Tag: JFK

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Tight United Silver Division could be jam-packed again

Of the five United Gold Division teams in 2024, three of them finished 3-1 in divisional play, a symbol of parity in the group, even though North Plainfield and New Brunswick both struggled overall.

But it was a tight race between Governor Livingston, South Plainfield and JFK, as the three ended up tied for first, with the Highlanders beating the Tigers, the Tigers beating JFK and the Mustangs beating Governor Livingston. Are we having fun yet?

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Liberty 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 (*).

Governor Livingston Highlanders (5-5, 3-1, tied for 1st with South Plainfield, JFK in ’24)
Head Coach: Pete Ramiccio (15-15, 4th season)

  • Week 0: Lakeland (Thurs, 4p)
  • Week 1: New Providence (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 2: at JFK* (6p)
  • Week 3: at North Plainfield* (Sat, 12p)
  • Week 4: South Plainfield* (Sat, 6p)
  • Week 5: at Johnson
  • Week 6: Voorhees (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 7: at Bernards
  • Week 8: New Brunswick (Sat, 12p)

It will be quite the challenge making up for some of the Highlanders who graduated this June, including starting QB Lucciano Santamaria (844 yards, 7 TD), runningback Jack Dally (1,195 yards, 15 TD) and their top three receivers, led by Ryan Honey (386 yards, 3 TDs). There’s a little more back on the defensive side, including junior two-way lineman David Dorsett, who logged three sacks and seven TFLs last season, along with two fumble recoveries. Linebacker Max DiDonatto and soph lineman Joey Switlyk could be players to watch as well for GL.

JFK Mustangs (4-6, 3-1, tied for 1st with Governor Livingston, South Plainfield in ’24)
Head Coach: Michael Henderson (7-22, 4th season)

  • Week 0: at Perth Amboy (6p)
  • Week 1: Voorhees (6p)
  • Week 2: Governor Licingston* (6p)
  • Week 3: at New Brunswick*
  • Week 4: Monroe (6p)
  • Week 5: at Scotch Plains-Fanwood
  • Week 6: at North Plainfield*
  • Week 7: Middlesex (6p)
  • Week 8: at South Plainfield* (6p)

Unlike Governor Livingston, the top three offensive returnees are all back for Mike Henderson, and that could make for a fun year in Iselin. QB Richie Trotman threw for 1,297 yards and 17 TDs last season as a junior – but will need to cut down on the picks this year – while top rusher Fieheem Howell, Jr., (1,307 yards, 12 TD) and No. 1 WR Grant Lorentzen (48 catches, 632 yards, 9 TD) also return, as do several key backups. There’s plenty to work with there, but the defense will lose big chunks of numbers, although Jamir Campbell (3.5 sacks, 4 TFLs, 1 INT) could be a big key on that side of the ball. Lorentzen is also a solid kick returner, averaging nearly 25 yards per return last season.

New Brunswick Zebras (0-9, 0-4, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Geoffrey Chrisman (first season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Plainfield
  • Week 2: at Scotch Plains-Fanwood
  • Week 3: JFK* (6p)
  • Week 4: North Plainfield* (6p)
  • Week 5: at Carteret
  • Week 6: South Plainfield* (6p)
  • Week 7: Rahway (Sat, 12p)
  • Week 8: at Governor Livingston* (Sat, 12p)

The results have not been good for Zebras football in many years, and in the last two seasons under Steve Gluchowski, scoring just 33 points in 2023, 32 last season, and going a combined 0-18. The program is lacking numbers, and now it’ll be Geoffrey Chrisman’s turn to try and fix it. Chrisman, whose joined the district as a teacher for 2024-25, but hasn’t coached football since 2019, when he was an assistant at North Hunterdon. His biggest job? Finding kids in the halls to play football for a Group 5 school whose numbers look more like a small Group 1.

North Plainfield Canucks (3-6, 1-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Derrick Eatman (5-24, 4th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: Belvidere (6p)
  • Week 2: at South Plainfield*
  • Week 3: Governor Livingston* (Sat, 12p)
  • Week 4: at New Brunswick* (6p)
  • Week 5: at Voorhees (6p)
  • Week 6: JFK* (6p)
  • Week 7: Johnson
  • Week 8: at Metuchen

All three QBs the Canucks played last year are graduating, including Mohammad Ahsan, who threw for just under 600 yards. North Plainfield struggled to put up points against good teams last season, and they’ll do the same this year unless some new talent emerges. Senior RB Aaron Potts (913 yards, 14 TD) is gone to graduation, too. The defense will have to shore up as wel, allowing 35 points or more in five of their six losses.

South Plainfield Tigers (5-5, 3-4, tied for first with Governor Livingston, JFK)
Head Coach: Bill Hamilton (19-20), 5th season)

  • Week 0: at East Brunswick (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 1: at Delaware Valley
  • Week 2: North Plainfield* (6p)
  • Week 3: at Cranford
  • Week 4: at Governor Livingston (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 5: Bernards (6p)
  • Week 6: at New Brunswick (6p)
  • Week 7: South River (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 8: JFK* (6p)

If the Tigers can start 2025 the same way they finished 2024 – with four straight wins – or anything close to it, they’ll compete for a division title. Senior QB Ryan Balent is gone, and returnee Jordan Magazine only threw one pass last year as a sophomore. The good news is that he, or whoever else Coach Hamilton goes with, will have Dom Massarro back to run the ball; he went for 1,049 yards last year on 105 carries and scored nine touchdowns, while Jaydon Jones also returns after a sophomore year rushing for 543 yards and four scores, while junior King Hills went for 504 and two scores. That’s more than 2,000 rush yards back from a team that ran for over 2,700 last season. The defense has some standouts back, too. Massari had two INTs, one for a touchdown, while junior Erick Hernandez (4 TFLs, 1 fumble recovery) and Kaydin Daniel (4 TFLs) could be players to watch.

by Mike Pavlichko

GMC Jim Muldowney Tournament Play-In Round Preview: Four games on tap Saturday

With the Greater Middlesex Conference seeding the Jim Muldowney Championship and Ray Cipperly Invitational on Friday – with Woodbridge getting the overall top seed – the Championship tourney will get underway Saturday with the play-in round, while the Invitational will kick off on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the four Saturday games in the Championship bracket, including a look ahead to who’s next. Scroll to the end for the first round Invitational matchups.

(17) South Brunswick (3-15) at (16) South River (12-5), 12 pm: This is the type of game that’s impossible to pick, a double-digit team from the Blue Division against a Red Division team with just three overall wins, and one in its own division. The Red has been competitive just about from top-to-bottom, with six of the eight teams cracking the ten-win mark, and besides South Brunswick, Monroe has eight victories. So, it’s tough to tell. Couple that with the fact that the Rams have one of the top pitchers in the league in Julius Rosado, who will be playing not far away at Rutgers next Spring. Does Mike Lepore throw him Saturday, since you have to win that game to advance? Does he save him for Monday’s first round against top-seed and GMC Red champion Woodbridge – in which he would give the South River a fighting chance – but risk not getting a win Saturday, leaving him on the table? Or does he start him, cap him at 50 pitches, allowing him to only take one-day rest, leaving him with 90 against the Barrons? Rosado has only thrown 90 or more pitches once this year, in a 4-3 win over JP Stevens on April 23rd, and he hasn’t thrown more than 25 in four appearances since. Maybe this is what they’ve been saving him for? The Vikings have struggled at the plate, hitting just .227 on the season, and only Timothy Christian (21) has scored fewer runs that South Brunswick, which has 49, as does North Brunswick (2-13). The winner travels to face the Barrons Monday.

(19) JFK (9-8) at (14) North Plainfield (10-5), 12 pm: Here’s two teams more on a par with each other in an all-Blue Division matchup. And this one could be a toss-up. Kennedy gotten some good pitching, but little run support. The workloads have gone to junior Myles Ulaky (1.83 ERA) and Grant Lorentzen, who has allowed just one earned run, four overall, all season in 36 1/3 innings pitched for a barely-noticeable 0.19 ERA. North Plainfield is on its first losing streak of the year – just two games – showing how solid a season they’ve had. The Canucks have gotten decent pitching – with a team ERA of just 2.23 – but they’re hitting just .204 on the year, with no single player batting better than .300 on the season. The winner goes to GMC White champ and third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas Monday.

(18) Carteret (8-8) at (15) Perth Amboy (4-10), 12 pm: Is the fact that the Panthers have just four wins in the white and the Ramblers eight wins in the Blue an equalizer? Sometimes, when comparing teams from different divisions, the GMC seeding committee considers what one team might do in the other division. Add in that this is a classic rivalry – their all-time football series having been the longest running in Middlesex County – and this should be a good one. Perth Amboy comes in strong. After a 3-10 start, the Panthers have won three straight: two over North Brunswick and one over South Brunswick. They scored just 12 runs on that eight game skid, but have scored an average of ten over the last three games, hitting .337 in that span. And it doesn’t matter the opponent, baseball people know hitting is contagious. Yet, the Ramblers will be a tougher opponent. Winners of five of their last seven, Carteret is hitting a healthy .283 and led by senior Eric Thompson, batting .370, while Joneil Martinez has knocked in a team-best 12 runs and is hitting .345 on the year. The winner goes to No. 2 South Plainfield Monday.

(20) South Amboy (5-11) at (13) Metuchen (13-6), 2 pm: It’s an all-Blue Division matchup between the sixth-place Governors and the pennant-winning Bulldogs. South Amboy is hitting .278 as a team, led by senior Benjamin Smith, batting .434, tied for a team-high in RBIs with Jeremy Vasquez, who also has five of the Guvs’ seven home runs. Pitching has been an issue, with a team ERA just over six, and no single pitcher lower than a 4.43 ERA. Metuchen is an interesting story. They were 11-2 before May first, but have lost four of their last five and three straight, although two of those losses came to Red Division foes in Edison (a 4-3 loss) and Monroe (a 7-2 defeat). Metuchen is the beat-hitting team of the eight in the play-in round (as well as the highest-seeded, so maybe they should be?) and has just a 2.62 team ERA, with a number of options to choose from on a staff that doesn’t have a single senior and is dominated by juniors. The winner gets four-seed East Brunswick on the road Monday.

GMC RAY CIPPERLY INVITATIONAL – 1st ROUND
TUESDAY, MAY 13

  • (9) Highland Park (3-13) at (8) Piscataway Magnet (8-8), 4 pm (Winner at (1) JP Stevens on Thursday)
  • (11) Timothy Christian (0-11) at (6) Dunellen (12-6), 4 pm (Winner at (3) East Brunswick Magnet on Thursday)
  • (10) Perth Amboy Magnet (3-11) at (7) Somerset Tech (7-6), 4 om (Winner at (2) North Brunswick on Thursday)
by Mike Pavlichko

Power Points Analysis: South, North Plainfield and Colonia still bunched up at the top of North 2, Group 3 standings

We’re exactly two weeks from the NJSIAA cutoff for the state playoffs – May 17th – and teams across the area continue to jockey for position in the standings. Here’s a closer look beyond the numbers at where teams stand and what their chances are, based on NJ.com’s official standings as of games played on May 2nd. For a full explanation of the new power point formula, click here.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: The same three teams that headed up this section last week are exactly where we left them standings-wise, but the lead is a little slimmer now. South Plainfield (12-5, 22.028) is first, while neighboring North Plainfield (10-4, 21.477) is second and Colonia (11-3, 21.038) is third. That’s 0.99 points separating the three, whereas last week the margin between them was a shade under four. All three are going to have to keep winning these final two weeks, and all would seem to have a shot at the top overall seed, plus the fourth-place team, Millburn, which is just 7-8, but has 20.778 power points.

One of the big developments here is that JFK made a big jump this week, despite just going 2-2 since our last update. Now 8-5 (17.754), the Mustangs jumped from seventh to fifth place, and while they’re a tinge more than three points out of the top four, they’d have to go on some kind of win streak to crack that group. And yet, they’re actually closer to falling out of the top eight than they are to making the top four. That’s because Somerville (7-6, 16.193) is about 1.6 points away, and still in ninth. They have a good shot to make the top eight if they finish strong.

The other big mover is Carteret, which soared from eleventh to seventh place this week, again, even on just a 2-2 week. The Ramblers are 7-9 with 16.46 points, but still could fall back to the bottom eight, so they also might need to finish strong to stay there.

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

2024 Big Central Preview: United Silver Division

Carteret and JP Stevens are out in the United Silver Division of the Big Central Conference, while JFK and New Brunswick move in.

The Mustangs and Zebras will be in with South Plainfield, North Plainfield and Governor Livingston.

The Highlanders finished second to the Ramblers last year, as head coach Pete Ramiccio really got things going after starting late in his debut season in 2022, making the playoffs for the first time since 2009. South Plainfield is likely their biggest challenger, while JFK is counting on some good experience in ’23 to pay off this season.

North Plainfield struggled a year ago, and New Brunswick was winless, but they’ve been working on improving numbers – a rare challenge for a large school – and are hoping for increased depth this season.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s 2024 GMC/BCC Camp Caravan: Monday Morning quad scrimmage kicks off Week Two with JFK, Dayton and New Providence

Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football analyst Marcus Borden opened up Week Two of coverage with a busy morning, visiting a quad scrimmage at JFK in Iselin that included the Mustangs, New Providence and Dayton, along with non-conference Lakewood out of the Shore Conference.

You can find videos – including video highlights and interviews – from all three participating Big Central Conference teams below:

JFK: Head Coach Mike Henderson and seniors Brenden Denti (C/DL), Manny Perez-Quijano (FB/NG), Dylan Driz (MLB/FB) and Lee Tobon (WR/DB)

New Providence: Head Coach Chet Parlevecchio, Jr., and seniors TJ Munn (QB/CB), Owen Silver (WR/S/Ret), Sam Sicolil (OT/DT), and Jameson Moore (RT/DT)

Dayton: Head Coach Nick Iannacone and seniors John DeSarno (QB) and James Walker (RB/MLB)

by Mike Pavlichko

Fleming cracks 1,000 point plateau as Timothy Christian clicks on all cylinders in season opening win over JFK

Junior Jalen Fleming missed the last game of his sophomore season with a concussion, leaving him 23 points away from 1,000 for his career for the 22.6 point per game scorer. So you could forgive him if he has been thinking about it for the last ten months or so.

He won’t have to think about the next major milestone for a while, as his layup on a fast break with 20.4 second left in the first half of Timothy Christian’s season-opening 66-41 win over visiting JFK gave him 1,001 for his career.

Timothy Christian junior Jalen Fleming’s layup with :20.4 to go in the first half got him past the 1,000 point mark for his career in a GMC Blue Division game against JFK in Piscataway on December 15, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

It was the only real drama in Piscataway Friday night – in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio – as the Tigers got out to a hot start, a 12-0 run over the first six minutes of the game. Fleming finished with 26, ending his night with 1,003 career points.

Click the link above to check out Kingdom Kidz at their two locations, in Somerset and Piscataway. Christian-based childcare in Central Jersey!

It was also the debut of Chukwudi Raphael-Mamah, a junior who comes in from Nigeria, playing his first varsity game in the states. He finished with ten points, including a pair of mammoth two-handed flushes on fast breaks, while fellow junior Myles Dickerson added 20, including a jam and a trey.

Fleming had three triples in the game.

Timothy Christian led by as many as 32 in the fourth quarter, before Kennedy shrunk the lead a bit with both benches emptied.

JFK sophomore Grant Lorentzen had 13 points in defeat – including a trey – a career high for the sophomore, who – at 2.5 points per game last year – was the leading scorer available for Kennedy. 

The Mustangs found out last week they’ll be without their two top returning players through at least mid-January. Junior Marcus Bullock – the top returning scorer at 9.9 points per game – had surgery last Friday on his knee after his known injury turned out to me more serious than originally thought. And senior Matt Cook fractured his pinkie in gym class.

Click below for postgame reaction from Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Timothy Christian junior Jalen Fleming
Timothy Christian head coach Dennis McNulty
by Mike Pavlichko

JFK boys will have to adjust on the fly as it opens season down two key starters

Coming off a 7-16 season, the bright side for the JFK boys’ basketball team entering 2023-24 was the return guards Marcus Bullock and Matt Cook.

Bullock averaged a sliver under ten points a game last season – and was the second leading scorer on the team – while Cook saw limited action a year ago but was expected to see much more time.

But those hopes were dashed last week, officially, when both had surgery – Bullock for a knee injury that initially wasn’t thought to be as serious, and Cook for a fractured pinkie he suffered in gym class.

Click the link above to check out Kingdom Kidz at their two locations, in Somerset and Piscataway. Christian-based childcare in Central Jersey!

Yes, they’re student athletes, and don’t just get hurt playing their chosen varsity sport.

And so, it’s back to the drawing board somewhat, and next man up for the next four to six weeks in their absence. Because right now, for their opener Friday at Timothy Christian, their active roster will return just 3.6 points per game.

On the bright side, there’s Grant Lorentzen, who at least drilled 12 treys in 15 games last season, to give the Mustangs a fighting chance against the Tigers, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Tip-off is set for 5:30, with pregame at 5:15. Mike Pavlichko will call all the action; click here to listen.

Click below to hear JFK coach Sebastian de Voogd talk about the Mustangs’ early season challenges and their opener against Timothy Christian:

by Mike Pavlichko

Timothy Christian opens season vs. JFK with high hopes of taking GMC Blue

In his first four seasons as head coach of the Timothy Christian boys’ basketball team, the Tigers have won no fewer than 12 games under head coach Dennis McNulty, and that was a 12-3 campaign during the COVID-shortened season.

This could be the year they break through, though, after moving up from the GMC Gold to the Blue Division. South River graduated a ton, but will still be there. Spotswood will be in the mix as well. And probably others.

Click the link above to check out Kingdom Kidz at their two locations, in Somerset and Piscataway. Christian-based childcare in Central Jersey!

But this year could be something special at the tiny school hidden alongside Ethel Road in Piscataway.

There’s the return of sharpshooting specialist Myles Dickerson, who averaged 16 points a game and led the team with 45 threes last year in his first season at TCS. Jalen Fleming already is just 23 points away from becoming a thousand-point scorer, and he’s only about to start his junior year. A 22.6 point per game scorer for his career, he averaged 21.8 points a game last season and was second on the team with 47 steals.

And then there’s Chukwudi Raphael Mamah, who comes to Piscataway via Enugu, Nigeria. He’s 6-foot-7, can stretch the floor, shoot, and pass. McNulty says his biggest challenge will be adapting to the physicality of the game here.

Friday night, the season opens for Timothy, when the Tigers entertain JFK in a GMC Blue Division game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko has the call with pregame at 5:15 pm, and tip-off at 5:30. Click here to listen.

Click below to hear Timothy Christian head coach Denis McNulty talk about the Tigers’ 2023-34 season: