Tag: Jon Simoneau

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 4 Bernards rallies in the 4th to pick up 17-14 win at Summit, extends state-best regular season win streak to 32 games

When you lose your starting quarterback, even for part of a game, the effect can sometimes immediately be felt. But it’s up to the next guy in – and those around him – to elevate their game.

That’s what’s been happening for the last two-and-a-half weeks up at Bernards, where the No. 4 Mountaineers saw starting QB Nolan Walsh get hurt a couple of weeks ago against JP Stevens.

And while he might be back soon, the keys were handed to freshman A.J. MacCracken, not only to finish out the 39-0 win over the Hawks, but to start the next two games, both on the road. He’d be the first freshman to start at the position in 50 years, according to head coach Jon Simoneau.

The next two weeks may not have been perfect, but MacCracken and his very skilled teammates got the job done in a 7-0 win at South Plainfield last week, and did it again Saturday afternoon at Tatlock Field against Summit.

The fourth-ranked Mountaineers got a 17-yard touchdown run from Logan Stevens with 10:29 to go in the game to take a 17-14 lead they would never relinquish, en route to their seventh win of the season in as many games.

And it all extends two significant Bernards’ streaks. They’ve now won 32 consecutive regular season games, starting with their last seven of 2022 – and that’s the best active winning streak in New Jersey. They had perfect, 9-0 regular seasons each of the last two years – with a sectional title in ’23 and a trip to the final last season, and now are 7-0 on the year with two games left, both at home, against Governor Livingston next week, and Carteret on Cutoff Weekend.

They’ve also won 30 straight Big Central Conference games, second only to St. Thomas Aquinas, whose streak is currently at 35.

Summit, meanwhile, falls to 5-2 and has dropped two straight after starting 5-0. They’ll face Woodbridge on the road next week, then come back home to close out against Scotch Plains-Fanwood on the Saturday of Cutoff Weekend.

Click below for postgame reaction from Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 4 Bernards comes out hot, steamrolls Delaware Valley to extend state-best win streak

If anyone had any questions about Bernards after a state sectional title in 2023, and a trip to the finals in 2024, they may have been answered Friday night at Olcott Field in Bernardsville.

The fourth-ranked Mountaineers came out and were aggressive from the get-go, scoring thee first quarter touchdowns, en route to a 43-7 win over visiting Delaware Valley in a battle of unbeaten teams on the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Bernards won the toss, took the ball, and on the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Nolan Walsh pitched it out to Sean Arcelay, who then hooked up with Ricky Giebel for a 40-yard completion, and they were off and running. Patrick Carlisle took it to the end zone from 21 yards out just six plays later to open the scoring.

After a three-and-out, Logan Stevens capped a three-play drive taking it seven yards to the end zone, and Nolan Walsh made it three-for-three when he scored from one-yard out after the Mountaineers recovered a fumble at the Del Val 35. Bernards ran for two, and got it to make it 22-0.

In the second quarter, Westin Lukes caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Walsh to make it 29-0, a score that held into the break.

The Terriers would get on the board on their first drive of the half, but that would be all they’d get, on a 30-yard TD pass from Kelton Ibach to Brayden Costello.

Bernards finished the game off with two more scores, a seven-yard TD reception from Ricky Giebel, and a one-yard push from Walsh.

Bernards improves to 3-0 with the win, and extends two long win streaks in the process. they have the state’s top active regular season win streak at 28 games, and have won 26 straight in Big Cenrtral play, second only to the 31 of St. Thomas Aquinas heading into Friday’s home game against North Brunswick. the Mountaineers visit Voorhees next week.

Del Val falls to 2-1 and travels to JP Stevens next Friday.

The game was the Big Central Patriot Gold Division opener for both teams.

But the night was not a perfect one for Bernards. Senior defensive end Thomas Diemar – who set the school’s all-time sack record last year, finishing with 20 – went down with an apparent leg injury in the first half and did not return. His status remained unclear after the game.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Bernards junior QB Nolan Walsh
Bernards Head Coach Jon Simoneau
Logo of Sportsplex at Metuchen promoting open gym sessions with icons of various sports including soccer, basketball, and hockey.
by Mike Pavlichko

Mountain Valley rivalry game has Bernards hosting Delaware Valley, with No. 4 Mountaineers looking solid early on

There will be a lot going on at Olcott Field in Bernardsville Friday night, where No. 4 Bernards will host Delaware Valley in the Big Central Game of the Week, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

To begin with, it’s a battle of 2-0 teams, with the Mountaineers having beaten Cranford and Hillside, the Terriers having beaten Metuchen and South Plainfield.

You can add in a big rivalry game between the schools, rejuvenated in the Big Central, and also Bernards’ 27-game regular season win streak, which is the longest such active streak in the state right now.

But don’t ask a single player about either.

It’s not about that, they’ll say. It’s just about getting better every day, and building depth in a program that has always had great numbers, but saw a little dip due to the smaller-than-usual size of the school’s sophomore class.

But many key players are back, including sack-machine Thomas Diemar at defensive end, and major contributors on offense like returning quarterback Nolan Walsh, receiver Sean Arcelay and runinngback Logan Stevens, only the last of which is a senior.

You can hear Friday night’s game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame at 6:45 and kickoff at 7 pm. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel have the call; click here to listen.

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s 2025 Camp Caravan:  Bernards looks to continue its best run in program history

The final stop of Week One on the 2025 Camp Caravan for Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden took the coach to Bernards, where the Mountaineers are coming off a pair of undefeated regular seasons and two straight trips to sectional finals.

Watch Borden’s full coverage below, including clips from camp, and interviews with head coach Jon Simoneau, seniors Logan Stevens (RB/DB), Thomas Diemar (LB/LS), Justin Simpson (OL), James Renz (C/DT) and Finn Osborne (G/DT), as well as juniors Nolan Walsh (QB) and Patrick Carlisle (RB/LB).

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

by Alec Crouthamel

Bernards takes first loss of season, falls 28-14 to Shabazz in North 1, Group 2 final at home

Bernards’ quest for a second straight sectional title – and second straight undefeated season through the sectional championship – fell short on Friday night as the second-seeded Mountaineers fell 28-14 to fifth-seeded Shabazz in the North 1 Group 2 final.

The Bulldogs used a strong rushing attack and opportunistic defense to take home the title, upsetting the top two seeds in the process.

It was a defensive rock-fight for the first 30 minutes, as the teams went into the halftime locker room scoreless. In the third quarter, however, the scoring exploded, with three touchdowns coming in the third and another three in the fourth.

Bernards was led on the ground by running back Logan Stevens, who had a solid game running and receiving. He ran for 102 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown on the ground, as well as catching four passes for 72 yards through the air. Quarterback Nolan Walsh relied on him as a safety net out of the backfield and he delivered in a big way.

Wide receiver Jack Morra had another big game, catching three passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. Walsh for the game completed 10 of his 21 pass attempts for 174 yards and a score. It was a strong day for the Mountaineers’ passing attack, particularly in the second half, but it was not enough to keep up with Shabazz.

Bulldogs quarterback Romeo Tables led the way with his arms and his legs, as he threw for 86 yards and a touchdown while carrying the ball 12 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns. All three scores were on big plays from 20, 17, and 53 yards out. His final carry – the 53-yard score – essentially iced the game after Shabazz’s special teams unit recovered an onside kick, giving the Bulldogs a 28-14 lead with three minutes to play. Running backs Zaiden McDonald and Jalen Cline each ran for 64 and 63 yards respectively.

A key factor in the game turned out to be the penalties, as the Mountaineers committed several pre-snap penalties to push them back and stall drives, as well as give Shabazz good field position on defense. Bernards also had an interception called back due to a defensive pass interference, a drive that Shabazz later scored on.

The Mountaineers finish their season at 11-1, while the 9-2 Bulldogs will advance to the Group 2 semifinals where they will face Hanover Park, which beat top-seeded Glen Rock in the North 2 Group 2 finals earlier tonight.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

by Mike Pavlichko

Back at it again! Bernards tops Pequannock 17-0 to earn second straight sectional finals berth, and get another surprise home game to boot

Last year, after Bernards beat Sussex Tech in the North 2, Group 2 semifinals to clinch a spot in the sectional title game, longtime PA man Phil Nardone shocked – and delighted – the crowd by announcing that top-seed Caldwell had been upset by Lakeland, giving the Mountaineers a home game for the trophy.

They won it, and got knocked out in the North 2 semifinals by Westwood the following week.

So far, history has repeated itself. Bernards is undefeated – 11-0, just like they were last year. They are in the finals for a second straight year. And they will again play for a title in front of their adoring fans at Olcott Field thanks to an upset.

Of course, second-seeded Bernards had to hold up its end of the bargain, and did so in a 17-0 win over third-seed Pequannock Friday night. But then top-seed Westwood got beat 14-6 by fifth-seed Shabazz, sending the Bulldogs (8-2) east down Route 78 out of Newark next Friday night to play Bernards in the North 1, Group 2 title game.

Max Austin opened the scoring for Bernards with a five-yard touchdown run, then Noah Ochab booted a 33-yard field goal with two minutes and change left in the first half. The defense also did its part, preserving a shutout as the first half clock hit :00 when Nick Pownall blocked a 31-yard Pequannock field goal attempt.

The death knell for Pequannock came in the fourth, with about nine minutes left, when Nolan Walsh threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Sean Arcelay to make it 17-0.

It’ll be just the fourth trip for Bernards to a sectional final, which lost its first two trips in 1997 and 2016, but brought home its first title of the playoff era last year with a 23-17 overtime win over Lakeland.

Click below for postgame reaction from Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau:

by Mike Pavlichko

Simoneau calls Rutherford first-round playoff win “wake-up call” as Bernards gets set to host Pequannock Friday night

All year long, Bernards has played some pretty good football. Maybe better than most should have expected, considering the seniors that graduated last year from their first state sectional title team of the playoff era.

Connor Laverty, Jake Caldwell, David Brothers, and more are all gone.

But despite other key players being back, like Logan Stevens, Terrence Hanratty and more, head coach Jon Simoneau figured his team might be in for some growing pains.

Nope.

They had another undefeated regular season, actually, their first time going back-to-back undefeated in a regular season since 1995 and 1996, though both years they lost in the first round of the playoffs to finish 9-1 each time. In fact, Bernards has only done it two other times, going 8-0 in 1935 and 1936 – following a 1934 campaign that went 6-0-2 – then going 5-0 in 1918 following a 7-0-1 season in 1917.

But last week, Simoneau admits his second-seeded Mountaineers played far from its best game of the season, narrowly escaping the first round in North 1, Group 2 with a 35-33 win over Rutherford, in which they had to rally from a 27-14 halftime deficit.

Sometimes, a team has to get jolted back to reality with a regular season loss, then once out of their system, they play more free, and go on to great heights.

Bernards might have been lucky to escape with a win, but Simoneau expects a different Mountaineer team out of the gates this weekend when they host third-seed Pequannock (8-2) at 7 pm Friday night in the sectional semifinals, in what will be the first-ever meeting between the schools.

Click below to hear Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau talk about the Mountaineers and Friday’s game against Pequannock:

by Mike Pavlichko

Hanratty’s TD, Bernards defense gives Mountaineers big 29-22 win over visiting Summit

Terrance Hanratty scored from seven yards out in the closing minutes to give No. 4 Bernards a thrilling 29-22 win over Summit Thursday night at Olcott Field in Bernardsville.

In a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, both teams played a tight first half, not always able to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them.

Summit came out running tempo with QB draws that kept Bernards off balance, but they only managed a single touchdown before the half. And Bernards had a good drive going late, but turned it over. And when they got it back off a Hilltopper turnover, missed a field goal that would have given them the lead.

Summit opened the scoring on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Cole Sabol to Oscar Marx, and they made it 8-0 by converting a two-point try. With 91 second left in the first half, Bernards answered back with a four-yard run by Logan Stevens, but after a penalty set them back, they elected to go for the PAT.

