Our goal at Central Jersey Sports Radio since our founding in 2020 has always been to bring attention to all the great things done by the many outstanding student-athletes in our area, both on and off the field.
Even with Honorable Mentions in each category, just having one each of Offensive, Defensive Special Teams and Two-Way Player of the Year isn’t quite enough to cover the massive 59-team Big Central Conference.
So, in our quest to honor as many great student-athletes as possible, here are our 2023 Central Jersey Sports Radio Specialty Awards:
“Three-Way Player of the Year: Sal Marchione, Monroe
Nominated by first-year head coach and Falcon alum Nick Isola for Two-Way Player of the Year, we decided he was overqualified for that award, and decided to honor his as the Three-Way Player of the Year for 2023.
Isola – who was elevated to head coach after serving as an assistant for Monroe – says he had “the most impressive senior year of any player I’ve coached the last seven years.”
On offense, Marchione had 62 catches this season – a Monroe record – for 769 yards and six touchdowns, while also carrying 34 times for 215 yards and two more scores. He even threw three passes, completing all of them, for 106 yards and a touchdown.
TOn defense, he logged 50 tackles – despite starting the year at free safety – as well as 15 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions, one for a touchdown.
But wait, there’s more! He also punts… and booted 34 kicks for a 34.5 yard average, with 18 going more than 35 yards, and a long of 52!
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Sal Marchione of Monroe:
“Shutdown Defender”: Renick Dorilas, Union
He may very well be a “lethal defender” as his head coach Lou Grasso calls him, but Renick Dorilas also is a very feared defender.
Dorilas registered 32 tackles on defense, with three interceptions and ten pass breakups. Those may not sound like huge numbers, but they make sense. Why? Because no one wants to throw where he is.
Those that did paid the price. He gave up very few completions this year, according to Grasso, even though it’s not a stat regularly kept at the high school level, at least not revealed externally.
But Dorilas also is one of the top college recruits in the Big Central, with more than 15 FBS offers, including Rutgers, Penn State and Tennessee.
Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Union’s Renick Dorilas:
“Record Setter” Award: A.J. Bosch, Woodbridge
Bosch could be legitimately considered for any award this year, whether it be offense, defense or special teams. But we thought he’d be most deserving of our record-setter award, considering the marks he’ll leave on the Barrons record books.
In addition to being a three-year starter, Bosch will graduate tops in Woodbridge history in career receptions with 134 and career TD catches, with 27. He’s also No. 2 in career receiving yards with 2,842, and tenth in career rushing touchdowns with 12.
Of all those touchdowns, which one does he remember most? We’ll let him tell you…
Click below to hear Justin Sontupe talk with A.J. Bosch:
“Trailblazer Award“: Michael Schmelzer, Jr., Montgomery
An honorable mention for our Longevity Award, we decided to call Schmelzer a trailblazer instead.
He started as just such a player when he took the helm of an 0-4 Montgomery team at quarterback two seasons ago, then won three straight to help get the Cougars into the playoffs.
Overall, he finished his career 18-6-1 as a starter in two-and-a-half seasons, and he led the Cougars to three straight playoff berths, the first time that’s ever happened in Montgomery football history.
Schmelzer had a fantastic capper to his career in 2023: 132 for 222 passing for 1,897 yards, 22 touchdowns, 447 rushing yards, and 11 rushing touchdowns.
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Michael Schmelzer, Jr. and Matt D’Avino of Montgomery:
“Heart And Soul” Award: John Wargo, Phillipsburg
Sometimes there is a player who so simply represents what his team is all about, they become the face of the team.
One one full of standouts, we felt runningback and defensive end John Wargo epitomized the tougheness and grit that defined Phillipsburg football all year long.
Twice this year, the Stateliners suffered tough losses, and twice came back with wins.
The first was against Hillsborough in the rain at Rutgers in the Rumble on the Raritan, followed up with a win over then-ranked Hunterdon Central.
The next time it was a loss to Union City in the North 2, Group 5 final, but they came back to beat Easton on Thanksgiving. That made it back-to-back wins over their arch rivals for the first time in 20 years, since 2002 and 20023.
Wargo was instrumental in that win, with a 13-carry, 160-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Red Rovers. He missed a couple weeks due to injury, but came back strong, finishing the season with 1,014 rushing yards and 18 of his team’s 39 rushing touchdowns.
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Phillipsburg’s John Wargo:
