Tag: Phillipsburg

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg Stateliners repeat as sectional champs, No. 1 in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in 2025… and once again are Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Big Central Team of the Year

Everyone knows the Phillipsburg mystique, but Frank Duffy prefers to call it “the standard.” The measuring stick by which all Stateliner teams are judged.

That stick has 758 marks on it, one for every win the program has, the most in New Jersey history, spread across 120 years of football that sometimes has taken them to Pennsylvania, more often here at home in the Garden State, and – like next year – will see a mix of Pennsy and Jersey schools on the schedule.

But in 2025, after losing key contributors like Jett Genovese, Matthew Scerbo Jr., and Felix Matos to graduation, Phillipsburg barely skipped a beat.

They went into the playoffs at 7-1, their lone loss coming to St. Joseph-Metuchen. In the last two years, they’ve lost to just one New Jersey pubic school (Ridge last season).

And with three playoff wins, they took the North 2, Group 4 title with ease, starting with a 55-14 joke of a blowout win against a horribly over-matched eight-seed in Newark Central, then a 35-7 win over Colonia, and a 41-21 victory over Montgomery to claim their second straight state sectional title.

For that, Phillipsburg is crowned – once again, for a second straight year – Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Team of the Year.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy, and seniors Sam Dech and Aedan Hywel about their 2025 season:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg’s disruptive Aedan Hywel is the Central Jersey Sports Radio Defensive Player of the Year for 2025

With a reputation for being one of the Big Central Conference’s most physical football teams, having someone who’s a ball-hawk all over the field is a nice touch.

More than that, senior Aedan Hywel is not just a ball-hawk, he’s a quarterback hawk.

He is a major reason the Phillipsburg Stateliners shut out two teams, held two more to single digits, and – through the North 2 Group 4 championship game, were holding teams to an average of just 12.4 points per game, despite playing in perhaps the most challenging division in the league, top to bottom.

And a big reason why they’re state sectional champs for the second year in a row.

It’s hard to argue with the numbers.

Hywel had 27 tackles for loss and a monster 17 1/2 sacks, along with 68 tackles, and 59 of them all by himself.

Beyond the numbers, he’s a player you have to account for, forcing opposing offenses to play defense.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Defensive Player of the Year Adena Hywel of Phillipsburg:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Jamelle Jones, Bridgewater-Raritan: Just a sophomore, he’ll remain a key for the Panther program is they look to build off their 2025 North 2, Group 5 title, the first sectional crown in program history. Jones had just 38 tackles, 20 solo, but made an impact with eight sacks and 12 TFLs. He also had a critical scoop-and-score for 35 yards in the third quarter of the final against Bayonne.  Down 7-0 at the half, that tied the game at seven, and Bridgewater would score two of the next three TDs for a 21-14 win over the Bees.
  • Julien Jones, Colonia: The middle linebacker recorded a whopping 162 tackles – a busy man – with 104 of them solo. He also had eight sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and a 75-yard pick-six against Cranford in a 40-15 win on October 17th.
  • Michael Wellett III, St. Joseph-Metuchen: A senior who transferred in from Seton Hall Prep, and sat out the early season due to transfer rules, he recorded 41 tackles in just six games, 15 solo, with five sacks and eight TFLs, as well as a fumble recovery. Hr signed his NLI with the University of Rochester last week.
  • Anwar Witherspoon, St. Thomas Aquinas: With 115 tackles, eight TFLs, 1 1/2 sacks, two forced fumbles and a recover, first-year head coach Shamir Bearfield calls him “a menace” on defense. The linebacker just signed his National Letter of Intent last week with Buffalo.
  • Anthony Trujillo, Summit: Named first-team All-Big Central in their division, the senior defensive tackle had 60-plus tackles, 14 TFLs and nine sacks. HEad coach kevin Kostibos says he “singlehandedly” shut down the inside run game, and was the “main reason” they made the North 2, Group 3 title game.
  • Matt Seward, Westfield: The linebacker was “all over the field” this year, accoridng to head coach Matt Andzel, with 83 tackles, seven TFLs, five sacks and four forced fumbles, three of which recovered. His stat line continues with three blocked kicks, a pick and a safety. But more impressive? The kid is just a tenth grader!
by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio announces football “Specialty Awards” for 2025

Our goal at Central Jersey Sports Radio since our founding in 2020 has always been to bring attention to all the great things done by the many outstanding student-athletes in our area, both on and off the field.

Even with Honorable Mentions in each category, just having one each of Offensive, Defensive Special Teams and Two-Way Player of the Year isn’t quite enough to cover the massive 59-team Big Central Conference.

So, in our quest to honor as many great student-athletes as possible, here are our 2024 Central Jersey Sports Radio Specialty Awards:

“Hard Nosed Runner” Award: Sam Dech, Phillipsburg

Last year, it was Jett Genovese and Matthew Scerbo, Jr., receiving the “Dynamic Duo” award. This season, it’s another Phillipsburg football player with a specialty award.

Sam Dech seems to define Phillipsburg football. They all say they live by D.I.G. – Discipline, Ignore the Noise, Grit – but for Dech it’s however much more that can be possible.

Even in a postgame interview, he’ll tell you “that’s what we wanted to do and we just came out and did it.”

A high school football game scene showing a player in a dark uniform attempting to evade two defenders in light uniforms, with spectators in the background.
Phillipsburg’s Sam Dech looks to make a move in the Group 4 title game against Winslow Twp. at Rutgers on December 4, 2024. (Photo: Christian Sanchez)

Well, they don’t get there without Dech, who is a bruising runner who’s nearly impossible to bring down. Okay, not impossible, but be assured that if you hit him at the ten yard line, he’s going to bring you at least another five yards toward the end zone by the time he’s down.

That was invaluable on a 2025 team that lost Genovese and Scerbo – the second of whom was the school’s all-time leading receiver – as well as fellow receiver Felix Matos to graduation.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Phillipsburg’s Sam Dech:

The “Great Hands” Award: R.J. Wortman, Colonia

Good Hands was already taken, but Wortman is more than good hands. He’s great hands.

Colonia always seems to be a place where things happen without a lot of fan fare. But one day, you turn around, and Tom Roarty has his team in a sectional semifinal game in one of the hallowed grounds of high school football in New Jersey, Maloney Stadium.

The same could be said for R.J. Wortman, who heading into that North 2, Group 4 semi against Phillipsburg, was nearing 100 receptions on the year, and finished with a cool 101. The next highest wasn’t even that close.

A student-athlete signs a commitment in front of a table adorned with football gear, including jerseys, a football, and helmets, with a coach standing nearby, all set against a backdrop displaying 'Colonia Patriots'.
Colonia’s R.J. Wortman signed with Rutgers on 2025 December National Letter of Intent Signing Day. (Photo courtesy Tom Roarty)

They weren’t all long passes from senior QB Dylan Chiera, who threw for over 2,000 yards this season, one of three Middlesex County quarterbacks to do so in 2025. There were a few dinks and dunks in there, but it kept defenses on their toes, that’s for sure, with so many different ways to use him.

Couple that with the fact Wortman is a great teammate. No sooner did he commit to Greg Schiano and Rutgers – where he signed last week and will enroll early in January, skipping his senior season on the basketball court – but he was already active on Twitter, propping up all of his teammates, trying to make sure college coaches take a look at them just like they did with him.

Overall, Wortman finished with 101 catches for 1,307 yards (118.8 per game) with 15 touchdowns for the 7-4 Patriots.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Colonia’s R.J. Wortman:

“Is He A Lineman? Is He a Fullback” Award: Mike Bellamy, Montgomery

Senior Mike Bellamy has football in the family. His father, Joe – owner of Bellamy & Son Paving – played it, and has coached it for years at the youth level in their previous hometown of Piscataway. His brothers Joe and Rocco played for the Chiefs, with Joe on that 2018 team that won the North Jersey Group 5 Bowl Championship, beating Ridgewood at MetLife Stadium to become the first Middlesex County school to go 13-0 in a season, setting a county win record that still holds.

So, it was clear Mike would play football.

A football player wearing a yellow and green helmet with the word 'Cougars' on his jersey, stands on the sidelines, looking thoughtful during a game.
Mike Bellamy of Montgomery. (Source: @MikeBellamy50 on Twitter)

He’s an accomplished long-snapper, and has been a solid two-way lineman for a few seasons now. But this year, a new wrinkle was added: he would run the football.

Bellamy’s is not the story of an offensive lineman who fell on a couple of luckily-timed fumbles in the end zone to give his offense a score. No, no. This was all by design.

In fact, Bellamy carried eleven times this season for 38 yards, scoring four touchdowns, one each against Linden and Woodbridge in the regular season, then against Westfield and the Barrons again in the playoffs.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Mike Bellamy of Montgomery:

“I’m Back” Award: Devin Thomas, Plainfield

The last time we saw Devin Thomas the football player, he was quarterbacking the junior varsity at St. Thomas Aquinas, where Donald Jones, now Plainfield’s head coach, was an assistant.

Thomas transferred to Plainfield as a sophomore to represent his hometown, then gave up football to focus on basketball as a junior. It seemed a pretty good decision; Thomas scored in double-figures 12 times, helping lead the Cardinals to a Group 4 championship last March.

A football player wearing a red and white jersey with the number 11, standing on the field and signaling to teammates. The player is wearing a helmet and appears to be in an active game situation.
Devin Thomas of Plainfield. (Source: @DevinThomas8_ on Twitter)

When Jones took over as Plainfield head coach last spring, he gauged Thomas’s interest in coming back to the gridiron.

“Why not?”

Six months later, everyone agrees it paid off.

Thomas threw for 2,214 yards and 29 touchdowns. He ran for another 482 yards and 4 scores. Week-in and week-out, Thomas put up video game numbers under center for Plainfield.

He put an exclamation point on his stellar season with a 296-yard, 4-touchdown masterpiece in Plainfield’s final regular season game – a 28-27 come-from-behind win at Linden that clinched the Cardinals’ spot in the North 2, Group 5 playoffs.

Click below to hear Justin Sontupe talk with Devin Thomas of Plainfield:

“Comeback” Award: Jack Kalikas, A.L. Johnson

A.L. Johnson standout athlete Jack Kalikas broke his leg in October 2024. Faced with the same situation, some might wonder if they’d ever play at a high level again.

Not Jack; he wondered if he’d be able to return to play hockey that season.

While that goal proved to be a bit out of reach, it kept him going. 

A quarterback in a blue football uniform throws a pass while a teammate in a similar uniform looks on during a game at night.
Jack Kalikas of A.L. Johnson throws a pass in this undated photo. (Source: @jackkalikas on Instagram)

Jack then set his sights on returning for lacrosse in the spring. And although he couldn’t fully come back in time, the determination accelerated the recovery process.

By summer, Jack was full go and back on the football field for A.L. Johnson. On top of that, he’d be playing for his dad, Gus Kalikas, A.L. Johnson’s athletic director-turned-head coach. 

Almost one full year after breaking his leg, Jack led A.L. Johnson to a 7-2 record, playing quarterback and linebacker for the Crusaders.

Next up: hockey and lacrosse.

Click below to hear Justin Sontupe talk with Jack Kalikas of A.L. Johnson:

“Body Builder” Award: Brady Gallogly, Piscataway

Originally nominated for the Longevity Award, this one really fit him more.

Brady had always played wide receiver, but an opportunity came up where Piscataway needed a center. Ever the eager freshman, he made the suggestion.

A football player prepares to snap the ball on a field during a night game, with teammates and opponents in the background.
Brady Gallogly, Piscataway. (Source: Hudl)

Now, he wasn’t quite dealing with a coach who barely knew him, because his father, Frank Uhrin, is the team’s offensive coordinator. He played at Piscataway, too, as did Brady’s uncle, Robert, who also was a smaller-sized lineman on the 2002 Central Jersey Group 4 championship team, the last to be coached by legend Joe Kuronyi. His uncle, Tommy “Guns” Uhrin, was a skill player for the Chiefs in the 1990s.

But beyond all that, Gallogly had work to do. He only weight 160 pounds at the time, but with weight lifting, diet, and a training regimen, he got where he needed to be and became adept at making all the movements offensive linemen need to make.

Click below to hear Chris Tsakonas talk with Piscataway’s Brady Gallogly:

The “Tough Break for a Record-Breaker” Award: Thomas Diemar, Bernards

Coming into Game Three of the 2026 season, with at least a half-dozen games to go, you’d figure, senior Thomas Diemarr should have blown away the school’s all-time career sack record.

He already had it, with 22: ten each his sophomore and junior seasons, and two already in the first two games. This was his chance to make it nearly untouchable.

Then, in the first quarter, he plants funny in the end zone on a kickoff, with no one around him.

Young male athlete with curly hair standing outdoors, wearing a black athletic shirt, in front of a sports field and a building.
Bernards’ all-time sack record holder, Thomas Diemar. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

He sorely wanted back in the game, which turned out to be a win over Delaware Valley.

As it turned out, he tore his ACL, and his senior season would be done.

Diemar was a bit surprised when head coach Jon Simoneau picked him for first team All-Patriot Gold Division. But he shouldn’t have been. He deserved it, or he would have had he played.

Coach decided to honor a young man who, himself, has honored and respected the program Simoneau has built. That’s why he got the recognition, and that’s why he gets ours!

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Thomas Diemar of Bernards:

The “Sure, I’ll Play Quarterback” Award: Alex Schwark, Summit
The “Best Player Not To Play A Snap” Award: Cole Sabol, Summit

These two awards go hand-in-hand, if you’ll just follow along.

Cole is a multi-sport athlete, and he tore his Achilles last spring in lacrosse, on the very first day of the season. After getting evaluated, he found out he’d also miss football season. That’s when Alex Schwark took the job, having never played it before.

And he did well. In fact, when he got hurt later in the year, the Hilltoppers dropped those two games, then continued winning when he was back in the lineup, three weeks later in a 10-7 win upset at previously-unbeaten Woodbridge.

A split image featuring two high school football players. On the left, a quarterback in a light blue uniform holds a football and appears ready to pass on a field. On the right, another player in a maroon and gold uniform stands next to a coach on the sidelines, looking down at the ground.
Summit’s Cole Sabol (left) and Alex Schwark and head coach Kevin Kostibos (right) (@colesabol3 on Instagram/File photo by Mike Pavlichko)

But Schwark never would have done so well without Sabol, who was nominated for the Leadership Award by Coach Kevin Kostibos. Why? Because he could have walked away and sulked, but instead led the team in practices, meetings, gatherings, and games. He took his teammates under his wing, including Schwark, helping to make him the quarterback he became, even if he was sharing time with Matt McKeever down the stretch, with both of them on the field at the same time.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Summit’s Cole Sabol and Alex Schwark:


by Mike Pavlichko

In final Union County Thanksgiving Day clash, Roselle Park tops Roselle, 41-19, while Phillipsburg falls to Easton at Lafayette Coll.

A tight game through the first 24 minutes, the final 24 belonged to Roselle Park.

The Panthers topped the Roselle Rams at home, 41-19, in the final Thanksgiving meeting between the two teams, the 106th game between the two schools.

Roselle Park (6-4) never trailed in the game, with Anthony Cianfrocca scoring twice on touchdown runs in the first half.  The first came from 21 yards out and gave him team a 7-0 lead with 5:26 to go in the opening quarter.  The second one a one-yard jaunt that broke a 7-7 tie to give his team back the lead.

They would go into the half up 20-13, the  outscore the rival Rams 21-6 in the second half.  Maxwell Griffin had all three Panther touchdowns, from 25- and 39-yards out on offense, and on a 44-yard pick six in the fourth quarter.

A hand holding a commemorative coin for the 106th game between the Roselle Rams and Roselle Park, featuring a ram logo and the text 'ROSELLE RAMS 106TH GAME'.
A commemorative coin for the pregame coin toss marking the 106th meeting between Roselle and Roselle Park on November 27, 2025. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Raekwon Anderson, Shymir Burgess and Tyrone Smalls, Jr., scored the three touchdowns for Roselle.

Roselle finished the season 2-9 with the loss.  But Roselle Park leads the all-time series 55-44, with eight ties.  Starting next season, the game will be played on Cutoff Weekend. 

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with victorious Roselle Park, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

It was the last remaining Turkey Day game in Union County – with Plainfield and Westfield meeting for the final time last season – and leaves Phillipsburg as the only Big Central team to play on Thanksgiving, in their annual meeting with Easton that shows no sign of ending any time soon.

Easton 35, Phillipsburg 6:

Easton beat the Stateliners Thursday, 35-6, to claim their program record 14th win of the season, less than a week after Phillipsburg lost 41-21 to Ramapo in the Group 4 semifinals at Maloney Stadium.

It was all Easton early, as they scored four times in the first half, including three touchdown runs, and a blocked punt Anthony Diaz recovered in the end zone. The lone ‘Liner score came via an 81-yard touchdown pass from sophomore QB Dominic Bracco to his brother, Mike Bracco, a senior.

The Stateliners end their season at 10-3, following a second straight Thanksgiving Day loss to the Red Rovers, after winning back-to-back contests in 2022 and 2023.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Group 4 Semifinals: Ramapo 41, Phillipsburg 21

In a rematch of the 2024 Group 4 semifinals, Ramapo turned the tables on Phillipsburg, taking a 41-21 win to advance to the state Group 4 title game for the second time in three seasons.

Logo for Bellamy & Son Paving, promoting the Big Central Game of the Week, featuring bold text in red and yellow colors.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play live from Maloney Stadium in Phillipsburg, NJ, on November 21, 2025:

1st Half
2nd Half

by Mike Pavlichko

Ramapo’s Revenge: Phillipsburg falls in Group 4 semis rematch to Raiders, 41-20

As soon as the Ramapo football team stepped onto Bellis Field at Maloney Stadium in Phillipsburg Friday night, the Raiders huddled up, and psyched themselves up even more for Friday night’s game, if that was even possible.

The sting of a 35-6 defeat here last year was fresh, and one of the captains shouted “We want revenge! Let’s get ’em!”

And right from the get-go, that’s what they did in the Group 4 semifinals, heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, ultimately leading to a convincing 41-20 win over the Stateliners.

Ramapo (11-1) will play in the state Group 4 finals for the second time in three years, and will face the winner of Saturday’s other Group 4 semi, with Brick Memorial (10-2) visiting Winslow Twp. (10-2).

Phillipsburg (10-2) will play Easton on Thanksgiving at Lafayette College. The Red Rovers (13-1) took their first defeat of the season Friday night, falling to LaSalle, 49-7, in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals.

Ramapo won the opening toss, took the ball, and needed just three plays to score on a four-yard run by 6’3″, 185 pound runningback Liam Hayward to go up 7-0. Win or lose, this would not be like last year.

Phillipsburg answered with an eleven-play drive, with ten of those plays going to Sam Dech, who capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to tie it.

And things looked pretty good after they got Ramapo behind the sticks on their next possession, forcing a three-and-out. And while the Stateliners settled for a 32-yard field goal from Alexie Moreira to give them their first lead of the game at 9:03 of the second quarter, they left points on the board.

And it would be their only lead, despite Ramapo only running seven offensive plays to that point.

They scored on their next turn on a three-yard run by Gino Gorga to make it 14-10, then got it back on a Dominic Bracco interception over the middle – picked off by Jack Schneider – and punched in an eight-yard touchdown run by quarterback Casey Grusser, who stretched the ball over the end zone as he was being tackled, making it 21-10 Raiders at halftime.

Phillipsburg failed to score on its opening possession of the half, and Gorga would punch in his second touchdown of the night from three yards out, capping a 12-play, 81-yard drive to make it 28-10.

From there, the Stateliners were in a massive hole, and without a significant passing game, had little time to make a push.

Sam Dech would score on a quick, four-play drive – helped by one of his trademark 48-yard runs – to get it to 28-17, but Ramapo answered back on a 21-yard TD catch by No. 1 receiver Joseph Santo-Yessis, his 14th of the season. Moreira would add another field goal, and Grusser would hit tight end Mike Visksjo with 4:44 to go, but by then, the game was well in hand.

Dech finished with a typical Dech night: 24 carries unofficially for 160 yards and two touchdowns, which puts him at at 2,760 yards heading into his final high school game on Turkey Day against the ‘Liners biggest rivals.

Click below for postgame reaction from Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Group 4 Semifinal Preview: Phillipsburg Stateliners vs. Ramapo Raiders

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Final:
When: Friday, 7 pm
Where: Maloney Stadium, Phillipsburg
Matchup: Ramapo (10-1; North, 1, Group 4 champion) at Phillipsburg (10-1; North 2, Group 5 champion)
Coverage: LIVE on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Mike Pavlichko, Chris Tsakonas (click here to listen)
Weather: 49 degrees, light SW wind, 45% chance of rain by 9 pm

HEAD COACHES:

Phillipsburg: Frank Duffy (10th season, 85-25)
Ramapo: Nick Guttuso (2nd season, 18-5)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Phillipsburg:
First Round: def. #8 Newark Central, 55-14
Semifinals: def. #5 Colonia, 35-7
Finals: def. #3 Montgomery, 41-21

Ramapo:
First Round: def. #8 Hackensack, 35-0
Semifinals: def. #4 Wayne Valley, 48-20
Finals: def. #2 Northern Highlands, 28-27

Who’s next? The winner of this game will play the winner of the other Group 4 semifinal. That game features two top-seeds: Central Jersey champion Brick Memorial (10-2) at South Jersey Champion Winslow Twp., seeking its third straight trip to the state final, after winning it all last year, beating Phillipsburg in the title game. Should Phillipsburg advance there again, regardless of who they play, the title game would be at Rutgers on Wednesday, December 3rd, since the Stateliners play Easton on Thanksgiving up at Lafayette College, and could not play on either of the first two dates, Black Friday at Met Life Stadium or two days later, on Sunday, at RU.

READ MORE: We’re not done yet, but here’s a look at the NJSIAA playoffs through the sectional finals, by the numbers

Phillipsburg, of course, lost to Winslow, 35-0, in last year’s Group 4 final at Rutgers in their only meeting. As for Brick Memorial, the teams have never played, though the Stateliners are 3-6-1 against their rivals, Brick Twp., having met every year from 1964 through 1973.

SERIES HISTORY:

This will be the second meeting between the schools, the last one coming in this same round last year, the Group 4 semifinals, in which Phillipsburg rolled to a 35-6 win at Maloney Stadium.

PREVIEWS with INTERVIEWS:

FINALS HISTORY:

Phillipsburg:

The winningest program in New Jersey didn’t play in the NJSIAA playoffs for many years, since they played a Pennsylvania schedule. But they couldn’t play in the PIAA playoffs either, being an out-of-state team. They won one title in four finals berths from 1975 through 1979 – only missing the title game in 1976 – then after spending time with a Pennsy schedule, joined the NJSIAA in the mid-90s. It took them until 2001 to reach a final, their second overall, and first in a span of seven titles in 11 appearances over nearly two decades from 2001 to 2018.

The Stateliners were in Group 5 for the 2022-2023 cycle, and made the finals both years, falling to sixth-seed West Orange, 28-7, the first of those years, and to No. 2 seed Union City, 24-17 in 2023. Last year, they moved down to Group 4, and beat Northern Highlands for the North 2 sectional title on a game-winning field goal by Alexie Moreira. This year, they won their second straight sectional title for the first time since 2013 and 2014, beating third-seed Montgomery – in its first title game – 41-21.

Playoff Berths: 30
Playoff Record: 49-20
Previous Sectional Finals Berths: 19
Sectional Titles: 10

North 2, Group 3
1975: #1 Morris Hills def. #2 Phillipsburg, 7-0
1977: #2 Phillipsburg def. #1 Parsippany, 26-0
1978: #4 Rahway def. #3 Phillipsburg, 23-10
1979: #2 Rahway def. #1 Phillipsburg, 14-6
North 2, Group 4
2001: #5 Phillipsburg def. #2 Montclair, 10-7
2004: #1 Piscataway def. #2 Phillipsburg, 27-26 (OT) at Rutgers
2005: #1 Phillipsburg def. #2 Piscataway, 15-6 at Rutgers
2006: #3 Elizabeth def. #1 Phillipsburg, 14-9
North 2, Group 3
2008: #4 Phillipsburg def. #6 Rahway, 20-6
2009: #2 Phillipsburg def. #5 Ridge, 34-7 at Kean
North 2, Group 4
2013: #1 Phillipsburg def. #6 Mendham, 39-0
2014: #2 Phillipsburg def. #1 Colonia, 28-21 (OT) at Rutgers
2015: #1 Middletown South def. #2 Phillipsburg, 35-7
2017: #2 North Hunterdon def. #1 Phillipsburg, 21-20
2018: #1 Phillipsburg def. #3 Irvington, 42-7
North 2, Group 5
2022: #6 West Orange def. #1 Phillipsburg, 28-7
2023: #2 Union City def. #1 Phillipsburg, 24-17
2024: #1 Phillipsburg 13, #3 Northern Highlands 11
beat Ramapo, 35-6, in Group 4 semifinals
lost to Winslow Twp., 35-0, in Group 4 final at Rutgers

Ramapo:

While the Raiders have won 15 sectional title in 20 finals berths – an astounding 15-5 record all-time in those title games – much of their success in the post season has come in the last quarter decade of the playoffs than the first.

From 1974 through 1998 – the first 25 years of playoffs in New Jersey, which started in 1974 – Ramapo had won four titles in five appearances. Their first came in 1974, when they beat Dumont to win a two-team field (as the playoffs were in that first season). They also won North 1, Group 3 titles in 1983, 1993 and 1997, their only loss in that span coming in 1988.

But from 2000 on, they’ve been to the finals 15 times and won eleven trophies, and haven’t missed a sectional final since 2016. They went to the North 1, Group 4 final in 2017 and lost, but won the next two before the COVID year – where there were no playoffs, then made it again in 2021 and 2022, and won sectional titles the last two years, as well as this season.

Playoff Berths: 34
Playoff Record: 55-19
Sectional Finals Berths: 20
Sectional Titles: 15

North 1, Group 3
1974: #1 Ramapo def. #2 Dumont, 46-14 (two teams qualified)
1983: #4 Ramapo def. #3 Wayne Valley, 13-7
1988: #3 Wayne Valley def. Ramapo, 49-10
1993: #1 Ramapo def. #2 Wayne Hills, 23-17
1997: #2 Ramapo def. #1 Hoboken, 21-14
2000: #2 Ramapo def. #1 Wayne Hills, 14-7
2001: #1 Ramapo def. #3 Wayne Hills, 14-10
2002: # 1 Wayne Hills def. #3 Ramapo, 19-0
2003: #2 Ramapo def. #5 Demarest, 31-28
2009: #7 Ramapo def. #1 Wayne Hills, 16-8
2012: #2 Ramapo def. #5 Sparta, 37-34
2015: #2 Ramapo def. #1 River Dell, 45-15
2017: #2 River Dell def. #1 Ramapo, 28-7
2018: #1 Ramapo def. #3 River Dell, 31-7
beat Summit, 42-22, in North 3 Bowl Championship, finished 13-0
2019: #1 Ramapo def. #3 Pascack Valley, 28-23
beat Parsippany Hills, 38-21, in North 3 Regional Championship, finished 13-0
North 1, Group 4
2021: #1 Northern Highlands def. #2 Ramapo, 35-30
2022: #4 Northern Highlands def. #2 Ramapo, 49-42
2023: #1 Ramapo def. #3 Northern Highlands, 14-10
beat Mount Olive, 24-19, in Group 4 semifinals
beat Mainland, 56-0, in Group 4 final at Rutgers
2024: #3 Ramapo def. #1 Morris Knolls, 35-28
lost at Phillipsburg, 35-6, in Group 4 semifinals
2025: #1 Ramapo def. #2 Northern Highlands, 22-28

2025 PHILLIPSBURG COVERAGE:

A college football game showcasing two teams with players shaking hands after the match on the field at night. The home team, dressed in dark uniforms, is seen on the right while the visiting team in light uniforms is on the left. Spectators can be seen in the background.
Phillipsburg in the handshake line after winning the North 2, Group 4 title, 41-21, over Montgomery at Maloney Stadium in Phillipsburg on November 14, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

NEWS & NOTES:

Familiar foes…

The last three games of the season for Phillipsburg could all be the same opponents they played last year, in the same order.

Just as they will Friday, Phillipsburg played Ramapo in the Group 4 semifinals last year, picking up a 35-6 win. They then played Easton on Thanksgiving, falling 17-14 in overtime at Lafayette in an epic. Ironically, the previous two years, when Phillipsburg lost sectional title games, they had beaten Easton both years. But after winning the title last year, they lost to the Red Rovers.

They then came back the following Wednesday to play Winslow Twp. at Rutgers in the Group 4 final, falling 35-6. A win Friday night, and they could face Winslow again in the finals, if they can take care of business at home and beat Brick Memorial in the other Group 4 semifinal.

Easton vs. State Championship…

Since the 2023 season ended, Phillipsburg has set its sights on a state championship. Losing in the sectional finals the previous two seasons with loaded teams that earned the No. 1 seed both years didn’t sit well with the Stateliners, even though they beat Easton on Thanksgiving back-to-back years for the first time since 2002 and 2003.

Last year, they got that sectional title, but lost to Easton, making them then 3-6 all-time against the Red Rovers in the nine seasons where they’ve won an NJSIAA championship. In the nine seasons where they lost in the sectional finals, their record is 2-6-1 against Easton, with those two wins coming in 2022 and 2023.

Repping Warren County…

There are only five football-playing public high schools in Warren County, a fairly sparse part of New Jersey, population-wise. Besides Phillipsburg, there’s North Warren, Warren Hills, Hackettstown and Belvidere. Combined, the county has claimed just 13 sectional titles over the years, with ten going to the Stateliners.

Warren Hills is the last Warren County school besides Phillipsburg to win a sectional title; that came 25 years ago, in 2000, in the North 2, Group 3 section. Belvidere won its only title in North 2, Group 1 in 1999. And Hackettstown won the North 2, Group 2 title in 1981. North Warren has never won a title.

Until last year’s win, Phillipsburg had been the last Warren County school to win a championship, coming in 2018. They now have two in a row.

Long, Storied Tradition in West Jersey (And PA)…

The Stateliners are in their 120th season of football, and are 758-343-50 all-time, the winningest program in New Jersey. They’ve had four perfect seasons, nine unbeaten (including ties) and 23 one-loss teams, not including this year’s 10-1 squad. In the last three seasons – including this one – they’ve lost a grand total of six games – twice to Easton – to go along with 31 wins.

For a time, Phillipsburg played in the East Penn League. And while they’ve added two more Pennsylvania teams to their schedule early next year to go along with Easton on Thanskgiving – meaning much less travel, rather than play more Big Central crossovers – they’ve been back to a New Jersey schedule since 1992, and have won nine state titles since, ten overall. In 1995, they joined the Skyland Conference – which eventually became the Mid-State 39 (then 38, and 37) in football before the merger with the GMC to form the Big Central in 2020.

Home Cooking…

Since the start of Big Central play in 2020, the Stateliners are 35-4 at Maloney Stadium, with two of those losses coming in the North 2 Group 5 title games to West Orange (in 2022) and Union City (in 2023).

They’re 15-4 in regular season play at home in that span – not counting a forfeit win in a scheduled home game against Somerville in 2021) and 12-3 in the playoffs. (Remember, “home” or “away,” the Easton game is played at Lafayette College.) And in the last four seasons (2022-2025), Phillipsburg is 27-2 at home overall.

by Mike Pavlichko

Ramapo will air it out in Group 4 semifinal rematch with Phillipsburg, but they’ll run it, too

Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy – and most coaches – will tell you that even teams who are very familiar with each other are completely different from one year to the next.

That may be moreso for Phillipsburg, which has had similar success to last year but with many new pieces to the puzzle.

Ramapo – the Stateliners’ opponent Friday night at Maloney Stadium in the Group 4 semifinals – is likely more similar to last year’s team.

The schemes haven’t changed for second-year head coach Nick Guttuso, a longtime assistant under – and disciple of – legend Drew Gibbs, who took over after Mike Miello left after the 2000 season to join the staff of 34-year-old rookie Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. And the players are mainly the same as well.

You can hear all the action live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – our “Big Central Game of the Week,” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving – starting with pregame at 6:45. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas have the call with kickoff at 7; click here to listen.

It starts with Casey Grusser, the senior quarterback who has thrown for 2,100 yards on the nose this season, 24 touchdowns, and just four picks. He’s also completing 72 percent of his passes. Favorite targets include Joseph Yessis, Sal Livoti, and Michael Ballan – all of whom have at least 30 catches and have combined for 989 receiving yards and 23 scores.

They are senior heavy on defense, too. Carter Cooney is a stout middle linebacker at 6’1″, 210, who leads the team with 82 tackles, it’s been a team effort to get to the quarterback; the team has 16 sacks, but no single player has more than two on the year.

Both teams are 10-1, with Ramapo’s lone loss coming back on September 19th, 28-24 at Old Tappan. The Knights are undefeated, 11-0, one of the last seven unbeatens left in the state, and playing West Morris in the Group 3 semis Friday night as well.

In eleven games this season, Ramapo has pitched three shutouts and only allowed 20 or more points in four games. Two of those came against Northern Highlands, both wins, including a 28-21 win on October 24th – Cutoff Weekend – in the regular season, and a 28-27 win last week in the North 1, Group 4 final, where they stopped Highlands going for two for the win in overtime to seal the deal.

But despite the attention the aerial attack gets, the Raiders can run it, too. Senior runningback Liam Hayward has carried 130 times for 797 yards and 14 touchdowns, leading the team in all of those categories, while Grusser is the No. 2 rusher, at 503 yards and nine scores on 61 carries.

Last week, Ramapo got off to a hot start, hitting Livoti for a 61-yard TD strike down the middle on the first play from scrimmage. Getting off to a good start will be key against the Stateliners, who have only trailed twice in the first half all season: earlier this year against West Orange – in a game they won – and last week, 8-3, to Montgomery in the North 2, Group 5 title game.

Click below to hear Ramapo head coach Nick Guttuso talk about the Raiders’ season and their matchup with Phillipsburg in the Group 5 semifinals:

by Mike Pavlichko

Last ride at Maloney for Phillipsburg seniors, looking for another trip to Rutgers

In 2024, Phillipsburg became the first Big Central Conference team to make the NJSIAA’s state football finals, in the third year sine the playoffs expanded.

In 2025, they’re looking to make the return trip.

To do so, they’ll need to beat the same team they did last year, North 1 Group 4 champion Ramapo. That’ll be the last game at Maloney Stadium this season for Phillipsburg, as the North 2, Group 4 champion Stateliners take on the Raiders at 7 pm this Friday night in the Group 4 semifinals. Both teams are 10-1.

You can hear that game Friday on the “Big Central Game of the Week,” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas calling all the action. Pregame is set for 6:45 pm. Click here to listen.

Phillipsburg – though they have one loss this season, coming at the hands of St. Joseph-Metuchen – has maintained a steady focus on the prize – or should we say prizes, plural – this year.

That includes winning a sectional championship (already done, their tenth overall), beating Easton on Thanksgiving (that’s next week) and winning a state title. A win Friday gets them there, and then they’ll have to beat either defending champ and 2025 South Jersey Group 4 champ Winslow, or Central 4 champ Brick Memorial.

Last week, in the North 2, Group 4 title win over Montgomery, everyone played a role. Four different players scored, including the usual suspects like Sam Dech and Dominic Bracco, but so did Shane Moore – on a big TD pass – and tight end Donovan Samson in the second half.

Defensively, there were big plays at key moments, including a first-half safety after an Montgomery interception down near the goal line. And special teams recovered an early kick that Montgomery couldn’t.

Now if Phillipsburg likes to run they rock – and they do – Ramapo likes to toss it. Senior quarterback Casey Grusser has thrown for 2,100 yards this season, and he has three receivers who’ve caught 30 or more passes: Sal Livoti, Joseph SantoYessis, and Michael Ballan.

Click below to hear Phillipsburg coach Frank Duffy talk about the Stateliners and Friday’s Group 4 semifinal against Ramapo with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – North 2, Group 4 Final: (1) Phillipsburg 41, (3) Montgomery 21

Six different players scored for Phillipsburg as the top-seeded Stateliners won their second straight sectional title – the first time they’ve gone back to back since 2013 and 2014 – beating third-seed Montgomery 41-21 in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Final.

Logo for Bellamy & Son Paving, promoting the Big Central Game of the Week, featuring bold text in red and yellow colors.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from Maloney Stadium in Phillipsburg, NJ, on November 14, 2025:

1st Half
2nd Half