Tag: Linden

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: Liberty Gold Division

Even with two new head coaches, the Liberty Gold Division in the Big Central Conference could see another really competitive year in 2025.

Last year’s division champ Woodbridge loses some key parts, including the Derek-Bryan Anderson twin tandem, but second-year veteran mentor Joe Goerge has shown he can adapt over the years, and we may even see more of the option from the Barrons this year as well.

There are new coaches at Plainfield and Linden, with the Cardinals opting for alum and NFL veteran Donald Jones. Coming off a 6-4 year in which they also beat arch-rival Westfield in their Thanksgiving Day game, Plainfield hopes to be even better this year, while Linden went with veteran coach Mark Ciccotelli to replace Al Chiola, who stepped down and will spend some time watching his son play at Colonia this year.

Speaking of the Patriots, they have key parts like Dylan Chiera and Julien Jones back, both of whom have been on the basketball team, which won the GMC Tournament and the North 2, Group 3 championship last year, the second of which was their fourth straight title, so they know more than a little about winning.

And then there’s Perth Amboy, which has a brand-new high school and new administration to support their push to make a move up in the Liberty Gold Division.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Defending Liberty Gold champion Woodbridge may face biggest test while Colonia returns a ton to challenge Barrons

The Woodbridge football team was the class of the Big Central’s Liberty Gold Division in 2024, running the table with a perfect 9-0 record in the regular season. But with some key losses, could the door be open for the rest of the division to make a move?

Plainfield (Donald) and Linden (Mark Ciccotelli) will have new head coaches, while Colonia has always been a consistent performer and will have a veteran team, so there’s no shortage of squads looking to make a move, and they’re more than capable. Then there’s Perth Amboy, whose new Athletic Director, John Fiore, starts July first and has promised to “put a fence around Perth Amboy” and keep talented kids home.

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

Colonia Patriots (4-6, 2-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach:  Tom Roarty (75-47, 13th season)

  • Week 0: Sayreville
    Week 1: North Hunterdon
  • Week 2: Linden* (6p)
  • Week 3: at Woodbridge* (6p)
  • Week 4: Perth Amboy* (6p)
  • Week 5: Edison
  • Week 6: at Plainfield (6p)
  • Week 7: Cranford
  • Week 8: at Old Bridge (6p)

The Patriots could be poised for a big year. Quarterback Dylan Chiera returns for his senior year, after throwing for 1,835 yards and 19 TD a year ago. Their only two rushers to graduate accounted for just 24 of 1,254 rushing yards, and while they lose top receiver Nygel Hill (708 yards, 5 TD) they bring back over 1,000 yards there as well. Defensively, it’s much of the same story, with guys like Jones (3 sacks, 13 TFL, 1 INT for TD), Harsimran Mann (3 sacks, 7 TFLS, and Jaylen McCrae (team-leading 4 INTs) back. Even on special teams, top return man Kyle Bell, who had 15 kick returns for 359 yards and a 91-yarder for a TD last year as a sophomore, is back. Yes, this could be a big year for Colonia.

Linden Tigers (4-6, 1-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach (Mark Ciccotelli, 1st season)

  • Week 0: Elizabeth
  • Week 1: at Sayreville
  • Week 2: at Colonia* (6p)
  • Week 3: Watchung Hills
  • Week 4: Woodbridge*
  • Week 5: at Montgomery
  • Week 6: Perth Amboy*
  • Week 7: at Carteret
  • Week 8: Plainfield*

It’s a changing of the guard at Linden, where Al Chiola retired, and will spend some time watching his son Tyler, a senior WR/DB, in what we mentioned could be a huge year for Colonia. Getting out of the blocks hot is the goal for the Tigers under first-year head coach Mark Ciccotelli, after a 1-4 start last season, and having a new coach can sometimes make that work, as there’s little game film to work off of in the very beginning. But Ciccotelli will have some work to do, replacing a senior dual-threat quarterback in Tyrone Hinton, as well as three of their top receivers. There are some key defensive standouts expected back, like senior Daryl Agyei (4 sacks, 8 TFLs) and junior Joe Boyd (1 sack, TFL and INT).

Perth Amboy Panthers (1-9, 0-4, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: William Clark (11-43, 7th season)

  • Week 0: JFK (6p)
  • Week 1: Carteret (6p)
  • Week 2: at Rahway (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 3: Plainfield* (6p)
  • Week 4: Colonia (6p)
  • Week 5: at Woodbridge* (6p)
  • Week 6: at Linden*
  • Week 7: Scotch Plains-Fanwood (6p)
  • Week 8: at Johnson

The season opened on a high note for the Panthers last year, beating JFK 27-9. But that wound up being their highest offensive output of a season in which they never won again, finishing 1-9 in 2024. And they graduate dual-threat senior QB Laivon Balthazar (1,447 pass yards, 12 TD, 415 rush yards, 4 TD) as well as Brandon Bradsher, with his 1,055 receiving yards. It’s a similar story on defense for William Clark’s squad. And though the impact may not be immediate, if new AD John Fiore can help keep kids home, Clark’s program could get a boost in the next year or two.

Plainfield Cardinals (6-4, 3-1, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Donald Jones (1st season)

  • Week 0: Westfield (Thurs)
  • Week 1: New Brunswick (6p)
  • Week 2: at Wodobridge (6p)
  • Week 3: at Perth Amboy (6p)
  • Week 4: at Haverford School (PA) (Sat, 2p)
  • Week 5: Franklin (6p)
  • Week 6: Colonia* (6p)
  • Week 7: at Somerville (6:30p)
  • Week 8: at Linden

With James Williams out, and former NFL player and Cardinal alum Donald Jones taking the reins of a resurgent program. Williams took a program that hadn’t won five games since it won six in a 6-4 campaign in 2005 and went 5-5 in 2021, his first season, and even better, won five of its last seven games after an 0-3 start. They never won fewer than five games under his tutelage, and last year, beat Westfield on Thanksgiving, in the rain, 14-9, their first win in the longstanding rivalry in 13 years. Quarterback Kamai Lowery threw for 1,026 yards and nine TDs last season as a junior, but top runningback E.J. Brown – and his 1,008 yards and 12 touchdowns – are lost to graduation. The receiving core will get hit hard with the loss of Brown, Joel Cordoba and Ala-Meen Watkins. Defensively, they’ll miss Watkins (4.5 sacks, 5 TFLs, 2 blocked kicks, 1 FR) and Cordoba (2 sacks, 4 TFLs, 4 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries, 2 INT, 1 for a TD).

One side note: Another Thanksgiving game bites the dust, though the rivalry will remain alive, as Plainfield and Westfield will square off on Week Zero, which has become the default old Turkey Day rivalry meeting for many schools since the expansion of the state football playoffs.

Woodbridge Barrons (10-1, 4-0, Liberty Gold champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Joe Goerge (10-1, 2nd season)

  • Week 0: Union (Thurs, 6 p)
  • Week 1: Watchung Hills
  • Week 2: Plainfield* (6p)
  • Week 3: Colonia* (6p)
  • Week 4: at Linden*
  • Week 5: Perth Amboy (6p)
  • Week 6: at Montgomery
  • Week 7: Summit (6p)
  • Week 8: at St. Joseph-Metuchen (Sat, 1p)

Joe Goerge walked into a great situation last year, with a senior laden team led by the Anderson twins, with Derek the QB (1,470 pass yards, 19 TD) and Bryan the receiver (50 catches, 857 yards, 11 TDs, plus 203 rush yards, 1 TD) both gone to graduation. So it top rusher Jahmir Beal (596 yards, 11 TD). The defense was very senior-heavy, too. But all-in-all, after a year in the Goerge system, which blended his option with the passing game Woodbridge had before his arrival, there’s plenty of talent in the program, it’s just a matter of identifying it and putting the pieces in the right spot. A successful year for the Barrons will be one of the more challenging, and potentially rewarding seasons, for Goerge if they can make it happen.

by Mike Pavlichko

Linden Board of Ed approves Mark Ciccotelli to replace Al Chiola as next Tigers’ football coach

A familiar family name to the Jersey football community will be the next head coach at Linden, as Mark Ciccotelli was approved as the Tigers’ next football coach by the Board of Education Thursday night.

Ciccotelli replaces Al Chiola, who stepped down in April after ten years running the program, where he also was an assistant and won a North 2, Group 5 state title with the program in 2014.

And titles and winning are no stranger to Ciccotelli – or his family.

This is the sixth coaching stop for Ciccotelli, whose brothers Mike and Steve also have been successful coaches in the Garden State. Mark’s most recent stint as a head coach was spent at Scotch Plains-Fanwood in 2017 and 2018, where he was 2-17 in two seasons after a 3-7 year at North Plainfield in 2016.

Other stops include a year at St. John Vianney in Holmdel in 2014, and the Lancers went 10-1 that year, falling to top-seed and eventual Non-Public Group 3 champion Delbarton in the sectional semifinals.

Ciccotelli also was at Neptune from 2011 through 2013 – going 25-9 with a CJ3 title his first season. Before that, a run at Freehold Boro from 2004 through 2010 saw the Colonials go 44-30, winning Central Jersey Group 3 in 2008 and 2010. He also coached at Rahway in 2002. Overall, in 15 seasons as a head coach, he has an 87-71 record.

by Mike Pavlichko

Late coaching departures leave several Big Central schools looking for new football coaches

Ridge, Linden, AL Johnson, New Brunswick, Dunellen and now St. Thomas Aquinas. Although that last one didn’t last long.

Most high school football coaches who decide to leave – or aren’t brought back – depart in December or January, with new mentors coming on board in January, February or even March.

But at one point this week, a half-dozen schools are in various stages of looking for head football coaches and it’s already early May.

The reasons are as wide and varied as the type of schools still searching for new football leadership. Here’s a closer look at each:

St. Thomas Aquinas: The latest coach to step down was Jonathan Germano, who came down from Bergen Catholic to replace Tarig Holman, who was not brought back by the school after an unprecedented run in three seasons, going 27-6. But while school principal Harry Ziegler said in a Wednesday message to the school community obtained by Central Jersey Sports Radio that a new head coach would be named “in the coming days,” they wasted no time, announcing the hiring of Shamir Bearfield from St. Peter’s Prep less than 24 hours later. Read that story – and hear our one-on-one interview – here.

New Brunswick: Steve Gluchowski told the school back in December he wouldn’t be coming back for a third season. The Zebras went 0-18 in his two campaigns, plagued mainly by dwindling numbers – from about 40 at the start of each season to fewer than two dozen by the time it was all over. New Brunswick has lost 23 straight games, dating back to 2022, and the search there continues.

Linden: Al Chiola stepped down in March from the Tiger program, and his resignation was accepted by the Board of Education at its April 29th meeting. He’ll likely spend some time watching his son Tyler, who will be a senior this season, but he has no plans to coach this season. Chiola was 44-49-1 in ten seasons with Linden, going 4-6 last season after a 6-3-1 campaign in 2023. Listen to our one-on-one interview here.

Dunellen: Dave DeNapoli has had a long career at Dunellen, and while he’ll remain as Athletic Director, he retired from coaching the Destroyer football program last month after 29 years as the program’s mentor. He finishes his career with a record of 133-172-1 over that time span. He took the reins in August 1996, at the age of 39, and followed a legend in his own right, Pio Pennisi, who brought the school a Central Jersey Group 1 championship in 1993 and had just stepped down to become vice-principal at the high school. He played quarterback for Dunellen, graduating in 1975, and has lived in town all his life. The search for a successor is ongoing.

Ridge: Andy West stepped down earlier this spring after five seasons at the helm of the Red Devil program earlier this spring. Coming off back-to-back 8-2 seasons, West’s went 6-2 in his initial campaign in 2020 – while many programs struggled during the COVID-shortened season – then went 7-3 each of the next two seasons, and 8-2 each of the past two. He finishes 36-12, with a .750 winning percentage, and never missed the state playoffs in four seasons. (There were no state playoffs in 2020 due to COVID.) We’re hearing a new coach may be named shortly.

AL Johnson: Anthony DelConte is out after eleven seasons leading the Crusaders, the last three of which were among their best, winning six games each in 2022 and 2023, then going 7-2 last season. DelConte’s best season was an 8-3 campaign in 2017, and he went 56-48 during his tenure there. No word yet on a replacement. School officials say the job posting closes shortly, and the goal is to have a new coach approved by the Board of Education at its next meeting later this month.

by Mike Pavlichko

Chiola steps down from Linden, will watch son play at Colonia, still coach Tigers’ flag football squad

Al Chiola won’t be coaching high school football for Linden this fall, but he’ll be watching plenty.

After ten years at the helm, Chiola stepped down in late April.  He says he took a step back after the season and decided it was time, but it doesn’t mean he’s stepping away from football. 

Not by a longshot. 

To begin with, his son, Tyler, will be a senior at Colonia, and he plans to see every game he can. 

And, he says he’ll always root for his Linden family too.  Unless it’s against his son’s team.

Then, in the Spring, he’ll be back to coaching Linden’s flag football team, which he says is quite healthy this year, with a turnout of about 60 girls for the program.

Yes, football will still dominate life for Chiola, just a little differently than it’s been for the last decade, where he steps aside with a 44-49-1 mark, that lone tie coming two years ago against Montgomery.

Click below to hear Al Chiola talk about stepping down from Linden football – and his future plans – with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: 

by Mike Pavlichko

Friday Night Big Central Roundup: Aquinas cruises, Highland Park rebounds from loss, Linden tops 50 for first time in seven years

Day Two of a three-day weekend of high school football in New Jersey was complete with some big Big Central Conference wins.

Here’s a look at some of the key games on Friday in Week Six, with full scores and the remaining Sunday schedule.

No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas 57, Edison 7: The Trojans lit up the scoreboard Friday night in North Edison against their in-town rivals, the Eagles. The win made it 29 straight over Big Central Conference opponents, with their last loss coming during the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 to Bernards. The Trojans are now 5-2, with one out-of-state and one non-conference loss.

Next week, St. Thomas travels down Plainfield Avenue to Metuchen to take on No. 7 St. Joseph, which will drop after suffering its first loss of the season Friday night, dropping to 5-1 with a 49-14 defeat at No. 7 Phillipsburg.

Highland Park 34, Roselle Park 14: The Owls improved to 4-2 with a road victory over the Panthers, their first win against a team .500 or better this season. The last team they beat with a winning record was Point Pleasant Beach, which finished 6-5 in 2015, when Highland Park came away with a 31-0 road win. Ironically, it was against the Garnet Gulls that the Owls snapped their 51-game losing streak in last season’s finale.

Highland Park has a chance to match its 6-4 record from 2016 if it can win its last two games. Both are at home, against Manville (5-2) next Friday night, and against South River (1-5) on cutoff weekend.

Linden 56, Perth Amboy 14: The Tigers put up 56 points against Perth Amboy, their first time scoring int he 50s since 2017, when they scored 55 in a 55-48 win at Ridge on September 22nd of that year.

It’s the fourth-highest point total in school history, which dates back to 1915. They beat Kearny 60-6 in 1994, Rahway 61-6 in 1971, and their biggest offensive output ever came in 1992, when they beat Newark East Side 69-6.

Roselle 28, Newark Collegiate 22: New Rams head coach Tyrone Turner picked up his first win with Roselle with the help of their special teams, as they earned a six-point home win at Arminio Field Friday night, snapping an eight game losing streak that dated back to last year, and an 0-6 start to the season.

Damari Julius scored two first quarter touchdowns, hauling in a 65-yard TD pass from Dione Nelson, and returning a 78-yard kickoff all the way to the house. Brandon Puryear had a 70-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and Julian Colon recovered a fumble and took it in from two yards out for a score in the third.

Other Friday night scores…

Saturday’s Games:

  • Brearley at South River, 1 pm
  • Dayton at Spotswood, 1 pm (Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter)
  • Rahway at No. 9 Watchung Hills, 7 pm
  • Governor Livingston at Voorhees, 7 pm

Thursday Scores

by Mike Pavlichko

Saturday Big Central Roundup: Colonia rallies to win Chiola Bowl, St. Joe’s handles Union, two new coaches pick up their first wins

Though there are fewer games on any given Saturday in the Big Central Conference than Friday nights, there was no shortage of action. Colonia came from behind to beat Linden, St. Joseph-Metuchen continued its strong early season play, and Matt Andzel and Shawn Johnson got their first wins as head coaches at their alma maters.

Colonia 21, Linden 14: The Patriots used a fourth quarter rally, scoring 14 unanswered points, in their Big Central Liberty Gold Division opener to beat Linden at Tiger Stadium, 21-14.

Rynal Wortman opened the scoring for Colonia with a 41-yard touchdown catch thrown by Dylan Chiera, in the first quarter, but in the second, Tyrone Hinton of Linden threw a ten-yard TD pass to Richard Lugardo to tie the game at seven.

After a scoreless third, Hinton scored on a one-yard run to make it 14-7, but Colonia would score twice to close out the game.

First, Yisrael Custudio scored on a ten-yard touchdown run. Then, with the game tied and Colonia facing a fourth-and-three from its own 46, they called a timeout to figure out how they’d go for it. The ensuing play was a 55-yard touchdown pass from Chiera to Nigel Hill for the score.

The Patriots are now 3-0 for the second time in three seasons (they also did it in 2022, an 8-2 season) ahead of a big one Friday night against in-town rival Woodbridge. The Barrons, who are also 3-0, are ranked No. 3 in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten.

Colonia has now won two games that have gone right down to the wire, the first being a 22-21 overtime win against Sayreville in its season opener.

Saturday’s game also was being called “The Chiola Bowl,” as Linden coach Al Chiola lives in Colonia, and his son, Tyler, is in the football program.

St. Joseph-Metuchen 32, Union 8: The Falcons improved to 2-0 with a convincing win over Union, 32-8 Saturday afternoon at Brenner family Field. Union drops to 0-3 in the first season under Jason Scott.

St. Joe’s rushed for 149 yards as a team, led by quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo, who rushed for 73 yards and two scores, while also throwing 10-of-18 for 115 yards. And the Falcon defense snared three interceptions on the day to help their cause.

St. Joe’s goes to Elizabeth (2-1), while Union hosts Westfield (1-1) next Friday night.

Two more coaches get first wins at their schools…

In two other Saturday games, two new coaches picked up their first wins, both at their alma maters.

Westfield evened its record at 1-1 with a 37-21 home win over Elizabeth that earned alum Matt Andzel his first head coaching victory. Andzel played for Ed Tranchina from 1999 to 2001.

The game was tight early, with Westfield leading 6-0 after one quarter, but they exploded for 24 second quarter points and built a 30-7 lead by halftime. Quarterback Cole Weidler got some big pass plays going, completing just nine passes in 15 attempts for 219 yards and four touchdowns, an average 24 yards per reception.

Blake Rudow rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown on a busy day, with 32 carries.

Meanwhile, Scotch Plains Fanwood’s Shawn Johnson picked up win No. 1 with a 42-0 rout at New Brunswick. Jaden Richards and TJ Rasberry each rushed for two touchdowns in the game. See Marcus Borden’s postgame reaction – presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen – here.

Who else is seeking their first?

Two of the ten new coaches hired this offseason have picked up their first wins. Along with Andzel and Johnson, East Brunswick’s Matt Pazinko, Middlesex’s Bobby Swercheck, Sayreville’s Mark Poore, Ibrahim Halsey of South Brunswick, John Hack of Voorhees, and Woodbridge’s Joe Goerge are all on the board.

That leaves Tyrone Turner of Roselle and Jason Scott of Union. The Rams will visit AL Johnson Friday night, while Union hosts Westfield at Cooke Field, also on Friday night.

But there are still two coaches who took over teams last season still searching for that first win.

North Hunterdon was decimated by graduation when CJ Robinson took over as head coach, and went 0-9 last year. The Lions, who are 0-3 this season, have lost ten straight since their North 1, Group 4 title win in 2022. They host Montgomery, which also is 0-3, Friday night in Annandale.

And former Spotswood assistant Steve Gluchowski is still looking for his first in at New Brunswick. The Zebras also went 0-9 last year, and also have started this year 0-3. They have lost 17 straight, with their last win coming September 16th, 2022, against Franklin, a 28-26 win at Memorial Stadium.

While Robinson had to deal with graduation and the cyclical nature of high school football, especially coming off a title year with a heavily senior-laden team, Gluchowski inherited a program that had only won 10 games in the previous five seasons under alum Nate Harris, a stretch that included an 09- campaign in 2019, and where their best years was a 4-6 mark in 2021.

The Zebras’ last season above .500 was a 9-2 year in 2015 under Don Sofilkanich, where their only regular season loss was to Colonia, and New Brunswick got knocked out of the state tournament in the Central Jersey Group 5 semifinals by Old Bridge.

Other Saturday Scores…

  • Morris Knolls 34, Bridgewater-Raritan 14
  • Franklin 34, East Brunswick 0
  • JFK 28, Governor Livingston 27
  • Summit 41, Hillside 14
  • South River 45, Roselle Park 19
by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: Linden 17, Sayreville 0

Senior quarterback Tyrone Hinton and sophomore runningback Joe Boyd each scored on touchdown runs, while Chris Garcia kicked a 35-yard field goal to lead Linden past visiting Sayreville, 17-0, win Week One action in Union County.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Vin Ebeneau call all the play-by-play live from Tiger Stadium in Linden on September 7, 2024:

1st Half
2nd Half

by Mike Pavlichko

Linden blanks visiting Sayreville for first win of the year behind Hinton’s solid two-way play

Senior Tyrone Hinton earned his first win as Linden’s starting quarterback, as the Tigers defeated visiting Sayreville Saturday afternoon in the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Hinton unofficially carried 14 times for 68-yards – capped off with a ten-yard touchdown with two seconds to go – to ice a 17-0 victory at Tiger Stadium. Hinton also had a solid game on defense at his linebacker spot.

The 5-11, 210 pound senior stays in the pocket more than his predecessor, Tequan Thomas, but he can run the ball, too, and is a more bruising rusher, as well. That proved instrumental in the Tigers’ success Saturday afternoon.

Linden took an early lead at 9:07 of the first quarter on its first possession, a nine-yard run by sophomore Joe Boyd, whose 54-yard run in the middle of the five-play drive was key.

The Tigers added a field goal from 35 yards out by senior Chris Garcia with :05 on the clock before halftime.

In the second half, Linden played bend-but-don’t break defense. Sayreville received the ball to start the third quarter, and methodically marched downfield, keeping the ball entirely on the ground. They went from their own 40 to the Tiger 11 on 13 plays, but fumbled it inside the ten, ending a drive that took 7:36 off the clock.

Linden failed to score, but came up big on their next drive in the fourth quarter with an interception to end another Bomber possession.

Linden improves to 1-1 with neighboring Colonia (2-0) coming in next Saturday, while Sayreville drops to 0-2 ahead of a home game next Friday night with Edison (1-1).

Click below for postgame reaction with Linden head Coach Al Chiola and QB/LB Tyrone Hinton, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Sayreville seeking season’s first win as Bombers travel to Linden for Saturday matinee

The Sayreville football team played stingy defense in their opening game against Colonia in Week Zero, but the Bombers came up short in a heartbreaking overtime loss at home against Colonia, 14-13 in overtime.

On Saturday, they look to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2021 when they take the field against a Linden team just as equally searching for a win after falling to Elizabeth 35-28 last week.

It’s tough to start a season at 0-1, but it’s even tougher to start 0-2 and make a run towards the playoffs.

You can hear Saturday afternoon’s “Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving” on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame at 1:45, kickoff at 2 pm. Mike Pavlichko and Vin Ebenau call all the action; click here to listen.

For first-year Sayreville coach Mark Poore, it’s about cleaning some things up ahead of the Linden game and continuing to build upon what went well including the way the defense played after giving up a first quarter touchdown, especially in the red zone.

This is a team that showed a lot of heart last week and it’s behind who they are as a group, Poore tells us, while also explaining this is a young team with a great deal of potential in all phases.

Click below to hear Sayreville first-year head coach Mark Poore talk about the Bombers with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Vin Ebenau: