Tag: New Brunswick

by Mike Pavlichko

South Amboy, defending champion New Brunswick win first round GMC Invitational games, move to Thursday’s quarterfinals

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

  • (9) New Brunswick at (1) Perth Amboy
  • (5) Dunellen at (4) East Brunswick Magnet, 2 pm
  • (6) Somerset Tech at (3) North Brunswick, 4 pm
  • (7) South Amboy at (2) Piscataway

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: East Brunswick Magnet 17, New Brunswick 10

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Slugfest with with a little something for everyone ends in 17-10 victory for East Brunswick Magnet over New Brunswick, sweeping season series

On a bright, sunny, but turning blustery cold day in the shadows of the dying Brunswick Square Mall and its big blue water tower, East Brunswick Magnet completed a two-game series sweep of New Brunswick Tuesday, with a 17-10 home in in GMC Gold Division action heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

That was the main story, but this one? Well, it had all the components of the wildest game you’ve ever seen.

There were multiple dropped balls on a day with 15-to-20 mile per hour winds, and a stark sun still fairly low in the sky as is typical of early April. New Brunswick arrived just ten minutes before the scheduled first pitch, which officially was thrown at 4:23 pm. There was a 4-6-3 double play where the second baseman booted the ball, but right to the shortstop who was standing on the bag to get to first out. And ground balls died a quick death on the choppy early-season infield grass – which sprouts right up after Spring rain.

Oh, and there were a combined 27 runs scored between the two teams in a game which, had it gone on much longer, might have been called due to darkness. By the time Dariel Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the ballgame at 7:22 pm, the sun had already been below the tree line on the other side of Summerhill Road for a good five to ten minutes.

And yet, this one could have been over early.

East Brunswick Magnet, coming off a 17-4 win Monday in New Brunswick – where they led 13-0 heading to the bottom of the fifth before the Zebras forced a sixth-inning with a grand slam by Jose Abreu, only to fall 17-4 in six – picked up right where it left off less than 24 hours prior, scoring four runs off New Brunswick starter Jacob Henderson.

The Zebras – whose lineup is half freshman coming off a season where they beat the Tigers in the GMC Invitational title game – could have folded then. They could have sulked and packed it in, turning the page to Wednesday’s game against neighboring North Brunswick.

But they didn’t. They came back with three in the second to cut the deficit to one. Then, after Magnet added a run in the third, tied the game 5-5 with two runs in the fourth. And they seemed to blow it open with four runs in the top of the fifth to go ahead 9-5.

But that’s when East Brunswick Magnet had enough, and did all the damage they needed to. They sent eleven men to the plate in the fifth, and scored seven runs to take a 12-9 lead. Then did the same in the sixth scoring five runs to take a 17-9 lead.

Highlights for the Tigers? Starting pitcher Joshua Carreras – though the sophomore didn’t get the win – pitched four inning, allowing just three hits, five runs – but only two earned – and struck out seven. But he had an even better day at the plate, scoring twice, and hitting a bases-clearing three-RBI triple in the fifth to give his team the lead, for good.

There was also second-baseman Braeden Cullen, who had a double and an RBI in the first innings, scored three times, and had an RBI sac fly to center in the decisive fifth inning.

And all nine positions in the batting order scored; the only starter not to cross the plate was catcher Andrew Teleposky, and only because he had a courtesy runner. But he still reached base five times.

In the end, the win went to Jack Clements in relief, who pitched two and two-thirds innings, gave up one hit, one unearned run, and struck out seven; it was his first victory of the season. Misael Dura took the loss for New Brunswick, allowing seven runs in just an inning-and-a-third, but wasn’t helped by the defense behind him; only four of those runs were earned.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart with East Brunswick Magnet head coach Sean Radu and sophomore pitcher Joshua Carreras, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Nick Hart

After nabbing first win, East Brunswick Magnet looks to build momentum and solidify lineup against New Brunswick

After a 20-6 record last season and a trip to the GMC’s Ray Cipperly Invitational Final, East Brunswick Magnet expected to start off 2026 on a tear. Not only did the Tigers have the taste of success on their tongues, but they also returned a majority of their roster, graduating just four seniors. 

Despite this, East Brunswick Magnet dropped its first two games of the season to red-hot Carteret (5-0), a one-run loss to open the season and a six-run defeat to follow. Charlie Misura pitched a complete game for the Tigers in the opening loss, giving up just four hits and one walk, as the bats fell just short of securing a victory. 

Fortunately for East Brunswick Magnet, the offense would come to life in Game Three of the young campaign, hanging 17 runs on New Brunswick Monday afternoon en route to a 17-4 road victory. Five different players recorded multiple hits for the Tigers, highlighted by a four-hit, three RBI day from Joshua Carreras. 

The rematch comes less than 24 hours after Monday’s final out, at 4 pm Tuesday at Racy Cipperly Field, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart have the call, with pregame starting at 3:45. Click here to listen.

The all-around offensive outpouring Monday was a welcome sight for the Tigers, who are still trying to solidify a starting lineup early this year.

Through three games this season, head coach Sean Radu has seen a slew of different combinations in the infield, as well as three different players recording a start in right field. 

With all the uncertainty surrounding the lineup and expectations for this season, one thing has become evident to coach Radu: new leaders must step up and lead the squad. 

Two of the bigger losses the Tigers suffered impacted both the lineup and the rotation, with Tommy O’Neill and Nomar Carreras graduating. 

O’Neill touted an impressive .370 batting average to go along with an equally impressive 1.40 ERA in his senior season. Carreras, on the other hand, hit .392 while pitching 36.1 innings, striking out 62 batters in the process. 

Click below to hear East Brunswick Magnet head coach Sean Radu talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart about the 2026 season so far, and going for the series sweep Tuesday afternoon against New Brunswick:

by Mike Pavlichko

Young New Brunswick squad still learning the game as Zebras head to East Brunswick Magnet seeking first win, series split

Knowing you have a young team coming back that graduated a slew of seniors, it’s not always going to be smooth sailing.

But New Brunswick baseball head coach Nico Vargas is playing the long game, teaching the kids, instilling a sense of doing things the right way, with the assumption – often correct – that the wins will come.

It’s happened before.

The Zebras won four combined games in 2021 and 2022, then went 1-12 under Gino Maribella in 2023.

Enter Vargas, and New Brunswick added six more wins in Vargas’ first season, 2024, then went 15-3 last year en route to winning the Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational Tournament over East Brunswick Magnet.

The two rematched Monday, with the Tigers picking up a lopsided win, 17-4, and will play the second of the home-and-home Tuesday afternoon at 4 pm in East Brunswick, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart have the call with pregame at 3:45; click here to listen.

It’s those four runs from Monday’s game that Vargas is focused on, for a number of reasons.

Trailing 13-0 after four-and-a-half innings of play, the Zebras could have packed it in. Instead, they loaded the bases for one of their veterans, Jose Abreu, and all he did was hit a grand slam to extend the game at least one more inning.

Nevermind that East Brunswick Magnet got those four back in the top of the sixth, and won it by blanking the Zebras in the bottom of the inning. At this point, accentuate the positive, and hope the old adage that “hitting is contagious” holds true Tuesday afternoon.

It’ll help they’ll have the outstanding Jacob Henderson on the mound. He held Piscataway last week through five innings, taking a 2-1 lead into the sixth. A bloop, a walk and a home run opened the floodgates, and the Zebras took a 5-2 decision, but still, it was something off which New Brunswick can build.

