Tag: Phillipsburg

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 3

As the high school football season in New Jersey rolls on, the games – and the stakes – get bigger, so let’s talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including No. 1 Phillipsburg’s continued success, Bernard’s loss of Thomas Diemar to a season-ending injury, and Roselle’s thrilling win over Metuchen on a wild TD catch by junior Raekwon Anderson.

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus discuss look ahead to key Week Three games, including Coach Borden’s visit to Sayreville Friday night – where the Bombers host a Hillsborough team that needs a win – and our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, featuring No. 7 Hunterdon Central at No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan, Plus, a look at the “bragging rights” game between Colonia and No. 2 Woodbridge, as well as No. 5 Somerville at Rahway!

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 2 upsets knock some teams down a peg, while Montgomery joins, Piscataway rejoins Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten

Stability was the name of the game in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in the first two weeks of the season, Weeks Zero and One.

The third week, Week Two, was another story.

Big wins by Piscataway and Montgomery put both in the rankings this week, with the Chiefs returning after a one-week absence, and the Cougars making their debut this season.

Phillipsburg (2-0) remains in the top spot after dismantling Hunterdon Central Friday in Flemington, 55-7, for the 750th win in program history. The Stateliners are back in action Friday against Ridge (1-1) at Maloney Stadium. Ridge was the only team to beat P’burg last year as they went all the way to the state Group 4 final.

The next three teams all moved up a notch after Somerville’s loss to previously-unranked Montgomery. Woodbridge (3-0) moves up to second following a 27-18 win at Plainfield back on Friday. The Barrons play in their bragging rights game against Colonia (1-2) at home this Friday evening.

Bernards (3-0) moved up as well after a 43-7 home win over Delaware Valley. They’ll face another unbeaten team this week when they travel out to Glen Gardner to take on Voorhees (0-3).

And St. Thomas Aquinas (2-1) is up to No. 4 after getting back to its winning ways with a 50-8 rout of North Brunswick at home last Friday night. Franklin (2-1) hosts the Trojans this week.

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Somerville (2-1) falls to fifth with a 22-15 home loss to Montgomery, which joins the list further down. The defeat snapped an 11-game regular season win streak for the Pioneers, whose last loss had come to Hillsborough and Kevin Carty, Jr., a Somerville alum. The Cougars are coached by his brother Sean, who also played for Somerville. The Pioneers are back at it Saturday when they visit Rahway (2-1).

Checking in at No. 6 is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-1), which is up two spots after a 27-21 non-conference win Friday night at home over Morris Knolls. The Panthers are on the “Big Central Game of the Week” this Friday at 6 pm when they take on Hunterdon Central (2-1). The Red Devils took a 55-7 home defeat to Phillipsburg last week for their first loss of the season.

At No. 8, it’s Piscataway (2-1), which returns to the rankings in the same spot they left after Week Zero, following a huge upset win over then-No. 6 Old Bridge at home, 28-21. The Chiefs play a non-conference game this Saturday against Ridgewood out of the Super Football Conference. Ridgewood beat P’way at their place last year, 14-13, their first meeting since their 2018 clash in the North Group 5 Bowl Championship, which the Chiefs won to become the first Middlesesx County school to go 13-0, a feat none has matched since.

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St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) hold in ninth after a 28-21 win at Union Friday night. The Falcons will entertain Elizabeth Saturday afternoon.

And, we have a tie for tenth between Montgomery and Old Bridge, both of whom are 2-1 for different reasons. The Cougars upset previously-No. 2 Somerville, winning on the road, 22-15, while the Knights lost to previously-unranked Piscataway on the road, 28-21. Monty will host North Hunterdon (0-3) this Friday night, while the Knights host South Brunswick (2-1).

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Two Top Ten:

Graphic showing the Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Conference Week Two Top Ten standings with team names, records, and previous rankings.

Dropping out this week – on no fault of its own, mainly because of the upsets by Piscataway and Montgomery – was No. 10 New Providence. The Pioneers are 2-0, and beat Johnson 34-17 this week; they’ll visit Metuchen (1-2) this Saturday afternoon.

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In the “Also Considered” category, the same four teams remain: Sayreville, Voorhees, and Summit (all 3-0) along with Elizabeth (2-1). Sayreville has a big home game with Hillsborough (1-2) Friday, with a lot on the line for both squads. Voorhees hosts No. 4 Bernards (3-0) Friday, while Summit goes on the road to play Carteret (1-1) and Elizabeth meets No. 9 St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) Saturday afternoon.

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 1 Phillipsburg cruises past Hunterdon Central, 55-14, on four TD night from Sam Dech; Stateliners pick up program’s 750th win

Sam Dech had a historic night in the season opener for Phillipsburg back on Saturday, scoring on a 95-yard touchdown run in a 28-0 win at Westfield that set two program records: it was the longest touchdown run, and longest run in Stateliner history, a pretty remarkable achievement when you think of how long they’ve been playing football out on the state line.

What he was a part of Friday night in Flemington was even bigger. No. 1 Phillipsburg beat 7th-ranked Hunterdon Central 55-14, behind four touchdowns from Sam Dech, and earned the program its 750th win all-time.

The machine that is Phillipsburg – they don’t rebuild, they reload, and sometimes even stronger – just continues to roll along, as the Stateliners improved to 2-0 on the young season ahead of a matchup with Ridge next week.

Dech was again incredible for P’burg. He scored from 11, 46, 17 and nearly 50 yards out in the game, running with power, nearly impossible to bring down.

Phillipsburg is now 2-0, with Ridge (1-1) coming to Maloney Stadium next week. Ridge was the only team in the Big Central to beat the ‘Liners last year, doing so at home. Hunterdon Central drops to 2-1, and will visit Bridgewater-Raritan next Friday night in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy and Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Kickoff is set for 6 pm.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden with head coach Frank Duffy and senior runningback Sam Dech, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 2

Now that high school football is in full swing, things are really starting to heat up in the Big Central and around the state, so let’s talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus look back at the week gone by, including Aidan Vesuvio-Bush and Somerville’s win over Cranford, Bernards’ two-day win at Hillside, and then look ahead to this week’s matchups, which sees the fourth-ranked Mountaineers face Delaware Valley in a battle of 2-0 teams in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Then, Marcus will be at another big clash in Flemington between unbeatens Hunterdon Central and Phillipsburg, before traveling to Metuchen Saturday for a small-school meeting between the Bulldogs and Roselle.

Also on the show, Mike and Marcus discuss similarities between the Week 0 and Week 1 “Bellamy & Son Paving Players of the Week,” the mindset of kickers who also play on offense, and the most scenic high school football stadium in the Big Central!

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Stability at the top, chaos at the bottom of Week One Bellamy & Son Paving Football Rankings

While a good chunk of the first five teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving football rankings won this weekend (only St. Thomas Aquinas lost, and to the No. 1 team in Massachusetts) teams seven through nine all dropped out while three teams that haven’t lost yet made their first appearances.

Through it all, the top six and the tenth team all held their positions, while Hunterdon Central, Bridgewater-Raritan and St. Joseph of Metuchen – the first and last of which were in the “Also Considered” category last week – all joined the Top Ten after Week One of play.

Phillipsburg remains in the top spot after winning its opener Saturday afternoon, blanking Westfield 28-0 behind a 219 rushing yard performance from Sam Dech, who scored the first three touchdowns in the win. The Stateliners will visit Hunterdon Central (2-0) Friday night.

Somerville (2-0) remains in second following a 28-12 home win over Cranford at Brooks Field Friday night. The Pioneers got 182 yards and three scores from Aidan Vesuvio-Bush in the win. Next up, Montgomery (1-1) comes to town Friday night, with Somerville putting a 12-game regular season winning streak on the line.

Woodbridge (2-0) hangs tight in third after a 26-23 win at Watchung Hills, the Barrons third win over the Warriors in two seasons, having beaten them in the regular season and the playoffs last year. Woodbridge – winners of 11 straight regular season contests – visits Plainfield (1-1) next Friday night.

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Holding in fourth is Bernards (2-0), which took two days to beat Hillside on the road, 24-14, after thunderstorms in the area suspended Saturday’s game at halftime. The Mountaineers had to finish it off Sunday, and extended their state-best regular season winning streak to 27 games.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1-1) took a tough home loss Saturday, falling 35-7 to Catholic Memorial (MA), the No. 1 ranked MaxPreps team in the Bay State, but holds on to the No. 5 spot with an out-of-state loss to a very good team. They’ll host struggling North Brunswick (0-2) Friday night in North Edison.

Old Bridge (2-0) remains in sixth after a 28-6 road win at Edison Friday night. The Knights will have a big test when they visit Piscataway (1-1) Friday night.

Next up are three teams making their 2025 debuts in the rankings.

Hunterdon Central (2-0) joins the fray at No. 7. The Red Devils were 41-13 winners at Monroe Friday night behind a big offense. QB Drew Cella threw for 171 yards, while Jayden Cozze caught four passes for 110 yards and a touchdown and Reggie Osae-Aye ran 15 times for 197 yard and four scores. Central will host No. 1 Phillipsburg (1-0) Friday night.

Checking in at No. 8 is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0). The Panthers followed up a season-opening win over Notre Dame with a 34-27 win over Piscataway, sweeping a home-and-home going back to last year. Bridgewater hosts Morristown (1-1) in non-conference action on Friday before welcoming in Hunterdon Central on the 19th in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

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In ninth is St. Joseph-Metuchen (1-0). The Falcons won their opener, 24-7 at Ridge on Friday night, behind a 102-yard, one-touchdown passing performance from senior quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo. The Joe’s will visit Union (0-2) Friday night.

And finally, New Providence (1-0) holds in tenth after winning Saturday at Governor Livingston, 42-7. In his first varsity start, junior Quarterback Kevin Reilly threw for 171 yards and a touchdown, while A.J. Whitehead scored two rushing touchdowns. The Pioneers will host Johnson (1-0) Friday night.

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week One Top Ten:

A table displaying the Week One rankings for the Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Conference, including team names, their records, and previous rankings.

Dropping out this week were No. 7 Ridge (0-1) after a 24-7 home loss to St. Joseph, No. 8 Piscataway (1-1) after a 34-27 loss at Bridgewater-Raritan, and No. 9 Elizabeth (1-1) after a 26-21 loss to Bayonne.

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In the “Also Considered” category, Sayreville (2-0) is there for a second straight week after a 28-14 win over Linden. So is Voorhees (2-0), which put up big numbers – including a 224-yard rushing effort from Matteo Tramutolo – in a 43-14 win at JFK. Summit (2-0) also get some attention after a 31-28 win at Montgomery. And Elizabeth – which was No. 9 last week, but lost to Bayonne, 26-21 – remains in consideration.

Next week, Sayreville travels to Edison (1-1), Voorhees goes to JP Stevens (0-2), and Elizabeth hosts Westfield (1-1), all on Friday night. Summit hosts Hillside (0-1) on Saturday.

by Mike Pavlichko

Week Zero Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten sees few changes near the top, but Elizabeth joins

Though most did, not every Big Central Conference school opened the season in Week Zero, including three teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten. That includes Phillipsburg, which remains at No. 1, and with many others winning their openers, the top five remained the same thiss week.

Phillipsburg (0-0) typically doesn’t start in Week Zero since they have their big Thanksgiving Day rivalry game against Easton. The Stateliners open up at Westfield (1-0) Saturday at 1 pm at Kehler Stadium. The Blue Devils beat arch-rival Plainfield, 21-14, in their season-opener Thursday.

Somerville (1-0) holds at No. 2 after a 34-17 season-opening win at Schalick Friday night, behind three touchdowns and 120 yards from senior RB Aidan Bush. The Pioneers are back in action this Friday when they host Cranford (0-1) at 6:30 pm.

Woodbridge (1-0) remains in third, coming off a 14-0 season-opening shutout win over Union. They’ve won eleven straight against the Big Central Conference, and will visit Watchung Hills Friday for a 7 pm game against the Warriors, who they beat twice last season, the second time coming in the first round of the playoffs.

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Bernards (1-0) won its opener, 27-15 over Cranford Friday, and stays in third in this week’s rankings. The Mountaineers have won 24 straight against the BCC – the second-best active streak in the league – and now will face the last league team to beat them. They visit Hillside Saturday at 1 pm, in a game you can follow with Marcus Borden on Twitter, with postgame reaction to follow on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1-0) put up a ton of points in a 56-3 rout of Montclair Friday night in North Edison, behind 260 passing yards from Zymere Weaver, and giving new head coach Shamir Bearfield a win his first time out in grand fashion. This weekend, they’ll host Catholic Memorial of Massachusetts, which was 12-1 last season.

Moving up from ninth to sixth after a big non-conference win down at the Battle at the Beach was Old Bridge (1-0). The Knights were 21-7 winners over Cedar Creek, getting 168 rushing yards and three touchdowns from senior quarterback Brody Nugent. Old Bridge will visit Edison (0-1) at 7 pm Friday for the first of back-to-back road games.

Ridge (0-0) drops to seventh, having sat out Week Zero. The Red Devils and new head coach Jeff Sutherland play Friday at home at 7 pm when St. Joseph-Metuchen (0-0) comes to town in the season opener for both schools.

Piscataway (1-0) holds steady in eighth after a 31-14, come-from-behind win over Edison Friday night. The Chiefs will travel to play Bridgewater-Raritan Friday night at six, in a rematch of a game heard last year on Central Jersey Sports Radio that saw the teams combine for 100 points and four kick returns for touchdowns, in a 52-48 Panthers’ victory.

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Making its debut this week is Elizabeth (1-0). The Minutemen impressed Friday night with a 42-7 road win at Linden in which junior quarterback Arique Fleming threw for 272 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for a fifth. Next up, Elizabeth gets Bayonne at home at Williams Field, 6 pm Friday.

Rounding out the group is New Providence (0-0), which held in tenth despite not opening up in Week Zero. The Pioneers will play Saturday at 1 pm at Governor Livingston in the season opener for bot schools, which you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Bookmark this link to listen!

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Zero Top Ten:

Big Central Conference Week Zero Top Ten rankings table featuring team names, records, and previous rankings.

Rahway (0-1) dropped out this week after a 35-33 home loss to Willingboro.

In the “Also Considered” category, Sayreville (1-0) got a nod after a 26-18 win at Colonia Thursday night. The Bombers got 150 yards rushing and four touchdowns from Shaun Jackson, and next host Linden (0-1) Friday at 7 pm.

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Hunterdon Central (1-0) also merits a look after a 36-28 season-opening win at North Hunterdon Friday night. The Red Devils got 158 rushing yards from Reggie Osae-Aye in the win, and will visit Monroe Friday night at 7:00.

And St. Joseph-Metuchen remains in this category, having not played in Week Zero. They visit Ridge Friday night at 7 in the season opener for both schools.

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio unveils preseason Big Central Conference Top Ten: Mainstays mostly remain, while newcomers will have to earn it

This was an easy Top Ten to figure out, but it wasn’t. Probably even more than the 13 teams presented here – ten ranked, three “also being considered” – will be in and out of the rankings all season.

For now, the 2025 preseason Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten features many of the same teams in the final 2024 rankings, with one exception. And the few we have on the outside looking in could be just as worthy as anyone else, but we’ll leave it like that for now, and see if they can earn their way in.

After all, it’s not where you start the season – everyone is undefeated on August 25th – but where you finish.

So if the team you root for – or the team you play on – isn’t here, go get some of those dubs, and the rankings will take care of themselves.

And now, the preseason Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Top Ten for 2025:

Just like those “also being considered” will have to earn their way in, the top spot is Phillipsburg‘s to lose. The Stateliners finished last year 11-3, and though they didn’t win their division, they did win the North 2, Group 4 title, and became the first Big Central team to make the state finals, in its third season of existence in 2024. Gone are some big names – Jett Genovese, Felix Matos, Matthew Scerbo, Jr. – but they have plenty left, and that’s not even counting the newcomers. P’burg doesn’t rebuild, they just reload.

The next couple of teams lost a lot, too. That starts with No. 2 Somerville, which went 12-1 last year – with an undefeated regular season – and won the Central Jersey Group 3 title as well as the Liberty Silver Division flag. But like the ‘Liners, they also lose some huge talent in Brenden Pacheco, Terrell Mitchell and Brady Scheier. But this is an excellent coaching staff, and the teams behind them that were their peers last year are in much of the same boat.

Woodbridge remains at No. 3 to start the year, after a 10-1 campaign, a perfect regular season, and a Liberty Gold Division title. The Anderson twins – Derek and Bryan – are gone, but there are still experienced players on the roster, and now Joe Goerge – in his second year as head coach – will run more option than he did last year, when he deftly sprinkled it into an offense that already was running well, and just got better.

Bernards went 11-1 last year and also had a perfect regular season; they won the Patriot Gold Division and made the North 1, Group 2 finals. This program is humming along right now, and like the others, loses some key pieces, but has some big ones back, too – including the school’s sack leader, Thomas Diemar. Opposing quarterbacks better stock up on ice.

St. Thomas Aquinas has the longest active win streak against Big Central competition – 31 games, while Bernards is No. 2 at 23 – but has a new coach and lost some key players to transfer, and drops one spot to No. 5. Still, the defending National Silver Division champs should be very good, and new mentor Shamir Bearfield – out of St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City – has an outgoing attitude that should work well in North Edison.

Ridge holds at No. 6 after an 8-2 year in which they beat Phillipsburg in the regular season, and wound up winning the American Silver Division. Andy West stepped down as head coach after the season, and fellow alum Jeff Sutherland takes over. Gone is bulldog rusher Adian Stieglitz – also a great baseball pitcher – but Ridge also is a well-oiled machine, and they could stick around in the rankings much of the year.

The winner of last year’s tongue-in-cheek “OMG! He’s Back Another Year” award was Andrew Avent, who this year officially becomes a four-year starter at runningback for Rahway. Last year, he was six carries shy of 200, logging 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Indians check in at No. 7 this year, and could very well make some noise.

Piscataway finished 7-4 last season, and is looking to take one more step up this year, and maybe take home a championship for the first time since their 13-0 season in 2018, when they won the North Group 5 “bowl game” over Ridgewood. With a number of returnees back – and the addition of Josiah Zayas, who has transferred back to his hometown school from St. Thomas Aquinas, but will have to sit the first few weeks – the Chiefs could just do it.

Old Bridge is the only team in the preseason rankings that didn’t finish there last year. But the Knights have high expectations with senior quarterback Brody Nugent returning, and word on the street is this could be a big year for them. We’re not the only one who thinks so, so we’ve put them in at No. 9.

And then, a smaller school at No. 10: New Providence. The Pioneers were 9-3 last season and finished strong, reaching the North 2, Group 1 finals. While exciting dual-threat quarterback T.J. Munn is gone, star runningback A.J. Whitehead and there’s plenty of talent on the roster from a team that put up a lot of points last year, and also turned in some solid defensive efforts.

Here’s the complete 2025 Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central preseason Top Ten:

As for the teams “also considered,” Hillsborough (7-4) finished at No. 9 last year, but loses the player who broke all kinds of records no one ever thought would fall. Jackson Jankowicz, winner of last year’s “Unbreakable Record” award. He topped Shawn Mayer’s rushing TD record of 24, and tied Tommy Amankwaa’s record of 30 total touchdowns in a single season. Head coach Sean Carty – who also coached Amankwaa, and his brothers, said last December, “I thought that might stand forever.” Bottom line: Jankowicz is tough to replace, and the Raiders may be very good. So, right now, they’re being considered.

Cranford (7-3) also had a very solid year, and will lose some key parts, but they always tend to have some good line play, and top runningback Gabe Worrell rushed for over 800 yards last year – as a sophomore! The Cougars made the North 2, Group 3 semifinals last year; we’ll see if they can climb even higher.

And St. Joseph-Metuchen may have finished just 5-5 last year, but they started out hot at 5-0. Things took a turn after a mid-season road loss at Phillipsburg, and just never recovered. But Bill Tracy is a solid coach, and some late-season injuries didn’t help either. Justin Scaramuzzo threw for 1,953 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior last year. He’s back, and we think the Falcons will finish stronger in 2025.

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: American Silver Division

The only division in the Big Central in which every team has qualified for the playoffs each of the last three seasons, the American Silver Division is no joke. Every game is a battle, and the crossovers aren’t exactly easy either.

And yet, no one won fewer than four games last year, while state Group 4 finalist Phillipsburg didn’t even win the division.

That honor went to Ridge, which has lost some key players, but elevates Jeff Sutherland to head coach, while Phillipsburg loses a number of skill guys like Jett Genovese, Matthew Scerbo Jr, and Felix Matos, but has plenty of talent not just waiting in the wings, but that also contributed last season.

Hillsborough will be without graduated senior Jackson Jankowicz, but like the Stateliners, they have plenty of guys back who contributed last year, just not in the No. 1 spots.

Then there’s Bridgewater-Raritan, stocked with dual-sport guys who also play lacrosse, leaving head coach D.J. Catalano excited in particular about his defense, while Casey Ransone believes he might have his deepest, most-experienced team ever out at Hunterdon Central.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Powerhouses will battle it out again in American Silver Division

The American Silver Division of the Big Central Conference is a division in disguise, wearing fake glasses and a moustache.

It’s pretty much the Mid-State 38’s Delaware Division (an offshoot of the Skyland Conference’s Delaware) from 2019, which had Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, Hunterdon Central, Ridge and Philipsburg, with Franklin the only team from that group that plays elsewhere in the Big Central.

These are the big boys from the “Western” portion of the Big Central, and they won’t disappoint in 2025. Everyone in this division has made the playoffs the last few years, something no other division in the league can say, and there’s a reason for that: quality opponents.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the American Silver 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 (*).

Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers (4-7, 1-3, 4th in 2024)
Head Coach: DJ Catalano (7-14, 3rd season)

  • Week 0: Notre Dame
  • Week 1: at Piscataway
  • Week 2: Morris Knolls
  • Week 3: Hunterdon Central*
  • Week 4: at Ridge*
  • Week 5: Elizabeth
  • Week 6: at Hillsborough*
  • Week 7: Westfield
  • Week 8: at Phillipsburg*

Despite a 3-6 record at the cutoff, playing a tough schedule – especially in their division – helped Bridgewater get in the playoffs, and they answered the bell with a gutty 34-33 overtime win against Irvington in the opening round, falling in the next round at eventual Group 5 runner up Union City. While top receiver Nicholas DiEsso (763 yds) is gone, junior QB Declan Kurdyla (1,795 yards, 20 TDs) returns, along with top running back Denzel Amoafo (530 yds, 5 TDs). This is a team that went very deep this year, and could take a step up in the division with key players like Miles Tofte (2.5 sacks, 5.5 TFLs) returning for his senior year. And let’s not forget Joe Squicciarini, the junior kicker who was 8-12 on field goals last year, and perfect in 31 PAT attempts for the Panthers.

Hillsborough Raiders (7-4, 2-2, 3rd place in 2024)
Head Coach: Kevin Carty, Jr. (88-58, 14th season)

  • Week 0: Washington Twp. (Sat, Battle at the Beach at Rowan)
  • Week 1: at Union
  • Week 2: Ridge*
  • Week 3: at Sayreville
  • Week 4: Phillipsburg*
  • Week 5: at Westfield (Sat, 2p)
  • Week 6: Bridgewater-Raritan*
  • Week 7: Piscataway
  • Week 8: at Hunterdon Central *

There’s a lot to replace both on offense and defense for the Raiders, as QB Ryan Seamon (1,358 pass yds, 14 TD) graduates, as does Jackson Jankowicz, who led the tea in both rushing (1,417) and receiving (446) yards. The defense returns just one player who had a sack last year, Anthony Guerrero (2.5), and one who had an interception (Damian Amato), who’s also listed as a QB but didn’t take a snap last year. The Raiders always seem to have talented players waiting in the wings, it’s just a question of who what will be.

Hunterdon Central (4-6, 0-4, 5th place in 2024)
Head Coach: Casey Ransone (28-47, 9th season)

  • Week 0: North Hunterdon (Thursday)
  • Week 1: at Monroe
  • Week 2: Phillipsburg*
  • Week 3: at Bridgewater-Rartitan*
  • Week 4: Union
  • Week 5: at East Brunswick
  • Week 6: at Ridge*
  • Week 7: Old Bridge
  • Week 8: Hillsborough*

The Red Devils started the year 4-2, but lost their last three regular season games and were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. The good news is, there’s a lot back for Central, including starting QB Drew Cella, who threw for 1,352 yards and 14 TDs last year. But cutting down on the interceptions (13) will be big. Leading rusher Giovanni Veliz (794 yds, 6 TD) and top receiver James Mongno (47 catches, 687 yds, 7 TD) will be back, too. The defense should have enough returning, with players like juniors AJ Melo (5 sacks, 4 TFLs) Troy Arteaga (1 INT) and Kasey Kinglsey (2 INT) back for Central.

Phillipsburg Stateliners (11-3, 3-1, 2nd place in 2024)
Head Coach Frank Duffy (78-35, 10th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Westfield (Sat)
  • Week 2: at Hunterdon Central*
  • Week 3: Ridge*
  • Week 4: at Hillsborough*
  • Week 5: West Orange
  • Week 6: at St. Joseph-Metuchen (Sat)
  • Week 7: Union
  • Week 8: Bridgewater-Raritan
  • Thanksgiving: Easton (at Lafayette)

In 2022 and 2023, the Stateliners beat Easton on Thanksgiving, the main goal of any Phillispburg team on an annual basis, but they lost in the sectional finals of the state playoffs both seasons, to West Orange in 2022 and Union City in 2023. Last year, they beat Northern Highlands in dramatic fashion to win North 2, Group 4, but fell to Easton on Thanksgiving before losing to Winslow at Rutgers in the state Group 4 title game. Putting it all together this year could be a challenge considering who they lose, including the one-two combo of QB Jett Genovese (1,827 pass yds, 16 TD) and WR Matthew Scerbo, Jr. (50 catches, 1,082 yards, 11 TDs), along with No. 2 receiver Felix Matos (40 catches, 695 yards, 5 TD) . But the ‘Liners seemingly reload when they need to, as six different underclassmen caught passes last year, including Jaysen Blacknell, Mike Bracco and Sam Dech, mwho also was the top rusher last year with 590 yards and 9 TDs. Dech is also solid for the defense, which will return key parts like LB Jah’quil Dooley and DLs Aeden Hywell (6 sacks, 10 TFL) and rising junior Tyler Wargo (1 sack, 1 TFL)

Ridge Red Devils (8-2, 4-0, American Silver champs in 2024)
Head Coach: Jeff Sutherland (1st season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: St. Joseph-Metuchen
  • Week 2: at Hillsborough*
  • Week 3: at Phillipsburg*
  • Week 4: Bridgewater-Raritan*
  • Week 5: at Union (Sat, 2p)
  • Week 6: Hunterdon Central*
  • Week 7: North Brunswick
  • Week 8: at Westfield (Sat)

Andy West departed in the off-season as head coach, though he still remains an assistant to Tom Blackwell in baseball, after a five-year run where the Red Devils never won fewer than six games, and improved each year, finishing with back-to-back 8-2 seasons. Alum and longtime assistant Jeff Sutherland takes the reins, but will have to identify some new key starters with QB Connor McLachlan (981 pass yards, 10 TD), RB Aidan Steiglitz (1,311 rush yds, 22 TD) and Ryan Turner (493 receiving yards, 7 TD) all gone to graduation. Sawyer Paul, who threw one pass last year, is the lone returning QB who saw a varsity snap. The defense will bring back more, including linemen Anthony Valera (1 sack, 4 TFLs) and Nate Engdahl (2 sacks, 4 TFLs).

by Mike Pavlichko

Franklin tops Phillipsburg, 8-1, to earn series split on complete game effort from Sosa

When your team spots you a 7-0 lead In the first two innings of a baseball game, it should be a cruise of the rest of the way for the starting pitcher.

And it was mostly that for Defraily Sosa of Franklin, who allowed just one run the rest of the way and scattered five hits in a complete game, 8-1 win over visiting Phillipsburg that gave the Warriors a split in their Skyland Conference division series. 

Franklin (4-5) got four runs in the first and three more in the second before adding another in the fourth for insurance that it turned out they wouldn’t nearly need.

After a 1-2-3 first by Sosa, in the bottom of the inning, Franklin got a bunt single from Izaiah Robinson and a single by Mike Sciermeyer, then a two-RBI single by Stanley Madera to make it 2-0. Jacob Gordon walked and after a popup by Rodrick Ray, Shayne Rooney drove in two more with a single to make it 4-0.

In the second, Shaylen Patel hit a one-out single, while Robinson followed with another. Schiermeyer then singled past shortstop into left field, and when the ball was misplayed, two more runs came in. Madera and Jacob Gordon followed with walks, and one more to Ray made it 7-0. That was all for Phillipsburg (5-5) starter Evan Carter, and reliever Wyatt Gordon induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Franklin got another run in the fourth when Ray singled with one out to bring in Madera, who’d led off the inning with a single of his own.

The Stateliners got one back in the fifth, when Gordon got hit by a pitch. Felix Matos walked, and a groundout to first moved the runners up, with another by Mike Bracco plating the run to make it 8-1.

Phillipsburg’s biggest threat came in the fourth, when a sac fly by Jett Genovese to right with runners at first and second put runners at the corners and Amman Bokhari walked to load the bases with two out. But Sosa got Chase Doering to fly out to center to end the inning.

Sosa picked up his first win of the season to improve to 1-2, while Carter fell to 2-2 with the loss.

Click below to hear postgame reaction with Franklin head coach Derrick Castillo, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: