Connor Jakubowski had a touchdown catch, touchdown run and and interception for a score to lead Governor Livingston past visiting JFK, 49-12, in a Big Central Conference United Silver Division game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Click below to listen to Chris Tsakonas and Nick Hart call all the play-by-play live from Berkeley Heights, NJ, on September 19, 2026:
In a game of two teams looking to stabilize their seasons and get back on track, Governor Livingston defeated JFK 49-12 on Saturday at home.
Things looked promising for the Mustangs (0-3, 0-2) early on, taking advantage of a Highlanders (2-2, 1-1 BCC United Silver) miscue on the opening kick. JFK booted it short to the Governor Livingston 34-yard line, the ball took a favorable bounce for the visiting team, and the Mustangs were set up with prime field position on their first offensive drive.
After a short run on its first play, JFK broke out the trickery on its next snap. Senior wide receiver Kamali Walker motioned across the formation and took the handoff on what looked like a typical jet sweep, that was until Walker set his feet and threw a pass. Walker connected with fellow senior receiver Braylon Diaz for a 34-yard touchdown, and just like that the Mustangs took an early 6-0 lead.
The Highlanders answered right back with an impressive rushing attack led by junior Elijah Garcia. Garcia tallied 50 yards on his first two carries of the game, flipping the field and setting up Governor Livingston deep in JFK territory. Junior wide receiver Connor Jakubowski ultimately capped off the drive with a short touchdown run to give his team the 7-6 lead.
With success on their first drive, morale was high for the Mustangs heading into their second possession. Unfortunately, that second possession was cut short when junior defensive back Parker Chatfield jumped his man’s route and was off to the races for a 25-yard pick-six.
Governor Livingston continued its success offensively on the ensuing drive as sophomore quarterback Colin Hughes found Jakubowski for a 54-yard touchdown reception to extend the Highlanders’ lead to 21-6 early in the second quarter.
From that point forward, it was all Governer Livingston, punching in another three touchdowns in the first half to take a commanding 42-6 halftime lead.
JFK started the second half with the ball but faced an uphill battle, being down 36 points and going up against a running clock. To the credit of the Mustangs, sophomore Hayden Morrison and his offense were moving the ball well on the opening drive before it was cut short by an interception.
As they had done all day, the Highlanders took advantage of JFK’s mistake and hit paydirt for the seventh time, this time off of a 53-yard touchdown run from sophomore Jake Rotkel.
Morrison connected with Diaz for a 54-yard score to make it a 49-12 game in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for the Mustangs.
It was overall a dominant win for Governor Livingston, which saw much of its offensive success come on the ground. Garcia finished with 12 carries for 120 yards and two scores, while the Highlanders rushed for an impressive 218 yards as a team.
For Governor Livingston, they are back to .500 on the year with a matchup against Lynhurst to look forward to next week, while JFK is still in search of its first win with a home matchup against North Plainfield up next.
Click below to hear CJSR’s Chris Tsakonas talk with Governor Livingston head coach Pete Ramiccio following the Highlanders’ victory over JFK, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
After losing two straight games, Governor Livingston looks to bounce back on Saturday afternoon when they return home for the first time since Week Zero to take on JFK.
The Highlanders (1-2, 0-1 BCC United Silver) head back to the hill after falling 49-29 in a high-scoring loss to Bernards last Friday night. It was the second straight loss for Governor Livingston, who also fell 28-7 to Monroe the week before.
Saturday’s tilt is a late start at 2 pm due to SAT testing that morning. You can hear the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving with Chris Tsakonas and Nick Hart on the call. Pregame starts at 1:35; click here to listen.
It’s a similar position to where Governor Livingston was last year: after an 0-2 start with two lopsided defeats, the Highlanders beat JFK 36-28 to get the first win of the year, sparking a three game win streak and paving the way for a 5-5 finish.
Governor Livingston’s offense this year has been led by star running back Elijah Garcia, who already has 273 yards and two touchdowns to lead the rushing attack.
Sophomore quarterback Colin Hughes has taken over as the full-time signal caller for Governor Livingston this season, completing 55.5 percent of his passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns through the first three games. Hughes has also emerged as a rushing threat with 22 carries for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
In the passing game, Hughes is relying on the duo of Parker Chatfield (11 receptions for a team-high 221 yards and two touchdowns) and Connor Jakubowski (11 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown) as his go-to receivers this season.
It’s a new-look group on the defensive side of the ball, as the Highlanders graduated seven starters from last year’s unit. Governor Livingston’s defense has had a strong showing on the defensive line, with Theo Tombros and Dylan Cisko combining for 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
The linebackers and defensive backs are a younger group, with juniors like Jakubowski, Chatfield and Garcia all playing key roles. Junior linebacker Logan Stack has emerged as another key piece with a team-high 32 tackles this year.
Listen to Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas speak with Governor Livingston head coach Pete Ramiccio ahead of Saturday’s game:
It has been a less-than-ideal start for first-year head coach Anthony Nyers and his JFK football team.
The Mustangs (0-3, 0-1 BCC United Silver) have yet to break into the win column this season, with double-digit losses to East Brunswick, Spotswood, and South Plainfield. This week, the goal remains the same: notch the first win in the Nyers era against Governor Livingston (1-2, .
Now, taking over a program as a new head coach is difficult enough, but basically starting from scratch at your major skill positions is another challenge entirely.
Last season, JFK featured a receiver room with four seniors, led by Grant Lorentzen, who caught 55 passes for 1,221 yards and 22 touchdowns. On the ground, the story was the same, senior running back Fiheem Howell Jr was the feature man with 168 carries for 1,058 yards and nine touchdowns. The Mustangs also graduated senior quarterback Richie Trotman, who threw for nearly 1,400 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Fast forward to this year and a team full of seniority looks a lot different than just a season ago. JFK goes from a senior signal caller to sophomore Hayden Morrison, and a senior-driven receiver room to one that has seen four underclassmen with receptions on the season, out of seven total players with a catch.
You can hear Saturday afternoon’s game at 2 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio, our Saturday Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Pregame starts at 1:35 with Chris Tsakonas and Nick Hart on the call; click here to listen.
Although the offense has yet to hit its groove, there have been some players who have been bright spots for the Mustangs.
Senior wide receiver Braylon Diaz has been a player to watch for JFK, totaling 128 yards receiving to go along with 79 yards on the ground in three games so far.
Looking at the other side of the ball, the Mustangs have been anchored by a more senior group of players. Diaz has made an impact on the defense with 13 tackles this season, along with Justice Figueroa with 10.5 tackles, both seniors.
Sticking with the theme of youth, however, sophomore linebacker Jason Asmah has made quite the impact in the secondary for JFK. Asmah has recorded 13 tackles, six solo tackles, and one tackle for a loss so far this season.
Looking at the last four games between the Mustangs and the Highlanders, it has been Governor Livingston who has seen more success, boasting a 3-1 record in the series dating back to 2022.
While the results tell one story, the final scores of the games tell another, as three of the last four matchups have been decided by just one score. Last season, the two teams needed overtime to decide the winner, as the Highlanders ultimately took the 38-26 victory.
Heading into this week, coach Nyers has seen improvements in his squad in each of its last three performances but knows there is one thing his team has to do to be victorious on Saturday:
“We’ve got to put the ball in the end zone.”
Click below to hear JFK football head coach Anthony Nyers talk about the Mustangs’ season so far and upcoming matchup against Govenor Livingston, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart:
The Monroe football team won its opening game in 2025, a 41-0 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro in Week Zero. It never won a game again, finishing 1-8.
West Windsor is one of the lowest-rated teams in the NJSIAA Strength Index.
On the other hand, Governor Livingston looked very good in its 48-27 win over Dayton in Week Zero this year, and it always a competitive group. So it had to feel good for the Falcons – after a heartbreaking 33-28 loss at Perth Amboy to open the season – to get in the win column with a victory over the visiting Highlanders Friday night, 28-7.
A big reason why was senior wide receiver/H-back Logan Richter. Even as Xavier Wilson started the scoring with fireworks – on an 85-yard touchdown run with 4:18 remaining in the first quarter, and closing he scoring with an 80-yard run in the fourth – senior quarterback/H-back Logan Richter scored twice – one on a catch, another on a run – and converted numerous fourth downs throughout the contest.
Monroe (1-1) will visit North Brunswick (1-1) next Friday night; the Raiders lost 27-19 to neighboring rival South Brunswick at home Friday. Governor Livingston (1-1) will go to Bernards (1-1) next Thursday night; the Mountaineers had a 32-game Big Central winning streak snapped Friday night when they lost at home, 31-24, to Cranford.
Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with Monroe head coach Nick Isola and senior Logan Richter, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!
The storm threat that wiped out much of Thursday night’s schedule in the Big Central Conference and across New Jersey meant a busy Friday in the league, with plenty of coverage from our Central Jersey Sports Radio team.
No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan dominated No. 8 Woodbridge up front on both sides of the ball in a 28-7 road win heard on CJSR, while Highland Park blanked New Brunswick 29-0 in another live broadcast heard on CJSR; it was the Owls’ first shutout win in 15 years, since a 37-0 victory at now-shuttered Cardinal McCarrick in South Amboy on Halloween 2011.
Meanwhile, Delaware Valley blanked North Hunterdon at home, 17-0, in a game covered by CJSR football analyst Marcus Borden.
Scroll through for other game recaps and interviews, plus all Friday night (and Thursday) scores, as well as the schedule for Saturday afternoon.
Highlanders score big in season opener over Dayton…
Coming off a 5-5 season, expectations are high for Governor Livingston, which returns a tremendous amount of talent. And nearly everyone got into the act Friday afternoon in a BCC crossover matinee against Dayton.
Five different players scored in a 40-27 win over visiting the Bulldogs, including a pair of touchdown runs for 38- and 16-yards from junior Mateo Liloia.
Junior Connor Jakubowski opened the scoring with a ten-yard touchdown catch courtesy of sophomore QB Colin Hughes, who was 7-of-11 for 122 yards and two touchdown passes. Elijah Garcia added 195 yards and a score on 30 carries.
The Highlanders led 13-7 after one quarter, 27-13 at halftime, and never trailed in the game.
Raiders pick up win in Game One after winless ’25…
Coming off a winless campaign in 2025, North Brunswick was all business in the preseason, and at least for the Raiders’ opener, everything clicked on all cylinders.
They beat Snyder out of Jersey City Friday night at home, 39-8, the Raiders’ largest margin of victory since a 43-7 win at East Brunswick in mid-October 2023. They finished 8-1 that year.
Senior Sal Fama-Linn scored three times, all in the first half, after Josh Jeanty scored the opening touchdown of the game on a run. Fama-Linn caught a 94-yard pass from QB Jasiah Hogans to make it 13-0, and added another TD run and a catch in the second quarter to give the Raiders a 27-0 lead at the break. They also got a TD run from Hogans, a field goal from Engels Coello, and recorded a safety.
Other Notes…
FRIDAY SCOREBOARD
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
THURSDAY SCOREBOARD
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)
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)
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
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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:
