Tag: Metuchen

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Patriot Silver Division expected to be solid again with talent returning

Competitively speaking, overall, the Patriot Silver Division was one of the top groupings in the Big Central Conference last season. The top three teams all won at least seven games, and even the one that finished in last place – Roselle, at 4-7 – was 4-4 out of their division.

A.L. Johnson won the division, going 7-2 overall, with Delaware Valley their only Big Central loss. New Providence went 9-3 and reached the North 2 Group 1 finals, their first trip to a title game since 2011. Metuchen was 7-3 in Year Three under Jordan Leitner.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Patriot Silver 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 (*).

A.L. Johnson Crusaders (7-2, 3-0, Patriot Silver champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Gus Kalikas (1st season)

  • Week 0: Madison (Thursday)
  • Week 1: Brearley
  • Week 2: at New Providence*
  • Week 3: at Roselle* (6p)
  • Week 4: Metuchen*
  • Week 5: Governor Livingston
  • Week 6: at Delaware Valley
  • Week 7: at North Plainfield
  • Week 8: Perth Amboy

After the departure of Anthony DelConte as head coach, Athletic Director Gus Kalikas steps in to take the reins, and he’ll have the starting quarterback and the Crusaders’ top-rusher return from a team that lost just one Big Central game last season. That includes QB Robert Gallagher, a dual threat who threw for 742 yards and 7 TDs as a junior, while going for 634 on the ground with eight touchdowns. Runningback Ryan George also is back for his senior year after going for 656 yards and 10 TDs last season. The defense was a little more senior-laden, and will have some big shoes to fill, like those of linemen Sebastian Perez (6 sacks, 1 forced fumble) and Mark Hansen (3 sacks, 1 forced fumble), who graduate.

Metuchen Bulldogs (7-3, 1-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Jordan Leitner (15-15, 4th season)

  • Week 0: Delaware Valley (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 1: at South River (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 2: Roselle* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 3: New Providence (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 4: at A.L. Johnson
  • Week 5: at Highland Park
  • Week 6: JP Stevens (6p)
  • Week 7: at Brearley (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 8: North Plainfield (Sat, 1p)

Alum Jordan Leitner has truly done well at Metuchen, where it wasn’t long ago the program was struggling with numbers. Symmetrically, he took a 3-7 team his debut season to 5-5 in 2023, and flipped the numbers last year, going 7-3. And there’s no reason they can’t continue to improve. While senior Evan Toth – the team’s top rusher at 746 yards and eight touchdowns – graduates, his younger brother Ryan is back after a sophomore year at QB where he went 56 of 91 for 651 yards and 10 touchdowns. And there are other receivers back like Josiah Bourne and Matt Jelleme, Justus Leitner and Kyle McPartlan, who all will be seniors. The defense, however, loses a number of seniors, like Kyle Johnston (4.5 sacks, 14.5 TFLs) and Michael Montemurno (3 sacks, 6.5 TLFs) that will be tough to replace.

New Providence Pioneers (9-3, 2-1, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Chet Parlevecchio, Jr. (51-31, 9th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Governor Livingston (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 2: A.L. Johnson *
  • Week 3: at Metuchen* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 4: Roselle*
  • Week 5: at Middlesex
  • Week 6: Verona
  • Week 7: Bound Brook
  • Week 8: at Delaware Valley

Coming off their first trip to a sectional final in 14 seasons, the Pioneers will have a mixed bag on offense in 2025. They’ll lose senior quarterback T.J. Munn to graduation. He threw for over 600 yards, but more importantly ran for over a thousand last season. But junior running back A.J. Whitehead, who also rushed for over 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns is back, and should be the focal point of the offense. There are some good receivers in the stable, too, and Kevin Reilly – who saw action in just two games last year as a sophomore – could be an option at QB. A number of key contributors on defense return, including lineman Drew Gullo (3.5 sacks, 1 TFL) and junior Mike Petses (5 TFLs, 1 forced fumble, 1 INT, 1 safety) among others.

Roselle Rams (4-7, 0-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Tyrone Turner (4-7, 2nd season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Spotswood (6p)
  • Week 2: at Metuchen* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 3: A.L. Johnson* (6p)
  • Week 4: at New Providence*
  • Week 5: Hillside (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 6: at Newark Collegiate
  • Week 7: at Delaware Valley
  • Week 8: at JP Stevens (6p)

In Turner’s first season with the Rams, they maintained their win total from the previous season. Can they take a step up in 2025? That will be tough losing senior QB Brandon Puryear, who threw for 1,130 yards and eleven touchdowns last season, but junior Deion Nelson saw significant time last season, too, and should compete with fellow rising senior Tyrone Smalls, Jr. Puryear also led the team in rushing at 579 yards, but some younger backs return as well, including Davon Rhodes and Raekwon Anderson. Defensively, lineman Jaeden Shorey (2 sacks, 3 TFLs, 2 INT, 1 fumble recovery) should be back for his senior year, along with fellow senior Mike Hnderson (also 2 sacks, 3 TFLs).

by Mike Pavlichko

Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament Quarterfinal Preview: Eight teams seek trip to Saturday’s semis in wide open playoff

Some years, you can have a pretty good idea who’s a favorite to win the county tournament. Others it’s wide open.

This year may be as wide open as any other in the Greater Middlesex Conference, following a first round Monday that saw four extra-inning games, five one-run games, two decided by just two runs, and four “upsets.”

We put upsets in quotes there because they might not really be. In a league where no one has been utterly dominant, and teams have beaten up on each other, there’s much parity in the GMC, and that has continued into the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament.

The event hits the quarterfinals – the round of eight – Wednesday at North Brunswick Community Park, but only if the weather cooperates. And it’s not just a matter of whether it will be raining at game time, it’s more about how much rain fell Tuesday, and how much more will on Wednesday, and whether the natural grass fields can take all that water.

The GMC has said if the games can’t be played Wednesday, they would shoot for Thursday at Community Park, and if that’s not feasible, games would go to higher seeds, or fields with turf. That would leave Spotswood hosting, as the high seed, as they have turf, but could leave St. Joseph of Metuchen and St. Thomas Aquinas – both higher seeds, but both with grass fields – playing on the road at Metuchen and Edison, respectively, both of whom have turf. Middlesex and South Plainfield both have grass, and could host, or find another school at which to play.

Regardless, we know the matchups, and at some point, they will play, with the winners advancing to Saturday (maybe – the weekend weather is another story) and the semifinals at East Brunswick Magnet School. So, scroll through for our preview of the quarterfinals.

(8) Spotswood (13-8) vs. (16) South River (14-5)
4 pm on Field 2 (Listen Live on CJSR)
Announcers: Dom Savino and Dylan Allen

This is an old-fashioned rivalry here, as Spotswood students used to attend South River High School up until Spotswood opened its own building in 1976. Yes, it’s been almost 50 years, but the rivalry is still strong.

These are two of the veteran mentors in Middlesex County. Mike Lepore Jr. of the Rams is now in his 28th season, while Glenny Fredricks of the Chargers is in his 21st, and both coaches are over the 300-win mark. In fact, both cracked that milestone in 2024, Fredericks first, in a 10-6 win over Paulsboro on April 19th of last year, then Lepore, in a 12-1 win over Princeton on May 21st.

But this one isn’t about the coaches. It’s about some really good baseball players.

Spotswood won’t throw senior Carter Cumiskey – their ace who beat Monroe back on Monday in the opening round, but he can do plenty of damage at the plate. On a team hitting .271 as a group, he’s at .425 with 16 RBIs and three homers. Fellow senior Will Buchan is hitting .338, second on the team, but leads the Chargers with 17 runs batted in and four home runs.

Spotswood senior Carter Cumiskey bats against South Amboy on Opening Day, March 29, 2025 in Spotswood. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

On the other side, South River has an ace pitcher who can blast the ball as well. While Cumiskey is going to Seton Hall, senior Julius Rosado will be headed to Rutgers in the fall. The senior, like Cumiskey, is also an excellent shortstop. That’s where he’ll play for Steve Owens, and he’s been relied upon a bit less this year, with James Zsorey, getting the workload of a No. 1 starter. He gave up one run in 8 2/3 innings Monday in the Rams’ 2-1, nine-inning win over top-seed Woodbridge Monday, the first team to knock off a No. 1 seed in the first round of the GMCs since JFK upset top-seed Monroe in in 2021.

Back to Rosado’s offensive prowess, he’s hitting close to .500 on the year: .474 with 25 RBIs – tied for the team lead with Zsorey – while hitting three home runs, tied with junior Hunter Krainski. He also leads the team in extra base hits, with 15, including eight doubles and four triples. What’s ironic is that this isn’t even his best year at the plate. He hit .594 last season – 120 points higher – and is a career .544 hitter.

South River has won six straight games, their best stretch of the season, including a play-in round game last Saturday, a 13-1 win over South Brunswick. Spotswood has won nine of its last 12, with their most recent defeats coming by a single run – 1-0 at Florence, 2-1 at Allentown – prior to GMC Tournament play.

Spotswood, meanwhile, has won six straight against South River, the Rams’ last won in 2021, sweeping the season series. Ironically, the two were scheduled to play Thursday in a regular season crossover. If Wednesday gets rained out, they’ll still play on Thursday, but it’ll be their GMCT game.

Click below to hear preview interviews with both head coaches:

Spotswood head coach Glenny Fredricks
South River head coach Mike Lepore, Jr.

(3) St. Thomas Aquinas (13-6) vs. (11) Edison (11-9)
7 pm on Field 2 (Listen Live on CJSR)
Announcers: Dom Savino and Dylan Allen

This one has two of the three high schools based in Edison, how can you go wrong here? St. Thomas Aquinas is the GMC White Division champion, and last year won the Non-Public North B title, falling in the state Group B championship game to powerhouse Gloucester Catholic. This year, along with Spotswood, they moved up to the White, and have had great success.

But the Trojans almost didn’t get here. They trailed 14-seed North Plainfield 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh in Monday’s first round, but won it in walk-off fashion with a pair of bases loaded walks. Hitting .302 as a team, they’re led by senior Jack Valenzuela at .391, while fellow senior Donovan Epps is among six players with at least ten RBIs; he has 16 to lead the team. Louis Rizzolo also is a factor offensively, leading the team in runs scored with 23, doubles with 16, and walks with 17, while also swiping a team-best ten stolen bases.

Edison is led by Robert Roma, who’s hitting .375 with a team-best 17 RBIs, seven doubles and 18 walks. He’s an ace pitcher, but right up there with him is Connor Murphy, though even he won’t get the start in the quarters. That’s going to go to Braydon Roma – Robert’s younger brother, a freshman – who is 1-4 with a 3.80 ERA, but just hasn’t gotten much run support. Of the five games he’s pitched that Edison has lost, three of those games saw the Eagles score two or fewer runs, and one of those was a shutout at Woodbridge.

Edison lines up before its home opener against South Plainfield on April 3, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Edison has won five straight coming in, including a 2-1 win in 12 innings at sixth-seed Old Bridge in Monday’s first round, as the elder Roma got the game-winning hit. St. Thomas lost to Old Bridge, 8-5, in their last game before the GMCs, but went on a seven-game win streak over an eleven-day span in mid- to late-April.

These two don’t regularly play each other, although the Trojans did play up twice to the GMC Red this year, and – in addition to the loss to Old Bridge last Thursday – they also fell 13-11 to East Brunswick two Friday’s ago

Click below to hear pregame interviews with both head coaches:

St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Tom D’Agostino
Edison head coach Vinnie Abene

(5) St. Joseph-Metuchen (11-6) vs. (13) Metuchen (15-6)
4 pm on Field 1 (Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates)

After a down year last season and just seven wins, new head coach Dennis McCaffery – who came over from Cranford after stepping down there at the end of last season – has the Falcons back on track. The might be playing their best baseball of the year, on their longest winning streak of 2025, now at five games heading into the quarterfinals. They needed nine innings to get past 12-seed Sayreville on Monday in the first round, on an RBI single by Walter Christian to walk it off.

The Falcons are a good-hitting team, batting .331 on the year, with three hitting over .400 this season. Junior Kris Almanzar leads the pack at .455, while senior Bobby Christensen is at .400 with 15 runs batted in. Luke Palermo is hitting .423, and has knocked in 18 runs, while senior JP Zayle has a team-high 19 RBIs and is hitting .447 on the year.

Logan Ring of St. Joseph-Metuchen rips a double to right field in the third inning against Old Bridge in the Autism Awareness Challenge at Fred Cole Field on April 13, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

The pitching staff has a 3.39 ERA, so Joe’s is getting the job done on both ends, and McCaffery will have a number of options against the Bulldogs.

As for Metuchen, they had lost three straight heading into the GMCT. While that’s certainly not ideal, they won two games in the tourney to get here, beating 20-seed South Amboy 13-0 in a ten-run rule play-in game, then knocking off fourth-seed East Brunswick out of the Red, 7-6 in nine innings on Monday in the first round.

And the Bulldogs can hit and pitch, too. Battig .343 asa a team, junior Simon Rosal is hitting .457 with 13 runs batted in, and fellow junior Matt Jelleme is hitting .456 with 18 RBIs. As a team, with 167 runs scored, they’re one of just two Blue Division teams who’ve scored more than 100, so they can put up some runs. On the mound, they have an ERA well under three, at 2.55 for the team, with four pitchers having ERAs below that mark.

They’re 1-2 against the Red this year, with losses to Edison and Monroe besides Monday’s win over East Brunswick, which finished higher than both the Eagles and Falcons in the division. Go figure?

These two teams rarely play each other, with Metuchen being a Group 2 and Joe’s being a large school, but they have met twice in the last 13 years, with the Falcons winning both: 12-2 in the GMCT second round in 2023, and 4-3 in the GMCT first round in 2012.

(2) South Plainfield (13-8) vs. (11) Middlesex (14-4)
7 pm on Field 1 (Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates)

This might be one of the best games of the day. Despite the double-digit seed, Middlesex appears to be again in the mold of its late 2010s and 2021 team, the latter of which won Central Jersey Group 1 and the Group 1 championship, winning all of its final three games in its final at bat, including the Group semi over Woodstown on a walk-off grand slam by Bobby Ulmer, and in 13 innings in the state final against New Providence.

And if you’re still not convinced, last week, the Blue Jays went up to Delbarton to face the No. 7 team in the state, and came away with a 5-3 win. Impressed now?

They scrap, and that was they way they won their first-round game, knocking off the 7-seed Colonia. (Lucky 7s?) Against the Patriots, they manufactured runs. Their first came on a single to right that Dylan Ianiero tried to extend to a double, and though he was out, in the confusion, it allowed Dom Parenti to score after initially holding on third. And in the sixth, after Parenti walked to lead off the inning, he took advantage on a miscue in centerfield and scored all the way from first on what turned out to be an Ianiero single, and a two-base error.

But it’s the pitching that may be most impressive. The team ERA is 1.68, led by Chris Kozak – whose older brother, Aiden, played on the 2021 title team. He’s got an ERA of just 0.89, and then there’s sophomore Dom Long at 1.37 – with 39 Ks to 19 walks – who’s picked up the second most innings on the team behind Kozak.

Dom Parenti of Middlesex teases a break for home in a GMC Tournament first round game at Colonia on May 12, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

South Plainfield was the Red Division champ last year, and the top seed in the GMCT, but lost in the finals to Old Bridge. This year, they finished second to Woodbridge, but beat the Barrons twice in the regular season.

The Tigers are hitting a respectable .265 on the year, with the highlight being Dom Massaro, a junior batting .405 on the season with one of the team’s two home runs – senior Dave Butrico has the other – and 14 RBIs. Aiden McCarthy – also an excellent pitcher – has a team-high 20 RBIs, while also leading the Tigers with a whopping 21 walks. And these guys steal bases, very aggressive on the base paths; senior Nick Irizarry has 30 on a team that has 77 swipes. (Middlesex, which also is aggressive on the bases, has 43 by comparison.)

And though the team ERA is a solid 3.15, the guys who’ve thrown the bulk of the innings are well under three. Mike Castagna, Jayden Jiminez, McCarthy and Kevin Penny all give head coach Scott Gleichenhaus piece of mind when they take the mound.

South Plainfield had lost three straight heading into the GMC before an 11-0 first round win over 15-seed Perth Amboy (in 5 innings), while Middlesex is red hot, on an eight-game winning streak. Besides the stunner over Delbarton, they also beat 10-10 North Hunterdon out of the Skyland Conference’s Delaware Division, among the best in the state, on Senior Night last week at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater. The Lions are scheduled to play Hunterdon Central Wednesday in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament final.

Though not often in the same division, the two play fairly frequently. South Plainfield has won six straight against Middlesex, dating back to 2015. Middlesex last won in 2013, and they last met in the GMC Quarterfinals in 2012. The Blue Jays – the third-seed – took that meeting, 5-0, and went on to win the county championship, beating No. 1 seed Sayreville 10-4 in the final.

by Mike Pavlichko

Wild first round of GMC Muldowney Championship Tournament sees four upsets; South River shocks top-seed Woodbridge in nine

When the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament was seeded Friday, as the room emptied, the thinking was this could be as wide open a tournament as ever. And if Monday’s results in the first round were any indication, that assessment was spot on.

Four of the eight games resulted in upsets, headlined by 16th-seed South River knocking off GMC Red Division champion and top-seed Woodbridge, 2-1, in nine innings. Three other games also went extras, two ending in upsets, featuring wins by 13-seed Metuchen and 11-seed Edison. St. Joseph-Metuchen also won in extras. Five games were decided by a single run, two by one run.

Now, you might wonder when the last time was that a No. 1 seed in the GMC Tournament got knocked off in the first round. Well, it wasn’t that long ago. In fact, it wasn’t even before COVID.

In 2021, 16th-seed JFK beat top-seed Monroe 5-4 in the first round, but fell 8-2 to 9-seed North Brunswick in the quarterfinals. Read our story and hear from then-Kennedy skipper Tim Ballard here.

Here’s a full recap of Monday afternoon’s action, with winners moving on to the quarterfinal round at North Brunswick Community Park. That’s scheduled for Wednesday, but with rain in the forecast, that could get pushed off to Thursday.

For now, several GMC teams are enjoying their big wins. Here’s the full roundup:

(16) South River 2, (1) Woodbridge 1 (9 inn.): Everyone knows the kind of pitcher Julius Rosado has been, but his innings have been somewhat limited, and he won his longest outing of the year Saturday in the play-in round, a 13-1 win over South Brunswick. That put James Zsorey on the mound, and the Rams’ ace (1a and 1b with Rosado) didn’t disappoint. He allowed just one run through 8 2/3 innings, but more on that later.

South River (14-5) got on the board in the top of the first when Noah Borrero walked with the bases loaded to take a 1-0 lead, but that’s all they would get for a while. Meanwhile, Woodbridge (13-5) scored in the bottom of the third when Ryan Leach grounded to shortstop. Rosado got the force at second, but when they tried to turn two, an error on the first baseman allowed Gavin Slicner to score. No one could get on the board for the next five innings. But in the top of the ninth, South River loaded the bases, and a walk brought in Borrero to make it 2-1. The Barrons got first and third with two out in the ninth, and the pitch count meant Zsorey had to exit. In came Brendan Lell, and on one pitch, he got Xavier Diaz to ground out back to him to end the game and set off a wild celebration.

Click below to hear South River head coach Mike Lepore, Jr., talk about the win:

South River will move on to play eight-seed Spotswood at 4 pm on Field 2 Wednesday at North Brunswick Community Park.

(8) Spotswood 3, (9) Monroe 1: The Chargers (13-8) led 3-0 after two, and starter Carter Cumiskey allowed just one run the rest of the way on three hits in a six-inning effort that Will Buchan closed out for the save. Buchan was at the plate for the first two runs, as Ryan Orth scored on a wild pitch while he was batting, then Buchan drove in Steve Spisso with a sac fly to center. They added one more in the third on an RBI single by Cumsikey. The Falcons (8-11) got a run on a groundout in the fifth, but that was all they could muster against Cumiskey. Spotswood faces 16-seed South River at 4 pm on Field 2 at North Brunswick Community Park on Wednesday.

(5) St. Joseph-Metuchen 1, (12) Sayreville 0 (8 inn.): The Falcons (11-6) won it in walk-off fashion on a single in the eighth inning by Walter Christian, who finished the day 2-for-4. Richard Zangara got the win for the Falcons, going the distance, allowing just four hits through eight, walking two and striking out ten. The Falcons will move on to face 13-seed Metuchen in the 4 pm quarterfinal on Field 1 at North Brunswick Community Park on Wednesday afternoon. Sayreville drops to 7-12 with the loss.

(13) Metuchen 7, (4) East Brunswick 6 (9 inn.): The Bulldogs pulled off the second small school upset of a big school Monday. We’ll have more details on this game as they become available. The Bulldogs will play another Red Division school, St. Joseph from right down the road, in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at North Brunswick Community Park, at 4 pm on Field 1.

(3) St. Thomas Aquinas 5, (14) North Plainfield 4: The Trojans (13-6) came from two runs down in their final at bat to pull out a first round win over a game Canucks squad. Down 4-3, two singles by Jack Valenzeula and Adrian Sanchez and a hit batter – Declan DiCarlo – after a fly ball out loaded the bases with two down. That’s when Lucas Cassino, down 1-2 in the count, worked out a seven-pitch walk to bring in Valenzuela to tie the game. Harrison Eng then walked on five pitches to end the game. North Plainfield falls to 12-6 on the season, and St. Thomas moves on to play in-town rival and 11-seed Edison in the quarterfinals at North Brunswick Community Park, Wednesday at 7 pm on Field 2.

(11) Edison 2, (6) Old Bridge 1 (12 innings): The Eagles (11-9) pushed past the Knights (11-9) in the longest game of the day, a marathon at Fred Cole Field. Each team scored a run in the third, and that’s where it stayed for nine innings until Edison got one across in the top of the seventh and held off Old Bridge in the bottom of the inning for the win. Ray Tavarez got the win in relief for the Eagles, while John Smith took the loss for the Knights. Robert Roma went 3-for-3 with an RBI for Edison, with Dom Innocenti knocking in the go-ahead run in the 12th on a base hit up the middle. Edison gets St. Thomas Aquinas in Wednesday’s 7 pm quarterfinal on Field 2 at North Brunswick Community Park.

Click below to listen to Edison head coach Vinnie Abene talk about the Eagles’ win:

(10) Middlesex 3, (7) Colonia 1: This one lived up to the hype, with the two teams splitting the season series by a grand total of three runs. Read the full story and hear postgame reaction here. The Blue Jays will move on to play second-seed South Plainfield in the 7 pm quarterfinal on Field 1 at North Brunswick Community Park this Wednesday.

(2) South Plainfield 11, (15) Perth Amboy 0 (5 inn.): Aiden McCarthy brought the hammer Monday at the plate and on the mound in a rout of the Canucks (5-11), going 2-for-3 with four runs batted in, in a mercy-rule 5-inning game. The Tigers (13-8) got six in the second and five in the third to cruise to the win as McCarthy scattered two hits over five innings of work. The win puts South Plainfield in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at North Brunswick Community Park, at 7 pm on Field 1.

WEDNESDAY’S QUARTERFINAL ROUND:
All games at North Brunswick Community Park

4 PM Games
(5) St. Joseph-Metuchen (11-6) vs. (13) Metuchen (15-6) on Field 1 (follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates)
(8) Spotswood (13-8) vs (16) South River (14-5) on Field 2 (LIVE on CJSR)

7 PM Games
(2) South Plainfield (13-8) vs. (10) Middlesex (14-4) on Field 1 (follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates)
(3) St. Thomas Aquinas (13-6) vs. (11) Edison (11-9) (LIVE on CJSR)

NOTE: Saturday’s semifinals are at 12 and 2:30 pm at Ray Cipperly Field at East Brunswick Magnet School. The highest remaining seed will play in the 2:30 game.

by Mike Pavlichko

Mostly routs as all higher seeds win in GMC Muldowney Championship play-ins; First Round tourney matchups set for Monday

The full first round of the Greater Middlesex Conference Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament is set, as South River, Perth Amboy, North Plainfield, and Metuchen moved on with play-in round wins on Saturday afternoon.

Monday’s first round will feature all 16 remaining teams, with the winners moving on to Wednesday’s Quarterfinals at North Brunswick Community Park, where Central Jersey Sports Radio will have full coverage including play-by-play of two of those games.

(16) South River 13, (17) South Brunswick 1 (5 inn.)

Julius Rosado got the nod and went the distance, allowing just one hit and striking out eleven en route to a ten-run rule, five-inning win. Rosado also was two-for-three with two RBIs as the Rams worked out eleven walks against Viking pitchers. All but one South River batter scored a run in the game and four scored twice in two big innings; the Rams got seven across in the second and four in the sixth after South Brunswick got its only run in the top of the inning.

South River (13-5) now has won five straight and moves on to play at top-seed and Red Division champion Woodbridge Monday afternoon at 4:15. South Brunswick falls to 3-16.

(13) Metuchen 13, (20) South Amboy 0 (5 inn.)

The Bulldogs scored in all four innings in which they hit in a mercy rule-shortened game, getting one in the first and exploding for an eight-spot in the second before plating two more runs each in the third and fourth en route to the shutout. Junior Lucas Malamung went the distance in the win, scattering five hits and striking out six. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate, knocking in three runs, including a two-run single in the big second inning.

South Amboy fall to 5-12. Metuchen (14-6) snaps a three-game skid with the win, and moves on to visit four-seed East Brunswick Monday at 4:15 pm.

(14) North Plainfield 2, (19) JFK 0

The Canucks scrambled for one run apiece in the third and sixth innings to claw out a home win over the Mustangs at Krausche Field. Tommy Zotollo drove in the first run with a two-out double, scoring Victor Ceda, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. The insurance run came in the sixth on an Iam Lameira double, scoring Zotollo. Meanwhile, starter Bennie Sokolowski went the distance, allowing just three hits in seven innings of work, striking out 12 in a whitewash of the Mustangs, who fall to 9-9.

North Plainfield (12-5) moves on to play at third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas in North Edison Monday at 4:00 Monday afternoon.

(15) Perth Amboy 10, (18) Carteret 0

The Panthers blew up for five runs in the second, for more in the fourth, and one more to walk it off in the sixth with a ten-run rule win over the Ramblers. Chris Rodriguez, Yendy Tomas each knocked in two runs for Perth Amboy, with Rodriguez going 4-for-4. Justin Foy threw six solid innings, needing only 78 pitches to get the win, striking out nine while walking none.

Carteret drops to 8-9 on the season. Perth Amboy (5-1) will visit second-seed South Plainfield Monday afternoon a 4:00.

Here’s the full schedule of First Round games Monday in the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament:

  • (16) South River at (1) Woodbridge, 4:15
  • (9) Monroe at (8) Spotswood, 4:00
  • (12) Sayreville at (5) St. Joseph-Metuchen, 4:00
  • (13) Metuchen at (4) East Brunswick, 4:15
  • (14) North Plainfield at (3) St. Thomas Aquinas, 4:00
  • (11) Edison at (6) Old Bridge, 4:00
  • (10) Middlesex at (7) Colonia, 4:00
  • (15) Perth Amboy at (2) South Plainfield, 4:00

by Mike Pavlichko

GMC Jim Muldowney Tournament Play-In Round Preview: Four games on tap Saturday

With the Greater Middlesex Conference seeding the Jim Muldowney Championship and Ray Cipperly Invitational on Friday – with Woodbridge getting the overall top seed – the Championship tourney will get underway Saturday with the play-in round, while the Invitational will kick off on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the four Saturday games in the Championship bracket, including a look ahead to who’s next. Scroll to the end for the first round Invitational matchups.

(17) South Brunswick (3-15) at (16) South River (12-5), 12 pm: This is the type of game that’s impossible to pick, a double-digit team from the Blue Division against a Red Division team with just three overall wins, and one in its own division. The Red has been competitive just about from top-to-bottom, with six of the eight teams cracking the ten-win mark, and besides South Brunswick, Monroe has eight victories. So, it’s tough to tell. Couple that with the fact that the Rams have one of the top pitchers in the league in Julius Rosado, who will be playing not far away at Rutgers next Spring. Does Mike Lepore throw him Saturday, since you have to win that game to advance? Does he save him for Monday’s first round against top-seed and GMC Red champion Woodbridge – in which he would give the South River a fighting chance – but risk not getting a win Saturday, leaving him on the table? Or does he start him, cap him at 50 pitches, allowing him to only take one-day rest, leaving him with 90 against the Barrons? Rosado has only thrown 90 or more pitches once this year, in a 4-3 win over JP Stevens on April 23rd, and he hasn’t thrown more than 25 in four appearances since. Maybe this is what they’ve been saving him for? The Vikings have struggled at the plate, hitting just .227 on the season, and only Timothy Christian (21) has scored fewer runs that South Brunswick, which has 49, as does North Brunswick (2-13). The winner travels to face the Barrons Monday.

(19) JFK (9-8) at (14) North Plainfield (10-5), 12 pm: Here’s two teams more on a par with each other in an all-Blue Division matchup. And this one could be a toss-up. Kennedy gotten some good pitching, but little run support. The workloads have gone to junior Myles Ulaky (1.83 ERA) and Grant Lorentzen, who has allowed just one earned run, four overall, all season in 36 1/3 innings pitched for a barely-noticeable 0.19 ERA. North Plainfield is on its first losing streak of the year – just two games – showing how solid a season they’ve had. The Canucks have gotten decent pitching – with a team ERA of just 2.23 – but they’re hitting just .204 on the year, with no single player batting better than .300 on the season. The winner goes to GMC White champ and third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas Monday.

(18) Carteret (8-8) at (15) Perth Amboy (4-10), 12 pm: Is the fact that the Panthers have just four wins in the white and the Ramblers eight wins in the Blue an equalizer? Sometimes, when comparing teams from different divisions, the GMC seeding committee considers what one team might do in the other division. Add in that this is a classic rivalry – their all-time football series having been the longest running in Middlesex County – and this should be a good one. Perth Amboy comes in strong. After a 3-10 start, the Panthers have won three straight: two over North Brunswick and one over South Brunswick. They scored just 12 runs on that eight game skid, but have scored an average of ten over the last three games, hitting .337 in that span. And it doesn’t matter the opponent, baseball people know hitting is contagious. Yet, the Ramblers will be a tougher opponent. Winners of five of their last seven, Carteret is hitting a healthy .283 and led by senior Eric Thompson, batting .370, while Joneil Martinez has knocked in a team-best 12 runs and is hitting .345 on the year. The winner goes to No. 2 South Plainfield Monday.

(20) South Amboy (5-11) at (13) Metuchen (13-6), 2 pm: It’s an all-Blue Division matchup between the sixth-place Governors and the pennant-winning Bulldogs. South Amboy is hitting .278 as a team, led by senior Benjamin Smith, batting .434, tied for a team-high in RBIs with Jeremy Vasquez, who also has five of the Guvs’ seven home runs. Pitching has been an issue, with a team ERA just over six, and no single pitcher lower than a 4.43 ERA. Metuchen is an interesting story. They were 11-2 before May first, but have lost four of their last five and three straight, although two of those losses came to Red Division foes in Edison (a 4-3 loss) and Monroe (a 7-2 defeat). Metuchen is the beat-hitting team of the eight in the play-in round (as well as the highest-seeded, so maybe they should be?) and has just a 2.62 team ERA, with a number of options to choose from on a staff that doesn’t have a single senior and is dominated by juniors. The winner gets four-seed East Brunswick on the road Monday.

GMC RAY CIPPERLY INVITATIONAL – 1st ROUND
TUESDAY, MAY 13

  • (9) Highland Park (3-13) at (8) Piscataway Magnet (8-8), 4 pm (Winner at (1) JP Stevens on Thursday)
  • (11) Timothy Christian (0-11) at (6) Dunellen (12-6), 4 pm (Winner at (3) East Brunswick Magnet on Thursday)
  • (10) Perth Amboy Magnet (3-11) at (7) Somerset Tech (7-6), 4 om (Winner at (2) North Brunswick on Thursday)
by Mike Pavlichko

Power Points Analysis: Metuchen continues to lead Central Group 1, but Middlesex inches closer

We’re exactly two weeks from the NJSIAA cutoff for the state playoffs – May 17th – and teams across the area continue to jockey for position in the standings. Here’s a closer look beyond the numbers at where teams stand and what their chances are, based on NJ.com’s official standings as of games played on May 2nd. For a full explanation of the new power point formula, click here.

Central Jersey Group 2: The No. 1 team is still Metuchen (12-3, 22.127), as the Bulldogs went 4-1 since our last update, but they’re just 1.127 ahead of the next team, which is now Middlesex (11-4, 21). The Blue Jays were even better, going a perfect 3-0 in the week gone by, jumping them over Point Pleasant Beach (13-3, 19.2), which went 2-2 since our last check-in. With the fourth-place team, Delaware Valley (8-6) at 16.469 power points, we think it’ll be the Bulldogs, Blue Jays and Garnet Gulls battling it out for the top two spots, so Metuchen and Middlesex – if they keep doing what they’ve been doing – are locks for at least the top four.

Manville (9-5, 14.923) slipped from fifth to seventh this week, despite winning all three games they played, and their power point average going up. They could finish either side of the top eight, with a lot of teams closely bunched in here. South Amboy (5-9, 14.433) is right behind them, as well as Piscataway Magnet (7-7, 14.386) in ninth and Somerset Tech (6-6, 13.297) in tenth. Only 1.626 points separate the four, and we haven’t even talked about Florence, New Egypt or Dunellen (10-6, 12.543), all within less than two power points of the No. 8 spot. Anyone could land anywhere, and this one is just too close to call right now.

The next CJSR-area teams are all on the wrong side of the bubble, but at that spot in the standings, one or two late wins – when you only have a couple to begin with – could do wonders. That’s the hope for Perth Amboy Magnet (3-10, 9.177), Highland Park (2-11, 7.631) and Bound Brook (1-10, 7.209), all of whom are in positions 17 through 19, with the target being to at least outs 16th place Keyport (4-5, 9.677). If any of those teams can string together a couple of wins the last two weeks, they might just edge into the playoffs.

by Mike Pavlichko

North Plainfield pulls lone upset in boys’ GMC Tournament preliminary round; Timothy Christian’s Fleming tops 2,000-point milestone

All but one of the higher seeds won their GMC Tournament preliminary round games on the boys’ side Tuesday, making it a perfect 16 of 16 in that round, coupled with Monday’s girls’ results.

There were some tight ones, including North Brunswick’s win over Edison and Monroe’s victory over South Brunswick. Timothy Christian’s Jalen Fleming scored his 2,000th point in a win over Perth Amboy Magnet. And 21-seed North Plainfield knocked off Silver Division champion and 12-seed Dunellen.

Here’s a recap of Tuesday evening’s action, followed by Thursday’s “first round” matchups in the round of 16. Scroll down after the recaps for postgame reaction from Middlesex head coach Jared Goldstein after the Blue Jays’ come-from-behind win over South River.

TUESDAY’S GMC TOURNAMENT RESULTS – BOYS’ PRELIMINARY ROUND

  • (16) Monroe def. (17) South Brunswick, 48-43: A late rally by the Vikings (6-17) fell just short as the Falcons built a 23-18 halftime lead and were ahead 36-25 heading into the final eight minutes. Joe Porpora led Monroe with 13 points, while Braden Hoiberg and Anthony Barsa added 10, including a 6-of-10 night from the foul line. (Porpora also went 6-for-8 from the charity stripe.) The Falcons (7-16) will face GMC Red Division champion and top-seed Colonia for a third time this year on Thursday in the first round. Colonia won this season’s first matchup on January second, 57-27, but the second one was much closer: 50-40 on January 28th. Monroe only trailed by three at the half.
  • (9) East Brunswick def. (25) JFK, 78-56: The Bears (13-10) got a huge game out of Matt Mikulka, who scored 30 points – while Cam Vick added 14 and Andrew Carusa 12 – in the win. Kennedy (7-12) was led by Grant Lorentzen with 23 points. It was only an eight point game at the half, but the Bears pulled away with a strong 16-6 fourth quarter. East Brunswick will travel to ninth-seed Woodbridge in a “true” 8/9 game that could be a toss-up. The teams split this year, with East Brunswick winning 65-61 before Christmas, while Woodbridge returned the favor with a 47-44 win on January 16th.
  • (21) North Plainfield def. (12) Dunellen, 66-53: Aaron Potts and Quadir Williams each scored 19 points for the Canucks (12-11) in the upset win over the Destroyers (15-6) at the Faber School. Ryan Hutchins scored 15 in defeat for Dunellen, which got behind big early, 22-8 after one, and trailed 40-21 at the half. Next up, the Canucks travel to five-seed Old Bridge, a team they have very little history with, since they only came over from the Skyland Conference to the GMC two seasons ago. They haven’t met since at least 2010. North Plainfield, which started 0-4 and lost eight of its first nine games, has flipped the script late in the season: they’ve now won four straight and eight of their last nine.
  • (13) Perth Amboy def. (20) Spotswood, 74-63: The Panthers had two players go off for 20-plus points, as Lavion Balthazar and Jadiel Manzueta each scored 23 to lead Perth Amboy (12-10) in the win. Balthazar logged a double-double, also grabbing 15 rebounds. Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage led Spotswood with 20 in defeat. Next up, the Panthers (12-10) travel to North Edison to take on four-seed St. Thomas Aquinas (13-8). Their last meeting was in 2022, a 94-47 Trojans win, the only time they’ve played in the last 15 years.
  • (14) Metuchen def. (19) Piscataway Magnet, 55-42: The Bulldogs (17-6) had a big second quarter, outscoring the Raiders 20-5 to take a 35-18 lead at the break, but almost gave it back when they got outscored themselves 20-8 in the third quarter. In a game dominated by defense, Metuchen then held Piscataway Magnet (17-6) to just four fourth quarter points to come out with the win. Jason Woods had 17 to lead the Bulldogs, who will next travel to play third-seed and GMC White Division champion Sayreville Thursday. It’s been almost three years since their last meeting, a 68-51 Bomber win in the 2022 GMCT preliminary round.
  • (11) Middlesex def. (22) South River, 63-58: Despite getting a 31 point game – including nine free throws – from Alex Grospe, South River (11-10) couldn’t keep the Blue Jays from coming back from an eight point halftime deficit, and a rough second quarter in which Middlesex (16-6) was outscored 20-7, coughing up a 15-10 lead at the end of one. Down 45-39 after three, the Jays stormed ahead in the fourth. Four players scored in double figures, including Owen Reynolds with 17, Chris Kozak with 13, Domenic Parenti with a dozen and Mark Melchiore with ten. Next up, Middlesex will visit sixth-seed South Plainfield, the second-place team in the GMC White Division. It’ll be their first meeting since 2022, and the Tigers have won all four matchups since COVID.
  • (10) Timothy Christian def. (26) Perth Amboy Magnet, 65-31: Just a few second in, senior Jalen Fleming nailed a triple from the right of the key to crack the 2,000 point mark in his stellar career. Fleming finished with 26 points to give him 2,023 total. Elijah Pierre added 20 for the Tigers (13-7), while Chukwudi Raphael Mamah had a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Patriots fell to 11-9 with the loss. Timothy Christian now moves on to play seventh-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen out of the GMC Red. There’s little history between the teams; the Tigers hung in last February in a GMC Tournament quarterfinal matchup before the Falcons – who were the top seed, but got knocked out in the semifinals – won it 83-68.
  • (15) North Brunswick def. (18) Edison, 68-61: A monster night of 30 points and 10-of-11 from the stripe for Tommy Koroma powered the Raiders (9-14) to the win over the Eagles (12-10). Deshawn Burgess added 11 for North Brunswick, which now moves on to play second-seed Piscataway in their first meeting since 2016.

Click below to hear Middlesex head coach Jared Goldstein talk about the Blue Jays’ rally to beat South River with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

WEDNESDAY’S GMC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE – GIRLS’ FIRST ROUND

  • (16) North Brunswick (8-13) at (1) St. Thomas Aquinas (18-6), 5:30 pm: The Trojans have won their GMC Red Division games by an average of 40-plus points per game, and their last loss to a GMC team came on January 20th, 2022, a 55-41 road loss at Monroe. Their last home loss came March 5, 2021, in the COVID-shortened season, when the Falcons topped them to win the GMC’s top postseason pod, the Somogyi Family Pod. Don’t expect much to change.
  • (9) Carteret (15-6) at (8) Calvary Christian (18-1), 4:15 pm: Calvary beat the Ramblers on January 31st in one of the lowest-scoring games of the year, 24-20, but their only loss this year came to Timothy Christian, which is 8-14 in the same division as Carteret. Call it a toss-up.
  • (12) Old Bridge (10-12) at (5) East Brunswick (12-10), 5:30 pm: The Bears have swept Old Bridge each of the last two years and won five straight in the series. East Brunswick won this year’s matchups by 21 and 23 points, but many games in the GMC Red have been competitive, and this one should be, too.
  • (13) North Plainfield (6-16) at (4) Spotswood (17-6), 6:30 pm: Not a lot of history between these teams, with the Canucks winning their only meeting in the last 15 years back in February of last year, 62-27. But North Plainfield was also 18-7 last season, a 12-win swing so far. This should be a good one as well.
  • (14) Colonia (6-17) at (3) Middlesex (17-6), 5:30 pm: Since 2012, these teams have only met three times. Middlesex won a tight one in 2021, while Colonia won the next two. But this is a different Patriots team without stars Mattie Chiera and Taylor Derkcack. Despite the record, it could be a competitive game.
  • (11) Piscataway (10-9) at (6) South Brunswick (11-10), 5:30 pm: South Brunswick swept both games this season, winning 51-43 on January 4th, and 71-61 just three weeks later. Expect another tight one between these two, with the Vikings having a bit more of a veteran edge.
  • (10) Edison (14-9) at (7) Metuchen (18-3), 6 pm: This will be their second meeting this year, as Edison pulled out a 54-42 win before the holidays. Both are solid clubs and this one also should by highly competitive.
  • (15) South Plainfield (14-8) at (2) Monroe (14-7), 4 pm: Throw out the seeds here. Monroe hasn’t lost in five meetings dating back to 2016, but the last couple have been close. They two played in the Monroe Holiday Tournament, and it was a 49-39 win for the Falcons, but only a five-point game at the half.

THURSDAY’S GMC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE – BOYS’ FIRST ROUND

  • (16) Monroe (7-16) at (1) Colonia (19-4), 7 pm
  • (9) East Brunswick (13-10) at (8) Woodbridge (11-9), 5:30 pm
  • (21) North Plainfield (12-11) at (5) Old Bridge (13-9), 5 pm
  • (13) Perth Amboy (12-10) at (4) St. Thomas Aquinas (13-9), 6:15 pm
  • (14) Metuchen (17-6) at (3) Sayreville (18-3), 7 pm
  • (11) Middlesex (16-6) at (6) South Plainfield (15-7), 4:15
  • (10) Timothy Christian (13-7) at (7) St. Joseph-Metuchen (6-12), 7 pm
  • (15) North Brunswick (9-14) at (2) Piscataway (19-4), 5:30 pm

by Mike Pavlichko

Friday Night Big Central Playoff Roundup: Nine area teams advance on opening night of postseason; Bernards only “small school” to win

The opening round of the playoffs saw just nine of the 24 Big Central Conference teams in action Friday night move on to the next round, with four more in action Saturday.

Bridgewater-Raritan won in dramatic fashion, as Irvington doinked a field goal off the left upright to send the Panthers to their first sectional final since 2017. Elizabeth continued its late-season surge with a win over Morristown in the same North 2, Group 5 section, and Somerville and Woodbridge cruised to victories, while Cranford edged Summit in a rematch of a regular season matchup won by the Hilltoppers.

Four of the five Group 2 schools lost – Bernards being the only exception – while all both Group 1 schools fell short as well. Manville is in action Saturday morning at Paulsboro.

Below, we recap each Group’s Friday night action with scores and notes. Projected sectional semifinal matchups are at the bottom of this story.

North 2, Group 5
(1) Union City 49, (8) East Side 0
(2) Elizabeth 34, (7) Morristown 33
(3) Passaic Tech 18, (6) Plainfield 12
(4) Bridgewater-Raritan 34, (5) Irvington 33 (OT) (Full story at the link)

The Panthers are in the semifinals for the first time since 2017, the last of their three straight trips to the North 2, Group 5 finals, all of which were won by Westfield.

Elizabeth has now won four straight after a four-game losing streak that started after the September third firing of John Fiore, and they’ll even get to play another home game.

North 1, Group 5
(1) Ridgewood 33, (8) Passaic 14
(2) West Orange 28, (7) Linden 21

Central Group 5
(1) Washington Twp. 38, (8) Hunterdon Central 0
(2) Atlantic City 47, (7) Eastern 15
(6) Cherokee 16, (3) Old Bridge 14
(5) Cherry Hill 28, (4) Southern 21

South Group 5
(1) Toms River North 55, (8) Bridgeton 6
(2) Rancocas Valley 42, (7) Edison 7
(3) Hillsborough 49, (6) Freehold Twp. 20
(5) Kingsway 13, (4) Howell 0

Jackson Jankowicz scored six of the Raiders’ seven touchdowns in their win over Freehold Township, five on the ground and one through the air in what was likely their last home game of the season. They’ll go on the road next week to take on Rancocas Valley.

North 1, Group 4
(2) Ridge 22, (7) Rahway 14 (Full story at the link)
(3) Ramapo 47, (6) Randolph 27
(4) Mount Olive 40, (5) Newark Central 6

North 2, Group 4
(1) Phillipsburg 42, (8) Nutley 0
(2) Woodbridge 35, (7) Watchung Hills 15 (Full story at the link)
(3) Northern Highlands 21, (6) Westfield 7
(5) Chatham 24, (4) Wayne Valley 7

Phillipsburg led 7-0 after one, but quickly warmed up, scoring five times in the second. Felix Matos had a rushing and receiving touchdown in the win, while Matthew Scerbo, Jr., had two touchdown receptions in the win.

The Stateliners are a win away from their third straight sectional finals berth. The last two were in Group 5, and both losses: to West Orange in 2022, and Union City last year.

North 1, Group 3
(1) Pascack Valley 49, (8) West Milford 14
(7) River Dell 36, (2) Mendham 35 (OT)
(3) Passaic Valley 27, (6) Snyder 0

North 2, Group 3
(1) Old Tappan 19, (8) Weequahic 11
(2) West Essex 43, (7) Dwight Morrow 20
(3) West Morris 28, (6) Wayne Hills 0
(4) Cranford 27, (4) Summit 22

Cranford got payback for a regular season defeat at Summit 21-7 by winning at home Friday night, as the Cougars won their fifth straight.

Central Group 3
(1) Somerville 40, (8) Absegami 0
(7) Delsea 29, (2) Burlington Twp. 12
(3) Cedar Creek 39, (6) Triton 14
(4) Ocean City 42, (5) Allentown 34

The Pioneers continued their undefeated season, improving to 10-0. All but six of their points came in the first half, with Max Nuzzi’s 36-yard pick-six before the break kicking off the running clock, up 34-0 at that point. Five different players scored touchdowns for Somerville, which got two touchdown runs from Josh Rodriguez.

South Group 3
(1) Hopewell Valley 45, (8) Nottingham 15
(2) Mainland 49, (7) Barnegat 14
(4) Seneca 13, (5) Timber Creek 10

North 1, Group 2
(1) Westwood 36, (8) Lakeland 14
(2) Bernards 35, (7) Rutherford 33
(3) Pequannock 28, (6) Madison 27
(5) Shabazz 36, (4) Caldwell 33

Bernards – the defending North 2, Group 2 sectional champion – continues its undefeated season, improving to 10-0 with the win.

North 2, Group 2
(2) Hanover Park 27, (7) Newton 14
(3) Ramsey 27, (6) Lyndhurst 24
(4) High Point 46, (5) Becton 0

Central Group 2
(1) Rumson-Fair Haven 48, (8) Spotswood 0
(3) Wall 34, (7) Haddon Heights 0
(3) Haddonfield 14, (6) Hillside 7
(4) Delran 42, (5) Delaware Valley 7

South Group 2
(1) Camden 46, (8) Middle Twp. 13
(2) Pt. Pleasant Boro 41, (7) Gloucester City 13
(3) Manchester Twp. 30, (6) West Deptford 29
(5) Willingboro 62, (4) Johnson 7

North 1, Group 1
(1) Butler 47, (8) Weehawken 8
(2) New Milford 14, (7) Park Ridge 0
(3) Mountain Lakes 17, (6) Lenape Valley 14

North 2, Group 1
(1) Cedar Grove 38, (8) Wallkill Valley 6
(3) Hasbrouck Heights 41, (6) Wood-Ridge 7
(4) Verona 20, (5) Belvidere 0

Central Group 1
(1) Woodstown 31, (8) KIPP Cooper Norcross 8
(2) Shore 21, (7) New Egypt 0
(6) Woodbury 35, (3) Middlesex 28
(5) Pennsville 41, (4) Burlington City 20

South Group 1
(1) Glassboro 64, (8) Pt. Pleasant Beach 7
(2) Schalick 24, (7) Audubon 0

SEMIFINAL ROUNDS

Here are projected semifinal matchups statewide. Dates and times are based on first round times, when available, and may be subject to change.

North 2, Group 5
(4) Bridgewater-Raritan at (1) Union City, 7 pm Friday
(3) Passaic Tech at (2) Elizabeth, 7 pm Friday

North 1, Group 5
(2) West Orange at (1) Ridgewood, 7 pm Friday
(3) Piscataway/(6) Bayonne vs. (4) East Orange/(5) Montclair

Central Group 5
(4) Southern at (1) Washington Twp., 6 pm Friday
(6) Cherokee at (3) Atlantic City, 6 pm Friday

South Group 5
(4) Howell at (1) Toms River North, 6 pm Friday
(3) Hillsborough at (2) Rancocas Valley, 6 pm Friday

North 1, Group 4
(2) Ridge vs. (1) Morris Knolls/(8) Colonia
(3) Ramapo at (2) Ridge, 7 pm Friday

North 2, Group 4
(5) Chatham at (1) Phillipsburg, 7 pm Friday
(3) Northern Highlands at (2) Woodbridge, 6 pm Friday

Central Group 4
(5) Toms River South/(4) Marlboro at (1) Millville, 6 pm Friday
(6) Jackson Memorial at (2) Brick Memorial), 6 pm Friday

South Group 4
(4) Manalapan vs. (1) Winslow/(8) Princeton
(3 Shawnee at (2) Middletown North, 7 pm Friday

North 1, Group 3
(4) Montville/(5) Sparta at (1) Pascack Valley, 7 pm Friday
(7) River Dell at (3) Passaic Valley, 6:30 pm Friday

North 2, Group 3
(4) Cranford at (1) Old Tappan, 6 pm Friday
(3) West Morris at (2) West Essex, 6:30 pm Friday

Central Group 3
(4) Ocean City at (1) Somerville, 7 pm Friday
(7) Delsea at (3) Cedar Creek, 6 pm Friday

South Group 3
(4) Seneca at (1) Hopewell Valley, 6 pm Friday
(3) Holmdel/(6) Oakcrest at (2) Mainland, 6 pm Friday

North 1, Group 2
(5) Shabazz at (1) Westwood, 7 pm Friday
(3) Pequannock at (2) Bernards, 7 pm Friday

North 2, Group 2
(4) High Point vs. (1) Glen Rock/(8) Waldwick
(3) Ramsey at (2) Hanover Park, 7 pm Friday

Central Group 2
(4) Delran at (1) Rumson-Fair Haven, 7 pm Friday
(3) Haddonfield at (2) Wall, 7 pm Friday

South Group 2
(5) Willingboro at (1) Camden, 6 pm Friday
(3) Manchester Twp. at (2) Pt. Pleasant Boro, 7 pm Friday

North 1, Group 1
(4) Glen Ridge/(5) Pompton Lakes at (1) Butler, 7 pm Friday
(3) Mountain Lakes at (2) New Milford, 7 pm Friday

North 2, Group 1
(4) Verona at (1) Cedar Grove, 7 pm Friday
(3) Hasbrouck Heights vs. (2) New Providence/(7) Boonton

Central Group 1
(5) Pennsville at (1) Woodstown, 7 pm Friday
(6) Woodbury at (2) Shore, 7 pm Friday

South Group 1
(4) Haddon Twp./(5) Riverside at (1) Glassboro, 6 pm Friday
(3) Paulsboro/(6) Manville at (2) Schalick, 6 pm Friday


by Mike Pavlichko

Friday Night Big Central Roundup: Phillipsburg appears to clinch a top-seed, Metuchen upset hurts their chances, East Brunswick shocks South

It’s Cutoff Weekend in New Jersey High School Football, and only 25 games remain to determine the seeding for the playoffs. But so far, 28 teams from the Big Central appear to have made it, with Colonia and Spotswood sneaking in, but Metuchen set to do some scoreboard watching tomorrow.

We’ll get to that in a moment, but first, Phillipsburg looks to have wrapped up a top seed in North Group 5 along with Morris Knolls after a win at Bridgewater-Raritan Friday night. It was a packed top four, and all those teams – Knolls, Ridge, Woodbridge and P’burg emerged from Friday night’s action victorious, with Woodbridge (9-0) capping off an undefeated regular season for the third time in the last six years.

Somerville – the only other Big Central Conference team to cop a top seed – also finished an undefeated regular season at 9-0, and appeared to have the overall No. 1 seed locked up before the weekend even got underway.

East Brunswick 24, South Brunswick 14: The Bears picked up just their second win of the season Friday night, topping the Vikings on the road. The Bears’ last win came in Week One, when they beat Hamilton West out of the West Jersey Football League, 34-14. Since they, they had lost six straight – shut out three times – before snapping the skid to finish their regular season 2-7.

As for the Vikings, they started out 3-0, then went into a tailspin, dropping their last six games to finish the regular season 3-6.

North Plainfield 12, Metuchen 0: The Bulldogs’ playoff chances took a hit – though they still could make it – with a loss to the Canucks at Krausche Field Friday night. Not only does it snap a three-game win streak, but Metuchen fell into 16th place in the South 2 standings.

There’s only one team behind them with a shot that could knock them out. Haddon Heights (1-6) plays at home against Northern Burlington (4-4) at 11 am Saturday. That’s a must win for the Haddon Garnets because there’s a two-win minimum to make the postseason. If they do pull the upset, they’ll jump Spotswood, and Metuchen, bumping the Chargers to 16, while the Bulldogs would drop to 17 and be left out. Despite being former GMC Blue Division rivals, they did not play this year, so they couldn’t get in on the top-down head-to-head rule.

Winning Streaks…

With Central Regional and Glen Rock losing Friday night, Woodbridge, Somerville and Bernards are tied with Cherry Hill East for the third longest winning streak in the state. The Barrons, Pioneers and Mountaineers are all 9-0, as is Cherry Hill East, which is 8-0 but won their final game last season.

The longest win streak in the state belongs to Toms River North, the two-time defending Group 5 state champion, which is one of the favorites, at least, to win a third. Hopewell Valley is next, at 11, with a 9-0 record and two wins to finish last season.

In Big Central play, St. Thomas Aquinas has extended its league record streak to 31, while Bernards is next with 24 league wins in a row. Somerville is third at ten, while Woodbridge has won nine straight BCC games.

Other Friday night scores…

  • No. 1 Somerville 45, Watchung Hills 7
  • No. 2 Woodbridge 35, No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen 35
  • No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas 43, Sayreville 20
  • No. 4 Bernards 35, Carteret 7
  • No. 5 Ridge 28, Westfield 10
  • No. 6 Phillipsburg 49, Bridgewater-Raritan 10
  • No. 7 Hillsborough 28, Hunterdon Central 21
  • No. 9 Rahway 28, Montgomery 3
  • No. 10 Piscataway 52, Monroe 0
  • Old Bridge 36, Colonia 29 (2 OT)
  • Cranford 16, Hillside 6
  • North Brunswick 22, Franklin 20
  • Highland Park 37, South River 24
  • Manville 42, Bound Brook 3
  • Governor Livingston 38, New Brunswick 0
  • New Providence 28, Delaware Valley 21
  • North Hunterdon 56, Voorhees 21
  • Johnson 56, Perth Amboy 24
  • Plainfield 22, Linden 9
  • Roselle 28, JP Stevens 8
  • Spotswood 28, Roselle Park 6
  • Summit 44, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 7
  • South Hunterdon 38, Dunellen 7
  • Elizabeth 26, Union 15

Saturday’s Games:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY:  Metuchen 29, Highland Park 0

Metuchen won the 88th meeting with its arch-rival Metuchen, shutting out the Owls 29-0 to snap a two-game losing streak.  The Bulldogs trail the all-time series 61-26-1, but have won the last seven dating back to 2017.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play live from Metuchen High School on October 5, 2024:

1st Half
2nd Half