This one wasn’t an easy pick at all, then again it kind of was.

One nomination was for an all-world runningback who went for 362 yards – tops in the Big Central this season – but for a loss. Then there was a quarterback who’s not generally a quarterback, but threw for 350 yards in a rivalry game and won.

Then, there was Dylan Boehm of Somerville.

Impressive enough that the Pioneers knocked off 5-0 Summit Saturday afternoon, but the win also came on the road. And the QB who threw for 349 yards and four touchdown on an efficient 13-of-16 day certainly led his team to victory. But add in that he’s a freshman, and rebounded after throwing an early pick-six when it all could have fell apart, well, now you have the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week for Week Five in the Big Central Conference.

That effort, and that result, are a big reason why the Pioneers are one of several BCC teams sitting in the enviable spot of a top-seed come playoff time, with the Cutoff just three weeks away.

The No. 5 Pioneers (5-1) are back in action this Friday night at North Hunterdon (1-5).

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko’s interview with Week Five Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Dylan Boehm of Somerville:

The Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week is chosen from nominees by Big Central coaches. At the end of the season, one player will be chosen to receive a $500 scholarship courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving. As always, we will recognize selected “Honorable Mentions,” and recognize all other all nominees in our weekly story.

Honorable Mentions:

• Andrew Schwarz, Hillsborough: In a 42-21 come-from-behind win at Westfield Saturday, the senior runningback rushed 17 times for 151 yards and four touchdowns, as the Raiders rallied from a 14-0 deficit just six minutes into the game. More impressive, he only had 15 yards in the first half!
• Cam Hayes-Durina, Metuchen: The senior QB – who’s new to the position, according to head coach Jordan Leitner, went 20-of-26 passing for 350 yards and three touchdowns – while also rushing for 53 yards – in a 36-13 win at arch-rival Highland Park. He spread the ball around, connecting with five different receivers in the victory.
• Antonio Sauchelli, North Hunterdon: The Lions picked up their first win of the season against five losses on Friday with a 29-12 victory at Monroe. The wide reveiver had two catches for 45 yards and a touchdown for 40 yards, but also ran the rock 12 times for 113 yards and a 66-yard score.
• Andrew Avent, Rahway: The senior standout runningback put together the biggest rushing night in the Big Central Conference this season on Saturday night, in a 43-41 loss at Cranford, going off for 262 yards on 35 carries – more then ten yards per carry – and five touchdowns, with a long of 62. Four of his runs were over 30 yards. At defensive end, he also had two TFLs and a quarterback hurry.
• Shaun Jackson, Sayreville: The Bomber senior had 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with 60 receiving yards and another score, in a 42-24 win at rival Piscataway Friday night.

Other Notable Performances:

• Justin Simpson, Bernards: Head coach Jon Simoneau says the senior offensive tackle helped the Mountaineer offense rush for five yards per carry and keep freshman QB A.J. MacCracken off his back and sack-free in his first high school start.
• Al-Naiquan Boseman, Carteret: The junior runningback carried 21 times for 232 yards and four scores in a 45-0 home win over New Brunswick. Hvaing been hurt for the previous two games, head coach Kevin Freeman says he powered through and came ready to play against the Zebras, scoring three times in the opening quarter.
• Kelton Ibach, Delaware Valley: The senior signal-called threw 9-for-11 for 142 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-13 win at South River on Saturday.
• Grant Lorentzen, JFK: In a 33-14 win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, the senior wide receiver had six catches for 101 yards and three touchdowns, a 55-yard punt return on special teams, and logged five tackles in the secondary on defense. All that came in less than three quarters of action.
• Leban Chankotadze, Manville: The freshman defensive end helped lead a defense that allowed just 70 total yards to JP Stevens Saturday in a 41-12 win. He had four solo tackles, two tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and two broken up passes., not allowing a single first half point.
• Gavin Pereira, Spotswood: In high school, a really good kicker can make a really big difference. Pereira does it night in and night out, this time in a 36-7 home win over Bound Brook. He kicked a 48-yard field goal – apparently with distance to spare – connected on three extra points, had a 69-yard punt, and sent four kicks into the end zone for touchbacks.
• Logan Direny, Voorhees: The senior wide receiver had four catches for 52 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-13 win at North Plainfield Friday night, another player battling through injuries. At linebacker, he also recorded six tackles.

Two weeks in a row, Ian Roberts had a big night for St. Thomas Aquinas, rushing for over 200 yards. And this is his first season playing a significant offensive role at the high school level.

The senior – who played his first two years at Woodbridge – is having a breakout year for the Trojans, picking up Higgins Speed Lab “Speedster of the Week” honors in Week Three, going for 262 yards and two scores in a wild win at Franklin.

This week, in Week Four, he ran for 202 and two more touchdowns – on just eight carries, mind you – in a 35-21 win over Elizabeth in North Edison. For the math-inclined, that’s 25.3 yards per carry! Of course, it helps when you open the scoring with an 89-yard touchdown run, and he had a 74-yarder later.

Take those two out, and he still rushed for 6.5 yards a carry on the other six, no small potatoes at all!

For his efforts, Ian Roberts of St. Thomas Aquinas is the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Player of the Week for Week Four.

The No. 3 Trojans are back at home this Friday night against North Jersey parochial Paramus Catholic (1-4).

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko’s interview with Week Four Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Ian Roberts of St. Thomas Aquinas:

The Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week is chosen from nominees by Big Central coaches. At the end of the season, one player will be chosen to receive a $500 scholarship courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving. As always, we will recognize selected “Honorable Mentions,” and recognize all other all nominees in our weekly story.

Honorable Mentions:

• Andrew Avent, Rahway: The Week Four “Speedster of the Week,” presented by Higgins Speed Lab, Avent is on a pace to just eke out his 1,412-ard rushing total of a year ago, with 717 yards through five games. Back on Friday night, in a 33-0 win at North Hunterdon, he carried 11 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns, with a long of 71. He also playes defensive end, and the senior had five solo tackles, three sacks, a TFL and four quarterback hurries. Oh, and did we mention he punts? He landed three of four punts inside the 20, with a long of 57.
• Nate Engdahl, Ridge: The senior defensive lineman logged eight tackles, three sacks and three TFLs in a 33-14 win over then-No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan at home Friday night. He was a major factor in a defensive unit that held the Panthers scoreless in the second half, and handed them their first loss of the season.
• Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage, Spotswood: The senior quarterback was just 1-of-4 passing for 85 yards and a touchdown, while rushing 1 times for 75 yards and two scores. At defensive end, he had two TFLs and three total tackles, but also had a 23-yard pick-six in a 34-3 home win over Highland Park on Thursday.
• Matteo Tramutola, Voorhees: In a 21-12 win over Delaware Valley – the Vikings’ first over the Terriers since 2018 – the senior runningback carried 22 times for 162 yards and two scores, while also registering six solo tackles and three assisted at linebacker in a win that puts Voorhees at 4-1, their best start since going 7-1 in 2017, a season they finished 9-3 with a loss to West Essex at MetLife Stadium in the North 2, Group 3 title game.

Other Notable Performances:

• Joe Squillaro, Brearley: The senior quarterback was 3-of-5 passing for 26 yards, and rushed five times for 31, but the key was a 20-yard run that effectively ended the game, a 17-7 home win over Roselle Park on Friday night. At safety, Squillaro had six tackles.
• Marcus Gary, Delaware Valley: The junior linebacker had 11 1/2 tackles, 1 1/2 TFLs and 2 1/2 sacks in a 21-12 loss to Voorhees on Friday.
• Kahbir Casey, Dunellen: The fullback was a birght spot on defense in a 44-8 home loss to Middlesex Friday, with 12 total tackles, five for a loss and 2 1/2 sacks.
• Grant Lorentzen, JFK: The senior wide receiver had 32 receiving yards on three catches, all of which went for touchdowns on fourth-and-goal situations. He also had a rush for 18 yards and even completed a 41-yard pass on a fake punt! At defensive back, he had five solo tackles, two assists and a pick.
• Obinna Obuba, Montgomery: In a 36-7 home win over Watchung Hills, the senior wideout caught four passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, with a long of 84.
• Jordan Burnett, North Plainfield: The senior went 7-of-8 passing for 102 yards and rushed 14 times for 94 yards and three scores in just three quarters of play in a 35-0 win at New Brunswick. He accounted for almost 200 of the 300 total yards the Canucks gained Friday night.