Tag: Kevin Carty Jr.

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough rallies from early 14-0 deficit to blow past Westfield, 42-21, behind Khurana’s arm, Schwarz’s legs (and defense)

To borrow a phrase from the late, great, legendary WABC disc jockey Dan Ingram, the Hillsborough high school football team’s Saturday got off like a “thundering herd of turtles.”

Translation:  It wasn’t going so well, giving up a long touchdown to Westfield in the opening play from scrimmage, and they were down 14-0 before the fans’ were settled in their seats.

Then, a funny thing happened.

The defense settled in, the offense found its groove, and when the teams went into the locker room at halftime, the Raiders had a 21-14 advantage.

In the end they got 134 rushing yards and four touchdowns from senior runningback Andrew Schwarz – who had just 15 and one score in the first half – and 257 yards passing from senior QB Devon Khurana.

Westfield scored just 20 seconds in on a 71-yard TD run by Luke Spaide.  Halfway through the period, QB Jordan Walsh’s ten-yard run had Boro down two scores.

Then, the Raiders woke up.  They forced turnovers on downs on defense, and they hit big plays on offense.

Devon Khurana hit his twin brother Shane for a 71-yard TD on the only play of the drive at 10:25 of the second period. 

Another quick drive in the next possession only needed three plays, capped by a nine-yard run by Schwarz at 7:49.

Then, a four-play, 75-yard drive nearly ended the half, with Shane Khurana grabbing a seven-yard TD catch with :28 left to make it 21-14 with the PAT at the half.

In the second half, it was more of the same. Schwarz added touchdown runs of four, 34 and 50 yards, and though Westfield got a late score, Schwarz’ final TD iced it with 6:02 to go, a scamper from midfield on the second play of the possession.

The win leaves the Raiders – who were in desperate need of a win – 2-4 heading into a huge rivalry game at home against Bridgewater-Raritan (5-1) next Friday night. Westfield (2-4) will visit North Brunswick (0-6) next Friday.

Click below for postgame reaction from Hillsborough seniors Devon Khurana and Andrew Schwarz, as well as head coach Kevin Carty, Jr., presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s a family affair in southern Somerset County as Carty family leads Hillsborough, Montgomery

They coached against each other once before. Zoran Milich had to miss the game between Montgomery and Hillsborough in 2020, the COVID season, and Offensive Coordinator Sean Carty took his place.

On the other side of the field was his brother, Kevin, with their father also on the Raiders’ sideline, helping out.

And after a 26-6 win for Hillsborough, one would imagine a nice family reunion at midfield between the three members of the Carty clan who coached in the game. But, no. NJSIAA rules that year – because of the pandemic – put the deep-six on the handshake line to prevent the spread.

Sean, Kevin, and their father Kevin just stood and waved at each other.

That wasn’t the case last Thursday up at Kean University’s Harwood Arena, where the two were all smiles up at the third annual Big Central Conference Media Day.

While we don’t know the ins and outs of every coaching situation in the entire state over more than 100 years of high school football, it very well could be the first time – if not, certainly one of very few instances – where two brothers are head coaches at schools in neighboring towns.

Nonetheless, we caught up with both of them to talk about coaching virtually next-door to each other, and about the respective teams this upcoming season.

Montgomery head coach Sean Carty and Hillsborough head coach Kevin Carty, Jr., talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko at Big Central Media Day
by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough battles back, battles back some more, but falls at Rancocas Valley in South Group 5 sectional semifinals, 35-30

Second-seed Rancocas Valley took a 7-0 lead early against third-seed Hillsborough, and the Raiders tied it up on a Jackson Jankowicz touchdown.

The Red Devils took a 14-7 lead, and Jankowicz tied it again. Rancocas took a 21-14 lead, and Jankowicz scored to tie it.

You get the picture.

But in the end, the Red Devils (9-2) had just enough to come up with a 35-30 win over the Raiders (7-4), ending Hillsborough’s season, and the fantastic career of Jankowicz, and a host of other seniors.

This one might sting for a while, as Hillsborough had won five straight coming in, and had been starting to build momentum.

Montre Wilson started the scoring on the night with a 71-yard catch and sprint to the end zone making it 7-0 for the home team. That was followed by a Jackson Jankowicz four yard gallop to tie it, but only seconds later, Jameer Bellamy returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to put the Red Devils up 14-7 in the first quarter.

Jankowicz added his second TD of the night to make it 14-all, and then the Red Devils answered again in in the second quarter as Brody Deiter was on the receiving end of a 26-yard throw from Sayvien Adams.

It was 21-14 at the break and then Jankowicz tied it up again to start the second half, but moments later, Bellamy ran one in from 48 yards away to put the Red Devils up 28-21.

Jankowicz scored from nine yards out to tie it, then, Deiter caught a touchdown pass from seven yards out at the beginning of the fourth quarter to put Rancocas Valley up 35-28.

A safety with a few seconds left in the game put 2 points on the board for the Raiders, but that was as close as they would get.

Jankowicz led the ground game effort once again, coming off a stretch of 10-rushing TD’s over the last 3 games. That included five against Freehold Township in the first round last week, and he added four more to that total Friday night.

It was also his third 200-plus yard rushing game in the last four for the senior, who carried 29 times for 228 yards to go with the four TD’s.

Rancocas Valley will visit top-seed Toms River North (11-0) next Friday night for the South Group 5 title. The Mariners have won the state Group 5 championship each of the first two years of its existence.

Click below for postgame comments from Hillsborough head coach Kevin Carty, Jr., with Vin Ebenau down in South Jersey:

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough brings five-game win streak into Central Group 5 semifinal at Rancocas Valley

The Hillsborough football team is a different team than the one that started the year, and that’s a good thing.

The Raiders have won five straight games since starting the season 2-3, alternating between wins and losses, and now they’re one win away from heading to a sectional final for the second time in four seasons.

That 13-0 team from 2021 was a team with a generational talent in Tommy Amankwaa. This one has had to fight and claw a little more, but they may have just as good a shot to reach the final, nevermind that it would very likely be against Toms River North, the two-time defending Group 5 champions

But first they have to get there, and to do that, the third-seeded Raiders (7-3) will have to go on the road Friday night at 6 and come home with a win over second-seed Rancocas Valley (8-2).

It won’t be an impossible task, but it’ll still be a challenge. The Red Devils’ two losses – to Pascack Valley in the Battle at the Beach in Week 0, and at Camden on September 27th – came to a pair of teams who are the top-seeds in their respective playoff sections. They’re also averaging just under 33 points a game, and are coming off an opening round win over seventh-seed Edison last weekend.

Hillsborough is led offensively by Jackson Jankowicz, the senior runningback who has rushed for over 1,100 yards and 20 touchdowns this season and also has 26 receptions for almost 400 yards, leading the team. QB Ryan Seamon has passed for exactly 1,300 yards and thrown three TDs.

Rancocas, meanwhile, has a junior QB who has thrown for almost 1,800 yards and 22 touchdowns, while three different runningbacks have rushed for over 400 yards this season, and receiver Brody Deiter has 59 catches for 1,085 yards and 15 scores.

And two younger players lead the defense in getting after the quarterback. Sophomore David Ogunsola (9) and freshman Michael Beasley (7) have combined for 16 of the team’s 23 sacks this season.

Click below to hear Hillsborouogh head coach Kevin Carty, Jr., talk about the Raiders and Friday’s playoff game with Rancocas Valley:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 10 Hillsborough wins in “playoff atmosphere,” 27-14 at No. 8 Piscataway

Jackson Jankowicz scored three touchdowns as No. 10 Hillsborough won at No. 8 Piscataway Friday night to claim its third straight victory.

The win should boost the Raiders (5-3) in the South Group 5 playoff standings just a week before Cutoff Weekend. They entered Friday night play at No. 8, in line for a first round home game.

The Chiefs, meanwhile had a three-game win streak snapped, and fall to 5-3 on the year, but they still are likely to finish in the top eight in the North 5 supersection, and should end up with at least a first round home game.

A James Bodley touchdown run in the fourth quarter cut a 20-7 Hillsborough lead in half, but the Raiders answered with a five-yard touchdown run from Jackson Jankowicz – his third and final TD of the game – and hung on for the victory.

Andrew Schwarz also had a touchdown for Hillsborough, from 56-yards out in the second quarter, in a stretch where the Raiders scored twice in under a minute; Jankowicz scored the second TD.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden in Piscataway with the winning Hillsborough Raiders, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Big early test for No. 3 Hillsborough as Raiders open season at No. 5 Somerville Thursday

Even coming off an 8-3 campaign, there’s still a lot of room for improvement for the Hillsborough football team in 2024.

You don’t get to coach as long as Kevin Carty, Jr., has without always looking for ways your team can be better.

And so what better team to play in an opener than Somerville, which is loaded with talent, including D1 standouts like Tennesee-bound defensive end Jayden Loftin and Wake Forest RB/S commit Terrell Mitchell, not to mention uncommitted Brenden Pacheco, who will be looking to raise his stock this year.

You can hear the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving live on Central Jersey Sports Radio Thursday with game time at 7 pm, pregame 6:45 with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas calling all the action. Click here to listen live.

Hillsborough certainly will have its challenges. Last year’s starting quarterback – junior Alex Reiling, a thousand-yard passer in 2023 – has decided to focus on baseball. Senior Ryan Seamon – who threw one pass last year, but who Carty also says would have challenged for the starting job in the preseason – will get his first career start.

The defense also lost some key contributors, in seniors Shayne Powell (4 sacks) and Jonathan Lobello (20 TFLs). And a young D could be tested by the Pioneers’ multiple-wide receiver sets.

The Raiders’ strength may be in their ground game. Senior Jackson Jankowicz is back, having run for 1,012 yards and eight touchdowns on 1999 carries last season, and the offensive line is not only more seasoned, but also bigger and tougher. Add to that the fact Carty wants to get him more involved in the passing game, and Hillsborough could put up some points.

Click below to hear Hillsborough head coach Kevin Carty, Jr., talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

One last ride: Top Somerset, Hunterdon senior football players to clash in inaugural Shaun O’Hara Foundation Senior Bowl

67 football players, 13 cheerleaders, all seniors.

All will take to a high school football field one more time Wednesday night, as the top seniors from Somerset and Hunterdon Counties will square off in a brand-new all-star game: the Shaun O’Hara Foundation Senior Bowl.

The idea came about a year earlier, after the absence of the Basilone Bowl, which had been a big event over the years to benefit wounded soldiers and their families. The financial realities of the post-COVID world caught up with the game – which began in 2013 – and with an inability to raise enough money, it went on what at the time was believed would be a one-year hiatus.

The O’Hara Foundation Senior Bowl is the offshoot of that – a spinoff, if you will – thanks to O’Hara himself, a Hillsborough graduate, standout at Rutgers, and Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants. O’Hara began his foundation in 2009 to help those suffering from cystic fibrosis and their families, and to raise awareness of it. The Senior Bowl is the latest high profile event to be a part of it.

Then there’s Rick Mantz, O’Hara’s coach at Hillsborough in the late ’90s and a legend himself with the Raiders, both as a player and coach, who also helped bring the game about, along with Montgomery head coach Zoran Milich.

Click the above logo for more information on the Shaun O’Hara Foundation, and to make a donation.

And running the essentials of the event will be current Hillsborough head coach Kevin Carty, Jr., for whom many of his graduating seniors will play one more time on the same field they played on as Raiders.

Carty is coaching Team Otto, named after another ‘Boro legend, the late, great coach Otto Gsell, who passed away 24 years ago. The other side, team Rocky – named after longtime Hillsborough Athletic Director Rocky Forte, who died in 2009 – will be coached by Rich Seubert, the current Watchung Hills head coach, who also won a Super Bowl team on the same offensive line as O’Hara with Big Blue.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Hillsborough coach Kevin Carty, Jr., about the genesis of the Shaun O’Hara Foundation Senior Bowl, and what to expect in Wednesday night’s inaugural game:

WHAT: Shaun O’Hara Foundation Senior Bowl
WHERE: Noonan Field at Hillsborough High School – Hillsborough, NJ
WHEN: Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at 6 pm
TICKETS: $8 at the gate, $5 pre-purchased from senior participants

Central Jersey Sports Radio will have coverage of the event, including postgame reaction, game story, and updates on Twitter including in-game video with the senior football players.

See below for Team Otto and Team Rocky rosters, as well as the list of participating cheerleaders, and the game officials, in PDF format.

TEAM OTTO ROSTERDownload
TEAM ROCKY ROSTERDownload
CHEERLEADERS and OFFICIALSDownload
by Mike Pavlichko

Little rest, but not weary: Hillsborough hangs on for 15-7 win at Union on four days’ rest

Jackson Jankowicz has set the tone often in games for Hillsborough.

The junior – a starter last year as a sophomore – is a veteran now, and he knows what his team, when it needs it.

What it needed – and got – Friday night at Cooke Field in Union was a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the game, staking 4th-ranked Hillsborough to an 8-0 lead over the No. 8 Farmers after a converted two-point pass play..

The Raiders (5-1) then got a defensive stop, and marched all the way downfield for a scoring drive, capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Lobelo.

That’s how the game went into the half: 15-0 Hillsborough.

Union (4-2) got a score in the third on a 13-yard TD pass from O’Malley King to Cedric Raymond.

But in a game of intensely physical play on both sides – “It was as physical a game as you’ll see,” said head coach Kevin Carty, Jr. – the Farmers couldn’t break through again.

After an upset of No. 1 Phillipsburg Sunday in the Rumble on the Raritan, 14-13, which played out in a similar fashion – Hillsborough up early and hanging on defensively – the Raiders’ have now held two ranked teams to a total of 20 points on consecutive weeks to pick up some big back-to-back wins after their first loss of the season to another ranked club, Ridge.

Click below for postgame reaction from Kevin Carty, Jr., with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Two first-half TDs enough to fuel No. 8 Hilsborough’s 14-13 upset of top-ranked, unbeaten Phillipsburg at Rutgers

Touchdown runs from Jackson Jankowicz and Shayne Powell – and some solid defense – were all Hillsborough would need to pull off the biggest upset of the year so far in the Big Central Conference.

The 8th-ranked Raiders hung on, surviving a late score by the top-ranked and previously-undefeated Stateliners when they failed on a two-point conversion that would have given them the lead, for a 14-13 win in the Rumble on the Raritan at SHI Stadium in Piscataway.

No one threw up any gaudy numbers. In fact, the game saw neither team have a hundred-yard rusher despite rainy conditions one might think would keep the ball on the ground. And neither quarterback could muster 100 yards passing either.

It was a fairly even game stat-wise, but they key number for Hillsborough was this: 3-for-3 defensively on Phillipsburg fourth downs, inlcuding a 13-play drive they stopped cold to start the second half.

Hillsborough is now 4-1 on the year, while Phillipsburg falls to 3-1, taking its first loss. Hillsborough had just lost to Ridge the week before, and now the top three teams in the American Silver Division – the Raiders, Red Devils and Stateliners – all have one loss.

Click below from postgame reaction from Marcus Borden, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough looks to get back to playing for a title with good mix in ’23

When Hillsborough went undefeated and won the Central Jersey Group 5 title in 2021, everyone knew it would be tough to repeat, considering the talent they had lost: Amankwaa, Mazuera, etc.

One of the guys who played on that team – and contributed significantly – as a sophomore was Jonathan Lobelo. He’s now a senior, and not only plays both sides of the ball, lining up at linebacker on defense, but plays tight end and running back on offense.

Remember 2021, when Thomas Amankwaa lined up in the backfield and at wide receiver? Sound familiar?

There’s also Tyler Van Cleef, a safety/wide receiver who also played siginificantly on that ’21 title team.

Raiders head coach Kevin Carty, Jr. is no stranger to having talent, but he manages it so well, as well as their expectations, their dedication, and compete level.

So where can the Raiders end up in 2023? To start, it’s easily the most difficult division in the Big Central. The ratings say it, but so does the eye test.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Hillsborough head coach Kevin Carty Jr. and senior Jonathan Lobelo at Big Central Media Days: