Tag: Matthew Scerbo Jr.

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio announces football “Specialty Awards” for 2024

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 2024 Central Jersey Sports Radio Specialty Awards:

“Dynamic Duo” Award: Jett Genovese and Matthew Scerbo, Jr., Phillipsburg

You can’t really recognize one without the other.

The quarterback Genovese and wide receiver Scerbo – though they also both play defense – have both been three year starters for the Stateliners.

Phillipsburg’s Jett Genovese (#3) and Matthew Scerbo, Jr., (#10) greet each opther before a huddle in the Group 4 title game against Winslow Twp. at Rutgers on December 4, 2024. (Photo: Christian Sanchez)

The two have had great success with the Stateliners, leading them to back-to-back wins over Easton for the first time since 2002/2003, and this year’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 title. They’ve connected for touchdowns 22 times in a three-year span.

Individually, they’ve been outstanding.

Genovese finishes his career with 4,565 yards passing and 43 touchdowns, while Scerbofinished with 2,375 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns. He’s the school’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and TD catches, and just signed with Lafayette last Wednesday, meaning he’ll play for the next several years on the same field where he and his teammates beat Easton twice.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Phillipsburg’s Jett Genovese and Matthew Scerbo, Jr.:

The “Scores Every Which Way” Award: James Bodley, Piscataway

One thing you know when you watch Piscataway football is you’re going to see some creative football and some electrifying plays.

And few on the Chiefs roster are more electrifying than James Bodley.

Piscataway’s James Bodley (Source: @JamesBodley3 on Twitter)

Bodley rushed for nearly 1,000 yards this season – finishing tenth on the all-time career rushing list with over 1,500 yards – and had over 100 tackles.

But it was how he scored that drew our attention:

  • 13 rushing touchdowns
  • 2 receiving touchdowns
  • 2 two-point conversions
  • 1 kickoff return for a touchdown
  • 1 punt return for a touchdown
  • 1 interception return for a touchdown

The only scores he didn’t have were a fumble recovery and a safety, but who are we to be nit-picky?

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Piscataway’s James Bodley:

“Making the Grade” Award: Lamar Raiford, JP Stevens

This year’s awards are dotted with players who’ve been two-, three- and sometimes four-year starters for their teams.

Lamar Raiford is not one of them, but he’s grateful to get to suit up for his senior season for JP Stevens.

Lamar Raiford of JP Stevens (Source: Hudl)

Raiford – who played for the Shamrocks youth team – didn’t have the grades to play when he got to high school, and at the time he was enrolled in Edison. But he had a lot of friends there, got distracted, and couldn’t keep his grades up.

He moved within his hometown up the road to JP Stevens, cracked the books, and was eligible to play in 2024. And just in time, he helped the Hawks snap their 42-game losing streak, with a 22-21 overtime victory against Bound Brook.

Click below to hear Justin Sontupe talk with Lamar Raiford of JP Stevens:

“Rising Star” Award: Chukwuma Odoh, St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas was rolling along with a really good running back named Chase Young.

But this year, sophomore Chukwuma Odoh showed promise, so head coach Tarig Holman made him the No. 1 back, with Young picking up additional blocking duties – while also running for 611 yards – and the move paid dividends.

Chukwuma Odoh of St. Thomas Aquinas. (Source: @CHUDAGOAT on Twitter)

Odoh wound up rushing for 1,418 yards and 17 touchdowns, stringing together ten 100-yard rushing games this season, leading a backfield that accumulated over 3,000 yards rushing as a group.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk Chukwuma Odoh of St. Thomas Aquinas:

“Family Affair” Award: Derek and Bryan Anderson, Woodbridge

Quarterbacks and receivers at the high school level often have a special bond. Often times they grew up playing catch, did the same in Pop Warner, and continue right through high school, almost like they can read each other’s minds.

Well, Woodbridge has a QB/wide receiver duo who didn’t just grow up playing together. They grew up together.

To boot, Derek Anderson the quarterback and Bryan Anderson the receiver are twins!

Derek (left) and Bryan Anderson of Woodbridge. (Source: @DJA10_ and @BryAndy_5 on Twitter)

In their careers, Derek threw for over 3,200 yards and 40 touchdowns, most over the last two seasons. Derek passed for 1,470 yards this year with 19 TDs. Bryan had 1,721 receiving yards and 40 touchdowns on 116 career catches. This year he grabbed 50 for 857 yards and 11 scores, while also rushing for 203 yards and one more touchdown.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Derek and Bryan Anderson of Woodbridge:

The “OMG He’s Back Another Year” Award: Andrew Avent, Rahway

Everyone knows that player.

You know, the guy who never seems to leave? It seems like he had six years of eligibility? Looks like a college student?

Yep, that’s Andrew Avent, and he’s still got one more year to go.

Andrew Avent of Rahway. (Source: @AndrewAvent1 on Twitter)

Avent was a workhorse for Rahway this season en route to a 7-3 campaign. He carried the ball 194 times for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns in his third year a starter.

With one more to go, he’ll head into his senior season with 2,563 career yards and 31 career touchdowns, looking for even bigger and better things in 2025.

Click below to hear Justin Sontupe talk with Rahway’s Andrew Avent:

The “Unbreakable Record Breaker” Award: Jackson Jankowicz, Hillsborough

Some records are made to be broken, others you think might stand forever, even if they were just set a couple of years ago.

That was the thinking of Hillsborough head coach Kevin Carty when it came to a couple of records owned by some of the biggest stars in Raiders history: Shawn Mayer and Tommy Amankwaa.

Enter Jackson Jankowicz.

Hillsborough runningback Jackson Jankowicz. (@jacksonjank3 on Twitter)

An Offensive Player of the Year Honorable Mention, Jankowicz had 24 rushing touchdowns his season, breaking the mark set a long time ago by Shawn Mayer, who eventually played at Penn State and then a year in the NFL with the Patriots, getting to suit up for the Super Bowl across from another former Raider, Ricky Proehl.

He also had 30 total TDs, tying Tommy Amankwaa’s record set in 2021. Amankwaa went to Rutgers and just recently entered the transfer portal, looking to play more at wide receiver. That record, Carty said, “I thought that might stand forever.”

Looks like you were wrong, coach.

Oh, and if you include the fact he threw a touchdown pass this year as well, he accounted for 31 – one more than Amankwaa’s “unbreakable” record.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Jackson Jankowicz of Hillsborough:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg’s long drive to start second half in Group 4 semis is the Week 12 Chris’ Auto Body “Drive of the Week”

Thanks to our newest sponsor, Chris’ Auto Body of Lambertville and New Hope, we have a new segment this football season on Central Jersey Sports Radio: “The Chris’ Auto Body Drive of the Week.”

Each week, we’ll pick the best drive from the previous weekend’s games, as shot by our high school football analyst Marcus Borden. And you’ll be able to watch the drive right here on cjsportsradio.com.

This week, it’s Phillipsburg again, with a long, plodding, methodical scoring drive to keep the ball away from Ramapo and pad the Stateliners’ lead in the Group 4 semifinals on November 22nd. With the win, Phillipsburg will meet Winslow Twp. for the Group 4 state title on Wednesday, December 4th at Rutgers, a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Click below to watch the “Chris’ Auto Body Drive of the Week” for Week 12:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg’s 5-play, 24-second, sectional title-winning drive is the Championship Weekend Chris’ Auto Body “Drive of the Week”

Thanks to our newest sponsor, Chris’ Auto Body of Lambertville and New Hope, we have a new segment this football season on Central Jersey Sports Radio: “The Chris’ Auto Body Drive of the Week.”

Each week, we’ll pick the best drive from the previous weekend’s games, as shot by our high school football analyst Marcus Borden. And you’ll be able to watch the drive right here on cjsportsradio.com.

This week, it’s Phillipsburg’s fantastic finish to win the North 2, Group 4 title game, 13-11 over Northern Highlands. The Stateliners had the ball, down one, with no timeouts at their 36-yard line, and set up a school-record 46-yard field goal by Alexie Moriera as time expired to win it.

Click below to watch the “Chris’ Auto Body Drive of the Week” for Championship Weekend:

by Mike Pavlichko

Finished Business! Phillipsburg wins North 2, Group 4 title in dramatic fashion on Moreira’s career-long, school record FG as time expires

Two years in a row, Phillipsburg was the top seed heading into a sectional title game and came up empty.

That wasn’t going to happen again.

The Stateliners vowed it wouldn’t as soon as the 2023 football season wrapped up with last year’s Thanksgiving Day win over Easton. They lived that vow in the off-season, during camp, and the entire 2024 season to this point.

Friday night, they made it pay off, thanks to the foot of Alexie Moreira.

He hit a career-best and school record 46-yard field goal as time expired – not long after third-seed Northern Highlands took an 11-10 lead – to give top-seed Phillipsburg a 13-11 win in the North 2, Group 4 title game over the third-seeded Highlanders.

The kick was just his third in his high school career, and a career long at that.

It was a wild finish, as Highlands took a one-point lead with 24 seconds left. They did it on an eight yard touchdown pass from Jack O’Callaghan to senior wide receiver Shane Hanlon, then a two point conversion between the two.

That gave the Stateliners the ball back at their own 36. Senior QB Jett Genovese ran it twice, and hooked up with senior wideout Matthew Scerbo, Jr., twice, to set up Moreira’s heroics.

His first career field goal came in last week’s semifinal win, and his second came earlier in the game to give the Stateliners the lead.

Now 10-1, with their ninth NJSIAA sectional title in hand, the Stateliners wait to see who they will play next week. They’ll face the winner of North 1 Group 4, and that title game is Saturday afternoon at 1:00, when third-seed Ramapo (7-3) visits top-seed Morris Knolls (10-0).

Genovese finished 7-of-9 for 92 yards, rushing for 65 yards on ten carries and the only Phillipsburg TD of the night. Scerbo finished with four catches for 56 yards.

Click below for postgame reaction from Phillipsburg’s North 2, Group 4 title game win over Northern Highlands, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

A little bit from everyone goes a long way for top-ranked Phillipsburg

They say it’s never one player who makes a team, and for the 2022 Phillipsburg Stateliners, that’s truly the case.

Case in point: P’burg has rushed for over 1,100 yards this season, but leading back Xavier Moore has only 386 yards. Caleb River, John Wargo and quarterback Jett Genovese have all rushed for over 200 yards.

Genovese, meanwhile, has thrown for 591 yards and four scores, with sophomore Matthew Scerbo, Jr., his favorite target (20 catches, 228 yards, 2 touchdowns). But three other receivers have at least four catches, and four others have at least 690 yards receiving.

All that – and a solid defense to boot – has Phillipsburg ranked No. 1 in the Central Jersey Sports Radio and Big Central Media Top Tens. They’re 5-0 and through the most difficult part of the schedule with three games to play, handing their first four opponents their first loss of the season.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with P’burg’s Matthew Scerbo, Jr., about the Stateliners’ season so far: