Tag: North Brunswick

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: National Silver Division

There’s no doubt who was the cream of the crop in the Big Central Conference’s National Silver Division last year. In fact, St. Thomas Aquinas has been one of the top teams in the entire league for several years now and two prior coaches, winning 31 straight against BCC competition coming into this season.

With a new coach, they’re looking for much of the same success, and despite a handful of transfers, still have the horses to do it. The question is: who else will challenge them in the division?

Sayreville enters its second year under alum Mark Poore, but their new starting QB Tyler Butka did see significant action last year in a half-dozen contests.

North Brunswick had an uncharacteristically off year under head coach Mike Cipot, so this year will be somewhat of a reset for the Raiders, while one of their big rivals, Edison, had a bounce-back year last season, thanks in part to a ground game that ran for well over 2,000 yards without the benefit of a thousand-yard rusher.

And Franklin might have had too much success too soon in 2024, starting 3-0, but ending 4-5. That has head coach Blair Wilson keeping a closer eye on the Warriors this year.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s 2025 Camp Caravan: Quad scrimmage with Carteret, North Brunswick and Rahway at Colonia High School

Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football analyst Marcus Borden kicked off Week Two of his 2025 Big Central Camp Caravan with a visit to a quad scrimmage at Colonia, which also featured Carteret, North Brunswick and Rahway.

Below is a list of teams, players and coaches from the August 18, 2025 quad scrimmage at Colonia:

Carteret: Head Coach Kevin Freeman, senior Ronelle Nimneh-Gilbert (RB/TE/LB) and junior Nick Gomm (TE/MLB)

Colonia: Head Coach Tom Roarty, seniors Rynal “RJ” Wortman (WR/DB), Julien Jones (LB/ATH), and George Simpson (RB/SS), junior Dylan Chiera (QB)

North Brunswick: Head Coach Mike Cipot, seniors Zach Cipot (QB/LB), Reddrick Robinson (OL/DL), and Ruhan Sriram (OL/DL), junior Sal Fama-Linn (WR/DB)

Rahway: Head Coach Brian Russo, seniors Andrew Avent (RB/LB), Ryan Gourdet (OL/DL), Syncier Toussaint (WR/DB) and Ziare Fields (WR/DB), juniors Jalen Eastman (TE/DE), Jaquan Robinson (QB), Jyvon Cooper (RB/LB/ATH) and Triston Driscal (WR/DB)

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Longest league win streak lives in National Silver Division, with St. Thomas Aquinas at 31 and counting

Whatever division St. Thomas Aquinas football has played in over the last four seasons, they have essentially dominated. With a 31-game winning streak against Big Central opponents that dates back to their last game of 2021 (their last loss came to Bernards, which has won 23 BCC games in a row, second best) the Trojans enter 2025 with more change than ever before.

Head coach Tarig Holman was not brought back – the school has never publicly said why – and new hire John Germano was in and out, heading back to Bergen Catholic before the team ever got to practice with him. Shamir Bearfield comes in from St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, and inherits the streak, but will have many challenges ahead.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the National Gold Division teams – in alphabetical order – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge. Please note game dates and times may be changed without notice as the season approaches. Division games marked with an asterisk (*).

Edison Eagles (5-5, 1-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach:  Matt Yascko (8-12, 3rd season)

  • Week 0: at Piscataway (6p)
  • Week 1: Old Bridge
  • Week 2: Sayreville*
  • Week 3: at North Brunswick*
  • Week 4: Franklin*
  • Week 5: at Colonia
  • Week 6: St. Thomas Aquinas*
  • Week 7: at South Brunswick
  • Week 8: at Paterson Eastside

The Eagles graduated a ton for Yascko’s first season at the helm of his alma mater, and last year they improved from 3-7 to 5-5. But just like his first year, when he head to replace his son at quarterback, he’ll now have to replace Brian Calantoni, who threw for nearly 1,000 yards last season. Robert Roma could step into that role, but he only threw one pass last season as a junior. There will be some good underclassmen runningbacks returning, including Lenier Whetstone, who leads those coming back with 110 carries for 535 yards and three touchdowns, as well as some options to throw to. The defense will look to limit points, as it allowed 35 or more points in four of Edison’s five losses last season.

Franklin Warriors (4-6, 1-3, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Blair Wilson (7-22, 4th season)

  • Week 0: at Hammonton (Thu, 6p)
  • Week 1: Passaic (6p)
  • Week 2: at East Brunswick
  • Week 3: St. Thomas Aquinas (6p)*
  • Week 4: at Edison*
  • Week 5: at Plainfield (6p)
  • Week 6: Sayreville* (6p)
  • Week 7: Monroe
  • Week 8: North Brunswick*

Wilson has seen improvement since his first season, going 0-8 in 2022, then 3-8 in 2023, and 4-6 last season. They started like gangbusters, with wins over Trenton, Passaic and East Brunswick, but then lost six of their next seven to close the season. They’ll look to Jah’naad Cady, who threw for 1,040 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore, to lead the offense, which has its top five runningbacks returning, and plenty of options to replace the senior receivers graduating. Key defensive pieces return, too, like seniors Miles Muldrow (3 sacks, 1 TFL, 1 INT) and Maurice Langford (1 sack, 7 TFLs).

North Brunswick Radiers (4-6, 2-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach Mike Cipot: (58-23, 9th season)

  • Week 0: Jackson (Thu, 6p)
  • Week 1: South Brunswick (6p)
  • Week 2: at St. Thomas Aquinas* (6p)
  • Week 3: Edison*
  • Week 4: at Sayreville*
  • Week 5: St. Joseph-Metuchen (6p)
  • Week 6: Westfield (6p)
  • Week 7: at Ridge
  • Week 8: Franklin* (7:15p)

After a 6-4 debut season, head coach Mike Cipot had never won fewer than seven games over a span of the six seasons that followed. That ended last year, when they started 0-3 and stumbled to a 2-7 finish. They didn’t exactly light it up on offense, throwing for only 446 yards, while rushing for just 1,217. Gone are both quarterbacks, Al Trevelise and Tommy Koroma, as well as top key skill guys. The defense – typically a strong suit under Cipot – also will lose some key players from a team

Sayreville Bombers (4-6, 2-2, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Mark Poore (4-6, 2nd season)

  • Week 0: at Colonia (Thurs, 6p)
  • Week 1: Linden
  • Week 2: at Edison*
  • Week 3: Hillsborough
  • Week 4: North Brunswick*
  • Week 5: at Piscataway (6p)
  • Week 6: at Franklin* (6p)
  • Week 7: Montgomery
  • Week 8: St. Thomas Aquinas*

After Don Sofilkanich took the Bombers to an 8-3 mark in 2023, but was let go, Mark Poore’s club struggled to a 4-8 record in the Sayreville alum’s first season, never putting together back-to-back wins, but then again, never losing more than two in a row either. Either they scored a ton of points – topping 40 three times – or rarely scored, like in two shutout losses, and even a 7-0 win at Montgomery late in the season. Junior Tyler Butka, who took over QB duties halfway through the year, is back after throwing for 301 yards, just one touchdown, but no picks in six games. Even more impressive is that junior Shaun Jackson (1,485 yards, 14 TD) returns as well. A number of juniors made their mark on defense as well last season, including linebackers Brian Zangrillo (2 sacks, 8 TFLs, #3 tackles with 65) and Charles Barnes (1 sack, 8 TFLs, 1 INT, 1 FR).

St. Thomas Aquinas Trojans (9-1, 4-0, National Silver champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Shamir Bearfield (1st season)

  • Week 0: Montclair (1p)
  • Week 1: at Red Bank Catholic
  • Week 2: North Brunswick*
  • Week 3: at Franklin*
  • Week 4: Elizabeth
  • Week 5: Paramus Catholic
  • Week 6: at Edison*
  • Week 7: St. Joseph-Metuchen
  • Week 8: Sayreville*
  • Week 9: Pope John

Forget about the 31-game Big Central winning streak; if Bearfield can coach up his remaining players, it could take care of itself. The non-division schedule is what’s daunting, but that’s been the Trojans’ way of scheduling in the last couple of years, looking for stronger opponents to challenge themselves and boost their seeding come playoff time. Offensively, though, two big stars are gone. Senior Roman Blanks (1,367 yards, 16 TDs) is gone to graduation, as is RB Chase Young (611 yards, 8 TD), but so is sophomore Chukwuma Odoh, who transferred to Paramus Catholic after rushing for 1,418 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. Can they find someone – or multiple backs – to take up that slack? That might be the biggest question mark – than and how a whole new staff comes together – for the Trojans in 2025.

by Mike Pavlichko

A chance for another title for Montgomery boys, as Cougars top North Brunswick in CJ4 semis

Back to the finals for Montgomery boys, as Cougars top North Brunswick in CJ4 semis

After reaching their first sectional final in a decade last season, the Montgomery boys’ basketball team is going to the Central Jersey Group 4 title game for a second year in a row.

Maybe it’s something in the water along Route 206, as neighboring Hillsborough’s girls’ team also made the CJ4 finals with a win Wednesday night.

For the top-seeded Montgomery boys – who, like the Raiders – won the title last year, the win that got them there was a 67-43 dominating performance over 12th-seed North Brunswick, which had pulled off two upsets to get here.

Bohdan Biekietov – the reigning Central Jersey Sports Radio Boys’ basketball Player of the Year – has struggled a bit this season. But after the quarterfinal win over East Brunswick, head coach Kris Grundy challenged him to return to the dominating force he was last year as a junior, his first year in the program after fleeing the Ukraine with his mother and sister.

That came to fruition Wednesday, as Biekietov pumped in 21 points to lead all scorers in the game. His presence inside helped the Cougars establish themselves early. He scored the first bucket, en route to a 20-9 lead at the end of one, and a 38-18 bulge at the half.

Fellow Ukranain Kyryl Streltsov added 12 in the win, while Ethan Lin and Christian Hill each contributed eleven points.

Montgomery (23-5) will host third-seed West Windsor-Plainsboro South (23-5) in the finals at 3 pm Saturday. North Brunswick ends its season at 11-18.

Click below to hear Montgomery head coach Kris Grundy talk about the win over North Brunswick, and Saturday’s Central Jersey Group 4 title tilt:

by Mike Pavlichko

North Brunswick boys continue upset-filled state tourney run, while Montgomery, Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep advance

Look out for North Brunswick!

The Raiders’ boys’ basketball team – just 9-17 entering the NJSIAA state tournament – won their second game in a row in upset fashion in Central Jersey Group 4 Monday night, and in the process are just the second Greater Middlesex Conference boys’ team left in the postseason.

Top-seed Montgomery also advanced in the section Monday night, while Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep moved on to the semifinals in Non-Public North and South B, respectively.

Here’s a look at Monday night’s action. Scroll down further for the upcoming schedule, including Tuesday’s sectional semis in Groups 1 and 3, Wednesday’s semis for Groups 2 and 4, and Thursday’s non-public sectional semifinals.

Central Jersey Group 4: Top-seed Montgomery – the defending CJ4 champs – topped ninth-seed East Brunswick Monday, 66-47, pulling away with a strong third quarter after taking a 34-26 lead into the break. Christian Hill led the Cougars (22-5) with 20 points, while Ethan Lin added 14. East Brunswick (15-13) got 14 from Cam Vick, to lead the way in defeat. Montgomery will host 12-seed North Brunswick in the semifinals, after the Raiders topped 13-seed Manalapan in a surprise home game – as both teams picked up first round upsets – 57-50. The Raiders trailed 28-25 at the half, and by four going into the final eight minutes, but outscored the Braves (11-17) 17-6 in the fourth quarter to win it. Tommy Koroma scored 21 to lead North Brunswick, while Srijay Bandi added 19, and Joshua Anudon added ten.

Listen to North Brunswick head coach Raheem Byron talk about Monday’s win and his team’s early run in the state playoffs.

(1) Montgomery def. (9) East Brunswick, 66-47
(12) North Brunswick def. (13) Manalapan, 57-50
(3) West Windsor-Plainsboro North def. (6) Trenton, 68-58
(10) Freehold Twp. def. (2) Sayreville, 58-32

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: Third-seed Ridge advanced with a 55-51 win over 11-seed Irvington, holding off the Blue Knights in the fourth to win. The Red Devils (22-6) led 29-23 at the half and would need all of that cushion in the second half. Luke Kreitz led the way with 17 – including 5 of 6 from the foul line – while Gabe Kielb added 14 and Sidd Narayanbhatla scored ten. The Red Devils will go to the Dunn Center Wednesday to play second-seed Elizabeth (19-6) in the semifinals. Meanwhile, fourth-seed Piscataway was bested by fifth-seed Westfield at home, 71-53. The Chiefs got 16 points from Nate Davis in defeat, but end the season having tied a school record 24 wins under first-year head coach Bob Turco. The 2007-08 team also won 24 games, including the North 2, Group 4 title.

(1) Plainfield, def. (8) Linden, 74-58
(5) Westfield def. (4) Piscataway, 71-53
(3) Ridge def. (11) Irvington, 55-51
(2) Elizabeth def. (7) Dickinson, 65-62

Central Jersey Group 2: Seventh-seed Metuchen (20-8) saw its season come to an end with a 66-41 loss at second-seed Rumson-Fair Haven. The Bulldogs – who were the last area team in the section, got a team-best 13 from Cam Hayes-Durina, while Jason Woods added 11.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: Bernards – the only area team in the section fell 82-51 Monday night at third-seed Madison. The Mountaineers – whose season comes to an end at 16-11 – got a team-high 24 points from Monty Douglass, and 11 from Richie Jobise in defeat.

Non-Public South A: Sixth-seed Immaculata – the last area team left in the bracket – fell 71-51 at third-seed Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft. Riley Gorman led the Spartans with 14 points, while Nick Swartwood added 13. Immaculata ends its season at 20-8, their best campaign since a 22-6 season in 2018, when they reached the Somerset County Tournament semifinals.

Non-Public North B: Top-seed and Somerset County Tournament Champion Gill St. Bernard’s rolled past eight-seed Timothy Christian in Peapack-Gladstone Monday night, 87-32, with only one Knight scoring in double figures. Kobe Closeil had 17, while Stanley Njekwe added eight and 12 rebounds. Gill got out of the gate quickly, with a 28-6 lead after one and a 51-14 lead at the half. Jalen Fleming led Timothy with 17 points – and went 9-of-10 at the charity stripe – ending his stellar career with 2,152 points, the school’s all-time leading scorer. They finish their season at 15-11, while Gill is now 21-6 and moves on to play fourth-seed Morristown-Beard in Thursday’s semifinals.

(1) Gill St. Bernard’s def. (8) Timothy Christian, 87-32
(4) Morristown-Beard def. (5) St. Mary-Rutherford, 52-46
(3) Morris Catholic def. (6) Montclair-Immaculate, 76-60
(2) Roselle Catholic def. (7) Saddle River Day, 77-39

Non-Public South B: Third-seed Rutgers Prep moves on to the semifinals with an 88-67 win over sixth-seed Wildwood Catholic. The Argonauts (19-9) were led by Jacob Canton with 24 points – including five treys – and was one of five players in double figure scoring. Andrew Kretkowski added 17, while Nicholas Nsenkyrie had a triple-double of ten points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. The Argonauts will travel to Delran to face two-seed Holy Cross Prep Thursday in the sectional semifinals.

(1) St. Rose def. (8) Ranney, 68-46
(5) St. Joseph-Hammonton def. (4) Bishop Eustace, 53-49
(3) Rutgers Prep def. (6) Wildwood Catholic, 88-67
(2) Holy Cross Prep def. (7) Holy Spirit, 48-40

TUESDAY

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 – Semifinals
(4) Chatham at (1) Colonia, 6 pm
(3) Payne Tech at (2) Mendham, 7 pm

Central Jersey Group 1 – Semifinals
(4) Manville at (1) Thrive Charter, 7 pm
(1) New Providence at (3) Point Pleasant Beach, 5 pm

WEDNESDAY

Central Jersey Group 4 – Semifinals
(12) North Brunswick at (1) Montgomery, 6 pm
(10) Freehold Twp. at (3) West Windsor-Plainsboro North

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 – Semifinals
(5) Westfield at (1) Plainfield
(3) Ridge at (2) Elizabeth

THURSDAY

Non-Public North B – Semifinals
(4) Morristown-Beard at (1) Gill St. Bernard’s
(3) Morris Catholic at (2) Roselle Catholic

Non-Public South B – Semifinals
(5) St. Joseph-Hammonton at (1) St. Rose
(3) Rutgers Prep at (2) Holy Cross Prep

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

TUESDAY’S GMC TOURNAMENT RESULTS – BOYS’ PRELIMINARY ROUND

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

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

WEDNESDAY’S GMC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE – GIRLS’ FIRST ROUND

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

THURSDAY’S GMC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE – BOYS’ FIRST ROUND

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

by Mike Pavlichko

South Brunswick tops North for first win against Raiders in rivalry series since 2017

Things are looking remarkably good for the South Brunswick football team right now.

Off to a 1-0 start under new head coach Ibrahim Halsey, the Vikings came out for one heck of an encore Thursday night: they knocked off arch-rival and No. 8 North Brunswick 30-21 for their first win in the series since 2017.

Now, South Brunswick is off to its first 2-0 start since 2020, when they went 4-3. And if you want to find the last time they did it in a “full” season – since 2020 was that abbreviated COVID year – go back two years prior, to 2018.

The Vikings had lost five straight in the series since their 2017 victory, a 42-20 win. They didn’t play in 2018, but North Brunswick won the next five, with only one really close game, a 14-7 win in 2020. The Raiders had shut them out twice in that five-year span, including a 38-6 win last season.

South Brunswick is now 2-0 with a trip to Monroe on deck next Friday.

Things don’t get any easier for North Brunswick, which should drop out of the Top Ten as a result, and will take an 0-2 record into a Friday night home game at No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas, which has won 25 straight games against Big Central Conference competition, the best current win streak of its kind in the league.

Click below to hear from South Brunswick’s first-year head coach Ibrahim Halsey:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg, Aquinas remain No. 1 and 2; Watchung Hills joins CJSR Top Ten

There were no changes in the top two spots in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Week 0 rankings, but several teams in the middle shuffled.

Phillipsburg holds steady at No. 1, and will open its season Friday night, taking on Westfield at Maloney Stadium. St. Thomas Aquinas dropped its opener down at the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic in Wilmington, DE, falling 36-26 to Mount St. Joseph (MD). The Trojans take on their second of three out-of-state opponents Saturday at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson when they face Lincoln High School out of Brooklyn.

Moving up a spot to second is Woodbridge. The Barrons opened with a thrilling 36-34 win at Old Bridge last Thursday night, and host 1-0 Watchung Hills this Friday evening.

Also up a spot is Somerville, which moves up to fourth after holding on for a 21-20 victory over then-No. 3 Hillsborough back on Thursday, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Hillsborough drops from third to No. 5.

Holding steady at No. 6 is Piscataway. The Chiefs opened their season with a 21-11 home win over Manalapan, and host Bridgewater-Raritan Friday night at 6 in the first of a doubleheader of the “Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.”

Defending North 2 Group 2 champion Bernards is up one spot to No. 7, picking up a convincing season-opening 35-6 road win at Monmouth last Thursday. Friday night, the Mountaineers host Hillside, putting their 15-game Big Central Conference winning streak on the line. The Comets were the last league team to beat them, on September 2, 2022.

Falling one spot to eighth was North Brunswick, which lost on the road Friday night, giving up ten fourth-quarter points in a 17-7 defeat at Jackson Memorial. Thursday night they face South Brunswick, having won five straight in the series between the archrivals.

Idle Ridge holds in ninth; the Red Devils open their season on Saturday afternoon at St. Joseph-Metuchen in the opener for both schools. Falcons’ head coach Bill Tracy was at Ridge before moving to Metuchen, and Andy West – his former assistant – how is the Red Devils’ head coach.

New to the rankings this week is Watchung Hills. The Warriors won at Moorestown Friday night, 31-7, and visit Woodbridge Friday evening.

Sayreville dropped out after a 21-20 overtime loss to Colonia in their season opener Thursday night.

Colonia was “also considered” for the Top Ten this week, along with Rahway, which thumped Voorhees 41-14 at home Thursday night, snapping the Vikings’ five game Big Central winning streak. Scotch Plains-Fanwood visits Rahway River Park this Friday night.

Below is the full Central Jersey Sports Radio Week 0 Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg, St. Thomas Aquinas begin 2024 where they ended 2023: Nos. 1 and 2 in the CJSR Big Central Rankings

The same teams that ended 2023 at No. 1 and No. 2 in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Top Ten are right back in the same spots to begin 2024.

In the preseason rankings, Phillipsburg remains at the top, followed by St. Thomas Aquinas. The Stateliners were one of just two BCC teams to make a state sectional final last year, and finished the season 10-2, with their second straight Thanksgiving win over Easton, the first time they’ve done that since 2002 and 2003. The Trojans finished 10-1 and got to host a playoff game.

After that, Hillsborough will begin the season at No. 3, four spots higher than where they ended 2023. Top runningback Jackson Jankowicz is back, and the Raiders, who were 8-3 last year in one of the toughest divisions in the state, have a veteran and improved offensive line for Jankowicz to run behind this year.

Next up are three teams that didn’t finish in the final 2023 rankings, but are expected to make an impact in 2024.

Woodbridge checks in at No. 4, with the Barrons coming off a 6-4 year, but returning a ton of players, including the twin combo of QB and WR Derek and Bryan Anderson, plus a new coach in Joe Goerge, who comes over from South Brunswick.

Somerville is stacked with D1 talent, looking to improve upon a a 5-5 campaign in the first full season with Matt Bloom at the helm. The Pioneers are fifth in the preseason rankings.

And Piscataway, with two both quarterbacks who played last year returning, as well as a slew of other players, has high copes coming off a 6-4 campaign where they just missed the playoffs. The Chiefs are ranked sixth.

The final four teams all were in last year’s final rankings.

North Brunswick ended last year fifth with an 8-1 season that included a first-round playoff loss, but they have also won eight games in each of the last three seasons since the short COVID year in 2020, in which they still won seven games. The Raiders went from No. 5 to seventh.

At No. 8 is Bernards, which was 12-1 last year, and the Central Jersey Sports Radio Team of the Year. The Mountaineers won their first-ever state sectional title of the playoff era, and finished last year at No. 4. Though they graduate a ton, they should compete with Hillside for a division title.

Ninth is Ridge, which also lost a lot to graduation after an 8-2 year and No. 3 final ranking.

Sayreville checks in at No. 10, finishing 8-3 last year, returning several key players, and with a new coach in Mark Poore, who played at Sayreville under George Najjar, then coached under him and the next two coaches, Chris Beagan and last year’s skipper, Don Sofilkanich.

Montgomery – which was 8-1-1 last year but also lost a slew of talent including the one-two QB/receiver combo of Michael Schmelzer, Jr. and Matt D’Avino – also received consideration.

Below is the full Central Jersey Sports Radio Preseason Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

North Brunswick looks to keep the ball rolling, and take next step to title, in 2024

The North Brunswick football program has been one of the most successful in the Big Central Conference – and before that, the GMC – under head coach Mike Cipot.

The Raiders are 56-16 in that seven year span, and after a 6-4 debut season, they have not won fewer than seven games in a year, and have won eight games in each of the last three.

But there’s one thing that has eluded North Brunswick: a state title.

The closest they got was in 2018, falling to eventual South 5 regional champion Sayreville in the Central Jersey Group 5 title game.

So, that elusive piece to the puzzle – as it always is – remains the goal for the 2024 edition of North Brunswick football. And seemingly, as always, there is a lot of talent to go around. Al Trevelise (1,036 yards, 13 TDs) is back at quarterback, and senior Jahir Dawud (WR/DB) will help lead the defense, while also catching passes on offense.

The Raiders are in a tough division, the National Silver, which includes Sayreville, along with Edison, and newcomer St. Thomas Aquinas, which gets bumped up this year to play with the Group 5s.

Click below to hear from North Brunswick football coach Mike Cipot and senior Jahir Dawud at Big Central Media Day with Mike Pavlichko: