Tag: New Providence

by Mike Pavlichko

Who’s at the top after Bernards, Manville see Big Central win streaks snapped? Plus, a look at state winning, losing streaks

St. Thomas Aquinas holds the Big Central Conference record for most consecutive league wins with 35, a streak that was snapped last season. That put Bernards in the catbird’s seat, and they entered 2026 just three wins away from tying that mark.

But the Mountaineers’ streak came to an end Friday, as Bernards dropped to 0-2 on the season, dropping their league opener at home, 31-24 to Cranford.

Of the top four active league win streaks, two came to and end this past weekend. Besides Bernards, Manville had a 12-game league stretch going, but the Mustangs lost their 2026 BCC opener as well, falling by a field goal at Brearley on Friday night, 21-18.

So who does that leave next?

New Providence now owns the league’s best current streak with 15 straight wins. They’re 1-0 this year, opening the season in fine form Thursday night, with a 27-7 home win over Voorhees, the first win for new head coach Anthony Conzentino. He took over for Chet Parelvecchio, Jr., who’s now the Defensive Coordinator at Delbarton. New Providence will look to extend that streak Thursday when they visit Johnson at 7 pm.

Next up is St. Joseph-Metuchen. The second-ranked Falcons have won nine-in-a-row, dating back to the start of last season, when they won all eight of their league contests. St. Joe’s will put that streak on the line Friday afternoon at 4 pm when they visit Gary Kehler Stadium in Westfield to take on the Blue Devils.

State leaders all from down South…

Around the state, Glassboro and Washington Township have the top two overall winning streaks, with no one else even close; that’s because they were thew only two non-Ivy teams (Super Football Conference squads with a “relief” schedule who are ineligible for the playoffs) to finish last year entirely undefeated.

Glassboro has won 29 straight; the Bulldogs are the two-time defending state Group 1 champions, and finished 13-0 in 2024, then 14-0 last year. They are off to a 2-0 start this season, their most recent win coming Friday at Mainland, 38-6. This week, they host Winslow at 6 pm Friday. The Eagles have won two straight state Group 4 titles, and 15 straight games, including their last 13 last season, and their first two this year, over Neptune and defending South Jersey Group 5 champion Kingsway.

In the regular season, Glassboro has won 21 straight – the best streak in the state – while Washington Township has won 13 regular season contests in a row.

As for losses…

The state’s longest active skid currently belongs to Dunellen, which will try and break it Friday when the Destroyers host Belvidere. Longtime mentor Dave DeNapoli stepped down after the 2024 season, and Phlip McGuane came in to take over, while also becoming the new AD in the middle of the school year. That turned out to be a transition year for football, with Kyle Baach becoming the head coach this off-season.

Dunellen dropped its opener at JP Stevens, 12-7, and they will have some opportunities to get off the schneid this season if they can develop what has always been a small group. Their last win came on October 19, 2023, a 34-28 win at Columbia Park over Brearley.

After that, it’s Orange and West Windsor-Plainsboro at 16, but the next two teams both snapped their skids last week. Long Branch had lost 14 straight, but is 1-1 now after a 51-0 win at Keansburg last Thursday. And Paterson Kennedy (an Ivy team) snapped its 13-game losing streak with a season-opening win at Ferris Saturday, 32-6.

by Mike Pavlichko

Ten straight season-opening wins for Delaware Valley is best streak in New Jersey. Who else is close? Not many

When the Delaware Valley football team opened its 2026 season with a 17-0 win over North Hunterdon Friday night, it extended a pretty significant streak.

The Terriers now have won ten straight season-openers, dating all the way back to 2017, and that’s the longest streak of its kind in the state. But not only that, it’s a very rare feat.

It’s something that hasn’t been done – at least recently – by the likes of Winslow, Washington Twp., Glassboro, or even the Don Boscos or Bergen Catholics of the world.

We went back to look at every team in the state. (Well, not every team, since anyone who lost their opener this week was automatically out of the picture.) And we found only four out of over 300 teams even have a streak that goes back to before the COVID-shortened season of 2020.

The next three – including one other team from the Big Central Conference – have all won between seven and nine straight season openers. The Super Football and Shore Conferences have the other two. Here’s the list:

  • West Morris (SFC), 9 straight: The Wolfpack’s run goes back to 2018, after a 41-20 win over district rival Mendham this past Friday night. Their last season-opening loss came back in 2017, dropping a 31-27 decision to Parsippany Hills.
  • New Providence (BCC), 8 straight: Idle this week, the Pioneers will put that on the line next Thursday at home against Voorhees in the debut of new head coach Anthony Conzentino. Their streak dates back to 2018 as well, and would match West Morris with a win this week. Their last loss came in a rough season, 2017, when the Pioneers went 1-9, and opened with a 41-3 loss to Johnson.
  • Southern (Shore), 7 straight: Yet to open their season – they’ll do that next Friday against Belmont Charter (PA) – the Rams last loss came in 2018, a 14-0 defeat at the hands of Jackson Memorial, which last year merged with Jackson Liberty to form Jackson Twp. High School.

There’s one little caveat to all this: Somerville. Those Pioneers. Technically, their last season-opening loss “on the field” came in 2015, when Jeff Vanderbeek and Chris Casamento were co-head coaches for a season before Vanderbeek took over on his own the next season and the Pioneers went undefeated in the regular season, falling 21-13 at home in the Central Jersey Group 3 semifinals to Rumson Fair-Haven, which they would beat the next year for a state title at Rutgers.

But in 2022, though they beat Mastery HS of Camden in their season-opener, 31-7, Somerville self-reported a violation – using an ineligible player in that game – and it was declared a forfeit loss. Since it’s an official loss, we can’t count that toward the streak.

Here’s a closer look at Del Val’s season-opening wins on their current streak, and their final record each season:

  • 2026: North Hunterdon, 17-0 (??)
  • 2025: at Metuchen, 27-13 (6-4)
  • 2024: at South Plainfield, 21-0 (6-3)
  • 2023: Roselle, 27-9 (5-4)
  • 2022: at Roselle, 20-17 (6-3)
  • 2021: Middlesex, 48-14 (7-3)
  • 2020: at Voorhees, 24-2 (6-1)
  • 2019: St. Thomas Aquinas, 41-0 (6-3)
  • 2018: at North Plainfield, 37-7 (5-5)
  • 2017: North Plainfield, 21-6 (5-5)

Delaware Valley’s last season opening loss came at North Plainfield, 28-7, in 2016. That Terrier team finished 5-5 on the season. Their overall record on their streak is 53-41.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central Conference coaching updates: What’s left to fill with less than two months before camp opens?

It was another year of coaching turnover in the Big Central Conference, whether by coaches not being retained, or stepping down on their own.

Of the 59 schools in the league, 12 will have new head coaches for the upcoming 2026 season. That’s 25 coaching changes in the past two seasons – nearly half the league – after 13 new coaches were hired following the 2024 campaign.

The latest hire was Steven Brown at North Plainfield, whose appointment was approved Monday night by the Board of Education. He’s been the defensive coordinator at Verona for the last two seasons, and also at Elizabeth for girls’ flag football, a Big Central playoff finalist each of the last two seasons.

And that leaves just one position open in the BCC, in Perth Amboy, where William Clark will not be retained after seven seasons as the Panthers’ head coach. His teams were 12-52 in that span, never winning more than three in a season; they went 3-7 in 2021.

Once that hiring is complete, the entire Patriot Silver Division – Amboy, New Providence, AL Johnson, Spotswood, Roselle and Metuchen – will have new head coaches, and be responsible for half the new mentors in the BCC this season.

Here’s a look at the rest of the Big Central Conference schools with new coaches in 2026:

  • JFK: One of the early hires, the Mustangs will be led by Anthony Nyers, a Woodbridge grad from across town who was appointed in late February. He most recently was the wide receivers coach and Offensive Coordinator at Westfield under Matt Andzel, and had spent the previous season with Al Chiola at Linden.
  • Johnson: Athletic Director Gus Kalikas ran the show last season, and the Crusaders went 7-2 with his son, Jack, at starting quarterback. But this year, the job was given to Mike Ryan, who was approved in late May by the Board of Education, and promoted after spending two years with the Crusaders as an assistant. Ryan has been a head coach at JP Stevens in the past, and was on the Edison staff of Matt Fulham when they won the Central Jersey Group 5 title in 2022.
  • Metuchen: Alum Jordan Leitner is gone after going 21-20 in four seasons, including a solid 7-4 campaign in 2024. In steps Middlesex County veteran Joe Riggi, who was a defensive coordinator at JFK in the mid 2010s, sandwiched by a pair of stints as the head coach at JP Stevens, from 2007 to 2009, and again from 2015 to 2019.
  • New Providence: The Pioneers kept it in-house after Chert Parlavecchio, Jr., stepped down to take an assistant coaching position at his alma mater, Delbarton. They went with Anthony Conzentino, who played scholastically at Livingston – starring on a 2008 squad then led by current St. Joseph-Metuchen head coach Bill Tracy – and coached running backs, linebackers and special teams the past five years at New Providence.
  • Roselle: Tyrone Turner is out after two seasons – and was quickly snapped up by Steven Brown at North Plainfield – and James Roach is in. He’s been director of the Union County Vipers youth football and mentoring organization since 2011 and is a local outreach coordinator, according to his LinkedIn bio.
  • South Brunswick: Mike Gerst will now lead the Viking program, coming to Middlesex County after two seasons up at Fort Lee, his first-ever head coaching job. He replaces Ibrahim Halsey, who was 7-12 in two seasons (and now is an assistant at Franklin) while Gerst’s teams went 16-3 in that span an the Super Football Conference’s “Ivy Red” Division, one in which teams aren’t eligible for the playoffs by playing a “relief” schedule aimed at rebuilding. That included a 9-0 campaign last year, the first in over 100 years of Fort Lee football.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Central Jersey Group 1 Final (Girls): (1) New Providence 57, (2) Bound Brook 42

Senior Annie Conover scored 22 points – including six threes – part of a barrage of 12 triples on the day, to power top-seed New Providence past second-seed Bound Brook, 57-42, to win its second straight Central Jersey Group 1 title, and third sectional championship in four years.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the play-by-play from New Providence High School on March 7 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

New Providence three-point barrage dooms Bound Brook; Pioneers take second straight CJ1 title in 57-42 win

It’s not every day New Providence hits 12 three-pointers in a game – even if they have hit at least ten on four separate occasions this year, including 13 in an early January game against Fair Lawn – but they have that potential.

Saturday at home in the Central Jersey Group 1 final, they needed to hit against second-seed Bound Brook, and that’s exactly what the top-seeded Pioneers did, en route to a 57-42 victory that claimed their second straight sectional title, and third in the last four seasons.

Bound Brook never led, but it wasn’t like they never had a chance. They never trailed by double-digits in the first half, and were only down eight at halftime. This is the same team that fell behind 17-2 in the semifinals against Roselle Park – and the state’s top scorer in Sidney Smith – but rallied to take a double-digit halftime lead and win.

But New Providence (28-1) is the defending Group 1 champion for a reason. Senior Annie Conover led the way with 26 points, including six threes. Four of those came in the first half, and she had 14 at the break.

But it was sophomore Addy Fitzgerald – the only non-senior in the starting five – who may have buried Bound Brook. Even though the Crusaders had their opportunities as late as midway through the fourth quarter – and they had many throughout the game as well – Fitzgerald had three big third quarter treys, and finished with 14 points on the day.

Bound Brook (25-4) was led by Peytan Pugh, who had 22 points, two from beyond the arc, while senior Ty’asjah Ferguson added eight. Lauren Polakiewicz added six, on a pair of third-quarter triples.

Bound Brook senior Ty’asjah Ferguson drives to the basket in the Central Jersey Group 1 title game at New Providence on March 7, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

New Providence moves on to the state Group 1 semifinals Wednesday at 5 pm at Monroe Twp. H.S. against the winner of the South Jersey Group 1 final, featuring second-seed Wildwood at top-seed Haddon Twp.

Click below for postgame reaction on New Providence’s Central Jersey Group 1 title from head coach Cap Pazdera and senior Annie Conover, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

New Providence senior Annie Conover. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
by Mike Pavlichko

It’s been a while since these teams have lost a Big Central football game, and they’ll go into 2026 with long winning streaks

The Bernards football team began the 2025 season with a 23-game winning streak against the Big Central Conference. After winning the North 2, Group 2 title in 2023, then reaching the finals in 2024, this year’s team suffered a first-round exit, falling to Madison at home, 22-21.

These things happen, but Bernards will ride a 32-game win streak against league competition into the 2026 season, with a chance to set the Big Central record.

The current mark is 35, held by St. Thomas Aquinas, but that ended back on October 17th, when they lost to then-top-ranked St. Joseph-Metuchen, 41-19, in North Edison. Bernards’ last loss against the BCC came on September 2, 2022 to Hillside, 35-20.

The Mountaineers had been making up ground on St. Thomas this year, with all BCC teams on their regular season schedule, and St. Thomas playing out-of-conference teams besides their division schedule. But next year, they’ll need just three league wins to tie the mark, and four to break it.

The Big Central has not yet released its divisional alignments, nor the schedule for the next two seasons.

Next on the list are New Providence and Manville, also smaller schools. (Bernards is a Group 2, while the others are Group 1s.) The Pioneers have won 13 straight in conference play, going 8-0 vs. the BCC this year after winning their last five against the league in 2024. The Mustangs’ streak is at 12, 7-0 this season after also finishing with five straight against the Big Central a year ago.

Those are the only league teams in double-digits, with St. Joseph-Metuchen on an eight-game BCC winning streak, all those wins coming this season.

Group 1 Glassboro rules New Jersey…

Statewide, the longest winning streak belongs to Glassboro, which has won 27 in a row, their last loss coming in the 2023 Group 1 final at Rutgers to Mountain Lakes. They won the state Group 1 title last season with a 13-0 record, and this year finished 14-0, beating Cedar Grove this past Sunday at Rutgers to win a second straight state championship.

Washington Twp. is next at 14 straight, all this year, in a 14-0 season in which they won the state’s Group 5 title. The Minutemen took out Old Bridge in the Central Jersey Group 5 title game.

Old Tappan – and West Morris were also in the mix, at 17 and 12 games, respectively, but Old Tappan lost to Cedar Creek, 34-7, in the Group 3 final at MetLife Stadium last Friday, and West Morris lost to Old Tappan in the Group 3 semifinals the Friday prior. Butler also saw its 11-game win streak snapped – with all coming this year – in the Group 1 semifinals, a 24-21 loss to Cedar Grove, but they’ve also won 27 of their last 30 games.

That leaves just Fort Lee – a Super Football Conference Ivy team, which is not eligible for the playoffs – next up with an eleven-game win streak.

The longest state streak coming into the season was held by Group 5 Toms River North, which lost its Week Zero opener this season, 21-0 to Red Bank Catholic on August 28th.

For the record – literally, and figuratively – Glassboro would have a long way to go to reach the overall state mark. Nearby Paulsboro won 63 games from 1992 through 1998. The Bulldogs would need 36 more wins to tie that mark, which – assuming they’d have to play 14 games a year – would mean they’d have to win two more Group 1 titles in 2026 and 2027, then win their first eight games of 2028.

Randolph also won 54 straight – and went 59 without a loss – from 1986 to 1991.

But there’s also an asterisk here. New Jersey didn’t play beyond sectional finals until 2018, and added the state group championships in 2022. So, until 2012, when the playoffs expanded to five groups, 16 public schools could have ended the season undefeated, then 20 after that. But in 2018 ,that number shrunk to ten, and now only five public schools (minus the Ivies) can end their season without a loss.

Nowadays, it’s much harder to win as many games as Paulsboro and Randolph did.

Back to Bernards…

But lets get back to the Mountaineers. Take out the playoffs, and Bernards holds the state’s longest active regular season winning streak, now at 34 games, with their 2022 Hillside loss also serving as their last regular season defeat overall.

You read that right, by the time Bernards steps on a football field again for an actual game, it will have been almost four years since their last regular season defeat. They are 40-5 overall – regular season and playoffs – in the last four seasons.

The extra two wins (compared to their Big Central streak) have been against their only non-conference regular season opponents since: Week Zero in 2024 at Monmouth, a 35-6 victory, and at Jefferson in Week Zero of 2023, a 47-6 win. They also opened with a Week Zero win in 2022 against Overbrook, 21-6, but the Hillside loss came the week after.

This season, Bernards played a Big Central crossover against Cranford in Week Zero, coming up with a 27-15 win.

Glassboro has the next longest regular season win streak, now at 19 games, going 8-0 this year and last, after winning their final three regular season games of 2023.

On the losing end…

It’s been a tough few years for Middlesex County football, with the state’s longest losing streaks belonging to Highland Park until the last game of 2023, JP Stevens, then Ferris up in North Jersey, and back down here to New Brunswick, and now Dunellen.

The Zebras snapped a 32-game losing streak in their season finale against West Windsor-Plainsboro, a co-op between the North and South high schools, on October 29th. (We’ll have more on that win in the next week or so, so stay tuned!)

The Destroyers went 0-9 in Year One under Phlip McGuane, who replaced longtime mentor Dave DeNapoli following his retirement. But adjustment was to be expected after decades under the same coach in the same system, and so the Destroyers will look to use their experience to get back in the win column next season.

Their last win came on October 19 of 2023, a 34-28 win over Brearley.

Next on the list are Orange and West Windsor-Plainsboro at 14, and Long Branch and Paterson Eastside at 13 straight losses heading into 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

North 2, Group 1 Final Preview: New Providence Pioneers vs. Cedar Grove Panthers

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 Final:
When: Friday, 6:30 pm
Where: Leider Field, New Providence, NJ
Matchup: #4 Cedar Grove (8-3) at #3 New Providence (10-0)
Coverage: Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter.
Weather: 44 degrees, cloudy, wind WNW 3 mph (crosswind from press box side of the field)

HEAD COACHES:

New Providence: Chet Parlavecchio, Jr. (9th season, 61-31)
Cedar Grove: Rob Gogerty (10th season, 81-29)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

New Providence:
First Round: def. #6 Secaucus, 38-0
Semifinals: def. #2 Hasbrouck Heights, 28-21 (OT)

Northern Highlands:
First Round: def. #6 5 Glen Ridge, 35-20
Semifinals: def. #1 Mountain Lakes, 22-15

Who’s next? The winner of this game will play the North 1, Group 1 winner in the Group 1 semifinals. That title game features top-seed Butler (10-0) hosting second-seed Kinnelon (7-3) Friday night at 7:00, kicking off a half-hour after New Providence and Cedar Grove. This year’s Northing seeding scheme worked perfectly, as the two schools are just a few miles apart. New Providence, if it advances, would play at Butler or host Kinnelon, as the Bulldogs are the overall top-seed in the North 1 supersection. New Providence was fourth, and Kinnelon is sixth.

SERIES HISTORY:

A rematch of last year’s final – played at Cedar Grove, and won by the Panthers, 35-14 – these two teams have played often, but hadn’t played in a while until the 2024 title game. Their previous meeting had come in 2011, also in the playoffs, in the North 2, Group 1 semifinals, with New Providence the 2-seed and Cedar Grove the No. 3 seed; the Pioneers lost that one, too, 20-14. That was also New Prov’s last trip to the sectional semifinals, until last season.

Overall, Cedar Grove leads the series 8-7 with two ties, and there’s some odd symmetry in their meetings. The two ties came in the first two years’ of New Providence’s program, in 1965 and 1966. The Pioneers then won three straight over the next three years (1967-1969), then lost two straight (1970-71).

They wouldn’t meet up again until 1983, the first of nine straight playoff meetings. The first was a 3-0 New Providence loss in the North 2, Group 1 title. The Pioneers also lost to the Panthers in the 2000 sectional final, 12-0.

The Pioneers lead the regular season series 3-2-2, while Cedar Grove owns a 6-4 advantage in the playoffs.

NEW PROVIDENCE PREVIEW:

FINALS HISTORY:

New Providence:

New Providence is in the finals for the second season in a row, but last year was the Pioneers’ first trip since 2010, when they were the top seed in North 2, Group 1 and beat sixth-seed Lincoln 21-8 at Met Life Stadium. Before that, they had lost in their last eight finals appearances since winning three in a row from 1987 to 1989. They then lost six more in the ’90s, and again in 2000 and 2004.

New Providence also won a title in 1976, and in the first year of the playoffs, 1974, they were declared champions.

Overall, they have been to 20 prior finals, going 6-14 in those title games.

Playoff Berths: 41
Playoff Record: 36-34

North 2, Group 2
1974: declared champions
1975: #2 Madison def. #4 New Providence, 35-6
1976: #1 New Providence def. #2 Butler, 20-17
1979: #1 Madison def. #3 New Providence, 13-6
North 2, Group 1
1982: #1 Glen Ridge def. #1 New Providence, 28-14
1983: #3 Cedar Grove def. #1 New Providence 3-0
1984: #2 Chatham def. #1 New Providence, 20-14
1987: #2 New Providence def. #1 Mountain Lakes, 29-0
1988: #2 New Providence def. #1 Brearley, 30-14
1989: #1 New Providence def. #2 Governor Livingston, 24-0
1990: #2 Butler def. #1 New Providence, 19-13
1993: #1 Roselle Park def. #2 New Providence, 10-7
1994: #2 Butler def. #1 New Providence, 35-21
1996: #3 Butler def. #4 New Providence, 16-8
1998: #6 Madison def. #1 New Providence, 19-13
1999: #2 Belvidere def. #4 New Providence, 6-0
2000: #2 Cedar Grove def. #4 New Providence, 12-0
Central Group 1
2004: #2 Florence def. #4 New Providence, 35-7
North 2, Group 1
2010: #1 New Providence def. #6 Lincoln, 21-8
2024: #1 Cedar Grove def. #2 New Providence, 35-14

Cedar Grove:

The Panthers won their first title five years into the playoff era, but without virtue of a playoff game; they were declared champions in 1978. They won their first title game in 1983, and it took another 17 years for them to get to another, which they also won in 2000, the first of five titles in six trips to a championship that decade. This will be Cedar Grove’s fourth trip to the finals in the five years since COVID, including 2021, when they also won the North Group 1 Regional Championship.

Playoff Berths: 34
Playoff Record: 39-25
Previous Finals Berths: 14
Sectional Titles: 9

North 2, Group 1
1978: declared
1983: #3 Cedar Grove def. #1 New Providence, 3-0
2000: #2 Cedar Grove def. #4 New Providence, 12-0
2001: #6 Verona def. #1 Cedar Grove, 15-14
2004: #3 Cedar Grove def. #3 Hoboken, 6-0
2007: #3 Cedar Grove def. #1 Belvidere, 17-0
2009: #2 Cedar Grove def. #1 Secaucus 30-14
2011: #3 Cedar Grove def. #4 Weequahic, 34-21
North 1, Group 1
2012: #3 Pompton Lakes def. #1 Cedar Grove, 28-13
2015: #4 Verona def. #3 Cedar Grove, 21-14
2019: #4 Boonton def. #2 Cedar Grove, 34-21
North 2, Group 1
2021: #2 Cedar Grove def. #1 Mountain Lakes, 15-7 (Cedar Grove def. Park Ridge in North 1 Regional Championship, 13-12)
2022: #2 Weequahic def. #4 Cedar Grove, 21-10
2024: #1 Cedar Grove def. #2 New Providence, 35-14

2025 NEW PROVIDENCE COVERAGE:

Football teams gather on the field during a game, with players in green and white uniforms and orange and black uniforms in the background.
New Providence players celebrate before heading to the handshake line after topping Hasbrouck Heights 21-14 in the North 2, Group 1 semifinals on Friday, November 8, 2024. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

NEWS & NOTES:

Milestones continue…

Now in his ninth season, head coach Chet Parlavecchio, Jr., picked up his 50th with with the Pioneers in their playoff-opening home win over Boonton last season, but with a 10-win season already, this year he moved past the next milestone, the big 6-0!

With a win in the sectional Friday night, he’ll be 62-31, and ever closer to hitting the 70-win mark next year.

This will be his second appearance in a title game as head coach.

Repping Union County…

While Union has won the most titles in the playoff era, taking home eleven trophies since 1974, it’s New Providence that actually leads the county with 41 playoff berths in 51 postseasons (none in 2020 due to COVID) and 21 finals berths overall, including this year.

And while last year was their first trip to a sectional title game in 14 years, they are in the finals for back-to-back years, the first Union County team to do so since Hillside did it in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Westfield also made the finals three straight years – and won all three, going 36-0 – in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Pioneers’ turn to run…

Last year, Cedar Grove was one of eleven New Jersey football teams to enter Championship Weekend undefeated, at 11-0. This year, it’s New Providence who is undefeated, at 10-0, and one of just seven non-Ivy (playoff eligible) teams that remain unblemished.

And like Cedar Grove, the Pioneers have had some great success since COVID. They are 37-16 since then, and were even 8-1 in that pandemic-shortened season. They had a brief downturn in 2022 and 2023, going 5-5 and 4-6, respectively, but are 19-3 in the last two seasons combined.

by Mike Pavlichko

New Providence, Cedar Grove to rematch in North 2, Group 1 title game, but this time on Pioneers’ home turf

This one is the same, but different.

It’ll be quasi deja vu in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 title game Friday night in New Providence, when the third-seeded Pioneers (10-0) host fourth-seed Cedar Grove (8-3).

This was the matchup last year, after New Providence went on a solid late-season and playoff run, making it to the finals for the first time since they won it all in 2010.

But this season, the Pioneers look a little different. Gone is quarterback T.J. Munn, who graduated after rushing for 1,000-plus yards last year. They returned another thousand-yard rushed in A.J. Whitehead, but he suffered a season-ending broken leg against Verona on October 10th. And don’t forget about center Joe Ping, a starter last year, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury the first week of camp.

Yet, with senior Jack Fitzgerald moving over from wide receiver to runningback, New Providence hasn’t missed a beat. The only undefeated team remaining in the Big Central – and one of just seven playoff-eligible (Non-Ivy) perfect teams left in the state – the Pioneers have outscored their opponents 147-31 since that Verona game, with Fitzgerald rushing for 476 yards and four touchdowns.

Last week, he had the game winner in the semifinals against Hasbrouck Heights, also a rematch of last year’s semis. He scored from the 25 on the first play from scrimmage in overtime, and after the defense held, they came back home to Union County with a 28-21 victory.

And they figured they might be on the road again this year in the finals, until they saw Cedar Grove knock off top-seed Mountain Lakes. So the Panthers, while they may be the four-seed, aren’t to be taken lightly.

Meanwhile, junior QB Kevin Reilly has run the show well on offense, passing for exactly 1,000 yards on the season, with 14 TDs to just two picks.

Defensively, the Pioneers have logged 23 sacks – 5 1/2 from Jack Keneally and 4 1/2 from Drew Gullo, both senior linemen who can be disruptive.

Cedar Grove, on the other hand, while 8-3, has a couple of good losses in Wayne Valley and Caldwell, as well as a defeat at the hands of Group 4 Newark Central. And while they may be a bigger school, that’s the same team that was blown out 55-14 by Phillipsburg in the opening round of the North 2, Group 4 playoffs, in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the score indicated.

The Panthers not only are the defending champions, but went all the way to the Group 1 final, eventually losing to Glassboro, finishing the season 13-1.

Click below to hear New Providence head coach Chet Parlavecchio, Jr., talk about this year’s trails and tribulations – all through a 10-0 season – and their finals matchup against Cedar Grove:

by Mike Pavlichko

New Providence earns second straight finals trip with 28-21 OT win at Hasbrouck Heights

No one led by more than a touchdown, and they needed more than 48 minutes to decide the game.

That’s playoff football, folks.

In Hasbrouck Heights Friday night, third-seed New Providence got three touchdowns from Jack Fitzgerald – including what turned out to be the game winner in overtime – to come out with a 28-21 win over the second-seeded Aviators, clinching a berth in next week’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 final.

Add in the fact that top-seed Mountain Lakes was upset at home by fourth-seed Cedar Grove, 22-15, in the other semifinal, and it all adds up to the Pioneers hosting that title game, next Friday night at 6:30.

After a scoreless first quarter, New Providence took a 14-0 lead on consecutive touchdowns, a 45-yard run by Kevin Reilly, and a 13-yard run by Fitzgerald, a wide receiver converted to running back when A.J. Whitehead suffered a season-ending leg injury a few weeks ago.

But Heights got the next three scores. Brady Shine caught a 16-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7 at the break, then Michael Napolitano scored on a ten-yard run in the third to tie it at 14-all, and Shine caught another touchdown pass in the fourth – from Nico Nipitella for 63-yards, to take a 21-14 lead.

And that’s where Fitzgerald took over. He scored from 33-yards out to tie the game at 21 in the fourth.

Then, getting the ball first in overtime, Fitzgerald scored from 25 yards out on the very first play to give the Pioneers a 28-21 lead. On the Aviators’ turn, they got a first down, then took a loss of a yard before throwing three straight incomplete passes to end the game.

So now, it’s New Providence – the last unbeaten team in the Big Central at 10-0 after Manville’s loss at Burlington City Friday night – going up against Cedar Grove (8-3) for the North 1, Group 1 title, a rematch of last year’s final, which the Panthers won 35-14 en route to the state Group 1 final, which they lost to Glassboro.

But that one was on the road. This time, the Pioneers will be at home, looking for a better outcome – and their seventh overall sectional title.

Click below to hear head coach Chet Parlavecchio, Jr., talk about the win with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central guaranteed finalists – and title in North 2, Group 4 – but who else will play for trophies next weekend? A look at the semis

There are eleven Big Central Conference public schools left in the state playoffs, less than half of the 25 teams that initially qualified.

But of those that remain, there are some good opportunities for the league to win championships, and there’s even a guarantee it will in North 2, Group 4, where all four teams playing in semifinals Friday are from the BCC.

That was pretty well expected, as seven of the eight teams in that section were from the Big Central, and the one that wasn’t – eight-seed Newark Central – was likely to get clobbered by top-seed Phillipsburg, which they did, 55-14.

Here’s a look at who’s in action Friday night, public and private – as well as Saturday, where Piscataway and Summit will play home matinees – with links to our pre-game, in-game and post-game coverage.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 5:

  • (4) Union City (6-3) at (1) Bridgewater-Raritan (7-3), Friday 6 pm: Call this the “merger” bowl, with the Panthers of the BCC a merger back in the early 1990s between Bridgewater East and West, and the Soaring Eagles a conglomeration of Emerson and Union Hill in 2008. This is their second meeting, with last year being a 61-10 win for Union City. But that Bridgewater team finished 4-7 on the season, and was 3-6 when they started the playoffs. Union City finished 11-2 and went all the way to the state Group 5 final, losing to Toms River North. This is still a tall order for the Panthers, but they are much closer in record now than they were last season, and one of their two losses came with senior QB Declan Kurdyla back in the lineup. He’s thrown for 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Jahmier Black (676 yards, 5 TDs) and Denzel Amoafo (633 yards, 12 TDs) lead the ground game. Meanwhile, it’s all the ground game for Union City, which has run it 403 times for nearly 4,000 yards, with two thousand-yard rushers: Ja’Zaire Aurelus (1,084 yards, 18 TD) and Mark Boyd (1,516 yards, 25 TDs). On defense, they have 36 sacks as a team – eleven from Omar Tillman, ten from Reynaldo Mercedes – and nine picks, with two returned for touchdowns.
Two groups of high school football players shaking hands at midfield during a coin toss before a game, one team in white uniforms with red accents and the other in black and yellow uniforms.
Piscataway and Plainfield captains shake hands before the coin toss ahead of their North 2, Group 5 opening round playoff game at Kenny Armwood Stadium in Piscataway on November 1, 2025. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
  • (6) Bayonne (7-3) at (2) Piscataway (8-2), Saturday 1 pm: The Chiefs have beaten Bayonne all three times they’ve played them: in 2014, 2017, and last year in the first round of this section, a 42-13 win for Piscataway, which bowed out in the semis to West Orange. And this may be the best team the Chiefs have had since COVID. They can score, they get good line play, and they bend but don’t break on defense: all characteristics of some of the best P’way teams over the last decade-and-a-half. Read our full preview, with interviews with both head coaches here. This is our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, so click here to listen as Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the action, with pregame at 12:45 pm.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 5:

  • (3) Old Bridge (9-1) at (2) Sayreville (9-1), Friday 7 pm: Why don’t these two teams play in the regular season? That’s a story for another day. In fact, believe it or not, the Knights and Bombers haven’t played each other since 2021! Besides that blasphemy, these teams have gone back and forth over the years in the series, and this one could see video game-like numbers, between Old Bridge QB Brody Nugent and Sayreville runnigback Shaun Jackson. Nugent has thrown for 1,926 yards and 15 TDs this season, while rushing for 1,108 and 19 scores. Jackson, meanwhile, has rushed for 1,761 yards – that’s 9.8 yards per carry, almost a first down every trip! Follow Marcus Borden for live coverage tonight, with a recap after the game at cjsportsradio.com. The other semifinal at 6 pm Friday features fourth-seed Rancocas Valley (6-4) at top-seed Washington Twp. (10-0). If Rancocas wins, the winner of the Old Bridge-Sayreville game would host the CJ5 final next Friday night. If Washington Twp. wins, the game would be down there, just north of Glassboro and Rowan University. You know, right smack dab in the heart of Central Jersey! (Eye roll)

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4:

  • (5) Colonia (7-3) at (1) Phillipsburg (8-1), Friday 7 pm: There have only been two meetings between these two teams, and both have come in the playoffs – and a long time ago. They last met in 2015, a sectional semifinal win for P’burg, and the year before at Rutgers, the Stateliners held off Colonia in overtime for the North 2, Group 4 title. A win for the Patriots would get them back to a title game for the first time since, but more than that, would be a monumental win over one of the premier programs in the state. One matchup to watch will be Colonia receiver R.J. Wortman against Phillipsburg defensive back Jaysen Blacknall. Wortman is the top receiver in the state with 88 – that’s right, close to 100! – catches on the year for 1,160 receiving yards and 14 scores. Can the line buy enough time, though, for Dylan Chiera to get him the ball? The Stateliners are stout up front on both sides of the ball, and Colonia will have to stop a dominating run game. Only St. Joseph-Metuchen has beaten P’burg this year, and that tape has probably been worn out this week by Colonia coach Tom Roarty and his staff. This is our Friday night “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Click here to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the action live from Maloney Stadium, with pregame at 6:45. Read our Colonia preview here, including and interview with head coach Tom Roarty. Our Phillipsburg preview is here, with a chat with head coach Frank Duffy.
A football player catches the ball while being tackled by two defenders on the field during a night game, with a large crowd visible in the background.
Woodbridge senior runningback Joshua Allen scores against Montgomery on October 10, 2025. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
  • (3) Montgomery (7-3) at (2) Woodbridge (8-2), Friday 6 pm: Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates – with postgame later on cjsportsradio.com – from this rematch of their October tenth game in Skillman, where the Cougars led 25-14 at the half, but the Barrons scored three third quarter touchdowns to pull ahead, and won 41-33. The two to watch in this one are Woodbridge runningback Joshua Allen – who had 221 yards and three touchdowns in the game – and Montgomery QB Jack Kristjanson, who threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns in that game, but also two picks. He was roughed up a bit in a Cutoff Weekend game at Rahway, getting sacked numerous times and going just 5-of-12 for 27 yards, but bounced back nicely last week against Westfield, with 13-for-20, 251 yards and three scores in a 32-10 win. Woodbridge bounced back last week, too, after losing two straight to end the regular season after a 7-0 start. They beat Rahway 21-7 in the opening round.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3:

  • (3) West Essex (6-3) at (2) Summit (8-2), Saturday 1 pm: This is their first meeting since 2023, a 27-17 first round playoff defeat for the Hilltoppers, who are 4-13-1 all-time against the Knights. Summit has won three straight – including a victory over Woodbridge – since dropping back-to-back games to start October, both without runningback-turned-QB Alex Schwark in the lineup. When he’s on the field instead of the bench, they’re 8-0. This could be a high scoring game, as both teams can put up points, and both can be scored upon; Summit is allowing 17 points per game to the opposition, West Essex nearly 22, but they are also 4-0 on the road this season, with wins at Caldwell, Lakeland, Nutley and Morris Knolls. Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for live coverage of this one, with postgame later at cjsportsradio.com. The winner gets the victor from the other semifinal, which has fourth-seed Roxbury (7-3) at top-seed West Morris (10-0) at 7:30 Friday. Summit, should they win, would be at home if they get Roxbury, and on the road if it’s West Morris.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 1:

  • (3) New Providence (9-0) at (2) Hasbrouck Heights (8-2), Friday 7 pm: In a rematch of a first-round game last year, New Providence at least is very different. Not only did they graduate star QB T.J. Munn, but standout runningback A.J. Whitehead broke his leg a few weeks ago and won’t be back in the postseason. That’s forced Chet Parlevecchio, Jr.’s staff to shuffle some guys around, leaning more on fullback Mike Petses and converting Jack Fitzgerland from wide receiver to runningback. It’s kept the Pioneers on the right path so far, with Fitzgerald going for 345 yards on 40 carries the last three weeks, after carrying just five times in the four games he even carried the ball prior. Heights is led by senior QB Nico Nipitella (1,018 yards, 16 TDs) and senior RB Michael Naplitano (1,320 yards, 18 scores). After falling in the finals last year at Cedar Grove, New Providence could face them again in the finals. The other semi has the fourth-seeded Panthers (7-3) visiting top-seed Mountain Lakes (7-2) Friday night at 7.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1:

  • (4) Manville (10-0) at (1) Burlington City (9-1), Friday 6 pm: Last week, Manville made history with its first playoff win, coming in just its sixth playoff appearance all-time. The Mustangs also set a program record with their tenth win. Now, if they get an eleventh, they’ll be in the finals for the first time ever. To do that, they will have to get past a very good Burlington City team that has run the rock about three times more than they’ve thrown it all year, to the tune of 2,278 yards on the ground, with 1,625 of them coming from senior runningback Donte Davis, who also has 22 touchdowns on the year. But hey, Manville has some gamers, too, and dominated Asbury Park on the line of scrimmage last week – though the Blue Devils are not to be confused with the Blue Bishops. Still, the two-headed quarterback monster Manville has with Sam Echeverri and Josh D’Ambrosio is confusing, and watching them on film can only do so much. Can Manville keep making history? The other semifinal is at 6 pm Friday, featuring sixth-seed Point Pleasant Beach (7-2) at second-seed Shore (7-2).
A high school football game in progress, featuring players in blue and yellow uniforms on the field, with a focus on a quarterback preparing to throw the ball under the stadium lights.
Manville’s Josh D’Ambrosio looks to throw against Asbury Park in a Central Jersey Group 1 opening round game at home on October 31, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

NON-PUBLIC GROUP B:

  • (10) St. Thomas Aquinas (5-5) at (7) Immaculata (8-2), Friday 7 pm: The Trojans are in a transition season with new head coach Shamir Bearfield and a host of transfers in and out of the program. But they’re here in the playoffs, and have a solid opponent in the Spartans, who play in the Super Football Conference despite being in Somerset County. Quarterback Zymere Weaver is having a fine sophomore season, throwing for 2,061 yards and 23 touchdowns against just two interceptions, and Ian Roberts paces the ground game with 815 yards and seven scores. Immaculata has won five straight coming in, and is led on the ground by Daysir Spille, with 1,276 yards on 157 carries and 26 touchdowns this season. Should be a good one, with the winner going on to play second-seed Paramus Catholic (4-6), which has a bye along with top-seed DePaul in a 14-team field. The Palladins beat St. Thomas on October third, 42-14.