Tag: HS Baseball

by Mike Pavlichko

Bridgewater-Raritan looks for bounceback year in 2026 with an experienced group, after major graduation, tough luck losses in 2025

Sometimes, the cyclical nature of public school high school sports is more powerful than any coaching or skill level can overcome.

That was the case in 2025 for the Bridgewater-Raritan baseball team, which was dominant en route to winning the state Group 4 title the year prior with a veteran group that had played together for years.

But so many key players graduated from that squad, and that – coupled with a ton of close losses and some injuries – resulted in a 7-18 campaign in last season, after going 30-3 in 2024.

Gone were big hitters like Matt Fattore, Michael Taylor and Frankie Verano, along with closer Corey Rible, who allowed just just six runs all season over four games out of a total 17 appearances, never taking a loss.

And then, there was the hard luck. The 2025 opener turned out to be a microcosm of things to come. They had their chances against Immaculata at Diamond Nation, but lost 2-1 in a 13-inning game that took over four hours. It was their first of 13 losses – out of a total of 18 – that came by three runs or less. Nine came by two or less, and five were by a single run.

It’s a fine line.

But head coach Max Newill is looking forward to the 2026 season. On the mound, he’ll get back Kellan Komline for his senior season, after throwing 41 innings last year, going 3-1 with a 0.68 earned run average.

At the plate, the Panthers will miss a JR Rosado and a Matthew Lehberger, among others, but Newill trusts there’s enough talent – with another year under their belts – to make an impact in the rough-and-tumble Skyland Conference Delaware Division.

Click below to hear Bridgewater-Raritan baseball coach Max Newill talk about the Panthers’ upcoming 2026 season:

by Mike Pavlichko

After thrilling GMC Tournament run, what can St. Joseph-Metuchen do for an encore? Plenty

You could look all the way back to the mid-80s, and the formation of the Greater Middlesex Conference, but it would be impossible to find a more thrilling run to the GMC Tournament title than St. Joseph-Metuchen had in 2025.

They were the five-seed, and won all four of their games in the tournament in their final at bat. Their lineup never faced a single pitch in the entire run while ahead in the game. And then won it on a walk-off grand slam by senior JP Zayle.

But there’s still more to do for the Falcons: win the GMC Red Division title, and win a sectional and state championship.

All those goals – plus the GMC Tournament – are on the table again for a St. Joe’s squad that will be playing its second year under veteran mentor Dennis McCaffery. He came in after spending nearly 30 years at Cranford, but there, he had elementary schools, middle schools and little league in town where he knew all the kids.

Last season was an exercise in getting to meet and learn about them all.

Now, he jumps in with a group he’s been around for more than a year.

Connor Walker is one of the top senior pitchers back – he only threw 12 innings last year – but there will be some younger arms McCaffery hopes will make an impact, whether they only got a handful of innings on varsity, pitched more on the jayvee squad, or are incoming freshmen.

With the weather in the Northeast during preseason camp, getting even a veteran staff ready to go outdoors often takes a while, sometimes a few weeks into the season.

Which leads us to the offense – which will lose guys like Zayle and Bobby Christensen, also middle infielders – but McCaffery likes having a half-dozen starters back, including left fielder Walter Christian (.333), centerfielder Kris Almanzar (.362), first-baseman Logan Ring (.300, 9 RBI), and third-baseman Owen Krulikowski (305).

Click below to hear St. Joseph-Metuchen head coach Dennis McCaffery talk about the upcoming season for the Falcons with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Ace starter Stieglitz is gone, but Ridge baseball has plenty back to be back in the thick of things again in 2026

Aidan Stieglitz is a special ballplayer. The starter dominated for Ridge last season, going 9-3 in 13 appearances with a 0.77 ERA and 99 strikeouts, and was named the Central Jersey Sports Radio Somerset County Player of the Year.

You don’t just replace a player like that.

But there are enough returnees for the Red Devils that head coach Tom Blackwell is confident his team can be right back in the thick of things this season, even if last year fell just a little bit short.

In 2025, Ridge shared the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title with Immaculata, lost to the Spartans in the Somerset County Tournament title game, and reached the North 2, Group 4 finals, where they lost to Westfield.

Oh, so close, on all three goals for the season. Just missed them.

Now is a chance to make it payoff.

The pitching staff may not exactly be starter by committee, but it might be high school baseball’s version of money ball: using a few different guys – Lucas Liston, Jake Dolan, Casey Kucerka, Dmitri Romer, Andy Yuan – all to get more innings, and maybe combine their production to get what they got last year for Stieglitz.

And hey, with pitch count limits, maybe spreading the pain among opponents will work out even better?

Ridge will enter the season with the No. 3 ranking in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten – right behind GMC Tournament champion St. Joseph-Metuchen and Immaculata … and part of the reason why is the offense.

The heaviest hitters in the lineup return, with seniors like Jake Dolan (.429, 25 RBI, 3 HR), Toby Nicholson (.296, 8 RBI) and Dan Rafanello (.417) and the junior Kucerka (.258, 15 RBI) are back, and others will move in and fill in any gaps.

No doubt all hands will need to be on deck. The Spartans aren’t going anywhere, Bridgewater-Raritan is looking at a bounceback year, Hillsborough is coming off a sectional title, and that’s just the Delaware Division.

Ridge was Somerset County’s only team to win 20 ore more games last season, but with a few more this year, they may have to slide over some of that hardware in the trophy case to make room for more.

Click below to hear Ridge baseball coach Tom Blackwell talk about the Red Devils’ upcoming 2026 season with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Defending GMC, SCT champs St. Joseph-Metuchen, Immaculata open season at No. 1, No. 2 in Bellamy & Son Paving preseason Top Ten

It’s never easy to predict how any high school team – in any sport – will do from year-to-year, what with graduation losses and unproven talent. The year before can be a guide, but who knows who a new group will respond, or if a new coach will reignite a program that struggled the year prior.

That said, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish, and last year’s teams will mainly get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the preseason Bellamy & Son Paving High School Basketball rankings.

Defending GMC Jim Muldowney Tournament Champion St. Joseph-Metuchen will begin the year at No. 1. Though the Falcons (16-7) lose a ton of pitching – more than 134 out of 161 innings pitched by Joseph Barca, Richard Zangara and Domenic Erbafina – the bats may be able to carry them until second-year veteran skipper Dennis McCaffery sees what his young pitching staff has. The Falcons won the GMCT last year as a five seed, taking all four games in their final at bat, and they never led for a single at bat in the entire run.

Last year’s Somerset County Tournament champion holds in second place, Immaculata. At 17-8, they were also Skyland Conference Delaware Division co-champions with Ridge, and they’ll bring back a good amount of pitching. While they lose Rob Sikorski to graduation, their top two pitchers in terms of innings thrown – Jackson Trego and Ryan Auten, both seniors – return.

Ridge checks in at No. 3. Going 20-7 a year ago, the Red Devils lose ace Aidan Stieglitz but have a good chunk of returnees that should keep the Red Devils right in the thick of things, a year after sharing the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title with Immaculata, and reaching both the Somerset County Tournament and NJSIAA North 2, Group 4 finals.

The only Central Jersey Sports Radio-area team to win a state title last year, Middlesex begins the year at No. 4. The Blue Jays (23-5) were a GMC Tournament final four squad, and beat Midland Park to win the NJSIAA Group 1 title, their first since 2021. They bring back all but ten of their 193 innings pitched last year, led by senior Chris Kozak and junior Dominic Long.

Checking in at No. 5 is Edison, which is overflowing with quality pitching. The GMC Tournament runner-up Eagles (17-11) have four Division 1 commits. Pitchers Robert Roma and Dom Innocenti are set with Wagner, while Connor Muprhy is going to Monmouth.

No. 6 is Colonia, which went 23-5 a season ago, falling to South Plainfield in the North 2, Group 3 sectional title game. While Seton Hall-bound Colin Kroner returns to the mound, starter Cory Pascarella is gone to graduation and now playing at Monmouth, as is Matt Fasulo (.289, 19 RBI) at Rutgers-Newark.

At No. 7 is South Plainfield, which took some big graduation losses, including the middle of the infield (Dan Kapsch at short, Nick Irizarry at second). And of four pitchers for the North 2 Group 3 champion Tigers (18-11) who threw at least 15 innings last year and pitchers Kevin Penny, Aiden McCarthy and Mike Castagna are gone, more than three quarters’ of last season’s innings pitched.

Checking in at eight is Hillsborough. The defending Central Jrsey Group 4 champs were 14-11 last season, but lose a ton, including pitchers James Drinkwater, Brayden Fox (also an outfielder) and Krish Patel, as well as hitters like Andrew Advani and catcher Alex Reiling, among others.

In ninth is Old Bridge. The Knights were 18-11 last year as well, and made the Central Jersey Group 4 finals, falling to Hillsborough. They lose two aces in Justin Hascup and John Smith, with Brady Meyer the most experienced pitcher coming back. The lineup may have fewer question marks, but head coach Matt Donaghue always has a deep roster, it’s just a matter of experience.

And checking in at ten, it’s Woodbridge. the Barrons were 18-8 last year and GMC Red Division champs. They’ll take a hit losing pitcher Ryan Leach to graduation, but Kevin Arroyo returns after throwing 63 1/2 innings a year ago, with a 1.11 ERA and 62 strikeouts.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving 2026 Baseball Preseason Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio unveils 2026 High School Baseball Broadcast Schedule featuring a dozen regular season games, plus County, State tourneys

With a dozen regular season games, plus coverage of the GMC and Somerset County Tournaments – as well as state tournament coverage to be announced at a later date – Central Jersey Sports Radio has announced its 2026 high school baseball broadcast schedule.

It all gets started next week, with our opener on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 pm between defending 2025 SCT champion Immaculata and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 winner Hillsborough. Then, after the calendar turns to April mid-week, we get state Group 1 champion Middlesex visiting Spotswood, on Thursday, April 2.

Coverage also includes two regular season games at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater – Montgomery vs Pingry on April 11, and Rutgers Prep against South Plainfield two Saturdays later – as well as the semifinals and finals of the Somerset County Tournament on April 18th and 20th, respectively.

The schedule includes three of last year’s SCT semifinalists, and all four of 2025’s GMC Tournament semifinalists, including a rematch of the title game between Edison and St. Joseph-Metuchen, and a rematch on the Invitational final between New Brunswick and East Brunswick Magnet.

Last year’s North 2, Group 3 winner South Plainfield also is on the schedule, as well as finalist Colonia.

Click here to see the full 2026 broadcast schedule.

by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA saying so long to Veterans Park for state baseball championships, heading to Rutgers, per report

As George Carlin once said, when comparing baseball and football in a legendary bit, “Baseball is played in a park. The baseball park!”

But starting this season, as first reported by P.J. Potter of NJ Advance Media, the NJSIAA is leaving the park – Veterans Park in Hamilton, specifically – and taking its state baseball championships up the Turnpike, off Exit 9, to the Livingston Campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, where Bainton Field will be the new home of the six non-public and public school title games played in June.

Bainton Field, the home of the Scarlet Knights, is in the midst of a huge renovation project this off-season. Past years brought in a turf field, flashy video board, and lights.

Original rendering of Bainton Field improvements in recent years, which saw the Rutgers baseball facility get lights for night games and a splashy video board. (Photo courtesy Rutgers Athletics)

The current project improves seating, and raises the press box from ground level – directly behind the backstop – to the top of the bleachers behind home plate, with room for media, a broadcast booth, and ancillary broadcast locations on either side, covered with a roof to protect from the elements. The new setup is expected to have seating for 1,300 fans.

Potter writes that NJSIAA Baseball Director Tony Maselli calls it “a natural fit,” adding “I think we outgrew Veterans Park, but we have nothing but positive things to say about the facility.”

It was indeed a great atmosphere. Baseball in a huge park, with people running, walking dogs, or playing other sports. Food trucks would line the parking lot, and people could roam in and out of the stands as they wished. The sightlines were great, too, with a scoreboard that included a full line score, and even a pitch count tracker.

NJSIAA officials decide whether or not to give it a go in the Group 1 state final at Veterans Park between Middlesex and Midland Park on June 14, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

But in recent years, as attendance grew, parking became an issue, even for those who had paid in advance. There have been issues with games running too late at night – and running into Hamilton Township curfews. And rain could be an issue, too, on the natural grass field, as it was for Middlesex this past year, which only got one half inning of their Group 1 final in against Midland Park on a Saturday afternoon before it had to be finished two days later up in Bergen County.

Cell service also has been a problem. It delayed some fans from entering last year when their pre-paid parking couldn’t always be digitally verified on devices that couldn’t pick up a cell signal, and it even made broadcasting from Bob DeMeo Field a challenge, with several nearly-dead cell zones.

Potter’s report says all games will be free for the public to attend, and the NJSIAA will not be selling tickets. There was no mention of whether there would be a fee for parking.

Middlesex College in Edison also is building a brand new, $70 million baseball stadium, expected to be ready this September, with plenty of time to spare, in time for the 2027 Colts’ season. It’s likely the Greater Middlesex Conference could end up playing its semifinals and finals there – since it’s a county-operated facility – but it could also be an option for the NJSIAA for future events.

But the state shouldn’t run into any conflicts with Rutgers baseball. Typically, the Big Ten Tournament is held in Omaha in late May, while the NJSIAA finals are in early June, meaning the Scarlet Knights’ home season is done almost a month earlier. But even if Rutgers advanced to the NCAA Tournament and made a deep run, the team has an indoor practice facility on campus between Bainton and Jersey Mike’s Arena, home of the basketball and wrestling teams.

by Mike Pavlichko

Happy 2026! A genie granted us three wishes. Will they come true for New Jersey high school sports this year?

Another year behind us. They seem to go faster and faster these days.

Can anyone believe that Central Jersey Sports Radio will be finishing up its sixth season of covering high school sports this June when baseball packs it in? And we started this thing in the middle (July) of the pandemic?

Pretty bold move, but then hey, there were limits on fans at football games, and basketball games didn’t see fans beyond parents until later in that shortened season. Baseball was literally a breath of fresh air, the only sport untouched in 2021 since it never got played in 2020 – except for the Last Dance tournament.

Well, as soon as the ball dropped in Times Square last night, something strange happened in the Central Jersey Sports Radio studios.

Out of a dusty old microphone case – from an ElectroVoice RE20 for any audio geeks out there, the standard FM radio microphone for decades, by the way – popped a genie. No magic lamps around here.

And while he made no promises, he did at least grant us the opportunity to make three wishes for high school sports in the upcoming season. We’re not sure how connected he is to the folks down in Robbinsville, but we thought it over and came up with three.

Turns out, we think baseball is pretty good. So we’re going to leave that one alone for now. Our three wishes are for football and basketball (and other sports, we don’t generally cover, but we’ll explain in a moment)

1. Let’s get a Shot Clock in Basketball…

The NFHS – the National Federation of State High School Associations, which makes rules in high school sports across the country – adopted the shot clock in basketball in 2021, with the implementation of the 35-second clock coming in 2022-23.

Since then, 31 states and the District of Columbia have adopted it. (See a map and story on the NFHS site here.) Of those, three states are optional (Missouri, Kentucky and Florida) while three others use it in the regular season only (Wyoming, Alabama and South Carolina).

Most of the Western States use it, everything West and North of Colorado, including Hawaii and Alaska.

In the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast, only Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont and Maine have not adopted the shot clock in any way.

Here’s our take: Idaho and South Dakota aren’t exactly hotbeds of major high school basketball talent. Not like New Jersey and New York. But the Empire State has the clock, and the Garden State does not.

A scoreboard in a gymnasium displaying the home team's name 'Trojans,' with sections for the period, team scores, and fouls.
A recently installed scoreboard at St. Thomas Aquinas in Edison – whose gym was refurbished further this year – also has a shot clock, if and when New Jersey ever adopts it. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Will it increase scoring? Maybe. Take a look at some of those 39-6 scores you see at the lower levels, and there’s probably not much that can be done about that. We’d venture to guess the team that scored six points in 32 minutes missed a lot of the shots they took.

And we understand most teams in New Jersey don’t have a Division I prospect. But many will go on to play Division II, III or even NAIA and the JUCO route, and they all have the shot clock. Wouldn’t it be better to prepare them for the college game?

Plus, we can get away from team’s holding the ball – with no defense – for a minute or more on possessions late in the game.

The NJSIAA already adopted a running clock in the second half of games, so the time is going to run down. Might as well see some action!

2. Bring back the Tournament of Champions…

Joni Mitchell was right: you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.

Following the 2021-22 season, the NJSIAA scrapped the Tournament of Champions in all sports, after a more than 30-year run that began in 1989. If we asked you a trivia question, to name the boys’ and girls’ teams to win the first one, only us old-timers might get it right.

Hoffman – now South Amboy – won the first girls’ TOC, while Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony of Jersey City won the first boys’ event. The Lady Guvs weren’t the reason the Tournament of Champions is gone now, but the Friars were, in a way.

(By the way, that first TOC? It was held at the Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands, home of the NBA’s Nets and NHL’s Devils at the time.)

One of the reasons the TOC was tossed out was that the NJSIAA said it was the same teams, every year. Out of 32 Tournaments on the boys’ side, St. Anthony won 13 of them, and St. Patrick of Elizabeth (now the Patrick School) won six. That’s two teams winning almost 60 percent of the time.

The girls’ side was often streaky, with St. John Vianney winning eight and Shabazz winning six. Vianney won a bunch in the 1990s, Shabazz more in the 2000s on. Franklin won two of three it appeared in, all in a row, taking the title in 2017 over Manasquan and 2019 over Saddle River Day, falling in 2018 to ‘Squan.

To which, we say, so what? If a program is good, let them win. Don’t people love sports dynasties? And the girls’ side was often won by public schools, in 19 of the 32 TOCs.

The other issue was allowing time for student-athletes to recover after a grueling season, and before heading on to the next. But that only lasted a couple of years.

In 2025, the last football game was played December third. Basketball teams could open up as early as December 8th, though many opened on the 13th. That’s still a span of just ten days for the teams that made the football state finals.

The winter-to-spring switch last year also was tight, and it will be again this year. In 2026, the last of the state hoops finals will end March 15th. Baseball competition may begin as early as the 16th, but for those who don’t, and start, say, a week later, still gives only eight days from the end of one season to the beginning of the next.

A basketball player wearing jersey number 20 hugs a coach in a celebratory moment surrounded by teammates in a sports setting.
The Hoffman girls’ basketball team celebrates winning the first Tournament of Champions in 1989. (Source: Newspapers.com)

As people say today, “Make it make sense.”

So, at this point, why not bring back the TOC?

We looked at the NJ.com posted rosters of the 12 teams – five on each side – that won Group Championships last year, the teams that would have qualified for the Tournament of Champions.

Of the girls, Group 3 winner Cherry Hill West and Group 1 winner New Providence were the outliers, with eight of 15 and seven of 11 roster players, respectively, playing multiple sports. Group 4 champ Hillsborough had one, Non-Public A champion Morris Catholic had none. Overall, 21 of 72 played multiple sports, and some only in the fall.

On the boys’ side, Manasquan had 12 of 15 playing multiple sports, but no one else had more than five, and the number was 25 of 91, a number likely higher due to football.

Keep in mind, not all of those multi-sport athletes are starters on both those teams, and some, like the boys’ on the Plainfield Group 4 champion squad, mostly played football in the fall. Few also played baseball, probably one of the toughest sports to get “game ready” for on a short turnaround.

Lacrosse coaches got together and got the NJSIAA to allow them to run their own TOC, although it’s not recognized by the NJSIAA. If they can do it, why can’t basketball?

3. Bring Back “true” Sectional Champions in Football

Ever since football adopted the state championship playoff format in football in 2022, we’ve bemoaned the fact that “sectional” champions are no longer champions from a certain geographic section.

Yeah, we know, we harped on that a lot this season, but when two teams from deep South Jersey are split up, like they were in Group 5 this year, allowing Kingsway to with the South Jersey Group 5 title and Washington Twp. – which is South of Philadelphia – to win the “Central Jersey” Group 5 championship, there’s something wrong with this picture.

In fact, adding state champions only makes it more important, in our mind, to go back to having predetermined geographical sections, rather than the top 16 teams in the North and South divided up by whatever the NJSIAA – led by the coaches and ADs on its Executive Committee – decide they want that year.

First, teams were broken up after the fact by geography. Then the sections were “snaked” by seed to ensure equal strength in both brackets. This year, the top two teams North and South were the seeds in each section, then the rest were split geographically and seeded in order of finish wherever they landed, ostensibly to cut down on travel.

What will next year bring?

There’s a push to go back to snaking, while some even want the best 32 statewide, then broken up after the fact. The NJFCA – New Jersey Football Coaches Association – asked its members their opinion in a survey, whose results have not yet been made public, but they say will be shared and considered by the NJSIAA.

But what makes football different than just about every other team sport in New Jersey? (Wrestling is, understandably, a different beast altogether.)

Absolutely nothing.

A group of high school football players in black and yellow uniforms pose for a photo, celebrating their victory with a trophy. In the background, a sunny sky and football field lights are visible.
North Hunterdon (left) and Edison both won sectional championships in 2022 which will never be forgotten, even with expanded playoffs going all the way to Group Champions. Do these kids look like sectional championships don’t matter to them? (Submitted photos)

And in any high school sport, anywhere in the nation, high school sports is inherently local. Does anyone in Middlesex County care about 90 percent of the Bergen County teams? Are they driving up there to see a Dumont and Fort Lee basketball game in early January?

Only if they have a niece, nephew, or grandchild playing.

By the way, it should be noted, the NJFCA honors excellence in high school football with its Super 100 list every year. Coaches nominate players, and the finalists are picked. There are 25 players – public and private together – recognized in each of four sections: North 1, North 2, Central and South.

Why not just do the best 100 overall? Well, that might shut out some whole counties or regions in the state.

So why are we even entertaining the thought when it comes to the football playoffs?

Of those coaches who voted several years ago to allow state championships in football, many wanted it, while others saw the writing on the wall, and didn’t want to prevent it from happening, but some feared less importance would be placed on winning a sectional title.

It’s not that way in any other sport, although it’s starting in football. But it’s not because of the new “state championships” – after all, every other sport had them (and some even had the Tournament of Champions beyond that).

It’s because crowning a South Jersey team a Central Jersey champion is just ludicrous.

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s New Year’s Eve, and it’s time for the 2nd Annual Central Jersey Sports Radio 2025 Tournament of Champions!

It’s the last day of 2025, so why not listen back to some of the top title games we covered live here at Central Jersey Sports Radio in the year gone by?

We put it to a vote by the fans on the 13 championship games we aired in 2025, and narrowed it down to the top five vote-getters. Now, we’re going to rerun those broadcasts, starting with No. 5 at noon, then right up to No. 1, ending just before midnight!

by Mike Pavlichko

VOTE! Back for a second year, it’s the Central Jersey Sports Radio Tournament of Champions; You choose your favorite, and we’ll count down the Top 5 title games of 2025 on New Year’s Eve!

With New Jersey no longer holding the Tournament of Champions – which the NJSIAA did away with for the 2022-23 season – we still miss it. And you probably do, too.

Well, we’re bringing it back. Again.

For the second year in a row, we’re holding our own Tournament of Champions. We’re letting you, the fans, vote in our Tournament of Champions poll.

That’s right, you get to pick your favorite from the 13 championship games we broadcast live this season! (These are only games we broadcast and that were won by a team from the CJSR coverage area.) We’ll announce the winners on Wednesday, December 30th, then air the top five in order, back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back on New Year’s Even.

You can vote now through Tuesday, December 30th at noon!

Vote as often as you like – now through noon on Tuesday, December 30th! Just click on the game or games you want to hear below!

Here are the 2025 Championships to choose from!
Click the links to read the game stories, then scroll down to vote!

BASKETBALL

BASEBALL

FOOTBALL

  • NJSIAA North 2, Group 4 Final: Phillipsburg wins its second straight North 2, Group 4 title, beating Montgomery 41-21 to take its tenth NJSIAA sectional title in program history.
2025 CJSR Tournament of Champions

Sorry, voting is closed.

We’ll announce the top 5 championship games later today, and they will air tomorrow – New Year’s Eve – on Central Jersey Sports Radio!

christmas gifts under the christmas tree
by Mike Pavlichko

It’s Black Friday, so here’s our Wish List for High School sports in 2026 and beyond

We’re not greedy.  This isn’t a long list. 

Granted they might be some big ticket items, but that’s why we’re keeping this list short.

Still, as much as we love high school sports, there’s always room for change.

Many of you will be headed out to the malls today.  Some of you probably already have been and are headed home, shopping bags in hand.  You might even be headed back out after lunch for Round Two.

But here are a fewal things we’d like to throw in the proverbial cart for 2026, and even the 2026-27 school year, in chronological order.

Shot Clock in Basketball…

The NJSIAA this fall made it official, instituting a running clock in high school basketball.  A few leagues had already done it, with the Skyland Conference adopting it two seasons ago, and the Greater Middlesex Conference adopting it for this year, but now all that has been trumped by the state’s version.

Similar to what has been used for years in high school football, a running clock will automatically kick in during any game where the margin is 35 points or more in the second half, only to return to normal if the game goes to overtime.

The clock would only stop for time outs, technical fouls, injuries, or when requested by the officials, such as a scorebook discrepancy.

A shot clock at that point might seem counterintuitive, as it would encourage more shooting, and could lead to more scoring and even bigger blowouts.

But one of the complaints about the mercy rule clock is less time for development of players.  We think a shot clock will at least help that by discouraging teams from standing around just to run the clock down.  Rather, it would force the play to some degree, and encourage teams to run specific sets or plays.

And, it could keep the games entertaining for fans, who came out hoping to see a game, but might instead see the contest over so fast they might miss it if they blinked.

But it would be even more valuable in games that don’t have a running clock, which would be the majority of games.

No one likes watching a team up by ten kill time by holding onto the ball.  Consider than even in football, when a team “eats the clock” by taking their time and keeping the ball on the ground, running it up the gut, there’s still a play clock.  Imagine if there wasn’t?

According to the NFHS, which makes rules for high school sports – some of which are optional for states to adopt, like the basketball shot clock – 32 of 50 states use some form of a shot clock.

It’s time for New Jersey to become the 33rd.

Professional Baseball Championship Venues…

Very few high school sports have the ability to hold championships at professional stadiums.  After all, there is no “professional” track and field in New Jersey, no bowling arena per se.

High school football, of course, has Rutgers (college) and MetLife (home of the NFL’s Jets and Giants), while basketball plays the state finals all at Rutgers now, ditching Toms River North (nice arena) in the name of equality for the boys and girls (we agree).  And ice hockey’s state finals are at the Prudential Center in Newark, home of the NHL’s Devils.

Know what other sport Jersey has plenty of professional venues for?  Baseball!

Mercer County’s Veterans Park and Bob DeMeo Field is a picturesque setting, we’ll grant you.  But parking is limited.  Internet – especially for media – is spotty.  (Electronic parking ticket takers even had issue last season.) 

What’s more, if it rains, the fields are often unplayable for at least 24 hours.  A quick, half-hour deluge suspended the Non-Public A final two seasons ago and postponed the B final between St. Thomas Aquinas and Gloucester Catholic, which was decided just as the STA bus pulled into the lot, a wasted trip.  Then there’s the issue of the late night curfew, which reared it’s head last season

Admittedly, the NJSIAA likely either gets to use the park for free (the association is headquartered in Mercer County, in nearby Robbinsville) or a reduced rate, and it’s convenient for staff either coming from their offices or who live close to work, but there are so many minor league parks in the state.

Imagine if they rotated each year:  once at Yogi Berra Stadium in Montclair, the next year at TD Bank Park in Somerset, then at the Trenton Thunder ballpark on the waterfront.  All three are beautiful, capable facilities – with full infield tarps, by the way – with plenty of parking, cell service, scoreboards with video, and food options for fans.  There are locker rooms in which to get ready.

Sure, there’s the cost, but keep in mind many high school teams rent these facilities for individual games.  TD Bank hosts dozens of high school games every year.  If Manville and Montgomery can afford a single game at the home of the AA Yankee-affiliated Somerset Patriots can’t the NJSIAA afford a few?

And how cool would a team photo look with an NJSIAA trophy and Sparkee the mascot?

Scheduling could be tricky, but with three to choose from – not to mention the new Middlesex College facility being built in Edison, which will be a bit smaller but also have a full press box and be shared with Rutgers, allowing for Big Ten Network broadcasts – this could work out well.

Replay in Football…

Granted, this has been tried before, and it failed, as officials literally blew two replay calls in one playoff season before the NJSIAA ended it, but we think it’s time for a “review.”

The technology has gotten better.  Nearly everyone has a video replay system.  State finals will have multiple angles on the game broadcasts by NJ.com at both Rutgers and MetLife Stadiums this weekend.  They even show plays on the video board in the stadiums.

So why can’t we get video replay right?

Study what went wrong, figure out how to fix it, and maybe even have someone in the booth there whose some job it is to conduct a review.

Times have changed.  Everyone has a cell phone now, there’s a lot of media taking video, and when the common person can tell a call was wrong by calling it up on YouTube, but the officials have no recourse to overrule, we’re doing the game a disservice.

Remember the Camden-Manasquan basketball fiasco two years ago?  Know what the NJSIAA did in response?  They paid themselves to have backboard lights installed at each of the high school venues that host neutral site state tournament rounds, whether it’s the Non-Public sectional finals or the Public state semifinals.  And, of course, Rutgers has those lights for the state finals.

A problem occurred, and the NJSIAA made the perfect call in doing something about it.

For football, let’s start with the state finals, and hopefully work out way back to other rounds, and maybe the regular season.  That part may be the most difficult of the bunch, but at least for the finals, we owe that much to teams that are playing longer than anyone else, and for the biggest trophy the NJSIAA hands out.