Highland Park QB Marcus Smith ran for two touchdowns, while going 8-of-97 passing for 97 yards, and the Owls defense registered its first shutout in 15 years with a 29-0 season-opening win over visiting New Brunswick.
Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play live from Jay Dakelman Field in Highland Park, NJ, on August 28, 2026:
Highland Park opened the 2026 season in emphatic fashion as the Owls defeated New Brunswick 29-0 at Joseph Policastro Stadium Friday night.
In the process, Highland Park picked up its first shutout win in 15 years, when they won 37-0 at now-shuttered Cardinal McCarrick on Halloween 2011.
Highland Park totaled 240 yards of offense, with 143 of those yards coming on the ground. Jacob Quiros led the way with 11 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Marcus Smith completed eight of nine passes for 97 yards through the air and had eight carries and 38 yards for two touchdowns on the ground.
Highland Park received the opening kickoff in this game, and the offense wasted no time setting the tone. Led by a rushing attack of Jacob Quiros and quarterback Marcus Smith, the Owls scored first on an eight-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off by a 14-yard touchdown run from Smith with 6:42 to play in the first quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out on the Zebras’ opening drive, Highland Park turned the ensuing punt into a safety. Three tacklers teamed up to make it an 8-0 Owl lead with 4:07 to go in the opening quarter.
Highland Park caught another break when the ensuing kickoff was muffed, and the Owls recovered to immediately go back on offense. Highland Park made it count with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that ended in a seven-yard touchdown run from Ziquan Grier with three seconds left in the first quarter.
New Brunswick finally put a promising drive together, going 60 yards in seven plays to set up a 4th and 12 from the Owls’ 11-yard line. The pass from Jo Jo Morfa was broken up to end the first half.
The Zebras got the ball back to start the second half, and traded a pair of empty possessions before another promising scoring drive ended in an interception.
Highland Park got the ball back on their own 15 with 3:19 to play in the third quarter, and methodically led the ball down the field in an eight-play, 85-yard scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run on a quarterback sneak from Marcus Smith.
New Brunswick went three-and-out twice in the fourth quarter, with Highland Park getting the ball back with 1:25 to play. The Owls kneeled the game out to seal the first win of 2026.
Offensively, the Zebras finished with 100 total yards of offense. Quarterback Jo Jo Morfa completed six of 10 for 64 yards, while Arisnel Mota-Sanchez had eight carries for 32 yards on the ground.
Click below to hear postgame reaction with Highland Park seniors Marcus Smith and Jacob Quiros, and junior Du’an Fleming, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:
We’re nothing at Central Jersey Sports Radio if not outside-the-box thinkers. And looking at the forecast, we had planned all week for the eventuality that finally came once Woodbridge announced it was moving the No. 8 Barrons’ opening game against No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan to Friday night.
The move meant our originally-planned Thursday night Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week would conflict with our Friday night Game of the Week, New Brunswick at Highland Park.
Wait a minute, why not air them both?
So, that’s what we’re doing!
It’ll be our first simultaneous football broadcast in Big Central history, although the “test run” came in baseball season, although it wasn’t due to weather. We were set to broadcast St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Mary-Rutherford in the Non-Public North B final, but the two agreed to move the game back because the Trojans had graduation planned for the same day. That ran into a conflict with our planned broadcast of the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 final between Ridge and Watchung Hills.
In the end, we did both.
But that also means one of the games will have a different Listen Live link for tonight’s games.
So, here are the links to Friday’s first-ever high school football double-broadcast on Central Jersey Sports Radio!
No. 8 Bridgewater-Raritan at No. 6 Woodbridge
Pregame 5:45, Kickoff 6 pm at Nicholas A. Priscoe Stadium
Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe
Click here to listen!
New Brunswick at Highland Park
Pregame 6:35, Kickoff 7 pm at Jay Dakelman Field
Alec Crouthamel and Chris Tsakonas
Click here to listen!
Highland Park and New Brunswick bring some similarities to Friday’s opening game of the season.
Both battled through tough losing streaks, but came out on the othe side better than they entered, and from there have set solid groundwork to continue to build forward.
Now two full seasons removed from snapping the skid, the Owls have continued to build upward, and head into the 2026 season with a mix of veteran returners and eye-turning young talent.
They’ll kick it all off at home Friday night at 7:00 against the Zebras, in the second Big Central Game of the Week to open the season live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Tune in at 6:45 for the pregame show with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel; click here to listen.
Highland Park returns its starter to the most important position, with Marcus Smith back for his second year as the starting quarterback. Much of his development over the offseason came on the mental side, as well as the physical side, as a rising senior after throwing for 866 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Owls also return just over 60 percent of their rushing production, led by top rusher Jacob Quiros, who is also heading into his senior year. Even after the graduation of Kostas and Stamatis Hantsoulis, the skill-position cupboard is well-stocked for Highland Park, especially with some exciting youngsters entering the fray, set for some of their first varsity action.
And much the same could be said for the defensive side. Even with the graduation of Matthew Adamczyk-Zapor, who led the team in sacks (three) and tackles for loss (seven), there remains a solid set of leaders and talent across the defense, with young talent continuing to be infused.
But above all the stats and talent across the board, the main key the veterans bring to the table is their experience. They saw what it meant to snap the skid and to grow from it with 6-3 and 3-6 records, and are now the leaders in the clubhouse. Head coach Shawn Harrison has led the charge in raising the expectations for the program, and it starts with the returning veterans that have seen it all under his watch.
Those expectations will help be set with the opening home game against nearby New Brunswick.
Click below to hear Highland Park football coach Shawn Harrison talk about the Owls and their season opener against New Brunswick, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:
The head coach of the Highland Park football team, Shawn Harrison, knows much of what Geoff Chrisman, the second-year New Brunswick mentor, went through in 2025.
Last season, Chrisman took over a New Brunswick football team that had lost 23 straight games coming into the season. They started the year, 0-9, but in their finale, snapped what grew to a 32-game skid with a 36-0 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro’s North-South co-op.
Now, they come into 2026 off a victory in their last game, something that hadn’t happened since 2018, when they beat East Brunswick in a consolation game.
Harrison’s squad did something similar three seasons ago, breaking an even longer streak with a win down the Shore over Point Pleasant Beach.
One difference, though, is that Harrison had been with the program for years, even before he was named head coach before the COVID pandemic. Chrisman just stepped in officially last June. And it took him time to learn the personnel, and for his players to learn about him.
This year, it’s a different vibe for the Zebras, as they visit the Owls Friday night at 7:00 in the second Big Central Game of the Week to open the season live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Tune in at 6:45 for the pregame show with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel; click here to listen.
New Brunswick loses their starting quarterback, but Chrisman really likes Jadriyel “Jo Jo” Morfa, a freshman who only attempted two passes last season. He’ll be handing off a lot to Arisniel Mota-Sanchez, who also was a freshman last season, and carried the ball 21 times for 144 yards and two scores. Of that, 120 yards and both touchdowns, with a long of 83, came in that momentous win over West Windsor-Plainsboro.
Chrisman says he has the “potential to be a special player,” but points out he only started playing football in eighth grade. This year, he’s bulked up, is stronger, and “wants to be the guy.”
“He has great grades, great personality,” Chrisman says. He’s also been named a team captain – as a sophomore.
Defensively, Chrisman says the Zebras will go after people, and play aggressive. Although for at least the first few weeks, they’ll be without their returning sack leader, Bradly Romero, who had two of the team’s nine last season. Romero broke his foot in the preseason, but is expected to return.
Click below to hear New Brunswick football coach Geoff Chrismans talk about the Zebras, and their season opener at Highland Park, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
Week One (August 10-15) of the Caravan was hot and humid with the temperatures in the high 80’s and 90’s!
Monday morning, I kicked off the 2026 preseason at J.F. Kennedy’s Louis M. Bartha Memorial Stadium as first year head Coach Anthony Nyers and his young staff, which includes his younger brother Nick, never stopped coaching/talking to the forty-plus players who have been working hard since February.
Senior WR/DB Kamali “KJ” Walker emphasized the importance of being there for his teammates and stressing the need to encourage them to focus in on what has to be done to have back to back winning seasons.
SCROLL DOWN FOR LINKS TO WEEK ONE OF MARCUS BORDEN’S CAMP CARAVAN
AS WELL AS LINKS TO THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE AND COVERAGE!
Fellow senior captains Braylon Diaz and Dushyant Kumar know that the youthful Mustangs have to continue to put in the work by being prepared, knowing the plays and having each others back.
Junior Jonathan Sedlmayer, who has not missed a workout since his new coach was hired, said he looks forward to playing defense for J.F. Kennedy and he can’t wait until they kick off the season August 28 at East Brunswick.
Tuesday’s stop at Spotswood High School saw the Chargers marching into the stadium all wearing the same blue and gold tee shirt with a clear message on the back: Work Hard, COMPETE, Do it Right.
Emphasis in pre-practice was the kicking game while the lineman worked on footwork and blocking progresions. This was followed by a team dynamic warm-up.
Individual period saw a variety of drills performed by position groups and it was obvious that plenty of work was done during the summer by the 40 plus players in attendance.
Head Coach Andy Steinfeld had the practice well-scripted and there was little time wasted as the coaches focused on technique and intensity.
Spotswood has great Senior leadership with QB Jonathan Regan, and Linemen Nicholas Albert and Phil Palmer. Junior WR/DB/KR Ryan Foster made a name for himself last year in all three phases of the game and will be counted on to do the same as the Chargers prepare for a Week 0 match-up with Monmouth Regional on Thursday August 27.
Wednesday’s nine am practice at Tapp Webb Memorial Field at Delaware Valley H.S. saw about 45 players in half-pads with the Varsity in navy and JV’s in white.
Ben Ibach begins his fourth campaign as head football coach without his talented son Kelton who was the quarterback the past two seasons. All he did was throw for nearly 3000 yards and 36 touchdowns. The younger Ibach, a talented lacrosse player leaves for Hood College tomorrow.
How do you replace your signal caller? Insert the 6’5″ athletic Junior Chase Kraucheunas who has an offer from Syracuse as a free safety. His ability to throw and run the ball was quite evident throughout the practice as teammate Picardo-Leask will attest with his catch above.
Expectations are high for the Terriers who return a plethora of defensive starters like Marcus Gary, Ben Culberson, Brayden Costello as well as Picardo-Leask and Kaucheunas.
The focus of this group is to return to the playoffs with the goal of earning the right to play for a championship. With that being said, Delaware Valley will rely on their defense as the offense continues to develop throughout the preseason.
The Terriers open up Week O with an August 27 Thursday night 6:00 p.m kickoff vs. neighboring North Hunterdon.
Thursday the East Brunswick Bears were on the field at 7:30 am at Jay Doyle Field. Second-year head coach Zach Gega wasted little time getting his team focused on the practice plan which was defense.
There was plenty of energy as the players moved quickly between drills and scripted periods which covered every phase of the game.
Senior linebackers Cole Zebro and Nicholas Espindola were vocal leaders as they encouraged their teammates to give the maximum effort and focus in on the finer details of alignment and play recognition.
Senior Brendon Adams a stalwart on the offensive and defensive line was equally impressive as he laid the leather during a one on one drill with force and and leg drive as the circle of his Bear teammates “oohed and aahed” during the drill.
East Brunswick had about 70 players on the main field while their 8th grade team was down on the lower turf field.
The Bears will host J.F. Kennedy on Thursday August 27 at 6:00 p.m. with two head coaches who are quite familiar with each other as they were on the Woodbridge staff with former coach Joe LaSala.
Friday’s practice in New Brunswick was held at Memorial Stadium on Joyce Kilmer Ave which is behind the New Brunswick Middle School. Players were picked up and bused to practice.
Second-year head coach Geoffrey Chrisman and his assistants were there early unloading the players equipment which was tied together with the helmet and shoulder pads. Practice pants and knee and thigh pads were distributed as players got off the bus then headed to the locker room under the stadium.
Practice got underway after listening to an impassioned speech by their coach with the emphasis on building off last year’s season-ending victory which ended the Zebras 32-game losing streak.
Sophomore Arisniel Mota-Sánchez a running back and free safety was impressive as a defender during the defense’s Skelton Pass session and reminded me of Maurice Ffrench who played at the University of Pittsburgh. Senior Alan Rodriguez along with Juniors Arion Lugo-James and Ervin Muñoz-Juares all bring experience and leadership to a team that opens their season at Highland Park.
Christian has increased the team’s roster to about 50 kids with a large sophomore class with several players who got their feet wet as freshmen in last year’s season finale.
The final stop of the Week 1 BCC Camp Caravan Tour was Saturday morning at St. Thomas Aquinas as the Trojans hosted a Red and Black intrasquad scrimmage as well as a barbecue for players and coaches prepared by the parents Booster Club..
The return of junior quarterback Zymere Weaver who threw for 2236 yards with 24 touchdowns last season along with seniors Tristan Bester at receiver and defensive back, Sebastian Azofeifa on the offensive and defensive line and linebacker Jaylen Frias with over 100 tackles in 2025 has second-year head coach Shamir Bearfield feeling good about the team improving this season.
If Saturday’s situational scrimmage was any indication of how this team can handle adversity on game day, the Aquinas faithful can be rest assured that the Trojans will be ready for anything that comes their way this season as they open up on the road at Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn on August 29 at 1:00 p.m.
Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan Week 2 Scrimmage Schedule is as follows (subject to change):
Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan Week 1 Coverage:
It’s all about the infrastructure: the fundamentals, the accountability, the weight room.
There’s an old adage that football games are never won on Friday nights, under the big bright lights, or on Saturday afternoons. They’re won during the week, in practice, drills, lifting, sticking to a healthy diet.
Even more, they’re won with the time and effort put in during those two-weeks of preseason camp leading up to that very first game week.
For the New Brunswick football team, a 32-game losing streak came to an end in the 2025 season finale, a 26-0 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro’s co-op team that also was its first shutout since 2009, the final season of the John Quinn era, which brought two state championships to the Hub City.
This year? Keep it going.
First-year head coach Geoff Chrisman had a lot of work to do last year to help his program pick up that first W since a victory over Monroe in late 2022. And he’ll have more work to do this year.
But so will his student-athletes. After all, they’re the ones that make it all go.
Senior quarterback Nazir Pollard has graduated, but there are good numbers in the program, and some skill players returning, among them sophomore runningback Ari Mota-Sanchez, who rushed for 144 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns last season. One of them came early in that win over West Windsor-Plainsboro, and was crucial to get the ball rolling.
Now, they want to keep it rolling.
Click below to learn more about the New Brunswick Zebras in 2026 from head coach Geoff Chrisman, junior DT Arion Lugo-James and sophomore RB Ari Mota-Sanchez with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko at Big Central Conference Media Day:
The Big Central Conference Patriot Gold Division in 2026 is like New Year’s Day: Out with the old, in with the new. Except a little bit will carry over, too.
This is one of those divisions that got a major revamp, moving down the likes of Hillside, New Brunswick and North Plainfield from their divisions, and moving division champ Bernards out for a tougher schedule. Voorhees and Delaware Valley remain, and have some good crossover to help their playoff hopes.
Here are the preliminary schedules for the Patriot Gold Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication, along with a few notes on each squad. Division games are starred.
Voorhees Vikings (8-2, 2-1, 2nd place Patriot Gold)
Head Coach: Matt Evancho, 1st season
Giving Voorhees New Providence and Bernards as crossovers should boost the Vikings in their playoff push. But the bigger challenge will be replacing a slew of offensive talent, including Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week scholarship winner Matteo Tramutola, whose 1,338 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns were the vast majority of the ground game last year. Not only has he graduated, but so has quarterback Sam Meekings (1,560 yards passing, 19 TDs) and top receiver Rylan Benitez (775 yards, 11 TDs) and No. 2 wideout Logan Direny (408 yards, 4 TDs). The defense should fare a little better in terms of losses. Shawn Turino had 2 1/2 sacks last year as a junior – along with a pair of fumble recoveries – while sophomore Keith Richard added another two sacks.
Delaware Valley Terriers (6-4, 1-2, 3rd place Patriot Gold)
Head Coach: Ben Ibach, 4th season (17-11)
Again, keeping Bernards is a boost here for the Terriers, who had an up-and-down 6-4 season a year ago. They won their first two of the year, then alternated between wins and losses the rest of the way out. Senior QB Kelton Ibach, the head coach’s son, graduates after a 1,674-yard passing season, where he connected for 20 touchdowns against just three interceptions. But two runningbacks – junior Ben Culberson (331 yards, 8 TDs) and sophomore Gabe Miller (139 yards, 2 TD) – return, along with tight end and top receiver Brayden Picardo-Leask (439 yards, 5 TD). The defense should return a good deal as well, including junior linebackers Evan Strochak (2 sacks, 4 1/2 TFLs), Culberson (3 sacks, 6 TFLs, 1 INT), Marcus Gary (2 sacks, 3 TFLs, team-high 80 tackles) and Miller (1 sack, 2 1/2 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovered). They also return their special teams skill players, including kicker/punter/returner Brayden Costello, and the younger sophomore returner Brooks Brunner.
Hillside (3-6, 2-2, 3rd place in United Gold)
Head Coach: Isa Abdul-Quddus, 3rd season (8-11)
After a 5-5 debut season for head coach Abdul-Qudddus, the Comets dropped out of the playoff picture in 2026, and the skipper will have some work to do, with rising junior Muwahid Williams at least a candidate to start at QB, after throwing 6-of-15 for 96 yards and a touchdown in limited action last season behind the now-graduated Justin Ashford (889 yards, 7 TDs). No. 1 target Kamari Robinson (559 yards, 6 TD) also is gone, but top runningback Travis Miles (342 yards, 5 TDs) should return for his senior year. And while the defense also graduates a ton, perhaps their most disruptive member should be back; junior Kamsi Igboanugo had five sacks and 15 TFLs last season. Xavier DaSilva (13-16 on PATs, 2-5 on FGs) also should return for his junior season.
North Plainfield (3-6, 1-3, 4th place in United Silver)
Head Coach: Steven Brown, 1st season
Steven Brown comes in as the new head coach, and one of his first tasks will be to find a quarterback. Four played last year, including the now-graduated senior Jordan Burnett, who threw for 244 yards. Three juniors also saw snaps – including Evan Collazo, Alex Kruszczynski and Iam Lameira, a msulti-sport athlete who was 5.2 with a 2.62 ERA on the Cancuck baseball team this year. Top rusher Jordan Burnett (773 yards, 10 TD) and No. 2 Julius King (394 yards, 4 TD) also have graduated, but three sophomore receivers could make impacts as juniors this year. Defensively, junior DL Jeremiah Dorlus was the most disruptive player in 2025, with three sacks, while sophomore defensive back Anthony Costello had three picks, including one for a touchdown.
New Brunswick Zebras (1-9, 0-4, 5th place in United Silver)
Head Coach: Geoffrey Chrisman
Despite a long losing streak – and few points scored – the Zebras persevered and finally picked up a win in Game 10 of the 2026 season, beating West Windsor-Plainsboro 36-0 in their season finale on October 29th. Like JP Stevens and Highland Park before them, all it takes is one to get the ball rolling, and New Brunswick has to hope that will be the case this year. After all, they don’t just start the season undefeated like everyone else, but there are very few teams who can say they ended their season with a win. Of course, there will be some graduation losses to deal with, but the charismatic Chrisman will just have to keep up his recruitment of the hallways to maintain his efforts to right the ship.
The quarterfinals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Ray Cipperly Invitational are set, with seventh-seed South Amboy and ninth-seed and defending champion New Brunswick moving on to the quarterfinal round, which will see eight teams in action this Thursday.
Here’s a recap of Tuesday’s action, followed by Thursday’s quarterfinal schedule.
(9) New Brunswick 5, (8) Highland Park 1: The Zebras won their first game of the season after coming into the Invitational 0-15, scoring all five runs before the Owls (5-13) could even get on the board, getting two in the third inning and one each over the next three, despite getting outhit by Highland Park, 5-3.
In the third, Ryan Diaz two-out single drove in Yendeber Olivella for the first run, and Arisniel Mota came home with the second run on a balk. Jefferson Olivella stole home in the third to make it 3-0, Ryan Diaz did the same in the fifth to make it 4-0, and Jayson Garcia scored in the sixth to make it 5-0 when Jacob Henderson got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Highland Park got an RBI single in the bottom of the inning on a single by Dorian Crocco, who drove in Julio Rodriguez.
Jacob Henderson – who closed out last year’s title game – got the win for New Brunswick in a truly inspired performance, going the distance and striking out 18, while scattering five hits over seven innings, throwing 81 of his 111 pitches for strikes.
New Brunswick will face top-seed Perth Amboy (4-18) on the road Thursday in the semifinals. The teams have only met twice in the past 15 years, with the Panthers taking an 11-1 decision the GMC Invitational quarterfinals in 2023, and a 7-3 victory in 2013 in the GMCT play-in round.
(7) South Amboy 15, (10) Timothy Christian/Roselle Catholic 4: In a six-inning ten-run rule game, the Governors (9-8) scored in every inning but they second, with junior Robert Senape leading the charge, going 4-for-4 with a walk, four RBIs, and three runs scored. Micah Nemeth went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, a double and three runs batted in.
The Tigers (1-16) – a co-op this year with Roselle Catholic – actually led the game 3-0. They got three runs in the first on an RBI single by John Thiero and a two-RBI double by Vincent Moncada. Amboy got two in the bottom of the inning on a double by Micah Nemeth and a single by Madden Bizzaro.
And Timothy took a 4-2 lead with another run in the top of the third on an error on a fly ball to right. But that was the last run they’d score, as the Governors took a 5-4 lead with three in the bottom of the fourth, the first of 13 unanswered runs, with the Guvs walking it off in a wild sequence.
Up by eight runs, 12-4, with two out, Senape scored from third with the bases loaded on a passed ball. On the next pitch, Joseph Foreman doubled to right field to score two and end the game.
Starter Madden Bizzaro went four innings and got the win, allowing two earned runs and eight hits, striking out eight, and walking no one, while Robert Conklin closed out the game with two no-hit innings and five strikeouts.
South Amboy moves on to play at second-seed Piscataway Thursday. In their only two meetings since at least 2011, the teams split a pair last year, with each team winning on the road – the Chiefs by a 5-4 score, and the Governors 14-4.
THURSDAY’S RAY CIPPERLY GMC INVITATIONAL QUARTERFINALS
The semifinals will be held at higher seeds on Monday, May 18.
The championship will be held at 2 pm at Edison High School on Friday, May 22, and the game will be broadcast live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with a video stream on our YouTube channel.
Despite jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, East Brunswick Magnet had to rally late, scoring 12 runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings to beat New Brunswick, 17-10, and sweep a two-game series from the Zebras in GMC Blue Division action.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart call all the play-by-play live from Ray Cipperly Field at East Brunswick Magnet School in East Brunswick on April 7, 2026.
