Tag: high school football

December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Former ‘Ville standout A.J. Pena talks about his circuitous route to Rhode Island, via upstate New York

The COVID-19 pandemic upended just about everyone’s way of life, and every facet of life, since it arrived on the scene in March 2020 in the United States.

And that includes college football recruiting.

With the NCAA granting extra years of eligibility and non-FCS football playing in the Spring, it meant fewer opportunities – at least right away – for high school student-athletes who played their seasons in the fall.

The 2020 Central Jersey Sports Radio Defensive Player of the Year – Somerville’s A.J. Pena – should have likely received offers from all over, after being one of the most dominant players in the league; he recorded 12 sacks in just seven games.

*Former Somerville defensive end A.J. Pena (center).*

Instead, he took a year of prep school at Milford Academy in upstate, New York – “in the middle of nowhere” as Pena describes it – before landing at the University of Rhode Island, where he signed his National Letter of Intent on the first day of the December signing period.

We caught up with A.J. to talk about his time at Somerville, the influence of his former head coach Dallas Whitaker, and the long atypical path that took him to Rhode Island.

Click below to listen:

December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Breaking down 2021’s final Strength Index numbers: Who were the top teams in the Big Central, statewide? Who gained the most?

It was a busy 2021 high school football season, and a long one. Maybe that’s because 2020 was so short?

But it was a good busy, and the good kind of long. Very few teams – though a couple notable ones – had issues with COVID, and most played a full season. We got all the way through the 2021 playoffs, right down to regional champs for the last time ever, before 2022 ushers in the era of football Group Champions, just like every other sport in New Jersey.

Central Jersey Sports Radio has run the numbers, and calculated the unofficial final 2021 Strength Index values for every team in the state of New Jersey. And we’re sharing them with you.

The SI values are locked in after Week Eight of the regular season, in an effort to cut down on the uncertainty heading into Week 9 for playoff qualification. But since SI values are based on the previous year, then typically re-centered a third of the way up or down to a mid-point of 60 before the next season begins, that means SI must still be calculated “behind the scenes” for all games after Week 8, including consolation games (now called “regional crossovers”), playoffs and Thanksgiving games.

We did all of that, and the results follow. It should be noted that while Gridiron New Jersey is the official calculator of Strength Index, Power Points, and OSI, the website no longer has a week-by-week listing of results, so our results were compiled only with what was available on NJ.com. We did not verify ever score in the state since Week 8 (hundreds of games) with Gridiron New Jersey. Some out-of-state Strength index numbers also were unavailable, such as the number for Easton (PA), which beat Phillipsburg on Thanksgiving. So, the Stateliners’ SI value may be off slightly. All our numbers and calculations are unofficial, but we believe accurate enough to paint a proper portrait of the statewide picture, and how the Big Central fared.

We’ll start talking about the BCC itself. The Top Ten teams are:

Hillsborough, 97.10
Union, 93.18
Cranford, 84.27
Somerville, 82.93
Ridge, 80.52
Phillipsburg, 79.84
St. Thomas Aquinas, 79.16
Sayreville, 77.68
Colonia, 75.51
North Hunterdon, 74.17

Click here for a PDF version of the full list of the unofficial 2021 final Big Central Strength Index numbers.

Statewide, Hillsborough finished in the Top Ten for Strength Index, Checking in at No. 9. Union – whose season was cut short after the first round of the playoffs due to COVID – finished 16th. Others that finished in the Top 50 – out of well over 300 teams in the state – included Cranford at 32, Somerville at 40, Ridge at 46, Phillipsburg at 47, and St. Thomas Aquinas at 49.

The Top 20 teams are:

Bergen Catholic, 111.16
Millville, 103.59
Cedar Creek, 101.76
St. Joeseph-Hammonton, 101.11
West Morris, 98.09
Don Bosco Prep, 97.38
Red Bank Catholic, 97.25
Donovan Catholic, 97.22
Hillsborough, 97.10
Caldwell, 96.94
Northern Highlands, 95.48
DePaul, 94.25
Woodrow Wilson, 94.22
St. Augustine, 93.48
Rumson-Fair Haven, 93.19
Union, 93.18
Seton Hall Prep, 93.05
St. Peter’s Prep, 92.62
Winslow Twp., 90.62
Salem, 89.00

Click here for a PDF version of the full list of the unofficial 2021 final Strength Index numbers.

So who were the biggest gainers in the Big Central Conference in 2021? Inotherwords, who had the biggest turnarounds? With Strength Index, keep in mind, it’s not about wins and losses. It’s about score, and how competitive a team is. If a football team played opponents generally ranked 30 points higher than them, but lost all their games by only a field goal, they would gain a good deal, and be considered a “stronger” team by the Strength Index model, even though they may have been winless.

In the Big Central, it’s little surprise St. Thomas Aquinas saw the biggest gain. Finishing 4-6 in 2019 and 4-3 in 2020, the Trojans went 9-1 this season, winning seven of those games by large margins. They also shut out their first seven opponents of the season. Aquinas went from a 52.93 in preseason to a 79.16; not the highest in the Big Central, but the biggest gain, going up by 26.23 points in the Strength index category.

Hillsborough saw a gain of 24.01 points, going 13-0 this season after a 4-4 2020 campaign. They started the season a highly-respectable 73.09, but finished with a 97.10 Strength Index rating, ninth best in the state.

Other jumps of double digits included Colonia (+22.87), Union (+17.83), North Hunterdon (+17.04), Sayreville (+14.88), East Brunswick (+12.10), Cranford (+11.67) and Metuchen (+10.38).

Click here for the full unofficial list of Big Central Strength Index changes in 2021.

Overall, two-thirds of the league – 40 of the 60 Big Central teams – saw changes of fewer than 10 points in either direction, and 36 of them saw changes of seven points or fewer. Essentially, that means 36 teams are plus or minus within a touchdown of where they were the year before. That’s basically a toss-up game, and a negligible difference at best.

Even more teams would be within that “touchdown” change heading into 2022, after re-centering, which brings teams a third of the way in either direction back to 60. In other words, a team with a 51 rating would gain one-third of the way to 60, or three of the nine points, and they would become a 54. A 72 rated team would become a 68, and so on. About 43 of the 60 league teams would be in that category.

December 23, 2021December 23, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central Conference releases final 2022 football schedule

Complete with new divisions for 2022 – with the league still in the process of choosing names for them – the Big Central Conference has released its schedule for the next football season, less than a month after the book was closed on 2021.

The past season was the first “full” season for the fledgling superconference, formed by the merger of the Mid-State and Greater Middlesex Conferences. The trend in the state has been to see these types of mergers, which tends to make scheduling easier if there aren’t enough similar teams in a smaller conference. The Shore Conference and the NJIC have been the lone holdouts in that regard.

With 59 teams – following the departure of Warren Hills – there are eleven five-team divisions, with one four-team division. That’s a departure from last year, which saw two divisions of five teams each, eight divisions with six teams each, and one – Division 4 – with eight teams.

That means the majority of teams have four division games, with four crossovers scheduled. The league believes this will give greater flexibility in terms of scheduling when it comes to meeting the state’s criteria for playoff qualification, in terms of quality of opponents.

For example, Brearley – a Group 1 school and a playoff team in 2021 – has divisional games against three schools that didn’t make the playoffs. But out of conference, they will play Manville – a solid team which was 6-2 but didn’t make the playoffs, hurt by the NJSIAA’s system – South Hunterdon, Middlesex and Dunellen. The Eagles and Blue Jays made the playoffs this season, while Dunellen did not.

Teams have an option to play a ninth game in Week Zero, the weekend of August 26th. Edison took advantage of that, signing up for the Battle of the Beach showcase in Ocean City, where they’ll play Cedar Creek that Sunday. The Pirates have won 15 straight dating back to 2020, and won the South Group 3 regional championship this year.

Following are the new divisions, announced publicly for the first time today by the Big Central Conference. League President Scott Miller says the divisions are yet to be named, with that process ongoing. The following is corrected to add Sayreville.

Elizabeth, Somerville, St. Joseph-Metuchen, Union, Westfield
Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, Hunterdon Central, Phillipsburg, Ridge
East Brunswick, Monroe, Old Bridge, Piscataway, South Brunswick
Edison, Franklin, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Sayreville
Colonia, JFK, Linden, Perth Amboy, Woodbridge
Montgomery, North Plainfield, Plainfield, Watchung Hills
Cranford, Rahway, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, St. Thomas Aquinas, Summit
Carteret, Governor Livingston, JP Stevens, North Plainfield, South Plainfield
Bernards, Bound Brook, Delaware Valley, South River, Voorhees
Hillside, Johnson, Metuchen, New Providence, Roselle
Brearley, Dayton, Highland Park, Roselle Park, Spotswood
Belvidere, Dunellen, Manville, Middlesex, South Hunterdon

There are a few notable moves in the divisions, including Somerville moving from what was Division 3 (all Group 3 schools) into a grouping with non-public St. Joe’s, as well as Group 5’s in Elizabeth, Westfield, and Union. Such a move could help Somerville for playoff standing in 2022.

Plainfield – a Group 5 which had perhaps a breakout year in 2021, going 5-5 – is now in a division of some smaller schools, with Montgomery and North Plainfield in Group 4, while Watchung Hills is a Group 5. That could help the Cardinals continue their success.

St. Thomas Aquinas – which was unbeaten until a first-round playoff loss to South Jersey powerhouse St. Joseph-Hammonton in Non-Public B, and shutout its first seven opponents – gets a tougher division slate, facing Group 3 schools Cranford, Rahway, and Summit, as well as Group 4 Scotch Plains.

JP Stevens, on the other hand, comes down from one of the Group 5 divisions to face the likes of Carteret, Governor Livingston, North Plainfield and South Plainfield, all Group 3 schools. The Hawks have lost 23 straight dating back to a 4-6 campaign in 2018. Their last win came on October 26 of that year, 29-14 against Monroe.

Click below to download the entire Big Central Conference 2022 schedule, as provided to Central Jersey Sports Radio by the league. Please note that the league sets the schedules for Weeks One through Eight, so Week Zero games – which are scheduled at the discretion of individual schools – are not included here.

2022 Big Central Schedule Download

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

This Week in the Big Central – Episode 16: The 2021 Postseason Awards Show

The 2021 finale of “This Week in the Big Central,” driven by Mark Montenero and his team at the world-famous Autoland, is our postseason awards show. We’ve got the typical – Offensive, Defensive Player of the Year and the like – but also our Specialty Awards and the Highlight Reel Play of the Year, as voted on by Central Jersey Sports Radio fans.

Click below to listen to the full show, which aired live Thursday, December 16th:

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Dominating 13-0 season sees Hillsborough’s Amankwaa and Carty Jr. sweep Two-Way Player and Coach of the Year awards from CJSR

It was a season of perfection for Hillsborough, and the Raiders took home two honors Thursday night on the Central Jersey Sports Radio postseason awards show.

Standout Thomas Amankwaa – who signed his National Letter of Intent to go to Rutgers this Wednesday – was named Big Central Two-Way Player of the Year, while head coach Kevin Carty Jr. was named Coach of the Year.

And both awards had a lot to do with Amankwaa.

The RU-bound senior had career highs in two major offensive categories, racking up 853 receiving yards at his natural position, along with 13 touchdowns, but he also rolled off 1,125 rushing yards – and 15 more scores – as Carty got Amankwaa involved as a runningback, a stroke of genius that paid off with a 13-0 record, a school record in wins, and the Central Jersey Group 5 title, its first state title in 21 years.

He also came up big defensively. Though he only recorded 25 tackles – some of that due to a solid defense in front of Amankwaa that didn’t give him many chances – he had 5 interceptions for 118 yards and five pass breakups.

One of those picks came in overtime against Phillipsburg, completing a 21-14 comeback win.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlickho talk with Tommy Amankwaa and Kevin Carty, Jr.:

Honorable mentions from the Two-Way Player of the Year category included Charlie Barth of New Providence, Michael Olivo of Ridge and Union’s Davison Igbinosun.

Barth won the inaugural award last season, but sat out defensively at times this year to stay fresh, and after getting dinged up a bit early in the season; he didn’t play a snap on D in a blowout home win over Bound Brook.

But when he was in the game, he was a force to be reckoned with, as evidenced in a first-round playoff game at Delaware Valley, where an early red zone pick got New Providence on the board, and on its way to victory.

Olivo came up 33-yards shy of 2,000 total this season, with 947 passing yards, 961 rushing, and another 59 on returns. He scored 25 touchdowns on offense, then had 44 tackles and 3 INTs on defense.

Igbinosun – who still hasn’t decided on a college but holds more than 30 Division 1 offers – had 76 carries for 903 yards and 12 touchdowns, 20 receptions for 405 yards and four TDs, while amassing 74 tackles and exerting his dominance on defense, adding four interceptions and two tackles for loss.

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

NJ rushing leader Murray takes home CJSR Offensive Player of the Year Award

It doesn’t hurt that Cranford’s Colin Murray had a “bunch of large humans” blocking for him, but that doesn’t take away from his talent, strength and speed.

All of those things combined to earn Murray 2021 Central Jersey Sports Radio Offensive Player of the Year Honors.

Murray finished the season with 2,459 yards on the season, 334 of which came in the North 2 Group 3 Championship game against Sparta, which gave the Cougars their first state championship since 2015, and third in eleven years.

His 33 TDs this season ranked No. 2 in the state.

Not bad for a guy who hadn’t contributed at the varsity level until this year, thanks to a bunch of talented skill guys playing ahead of him.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko of Central Jersey Sports Radio talk with Colin Murray about his – and Cranford’s – outstanding 2021 campaign:

Honorable mention candidates included Charlie Barth of New Providence and Marquis Perry of North Brunswick.

Barth was a runner-up in this category last year as well, eventually earning Two-Way Player of the Year honors. He had 2,025 rushing yards this season on 215 carries – second only to Murray in the Big Central – and finished his career with a whopping 586 runs for 5,303 yards, and 75 total touchdowns, only two of which came on defense.

Perry combined for 1,500-plus yards this season and 20 total touchdowns. He had 914 receiving yards on 53 catches, and for his career, rewrote the record books. Perry set a North Brunswick record for career receptions with 91, breaking a 21-year-old mark in the process. He also finishes his career No. 1 with 1,450 receiving yards, and ends fourth in all-time scoring with 186 career points.

December 16, 2021August 14, 2022 by Mike Pavlichko

North Brunswick’s Macklin’s top-ten year picks up CJSR Defensive Player of the Year honors

He finished the season with 140 tackles, top ten in New Jersey.

He recorded 12 1/2 sacks, 2 picks, 3 QB hits, and a forced fumble.

And he’s come along way since an injury earlier in his career.

North Brunswick’s Amari Macklin picked up Defensive Player of the Year honors from Central Jersey Sports Radio Thursday night, but he’s getting more attention from college coaches too.

Macklin says he’s spent a lot of extra time with Raiders’ head coach Mike Cipot this week, going through the flood of interest now headed his way after a great senior season.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Dom Savino talk with Macklin about the progression of his career, and his stellar senior season:

Honorable mentions included Cranford’s Will Gallagher, Jared Tynes of North Brunswick, and Jon Wyatt of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Gallagher could have earned the honorable mention status on his 3-pick night against Sparta in the North 2 Group 3 title game alone, but he also had an INT that set up the first score of the game at Priscoe Field midway through the year, in a battle of unbeatens against Woodbridge that Cranford would win. He finished the season with 33 tackles and 9 interceptions, two of which he brought to the house for scores.

Tynes had 83 tackles from his defensive end position, and was dominating; he had 22 TFLs, 9 1/2 sacks, and 9 QB hits. he also forced two fumbles and had one fumble recovery. He’s 8th on the North Brunswick career sack list heading into his senior season.

And the Villanova-bound Wyatt didn’t give up a catch all year. Then again, his presence was so dominating, no one wanted to throw to him. In fact, he had two catches from opposing quarterbacks, while the players he was defending had none.

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Patel’s Perfect! 78-of-78 on PATs, strong FG kicking game, nets South Brunswick senior Special Teams Player of the Year honors

Practice makes perfect.

And that’s never been truer for anyone than Jai Patel of South Brunswick.

The Rutgers-bound Viking senior never missed a PAT in his high school career, kicking 78 extra points on 78 attempts. Rarely at this level is an extra point a sure thing, but with Patel it was.

And that’s why he’s Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Special Teams Player of the Year for 2021, a year after he picked up honorable mention honors in the same category.

His season long field goals the past two years also have been in the 40s, meaning Greg Schiano will be adding to his reliable kicking game when Patel heads into preseason camp this summer.

But Patel says all that practice effort wasn’t just him. It’s also a lot of hard work from his teammates, blocking, snapping and holding, as he tells Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Dom Savino.

Click below to listen:

Special teams honorable mentions included James Scorba of Westfield, Liam Godwin of Cranford, and Liam Quigley of Governor Livingston.

Scorba – a senior punter – had an average of 35 yards on his kicks, nailing 12 inside the 20-yard line, and converting 3-for-3 on first down runs. He helped the Blue Devils – with an outstanding defense – control the field position game all year long, as opponents never got more than a ten-yard return against him.

Godwin, a junior kicker for the Cougars, was 54-of-56 on PATs, and 3-of-3 on field goals. He averaged 39 yards per punt, and was successful three times on fake punts for first downs.

Quigley was the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week for Week 9, kicking a game-winning field goal against A.L. Johnson to give the Highlanders their first and only win of the season. He was 3-of-4 on field goals during the year, and 11-of-11 on PATs.

December 16, 2021December 17, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio announces “Specialty Awards” for 2021

Last year, we decided our inaugural awards show had too few awards to recognize all the truly great student-athletes in the Big Central Conference, on or off the field. So besides Players and Coach of the Year, we decided to give out “Specialty Awards.”

And we’re back with more for 2021, so get ready for some fantastic stories!

Offensive Line of the Year: Cranford

They literally paved the way for Cranford’s third state championship in eleven seasons. The five guys up front kept quarterback Shane VanDam on his feet, and cleared a path for Colin Murray, who had a career-best 334 yards in the North 2 Group 3 championship game against Sparta.

*Cranford offensive lineman Kevin Shriner holds up the NJSIAA trophy as he and his teammates celebrate a state championship.* *(Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

Geoff Gretta, Kevin Shriner, Kyle Fay, Ryan Heesters, and Matt Fries – who signed his National Letter of Intent this week to attend the University of Illinois – were all instrumental in Cranford’s success. Four of the five – with the exception being center Kyle Fay – are at least 6-2 and 280 pounds.

“It helps we have a bunch of large humans,” head coach Erik Rosenmeier told us earlier this season.

It also helps they can all flat out play.

Listen below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with all five Cranford offensive linemen:

The “Nobody Scores” Award:

It took eight games for someone to score on St. Thomas Aquinas, and nobody threw a touchdown pass against them all year.

Those were the kind of dominant defensive numbers the Trojans put up on 2021, not an easy task considering they led most of their games pretty big this year, and a bunch of 16- and 17-year-olds could easily have lost their focus.

They didn’t, only allowing nine points the entire regular season, all of them coming in their finale against Delaware Valley, on a mud-soaked field in North Edison.

*Villanova-bound senior Jon Wyatt has been an integral part of the Trojans’ success on both sides of the ball. (Mike Pavlichko)*

Senior Jon Wyatt, who’s going to Villanova, was a lock-down corner. Barely anyone threw toward him – and if they did, they couldn’t complete a single pass. If they did manage to get a ball caught, it was in the hands of Wyatt.

Click below to hear Wyatt talk about how it all worked out for St. Thomas Aquinas:

“Rising Star” Award

Last season, sophomore quarterbacks were making an impact, whether it be Franklie Garbolino, Matt Yasko, or a host of others around the league.

In 2021, sophomore Zaimer Wright of Sayreville is one who had a big impact for his team, leaving a bright future for the Bombers.

*Sayreville sophomore Zaimer Wright helped his team knock off No. 1 North Brunswick on September 17, 2021. (Source: Twitter)*

Wright was a Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week earlier this year, and finished the season with 1,401 yards rushing, 25 touchdowns, and five two-point conversions, scoring 160 total points. He also starts at safety, contributing on defense, and returns punts and kickoffs, as well as runs down on the kick coverage team.

He’s been under the weather recently, so we didn’t get a chance to speak to him, but we think we’ll have plenty of opportunities the next couple of years. Feel better, Zaimer!

“Mr. Versatility“

There’s no doubt this award goes to Alex Benitez, a senior from Montgomery. He has played runningback, moved back to quarterback, then back to runningback while also playing outside linebacker on defense.

*Montgomery senior QB Alex Benitez gets ready to throw a pass in preseason camp on Friday, August 27, 2021 at Cougar Stadium.*

A four-year starter, Benitez didn’t miss a single game, and only fumbled four times in his career – three of them coming in his freshman year!

He also punts, kicks off, kicks PATs, long snaps and return kickoffs. He’d probably drive the team bus if it wasn’t an insurance issue.

Coach Zoran Milich calls him “the best all-around player in New Jersey.”

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with jack-of-all-trades Alex Benitez:

“Mentorship Award”:

With a strong influence in his own family, Jehu Andrews realizes that not every boy in Carteret is as lucky as he is.

So that’s why, in addition to being a leader on his own Carteret Rambler football team, and being a great asset to first-year head coach Kevin Freeman, he’s involved with youth football.

*Jehu Andrews of Carteret (source: Twitter)*

Sure, he helped pave the way up front on offense and defense to a three-win season after not playing at all in 202 because Carteret cancelled fall sports due to COVID

But he laid some of that knowledge on the 14-and-under Bulldogs in town, becoming a father figure to, perhaps, a bunch of future Jehu Andrews.

Click below to hear Andrews talk with Mike Pavlichko talk about his season, community involvement, and influences:

Perseverance Award

Sure, a lot of football players face obstacles in their seasons. Maybe it’s a nagging injury, a tough defeat, or just some bad luck.

How many have a fire destroy everything they own, save only their football jersey, and show up to play that night?

*Matthew Ihemsie of Hillside (Source: Twitter)*

Matthew Ihemsie of Hillside does, and to be honest, there are no words that can do it justice, except for his. So give a listen:

“Mr. Dynamic” (Most Electrifying Player):

He can run, he can throw, but his ability to inspire his teammates to great heights, quickly shift the momentum of a game, make Josh Oluremi of Colonia the obvoious choice for most electrifying player in the Big Central Conference.

Mr. Dynamic, Oluremi rushed for 1,594 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, while throwing for 954 and 6 touchdown passes. He also had 32 tackles and a pair of picks from his cornerback spot on defense.

*Josh Oluremi of Colonia (Source: Twitter)*

He almost single-handedly got Colonia past Edison on September 10th, rushing for four and throwing another touchdown in the game, a 38-7 victory over the Eagles.

For his career, he finishes with 2,000+ rushing yards, and nearly 1,800 passing yards, responsible for a total of 36 overall touchdowns.

Click below to hear Josh Oluremi talk about his season, career, and style of play:

Red-Hot Recruit of the Year:

Picking these awards aren’t always easy. Which means sometimes it is. In this case, it was a no-brainer.

Davison Igbinsoun of Union holds 30-plus Division I scholarship offers, and is still deciding where he’ll attend college, getting a lot of attention in the past week from Rutgers’ Greg Schiano – who arrived in a chopper for the second time this season – and Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, who took him for a ride in a Porsche.

He originally committed to Rutgers, but withdrew that commitment after his recruiting ranting picked up a fourth star, though the Scarlet Knights remain in contention for him.

*Union’s Davison Igbinosun (Source: Twitter)*

One of the most dominant players in the area in recent memory, his numbers weren’t off the charts in 2021, but that’s because he’s an incredibly unselfish player, and the Farmers had a lot of athletes to go around.

This year, he had 18 total touchdowns, 76 carries for 903 yards and 12 touchdown, 20 catches for 405 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, he recorded 74 tackles, 4 picks, and two tackles for a loss.

He’ll be special wherever he goes.

December 16, 2021December 18, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Fundraising University New Jersey’s “Unsung Hero Scholarship Award” goes to Manville’s Brandon Flores

In 2020, COVID was the story, and the inaugural Fundraising University New Jersey “Unsung Hero Scholarship Award” went to St. Joe’s of Metuchen’s Tommy Romond, who kept his team together on the field, despite being apart.

In 2021, the award goes to a Manville senior who helped keep his community together.

That community was, in part, his football team, but in greater part, the entire town of Manville, in the wake of the utter destruction caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida back in early September.

Manville has been through many storms before, and too many to count in recent years, but the tiny Somerset County town probably has never seen a dynamo like Brandon Flores. He had teammates who lost everything. He helped them first, then it was on to anyone who needed assistance, moving out flooded items, passing out bottled water.