Tag: Governor Livingston

by Mike Pavlichko

Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater sends dozens off to college baseball and softball; trained three baseball champs in 2024, and New Jersey’s current No. 1 baseball team

SPONSORED CONTENT – Every year, when the weather turns cold, the real work begins at Zoned Sports Academy.

What’s the old saying? That football games aren’t won on Sundays – they’re won during the week?

If practice makes perfect, there will be some pretty good high school baseball and softball teams coming out of the doors of Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater, once the weather gets nice.

But in the winter? It’s time to hunker down in their 28,000 square foot facility, and get back to basics. While many kids want to pitch and throw through a brick wall, founder and owner Duke Baxter has other ideas: teach the fundamentals, the basics, the mechanics. All of that makes pitchers, for example, more efficient, and less injury prone.

Same thing for hitting. Sure, you can be strong and swing a good bat, but mechanics, stance – those are all part of the equation, too, and when they’re overlooked, the results won’t be pretty. That’s where a place like Zoned Sports Academy comes in.

Baxter and his staff will work with teams as a group, and individually, catering training sessions to individual needs. One kid has a hitch in his swing, the other isn’t positioned right coming off the mound? They’ll work on that.

Baxter has kept up with the times over the years, continually adding new programs and technology at Zoned Sports Academy. That included virtual instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, and two years ago, he instituted a new strength training program.

Duke Baxter and his staff offer one-on-one instruction in baseball and softball at Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater.

Last season, it all paid off on the field. There’s Bridgewater-Raritan, of course, which swept to a Skyland Conference Delaware Division title, Somerset County title, and the North 2 Group 4 and overall Group 4 state championship. The Hun School won the Mercer County Tournament and the state Prep A Tournament. And Governor Livingston won the Union County Tournament, Central Jersey Group 2 and the overall state Group 2 title.

Oh, and by the way, the Highlanders are just 22-0 this season, and the No. 1 ranked team in the state, having won 27 straight going back to last season!

On the softball side, Zoned trains a dozen or so schools, including Pingry, which reached this year’s Somerset County Tournament semifinals, and Watchung Hills, which played in last week’s county championship.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Duke Baxter, founder and owner of Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater:

Click the logo below to learn more about training for baseball – or softball – at Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater… where an athlete has to be to succeed! Reach them at 732-537-1770!

by Mike Pavlichko

Time once again for you – the fans – to pick the Jersey Central Sports Radio 2024 “Highlight Reel Play of the Year!” Watch, then vote!

Central Jersey Sports Radio is giving YOU the chance to weigh in on your favorite play of the 2024 high school football season, as submitted by Big Central Conference coaches!

All four finalists are in the montage below…

Watch the video below, then scroll down
to vote for your favorite!!
Voting ends at 5:00 pm on Thursday, December 5th.
Remember: Vote early, vote often!

2024 Highlight Reel Play Of The Year

Sorry, voting is closed.

Good luck to your favorite school and player for the 2024 Highlight Reel Play of the Year!

by Mike Pavlichko

Saturday Big Central Roundup: Rahway nabs big win over Watchung Hills, Governor Livingston wins a shootout, Spotswood keeps playoff hopes alive; South River picks up second win

The three-day weekend of high school football due to Yom Kippur is in the books, with Rahway, Watchung Hills, Spotswood and South River all picking up wins.

Here’s a look at Saturday Week Six action, plus scores from Friday and Thursday nights.

Rahway 14, Watchung Hills 10: Last year, Watchung Hills was playing in the Group 5 playoffs, this year they’re down to four. But the Indians essentially knocked off a Group 5 team in the Warriors Saturday night up in the Somerset Hills.

This game was a tight one, scoreless at the half. Dillon Nunes opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter before the game opened up in the final 12 minutes.

Ziare Fields gave Rahway its first lead on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Synceir Touissant. But Watchung Hills answered right back as Mason Kelly countered with a one-yard touchdown run.

But Andrew Avent followed it up with a seven-yard touchdown run that proved to be the difference.

Both teams are now 5-2 on the season, as the Indians host New Brunswick (0-7) next Friday night, while Watchung Hills visits Elizabeth (3-4).

Spotswood 34, Dayton 7: The Chargers got two field goals from Gavin Pereira while four other players scored touchdowns en route to a win on their brand-new turf field. Click here to read a recap and see postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with the Chargers, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen.

Governor Livingston 50, Voorhees 46: For the second straight year, the Highlanders dropped a 50-spot on an opponent, edging out the Vikings on a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Kamar McLean with five seconds to go.

This was a wild one with lost of momentum swings. Governor Livingston got the first two scores of the game and led 14-0 after one, but Voorhees scored three straight touchdowns in the second quarter – missing a PAT and a two-point conversion on two of them – to take a 19-14 halftime lead.

They opened the second half scoring to go up 27-14, the biggest deficit GL would face all night, but Jack Dally countered with a nine-yard touchdown run to cut it to six, before Toby Dorr ran in a score from four yards out to make it 33-21.

In the fourth, Lucciano Santamaria ran in a touchdown from ten yards out to get to within five, but Matteo Tramutola answered with his second touchdown of the game to make it 39-28.

The Highlanders would get the next two scores – another nine-yard run from Dally, and an 80-yard sprint by Santamaria – to take their first lead of the second half. It was short-lived as Tramutola scored his third touchdown on a two-yard run to make it 46-43 Voorhees, after which McLean became the hero with his long kick return for six.

Both teams are now 3-4. Governor Livingston hosts No. 4 Bernards (7-0, 21 straight wins vs. the Big Central) Saturday afternoon, while Voorhees travels to Hillside (4-3) Saturday.

South River 20, Brearley 18 (OT): Tied at 12 going into overtime, both teams scored, but it was the Rams who won it, thanks to an Aiden Velez 20-yard touchdown run and another run for the win on a two-point try.

Michael Marchesi – the son of longtime coach Rich Marchesi – and Filipe Granadeiro also scored TDs in regulation for South River, which improved to 2-5 on the season. The Rams host South Plainfield (2-5) next week, while Brearley (0-6) will visit Metuchen (5-2), with both games on Saturday.

Friday Scores

Thursday Scores

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s 2024 GMC/BCC Camp Caravan: Gov. Livingston, North Hunterdon scrimmage

Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football analyst Marcus Borden continued his 2024 Camp Caravan tour of preseason practice with a visit to Berkeley Heights to catch a scrimmage between Governor Livingston and North Hunterdon.

You can find videos – including video highlights and interviews – from both teams below.

Governor Livingston: Head Coach Pete Ramiccio and seniors Lucciano Santamaria (QB), Jack Dally (RB/OLB, Dylan Landis (OL/DL)

North Hunterdon: Head Coach CJ Robinson and seniors Russell Hyland (LG) and Luke Testa (RT/DE) along with juniors Nick Ramaci (QB) and Dan Figurski (WR/S).

You can now watch all the 2024 Camp Caravan videos on YouTube by clicking this link!

by Mike Pavlichko

2024 Big Central Preview: United Silver Division

Carteret and JP Stevens are out in the United Silver Division of the Big Central Conference, while JFK and New Brunswick move in.

The Mustangs and Zebras will be in with South Plainfield, North Plainfield and Governor Livingston.

The Highlanders finished second to the Ramblers last year, as head coach Pete Ramiccio really got things going after starting late in his debut season in 2022, making the playoffs for the first time since 2009. South Plainfield is likely their biggest challenger, while JFK is counting on some good experience in ’23 to pay off this season.

North Plainfield struggled a year ago, and New Brunswick was winless, but they’ve been working on improving numbers – a rare challenge for a large school – and are hoping for increased depth this season.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Bellamy & Son Paving Scholarship awarded to Governor Livingston’s Owen Chait

Each year, Joe Bellamy of Bellamy & Son Paving – one of Central Jersey Sports Radio’s founding sponsors – supports our Big Central Player of the Week Award. All the winners are interviewed for the website, and receive a custom football with their name and achievements in the game for which they won.

At the end of the year, for the last three years, we also award one of those players a $500 scholarship, courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving.

This year’s winner is Owen Chait of Governor Livingston, our Week Five winner, who had his second straight 100-yard rushing game, and second straight double-digit tackle game in a 25-6 home win over South Plainfield.

Click below to hear our interview with Owen Chait. Scroll down to see the list of all of this year’s weekly winners, with each one linking to their original story.

2023 BELLAMY & SON PAVING PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

by Mike Pavlichko

Road Trip! Here are the longest bus rides for Big Central teams in the first round of the playoffs

If the dizzying machinations that go into the NJSIAA’s complicated UPR formular for seeding the playoffs don’t have you throwing up your hands, tossing all your papers into the air, yelling “I GIVE UP!” then we’ve got more for you.

Full disclosure: This is my favorite story to write every year, simply due to the sheer absurdity.

If you’re on the Dunellen, Johnson, or Carteret football teams, better bring a DVD player and a good movie along with your uniform, pads and helmet.

All three have trips of well over an hour, in some cases closer to two, according to Google Maps.

Let’s look at the “shortest” of the three: 6th-seed Carteret’s trip to play 3rd-seed Camden Saturday afternoon in Central Jersey Group 3 first round action. By distance, it’s only 72 miles. On a Saturday morning with no traffic, expect that ride to take an hour and 16 minutes.

Even longer is 8th-seed Dunellen’s trip to face top-seed Woodstown in South Jersey Group One opening round play Friday night. That’s a whopping 92.4 miles, and with no traffic, is an hour and 42 minute ride. Friday, leaving the fieldhouse at Columbia Park at 3 pm, it could take anywhere from an hour and 45 minutes to two-and-a-half hours. You could almost finish The Godfather on that trip.

And then there’s 6th-seed AL Johnson’s trip down to face 3rd-seed Pleasantville Friday night in Central Jersey Group 2 opening round action.

For those not familiar, Pleasantville is down near Atlantic City. The Crusaders can jump on the Parkway pretty easily, but good luck getting over the Driscoll Bridge at rush hour.

It’s a 103 mile drive that would take about 92 minutes with no traffic. Leaving the fieldhouse at The Pit at 3:30 on a Friday? Google Maps says expect a drive of anywhere from an hour and 40 minutes to two hours and 40 minutes. At least they’re not going there on Memorial Day Weekend!

Can we please go back to geographical sections where the top eight teams make it and that’s the end of the story? Is there any juice to Dunellen-Woodstown? What about the trips others have to make here?

Kingsway at Hunterdon Central is over almost 80 miles and could be a two-hour trip in Friday traffic. Cinnaminson to New Providence is over 90 miles and could take two hours and 20 minutes. Salem at South Hunterdon is about the same.

In the new world of the NJSIAA where there are concerns about mental health of student-athletes, letting them have time to decompress between seasons, these drives certainly can’t be in their best interest, can they?

P.S. – The shortest trip for a Big Central team? Glad you asked. It’s easily 8th-seed Governor Livingston at top-seed Summit in North 2, Group 3 first round action. Their fields are less than 3.9 miles away, or nine minutes, with no traffic. Shoot, they could walk that!

by Mike Pavlichko

In like Flynn? CJSR projections say 30 Big Central publics will qualify for playoffs, as 5 of 7 “bubble teams” appear to make it, with one more to go

Heading into Cutoff Weekend, 25 of the 57 Big Central Conference public schools appeared to have a playoff bid locked up, with six more teams on the bubble. Now, after Friday’s games, it looks like at least five of those seven bubble teams will make the tournament, with one more looking to punch its ticket Saturday afternoon.

That team is in South 2, where Spotswood has done about all it could this season, and has one more thing to do: beat JP Stevens today. Yes, the Hawks are winless and haven’t put a W on the board since 2018, but the Chargers only won this game 18-7 last year. They had to get some breaks to get here. Last week, everyone around them lost, allowing them another lease on playoff life despite a 48-0 loss at home to AL Johnson in the rain last week. We thought they’d be out with a loss, but other results vaulted Johnson up before they even played it, and allowed Spotswood to hang in there. Now, a win clinches a playoff berth at No. 16, with a trip to Point Pleasant Boro likely looming in the first round.

In North 5, Bridgewater-Raritan got a little help Thursday night when Paterson Eastside lost to Passaic Tech, but they might not have needed it. Not after a 49-21 win at Old Bridge Friday night by the Panthers themselves moved them up to No. 14 in the standings. That looks likely to hold and we think B-R will visit Union City in the opening round of the North 2 section.

In North 4, it looks like both bubble teams – Rahway and Colonia – are in. The Indians lost to Colonia, 35-7, Friday night, but Rahway is still ahead of the Patriots in the standings. Regardless of No. 16 Orange’s game result today against Lincoln in Jersey City (4 pm at Caven Point) we think the Patriots are in because Rahway would drop down to 16 and with Colonia at 17, they’d get in based on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

That would be the second year in a row one Big Central Conference team has ousted another from the 17th spot in the playoff standings. Last year, Old Bridge got in on Cutoff Weekend thanks to a head-to-head victory over South Brunswick early in the season, which was a wacky one in itself. The Knights had missed a field goal and were trailing late when the Vikings, trying to run out the clock, fumbled. Old Bridge recovered, scored the go-ahead touchdown, then held off South for the win.

In North 3, it appears Governor Livingston will be in regardless of its result at home against Bernards today, mainly because of how strong an opponent the Mountaineers are in terms of power points (they’re 8-0) and OSI (they have a 79.69 Strength Index value). If they hold in 16th, they’ll be in the North 2 section and face top-seed Summit on the road in the opening round.

The only bubble team not to make it in on Cutoff Weekend so far looks to be Brearley, which was eliminated with a loss at Dunellen Thursday night.

by Mike Pavlichko

FRIDAY Cutoff Weekend Playoff Analysis: Group 3

It’s Cutoff Weekend, and we’re the place to get all the updated playoff standings all week long, with our coverage brought to you by My Family Appliances on Route 1 South in the Wick Plaza, Edison.

We’ll have more analysis throughout the day Saturday as scores roll in. And don’t forget to join us for our “Playoff Projection Show” on Saturday at 6:00 pm as Mike Pavlichko brings you all the playoff projections, with analysis and commentary by Marcus Borden, live in studio!

Here’s an updated look at the Group 3 supersections based on Friday night results as reported to Gridiron New Jersey.

NORTH GROUP 3

As we expected, Hillside‘s win over Carteret Friday night at The Pit triggered an odd situation: a team in fourth place (Hillside) that couldn’t jump the two two (Old Tappan and Summit) affecting the top two. The win put the Comets above Old Tappan in power point average, moved them from 4th to 3rd place, but moved Summit ahead of Old Tappan overall. The Golden Knights won Friday night, but against lowly-rated Demarest. And the Hilltoppers have highly-regarded St. Joseph in Metuchen Saturday, where even a loss won’t hurt them. We call Summit the top overall seed. And Hillside looks locked into third.

Cranford is in ninth after a loss to North Brunswick, holding court, and they look to be a lock there, too, regardless what West Essex does Saturday at East Orange.

We also think Governor Livingston is in, at 6-2 and in 16th place, regardless what happens Saturday at home against Bernards, since the Mountaineers are a strong opponent. But we’ll still keep an eye on that game Saturday.

Key Saturday Games to Watch:

  • #1 Summit at St. Joseph-Metuchen
  • #8 West Essex at East Orange
  • #12 Lincoln vs. Orange
  • #16 Governor Livingston vs. Bernards

SOUTH GROUP 3

Somerville moved up from 11th to 8th place with a Friday win over South Brunswick at Brooks Field. But hold the phone, because we think they drop to 9th if Manasquan beats Ocean Twp. at home Saturday. That’s the difference between a first-round home game and a road trip.

Carteret fell from 10th to 11th with the loss to a good Hillside team Friday night. Teams may move around them Saturday with a number of games to be played, but they might actually hold in 11th. We think they’ll be no worse than 12.

Key Saturday Games to Watch:

  • #9 Manasquan vs. #17 Ocean Township
  • #13 Highland Regional at Rancocas Valley
  • #14 Burlington Township vs. Willingboro
  • #25 Matawan at Freehold Boro
  • #19 Nottingham vs. Hamilton
by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Playoff Analysis: Group 3

It’s down to the final weekend of the regular season in high school football, and Cutoff Weekend is just days away. This week, Central Jersey Sports Radio will bring you exclusive, team-by-team analysis of all the playoff scenarios for the 57 public schools in the Big Central Conference.

It’s all brought to you by My Family Appliances on Route 1 South in the Wick Plaza, Edison.

And don’t forget to join us for our “Playoff Projection Show” on Saturday at 6 pm (moved to an hour later) as Mike Pavlichko brings you all the playoff projections, with analysis and commentary by Marcus Borden, live in studio!

With that, here’s a look at Group 3 North and South, with all scores and playoff standings based on Gridiron New Jersey’s official calculations as of Sunday, October 15, 2023. Click on the heading to see the standings at Gridiron New Jersey:

NORTH GROUP 3

2. Summit (6-1, 1.6 UPR): Here’s one we’re not sure if we’ve ever seen before. We think Summit has a crack at the overall No. 1 seed, win or lose Saturday at St. Joseph-Metuchen (5-2). How? Giving everyone down to the No. 8 team in the section a win except Summit, we believe the Hilltoppers leapfrog current No. 1 Old Tappan (6-1, 1.4 UPR), which suffered its first loss of the year last week – and first in 13 games – to undefeated (in the eyes of the NJSIAA, since they opened with a loss to Somers-NY) Ramapo last week. Again, how? Well, the Golden Knights lead Summit by just 0.2 UPR points. Old Tappan is first in OSI, second in power points. Summit is first in power points, second in OSI. That’s the 0.2 difference. Even a win by Old Tappan and loss by Summit won’t change things because the Hilltoppers play a tougher opponent than the Golden Knights, who host 1-7 Demarest. Now, enter Hillside: seventh in OSI, but third in power points. Their UPR is irrelevant. If they beat Carteret (7-1) Friday night at the Pit, they should move to second in power point average, knocking Old Tappan down a spot, adding 0.4 to their UPR, and putting them behind Summit. One day – it may be sooner than later – I’ll have a rant on this. Bottom line: Summit appears locked in as the overall 2-seed, and a top-seed in whatever section they call it, but jumps to No. 1 overall if Hillside beats Carteret, all regardless of what Summit and Old Tappan do.

4. Hillside (5-2, 5.4 UPR): Weighing all the above, Hillside can’t catch Summit or Old Tappan, and that’s what makes the Hilltoppers’ scenario all the more wacky, that a team that can’t catch either of them can affect how they finish above them. (I promise I’ll save this rant for later!) That said, Hillside can indeed climb has high as third with a win, regardless what everyone else behind them does. Worst-case scenario, a loss to the Ramblers (7-1) on the road Friday night could drop them as low as seven, but that would require everyone else around them to win. So, we think their range is a more manageable 3-5 seed overall, which would give them a 2-3 seed in whatever section they land.

9. Cranford (4-3, 7.4 UPR): Just 0.2 UPR points behind 8th place West Essex (5-3, 7.2), we think if the Cougars win Friday night at North Brunswick (7-0), and everyone else does, they can land as high as six overall with a Hillside loss to Carteret, seven if the Comets beat the Ramblers. A win and a loss by all the teams around them could actually get them as high as third. Neither of those extremes will probably happen, though, so let’s call them a longshot for a four seed, likely a 5/6, with a win. A Cougar loss to the Raiders, and they probably end up an 8-10 seed overall in North 4, with a lot of variables in between.

16. Governor Livingston (6-2, 16.2): Well, it appears Spotswood still has a shot at the playoffs in South 2 if they beat JP Stevens this weekend. So we may not have a repeat of last year’s snub there, nor Manville’s from 2021. The 2023 edition might be Governor Livingston. Opponents South River, JFK, JP Stevens and North Plainfield are a combined 1-29 on the year! That’s why they’re four games above .500 and sit in 16th, sweating it out this weekend, just 06. UPR points ahead of 17th place Sparta, which is just 2-5. (Go ahead, explain how this is working? We’ll wait.) Now, here’s the good news for the Highlanders: Their opponent at home Saturday is Bernards, one of the two best teams on their schedule. (The Mountaineers and Carteret could be debated as to who’s 1a. and 1b.) A win, and if a ton broke right, they could vault all the way up to No. 11 overall in the supersection. But what if they lose? Unless there’s a surprise somewhere, we think they’re locked in at 16, especially because they have a 37.53 OSI and a Bernards’ loss is worth 39.85 OSI points. That will increase their average. And remember, SI values are locked this week. They are tracked through the end of a team’s season – including playoff purposes – but for seeding purposes, the values will not change as a result of this weekend’s games. GL is guaranteed to rise – albeit a tiny amount – in power point average even with a loss to Bernards. We’re calling Governor Livingston in at this point, but they should treat it like it matters. Why chance it?

SOUTH GROUP 3

9. Carteret (7-1, 9.2 UPR): The Ramblers also stand to benefit from having a strong Cutoff Weekend opponent in Hillside (5-2) with a good SI (81.85) as well. Seneca should beat Northern Burlington, while Cedar Creek and Winslow have identical records, so giving the Pirates a loss to Winslow, Carteret, we think, could get as high as seven with a win, but perhaps as low as 11 or worse with a loss, if things break all the wrong ways for the Ramblers. We think the truth lies somewhere in the middle, with a lot of variables around them.

11. Somerville (4-4, 10.6): It’s likely the Pioneers will end up right where they are, one spot higher, or one spot down. Those may not be the only scenarios, but they seem the most likely. The ten is within reach with a win at home over South Brunswick (5-3), but the Vikings are a strong enough opponent that a loss won’t kill the Pioneers’ either. They don’t have a shot at a top eight seed, so all we really know for sure is this will be The Ville’s last game on their home field this season unless they advance in the playoffs and someone else pulls of a major upset.