Summit got on the board again midway through the third quarter on a three-yard touchdown run by Ethan Lawton to make it 15-7. And it was then the Bernards offense came alive, but not without the help of their defense.

After a Summit turnover, Walsh hit Jack Mora for the first of two touchdown passes, a 59-yarder with 3:43 to go in the third to get Bernards within a point, then they connected again just a few minutes later after another Summit fumble, and got the ball in the red zone, punching it in on two plays, the last a nine-yard pass to Mora.

Summit wasn’t done, though. The Hilltoppers got a seven yard run from Gavin Schnall with 4:06 to play, giving them a 22-21 lead.

And then it was Bernards’ turn. A long drive got down to the seven yard line, then Terrance Hanratty muscled his way into the end zone, pushing the pile forward, to make it 27-22. Head coach Jon Simoneau called for a two-point try to make it a seven-point lead, and they got it, as Patrick Carlisle ran it into the end zone, the same one where Connor Laverty scored in overtime to give Bernards its first-ever state sectional title less than a year ago against Lakeland.

Bernards improves to 7-0 on the season, extending its Big Central win streak to 21 games. They also evened the all-time series with Summit – which dates back to 1914 – at four games apiece. Summit lost its second straight, falling to 4-2, with Woodbridge looming next Saturday at Tatlock Field.

Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen with Bernards QB Nolan Walsh, DE Thomas Diemar and head coach Jon Simoneau:

by Mike Pavlichko

Bernards has picked up right where it left off, starting 6-0 a year after winning first state title

The 2023 football season was a year to remember forever.

How can they forget? Apparently the team was watching the clip of their game-winning touchdown against Lakeland to give them the North 2, Group 2 title, complete with play-by-play from Central Jersey Sports Radio.

That is, until Jon Simoneau told them to cut it out. After all, the head coach told them, this us a new year and a new team.

And while a look at the roster might show it, a look at their record doesn’t. They’re 6-0, just like they were at this point last year.

But they will have their hands full this week when the fourth-ranked Mountaineers host Summit, in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio. You can hear that game at 7 pm with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call. Pregame is 6:45; click here to listen.

Summit is 4-1, taking their first loss last week at Somerville, 41-0, in a game in which the Pioneers scored all their points in the first 24 minutes of football. Summit is very good, and Simoneau is hard-pressed to find any weaknesses in the game film. The Pioneers are just that much better.

But the Hilltoppers are still a Group 3 team, Bernards is a Group 2, and Simoneau knows his team is in for a challenger.

Click below to hear Bernards’ head coach Jon Simoneau talk about the Mountaineers, and Thursday night’s game against Summit, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Bernards doing what it does best: Mountaineers keep winning even with mostly new crew

In 2023, the Bernards football team won its first-ever state sectional championship of the playoff era.

Starting quarterback Connor Laverty and his 1,727 yards passing and his 17 touchdowns? Graduated.

Top receiver Jake Caldwell with his 42 catches for 594 yards? Graduated.

David Brothers and his 13 sacks on defense? You know the answer.

And yet, returning runningback Logan Stephens (676 yards, 10 TDs) is back, as are Jack Morra, Max Austin and more on the offensive side of the ball, while sophomore defensive lineman Thomas Diemar and his ten sacks are back, and Bernards is doing what it did all of last year.

They’re winning, and the Mountaineers are 2-0.

No doubt a lot of that is the players, but a significant amount is Jon Simoneau, the head coach who has built such a culture of passionate, smart football players – who happen to also be very talented – that Bernards can keep winning despite all the turnover in personnel.

He knows they may not be as deep as they were last year, but they are talented in their own way, the way every team is different from the one before it.

With wins over Monmouth Regional and Hillside to start the season, Bernards is 2-0 for the second straight year, and this week has another tough one on tap, at Tapp Webb Field in Alexandria where they’ll play the annual Mountain Valley Trophy game against Delaware Valley. The Mountaineers have won two straight in the series.

Click below to hear Bernards’ head coach Jon Simoneau talk about the team’s 2-0 start and how it’s reloaded from last year’s title team: