Tag: Governor Livingston

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Bernards takes 32-game league win streak into United Silver, joining solid Governor Livingston, South Plainfield and JFK

The United Silver Division of the Big Central Conference looked like it would be a tight race last season, and it was indeed. This year, North Plainfield and New Brunswick move to smaller school divisions, while Patriot Gold champion Bernards takes a step up into the division. And that could make this fun to watch.

Governor Livingston went 5-5 overall, but won the division at 4-0, with South Plainfield and JFK both finishing the year two games over .500 overall. Now, add in the Mountaineers, who have won 32 straight BCC games, and are three away from the all-time mark held by St. Thomas Aquinas, which had its streak snapped last season in a loss to fellow non-public Big Central rival St. Joseph-Metuchen. And they very well could have the horses to do it.

And give credit where credit is due: The Highlanders were 4-5 at the cutoff, while lesser teams made the playoffs in other sections, but they didn’t – partly a product of their schedule. The Big Central moving Bernards in – and New Brunswick and Hillside out – will help, even if they end up with a similar record again. And the same goes for South Plainfield and JFK, both of which were 6-4 and also failed to make the playoffs. The stronger schedule, even if they end up 5-5, should be a boost.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the United Silver Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication, along with a few notes on each squad. Division games are starred.

Governor Livingston Highlanders (5-5, 4-0, United Silver Division Champions)
Head Coach: Pete Ramiccio, 5th season (20-20)

  • Week 0: at Dayton
  • Week 1: at Monroe
  • Week 2: at Bernards*
  • Week 3: JFK*
    Week 4: at Lyndhurst
  • Week 5: Johnson
  • Week 6: Scotch Plains-Fanwood
  • Week 7: South Plainfield*
  • Week 8: at New Providence

Two tough season-opening losses last year were followed by three straight Division wins for the Highlanders, who were a young squad in 2025 and will come back with a ton of experience. Of their three biggest offensive players stat-wise, two were sophomores, and one was a freshman. The ninth-grader was QB Colin Hughes, who threw for 248 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Mateo Liloia went for 216 yards and a touchdown. Their top receiver was a sophomore, Parker Chatfield, who caught 15 passes for 157 yards, but GL did most of its damage on the ground, to the tune of 1,755 yards, led by soph Elijah Garcia, who carried 130 times for 806 yards and eight scores. The pump for the offense should be primed this year – and next. Chatfield also had three picks on defense in the secondary, as did sophomore Connor Jakubowksi, accounting for six of the team’s seven interceptions. And every single return man was as sophomore last year.

South Plainfield Tigers (6-4, 3-1, 2nd place United Silver)
Head Coach: Bill Hamilton, 6th season (25-24)

  • Week 0: at Somerville
  • Week 1: at North Plainfield
  • Week 2: JFK*
  • Week 3: at Bernards*
  • Week 4: at Carteret
  • Week 5: Scotch Plains-Fanwood
  • Week 6: Cranford
  • Week 7: at Governor Livingston*
  • Week 8: Perth Amboy

The young man the Tigers will miss most is Dominic Massaro, not just for his 1,165 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, but also his grittiness, physicality and leadership – the prototype South Plainfield football player. Freshman QB Lucas Habe didn’t have to do a lot last year, throwing for just 226 yards and 2 TDs, while the offense rolled off nearly 2,500 yards on the ground. And they have a defensive beast back in Aiden Noblecilla, who registered a whopping 16 sacks and 39 1/2 TFLs, as well as three forced fumbles and a recovery. Massaro’s six interceptions will be missed, but surely the Tigers will be solid on D. And they’ll have to fill Dom’s loss on special teams, where he returned six kickoffs for 161 yards and seven punts for over 300. The opener at Somerville will be a beast.

JFK Mustangs (6-4, 2-2, 3rd place United Silver)
Head Coach: Anthony Nyers, 1st season

  • Week 0: at East Brunswick
  • Week 1: Spotswood
  • Week 2: at South Plainfield*
  • Week 3: at Governor Livingston*
  • Week 4: North Plainfield
  • Week 5: at Metuchen
  • Week 6: Carteret
  • Week 8: Bernards*
  • Week 9: Johnson

Woodbridge alum Anthony Nyers leaders his Offensive Coordinator position at Westfield to take over the Mustangs program in his first head coaching job. But to listen to his former boss with the Blue Devils, he’s going to be just fine. “Our players immediately gravitated toward him,” Andzel told Central Jersey Sports Radio when he was hired in February. The Mustangs were a solid 6-4 last season, winning three games by shutout, splitting their four division games. But Nyers will have to find some key offensive replacements. All seniors, QB Richie Trotman threw for 1,387 yards, while Grant Lorentzen caught 55 passes for 1,221 yards and 22 touchdowns, and Fiheem Howell ran it 168 times for 1,058 yards. That was a shad under 80% of their offense, not counting other seniors who were in the mix. Rising senior Braylon Diaz will be a key part of the defense; he had four sacks, two forced fumbles and one recovery last season. But Lorentzen (3) and Howell (2) combined for five of the unit’s eight picks last season.

Bernards Mountaineers (9-1, 3-0, Patriot Gold Division Champions)
Head Coach: Jon Simoneau, 19th season (130-58)

  • Week 0: at Rutherford
  • Week 1: Cranford
  • Week 2: Governor Livingston*
  • Week 3: South Plainfield*
  • Week 4: at Delaware Valley
  • Week 5: at Hillside
  • Week 6: Voorhees
  • Week 7: at JFK*
  • Week 8: at Summit

Not only does Bernards bring in the second-longest win streak in the BCC at 32 games (the longest active streak), but the Mountaineers have won 34 straight regular season games. Their last defeat before either of those came on September 2, 2022 to Hillside, a 35-20 defeat. Since then, they have one sectional title (2024) in two trips to the finals (their second was last year.) And they should be loaded again, despite the loss of senior runningback Logan Stevens, who ran for 1,100 yards even last year and 14 touchdowns. But junior Patrick Carlisle (324 yards, 4 TDs) will be back to take the handoffs from returning QB Nolan Walks, who threw for 1,096 yards as a junior last season, while his favorite target, Sean Arcelay (25 catches, 470 yards, 5 TDs) also returns. Defense should be solid, too. Thomas Diemar – the school’s all-time sack leader with 22 – only played three games before a torn ACL ended his scholastic career, but others stepped up. Tyce Hanratty had two sacks and five TFLs as a junior, plus two picks, while junior Jordan Riley and sophomore Victor Nina combined for four sacks and 14 tackles for loss. No shortage of talent here, and few teams can match Bernards’ physicality.

by Mike Pavlichko

Group 2 playoff chase: Just Bernards, Johnson and Spotswood in fields of 16, with Governor Livingston, Voorhees outside the bubble. Can the Highlanders and Vikings make it?

With a paucity of Group 2 teams in the Big Central Conference to begin with – something that has caused issues for some in the past – just two right now are in the field of 16 in either supersection: Bernards in North 2 and Spotswood in South 2.

Quite the contrast with Group 4, with has seven of the eight teams in the North 2 section from the Big Central Conference. That means we might be guaranteed a sectional champion there after the first round! But we digress.

A table displaying the standings of Group 2 teams in the North 1 and North 2 sections of the Big Central Conference, including wins, losses, ties, and various statistics.

In the northern half of the state, the only team even there is Bernards, and the Mountaineers have a shot at one of the two top seed. Either way, they’ll be in the North 2 section rather than North 1, with Bernards currently sitting in second. But they’re just 0.4 UPR points behind Shabazz, ground that’s not impossible to make up, especially if they can win Saturday at Summit (5-1). That’s no easy task, but there are a ton of power points up for grabs.

A table displaying the standings of Group 2 football teams, including their wins, losses, ties, power points average (PP AVG), opponent strength index average (OSI AVG), UPR, Northing, UPR rank, and N rank for teams in the Central and South sections.

Gone are the struggles Spotswood had with a one-loss team hoping they’d make the playoffs. The Chargers have been so good this year, 6-0, one of eight unbeaten teams left in the Big Central Conference. Their reward? They’re sitting 12th overall, sixth in the Central Group 2 section.

Bound Brook – which Spotswood beat last week – has helped their cause. After a couple of years of struggles, the Crusaders had four wins coming into that game. That was a strength-of-schedule killer before, but now it’s an asset.

And the better news for Spotswood is that the teams ahead of them in Central 2 are tightly packed. They won’t need to jump extra spaces. While the Chargers are 12th overall, 6th in their section, ahead of them is Wall (11th overall), Bordentown (10th) and Manasquan (9th) in fourth in the section. There’s a direct path to a home game, and if they win out, there’s a chance they could get one.

On the outside looking in right now are Voorhees and Governor Livingston, back to back. And they play each other this weekend in what could best be described as a pseudo play-in game. Each may be able to make it regardless, but if it comes down to one being 16th and the other 17th on Cutoff Weekend, the head-to-head could get that 17 in, or keep the 16 out.

For what it’s worth, Voorhees is significantly closer than the Highlanders, even though it’s one spot. They’re just 0.6 UPR points behind Pt. Pleasant Boro and Overbrook, who are tied for 15th, and the eight-seeds in their respective sections (Point in Central, Overbrook in South).

The Highlanders are 18th overall, 4.6 UPR points out. That’s a lot of ground to make up, and they’re 3-3. Having winless New Brunswick (UPR 21.6) on Cutoff Weekend won’t help. Assuming they win that game, which they should, they’ll still need to make up ground and – at the very least – probably need to beat either Voorhees at home this week or Bernards on the road next week to get in. It’s highly likely 1-2 in those three games won’t cut it.

by Mike Pavlichko

Governor Livingston’s Dominic Labisi works overtime to earn Week Two “Speedster of the Week” honors, presented by Higgins Speed Lab

In our newest feature this season, the Week One “Speedster of the Week” presented by Higgins Speed Lab in South Brunswick honors the top runningbacks in the Big Central Conference every week.

And the Week Two winner is Dominic Labisi of Governor Livingston!

A three-sport athlete who also plays basketball, and is an outfielder/pitcher on the state championship Highlander Baseball team – which became the first public school baseball team to go undefeated since Pennsville did it in 1981 – Labisi carried an eye-popping 40 times for 240 yards and five touchdowns. He also had two two-point conversions on the night, and in overtime of a 36-28 win at JFK Friday night, gained all 25 yards in their overtime period and ran in the two-point try. That wasn’t the plan, but with their long snapper and left tackle losing their helmets on the touchdown play, GL opted not to kick the PAT and ran it instead.

Scroll down for a list of the top ten rushing performances of Week One in the BCC!

Image of Dominic Labisi celebrating after a football play, with text highlighting his achievements: 40 carries, 240 yards, 5 touchdowns, and a 36-28 overtime win at JFK, presented by Higgins Speed Lab.

Higgins Speed Lab in South Brunswick was founded by Kyle Higgins, son of longtime Piscataway head coach and NJFCA Hall of Famer Dan Higgins. Kyle grew up around the program and remains a Chiefs’ assistant coach to this day. At Higgins Speed Lab, Kyle has developed a system to help athletes increase speed while in a competitive small group environment of similar age and skill.

Logo of Higgins Speed Lab, featuring bold lettering in black with a clean design.

They offer sport-specific training in football, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, baseball, golf, volleyball, track, gymnastics, and tennis. And “speed” isn’t their only focus. They’ll also work on proper running mechanics, plyometrics, acceleration/deceleration, top speed, linear and multi-directional speed, first-step quickness, endurance, strength, coordination, mobility and injury prevention.

Here are the top ten rushing performances this week in the Big Central:

  • Dominic Labisi, Governor Livingston: 40 carries, 240 yards, 5 TDs (including the go-ahead score in overtime) in a 36-28 OT win at JFK
  • Joshua Allen, Woodbridge: 28 carries, 228 yards and 4 TDs in a 27-18 win at Plainfield
  • Andrew Avent, Rahway: 11 carries, 175 yards and 3 TDs in a 43-8 win over Perth Amboy
  • A.J. Whitehead, New Providence: 16 carries, 158 yards and 4 TDs in a 37-14 win over Johnson
  • Tyler Fuscaldo, Dayton: 17 carries for 158 yards in a 26-14 loss at Highland Park
  • Shaun Jackson, Sayreville: 15 carries, 154 yards and 1 TD in a 46-14 win at Edison
  • Gabe Gutierrez, Scotch Plains-Fanwood: 14 carries, 150 yards and 1 TD in a 24-8 win over New Brunswick
  • Alex Schwark, Summit: 21 carries for 148 yards in a 35-20 win over Hillside
  • Jordan Walsh, Westfield: 17 carries, 142 yards and 3 TDs in a 36-29 OT loss at Elizabeth
  • Matteo Tramutola, Voorhees: 19 carries, 140 yards and 2 TDs in a 45-8 win at JP Stevens.

Disclaimer: All statistics are gathered from multiple public online sources. If someone is missing from this list, it likely means their coach has not updated statistics. All coaches are urged to do so no later than 11:59 pm on Sundays during the season.

by Mike Pavlichko

Geertsma, Roof look back at a remarkable baseball season at Governor Livingston: state champions, done to perfection

Like any recipe, there can be a lot of ingredients. When they blend together well, the resulting meal can be delicious.

And that’s a good way to describe the 2024 baseball season for Governor Livingston.

There were tense moments, some easy wins, injuries and other obstacles, but in the end, a mix of great players – starters and otherwise – along with excellent coaching saw them finish their 2024 season 28-0. The won everything they could: the Union County Conference Watchung Division pennant at 11-0, the UCC Tournament, the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 2 sectional title, and the state Group 2 championship.

With an unblemished record, they were the first public school to go run the table in 44 years, since Pennsville did it in 1981, going 25-0 and also winning Group 2. Pennsville was the first NJSIAA baseball team to ever finish with a perfect record, and Governor Livingston is the latest.

Governor Livingston baseball team celebrating after winning the NJSIAA Group 2 state championship, posing with a trophy and a banner on the field.
The Governor Livingston baseball team after beating West Morris, 6-1, to win the NJSIAA Group 2 championship at the Wood-Ridge Athletic Complex on June 16, 2025. (Submitted photo)

Almost half of their wins – 13, to be exact – were via shutout, and they held 18 teams to two runs or less.

Three pitchers with at least 20 innings thrown had an ERA under 2.00.

And their UCC Tournament run? They won the title without allowing a single run.

On Saturday, September 6, junior shortstop Zach Geertsma and head coach Chris Roof stopped by the Central Jersey Sports Radio broadcast booth to talk to Mike Pavlichko at halftime of the Highlanders’ game against New Providence.

Click below to listen to the interview!

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY:  New Providence 42, Governor Livingston 7

A.J. Whitehead scored four touchdowns – a pair of three-yard runs, a 57-yard punt return and a 68-yard interception return – to help New Providence win its seventh straight game against Governor Livingston, as the Pioneers topped the Highlanders 42-7 in Week One Big Central action.

Logo for Bellamy & Son Paving, promoting the Big Central Game of the Week, featuring bold text in red and yellow colors.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play live from Berkeley Heights, NJ, on September 6, 2025:

1st Half
2nd Half
by Mike Pavlichko

7th Heaven! New Providence continues streak against Governor Livingston, as Whitehead scores 4 TDs in 42-7 win to take Mayors’ Trophy

Breaking up the duo of quarterback T.J. Munn and runningback A.J. Whitehead left New Providence with some question marks for this year. Sure, Whitehead was back, but with Munn graduating, could they replicate the magic of last year’s run to the North 2, Group 1 sectional title game?

They’re off to a good start. And junior QB Kevin Reilly, in his first start, looked the part, going 9-of-14 for 171 yards and a 65-yard touchdown pass to Dan Porretti in a 42-7 win at Governor Livingston Saturday in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Oh, and Whitehead still did his thing. He got the scoring started with a three-yard touchdown run on the Pioneers’ first possession, then – after a second three-and-out – returned a Highlander Punt 57 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0 just over six minutes into the game.

Jack Fitzgerald made it 21-0 just 81 seconds before halftime with a four-yard touchdown run.

And after the scoring strike to Porretti less than two minutes into the third quarter, Whitehead would score twice more, the first of which was a 67-yard pick-six to make it 35-0 with 3:27 left in the third, to kick start the running clock.

Governor Livingston got one back on a big play of their own, a 76-yard run by Elijah Garcia to cut it to 35-7. But then Whitehead added one more three-yard push for his fourth touchdown of the day with 8:47 to play, providing the final score.

New Providence (1-0) amassed 247 yards of total offense in the game in winning its seventh straight over GL, now leading the series 32-8-2. They’re back in action next Friday, hosting A.L. Johnson (1-0) in their home opener. The Crusaders beat them 28-24 in Week 2 last season.

The Highlanders (0-2) will make their first road trip of the season next Friday when they head to JFK (1-1).

Click below to listen to postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with New Providence senior A.J. Whitehead, junior Kevin Reilly, and head coach Chet Parlavecchio, Jr., presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

A football game in progress with players from two teams on the field, the crowd visible in the background. One player carries the ball while others pursue.
New Providence senior A.J. Whitehead has nothing but green ahead of him on this 68-yard pick six in a 42-7 win at rival Governor Livingston on September 6, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
by Mike Pavlichko

With close rivals New Providence coming to town, Governor Livingston looks to avenge two tight losses to Pioneers

Two years ago, the game was decided by a touchdown. Last year, it was a single point difference. And both involved some blunders and key special teams play.

That’s why Governor Livingston’s fourth-year head coach Pete Ramiccio is emphasizing that third phase of the game – along with stopping the run – when neighboring rival New Providence comes to Berkeley Heights for a Saturday matinee on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

You can hear the Saturday “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving between the Highlanders and Pioneers, with pregame at 10:45 and kickoff at 11 am. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will call all the action; click here to listen. The game has been moved up from its original start time of 1 pm due to thunderstorms in the forecast around 3:00.

Governor Livingston already had inexperience at the quarterback position, graduating senior Lucciano Santamaria. Sophomore Mateo Liloia won the job, and was 4-of-11 for 47 yards and rushed eight times for 17 yards in a season-opening loss to Lakeland, but he’ll be unavailable Saturday due to a non-injury medical issue, and that will leave freshman Colin Hughes to make his first varsity start.

The goal there, according to Ramiccio? Don’t try to win the game. Just manage it.

Click below to hear Governor Livingston head coach Pete Ramiccio talk about their Saturday matchup against rival New Providence with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Chris Tsakonas

New Providence looks to take next step, starting with season opener at rival Governor Livingston

After a 9-3 season with a run to the state championship game, New Providence will bring back many familiar faces as it looks to take the next step in 2025. The first test of the year comes against a familiar foe, as the Pioneers will take on Governor Livingston at this Saturday in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

Game time has been moved earlier to 11 am, due to the threat of thunderstorms around 3 pm, as of the latest forecast on Friday afternoon.

While starting quarterback T.J. Munn has since graduated after last year’s run to the North 2, Group 1 final – where they ultimately lost at Cedar Grove – the offense will have no shortage of returning talent. On the ground, New Providence will once again turn to star back A.J. Whitehead, who is coming off of a 13-touchdown, 1,130-yard junior season.

First-year junior starting quarterback Kevin Reilly will have plenty of weapons to work with in the passing game, with Jack Fitzgerald (14 catches for 214 yards and 3 touchdowns), Mike Petses (9 catches for 157 yards and one touchdown) and Daniel Porretti (10 catches for 105 yards) all returning from 2024.

Defense was a strong suit for the Pioneers last season, who allowed just 17 points per game in 2024. In addition to the returning pass rushing duo of Drew Gullo and James Keneally, Petses (112 tackles, five tackles-for-loss) and Gui May (52 tackles, two tackles-for-losss) anchor the linebacker room while Porretti and Whitehead are the key contributors returning from last year’s secondary.

It’s a big rivalry game, but New Providence has won the last six in the series, with Governor Livingston’s last win coming in 2018.

You can hear Saturday’s game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame at 10:45 am and kickoff at 11:00. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will call all the action; click here to listen.

Listen to Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas talk to New Providence head coach Chet Parlavecchio Jr. ahead of Saturday’s game:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 1

Opening Week is behind us, it’s Week One where everyone gets into the act in high school football, and it’s time to talk about it with Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including a big win for Old Bridge down at the Battle of the Beach over Cedar Creek, Arique Fleming’s masterful performance for Elizabeth in a rivalry game win over Linden, and then peek ahead to this week’s games, including those Coach Borden will see: Somerville at Cranford on Friday night, and Bernards at Hillside on Saturday.

Also on the show, we discuss other key games in the BCC, Montgomery adding longtime founding coach Zoran Milich’s name to Cougar Stadium, and our new feature, the “Speedster of the Week” presented by Higgins Speed Lab, with the Week 0 winner being Summit’s Alex Schwark.

Click below to listen to the Week One edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”:

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: United Silver Division

Just like the Patriot Silver Division – which we previewed yesterday – the United Silver Division of the Big Central Conference also was defined by parity in 2024, for the most part.

Three teams shared in the division title, going 3-1, led by Governor Livingston, which was 5-5 overall, and should be right in the mix again this year.

South Plainfield has a solid defense, and JFK loses a good deal on defense, but also has much experience back. North Plainfield is coming off a 3-6 season, but also expecting to improve.

New Brunswick is another story, having gone winless in each of the last two seasons. But they have a new coach in Geoffrey Chrisman who seems poised to at least bring a new culture to the program, that hasn’t existed in a long time. The results may or may not show up in wins and losses, but it will be interesting to watch.

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