Click below to hear New Brunswick baseball coach Nico Vargas talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the 2026 season, and Tuesday’s matchup at East Brunswick Magnet:

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio unveils 2026 High School Baseball Broadcast Schedule featuring a dozen regular season games, plus County, State tourneys

With a dozen regular season games, plus coverage of the GMC and Somerset County Tournaments – as well as state tournament coverage to be announced at a later date – Central Jersey Sports Radio has announced its 2026 high school baseball broadcast schedule.

It all gets started next week, with our opener on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 pm between defending 2025 SCT champion Immaculata and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 winner Hillsborough. Then, after the calendar turns to April mid-week, we get state Group 1 champion Middlesex visiting Spotswood, on Thursday, April 2.

Coverage also includes two regular season games at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater – Montgomery vs Pingry on April 11, and Rutgers Prep against South Plainfield two Saturdays later – as well as the semifinals and finals of the Somerset County Tournament on April 18th and 20th, respectively.

The schedule includes three of last year’s SCT semifinalists, and all four of 2025’s GMC Tournament semifinalists, including a rematch of the title game between Edison and St. Joseph-Metuchen, and a rematch on the Invitational final between New Brunswick and East Brunswick Magnet.

Last year’s North 2, Group 3 winner South Plainfield also is on the schedule, as well as finalist Colonia.

Click here to see the full 2026 broadcast schedule.

by Mike Pavlichko

New Brunswick breaks through, ends 32-game skid, and Zebras are honored with CJSR’s Perseverance Award for 2025

Losing streaks are tough to break. Just ask Highland Park and JP Stevens, who both broke losing streaks over the last couple of years, nearly back-to-back – the Owls at the end of 2023, and the Hawks to start 2024.

New Brunswick – which won state titles as recently as 2003 and 2006 under John Quinn – has struggled with numbers for a Group 5 school, and it’s shown in the results. The Zebras hadn’t scored more than eight points in a game since late 2022, and had been shutout four times already in 2025 by the time Cutoff Weekend was through.

But like Highland Park did in 2023, the players and coaches decided they wanted to play one more game, and brought West Windsor-Plainsboro into Memorial Stadium. They’ve been struggling, too.

And boy, did the Zebras take out three or four years of frustration.

They exploded for 36 points in a 36-0 win, and even notched their first shutout since a 14-0 victory over Carteret – Quinn’s final year at the helm – on September 25th, 2009, at The Pit.

And now New Brunswick, when they open their 2026 season, will have a chance to make it two straight for the first time in eight years.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with New Brunswick Players Nazir Pollard, Zi’youn Brown and Micheal Galindo, along with head coach Geoff Chrisman :

by Mike Pavlichko

Wednesday Night Big Central Roundup: Carteret tops JFK in “consolation” game behind 6 TD night from Boseman; New Brunswick snaps state’s longest active skid; South River picks up first win of season in finale

Al-Naiquan Boseman scored five touchdowns for the Carteret Ramblers, who won a track meet against JFK, 49-31, Wednesday night at “The Pit” in a Big Central Conference crossover “consolation” game.

While the NJSIAA no longer assigns consolation games, teams that miss the playoffs are allowed to set up their own matchups. Scroll down for scores and notes on the rest of the games, many of which were moved from Thursday due to the Nor’easter that’s in the forecast.

Meanwhile, for Carteret, Boseman scored four of his six touchdowns in the first half, after which the Ramblers led 26-25.

Carteret went ahead 33-25 less than a minute into the second half, then went up 40-25 on Boseman’s fifth TD run of the game, a three-yard score with 4:16 to go in the third. He’d score again as time ran out to make it 46-25.

After a Gatik Bhardwah 30-yard field goal made it 49-25, JFK got the game’s final score with 3:49 left on a pick-six by Grant Lorentzen.

Carteret improves to 4-5 with the win, while the Mustangs fall to 6-4.

Carteret Ramblers football team celebrating on the field after a victory, posing for a group photo in their blue and white uniforms.
Carteret celebrates on last win on its home field in 2025, after a 49-31 victory over JFK. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with Carteret head coach Kevin Freeman and players Ronelle Nimneh-Gilbert and Al-Naiquan Boseman, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Here are other scores from around the Big Central Wednesday night:

  • New Brunswick 36, West Windsor-Plainsboro South 0: The Zebras ended the state’s longest active losing streak Wednesday night, winning for the first time in its last 33 games. The 36 points was the most scored by New Brunswick in a game since a 43-14 win at Monroe on October 29, 2021, and it was their first win since a September 16, 2022 home victory over Franklin. And after being shutout four times this season – never scoring more than eight points – it was their first shutout victory since a 14-0 victory over Carteret in 20009, when John Quinn was head coach. They also played Matawan to a shutout tie in 2012.
  • South River 19, Dunellen 0: The Rams picked up their first win of the season Wednesday, finishing the year 1-9. With New Brunswick’s loss, and Dunellen now 0-9, the Destroyers will take the state’s longest losing streak into 2026, now at 19 games. Their last win came against Brearley, 34-28, on October 29, 2023.

  • Millburn 51, Roselle 14
  • Keansburg 27 Middlesex 6
  • South Plainfield 35, Spotswood 28
  • Union 28, Columbia 7
  • Edison 39, Watchung Hills 14
  • East Brunswick 35, Perth Amboy 12
  • Dayton 34, Keyport 6
  • Manchester Twp. 18, JP Stevens 12
  • North Plainfield 42, Highland Park 13
by Mike Pavlichko

Another reset for New Brunswick, as Chrisman looks to turn Zebra football around in ’25

Things haven’t been good for New Brunswick high school football for a while, but there was a time they were great.

Going back to the mid-2000s, when the Zebras were churning out players like Dwayne Jarrett, Jonathan Casillas under John Quinn, who brought two championships to the Hub City. And even as recently as 2015 when they went 9-2 under Don Sofilkanich, who was a coordinator on Quinn’s state title teams in 2003 and 2006, their only championships in the playoff era.

But since that 2015 campaign, in nine years, New Brunswick is just 16-66 under three different coaches, having lost 23 straight. The last 20 of those have seen them fail to score more than eight points in a game, with 12 shutouts in that span.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is, there’s a new head coach in Geoffrey Chrisman, who has been an assistant at multiples schools – including New Brunswick – and was the head coach at West Windsor-Plainsboro South in 2015 and 2016. (The school now plays as a co-op with West Windsor-Plainsboro North.)

He’s also been teaching in New Brunswick for a year now.

One of his goals is increasing the numbers around the Group 5 program, a large high school but with lower turnout for football than in those glory days of the 2000s. With 18 seniors coming back, Chrisman has a good nucleus to start from who’ve at least been through the wars. And he’s got a freshman class of 20.

His goal is to create at atmosphere that’s fun “beyond Fridays” and to build a real community around the team, including their families and friends, while also creating a sense of ownership in the program.

Highland Park turned things around after its long losing streak going 6-3 last season, and JP Stevens broke its own skid with two wins last year. Maybe this is New Brunswick’s turn?

Click below to hear from New Brunswick head coach Geoffrey Chrisman, along with seniors Jeffren Paulino (OL/DL) and Jabril Bright (WR/DB) at Big Central Media Day with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: United Silver Division

Just like the Patriot Silver Division – which we previewed yesterday – the United Silver Division of the Big Central Conference also was defined by parity in 2024, for the most part.

Three teams shared in the division title, going 3-1, led by Governor Livingston, which was 5-5 overall, and should be right in the mix again this year.

South Plainfield has a solid defense, and JFK loses a good deal on defense, but also has much experience back. North Plainfield is coming off a 3-6 season, but also expecting to improve.

New Brunswick is another story, having gone winless in each of the last two seasons. But they have a new coach in Geoffrey Chrisman who seems poised to at least bring a new culture to the program, that hasn’t existed in a long time. The results may or may not show up in wins and losses, but it will be interesting to watch.

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