Tag: Greater Middlesex Conference

by Mike Pavlichko

Weekend GMC charity soccer festival to support pediatric cancer, children and families in need

Girls’ soccer teams from throughout the Greater Middlesex Conference will take the field this weekend to support a number of local charitable organizations.

The 20201 “Soccer for a Cause Charity Festival” will feature 14 girls’ teams from the Blue and White Divisions, totaling 300 players.

The event will be held this Saturday, October 9th – with a rain date of Sunday, October 10th – at Metuchen High School.

Fans are asked to bring nonperishable food items to benefit REPLENISH, Nourishing Neighboors, an regional food bank serving Middlesex County previously known as MCFOODS.

Metuchen Athletic Director John Cathcart and girls’ soccer coach Mike Knoth helped organize the event, which also will benefit Go4theGoal and the Marisa Tufaro Foundation.

Go4theGoal aims to improve the lives of children across the country who are battling cancer, providing monetary support, developing unique hospital programs, and funding research.

The Marisa Tufaro Foundation assists pediatric patients and children throughout the Middlesex County area, and is run by former longtime Home News Tribune sportswriter Greg Tufaro.

Scroll down to see the full schedule of games.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Metuchen girls’ soccer coach and event organizer Mike Knoth:

Schedule of Games (Saturday, October 9)

10:00 AM

  • South Plainfield vs. Woodbridge – Turf Field
  • Spotswood vs. Edison – Varsity Field
  • Middlesex vs. Sayreville – JV Field
  • JFK vs. New Brunswick – Front Field

1:00 PM

  • St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Colonia – Turf Field
  • Metuchen vs. North Brunswick – Varsity Field
  • Carteret vs. Perth Amboy – JV Field
by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio will debut LIVE H.S. baseball coverage on Opening Day next Monday

Monday, April 19th, will be the first Opening Day for high school baseball in New Jersey in two years, with last year’s entire season wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And when the 2021 season begins, Central Jersey Sports Radio will be on hand, kicking off its season coverage.

We’ll begin the slate with a matchup of GMC White Divsion teams, when Edison entertains Woodbridge at 4:00 Monday afternoon. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will call all the live play-by-play at, which you can hear by clicking here. Tentative air time is 3:50 pm from the Boulevard of the Eagles, at the school’s brand-new red turf field.

Athletic Director David Sandaal says the field was under construction last winter and would have been ready to go during the 2021 season.

That season that never materialized. Though some Last Dance baseball tournament games were played there, Monday will be the first time Edison High School’s baseball team gets to take the field.

Sandaal says several dignitaries will be on hand.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will add additional games to the broadcast schedule throughout the season, and Mike Pavlichko will report from other games throughout the year as well.

CJSR also plans to broadcast live from Ray Cipperly Field for the Greater Middlesex Conference Torunament Semifinals and Finals, to be held in late May and early June.

For local businesses interested in sponsoring and supporting live high school baseball coverage on Central Jersey Sports Radio, please contact founder and owner Mike Pavlichko via email, at mike@cjsportsradio.com.

by Mike Pavlichko

Greater Middlesex Conference seeding co-chair DelAversano explains what the league’s “post-season pods” will look like

Scroll down to hear Spotswood Athletic Director and GMC seeding committee co-chair Mike DelAversano discuss this year’s unique postseason in the Greater Middlesex Conference.

The 2021 high school basketball season has been anything but typical, so it follows that the postseason will be just as unusual.

The GMC Tournament – one of the most exciting tournaments in the state with games that come fast and furious in a span of less than two weeks – won’t be held in a traditional fashion this year, due to the COVID-shortened season. Instead, teams will be paired into four-team pods.

But that doesn’t mean seeding won’t take place. In fact, similar rules will apply in terms of determining the top overall team, then working all the way down to the last team. The top four will go in the first pod, with the next four to go in the second pod, and so on.

Each pod will have the winners face each other in the second game, and the losing teams square off in their own matchup.

The seeding committee will be headed by South River Athletic Director Carl Buffalino – a past GMC President – and Spotswood Athletic Director Mike DelAversano.

Seeding the teams will be done just like in prior years, with the top four teams in each of the Red, White, Blue and Gold Divisions on the board. When the top team is picked from one of those divisions, the next best team goes on the board, with four teams on the board at all times. All division champions must be among the top 8 seeds. Teams must be pulled from their division in the order of their standings, unless there are ties, in which case other criteria can be used.

READ MORE: Edison boys’ on two-week COVID shutdown, but had planned to opt-out of GMC “pods” anyway

Teams must declare their intent to participate by the end of the day Wednesday. So far, two boys’ teams have opted out: Edison and JP Stevens. Edison Athletic Director Dave Sandaal says the two did not meet in the regular season and wanted to meet in the GMC pods, but league officials couldn’t guarantee a matchup. So they opted out, and will meet that week, on March 3rd.

Seeding will take place and the pairings will be announced on Monday, March 1, with “first-round” boys’ and girls’ games on Wednesday, March 3rd. “Second round” or “finals/consolations” would be on Friday, March 5th, with Saturday built in for a backup day in case of inclement weather.

SCHEDULE UPDATE: Central Jersey Sports Radio announces tentative postseason broadcast schedule – click here to see the full slate.

By NJSIAA rules, the last day of play for basketball is March 6. When asked via email by Central Jersey Sports Radio whether an extension to the season is under consideration, NJSIAA Assistant Director for Basketball Tony Maselli said, “at this point, no extensions.”

Click below to listen to Spotswood Athletic Director and GMC seeding co-chair Mike DelAversano talk about this year’s unique postseason event: