Tag: Old Bridge

by Mike Pavlichko

Big day for No. 8 South Plainfield, as McCarthy no-hits No. 7 Old Bridge in 4-1 win, Massaro sets Tiger all-time hit record

Put this one under the category of the old adage “Nobody cares how, just if.”

The South Plainfield baseball team didn’t have the best day in the field, committing four errors, one of them leading to a run, but the Tigers still won their GMC Red Division matchup against Old Bridge Tuesday afternoon at home, 4-1 – and they did it in style.

Aidan McCarthy threw a complete game no-hitter with nine strikeouts, while Dom Massaro went 3-for-4 and set the school’s all-time hit record, with the 127th of his career.

For McCarthy, it was his first no-no that he could recall – at least at the high school level – while Massaro broke a record that stood for 14 years, set by Steven Petriello in 2012.

The 8th-ranked Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a passed ball that scored Massaro, and a sac fly by Ed Budzinski. Massaro scored again in the fourth on a ground out to short by McCarthy to make it 3-0, then made it 4-0 in the fifth on a bases loaded walk to Joe Stanzione that scored Andrew Bena.

The 7th-ranked Knights got their lone run in the top of the sixth. Matt Chin hit a grounder to short that got behind Anthony Cicenia, allowing Nicholas Agostino to score.

And despite the fourth South Plainfield error in the game coming with two outs in the top of the seventh, allowing Brady Meyer to get to second, McCarthy got Harry Denney to fly out to Massaro in center field to end it.

South Plainfield (7-5, 6-4, tied for 2nd GMC Red) and Old Bridge (5-6, 5-4, 3rd) split their series, with the Knights winning 9-3 on their home field back on Friday.

Click below for postgame reaction from South Plainfield seniors Aidan McCarthy and Dom Massaro – as well as head coach Scott Gleichenhaus – with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Top teams roll on again in Week Three, but bottom-half turmoil brings Old Bridge, Rutgers Prep into Bellamy & Son Paving baseball rankings

For a second straight week, the top four teams continued to win – leaving Immaculata, Ridge, Middlesex and Edison right where they’ve been – but everyone else keeps beating each other up, and two new teams join the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Three.

Immaculata (7-2) remains in the No. 1 position after a 2-1 week. In Skyland Conference play, the Spartans swept Bridgewater-Raritan – 13-3 at home, and 5-2 on the road – Tuesday and Thursday, before falling 7-3 to Delsea in a non-conference game on Saturday.

Holding at No. 2 is Ridge (10-1), which went 3-0 in the week gone by. They swept a Tuesday-Thursday series from Watchung Hills – 12-10 on the road, and 13-3 at home – before an 8-3 win over Bernards Saturday completed the perfect week.

Immaculata and Ridge square off this week in a huge two-game set that will have a lot of say in which team – at least at this point – takes the inside track for the top-seed in the Somerset County Tournament. The seeding meeting is Wednesday, May 6th.

Middlesex (10-1) continues to roll as well. The Blue Jays went 5-0 this past week, sweeping Metuchen 2-1 on the road Tuesday, and 6-2 at home Thursday. Middlesex then beat Voorhees Saturday, 11-2, in their Autism Awareness Challenge game at North Brunswick Community Park, and took a 13-2 decision over JFK Saturday, before beating Wood-Ridge (Bergen County) on the road Sunday, 15-1.

Edison (7-2) holds at No. 4 this week, going 2-1 in the week gone by. The Eagles opened the week in fine fashion with a complete-game, 13-strikeout no-hitter from Connor Murphy in a 4-0 home win over St. Joseph-Metuchen heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They beat the Falcons again in Metuchen on Thursday, 5-3, before falling 10-4 to Columbia Sunday in their Autism Awareness Challenge game.

WATCH: The final out of Connor Murphy’s no-hitter against St. Joseph-Metuchen

Holding at five is Monroe (7-4). While the Falcons went just 2-3 this week, they closed the weekend with a huge win. After falling to Hightstown in a non-league game on Monday, they then got swept by Woodbridge, 8-0 and 2-1. But they rebounded nicely with an 8-4 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in North Edison on Saturday, then Sunday, in their Autism Awareness Challenge game, Monroe knocked off the No. 18 team in the state, perennial power Red Bank Catholic, 5-2. To date, it’s the only win by a GMC school over a team ranked in the NJ.com statewide Top 20.

(Ridge has the only other one, a 7-4 Opening Day win over West Morris, currently ranked No. 14).

Staying in sixth is Colonia (7-2), which split four games this week. They started with a 14-4 win at Metuchen Monday, in a makeup from earlier in the year, then split with South Brunswick, taking an 8-6 home loss Tuesday before winning on the road Thursday, 13-4. The Patriots then lost to Spotswood on Saturday, 3-1.

Back in at No. 7 is Old Bridge (5-5), which was ranked in the preseason, but fell out in Week One. The Knights went 2-2 last week with a tough schedule. After beating East Brunswick 11-10 Tuesday, they came back Friday and beat South Plainfield 9-3 in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Saturday, they lost to state No. 4 Seton Hall Prep, 3-2, then fell 4-3 to Westfield Sunday in the Autism Awareness Challenge.

Down one spot to eight is South Plainfield (6-5), which also went 2-2 last week. The Tigers split with St. Thomas Aquinas, winning 6-4 on Tuesday, but losing on the road Thursday, 7-5. After Friday’s loss at Old Bridge, the Tigers rebounded with a 4-2 win over Millburn in the Autism Awareness Challenge in North Brunswick on Saturday.

Making its season debut at No. 9 is Rutgers Prep (7-2). The Argonauts climb into the rankings on the strength of a 4-0 week, which began with a pair of 10-0 wins over Montgomery Tuesday (away) and Thursday (at home). On Friday, they beat Union Catholic in the Autism Awareness Challenge, 17-10, then won at Hopewell Valley on Saturday, 12-4.

Carteret (9-1) holds in tenth, on the strength of a 3-0 week. The Ramblers swept Piscataway in a Monday-Wednesday two-game set – 9-2 at home on Monday, then 10-9 away in the second game – before beating North Brunswick 13-0 Saturday in the Autism Awareness Challenge at Community Park.

Two teams dropped out this week. No. 8 Watchung Hills beat Cranford Saturday 5-4, but took a pair of losses to Ridge, 12-10 and 13-3, while South Brunswick also went 1-2 in the week gone by. The Vikings split a pair with Colonia – winning an 8-6 road game Tuesday, but losing 13-1 at home Thursday – then lost Saturday to Metuchen, 8-3, in their Autism Awareness Challenge game.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Three:

by Mike Pavlichko

Timely hitting, pitching, send Old Bridge past No. 7 South Plainfield, 9-3, and put Knights ahead of Tigers in GMC Red

Matt Chin and Adrian Lutomski each knocked in three runs and Erich Schikschneit pitched 4 2/3 solid innings in his first start of the season Thursday, as Old Bridge got past South Plainfield, 9-3, in a GMC Red Division game at Fred Cole Field heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

It was that mix of the big hit in the right spot – including a four-run fourth where the Knights batted around – and pitching out of jams that gave the Knights the win, moving them just ahead of South Plainfield in the division with three weeks to go before the GMC Tournament seeding meeting on May 8th.

There’s a lot of baseball to be played between now and then, but in the Red, every win counts, and this one was a big one to open a two-game set between the teams that will finish in South Plainfield Tuesday afternoon.

The first inning was a prime example of getting big pitches in big spots, as South Plainfield got runners on first and third with two out before Schikschneit got a ground ball to second to end the inning.

In the bottom, Old Bridge pounced. Chris Crosta led off with a single, Brady Meyer followed, and Chin drove in his first two runs with an RBI double down the left field line for a 2-0 lead.

The Tigers got one back in the bottom of the third on a groundout to second by Aiden McCarthy, scoring Dom Massaro to make it 2-1, but Old Bridge made it 3-1 during their turn at bat on a single by Chin.

Then, the Knights broke the game pen in the fourth, when they sent nine men to the plate.

Nick Natale hit a one-out single, Michael Chiarella did the same then Lutomski doubled down the left field line – just like Chin’s – to drive in both runs and make it 5-1 Knights. After a strikeout by Ryan Bannerman, Old Bridge added two more runs with two out. Crosta made it 6-1, scoring Lutomski with a triple, and Meyer knocked him in from third with a sac fly to right, giving Old Bridge a 6-1 lead.

South Plainfield got one back in the fifth on a single by Andrew Bena, who started the game on the mound for the Tigers but was lifted with two on and two out in the bottom of the fourth. But Old Bridge added two more in the bottom of the fifth, on back-t0-back sac flies by Lutomski and Bannerman.

The Tigers added one more in the top of the sixth, when Joe Stanzione scored from third on a 6-4-3 double-play ball hit by Gabe Garcia.

But all through the game, Schikschneit faced some tough situations and got out of them, stranding nine South Plainfield baserunners. Facing first and third with two out in the third he struck out eight-hitter Alex Pigna. And the rest? He made numerous Tiger hitters miss, chasing a wicked breaking ball.

Schikschneit got the win for Old Bridge (5-3 5-3 GMC Red) to improve to 2-1, while Bena took the loss for the Tigers (5-5, 5-4), falling to 1-1.

The win moved the Knights into second in the GMC Red Division by a half game over South Plainfield, tied with Monroe, both at 5-3 in Red play.

Click below for postgame reaction from Erich Schikschneit, Matt Chin and head coach Matt Donaghue, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

As GMC Red beats each other up, Old Bridge and South Plainfield tussle in Friday matchup at Fred Cole Field

With the exception of Edison – which is playing some excellent baseball right now – the entire Red Division in the Greater Middlesex Conference has been beating itself up.

After the first-place Eagles at 7-1, the next five games are no more than one or two games over or under .500 as we near the end of Week Three of the season. And the last two teams over .500 will meet Friday afternoon at Fred Cole Field off Route Nine, as Old Bridge entertains No. 7 South Plainfield.

You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 4 pm, with pregame set for 3:45. Mike Pavlichko has the call, and you can listen by clicking this link.

Old Bridge (4-3) took two losses to start the season to Edison, but is 4-1 since, their lone loss coming to St. Thomas Aquinas last Thursday, 3-2. But they split the series with the Trojans, picking up an 11-10 win in eleven innings last Friday, then won by the same score in East Brunswick on Tuesday in eight.

In fact, all but the Knights’ season opener have been decided by one or two runs, and they are 3-1 in one-run games, 2-1 in extra innings.

South Plainfield (5-4) had won three straight before a 7-5 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday. It’s been a series of streaks for the Tigers, who swept St. Joseph-Metuchen 11-1 and 6-2 to open the season, but they lost their next three: two to first place Edison, with a defeat at the hands of Cranford sandwiched in between.

They then swept Woodbridge and won the opener against St. Thomas at home before dropping Thursday’s matchup in North Edison, 7-5.

And all of that is just about what you expect in the GMC Red Division: quality teams, duking it out, all week long.

Click below to hear preview interviews with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko and both coaches:

South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus
Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue
by Mike Pavlichko

Defending GMC, SCT champs St. Joseph-Metuchen, Immaculata open season at No. 1, No. 2 in Bellamy & Son Paving preseason Top Ten

It’s never easy to predict how any high school team – in any sport – will do from year-to-year, what with graduation losses and unproven talent. The year before can be a guide, but who knows who a new group will respond, or if a new coach will reignite a program that struggled the year prior.

That said, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish, and last year’s teams will mainly get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the preseason Bellamy & Son Paving High School Basketball rankings.

Defending GMC Jim Muldowney Tournament Champion St. Joseph-Metuchen will begin the year at No. 1. Though the Falcons (16-7) lose a ton of pitching – more than 134 out of 161 innings pitched by Joseph Barca, Richard Zangara and Domenic Erbafina – the bats may be able to carry them until second-year veteran skipper Dennis McCaffery sees what his young pitching staff has. The Falcons won the GMCT last year as a five seed, taking all four games in their final at bat, and they never led for a single at bat in the entire run.

Last year’s Somerset County Tournament champion holds in second place, Immaculata. At 17-8, they were also Skyland Conference Delaware Division co-champions with Ridge, and they’ll bring back a good amount of pitching. While they lose Rob Sikorski to graduation, their top two pitchers in terms of innings thrown – Jackson Trego and Ryan Auten, both seniors – return.

Ridge checks in at No. 3. Going 20-7 a year ago, the Red Devils lose ace Aidan Stieglitz but have a good chunk of returnees that should keep the Red Devils right in the thick of things, a year after sharing the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title with Immaculata, and reaching both the Somerset County Tournament and NJSIAA North 2, Group 4 finals.

The only Central Jersey Sports Radio-area team to win a state title last year, Middlesex begins the year at No. 4. The Blue Jays (23-5) were a GMC Tournament final four squad, and beat Midland Park to win the NJSIAA Group 1 title, their first since 2021. They bring back all but ten of their 193 innings pitched last year, led by senior Chris Kozak and junior Dominic Long.

Checking in at No. 5 is Edison, which is overflowing with quality pitching. The GMC Tournament runner-up Eagles (17-11) have four Division 1 commits. Pitchers Robert Roma and Dom Innocenti are set with Wagner, while Connor Muprhy is going to Monmouth.

No. 6 is Colonia, which went 23-5 a season ago, falling to South Plainfield in the North 2, Group 3 sectional title game. While Seton Hall-bound Colin Kroner returns to the mound, starter Cory Pascarella is gone to graduation and now playing at Monmouth, as is Matt Fasulo (.289, 19 RBI) at Rutgers-Newark.

At No. 7 is South Plainfield, which took some big graduation losses, including the middle of the infield (Dan Kapsch at short, Nick Irizarry at second). And of four pitchers for the North 2 Group 3 champion Tigers (18-11) who threw at least 15 innings last year and pitchers Kevin Penny, Aiden McCarthy and Mike Castagna are gone, more than three quarters’ of last season’s innings pitched.

Checking in at eight is Hillsborough. The defending Central Jrsey Group 4 champs were 14-11 last season, but lose a ton, including pitchers James Drinkwater, Brayden Fox (also an outfielder) and Krish Patel, as well as hitters like Andrew Advani and catcher Alex Reiling, among others.

In ninth is Old Bridge. The Knights were 18-11 last year as well, and made the Central Jersey Group 4 finals, falling to Hillsborough. They lose two aces in Justin Hascup and John Smith, with Brady Meyer the most experienced pitcher coming back. The lineup may have fewer question marks, but head coach Matt Donaghue always has a deep roster, it’s just a matter of experience.

And checking in at ten, it’s Woodbridge. the Barrons were 18-8 last year and GMC Red Division champs. They’ll take a hit losing pitcher Ryan Leach to graduation, but Kevin Arroyo returns after throwing 63 1/2 innings a year ago, with a 1.11 ERA and 62 strikeouts.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving 2026 Baseball Preseason Top Ten:

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

It may be early, but there are some big boys’ games in the GMC this weekend

New divisional alignments and no guaranteed seeds in the GMC Tournament may give this year’s event a different look and feel, and while we’ve barely gotten the first week of play in the books in high school basketball for 2025-26, there are some games with big implications this weekend on the boys’ side.

Starting this season, the GMC abandoned the traditional Red, White, Blue, Gold and sometimes Silver Divisions for a National and American Division in the Red White and Blue – still with six divisions – plus mandatory crossovers to help scheduling.

The league also got rid of its longstanding seeding rule that division winners had to get one of the top seeds. When there were four divisions, each winner had to be among the top eight seeds. When the GMC added a Silver Division, it expanded that number, but now, that’s all gone. A Blue American Division winner could end up as the 20th seed if the committee – made of up ADs from each division and two coaches, chosen by the coaches themselves – sees fit.

That aim is to have more games against common league opponents that will make it easier for the committee to weigh each team’s resume. League games and crossovers now take on more importance than ever.

Here are some key games to watch Saturday on the boys’ side in the Greater Middlesex Conference:

No. 7 Sayreville (2-1) at Woodbridge (0-1), 12 pm

The Barrons took a tough 10-point loss to South Plainfield in their opener back on Tuesday, and now face a ticked-off seventh-ranked Bombers squad, which just dropped a five-point game at unranked East Brunswick Thursday night. (More on them later.) Senior Sam Jones has led the way, averaging 23.3 points per game with seven treys, and even his 18 – another 18 from Chidi Chukwurah – were not enough to overcome the Bears in a game that was neck-and-neck throughout.

Sayreville has a lot back coming off a 23-5 season, where they won the GMC White Division (11-1) over South Plainfield and were a GMC Tournament semifinalist as a three-seed, where they lost 73-62 to second-seed Piscataway.

Woodbridge would like to get in the win column, and a win over Sayreville could be a signature win in their pocket later on down the line, what the committee calls a “quality win,” against a team already “on the board,” or already “seeded.”

No. 5 Colonia (2-1) at No. 6 St. Joseph-Metuchen (1-0), 1 pm

The Patriots have won two straight GMC games after a season-opening 62-35 loss to St. Peter’s Prep in the NJBCA Tip-Off Classic at Montgomery last Saturday. They beat St. Thomas Aquinas on the road by ten Tuesday, 59-49, then topped Old Bridge 71-60 on Thursday night.

The Knights gave the Patriots a run for their money, jumping out to a 15-7 lead after one quarter, but Colonia stormed back with a 25-14 second period to take a 32-29 lead at the half. And, they trailed again 50-44 after three before rallying to win in the fourth. Sophomore Jayce Rodriguez – who’ll be called upon to do a lot more with the transfer loss of two-time GMCT MVP Aiden Derkack and early departure of R.J. Wortman to play football at Rutgers (he’s a January early enrolee) – scored a career high 32 points, including four treys.

Rodriguez, the son of head coach Jose Rodriguez, hadn’t scored more than 20 coming into this year, but had 26 in his last game, and is now averaging 25 points per game with 10 triples.

The jury is still out on the Falcons. While new (old) coach Mark Taylor has assembled an impressive group that expects to challenge for the Red American Division and a GMC Tournament title, they’ve gotten in just one GMC game, an 89-70 win at Old Bridge Tuesday in which the Knights led 19-18 after one quarter and trailed by just five heading into the final eight minutes.

Rutgers Prep junior Andrew Kretkowski scored 28 in the game, while Alijah Murphy added 21. For the Falcons, it’s probably not a matter of if, but when they officially turn the corner. One win does not a season make, but they certainly have the talent on paper. This is their first early test, and it comes against a Colonia team that took significant losses, but could also still compete for a title.

Old Bridge (1-2) at No. 4 Piscataway (3-0), 1 pm

Back to the Knights, they have dropped two straight since a 67-41 season-opening win over Eagle Academy. But, as mentioned above, they gave St. Joe’s a ride on Tuesday, and did the same against Colonia Thursday night. They jumped out to a 15-7 lead, then were down 32-29 at half. before taking a six-point lead into the fourth quarter that they couldn’t hold on to.

So, yes, Old Bridge has given two of the top teams in the GMC a ride in the first week of the season, and they’ll be hoping the third time’s the charm as they get 2025 GMC Tournament finalist Piscataway in the second of back-to-back Red American Division road games.

As for the Chiefs, they’re playing very well. They’re playing good defense and scoring an average of 86.7 points per game through their first three. Balanced scoring has been the name of the game, between Isaiah Fowler (53 points), Donald Nwaigwe (45) and Josh Lima (43). But the Knights have given teams runs, and the last thing you want to do is let an upset-minded team have some confidence. This one’s a mind game, and the Chiefs would do well to come out strong in this one, even on their (brand-new) home court.

South Plainfield (2-0) at East Brunswick (3-0), 6 pm

An early battle of unbeatens always proves to be fun, and this should live up to it. While the Bears have played an extra game, both have played a pair against the GMC; East Brunswick has wins over Monroe by 28 and Sayreville by five, while the Tigers have an 11-point win at Woodbridge, and a 38-point win over Monroe.

South Plainfield has been led by Andrew Bena, a sophomore scoring 23.5 points per game, while junior Boresa Jawula is averaging 13.5 and junior Justin Vaca is at 10.5 points per game. For EB, it’s senior Matt Mikulka scoring 20.3 points per game to lead the team, along with eight triples, by far the team leader so far.

East Brunswick is off to its first 3-0 start since they won their first four of the 2015-2016 season, when they went 18-9 and reached the GMC Tournament semifinals. They won four straight to start the prior season as well, but the last time they were 5-0? Well, that was an epic season.

That was 2012-13, when they upset St. Joseph in the debut of a future NBA star – maybe you’ve heard of him – named Karl-Anthony Towns in the season-opener in Metuchen. They won their first 15 games that year – including a sold-out rematch against the Falcons at home – until losing to St. Anthony in a one-off non-conference game in late January.

The Bears would reach the GMC Finals that year, and lose an epic to Joe’s, 66-63, in double overtime at Rutgers before winning the Central Jersey Group 4 title, and losing 51-49 in the state semis to Atlantic City.

by Mike Pavlichko

Proving it was no hype, just reality, Brody Nugent of Old Bridge delivers for Knights, wins CJSR Offensive Player of the Year Award

Before the season even started, before Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan, the ex-East Brunswick coach raved about Brody Nugent. He was a big fan, and predicted big things from the Old Bridge senior.

He delivered on every one of them.

Historic high school football stats are hard to come by in New Jersey. Around 2010 is the last year one can find somewhat reliable stats publicly available. And in all that time, it appears no one has done what Brody Nugent did this year.

That’s not counting the intangibles, of course: leadership, grit, toughness.

But numbers-wise? No Middlesex County quarterback has thrown for over 2,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 in the same season. There have been some really good ones, but typically they are either big passers or big runners. But not both.

Nugent certainly is both. In the passing game, he went for 2,276 yards and 19 touchdowns. On the ground, he ran for 1,262 yards and 20 more touchdowns.

That makes him responsible for 3,538 yards and 39 touchdowns leading an offense that helped take the Knights to the precipice, where they fell to eventual Group 5 champion Washington Twp. in the “Central Jersey” Group 5 title game.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel with Old Bridge QB Brody Nugent, the 2025 Central Jersey Sports Radio Offensive Player of the Year:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Dylan Chiera, Colonia: One of three Middlesex County quarterbacks to pass for over 2,000 yards this season, the senior led the Big Central with 2,436 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, helping the Patriots reach the North 2, Group 4 semifinals, where they fell to eventual champion Phillipsburg.
  • Jack Kristjanson, Montgomery: One of the senior captains on a team that made history, qualifying for its first-ever sectional finals a year after going just 1-9. “Confident and calm under pressure,” says first-year head coach Sean Carty, Kristjanson threw for 1,846 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.
  • Devin Thomas, Plainfield: One of four Big Central QBs to throw for 2,000-plus yards this year, it was even more impressive since he hadn’t played football since his freshman year at St. Thomas Aquinas. A member of the state Group 4 champion Cardinals’ basketball team last season, Thomas came back in the fall and threw for 2,214 yards and 29 TDs, while also rushing for 474 yards and five more scores.
  • Andrew Avent, Rahway: The CJSR Three-Way Player of the Year literally does it all for Rahway. But at runningback was where he did his best work in four years as a varsity starter. He finished with over 4,000 career yards and 77 touchdowns, getting 1,961 this season. He holds the career and single-season rushing and scoring records, and is – in a word – dominant.
  • Shaun Jackson, Sayreville: The senior runningback carried for 1,977 yards this season and 30 total touchdowns, while also logging 342 receiving yards. He was a big reason the Bombers improved from 4-6 last season to 9-2 this year, their only two losses coming to two sectional finalists: Montgomery in the regular season, and Old Bridge in the CJ5 semifinals.
  • Justin Scaramuzzo, St. Joseph-Metuchen: The senior ran the offense with aplomb, throwing for 1,212 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just one interception. The numbers aren’t flashy, but mistakes were rare, indeed, especially in a tight 0-0 game at the half in October that wound up being a 21-0 win over Phillipsburg in Metuchen, the Stateliners’ only regular season loss before the playoffs. Scaramuzzo also carried the ball 100 times for 580 yards and 12 more touchdowns.
  • Zymere Weaver, St. Thomas Aquinas: He also threw for over 2,000 yards this year, going for 2,236 and 24 touchdowns through the air, while also rushing for five scores.
  • Joshua Allen, Woodbridge: The senior runningback finished two carries shy of 200 and ran for 1,549 yards – 7.9 per carry – and 20 touchdowns, with a long run of 89 that was nominated for Big Central Highlight Reel Play of the Year.

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Group 5 Final Preview: Old Bridge Knights vs. Washington Twp. Minutemen

Central Jersey Group 5 Final
When: Friday, 6 pm
Where: Tom Brown Field, Sewell, NJ
Matchup: #3 Old Bridge (10-1) at #1 Washington Twp. (11-0)
Weather: 46 degrees at kickoff, clear skies, winds WNW 6MPH (cross-wind)

HEAD COACHES:

Old Bridge: Matt Donaghue (4th season, 25-16)
Washington Twp: Mike Schatzman (3rd season, 49-30)

Higgins Speed Lab logo in bold black font.

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Old Bridge:
First Round: def. #6 Freehold Twp., 38-31
Semifinals: def. #2 Sayreville, 28-27

Washington Twp:
First Round: def. #8 Howell, 41-0
Semifinals: def. #4 Rancocas Valley, 44-26

Who’s next? The winner of this game will play the South Jersey Group 5 winner in the Group 5 semifinals. That title game features top-seed Atlantic City (9-1) hosting third-seed Kingsway (9-2) Friday night at 6:00. Should Old Bridge win, the Knights – fourth overall in the South Group 5 supersection – would either play at Atlantic City (the overall two-seed) or host Kingsway next Friday at Lombardi Field. The Dragons were seventh overall in South 5.

SERIES HISTORY:

This will be the first meeting between Old Bridge and Washington Township. They have no common opponents, but each has played a team from the other league. The Minutemen beat Hillsborough 43-12 in the Battle at the Beach down at Rowan University in Week Zero, while Old Bridge beat Cedar Creek out of the West Jersey Football League in the same showcase the next day, 21-7. Cedar Creek and Washington Twp. did not play each other.

OLD BRIDGE PREVIEW:

FINALS HISTORY:

Old Bridge:

The Knights already have set a program record for wins, but remember, that’s only since the 1994 merger of Madison Central and Cedar Ridge, so we’re “only” talking about 30 years of history here. Be that as it may, this could very well be the best team Old Bridge has had in that time frame, just on record alone.

This will be just their third time in a sectional final, and the Knights are seeking their first trophy since the merger. For the record, of the two township high schools that formed Old Bridge, Madison Central won two titles – in 1987 and 1988 – after falling in their first appearance in 1980. Cedar Ridge never appeared in a sectional final.

Playoff Berths: 17
Playoff Record: 11-16
Previous Finals Berths: 2
Sectional Titles: none

Central Jersey Group 4
2001: #1 JP Stevens def. #6 Old Bridge 14-7 at Rutgers
2015: #1 South Brunswick def. #3 Old Bridge, 42-0 at Rutgers

Washington Twp:

The defending sectional champion Minutemen were 10-3 last season, falling in the CJ5 final to Toms River North. But this year, they’ve taken it to new heights. Their first playoff appearance came in 1982, 12 years after the playoffs era began in 1974.

When Washington Twp. is the No. 1 seed in their section, they are 3-0 in the finals. They’re 1-6 otherwise.

Playoff Berths: 30
Playoff Record: 25-26
Previous Finals Berths: 10
Sectional Titles: 4

South Jersey Group 4
1987: #4 Washington Twp. def. #2 Toms River South, 34-19
1989: #4 Brick Twp. def. #3 Washington Twp., 13-12
1992: #1 Washington Twp. def. #3 Brick Twp., 20-6
1993: #1 Cherokee def. #2 Washington Twp., 16-6
1995: #1 Washington Twp. def. #2 Shawnee, 19-6
2002: #5 Shawnee def. #2 Washington Twp., 14-10
2003: #8 Eastern def. #6 Washington Twp., 14-7
2004: #1 Shawnee def. #6 Washington Twp., 26-13
South Jersey Group 5
2023: #1 Toms River North def. #2 Washington Twp., 49-14
2024: #1 Washington Twp. def. #2 Atlantic City, 27-6

2025 OLD BRIDGE COVERAGE:

Two individuals celebrating on a football field, one holding a trophy and the other a championship belt, both wearing Old Bridge uniforms.
Old Bridge senior QB Brody Nugent holds the MVP belt, and gets the “Hat’s Off” honor from South Jersey sportswriter Mark Trible after a three-touchdown performance in a 21-7 win over Cedar Creek in the Battle at the Beach at Rowan University in Glassboro on August 30, 20205. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

NEWS & NOTES:

Nugent is a true dual threat…

Old Bridge quarterback Brody Nugent has put up big numbers this year. And while it’s been a big year for passing quarterbacks in the Big Central – with Nugent, Dylan Chiera of Colonia, Devin Thomas of Plainfield and Zymere Weaver all tossing for over 2,000 yards this season – Nugent is the only one who has also run it for over 1,000 yards, and none of the others even come close.

Chiera leads the BCC in passing and is fifth in the state at 2,436 yards, along with 24 touchdowns. Weaver is next with 2,236, while Thomas checks in at 2,214 and Nugent at 2,118. And he’s still got at least one more game to go.

But the kicker is he’s rushed for 1,239 yards, making him responsible for 3,457 yards of total offense.

Chiera has rushed for 112 yards, Weaver for 290 and Thomas for 482, a little more than a third of Nugent’s total.

And historically, few Middlesex County quarterbacks have thrown for 2,000 yards in a season. In fact, the four BCC signal callers who’ve done it this year is a record. Only two have done it in the prior five seasons of Big Central play, both in 2021: Jay Mazuera of Hillsborough (2,040, 23 TD) and Patrick LePoidevin of Bound Brook (2,116, 24 TD).

As far as we could tell, with records going back to around 2011 publicly available online, no other Middlesex County QB has eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark. Even Art Sitkowski of OId Bridge, who went on to play Division 1 college football at Rutgers and Illinois, never even topped 1,500 yards passing in either of his two varsity seasons.

As for Washington Twp. QB Cole Aquino – he’s thrown for 1,281 yards and 19 touchdowns, but has only carried for 88 yards and three scores.

First to Get Two?

Should Old Bridge win the sectional title, head coach Matt Donaghue would be the first coach in the Big Central’s admittedly short six-year history to win a title as the head coach of two different sports at the same school.

The Knights were Central Jersey Group 4 champions in baseball in 2023, beating North Brunswick 2-1 for the title. They then beat Eastern in the Group 4 semifinals, then fell 4-0 to Ridgewood in the state Group 4 championship.

Hillsborough’s Kevin Carty Jr. and Cranford’s Erik Rosenmeier won sectional titles at their schools in 2021, the first Big Central teams to do so. Neither coaches another sport. Same for Edison’s Matt Yascko in 2022, and North Hunterdon’s Kevin Kley, who’s no longer there.

Bernards was the only BCC team to claim a title in 2023, and Jon Simoneau is only the head coach for football. Last year it was Somerville and Phillipsburg claiming titles, but neither Matt Bloom nor Frank Duffy coach another sport.

Although…

Completely unrelated to Old Bridge, but a fun fact nonetheless, the two coaches named “Matt Bloom” in Somerset County have both won NJSIAA sectional titles in different sports.

We just mentioned Somerville in 2024, but the other – and there’s no relation – is Matt Bloom, the boys’ basketball coach at Rutgers Prep. He and the Argonauts won the Non-Public South A title against Red Bank Catholic in 2022.