Tag: Hunterdon Central

Photo Credit: Marcus Borden
by Marcus Borden

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan 2025: Week 1 Notebook

Week One (August 11-16) of the Caravan was hot and humid with the temperatures up significantly after last week’s fall-like high 70’s or low 80’s depending where you were!

Monday morning, I kicked off the 2025 preseason at Perth Amboy’s Waters Stadium, which is about a mile from the new High School located at 931 Convery Boulevard.

The message was clear from the leadership, we have a new high school and a new attitude.

Junior quarterback Amaris Peguero took it upon himself to run summer captains practice in Albert G. Waters Stadium. He emphasized the importance of turning the page on last season and the need to be positive no matter what the situation.

Camp Caravan – Week 1

Fellow captains junior Ricardo Henriquez as well as seniors Tyler Pedrosa and Cesar Marquez made sure to let everyone know the Panthers plan to take each week to prove themselves by being prepared, confident and having each others back throughout the season.

You can interpret their drive or purpose as ganas in Spanish, which they will have on full display when they kick off the season August 29 at home versus J.F. Kennedy.

Photo Credit: Marcus Borden
Montgomery junior Xavier Harrington (WR/DB) and Marcus Borden at Cougars’ preseason camp on August 12, 2025. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Tuesday’s stop at Montgomery High School ironically started with me meeting Eric Legrand’s nephew Xavier Harrington, a junior wide receiver and defensive back. I had no idea that he was a member of the Cougars football team.

The Cougars entered the stadium and began practice with an offensive walk through of plays and formations. Each player wore a jersey that quickly identified their status in the program: white was worn by the freshmen, green by sophomores and juniors, gold for the seniors and black for the captains.

Yes, there were quarterbacks in red except returning captain and senior Jack Kristjanson, who wore black. I recommended he wear a red undershirt or red Guardian cap as to remind the defense it’s hands off during practice or scrimmages.

First year head coach Sean Carty had the practice well-scripted and on the clock as the scoreboard was used to indicate when the periods ended. This is only the 3rd school I have seen do this while on the road for Camp Caravan. Delaware Valley and Old Bridge have had similar success over the years.

Montgomery is poised to rebound after last year’s disappointing season with a solid group of talented seniors led by Mike Bellamy, Trey McFadden, Dragomir Georgiev, Brian Gambia and Aidan Mireider who will join Kristjanson as they prepare for their opener at Hopewell Valley.

Old Bridge senior QB Brody Nugent. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Wednesday’s 6:30 a.m. practice at Bob DeMarco Stadium in Old Bridge saw about 90 players in half-pads with the offense in black and defense in purple.

Matt Donoghue began his fourth campaign as head football coach on his birthday with the most talented team the Knights have had in some time. Old Bridge was 7-4 in 2024, having lost four games by a combined 10 points which included a playoff contest against Cherokee.

With dual-threat senior quarterback Brody Nugent at the helm, the Knights looked impressive in just their third preseason practice. They have size on the line and skill players who can take it to the house if you pay too much attention to their Houdini-like signal caller.

The focus of this group is to return to the playoffs with the goal of earning the right to play for a championship. With that being said, don’t be surprised to see Nugent in a variety of positions on offense and defense.

Senior captains Jayden Endaz, Tommy Kasoff and Justin Valinotti prefer to let their shoulder pads do the talking on defense as they prepare to open up the season at Rowan University on Saturday August 30 at 3:00 pm against a talented Cedar Creek team in the Battle at the Beach.

St. Thomas Aquinas senior TE/LB Anwar Witherspoon. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Thursday the Trojans of St. Thomas Aquinas were on the field at 9 a.m. following a team meeting prior to practice. First year head coach Shamir Bearfield used a small white megaphone to be sure his players heard him over the music playing on the grass field behind the stadium fencing.

There was plenty of energy as the players moved quickly between drills and scripted periods which covered every phase of the game.

Linebacker Anwar Whitherspoon Jr., a University of Buffalo commit, showed why he is one of the state’s top defenders while only being in half pads. His vocal leadership was evident as he encouraged his teammates to give the maximum effort.

Senior Channon Johnson, a stalwart on the offensive and defensive line was equally impressive as he and his fellow linemen will look to protect sophomore quarterback Zymere Weaver who has proven to be an accurate passer in some big games last year.

St. Thomas Aquinas has not shied away from the competition as they will travel to Montclair, host Catholic Memorial (MA) and Paramus Catholic while finishing the season at Pope John in Sparta.

The Trojans 31-game winning streak against Big Central Conference opponents may have its most serious threat on September 26 when they host a pretty talented team, the Elizabeth Minutemen.

Hunterdon Central QB Drew Cella takes a snap during preseason camp in Flemington on August 15, 2025. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Friday’s 8 a.m. start at Hunterdon Central was a bit more humid with a slight breeze in Stewart Field, the Home of the Red Devils.

I was greeted by former head coach, Jim Meert, who is the offensive line coach for Casey Ransone, who is entering his ninth season as the team’s mentor.

Expectations are high for this year’s senior class led by returning quarterback Drew Cella who is confident that when he gets the ball into the hands of fellow senior James Mongno, goods things are going to happen. This was clearly on display during the team’s second day in full pads.

The Red Devils mixed it up with positional drill work, a tackling circuit, no huddle skeleton pass period with the plays signaled from the sidelines as well as some well-choreographed offensive and defensive scripted play sequences.

Junior Jayden Cozze was impressive as a defender during the defense’s Skelton Pass session and in the full team scout offense versus the first team defense. Seniors Kasey Kingsley, Nick Vasquez and Mike White all bring experience and leadership to a team that opens their season at rival North Hunterdon in the Battle of Route 31.

The real hitting begins for Hunterdon Central on Monday August 18 as they will travel to South Brunswick for a tri-scrimmage at 10 am. This will be their wake-up call and a chance to see where they stack up against the competition.

The 2025 Bernards football coaching staff. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

The final stop of the Week 1 BCC Camp Caravan Tour was Saturday morning at Bernards as the Mountaineers hosted a Red and White intrasquad scrimmage and media day.

The return of a veteran senior class with the physical Thomas Diemar at linebacker who registered 18.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and Logan Stevens at running back who amassed nearly 900 yards and 12 touchdowns as a runner and receiver, along with center James Renz, tackle Justin Simpson and guard Finn Osborne has head coach Jon Simoneau looking forward to the upcoming season.

Of course when you add in junior returning quarterback Nolan Walsh’s nearly two thousand yards passing and 18 tosses for scores along with classmate Patrick Carlisle who relishes running you over, the Bernards offense looks to pick up where it left off as it takes on Cranford in a Week 0 contest.

While many pundits might have been surprised by the Mountaineers 12-1 record last season, don’t be fooled by the fact that this small Group 2 school has averaged a 7-3 record over the 18 seasons Jon Simoneau has been in charge of the program. They expect to win and will put in the work to get it done.

Borden’s Camp Caravan Week 2 Scrimmage Schedule is as follows:

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s 2025 Camp Caravan:  High expectations for Hunterdon Central

The next to last stop of Week One on the 2025 Camp Caravan for Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden took the coach to Flemington, where his visited Hunterdon Central Friday morning. With a slew of big names back, including QB Drew Cella, top returning runningback James Mongno, and more, this could be a big year for the Red Devils.

Watch Borden’s full coverage below, including clips from camp, and interviews with head coach Casey Ransone, seniors Andrew Cella (QB/S), James Mongno (WR/CB), Kasey Kinglsey (WR/FS), Nick Vasquez (WR/SS) and Ryan White (WR/CB) along with junior Jayden Cozze (TE/RB/S).

Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan visit to Hunterdon Central!

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Powerhouses will battle it out again in American Silver Division

The American Silver Division of the Big Central Conference is a division in disguise, wearing fake glasses and a moustache.

It’s pretty much the Mid-State 38’s Delaware Division (an offshoot of the Skyland Conference’s Delaware) from 2019, which had Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, Hunterdon Central, Ridge and Philipsburg, with Franklin the only team from that group that plays elsewhere in the Big Central.

These are the big boys from the “Western” portion of the Big Central, and they won’t disappoint in 2025. Everyone in this division has made the playoffs the last few years, something no other division in the league can say, and there’s a reason for that: quality opponents.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the American Silver Division teams – in alphabetical order – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge. Please note game dates and times may be changed without notice as the season approaches. Division games marked with an asterisk (*).

Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers (4-7, 1-3, 4th in 2024)
Head Coach: DJ Catalano (7-14, 3rd season)

  • Week 0: Notre Dame
  • Week 1: at Piscataway
  • Week 2: Morris Knolls
  • Week 3: Hunterdon Central*
  • Week 4: at Ridge*
  • Week 5: Elizabeth
  • Week 6: at Hillsborough*
  • Week 7: Westfield
  • Week 8: at Phillipsburg*

Despite a 3-6 record at the cutoff, playing a tough schedule – especially in their division – helped Bridgewater get in the playoffs, and they answered the bell with a gutty 34-33 overtime win against Irvington in the opening round, falling in the next round at eventual Group 5 runner up Union City. While top receiver Nicholas DiEsso (763 yds) is gone, junior QB Declan Kurdyla (1,795 yards, 20 TDs) returns, along with top running back Denzel Amoafo (530 yds, 5 TDs). This is a team that went very deep this year, and could take a step up in the division with key players like Miles Tofte (2.5 sacks, 5.5 TFLs) returning for his senior year. And let’s not forget Joe Squicciarini, the junior kicker who was 8-12 on field goals last year, and perfect in 31 PAT attempts for the Panthers.

Hillsborough Raiders (7-4, 2-2, 3rd place in 2024)
Head Coach: Kevin Carty, Jr. (88-58, 14th season)

  • Week 0: Washington Twp. (Sat, Battle at the Beach at Rowan)
  • Week 1: at Union
  • Week 2: Ridge*
  • Week 3: at Sayreville
  • Week 4: Phillipsburg*
  • Week 5: at Westfield (Sat, 2p)
  • Week 6: Bridgewater-Raritan*
  • Week 7: Piscataway
  • Week 8: at Hunterdon Central *

There’s a lot to replace both on offense and defense for the Raiders, as QB Ryan Seamon (1,358 pass yds, 14 TD) graduates, as does Jackson Jankowicz, who led the tea in both rushing (1,417) and receiving (446) yards. The defense returns just one player who had a sack last year, Anthony Guerrero (2.5), and one who had an interception (Damian Amato), who’s also listed as a QB but didn’t take a snap last year. The Raiders always seem to have talented players waiting in the wings, it’s just a question of who what will be.

Hunterdon Central (4-6, 0-4, 5th place in 2024)
Head Coach: Casey Ransone (28-47, 9th season)

  • Week 0: North Hunterdon (Thursday)
  • Week 1: at Monroe
  • Week 2: Phillipsburg*
  • Week 3: at Bridgewater-Rartitan*
  • Week 4: Union
  • Week 5: at East Brunswick
  • Week 6: at Ridge*
  • Week 7: Old Bridge
  • Week 8: Hillsborough*

The Red Devils started the year 4-2, but lost their last three regular season games and were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. The good news is, there’s a lot back for Central, including starting QB Drew Cella, who threw for 1,352 yards and 14 TDs last year. But cutting down on the interceptions (13) will be big. Leading rusher Giovanni Veliz (794 yds, 6 TD) and top receiver James Mongno (47 catches, 687 yds, 7 TD) will be back, too. The defense should have enough returning, with players like juniors AJ Melo (5 sacks, 4 TFLs) Troy Arteaga (1 INT) and Kasey Kinglsey (2 INT) back for Central.

Phillipsburg Stateliners (11-3, 3-1, 2nd place in 2024)
Head Coach Frank Duffy (78-35, 10th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Westfield (Sat)
  • Week 2: at Hunterdon Central*
  • Week 3: Ridge*
  • Week 4: at Hillsborough*
  • Week 5: West Orange
  • Week 6: at St. Joseph-Metuchen (Sat)
  • Week 7: Union
  • Week 8: Bridgewater-Raritan
  • Thanksgiving: Easton (at Lafayette)

In 2022 and 2023, the Stateliners beat Easton on Thanksgiving, the main goal of any Phillispburg team on an annual basis, but they lost in the sectional finals of the state playoffs both seasons, to West Orange in 2022 and Union City in 2023. Last year, they beat Northern Highlands in dramatic fashion to win North 2, Group 4, but fell to Easton on Thanksgiving before losing to Winslow at Rutgers in the state Group 4 title game. Putting it all together this year could be a challenge considering who they lose, including the one-two combo of QB Jett Genovese (1,827 pass yds, 16 TD) and WR Matthew Scerbo, Jr. (50 catches, 1,082 yards, 11 TDs), along with No. 2 receiver Felix Matos (40 catches, 695 yards, 5 TD) . But the ‘Liners seemingly reload when they need to, as six different underclassmen caught passes last year, including Jaysen Blacknell, Mike Bracco and Sam Dech, mwho also was the top rusher last year with 590 yards and 9 TDs. Dech is also solid for the defense, which will return key parts like LB Jah’quil Dooley and DLs Aeden Hywell (6 sacks, 10 TFL) and rising junior Tyler Wargo (1 sack, 1 TFL)

Ridge Red Devils (8-2, 4-0, American Silver champs in 2024)
Head Coach: Jeff Sutherland (1st season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: St. Joseph-Metuchen
  • Week 2: at Hillsborough*
  • Week 3: at Phillipsburg*
  • Week 4: Bridgewater-Raritan*
  • Week 5: at Union (Sat, 2p)
  • Week 6: Hunterdon Central*
  • Week 7: North Brunswick
  • Week 8: at Westfield (Sat)

Andy West departed in the off-season as head coach, though he still remains an assistant to Tom Blackwell in baseball, after a five-year run where the Red Devils never won fewer than six games, and improved each year, finishing with back-to-back 8-2 seasons. Alum and longtime assistant Jeff Sutherland takes the reins, but will have to identify some new key starters with QB Connor McLachlan (981 pass yards, 10 TD), RB Aidan Steiglitz (1,311 rush yds, 22 TD) and Ryan Turner (493 receiving yards, 7 TD) all gone to graduation. Sawyer Paul, who threw one pass last year, is the lone returning QB who saw a varsity snap. The defense will bring back more, including linemen Anthony Valera (1 sack, 4 TFLs) and Nate Engdahl (2 sacks, 4 TFLs).

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough upsets top-seed Hunterdon Central in CJ4 quarters; will host Montgomery Tuesday

Unlike the bottom half, the top-half of the Central Jersey Group 4 NJSIAA baseball playoff bracket has been riddled with upsets.

Montgomery – the 12-seed – knocked off fifth-seed New Brunswick 14-2 in the opening round, and four-seed Hightstown 5-4 Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Now, they’ll meet a team that pulled an upset of its own to get to the semis.

Ninth-seed Hillsborough (12-10), which edged eighth-seed Freehold Township, 6-2, in the opening round, booted top-seed Hunterdon Central (17-7) with a 3-1 win in Flemington Friday.

It’s a win that – coupled with Monty’s upsets – will make the Raiders a surprise semifinal host when they play their neighbors, the Cougars, Tuesday for a trip to the Central Jersey Group 4 title game.

Boro jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third, and the pitching held it – mostly – from there. With a Tommy Kester walk and a TJ Westlake single sandwiched between a leadoff flyout and a strikeout, Brayden Fox singled to right to score Kester, Alex Reiling singled to score Fox, then a balk by A Petino brought in Westlake from third.

Hunterdon Central’s lone run came in the fourth, on an RBI single by Matty Dalfonzo. They would get just one hit and two baserunners total over the next three innings, shut down by starter James Drinkwater in his final inning, the fifth, and reliever Aiden Cooper, who pitched two scoreless innings to get the save, while Drinkwater picked up the win.

It’ll be an all CJSR-area semifinal in Central Jersey Group 4. In addition to Hillsborough hosting Montgomery in the “Skyland Conference” half of the bracket, it’ll be a “GMC” semi on the other side, with second-seed Old Bridge hosting third-seed Edison at 5 pm Tuesday at Fred Cole Field, in a game that can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The final is scheduled for Thursday at the home of the higher seeded team. Hillsborough last reached a sectional final in 2012, when the Raiders beat Central in the North 2 Group 4 final, beat Ridgewood in the state semis, but lost to Manalapan in the state Group 4 title game.

Click below to hear from Hillsborough winning pitcher James Drinkwater and head coach Matt Mosko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Top teams keep pace in Week 2 CJSR H.S. Football Top Ten; Colonia and Rahway debut

Once again, the upper echelon in the Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football rankings didn’t change, but there was turmoil in the bottom half.

Phillipsburg, St. Thomas Aquinas, Woodbridge and Somerville all held their positions at the top, but No. 5 Hillsborough and No. 9 Bridgewater-Raritan – both of which lost to drop to 1-2 – fell out. That left room for Colonia and Rahway to make their debuts in the last two spots, in that order.

Phillipsburg continues to hold the No. 1 position, improving to 2-0 Friday night with a 35- shutout of Hunterdon Central. The Stateliners visit Ridge (1-1) this Friday night, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with kickoff at 7 pm and Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call of the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

Holding at No. 2 is St. Thomas Aquinas, which moved to 2-1 after a 42-6 thumping of North Brunswick on the road Friday night that extended their league-best win streak against Big Central competition to 26 games. They’re back at it Friday in their home opener against Franklin (3-0).

Staying in third is Woodbridge (3-0). The Barrons got four touchdowns from Jahmir Beal Friday night in a 41-26 home win over Plainfield. Next up is in-town rival and newly-ranked Colonia (3-0) on the road on the blue turf.

Holding the line in fourth is Somerville (3-0). The Pioneers crushed Montgomery 42-7 on the road Friday night, and will entertain Rahway (3-0) in a battle of undefeated teams Friday night at Brooks Field.

Up a spot this week t No. 5 is Bernards (3-0). The Mountaineers got just one touchdown, but that’s all they needed Friday night to beat Delaware Valley in Alexandria to win the Mountain Valley Trophy game between rivals for the third year in a row. Voorhees (2-1) comes to Olcott Field this Friday night.

South Brunswick (3-0) also is up a spot to No. 7, as the Vikings won their third road game in a row to start the season, topping Monroe 28-21. It’s the first time South Brunswick has won its first three road games of the year since 2-16, when they went 8-3 under Joe Goerge – in his first go-round. They’ll play their first home game of the year Friday night when Old Bridge (1-2) comes to Monmouth Junction.

Piscataway (2-1) rose to No. 7 after a narrow, gut-check 22-21 win over Old Bridge that wasn’t over until Najay Best recovered an Old Bridge fumble in the closing seconds. The Chiefs go out-of-conference next week when they visit Ridgewood (3-0), the first meeting between the teams since the 2018 North 5 regional bowl game, which Piscataway won to finish undefeated, 13-0, the most wins ever recorded by a Middlesex County team.

Despite the loss to top-ranked Phillipsburg, Hunterdon Central (2-1) holds in eighth. The Red Devils entertain Bridgewater-Raritan (1-2) in Flemington Friday night.

Then, there are two new teams in the rankings. In ninth is Colonia (3-0). The Patriots came back to beat Linden on the road in Union County on Saturday afternoon, and host Woodbridge (3-0) Friday night.

New to the rankings in tenth is Rahway (3-0). With a 28-7 road win Friday at Perth Amboy, the Indians have allowed just one touchdown apiece in the last two games, and will visit Somerville (3-0) in a battle of unbeatens Friday night.

Also considered in this week’s rankings are Ridge (1-1) and Summit (2-0). The Red Devils thumped Hillsborough 34-7 at home Friday and entertain No. 1 Phillipsburg (2-0) Friday, while Summit (2-0) trampled Hillside on the road 41-14 Saturday afternoon.

Below is the full Central Jersey Sports Radio Week 2 Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Matt Bastardi features the Elite QB “Elite Performers of the Week” for Week 1

We’re back again this year with Central Jersey Sports Radio sponsor Elite QB, highlighting Coach Matt Bastardi’s “Elite Performers of the Week.”

Run by Matt Bastardi, a former high school and college quarterback who has either played the position or coached it for over 40 years, Elite QB trains players at all position levels, with an emphasis on QBs.

Click here to visit Elite QB’s website and find out more
about how to train with Matt Bastardi at Elite QB.

Once again, each week of the entire 2024 season, Matt will highlight the key stats for players under his tutelage at Elite QB, which include quarterbacks and other skill position players.

Click below to listen to the Elite QB “Elite Performers of the Week” for Week 1:

by Mike Pavlichko

Top teams hold steady in Week 1 CJSR H.S. Football rankings; Hunterdon Central, Bridgewater-Raritan, South Brunswick debut

While the top half of the Central Jersey Sports Radio High School Football rankings remained steady this week, there was a bit of a shakeup in the bottom five, as teams eight through ten – North Brunswick, Ridge and Watchung Hills – all dropped out.

That made way for three new teams to join the Big Central Conference’s best, with Hunterdon Central, Bridgewater-Raritan and South Brunswick joining the fray.

Holding at No. 1 this week is Phillipsburg, which won its opener Friday night at Maloney Stadium against Westfield, 44-17. The Stateliners host No. 8 Hunterdon Central (2-0) this Friday night and put a six-game Big Central winning streak on the line.

Staying at No. 2 is St. Thomas Aquinas (1-1). The Trojans rebounded from a season-opening loss to beat Lincoln (NY) up at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson Saturday night, 53-28. Aquinas will visit winless North Brunswick (0-2) Friday night to begin Big Central play, having won 25 straight against league competition, the longest current streak of its kind in the BCC.

Off to a 2-0 start under new head coach Joe Goerge, Woodbridge remains at No. 3, following a 13-10 win over then No. 10 Watchung Hills Friday night. The Barrons will host Plainfield (1-1) Friday night at 7 pm in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

Somerville (2-0) holds in fourth place following a 32-14 win over Cranford in the Pioneers’ first road game of the season. They’re back on the trail Friday night when they visit Montgomery (0-2).

And holding in fifth is Hillsborough (1-1), which edged out Union 21-14 at home Friday night to get in the win column after a one-point season-opening defeat at Somerville. The Raiders travel to Ridge (0-1) Friday night.

Bernards (2-0) moves up to No. 6 after a solid 30-14 win over Hillside Friday night. The Mountaineers have now won ten straight home games and 16 in a row overall against the Big Central, the league’s second-biggest streak at the moment. They’ll visit Delaware Valley Friday night for the Mountain Valley Trophy.

Debuting at No. 7 is South Brunswick. The Vikings are 2-0 after their first win in seven years over arch-rival North Brunswick, a 30-21 victory at Steve Libro Field. They’ll make their shortest trip of the year Friday night when they play at Monroe (1-1).

Hunterdon Central also is new to the rankings this week. The Red Devils are off to a 2-0 start for the second year in a row (they began 4-0 last year) after a 30-14 win over Monroe, and will visit top-ranked Phillipsburg (1-0) Friday night at Maloney Stadium in a huge divisional matchup.

The third new team this week is Bridgewater-Raritan (1-1), which checks in at No. 9 after beating then No. 6 Piscataway in a wild game Friday night, 52-48. That result also moves Piscataway (1-1) down to No. 10. The Panthers visit 1-0 Morris Knolls Saturday for a non-league game, while the Chiefs play Friday night at Old Bridge (1-1).

Also considered in this week’s rankings are Rahway and Colonia, both 2-0.

Below is the full Central Jersey Sports Radio Week 1 Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

2024 Big Central Preview: American Silver Division

Like the Big Central Conference’s American Gold, the American Silver Division is a brutal one: all tough teams, night in, night out, and none seem to take a break when it comes to crossover and non-conference games either.

Ridge loses a lot from last year, but they always seem to bounce back. Can they challenge Phillipsburg, which has made it to two straight sectional finals and beaten Easton in back-to-back years since 2002-2003? Hillsborough will have a lot to say about that, with star back PJ Jankowicz returning for his senior year.

Bridgewater-Raritan will look to make strides in Year Two under DJ Catalano, while Hunterdon Central looks to build on a 6-4 record that was the best year the Red Devils have had since Casey Ransone came to Flemington from St. Joe’s Metuchen in 2017.

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

by Alec Crouthamel

Second time’s the charm! Bridgewater-Raritan wins North 2, Group 4 title, blanking Hunterdon Central 2-0 with dominant pitching

Despite coming into the game with a 14-year sectional championship drought – including a loss last year in this game at home to Bayonne – the top-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers brought expectations of a victory into the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 title game against seventh-seeded Hunterdon Central.

It’s safe to say those expectations were met, as the Panthers beat the Red Devils at home Monday, 2-0, for their first sectional crown since 2010, and second under head coach Max Newill.

Bridgewater-Raritan struck first in the second inning, as Joe Spirra hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score JR Rosado. It remained a 1-0 battle until the bottom of the sixth, when Matt Cichocki reached base on an infield single and proceeded to steal second, advance to third on a groundout before scoring a crucial insurance run on a wild pitch. Those two runs proved to be the difference in a fast-moving pitcher’s duel

The Panthers were dominant on the mound, keeping the Red Devils off the scoreboard. Starter Jack Lanum battled through a shaky first inning to settle in and shut down Central. He finished with 4 shutout innings, allowing only one hit and striking out two. Michael Taylor came in for the fifth inning and retired his first three batters.

After he allowed a leadoff single in the sixth, head coach Max Newill made a big move and brought in closer Cory Rible, who Newill has kept faith in all year long as their premiere bullpen arm. Newill’s trust paid off and then some, as Rible retired all six batters he faced and stranded the potential tying run in the sixth. In the seventh, he struck out the side in dominant fashion – coming one ball shy of an immaculate inning – to close out the Panthers’ first sectional championship victory since 2010.

Rible has appeared in 16 games this year, all out of the bullpen, and Bridgewater has won all 16 of those contests.

The Red Devils had a very solid game on the mound in their own right. Starter Ryan Lundari also had to work through a long first inning, but he settled in nicely to finish with five innings pitched and six strikeouts while only allowing four hits.

The Panthers (28-3) will move on to play in a Group 4 semifinal at home Wednesday, hosting Livingston (22-7-1). The Lancers – the third-seed in North 1, Group 4 – won that title Monday with a walkoff, 4-3, victory over fourth-seed Montclair.

Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Bridgewater-Raritan pitchers Cory Rible, Jack Lanum and outfielder Matt Cichocki
Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill


by Mike Pavlichko

FRIDAY Cutoff Weekend Playoff Analysis: Group 5

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

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

Here’s an updated look at the Group 5 supersections based on Friday night results as reported to Gridiron New Jersey.

NORTH GROUP 5

Passaic Tech clinched the top seed with a win over Paterson Eastside Thursday night, while also capping off its first perfect regular season since 1998. Phillipsburg‘s win over East Brunswick didn’t hurt them at all in power points, OSI rank or UPR, still 0.2 ahead of Union City, which also won Friday night.

Watchung Hills and Plainfield remained in fourth and fifth, respectively. The Warriors beat Elizabeth Friday night by a touchdown, but the Cardinals are in action Saturday against Franklin. We’ll see if that hurts them any, even with a win. They’re just 0.4 UPR points ahead of 6th place Montclair (5-3), which plays at Columbia (4-3) Saturday.

A loss by Union and a huge win by Westfield saw both those teams go in opposite directions Friday night. The Blue Devils beat Hillsborough on the road to improve to 4-4, and climbed from 13th to 7th pace. But the Farmers lost to Ridge and dropped from 6th to 8th place, tied with Ridgewood, which lost Friday night. It that tie remains, Union would get the tiebreaker, with a higher OSI at 52.20, compared to 48.36 for the Maroons.

Bridgewater-Raritan‘s win over Old Bridge was a big one, pushing the Panthers to 3-6 on the year, and elevating them from 15th to 14th, tied with Morristown, and if it remains that way, they Panthers get the tiebreaker with a 45.66 OSI, and Morristown with a 43.86 OSI. The Colonials lost Friday night, while Bayonne won to move from 17 to 16, with Eastside moving out to 17.

We’re taking BR off the bubble. They’re in, making it six Big Central teams in this section, with Phillipsburg the top-seed in what we think should be North 2; PCTI will get the top seed and probably be in North 1.

Key Saturday Games to Watch:

  • #5 Plainfield at Franklin
  • #6 Monctlair at #11 Columbia

SOUTH GROUP 5

The loss by Hillsborough to Westfield ended any chance the Raiders had at a top seed, having entered the night in second place. They fall to No. 5, behind No. 1 Cherokee, Toms River North, Washington Twp., and Marlboro. A win by North Brunswick over Cranford puts the Raiders up a spot to 6th place, right behind Hillsborough by one UPR point. Their standing is still up in the air though depending on two Saturday games, 4th place Marlboro hosting Middletown North and 7th place Rancocas Valley hosting Highland Regional.

Hunterdon Central moved up a spot from 9th to 8th with a win over Perth Amboy, while a South Brunswick loss to Somerville dropped the Vikings from 8th to 12th, so it looks like they start on the road. They look locked into the 12-seed at the moment, but everyone else in the BCC will have to wait for those two games tomorrow.

Key Saturday Games to Watch:

  • #4 Marlboro vs. Middletown North
  • #7 Rancocas Valley vs. Highland Regional