school in Middlesex County – opened its 2024-25 season Saturday against what, according to MaxPreps, is the only other high school (with athletic teams) in the national also called Spotswood: the Trailblazers out of Penn Laird, Virginia.

A few miles east of Harrisonburg, VA – the home of James Madison University – lies the “other” Spotswood High School, which opened in 1973, just a few years before the Spotswood High School in New Jersey opened in 1976, giving local students their own high school. Previously, they attended South River, a big reason the two schools have been arch-rivals ever since.

The two Spotswoods played Saturday at The St. James, a multi-court venue just inside the Washington, D.C., Beltway, southwest of the nation’s capital.

The Chargers played a tight first quarter, down just 9-7 after the opening eight minutes, but were down 21-12 at the half, and fell 59-35 in the end. Sophomore Gabby Hill – who averaged 12.3 points per game last year as a freshman – had 17 points in the loss, the only Charger in double-figures.

Spotswood (NJ) girls’ basketball players pose on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on a trip to play Spotswood (VA) in the She Got Game Classic on December 14, 2024. (Source: @SpotswoodHoops on Twitter)

According to MaxPreps, Spotswood (VA) was 18-9 last season, while Spotswood (NJ) is coming off a 21-6 season, and has moved up from the GMC Blue Division to the White for this year and next.

The Chargers will appear on Central Jersey Sports Radio on Tuesday, January 7th, when they host Woodbridge at 6:30 pm.

There’s also a Woodbridge High School in Virginia, but the Chargers (probably) won’t be playing them any time soon.

Click below to hear Spotswood girls’ basketball coach Vinny Vizzi talk about the experience of his Chargers playing Spotswood (VA), and look ahead to the upcoming 2024-25 season with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: