Tag: Perth Amboy

September 4, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 1

Opening Week is behind us, it’s Week One where everyone gets into the act in high school football, and it’s time to talk about it with Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including a big win for Old Bridge down at the Battle of the Beach over Cedar Creek, Arique Fleming’s masterful performance for Elizabeth in a rivalry game win over Linden, and then peek ahead to this week’s games, including those Coach Borden will see: Somerville at Cranford on Friday night, and Bernards at Hillside on Saturday.

Also on the show, we discuss other key games in the BCC, Montgomery adding longtime founding coach Zoran Milich’s name to Cougar Stadium, and our new feature, the “Speedster of the Week” presented by Higgins Speed Lab, with the Week 0 winner being Summit’s Alex Schwark.

Click below to listen to the Week One edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”:

August 20, 2025August 17, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: Liberty Gold Division

Even with two new head coaches, the Liberty Gold Division in the Big Central Conference could see another really competitive year in 2025.

Last year’s division champ Woodbridge loses some key parts, including the Derek-Bryan Anderson twin tandem, but second-year veteran mentor Joe Goerge has shown he can adapt over the years, and we may even see more of the option from the Barrons this year as well.

There are new coaches at Plainfield and Linden, with the Cardinals opting for alum and NFL veteran Donald Jones. Coming off a 6-4 year in which they also beat arch-rival Westfield in their Thanksgiving Day game, Plainfield hopes to be even better this year, while Linden went with veteran coach Mark Ciccotelli to replace Al Chiola, who stepped down and will spend some time watching his son play at Colonia this year.

Speaking of the Patriots, they have key parts like Dylan Chiera and Julien Jones back, both of whom have been on the basketball team, which won the GMC Tournament and the North 2, Group 3 championship last year, the second of which was their fourth straight title, so they know more than a little about winning.

And then there’s Perth Amboy, which has a brand-new high school and new administration to support their push to make a move up in the Liberty Gold Division.

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

August 17, 2025August 23, 2025 by Marcus Borden

Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan 2025: Week 1 Notebook

Week One (August 11-16) of the Caravan was hot and humid with the temperatures up significantly after last week’s fall-like high 70’s or low 80’s depending where you were!

Monday morning, I kicked off the 2025 preseason at Perth Amboy’s Waters Stadium, which is about a mile from the new High School located at 931 Convery Boulevard.

The message was clear from the leadership, we have a new high school and a new attitude.

Junior quarterback Amaris Peguero took it upon himself to run summer captains practice in Albert G. Waters Stadium. He emphasized the importance of turning the page on last season and the need to be positive no matter what the situation.

Camp Caravan – Week 1

Fellow captains junior Ricardo Henriquez as well as seniors Tyler Pedrosa and Cesar Marquez made sure to let everyone know the Panthers plan to take each week to prove themselves by being prepared, confident and having each others back throughout the season.

You can interpret their drive or purpose as ganas in Spanish, which they will have on full display when they kick off the season August 29 at home versus J.F. Kennedy.

Tuesday’s stop at Montgomery High School ironically started with me meeting Eric Legrand’s nephew Xavier Harrington, a junior wide receiver and defensive back. I had no idea that he was a member of the Cougars football team.

The Cougars entered the stadium and began practice with an offensive walk through of plays and formations. Each player wore a jersey that quickly identified their status in the program: white was worn by the freshmen, green by sophomores and juniors, gold for the seniors and black for the captains.

Yes, there were quarterbacks in red except returning captain and senior Jack Kristjanson, who wore black. I recommended he wear a red undershirt or red Guardian cap as to remind the defense it’s hands off during practice or scrimmages.

First year head coach Sean Carty had the practice well-scripted and on the clock as the scoreboard was used to indicate when the periods ended. This is only the 3rd school I have seen do this while on the road for Camp Caravan. Delaware Valley and Old Bridge have had similar success over the years.

Montgomery is poised to rebound after last year’s disappointing season with a solid group of talented seniors led by Mike Bellamy, Trey McFadden, Dragomir Georgiev, Brian Gambia and Aidan Mireider who will join Kristjanson as they prepare for their opener at Hopewell Valley.

*Old Bridge senior QB Brody Nugent. (Photo: Marcus Borden)*

Wednesday’s 6:30 a.m. practice at Bob DeMarco Stadium in Old Bridge saw about 90 players in half-pads with the offense in black and defense in purple.

Matt Donoghue began his fourth campaign as head football coach on his birthday with the most talented team the Knights have had in some time. Old Bridge was 7-4 in 2024, having lost four games by a combined 10 points which included a playoff contest against Cherokee.

With dual-threat senior quarterback Brody Nugent at the helm, the Knights looked impressive in just their third preseason practice. They have size on the line and skill players who can take it to the house if you pay too much attention to their Houdini-like signal caller.

The focus of this group is to return to the playoffs with the goal of earning the right to play for a championship. With that being said, don’t be surprised to see Nugent in a variety of positions on offense and defense.

Senior captains Jayden Endaz, Tommy Kasoff and Justin Valinotti prefer to let their shoulder pads do the talking on defense as they prepare to open up the season at Rowan University on Saturday August 30 at 3:00 pm against a talented Cedar Creek team in the Battle at the Beach.

*St. Thomas Aquinas senior TE/LB Anwar Witherspoon. (Photo: Marcus Borden)*

Thursday the Trojans of St. Thomas Aquinas were on the field at 9 a.m. following a team meeting prior to practice. First year head coach Shamir Bearfield used a small white megaphone to be sure his players heard him over the music playing on the grass field behind the stadium fencing.

There was plenty of energy as the players moved quickly between drills and scripted periods which covered every phase of the game.

Linebacker Anwar Whitherspoon Jr., a University of Buffalo commit, showed why he is one of the state’s top defenders while only being in half pads. His vocal leadership was evident as he encouraged his teammates to give the maximum effort.

Senior Channon Johnson, a stalwart on the offensive and defensive line was equally impressive as he and his fellow linemen will look to protect sophomore quarterback Zymere Weaver who has proven to be an accurate passer in some big games last year.

St. Thomas Aquinas has not shied away from the competition as they will travel to Montclair, host Catholic Memorial (MA) and Paramus Catholic while finishing the season at Pope John in Sparta.

The Trojans 31-game winning streak against Big Central Conference opponents may have its most serious threat on September 26 when they host a pretty talented team, the Elizabeth Minutemen.

*Hunterdon Central QB Drew Cella takes a snap during preseason camp in Flemington on August 15, 2025. (Photo: Marcus Borden)*

Friday’s 8 a.m. start at Hunterdon Central was a bit more humid with a slight breeze in Stewart Field, the Home of the Red Devils.

I was greeted by former head coach, Jim Meert, who is the offensive line coach for Casey Ransone, who is entering his ninth season as the team’s mentor.

Expectations are high for this year’s senior class led by returning quarterback Drew Cella who is confident that when he gets the ball into the hands of fellow senior James Mongno, goods things are going to happen. This was clearly on display during the team’s second day in full pads.

The Red Devils mixed it up with positional drill work, a tackling circuit, no huddle skeleton pass period with the plays signaled from the sidelines as well as some well-choreographed offensive and defensive scripted play sequences.

Junior Jayden Cozze was impressive as a defender during the defense’s Skelton Pass session and in the full team scout offense versus the first team defense. Seniors Kasey Kingsley, Nick Vasquez and Mike White all bring experience and leadership to a team that opens their season at rival North Hunterdon in the Battle of Route 31.

The real hitting begins for Hunterdon Central on Monday August 18 as they will travel to South Brunswick for a tri-scrimmage at 10 am. This will be their wake-up call and a chance to see where they stack up against the competition.

*The 2025 Bernards football coaching staff. (Photo: Marcus Borden)*

The final stop of the Week 1 BCC Camp Caravan Tour was Saturday morning at Bernards as the Mountaineers hosted a Red and White intrasquad scrimmage and media day.

The return of a veteran senior class with the physical Thomas Diemar at linebacker who registered 18.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and Logan Stevens at running back who amassed nearly 900 yards and 12 touchdowns as a runner and receiver, along with center James Renz, tackle Justin Simpson and guard Finn Osborne has head coach Jon Simoneau looking forward to the upcoming season.

Of course when you add in junior returning quarterback Nolan Walsh’s nearly two thousand yards passing and 18 tosses for scores along with classmate Patrick Carlisle who relishes running you over, the Bernards offense looks to pick up where it left off as it takes on Cranford in a Week 0 contest.

While many pundits might have been surprised by the Mountaineers 12-1 record last season, don’t be fooled by the fact that this small Group 2 school has averaged a 7-3 record over the 18 seasons Jon Simoneau has been in charge of the program. They expect to win and will put in the work to get it done.

Borden’s Camp Caravan Week 2 Scrimmage Schedule is as follows:

August 11, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s 2025 Camp Caravan: Perth Amboy looks to continue improvement

Preseason practice for the 2025 high school football season opened Monday across New Jersey, and Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden has kicked off his 2025 Camp Caravan – visiting more than a dozen Big Central Conference schools – with a trip to Perth Amboy.

Watch Borden’s full coverage below, including clips from camp, and interviews with head coach William Clark, along with seniors Cesar Marquez (OL/DL) and Tyler Pedrosa (OL/DL), and juniors Amaris Peguero (QB) and Ricardo Henriquez (RB-LB).

Click below to watch Marcus Borden’s Camp Caravan visit to Perth Amboy!

June 27, 2025July 3, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Defending Liberty Gold champion Woodbridge may face biggest test while Colonia returns a ton to challenge Barrons

The Woodbridge football team was the class of the Big Central’s Liberty Gold Division in 2024, running the table with a perfect 9-0 record in the regular season. But with some key losses, could the door be open for the rest of the division to make a move?

Plainfield (Donald) and Linden (Mark Ciccotelli) will have new head coaches, while Colonia has always been a consistent performer and will have a veteran team, so there’s no shortage of squads looking to make a move, and they’re more than capable. Then there’s Perth Amboy, whose new Athletic Director, John Fiore, starts July first and has promised to “put a fence around Perth Amboy” and keep talented kids home.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Liberty 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 (*).

Colonia Patriots (4-6, 2-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Tom Roarty (75-47, 13th season)

Week 0: Sayreville
Week 1: North Hunterdon
Week 2: Linden* (6p)
Week 3: at Woodbridge* (6p)
Week 4: Perth Amboy* (6p)
Week 5: Edison
Week 6: at Plainfield (6p)
Week 7: Cranford
Week 8: at Old Bridge (6p)

The Patriots could be poised for a big year. Quarterback Dylan Chiera returns for his senior year, after throwing for 1,835 yards and 19 TD a year ago. Their only two rushers to graduate accounted for just 24 of 1,254 rushing yards, and while they lose top receiver Nygel Hill (708 yards, 5 TD) they bring back over 1,000 yards there as well. Defensively, it’s much of the same story, with guys like Jones (3 sacks, 13 TFL, 1 INT for TD), Harsimran Mann (3 sacks, 7 TFLS, and Jaylen McCrae (team-leading 4 INTs) back. Even on special teams, top return man Kyle Bell, who had 15 kick returns for 359 yards and a 91-yarder for a TD last year as a sophomore, is back. Yes, this could be a big year for Colonia.

Linden Tigers (4-6, 1-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach (Mark Ciccotelli, 1st season)

Week 0: Elizabeth
Week 1: at Sayreville
Week 2: at Colonia* (6p)
Week 3: Watchung Hills
Week 4: Woodbridge*
Week 5: at Montgomery
Week 6: Perth Amboy*
Week 7: at Carteret
Week 8: Plainfield*

It’s a changing of the guard at Linden, where Al Chiola retired, and will spend some time watching his son Tyler, a senior WR/DB, in what we mentioned could be a huge year for Colonia. Getting out of the blocks hot is the goal for the Tigers under first-year head coach Mark Ciccotelli, after a 1-4 start last season, and having a new coach can sometimes make that work, as there’s little game film to work off of in the very beginning. But Ciccotelli will have some work to do, replacing a senior dual-threat quarterback in Tyrone Hinton, as well as three of their top receivers. There are some key defensive standouts expected back, like senior Daryl Agyei (4 sacks, 8 TFLs) and junior Joe Boyd (1 sack, TFL and INT).

Perth Amboy Panthers (1-9, 0-4, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: William Clark (11-43, 7th season)

Week 0: JFK (6p)
Week 1: Carteret (6p)
Week 2: at Rahway (Thurs, 6p)
Week 3: Plainfield* (6p)
Week 4: Colonia (6p)
Week 5: at Woodbridge* (6p)
Week 6: at Linden*
Week 7: Scotch Plains-Fanwood (6p)
Week 8: at Johnson

The season opened on a high note for the Panthers last year, beating JFK 27-9. But that wound up being their highest offensive output of a season in which they never won again, finishing 1-9 in 2024. And they graduate dual-threat senior QB Laivon Balthazar (1,447 pass yards, 12 TD, 415 rush yards, 4 TD) as well as Brandon Bradsher, with his 1,055 receiving yards. It’s a similar story on defense for William Clark’s squad. And though the impact may not be immediate, if new AD John Fiore can help keep kids home, Clark’s program could get a boost in the next year or two.

Plainfield Cardinals (6-4, 3-1, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Donald Jones (1st season)

Week 0: Westfield (Thurs)
Week 1: New Brunswick (6p)
Week 2: at Wodobridge (6p)
Week 3: at Perth Amboy (6p)
Week 4: at Haverford School (PA) (Sat, 2p)
Week 5: Franklin (6p)
Week 6: Colonia* (6p)
Week 7: at Somerville (6:30p)
Week 8: at Linden

With James Williams out, and former NFL player and Cardinal alum Donald Jones taking the reins of a resurgent program. Williams took a program that hadn’t won five games since it won six in a 6-4 campaign in 2005 and went 5-5 in 2021, his first season, and even better, won five of its last seven games after an 0-3 start. They never won fewer than five games under his tutelage, and last year, beat Westfield on Thanksgiving, in the rain, 14-9, their first win in the longstanding rivalry in 13 years. Quarterback Kamai Lowery threw for 1,026 yards and nine TDs last season as a junior, but top runningback E.J. Brown – and his 1,008 yards and 12 touchdowns – are lost to graduation. The receiving core will get hit hard with the loss of Brown, Joel Cordoba and Ala-Meen Watkins. Defensively, they’ll miss Watkins (4.5 sacks, 5 TFLs, 2 blocked kicks, 1 FR) and Cordoba (2 sacks, 4 TFLs, 4 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries, 2 INT, 1 for a TD).

One side note: Another Thanksgiving game bites the dust, though the rivalry will remain alive, as Plainfield and Westfield will square off on Week Zero, which has become the default old Turkey Day rivalry meeting for many schools since the expansion of the state football playoffs.

Woodbridge Barrons (10-1, 4-0, Liberty Gold champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Joe Goerge (10-1, 2nd season)

Week 0: Union (Thurs, 6 p)
Week 1: Watchung Hills
Week 2: Plainfield* (6p)
Week 3: Colonia* (6p)
Week 4: at Linden*
Week 5: Perth Amboy (6p)
Week 6: at Montgomery
Week 7: Summit (6p)
Week 8: at St. Joseph-Metuchen (Sat, 1p)

Joe Goerge walked into a great situation last year, with a senior laden team led by the Anderson twins, with Derek the QB (1,470 pass yards, 19 TD) and Bryan the receiver (50 catches, 857 yards, 11 TDs, plus 203 rush yards, 1 TD) both gone to graduation. So it top rusher Jahmir Beal (596 yards, 11 TD). The defense was very senior-heavy, too. But all-in-all, after a year in the Goerge system, which blended his option with the passing game Woodbridge had before his arrival, there’s plenty of talent in the program, it’s just a matter of identifying it and putting the pieces in the right spot. A successful year for the Barrons will be one of the more challenging, and potentially rewarding seasons, for Goerge if they can make it happen.

June 17, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Promising to “put a fence around Perth Amboy,” John Fiore takes Panthers’ AD job

In his years as a head coach, John Fiore has worked in some very diverse communities, including the place where he had his biggest success, up at Montclair.

With student-athletes from “every socio-economic background on the spectrum” in terms of culture and diversity, Fiore had a 93-31 record with the Mounties over ten seasons from 2010 through 2019, winning four NJSIAA sectional titles in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017, going undefeated three times in 2012, 2013 and 2017.

Now, after a brief stint at Elizabeth, Fiore is taking over as the new Athletic Director at Perth Amboy High School, taking over for Ken Mullen.

It’s an exciting time in the Bay City, with the brand-new, $283 million, 590,000 square foot high school just a year old, replacing the Eagle Avenue building that opened in 1971.

Fiore will officially start July 1, and has been meeting people around the school lately – trainers, coaches, student-athletes – and says the students are all “hard-working, great, respectful kids.” And he’s looking to keep kids in Perth Amboy, rather than going to other schools, whether public, charters or non-public, aiming to show they can have success not only in a Panther uniform, but also at the new high school.

Football – Fiore’s area of expertise – hasn’t had a winning season since Perth Amboy went 6-4 in 2011 under Mike Giordano, capping it with a fourth straight Thanksgiving win against arch-rival Carteret.

Perth Amboy’s boys’ volleyball team had the most success in wins and losses this school year, going 12-4 and winning the GMC Blue Division with an 8-0 record. Softball also went 13-10 and won the GMC Blue with an 11-1 mark,

Boys’ basketball went 15-12, while the girls were 6-17, and the baseball team went 8-12 in 2025.

Click below to hear new Perth Amboy Athletic Director John Fiore talk about his new job with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

May 10, 2025May 10, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Mostly routs as all higher seeds win in GMC Muldowney Championship play-ins; First Round tourney matchups set for Monday

The full first round of the Greater Middlesex Conference Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament is set, as South River, Perth Amboy, North Plainfield, and Metuchen moved on with play-in round wins on Saturday afternoon.

Monday’s first round will feature all 16 remaining teams, with the winners moving on to Wednesday’s Quarterfinals at North Brunswick Community Park, where Central Jersey Sports Radio will have full coverage including play-by-play of two of those games.

(16) South River 13, (17) South Brunswick 1 (5 inn.)

Julius Rosado got the nod and went the distance, allowing just one hit and striking out eleven en route to a ten-run rule, five-inning win. Rosado also was two-for-three with two RBIs as the Rams worked out eleven walks against Viking pitchers. All but one South River batter scored a run in the game and four scored twice in two big innings; the Rams got seven across in the second and four in the sixth after South Brunswick got its only run in the top of the inning.

South River (13-5) now has won five straight and moves on to play at top-seed and Red Division champion Woodbridge Monday afternoon at 4:15. South Brunswick falls to 3-16.

(13) Metuchen 13, (20) South Amboy 0 (5 inn.)

The Bulldogs scored in all four innings in which they hit in a mercy rule-shortened game, getting one in the first and exploding for an eight-spot in the second before plating two more runs each in the third and fourth en route to the shutout. Junior Lucas Malamung went the distance in the win, scattering five hits and striking out six. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate, knocking in three runs, including a two-run single in the big second inning.

South Amboy fall to 5-12. Metuchen (14-6) snaps a three-game skid with the win, and moves on to visit four-seed East Brunswick Monday at 4:15 pm.

(14) North Plainfield 2, (19) JFK 0

The Canucks scrambled for one run apiece in the third and sixth innings to claw out a home win over the Mustangs at Krausche Field. Tommy Zotollo drove in the first run with a two-out double, scoring Victor Ceda, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. The insurance run came in the sixth on an Iam Lameira double, scoring Zotollo. Meanwhile, starter Bennie Sokolowski went the distance, allowing just three hits in seven innings of work, striking out 12 in a whitewash of the Mustangs, who fall to 9-9.

North Plainfield (12-5) moves on to play at third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas in North Edison Monday at 4:00 Monday afternoon.

(15) Perth Amboy 10, (18) Carteret 0

The Panthers blew up for five runs in the second, for more in the fourth, and one more to walk it off in the sixth with a ten-run rule win over the Ramblers. Chris Rodriguez, Yendy Tomas each knocked in two runs for Perth Amboy, with Rodriguez going 4-for-4. Justin Foy threw six solid innings, needing only 78 pitches to get the win, striking out nine while walking none.

Carteret drops to 8-9 on the season. Perth Amboy (5-1) will visit second-seed South Plainfield Monday afternoon a 4:00.

Here’s the full schedule of First Round games Monday in the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament:

(16) South River at (1) Woodbridge, 4:15
(9) Monroe at (8) Spotswood, 4:00
(12) Sayreville at (5) St. Joseph-Metuchen, 4:00
(13) Metuchen at (4) East Brunswick, 4:15
(14) North Plainfield at (3) St. Thomas Aquinas, 4:00
(11) Edison at (6) Old Bridge, 4:00
(10) Middlesex at (7) Colonia, 4:00
(15) Perth Amboy at (2) South Plainfield, 4:00

May 9, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

GMC Jim Muldowney Tournament Play-In Round Preview: Four games on tap Saturday

With the Greater Middlesex Conference seeding the Jim Muldowney Championship and Ray Cipperly Invitational on Friday – with Woodbridge getting the overall top seed – the Championship tourney will get underway Saturday with the play-in round, while the Invitational will kick off on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the four Saturday games in the Championship bracket, including a look ahead to who’s next. Scroll to the end for the first round Invitational matchups.

(17) South Brunswick (3-15) at (16) South River (12-5), 12 pm: This is the type of game that’s impossible to pick, a double-digit team from the Blue Division against a Red Division team with just three overall wins, and one in its own division. The Red has been competitive just about from top-to-bottom, with six of the eight teams cracking the ten-win mark, and besides South Brunswick, Monroe has eight victories. So, it’s tough to tell. Couple that with the fact that the Rams have one of the top pitchers in the league in Julius Rosado, who will be playing not far away at Rutgers next Spring. Does Mike Lepore throw him Saturday, since you have to win that game to advance? Does he save him for Monday’s first round against top-seed and GMC Red champion Woodbridge – in which he would give the South River a fighting chance – but risk not getting a win Saturday, leaving him on the table? Or does he start him, cap him at 50 pitches, allowing him to only take one-day rest, leaving him with 90 against the Barrons? Rosado has only thrown 90 or more pitches once this year, in a 4-3 win over JP Stevens on April 23rd, and he hasn’t thrown more than 25 in four appearances since. Maybe this is what they’ve been saving him for? The Vikings have struggled at the plate, hitting just .227 on the season, and only Timothy Christian (21) has scored fewer runs that South Brunswick, which has 49, as does North Brunswick (2-13). The winner travels to face the Barrons Monday.

(19) JFK (9-8) at (14) North Plainfield (10-5), 12 pm: Here’s two teams more on a par with each other in an all-Blue Division matchup. And this one could be a toss-up. Kennedy gotten some good pitching, but little run support. The workloads have gone to junior Myles Ulaky (1.83 ERA) and Grant Lorentzen, who has allowed just one earned run, four overall, all season in 36 1/3 innings pitched for a barely-noticeable 0.19 ERA. North Plainfield is on its first losing streak of the year – just two games – showing how solid a season they’ve had. The Canucks have gotten decent pitching – with a team ERA of just 2.23 – but they’re hitting just .204 on the year, with no single player batting better than .300 on the season. The winner goes to GMC White champ and third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas Monday.

(18) Carteret (8-8) at (15) Perth Amboy (4-10), 12 pm: Is the fact that the Panthers have just four wins in the white and the Ramblers eight wins in the Blue an equalizer? Sometimes, when comparing teams from different divisions, the GMC seeding committee considers what one team might do in the other division. Add in that this is a classic rivalry – their all-time football series having been the longest running in Middlesex County – and this should be a good one. Perth Amboy comes in strong. After a 3-10 start, the Panthers have won three straight: two over North Brunswick and one over South Brunswick. They scored just 12 runs on that eight game skid, but have scored an average of ten over the last three games, hitting .337 in that span. And it doesn’t matter the opponent, baseball people know hitting is contagious. Yet, the Ramblers will be a tougher opponent. Winners of five of their last seven, Carteret is hitting a healthy .283 and led by senior Eric Thompson, batting .370, while Joneil Martinez has knocked in a team-best 12 runs and is hitting .345 on the year. The winner goes to No. 2 South Plainfield Monday.

(20) South Amboy (5-11) at (13) Metuchen (13-6), 2 pm: It’s an all-Blue Division matchup between the sixth-place Governors and the pennant-winning Bulldogs. South Amboy is hitting .278 as a team, led by senior Benjamin Smith, batting .434, tied for a team-high in RBIs with Jeremy Vasquez, who also has five of the Guvs’ seven home runs. Pitching has been an issue, with a team ERA just over six, and no single pitcher lower than a 4.43 ERA. Metuchen is an interesting story. They were 11-2 before May first, but have lost four of their last five and three straight, although two of those losses came to Red Division foes in Edison (a 4-3 loss) and Monroe (a 7-2 defeat). Metuchen is the beat-hitting team of the eight in the play-in round (as well as the highest-seeded, so maybe they should be?) and has just a 2.62 team ERA, with a number of options to choose from on a staff that doesn’t have a single senior and is dominated by juniors. The winner gets four-seed East Brunswick on the road Monday.

GMC RAY CIPPERLY INVITATIONAL – 1st ROUND
TUESDAY, MAY 13

(9) Highland Park (3-13) at (8) Piscataway Magnet (8-8), 4 pm (Winner at (1) JP Stevens on Thursday)
(11) Timothy Christian (0-11) at (6) Dunellen (12-6), 4 pm (Winner at (3) East Brunswick Magnet on Thursday)
(10) Perth Amboy Magnet (3-11) at (7) Somerset Tech (7-6), 4 om (Winner at (2) North Brunswick on Thursday)

February 11, 2025February 12, 2025 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

February 5, 2025February 5, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Who’s the St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball coach that has guided Trojans through the storm? We talk with Perth Amboy native Victor Verdecia

His name might not be as synonymous with Central Jersey high school basketball as Karl-Anthony Towns, Keith Hughes, or even one of the Taylor brothers from his hometown of Perth Amboy, but Victor Verdecia is a Middlesex County guy at heart, while also experiencing basketball on a global level.

But everything comes full circle.

This season – though he hired as an assistant coach – he’s been the head man on the sidelines for the St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball team. It was a circuitous route.

Verdecia was brought on by Austin Whitehurst, who was hired to replace Bob Turco, when he left for Piscataway after last season, following three GMC Tournament championships in six campaigns. The staff was rounded out by Chris Young – a football assistant and father of gridiron standout Chase Young – along with Mike Rosario, the former St. Anthony product who played for Bob Hurley, Sr., and later went to Rutgers, then transferred to Florida.

But with Whitehurst’s status on hold, Verdecia has had to fill in the gap, and is expected to remain at least for the remainder of the season.

And so far, so good.

In the latest Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, the Trojans were ranked No. 7 with a record of 11-7, and 6-4 in the highly-competitive GMC Red Division, where they will finish third, and could get as high as the third-seed in the county tournament, when the seeding committee meets Friday morning.

All that said, many are wondering, “Who is this guy?”

*Then-Perth Amboy head coach Edwin Santana (left) and Victor Verdecia, who’s now a boys’ basketball assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, and filling in as head coach. (Submitted photo)*

Verdecia played his high school ball at Perth Amboy, graduating in 2011. His head coach was Edwin Santana, a man he credits as helping keep him out of trouble as he was growing up, having known each other since sixth grade. Santana has been an assistant for several years now under Jose Rodriguez at Colonia.

Verdecia played JUCO basketball in Oklahoma, and also spent some time at Division 2 Niagara Falls University before spending seven years playing overseas – four in the Dominican Republic, and three in Spain.

*Colonia assistant Edwin Santana (left) and St. Thomas assistant and acting head coach Victor Veredecia (right) before the teams played on January 23, 2025 at Colonia. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

But, as often is the case, here he is, making a mark back in Middlesex County. Verdecia has helped guide St. Thomas through some turbulent waters, including a pair of wins over their non-public rivals just down Plainfield Avenue, St. Joseph-Metuchen.

Click below to hear St. Thomas Aquinas assistant Victor Verdecia talk about his journey with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: