Connor Jakubowski had a touchdown catch, touchdown run and and interception for a score to lead Governor Livingston past visiting JFK, 49-12, in a Big Central Conference United Silver Division game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Click below to listen to Chris Tsakonas and Nick Hart call all the play-by-play live from Berkeley Heights, NJ, on September 19, 2026:
In a game of two teams looking to stabilize their seasons and get back on track, Governor Livingston defeated JFK 49-12 on Saturday at home.
Things looked promising for the Mustangs (0-3, 0-2) early on, taking advantage of a Highlanders (2-2, 1-1 BCC United Silver) miscue on the opening kick. JFK booted it short to the Governor Livingston 34-yard line, the ball took a favorable bounce for the visiting team, and the Mustangs were set up with prime field position on their first offensive drive.
After a short run on its first play, JFK broke out the trickery on its next snap. Senior wide receiver Kamali Walker motioned across the formation and took the handoff on what looked like a typical jet sweep, that was until Walker set his feet and threw a pass. Walker connected with fellow senior receiver Braylon Diaz for a 34-yard touchdown, and just like that the Mustangs took an early 6-0 lead.
The Highlanders answered right back with an impressive rushing attack led by junior Elijah Garcia. Garcia tallied 50 yards on his first two carries of the game, flipping the field and setting up Governor Livingston deep in JFK territory. Junior wide receiver Connor Jakubowski ultimately capped off the drive with a short touchdown run to give his team the 7-6 lead.
With success on their first drive, morale was high for the Mustangs heading into their second possession. Unfortunately, that second possession was cut short when junior defensive back Parker Chatfield jumped his man’s route and was off to the races for a 25-yard pick-six.
Governor Livingston continued its success offensively on the ensuing drive as sophomore quarterback Colin Hughes found Jakubowski for a 54-yard touchdown reception to extend the Highlanders’ lead to 21-6 early in the second quarter.
From that point forward, it was all Governer Livingston, punching in another three touchdowns in the first half to take a commanding 42-6 halftime lead.
JFK started the second half with the ball but faced an uphill battle, being down 36 points and going up against a running clock. To the credit of the Mustangs, sophomore Hayden Morrison and his offense were moving the ball well on the opening drive before it was cut short by an interception.
As they had done all day, the Highlanders took advantage of JFK’s mistake and hit paydirt for the seventh time, this time off of a 53-yard touchdown run from sophomore Jake Rotkel.
Morrison connected with Diaz for a 54-yard score to make it a 49-12 game in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for the Mustangs.
It was overall a dominant win for Governor Livingston, which saw much of its offensive success come on the ground. Garcia finished with 12 carries for 120 yards and two scores, while the Highlanders rushed for an impressive 218 yards as a team.
For Governor Livingston, they are back to .500 on the year with a matchup against Lynhurst to look forward to next week, while JFK is still in search of its first win with a home matchup against North Plainfield up next.
Click below to hear CJSR’s Chris Tsakonas talk with Governor Livingston head coach Pete Ramiccio following the Highlanders’ victory over JFK, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
After losing two straight games, Governor Livingston looks to bounce back on Saturday afternoon when they return home for the first time since Week Zero to take on JFK.
The Highlanders (1-2, 0-1 BCC United Silver) head back to the hill after falling 49-29 in a high-scoring loss to Bernards last Friday night. It was the second straight loss for Governor Livingston, who also fell 28-7 to Monroe the week before.
Saturday’s tilt is a late start at 2 pm due to SAT testing that morning. You can hear the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving with Chris Tsakonas and Nick Hart on the call. Pregame starts at 1:35; click here to listen.
It’s a similar position to where Governor Livingston was last year: after an 0-2 start with two lopsided defeats, the Highlanders beat JFK 36-28 to get the first win of the year, sparking a three game win streak and paving the way for a 5-5 finish.
Governor Livingston’s offense this year has been led by star running back Elijah Garcia, who already has 273 yards and two touchdowns to lead the rushing attack.
Sophomore quarterback Colin Hughes has taken over as the full-time signal caller for Governor Livingston this season, completing 55.5 percent of his passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns through the first three games. Hughes has also emerged as a rushing threat with 22 carries for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
In the passing game, Hughes is relying on the duo of Parker Chatfield (11 receptions for a team-high 221 yards and two touchdowns) and Connor Jakubowski (11 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown) as his go-to receivers this season.
It’s a new-look group on the defensive side of the ball, as the Highlanders graduated seven starters from last year’s unit. Governor Livingston’s defense has had a strong showing on the defensive line, with Theo Tombros and Dylan Cisko combining for 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
The linebackers and defensive backs are a younger group, with juniors like Jakubowski, Chatfield and Garcia all playing key roles. Junior linebacker Logan Stack has emerged as another key piece with a team-high 32 tackles this year.
Listen to Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas speak with Governor Livingston head coach Pete Ramiccio ahead of Saturday’s game:
It has been a less-than-ideal start for first-year head coach Anthony Nyers and his JFK football team.
The Mustangs (0-3, 0-1 BCC United Silver) have yet to break into the win column this season, with double-digit losses to East Brunswick, Spotswood, and South Plainfield. This week, the goal remains the same: notch the first win in the Nyers era against Governor Livingston (1-2, .
Now, taking over a program as a new head coach is difficult enough, but basically starting from scratch at your major skill positions is another challenge entirely.
Last season, JFK featured a receiver room with four seniors, led by Grant Lorentzen, who caught 55 passes for 1,221 yards and 22 touchdowns. On the ground, the story was the same, senior running back Fiheem Howell Jr was the feature man with 168 carries for 1,058 yards and nine touchdowns. The Mustangs also graduated senior quarterback Richie Trotman, who threw for nearly 1,400 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Fast forward to this year and a team full of seniority looks a lot different than just a season ago. JFK goes from a senior signal caller to sophomore Hayden Morrison, and a senior-driven receiver room to one that has seen four underclassmen with receptions on the season, out of seven total players with a catch.
You can hear Saturday afternoon’s game at 2 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio, our Saturday Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Pregame starts at 1:35 with Chris Tsakonas and Nick Hart on the call; click here to listen.
Although the offense has yet to hit its groove, there have been some players who have been bright spots for the Mustangs.
Senior wide receiver Braylon Diaz has been a player to watch for JFK, totaling 128 yards receiving to go along with 79 yards on the ground in three games so far.
Looking at the other side of the ball, the Mustangs have been anchored by a more senior group of players. Diaz has made an impact on the defense with 13 tackles this season, along with Justice Figueroa with 10.5 tackles, both seniors.
Sticking with the theme of youth, however, sophomore linebacker Jason Asmah has made quite the impact in the secondary for JFK. Asmah has recorded 13 tackles, six solo tackles, and one tackle for a loss so far this season.
Looking at the last four games between the Mustangs and the Highlanders, it has been Governor Livingston who has seen more success, boasting a 3-1 record in the series dating back to 2022.
While the results tell one story, the final scores of the games tell another, as three of the last four matchups have been decided by just one score. Last season, the two teams needed overtime to decide the winner, as the Highlanders ultimately took the 38-26 victory.
Heading into this week, coach Nyers has seen improvements in his squad in each of its last three performances but knows there is one thing his team has to do to be victorious on Saturday:
“We’ve got to put the ball in the end zone.”
Click below to hear JFK football head coach Anthony Nyers talk about the Mustangs’ season so far and upcoming matchup against Govenor Livingston, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart:
Week One (August 10-15) of the Caravan was hot and humid with the temperatures in the high 80’s and 90’s!
Monday morning, I kicked off the 2026 preseason at J.F. Kennedy’s Louis M. Bartha Memorial Stadium as first year head Coach Anthony Nyers and his young staff, which includes his younger brother Nick, never stopped coaching/talking to the forty-plus players who have been working hard since February.
Senior WR/DB Kamali “KJ” Walker emphasized the importance of being there for his teammates and stressing the need to encourage them to focus in on what has to be done to have back to back winning seasons.
SCROLL DOWN FOR LINKS TO WEEK ONE OF MARCUS BORDEN’S CAMP CARAVAN
AS WELL AS LINKS TO THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE AND COVERAGE!
Fellow senior captains Braylon Diaz and Dushyant Kumar know that the youthful Mustangs have to continue to put in the work by being prepared, knowing the plays and having each others back.
Junior Jonathan Sedlmayer, who has not missed a workout since his new coach was hired, said he looks forward to playing defense for J.F. Kennedy and he can’t wait until they kick off the season August 28 at East Brunswick.
Tuesday’s stop at Spotswood High School saw the Chargers marching into the stadium all wearing the same blue and gold tee shirt with a clear message on the back: Work Hard, COMPETE, Do it Right.
Emphasis in pre-practice was the kicking game while the lineman worked on footwork and blocking progresions. This was followed by a team dynamic warm-up.
Individual period saw a variety of drills performed by position groups and it was obvious that plenty of work was done during the summer by the 40 plus players in attendance.
Head Coach Andy Steinfeld had the practice well-scripted and there was little time wasted as the coaches focused on technique and intensity.
Spotswood has great Senior leadership with QB Jonathan Regan, and Linemen Nicholas Albert and Phil Palmer. Junior WR/DB/KR Ryan Foster made a name for himself last year in all three phases of the game and will be counted on to do the same as the Chargers prepare for a Week 0 match-up with Monmouth Regional on Thursday August 27.
Wednesday’s nine am practice at Tapp Webb Memorial Field at Delaware Valley H.S. saw about 45 players in half-pads with the Varsity in navy and JV’s in white.
Ben Ibach begins his fourth campaign as head football coach without his talented son Kelton who was the quarterback the past two seasons. All he did was throw for nearly 3000 yards and 36 touchdowns. The younger Ibach, a talented lacrosse player leaves for Hood College tomorrow.
How do you replace your signal caller? Insert the 6’5″ athletic Junior Chase Kraucheunas who has an offer from Syracuse as a free safety. His ability to throw and run the ball was quite evident throughout the practice as teammate Picardo-Leask will attest with his catch above.
Expectations are high for the Terriers who return a plethora of defensive starters like Marcus Gary, Ben Culberson, Brayden Costello as well as Picardo-Leask and Kaucheunas.
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, Delaware Valley will rely on their defense as the offense continues to develop throughout the preseason.
The Terriers open up Week O with an August 27 Thursday night 6:00 p.m kickoff vs. neighboring North Hunterdon.
Thursday the East Brunswick Bears were on the field at 7:30 am at Jay Doyle Field. Second-year head coach Zach Gega wasted little time getting his team focused on the practice plan which was defense.
There was plenty of energy as the players moved quickly between drills and scripted periods which covered every phase of the game.
Senior linebackers Cole Zebro and Nicholas Espindola were vocal leaders as they encouraged their teammates to give the maximum effort and focus in on the finer details of alignment and play recognition.
Senior Brendon Adams a stalwart on the offensive and defensive line was equally impressive as he laid the leather during a one on one drill with force and and leg drive as the circle of his Bear teammates “oohed and aahed” during the drill.
East Brunswick had about 70 players on the main field while their 8th grade team was down on the lower turf field.
The Bears will host J.F. Kennedy on Thursday August 27 at 6:00 p.m. with two head coaches who are quite familiar with each other as they were on the Woodbridge staff with former coach Joe LaSala.
Friday’s practice in New Brunswick was held at Memorial Stadium on Joyce Kilmer Ave which is behind the New Brunswick Middle School. Players were picked up and bused to practice.
Second-year head coach Geoffrey Chrisman and his assistants were there early unloading the players equipment which was tied together with the helmet and shoulder pads. Practice pants and knee and thigh pads were distributed as players got off the bus then headed to the locker room under the stadium.
Practice got underway after listening to an impassioned speech by their coach with the emphasis on building off last year’s season-ending victory which ended the Zebras 32-game losing streak.
Sophomore Arisniel Mota-Sánchez a running back and free safety was impressive as a defender during the defense’s Skelton Pass session and reminded me of Maurice Ffrench who played at the University of Pittsburgh. Senior Alan Rodriguez along with Juniors Arion Lugo-James and Ervin Muñoz-Juares all bring experience and leadership to a team that opens their season at Highland Park.
Christian has increased the team’s roster to about 50 kids with a large sophomore class with several players who got their feet wet as freshmen in last year’s season finale.
The final stop of the Week 1 BCC Camp Caravan Tour was Saturday morning at St. Thomas Aquinas as the Trojans hosted a Red and Black intrasquad scrimmage as well as a barbecue for players and coaches prepared by the parents Booster Club..
The return of junior quarterback Zymere Weaver who threw for 2236 yards with 24 touchdowns last season along with seniors Tristan Bester at receiver and defensive back, Sebastian Azofeifa on the offensive and defensive line and linebacker Jaylen Frias with over 100 tackles in 2025 has second-year head coach Shamir Bearfield feeling good about the team improving this season.
If Saturday’s situational scrimmage was any indication of how this team can handle adversity on game day, the Aquinas faithful can be rest assured that the Trojans will be ready for anything that comes their way this season as they open up on the road at Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn on August 29 at 1:00 p.m.
Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan Week 2 Scrimmage Schedule is as follows (subject to change):
Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan Week 1 Coverage:
Preseason practice for the 2026 high school football season opened Monday across New Jersey, and Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden has kicked off Camp Caravan 2026 as – visiting more than a dozen Big Central Conference schools – with a trip to JFK.
Watch Borden’s full coverage below, including clips from camp, and interviews with first-year head coach Anthony Nyers; seniors Dushant Kumar (RB/MLB), Braylon Diaz (WR/OLB), Kamali “K.J.” Walker (WR/DB) and junior Jonathan Sedlmayer (WR/SS).
Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan visit to JFK!
The United Silver Division of the Big Central Conference looked like it would be a tight race last season, and it was indeed. This year, North Plainfield and New Brunswick move to smaller school divisions, while Patriot Gold champion Bernards takes a step up into the division. And that could make this fun to watch.
Governor Livingston went 5-5 overall, but won the division at 4-0, with South Plainfield and JFK both finishing the year two games over .500 overall. Now, add in the Mountaineers, who have won 32 straight BCC games, and are three away from the all-time mark held by St. Thomas Aquinas, which had its streak snapped last season in a loss to fellow non-public Big Central rival St. Joseph-Metuchen. And they very well could have the horses to do it.
And give credit where credit is due: The Highlanders were 4-5 at the cutoff, while lesser teams made the playoffs in other sections, but they didn’t – partly a product of their schedule. The Big Central moving Bernards in – and New Brunswick and Hillside out – will help, even if they end up with a similar record again. And the same goes for South Plainfield and JFK, both of which were 6-4 and also failed to make the playoffs. The stronger schedule, even if they end up 5-5, should be a boost.
Here are the preliminary schedules for the United Silver Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication, along with a few notes on each squad. Division games are starred.
Governor Livingston Highlanders (5-5, 4-0, United Silver Division Champions)
Head Coach: Pete Ramiccio, 5th season (20-20)
Two tough season-opening losses last year were followed by three straight Division wins for the Highlanders, who were a young squad in 2025 and will come back with a ton of experience. Of their three biggest offensive players stat-wise, two were sophomores, and one was a freshman. The ninth-grader was QB Colin Hughes, who threw for 248 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Mateo Liloia went for 216 yards and a touchdown. Their top receiver was a sophomore, Parker Chatfield, who caught 15 passes for 157 yards, but GL did most of its damage on the ground, to the tune of 1,755 yards, led by soph Elijah Garcia, who carried 130 times for 806 yards and eight scores. The pump for the offense should be primed this year – and next. Chatfield also had three picks on defense in the secondary, as did sophomore Connor Jakubowksi, accounting for six of the team’s seven interceptions. And every single return man was as sophomore last year.
South Plainfield Tigers (6-4, 3-1, 2nd place United Silver)
Head Coach: Bill Hamilton, 6th season (25-24)
The young man the Tigers will miss most is Dominic Massaro, not just for his 1,165 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, but also his grittiness, physicality and leadership – the prototype South Plainfield football player. Freshman QB Lucas Habe didn’t have to do a lot last year, throwing for just 226 yards and 2 TDs, while the offense rolled off nearly 2,500 yards on the ground. And they have a defensive beast back in Aiden Noblecilla, who registered a whopping 16 sacks and 39 1/2 TFLs, as well as three forced fumbles and a recovery. Massaro’s six interceptions will be missed, but surely the Tigers will be solid on D. And they’ll have to fill Dom’s loss on special teams, where he returned six kickoffs for 161 yards and seven punts for over 300. The opener at Somerville will be a beast.
JFK Mustangs (6-4, 2-2, 3rd place United Silver)
Head Coach: Anthony Nyers, 1st season
Woodbridge alum Anthony Nyers leaders his Offensive Coordinator position at Westfield to take over the Mustangs program in his first head coaching job. But to listen to his former boss with the Blue Devils, he’s going to be just fine. “Our players immediately gravitated toward him,” Andzel told Central Jersey Sports Radio when he was hired in February. The Mustangs were a solid 6-4 last season, winning three games by shutout, splitting their four division games. But Nyers will have to find some key offensive replacements. All seniors, QB Richie Trotman threw for 1,387 yards, while Grant Lorentzen caught 55 passes for 1,221 yards and 22 touchdowns, and Fiheem Howell ran it 168 times for 1,058 yards. That was a shad under 80% of their offense, not counting other seniors who were in the mix. Rising senior Braylon Diaz will be a key part of the defense; he had four sacks, two forced fumbles and one recovery last season. But Lorentzen (3) and Howell (2) combined for five of the unit’s eight picks last season.
Bernards Mountaineers (9-1, 3-0, Patriot Gold Division Champions)
Head Coach: Jon Simoneau, 19th season (130-58)
Not only does Bernards bring in the second-longest win streak in the BCC at 32 games (the longest active streak), but the Mountaineers have won 34 straight regular season games. Their last defeat before either of those came on September 2, 2022 to Hillside, a 35-20 defeat. Since then, they have one sectional title (2024) in two trips to the finals (their second was last year.) And they should be loaded again, despite the loss of senior runningback Logan Stevens, who ran for 1,100 yards even last year and 14 touchdowns. But junior Patrick Carlisle (324 yards, 4 TDs) will be back to take the handoffs from returning QB Nolan Walks, who threw for 1,096 yards as a junior last season, while his favorite target, Sean Arcelay (25 catches, 470 yards, 5 TDs) also returns. Defense should be solid, too. Thomas Diemar – the school’s all-time sack leader with 22 – only played three games before a torn ACL ended his scholastic career, but others stepped up. Tyce Hanratty had two sacks and five TFLs as a junior, plus two picks, while junior Jordan Riley and sophomore Victor Nina combined for four sacks and 14 tackles for loss. No shortage of talent here, and few teams can match Bernards’ physicality.
Hitting a major milestone in any high school sport is a big deal.
Often, the game will stop, the ball will come out of play, and there are balloons and photo ops, then the game goes on.
For Grant Lorentzen, who’s just graduated from JFK in Iselin last week, he hit key milestones in not just one, nor two, but three high school sports.
In an era where more and more student-athletes are specializing – playing just one sport, and then training the rest of the year in that sport – Lorentzen is a throwback, but also an example.
Lorentzen says his coaches always supported him playing multiple sports, so much so that he will even get to do it in college, where he’ll attend The College of New Jersey. First recruited by their baseball coach, he told them right from the get-go that he also wanted to play football. So, they worked out a schedule, and the rest is just future history.
Particularly with pitchers, many believe throwing year-round leaves a teenager more vulnerable to injury. A number of GMC hurlers didn’t make it through the entire 2026 season this spring. But Lorentzen managed to play eleven varsity seasons – and pitched – across four years and three sports at JFK.
Many coaches encourage the practice, and would rather see them play another sport at their school than be out of the building, playing travel ball.
And he still had the time to do some training in the off-season with Elite QB football training academy, under the tutelage of Matt Bastardi. He was often featured in Elite QB’s “Elite Performer of the Week” segment on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Lorentzen may not be a trailblazer. Many still play multiple sports. But he’s the perfect example of someone who not just played all three, but was damn good at all of them.
Click below to hear JFK grad Grant Lorentzen talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about being a three-sport athlete, and his future at The College of New Jersey:
It was another year of coaching turnover in the Big Central Conference, whether by coaches not being retained, or stepping down on their own.
Of the 59 schools in the league, 12 will have new head coaches for the upcoming 2026 season. That’s 25 coaching changes in the past two seasons – nearly half the league – after 13 new coaches were hired following the 2024 campaign.
The latest hire was Steven Brown at North Plainfield, whose appointment was approved Monday night by the Board of Education. He’s been the defensive coordinator at Verona for the last two seasons, and also at Elizabeth for girls’ flag football, a Big Central playoff finalist each of the last two seasons.
And that leaves just one position open in the BCC, in Perth Amboy, where William Clark will not be retained after seven seasons as the Panthers’ head coach. His teams were 12-52 in that span, never winning more than three in a season; they went 3-7 in 2021.
Once that hiring is complete, the entire Patriot Silver Division – Amboy, New Providence, AL Johnson, Spotswood, Roselle and Metuchen – will have new head coaches, and be responsible for half the new mentors in the BCC this season.
Here’s a look at the rest of the Big Central Conference schools with new coaches in 2026:
Former Woodbridge standout Anthony Nyers is the new head coach of the JFK football program, after his hire was approved by the Woodbridge Board of Education last Thursday night.
The Woodbridge Board of Ed oversees all three district high schools, including Kennedy, Colonia, and Woodbridge.
Nyers had spent the past year working as the wide receivers’ coach and Offensive Coordinator at Westfield under Matt Andzel, who just wrapped up his second season as the successor to Jim DeSarno. He held the same positions on the staff of Al Chiola for the 2024 season, and came to Westfield after Chiola stepped down at the end of that year.
This will be Nyers’ first head coaching job.
Nyers, who will turn 32 this May, was a high school standout in the GMC, playing for Woodbridge under Brian Russo. In his senior season of 2011, he had 30 catches for 546 yards and six touchdowns. He was a two-time All-State Group 3 selection, named to the second team as a junior, first-team as a senior.
He went on to play in college at East Stroudbsurg for a year, then spent two at Kean University in Union before suffering a knee injury that effectively ended his playing days. He eventually returned to Woodbridge to coach with his father, Bill Nyers’, in his second stint with the Barrons, while his younger brother, Nick, was also on the team.
Westfield head coach Matt Andzel says he’ll miss having Nyers on his staff. “Anthony came on board with us in the Spring of 2025,” Andzel told Central Jersey Sports Radio Monday.
“I knew him from coaching with his dad (Bill) a while back. Our players immediately gravitated towards him. He is going to put in the work to make his team the most prepared they can be. I can expect JFK to be a competitive program for as long as he’s their coach,” Andzel said.
“Anthony was a tough, talented, hard nosed player who loved his teammates and gave his all always,” said Brian Russo, who coached Nyers at Woodbridge and now is the head coach at Rahway. “He has put his time in and I am sure he will do great things with the Kennedy football program.”
Nyers takes over for Mike Henderson, who stepped down after four seasons leading the Kennedy program.
Henderson had been an assistant since 2010, but took over as head coach in 2023, having not won more than two games in a season from 2017 through 2021, the COVID-shortened year.
His first season, the Mustangs went 2-8, then 1-8 the following year, but made improvement, jumping up to four wins in 2024, going 4-6. And this year’s squad went 6-4, with a 5-4 mark on Cutoff Weekend, though they missed the playoffs.
Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with new JFK Football Coach Anthony Nyers:
