Tag: HS Football

by Mike Pavlichko

Proving it was no hype, just reality, Brody Nugent of Old Bridge delivers for Knights, wins CJSR Offensive Player of the Year Award

Before the season even started, before Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan, the ex-East Brunswick coach raved about Brody Nugent. He was a big fan, and predicted big things from the Old Bridge senior.

He delivered on every one of them.

Historic high school football stats are hard to come by in New Jersey. Around 2010 is the last year one can find somewhat reliable stats publicly available. And in all that time, it appears no one has done what Brody Nugent did this year.

That’s not counting the intangibles, of course: leadership, grit, toughness.

But numbers-wise? No Middlesex County quarterback has thrown for over 2,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 in the same season. There have been some really good ones, but typically they are either big passers or big runners. But not both.

Nugent certainly is both. In the passing game, he went for 2,276 yards and 19 touchdowns. On the ground, he ran for 1,262 yards and 20 more touchdowns.

That makes him responsible for 3,538 yards and 39 touchdowns leading an offense that helped take the Knights to the precipice, where they fell to eventual Group 5 champion Washington Twp. in the “Central Jersey” Group 5 title game.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel with Old Bridge QB Brody Nugent, the 2025 Central Jersey Sports Radio Offensive Player of the Year:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Dylan Chiera, Colonia: One of three Middlesex County quarterbacks to pass for over 2,000 yards this season, the senior led the Big Central with 2,436 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, helping the Patriots reach the North 2, Group 4 semifinals, where they fell to eventual champion Phillipsburg.
  • Jack Kristjanson, Montgomery: One of the senior captains on a team that made history, qualifying for its first-ever sectional finals a year after going just 1-9. “Confident and calm under pressure,” says first-year head coach Sean Carty, Kristjanson threw for 1,846 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.
  • Devin Thomas, Plainfield: One of four Big Central QBs to throw for 2,000-plus yards this year, it was even more impressive since he hadn’t played football since his freshman year at St. Thomas Aquinas. A member of the state Group 4 champion Cardinals’ basketball team last season, Thomas came back in the fall and threw for 2,214 yards and 29 TDs, while also rushing for 474 yards and five more scores.
  • Andrew Avent, Rahway: The CJSR Three-Way Player of the Year literally does it all for Rahway. But at runningback was where he did his best work in four years as a varsity starter. He finished with over 4,000 career yards and 77 touchdowns, getting 1,961 this season. He holds the career and single-season rushing and scoring records, and is – in a word – dominant.
  • Shaun Jackson, Sayreville: The senior runningback carried for 1,977 yards this season and 30 total touchdowns, while also logging 342 receiving yards. He was a big reason the Bombers improved from 4-6 last season to 9-2 this year, their only two losses coming to two sectional finalists: Montgomery in the regular season, and Old Bridge in the CJ5 semifinals.
  • Justin Scaramuzzo, St. Joseph-Metuchen: The senior ran the offense with aplomb, throwing for 1,212 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just one interception. The numbers aren’t flashy, but mistakes were rare, indeed, especially in a tight 0-0 game at the half in October that wound up being a 21-0 win over Phillipsburg in Metuchen, the Stateliners’ only regular season loss before the playoffs. Scaramuzzo also carried the ball 100 times for 580 yards and 12 more touchdowns.
  • Zymere Weaver, St. Thomas Aquinas: He also threw for over 2,000 yards this year, going for 2,236 and 24 touchdowns through the air, while also rushing for five scores.
  • Joshua Allen, Woodbridge: The senior runningback finished two carries shy of 200 and ran for 1,549 yards – 7.9 per carry – and 20 touchdowns, with a long run of 89 that was nominated for Big Central Highlight Reel Play of the Year.

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg’s disruptive Aedan Hywel is the Central Jersey Sports Radio Defensive Player of the Year for 2025

With a reputation for being one of the Big Central Conference’s most physical football teams, having someone who’s a ball-hawk all over the field is a nice touch.

More than that, senior Aedan Hywel is not just a ball-hawk, he’s a quarterback hawk.

He is a major reason the Phillipsburg Stateliners shut out two teams, held two more to single digits, and – through the North 2 Group 4 championship game, were holding teams to an average of just 12.4 points per game, despite playing in perhaps the most challenging division in the league, top to bottom.

And a big reason why they’re state sectional champs for the second year in a row.

It’s hard to argue with the numbers.

Hywel had 27 tackles for loss and a monster 17 1/2 sacks, along with 68 tackles, and 59 of them all by himself.

Beyond the numbers, he’s a player you have to account for, forcing opposing offenses to play defense.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Defensive Player of the Year Adena Hywel of Phillipsburg:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Jamelle Jones, Bridgewater-Raritan: Just a sophomore, he’ll remain a key for the Panther program is they look to build off their 2025 North 2, Group 5 title, the first sectional crown in program history. Jones had just 38 tackles, 20 solo, but made an impact with eight sacks and 12 TFLs. He also had a critical scoop-and-score for 35 yards in the third quarter of the final against Bayonne.  Down 7-0 at the half, that tied the game at seven, and Bridgewater would score two of the next three TDs for a 21-14 win over the Bees.
  • Julien Jones, Colonia: The middle linebacker recorded a whopping 162 tackles – a busy man – with 104 of them solo. He also had eight sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and a 75-yard pick-six against Cranford in a 40-15 win on October 17th.
  • Michael Wellett III, St. Joseph-Metuchen: A senior who transferred in from Seton Hall Prep, and sat out the early season due to transfer rules, he recorded 41 tackles in just six games, 15 solo, with five sacks and eight TFLs, as well as a fumble recovery. Hr signed his NLI with the University of Rochester last week.
  • Anwar Witherspoon, St. Thomas Aquinas: With 115 tackles, eight TFLs, 1 1/2 sacks, two forced fumbles and a recover, first-year head coach Shamir Bearfield calls him “a menace” on defense. The linebacker just signed his National Letter of Intent last week with Buffalo.
  • Anthony Trujillo, Summit: Named first-team All-Big Central in their division, the senior defensive tackle had 60-plus tackles, 14 TFLs and nine sacks. HEad coach kevin Kostibos says he “singlehandedly” shut down the inside run game, and was the “main reason” they made the North 2, Group 3 title game.
  • Matt Seward, Westfield: The linebacker was “all over the field” this year, accoridng to head coach Matt Andzel, with 83 tackles, seven TFLs, five sacks and four forced fumbles, three of which recovered. His stat line continues with three blocked kicks, a pick and a safety. But more impressive? The kid is just a tenth grader!
by Mike Pavlichko

In split award, South Plainfield’s Dominic Massaro is CJSR Special Teams Returner of the Year, while Cooper Smoragiewicz of Summit’s clutch boots win him Kicker of the Year

Sometimes, we just can’t decide.

Here we were, four members of the Central Jersey Sports Radio staff, gathered at a local watering hole to determine all our Player of the Year honorees, and we had an easier time picking appetizers.

Then again, maybe that should have been a sign: We eventually settled on three of them.

For the 2025 CJSR Special Teams award, we hemmed and hawed, then just decided to heck with it. We’ll split it up and have a Special Teams Returner of the Year and a Special Teams Kicker of the Year.

Those awards go to South Plainfield’s Dominic Massaro and Summit’s Cooper Smoragiewicz, respectively.

Returner of the Year – Dominic Massaro, South Plainfield:

The biggest compliment an opponent can give to a returner is to not kick the ball to him.

And South Plainfield’s Dominic Massaro – Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Special Teams Returner of the Year for 2025 – was complimented a lot this fall.

When the ball did find Massaro on special teams, he was a game-breaker (and on one occasion, a game-winner). He returned three punts for touchdowns this season – including the only one in a Week Zero win over East Brunswick. Even when he didn’t score, he set up great field position, averaging nearly 45 yards per return.

Dominic Massaro is about as South Plainfield of an athlete as they come, a tough-nosed kid who plays multiple sports at the only level he knows how: turned all the way up to eleven.

Noted for his grind-it-out rushing style, in a three-year varsity career, he’s rushed for over 3,000 yards, a thousand each of the past two seasons and just 25 yards shy – with 975 – his sophomore year.

On special teams, he had two kick returns for touchdowns in 2023, and another in 2024, and this year had three punt returns for scores, including an 85-yarder in Week Zero against East Brunswick that turned out to be the game-winner in a 9-7 road victory on August 28th.

What helped him most in that regard? Playing baseball. His comfort tracking down fly balls in the outfield helps him get to the right spot on special teams, and once the ball is in his hands, his running back instincts take over. 

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Justin Sontupe speak with Dominic Massaro, our Special Teams Returner of the Year:

Kicker of the Year – Cooper Smoragiewicz, Summit

Last year, the Special Teams Player of the Year was Alexie Moriera of Phillipsburg, who kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired to give the Stateliners the North 2, Group 4 title.

This year, Summit’s Cooper Smoragiewicz won not one, but two playoff games with “walk-off” kicks. The first came in the opening round of the playoffs, a chip-shot from 19-yards out to beat Warren Hills, 24-21. The second came in the North 2, Group 3 semifinals from 34-yards out against West Essex, to send the Hilltoppers to the sectional finals with a 31-28 win.

In a season where six of Summit’s nine wins came by just three points – including those two playoff victories – Smoragiewicz was 24-of-24 on PATs.

Oh, and he’s just a sophomore, so there will be plenty more of his story to be written by the time he finished his senior season in 2027!

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel speak with Cooper Smoragiewicz, our Special Teams Kicker of the Year:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Thomas Diemar, Bernards: Though he didn’t play a full season due to a bad-luck, non-contact ACL injury in Game Three, Deimar – a nationally-ranked long-snapper, continued to do it for two more weeks after is injury! Head coach Jon Simoneau says he had a perfect career: never one bad snap!
  • Jaret Quesada, Manville: He led the Big Central Conference in PATs made this season, connecting on 54 of 59, and at one point connected on 17 straight. He had four touchbacks, and only attempted one field goal this year, connecting from 23 yards out in a Week Three, 31-0 home win over Belvidere.
  • Mike Bellamy, Montgomery: Ranked the No. 2 long snapper in New Jersey, the kid does it all, playing offensive line as well as fullback, where he scored four designed touchdowns this year – not just falling on a fumble by his own team in the end zone.
  • Gavin Pereira, Spotswood: After going 27-of-28 last year, the senior was 20-for-22 on extra points in 2025. He also hit on three of four field goal attempts, with a long of 38, while also getting four kickoff touchbacks. His coach Chris Meagher says he gets great placement on those that don’t sail out the back of the end zone.
  • Quaron Robinson, Union: Helping the Farmers win the field position battle, he averaged 35 yards per punt this year, many landing inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
by Mike Pavlichko

Back again this year, Rahway’s Andrew Avent claims CJSR Three-Way Player of the Year in 2025

As many who have followed Central Jersey Sports Radio over the years know, beyond the typical Player of the Year winners, we often choose “specialty” awards, or put another way, find ways for more players than just a handful to be recognized.

Over 50 Big Central student-athletes are being noted this year alone, whether they be the Player of the Year in a particular category, win a specialty award, or are Honorable Mentions in any of several categories.

One of the awards we give every year is the Two-Way Player of the Year, for the Big Central football player who excels on both sides of the football.

Not every day does someone excel in all three phases, but when they do, we’re right there to make sure people know.

So, after a year’s hiatus, Andrew Avent of Rahway is the Central Jersey Sports Radio Three-Way Player of the Year.

On offense, with 1,961 yards rushing, he set several records: a personal best, the Rahway single-season record, and the Indians’ career rushing mark. HE also holds the career scoring record, and has the school’s all-time touchdown record, with 77 across offense, defense and special teams.

He was also the Higgins Speed Lab “Speedster of the Week,” with the most ranking points out of each week’s top ten rushers in the Big Central Conference.

He’s also moved from linebacker to defense end this year, where he grabbed 10 1/2 sacks and 21 1/2 TFLs, along with 56 1/2 tackles, and 43 1/2 solo.

And in the third phase, he’s a solid punter, averaging nearly 24 yards per boot, with five of his 20 landing inside the opponent 20. He even had a par of two-point runs.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with CJSR’s Three-Way Player of the Year, Andrew Avent of Rahway:

by Mike Pavlichko

A winner whichever side of the ball he’s on, Logan Stevens of Bernards is CJSR’s 2025 Two-Way Player of the Year

There are the offensive numbers, and the defensive numbers.

Then, there are the intangibles.

Logan Stevens has all of them.

He’s the Central Jersey Sports Radio Two-Way Player of the Year, getting it done all over the field.

It was another outstanding year for Stevens, who ran it 125 times for 1,100 yards even and 14 touchdowns, including five multiple touchdown games, one of which came in the playoffs. He also had four catches for 112 yards and a score.

On the defensive side, from the secondary he made 44 tackles, 18 solo, and also had one TFL and a forced fumble. He had three interceptions, and blocked two kicks.

And the intangibles? All that led to him being a two-year captain, the only non-QB to do so in program history.

And while this honor is for 2025, he’s been a big reason why most of the crop of seniors who will don Bernards’ red this June never lost a single regular season game. They have won 34 straight non-playoff games, the longest active streak in New Jersey heading into 2026, their last loss coming in Game 2 of the 2022 season, when most were not playing as freshmen.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with CJSR’s Two-Way Player of the Year, Logan Stevens of Bernards:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Matt Resende, Brearley: At running back, the Bears’ senior carried 180 times for 1,284 yards and ten touchdowns, averaging 128 yards a game. On the defensive side, he logged 83 tackles, three forced fumbles, six TFLs, 1 1/2 sacks, and a pick. A team captain, first-year head coach Elliot Platt says he was the biggest factor in the team’s success this year; coming off a winless season, Brearley went 5-5 this year.
  • Grant Lorentzen, JFK: En Elite QB trainee with coach Matt Bastardi, Lorentzen led the state through ten games with 1,198 receiving yards, and it’s believed his 22 receiving touchdowns ties the single-season New Jersey record set in 1992 by Dion Bernardini of Florence.
  • Jack Fitzgerald, New Providence: At wide receiver, the senior had 12 catches for 172 yards and two scores before he was forced to move to running back when senior A.J. Whitehead went down. No matter. He carried an average of 14 times a game over the Pioneers’ last five contests, finishing with nearly 600 yards, and he was a big reason why New Providence made the sectional finals in North 2, Group 1 for he second straight year. On defense, in the secondary, he had 60 tackles, 45 solo, nine sacks, and 11 TFLs, along with a safety and a blocked kick.
  • Anthony Cianfrocca, Roselle Park: As part of an offense that rushed for over 2,500 yards this season – how did they not make the playoffs? – Cianfrocca rushed for 735 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the senior linebacker had 64 tackles, 22 solo, six sacks, and two forced fumbles, with one recovery. That unit also allowed just 16 points per game.
  • Jhonny Collado, Woodbridge: The kid never came off the field for second-year head coach Joe Goerge, even playing on special teams. A two-way lineman, he led an offensive unit that rushed for 2,379 yards, averaging 6.4 per trip, and scored 31 touchdowns. Defensively, he was six shy of 100 tackles on the year, with 33 solo, three sacks, 14 TFLs and a pair of forced fumbles.

by Mike Pavlichko

Bridgewater-Raritan’s D.J. Catalano led Panthers to first title, is named 2025 Central Jersey Sports Radio Coach of the Year

Being Coach of the Year isn’t just about having the best team or the most skilled players.

Well, you probably have to have most of them, or you’re not playing for championships any time soon.

But often, it’s about something extra: overcoming some adversity, or simply making a key decision or two, more than the next guy. Sometimes, it’s Xs and Os, sometimes it’s something most don’t see. Sometimes it’s just a steady, guiding hand.

That’s the case for Central Jersey Sports Radio’s 2025 Coach of the Year: D.J. Catalano of Bridgewater-Raritan.

Catalano has been the head man in Bridgewater for just a few seasons, spending a year there under Rick Mantz in 2022 before taking over in 2023. It’s been a steady progression since then, from 3-7 to 4-7 to a 9-4 campaign this year, and the North 2, Group 5 championship.

The Panthers won their first four games this year, something they had not done since 2016, when they finished 11-1, losing in the finals to Westfield (for the second time in what two years, with a third to come in 2017). But then, potential tragedy struck.

Quarterback Declan Kurdyla went down in the Hunterdon Central game, and it looked serious. Ultimately, he missed two games, and came back two weeks later for a 30-18 loss at Hillsborough. At the cutoff, they were 6-3, finishing 1-3 in the division, and having dropped three of their last five games.

But with a top-seed in the state tournament, what better time for a playoff run?

And that’s just what they did, Catalano keeping the group laser-focused on the task at hand. They cruised past Linden, 35-6, in the opening round. They were masterful against Union City, a team many didn’t give them a shot against considering their high-powered offense averaging just under 40 points per game.

And, down 7-0 at halftime, they came back to beat Bayonne, 21-14, in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 title game, claiming the program’s first-ever NJSIAA hardware.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas talk with Bridgewater-Raritan head coach D.J. Catalano, our 2025 Coach of the Year:

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio announces football “Specialty Awards” for 2025

Our goal at Central Jersey Sports Radio since our founding in 2020 has always been to bring attention to all the great things done by the many outstanding student-athletes in our area, both on and off the field.

Even with Honorable Mentions in each category, just having one each of Offensive, Defensive Special Teams and Two-Way Player of the Year isn’t quite enough to cover the massive 59-team Big Central Conference.

So, in our quest to honor as many great student-athletes as possible, here are our 2024 Central Jersey Sports Radio Specialty Awards:

“Hard Nosed Runner” Award: Sam Dech, Phillipsburg

Last year, it was Jett Genovese and Matthew Scerbo, Jr., receiving the “Dynamic Duo” award. This season, it’s another Phillipsburg football player with a specialty award.

Sam Dech seems to define Phillipsburg football. They all say they live by D.I.G. – Discipline, Ignore the Noise, Grit – but for Dech it’s however much more that can be possible.

Even in a postgame interview, he’ll tell you “that’s what we wanted to do and we just came out and did it.”

A high school football game scene showing a player in a dark uniform attempting to evade two defenders in light uniforms, with spectators in the background.
Phillipsburg’s Sam Dech looks to make a move in the Group 4 title game against Winslow Twp. at Rutgers on December 4, 2024. (Photo: Christian Sanchez)

Well, they don’t get there without Dech, who is a bruising runner who’s nearly impossible to bring down. Okay, not impossible, but be assured that if you hit him at the ten yard line, he’s going to bring you at least another five yards toward the end zone by the time he’s down.

That was invaluable on a 2025 team that lost Genovese and Scerbo – the second of whom was the school’s all-time leading receiver – as well as fellow receiver Felix Matos to graduation.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Phillipsburg’s Sam Dech:

The “Great Hands” Award: R.J. Wortman, Colonia

Good Hands was already taken, but Wortman is more than good hands. He’s great hands.

Colonia always seems to be a place where things happen without a lot of fan fare. But one day, you turn around, and Tom Roarty has his team in a sectional semifinal game in one of the hallowed grounds of high school football in New Jersey, Maloney Stadium.

The same could be said for R.J. Wortman, who heading into that North 2, Group 4 semi against Phillipsburg, was nearing 100 receptions on the year, and finished with a cool 101. The next highest wasn’t even that close.

A student-athlete signs a commitment in front of a table adorned with football gear, including jerseys, a football, and helmets, with a coach standing nearby, all set against a backdrop displaying 'Colonia Patriots'.
Colonia’s R.J. Wortman signed with Rutgers on 2025 December National Letter of Intent Signing Day. (Photo courtesy Tom Roarty)

They weren’t all long passes from senior QB Dylan Chiera, who threw for over 2,000 yards this season, one of three Middlesex County quarterbacks to do so in 2025. There were a few dinks and dunks in there, but it kept defenses on their toes, that’s for sure, with so many different ways to use him.

Couple that with the fact Wortman is a great teammate. No sooner did he commit to Greg Schiano and Rutgers – where he signed last week and will enroll early in January, skipping his senior season on the basketball court – but he was already active on Twitter, propping up all of his teammates, trying to make sure college coaches take a look at them just like they did with him.

Overall, Wortman finished with 101 catches for 1,307 yards (118.8 per game) with 15 touchdowns for the 7-4 Patriots.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Colonia’s R.J. Wortman:

“Is He A Lineman? Is He a Fullback” Award: Mike Bellamy, Montgomery

Senior Mike Bellamy has football in the family. His father, Joe – owner of Bellamy & Son Paving – played it, and has coached it for years at the youth level in their previous hometown of Piscataway. His brothers Joe and Rocco played for the Chiefs, with Joe on that 2018 team that won the North Jersey Group 5 Bowl Championship, beating Ridgewood at MetLife Stadium to become the first Middlesex County school to go 13-0 in a season, setting a county win record that still holds.

So, it was clear Mike would play football.

A football player wearing a yellow and green helmet with the word 'Cougars' on his jersey, stands on the sidelines, looking thoughtful during a game.
Mike Bellamy of Montgomery. (Source: @MikeBellamy50 on Twitter)

He’s an accomplished long-snapper, and has been a solid two-way lineman for a few seasons now. But this year, a new wrinkle was added: he would run the football.

Bellamy’s is not the story of an offensive lineman who fell on a couple of luckily-timed fumbles in the end zone to give his offense a score. No, no. This was all by design.

In fact, Bellamy carried eleven times this season for 38 yards, scoring four touchdowns, one each against Linden and Woodbridge in the regular season, then against Westfield and the Barrons again in the playoffs.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Mike Bellamy of Montgomery:

“I’m Back” Award: Devin Thomas, Plainfield

The last time we saw Devin Thomas the football player, he was quarterbacking the junior varsity at St. Thomas Aquinas, where Donald Jones, now Plainfield’s head coach, was an assistant.

Thomas transferred to Plainfield as a sophomore to represent his hometown, then gave up football to focus on basketball as a junior. It seemed a pretty good decision; Thomas scored in double-figures 12 times, helping lead the Cardinals to a Group 4 championship last March.

A football player wearing a red and white jersey with the number 11, standing on the field and signaling to teammates. The player is wearing a helmet and appears to be in an active game situation.
Devin Thomas of Plainfield. (Source: @DevinThomas8_ on Twitter)

When Jones took over as Plainfield head coach last spring, he gauged Thomas’s interest in coming back to the gridiron.

“Why not?”

Six months later, everyone agrees it paid off.

Thomas threw for 2,214 yards and 29 touchdowns. He ran for another 482 yards and 4 scores. Week-in and week-out, Thomas put up video game numbers under center for Plainfield.

He put an exclamation point on his stellar season with a 296-yard, 4-touchdown masterpiece in Plainfield’s final regular season game – a 28-27 come-from-behind win at Linden that clinched the Cardinals’ spot in the North 2, Group 5 playoffs.

Click below to hear Justin Sontupe talk with Devin Thomas of Plainfield:

“Comeback” Award: Jack Kalikas, A.L. Johnson

A.L. Johnson standout athlete Jack Kalikas broke his leg in October 2024. Faced with the same situation, some might wonder if they’d ever play at a high level again.

Not Jack; he wondered if he’d be able to return to play hockey that season.

While that goal proved to be a bit out of reach, it kept him going. 

A quarterback in a blue football uniform throws a pass while a teammate in a similar uniform looks on during a game at night.
Jack Kalikas of A.L. Johnson throws a pass in this undated photo. (Source: @jackkalikas on Instagram)

Jack then set his sights on returning for lacrosse in the spring. And although he couldn’t fully come back in time, the determination accelerated the recovery process.

By summer, Jack was full go and back on the football field for A.L. Johnson. On top of that, he’d be playing for his dad, Gus Kalikas, A.L. Johnson’s athletic director-turned-head coach. 

Almost one full year after breaking his leg, Jack led A.L. Johnson to a 7-2 record, playing quarterback and linebacker for the Crusaders.

Next up: hockey and lacrosse.

Click below to hear Justin Sontupe talk with Jack Kalikas of A.L. Johnson:

“Body Builder” Award: Brady Gallogly, Piscataway

Originally nominated for the Longevity Award, this one really fit him more.

Brady had always played wide receiver, but an opportunity came up where Piscataway needed a center. Ever the eager freshman, he made the suggestion.

A football player prepares to snap the ball on a field during a night game, with teammates and opponents in the background.
Brady Gallogly, Piscataway. (Source: Hudl)

Now, he wasn’t quite dealing with a coach who barely knew him, because his father, Frank Uhrin, is the team’s offensive coordinator. He played at Piscataway, too, as did Brady’s uncle, Robert, who also was a smaller-sized lineman on the 2002 Central Jersey Group 4 championship team, the last to be coached by legend Joe Kuronyi. His uncle, Tommy “Guns” Uhrin, was a skill player for the Chiefs in the 1990s.

But beyond all that, Gallogly had work to do. He only weight 160 pounds at the time, but with weight lifting, diet, and a training regimen, he got where he needed to be and became adept at making all the movements offensive linemen need to make.

Click below to hear Chris Tsakonas talk with Piscataway’s Brady Gallogly:

The “Tough Break for a Record-Breaker” Award: Thomas Diemar, Bernards

Coming into Game Three of the 2026 season, with at least a half-dozen games to go, you’d figure, senior Thomas Diemarr should have blown away the school’s all-time career sack record.

He already had it, with 22: ten each his sophomore and junior seasons, and two already in the first two games. This was his chance to make it nearly untouchable.

Then, in the first quarter, he plants funny in the end zone on a kickoff, with no one around him.

Young male athlete with curly hair standing outdoors, wearing a black athletic shirt, in front of a sports field and a building.
Bernards’ all-time sack record holder, Thomas Diemar. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

He sorely wanted back in the game, which turned out to be a win over Delaware Valley.

As it turned out, he tore his ACL, and his senior season would be done.

Diemar was a bit surprised when head coach Jon Simoneau picked him for first team All-Patriot Gold Division. But he shouldn’t have been. He deserved it, or he would have had he played.

Coach decided to honor a young man who, himself, has honored and respected the program Simoneau has built. That’s why he got the recognition, and that’s why he gets ours!

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Thomas Diemar of Bernards:

The “Sure, I’ll Play Quarterback” Award: Alex Schwark, Summit
The “Best Player Not To Play A Snap” Award: Cole Sabol, Summit

These two awards go hand-in-hand, if you’ll just follow along.

Cole is a multi-sport athlete, and he tore his Achilles last spring in lacrosse, on the very first day of the season. After getting evaluated, he found out he’d also miss football season. That’s when Alex Schwark took the job, having never played it before.

And he did well. In fact, when he got hurt later in the year, the Hilltoppers dropped those two games, then continued winning when he was back in the lineup, three weeks later in a 10-7 win upset at previously-unbeaten Woodbridge.

A split image featuring two high school football players. On the left, a quarterback in a light blue uniform holds a football and appears ready to pass on a field. On the right, another player in a maroon and gold uniform stands next to a coach on the sidelines, looking down at the ground.
Summit’s Cole Sabol (left) and Alex Schwark and head coach Kevin Kostibos (right) (@colesabol3 on Instagram/File photo by Mike Pavlichko)

But Schwark never would have done so well without Sabol, who was nominated for the Leadership Award by Coach Kevin Kostibos. Why? Because he could have walked away and sulked, but instead led the team in practices, meetings, gatherings, and games. He took his teammates under his wing, including Schwark, helping to make him the quarterback he became, even if he was sharing time with Matt McKeever down the stretch, with both of them on the field at the same time.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Summit’s Cole Sabol and Alex Schwark:


by Mike Pavlichko

Dre Garcia’s pick, handoff to Greg Brown, earns Ridge Red Devils the win for the 2025 Highlight Reel Play of the Year

Seven nominees, seven really good highlights.

But in the end, the fans must pick one.

With nearly six thousand votes cast, the Ridge Red Devils nearly had a plurality, earning almost 29-hundred votes – and almost 48 percent of the total – in our fan balloting for the 2025 Highlight Reel Play of the Year.

And like many nominees – and some past champions – it wasn’t a play that was drawn up or routinely worked on at the end of practice.

Junior nose tackle Dre Garcia read the screen pass from the North Brunswick quarterback perfectly. It came right to him, and he made his push forward.

But he quickly saw linebacker Greg Brown running right next to him. Brown says his plan was to block downfield for him, figuring he was faster and could get in front of him to stifle the Raiders’ offense, now trying to stop the ball carrier.

But Garcia said, “here, you take it” – if not in so many words – and he shoved the ball into Brown’s chest.

Brown took it the rest of the wat for a score in a 57-20 home win over North Brunswick on October 17th at Lee Field in Basking Ridge.

Click below to see Ridge’s winning Highlight Reel play, then scroll further down to hear Dre Garcia, Greg Brown and head coach Jeff Sutherland talk about the play with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sport Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Ridge NT Dre Garcia, LB Greg Brown and head coach Jeff Sutherland:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Third Place: Andre Pereira, Cranford, October 3rd: After a successful onside kick, Pereira’s number was called again with his team down 41-40 at home against Rahway late in the game. The attempt would be from the left hash mark, a 37-yard try. Not only did he nail it to set off a wild celebration over the win, but he just got it around a Rahway defender who charged across the line of scrimmage from his left.
  • Second Place: John Archer and Dorian Roundtree, Bound Brook, September 26: On a fourth-and-ten from their own ten yard line, Archer hits Roundtree on the right sideline, right at the sticks. Then, he turns and gets upfield for the remaining 80-yards, and it’s a 90-yard touchdown to put the Crusaders over Belvidere, 28-27.

Click here to watch all seven nominees for the Highlight Reel Play of the Year!

by Mike Pavlichko

New Brunswick breaks through, ends 32-game skid, and Zebras are honored with CJSR’s Perseverance Award for 2025

Losing streaks are tough to break. Just ask Highland Park and JP Stevens, who both broke losing streaks over the last couple of years, nearly back-to-back – the Owls at the end of 2023, and the Hawks to start 2024.

New Brunswick – which won state titles as recently as 2003 and 2006 under John Quinn – has struggled with numbers for a Group 5 school, and it’s shown in the results. The Zebras hadn’t scored more than eight points in a game since late 2022, and had been shutout four times already in 2025 by the time Cutoff Weekend was through.

But like Highland Park did in 2023, the players and coaches decided they wanted to play one more game, and brought West Windsor-Plainsboro into Memorial Stadium. They’ve been struggling, too.

And boy, did the Zebras take out three or four years of frustration.

They exploded for 36 points in a 36-0 win, and even notched their first shutout since a 14-0 victory over Carteret – Quinn’s final year at the helm – on September 25th, 2009, at The Pit.

And now New Brunswick, when they open their 2026 season, will have a chance to make it two straight for the first time in eight years.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with New Brunswick Players Nazir Pollard, Zi’youn Brown and Micheal Galindo, along with head coach Geoff Chrisman :

by Mike Pavlichko

Manville’s Josh D’Ambrosio still has sports to play, but four-year starter takes CJSR’s 2025 Longevity Award

“You never had the makings of a varsity athlete.” -Junior Soprano

“Josh has been a varsity athlete since he stepped on the gridiron as a freshman.” Dave Markowitch

The Manville coach has it right.

Josh D’Ambrosio got into the game as a ninth grader at outside linebacker, and has had an extraordinary career. This season – at free safety – he had 32 tackles, 13 solo, nine TFLs and two interceptions for a defense that allowed just nine touchdowns all season. He’s been there his entire four-year career in blue and gold.

But it was on offense where he may have helped the team most all year. He threw for 720 yards and nine touchdowns without a single interception in 51 pass attempts, but also carried 156 times for 1,268 yards and 18 scores, with a long of 74.

The Wing-T isn’t an easy offense to run, but D’Ambrosio did it well in his three years as the starting signal caller. In his career, he’s accumulated over 4,300 yards.

But even more importantly, he developed over time into a vocal leader, the person his teammates looked to in good times or bad.

And in the end, he went out making history – helping lead the team to its first undefeated regular season since 1968, and a program record for wins with 10, the last one coming at home against Asbury Park, for the Mustangs’ first playoff win in school history.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas talk with Manville senior Josh D;Ambrosio:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Logan Stevens, Bernards: In a three-year varsity career, he never lost a single regular season game. A runningback/defensive back, Stevens rushed for 2,386 yards in his career, also grabbing 59 passes for 814 yards, scoring 39 career touchdowns and 236 points. On defense this year, he had 34 solo tackles, three interceptions, nine pass breakups, a TFL and a forced fumble. He also excelled on special teams, with 642 kick return yards – for a 23.8 average – with the Mountaineers’ getting average field position of their own 36-yard line.
  • Andrew Avent, Rahway: Spending four years on varsity, Avent came on the scene as a baby-faced freshman. He leaves as a baby-faced senior with a million-dollar smile, and several program records, including career rushing yards (4,524), single-season rushing yards (1,961), career touchdowns (77) and points scored.
  • Nate Endgdahl, Ridge: Sophomores rarely play line on the varsity Red Devils team, but Engdhal did, making him the first defensive lineman in first-year head coach Sutherland’s time at Ridge (five years, the first four as Defensive Coordinator) to have started three consecutive years. Sutherland calls him a “once-in-a-decade player.” This season, he had four sacks in six games played, logging 33 tackles and six TFLs.
  • Filipe Granadiero, South River: The senior linebacker led his team with 91 tackles this season, and also owns the career record with 264, taking the mantle from his brother, Marcus, who also was a Rams’ linebacker for longtime head coach Rich Marchesi.