Tag: Plainfield

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Thanksgiving Day Rivalry Edition!

Thanksgiving is here, and it’s time for two big rivalry games involving Big Central Conference schools, Plainfield taking on Westfield, and Phillipsburg clashing with Easton out at Lafayette College.

Mike and Coach Borden take a look back at Somerville and the Stateliners in Group Semifinal action last week, and look ahead to Thursday’s Turkey Day games:

Click below to listen to the Thanksgiving Day Rivalry Edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”:

INSTANT REPLAY: No. 3 Woodbridge 41, Plainfield 26

Junior runningback Jahmir Beal ran for four touchdowns, while Derek Anderson ran for one and threw for another, to help third-ranked Woodbridge top visiting Plainfield in the Big Central Conference Liberty Gold Division opener for both schools.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from Nicholas A. Priscoe Stadium in Linden on September 13, 2024:

1st Half
2nd Half

Beal’s four touchdowns power No. 3 Woodbridge past Plainfield, 41-26

In a tight game all the way, third-ranked Woodbridge got four touchdowns and 103 yards rushing from Jahmir Beal – while quarterback Derek Anderson threw for 183 yards and one score, and running for another – to push the Barrons over visiting Plainfield Friday night, 41-26.

It was a tight first half, with both teams trading a pair of punts before they would trade three scores. The Cardinals took a 6-0 lead, then Woodbridge tied it at six midway through the second quarter. Plainfield went ahead again with a pass from Kamai Lowery to Joel Cordoba, but Woodbridge finished the half with 1:46 to go on a seven-yard touchdown by Beal.

That was the Barrons’ first lead of the night, and they wouldn’t relinquish it.

Derek Anderson scored on a 22-yard run with 8:31 left in the third, and a two-point try made it 21-12 Barrons. They scored for a third straight time with :51 left in the third, on Beal’s second TD of the game, a 10-yarder, to make it 27-12; the kick was no good.

Plainfield answered on a four-yard run by EJ Brown, but Beal scored again from two yards out with just under six minutes left.

The Cardinals weren’t done, as Lowery ran in a touchdown from two yards out just 26 seconds later, but Beal’s fourth touchdown of the game with 5:08 left – this time from the four – gave Woodbridge a 41-26 lead, and they came up big on defense on Plainfield’s last possession to keep them out of the end zone.

Woodbridge improves to 3-0 for the first time since 2021 with a road game at in-town rival Colonia next Friday night. Plainfield is 1-2 and will host Perth Amboy next weekend.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Woodbridge head coach Joe Goerge, runningback Jahmir Beal and quarterback Derek Anderson, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

NOTES: The honorary captain for the Barrons was Lee Warren, a name well-known to Woodbridge fans. Warren was a longtime assistant coach of football, softball, baseball, basketball and track and field, and the first black principal in Woodbridge, leading Ross Street Elementary. He later was principal at Woodbridge High School from 1996 to 2013.

But the moment was especially poignant, since Warren was a 1965 graduate of Plainfield High School, where he is in the Hall of Fame.

It’s been a long way back for Plainfield, now Cardinals look to take the next step

The 2023 football season was a huge success for the Plainfield Cardinals.

Besides the fact they had some really talented players, they got to a level that had not been reached in quite some time.

With a 6-5 record, the victory total was the most they’d had since Clinton Jones’ first go-round as head coach, in 2006. And in between, there had been little success.

From 2007, the first year under Reggie Robinson, through 2020, the final of five seasons under Corey Tucker, Plainfield won a grand total of 25 games over that 14-year stretch. That included an 0-9 year in 2012, four one-win seasons, and five two-win campaigns. The Cardinals were 8-38 in the five seasons under Corey Tucker before James Williams arrived.

In 2021, Plainfield won five games for the first time since 2005, going 5-5. They finished 5-6 the next year, and last year, improved to 6-5.

And there’s plenty of talent as the Cards (1-1) face a big early season game Friday night, their Big Central Liberty Gold Division opener at third-ranked Woodbridge (2-0). It’s the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio, and you can hear it live with pregame from Nicholas A. Priscoe Stadium at 5:45 pm and kickoff at 6. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel have the call; click here to listen.

Plainfield is led by standouts Ala-Meen Watkins and Joel Cordoba.

Watkins is the QB who can play everywhere. Besides throwing for over 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns last year, he’s also a middle linebacker and defensive end who kicks and punts, too.

Cordoba is the reigning Central Jersey Sports Radio Two-Way Player of the Year, who plays wide receiver and cornerback. “He’ll catch a 60-yard bomb on one end, then come back and catch a pick-six on the very next possession,” says head coach James Williams.

Last season, as a junior, Cordoba grabbed 60 passes for 1,234 yards and nine touchdowns, while also adding two rushing scores. On the defensive side, he had five interceptions, more than half of which – three – went for touchdowns. They came against Elizabeth and Carteret in the regular season, and against West Orange in a first round playoff defeat.

All that will come in handy against the Barrons Friday night.

Click below to hear Plainfield Interim Head Coach Al-Majid Hutchins talk about the Cardinals with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

No. 3 Woodbridge hosts Plainfield after two close calls to start the season

Woodbridge football head coach Joe Goerge may be in his first year leading the Barrons, but he has decades of experience coaching high school football across the state. Prior to taking over Woodbridge, he led South Brunswick to three sectional titles in 2012, 2015, and 2017, and also won two at Franklin in 1994 and 1996. He boasts a career 238-158-4 record over 35 years and five schools.

He’s needed every minute of that experience to help the Barrons win their first two games, by a combined five points.

Last week against Watchung Hills, it took a late fourth quarter touchdown between twin brothers, with quarterback Derek Anderson finding Bryan for an 11-yard score.

In the season opener at Old Bridge, the Knights scored two straight touchdowns by Brody Nugent in the final six minutes to cut the lead to 36-34. The Barrons held up strong on the conversion attempt, however, as the pass fell harmlessly to the ground and gave Woodbridge the victory.

The Anderson brothers have come up big for the Barrons in both games and will be tasked with doing so once again in Friday’s matchup against Plainfield.

Alongside the duo in the passing game brings a strong rushing attack, led by senior running backs Jahmir Beal and Zackaryus Guzman.

You can hear Friday evening’s “Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving” on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame at 5:45, kickoff at 6 pm. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel will call all the action; click here to listen.

Goerge noted that while the Cardinals are 1-1, they could just as easily be undefeated as well. In the season-opening Mountaineer Classic, they fell at Newark East Side in an 8-6 slugfest decided in the final minute. Goerge said they will be hungry and ready, and that his team will need to match that energy.

Click below to hear Woodbridge first-year head coach Joe Goerge preview Friday’s matchup with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

Marcus Borden’s 2024 GMC/BCC Camp Caravan: Final stop of the preseason as Plainfield visits Sayreville in regular season tune-up

Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football analyst Marcus Borden wrapped up his 2024 Camp Caravan tour of preseason practice to the blue turf of Colonia Friday morning as the Patriots scrimmaged against Summit.

You can find videos – including video highlights and interviews – from both teams below.

Sayreville: Head Coach Mark Poore and seniors Nick Nunez (QB), Dariel Jerez (FB/LB), Preston Ditzel (G/DE), Bryce Bouchard (G/MLB), and Kevin Drass (RB/S)

Plainfield: Offensive Coordinator Al-Majid Hutchins and seniors Joel Cordoba (WR/DB), Ala-Meen Watkins (QB/DE), Ra’Qui Martin (LT/DT), Chance Fritz (G/DE), Darren Hester (FB/LB) and EJ Brown (RB/FS)

You can now watch all the 2024 Camp Caravan videos on YouTube by clicking this link!

2024 Big Central Preview: Liberty Gold Division

The Big Central Conference Liberty Gold Division is a mix of northern Middlesex and southern Union County schools, and all play some tough, hard-nosed football.

Woodbridge is the defending champion, and talent is not a question mark, not with the Anderson twins playing catch, surrounded by a solid supporting cast. It’s how Joe Goerge – who has mainly run option – will adjust his schemes, or how the offense will adapt to his, or a little of both.

Linden has talent, and will be right there with Colonia, as well as a Plainfield program that is having its best success in over a decade, and looking to add to it, as they join a new division this year. Perth Amboy also will be looking to make strides, but it may be difficult in a division such as this one.

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

National Signing Day: Big Central football players make it official where they’ll play in college

Wednesday begins the Early Signing period for football players across the country to sign their National Letter of Intent. They can sign on the dotted line now through Friday, or can wait for the Spring period. Here is a team-by-team look at who signed were, with information submitted by their coaches and/or announced on social media.

This list will be updated throughout the day, as we get information from coaches, players, social media and other media reports. Please check back often for additions as they come in.

Colonia: Jaeden Jones – the Central Jersey Sports Radio Offensive Player of the Year – signed on with Monmouth. In his second season as a QB – after having never played the position before – he rished for 1,454 yards and 22 touchdowns, second best in the Big Central. One of the league’s most electrifying players, he also threw for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns. Now that he’s signed, it’s right back to playing hoops, where he’s the point guard for the Patriots’ basketball team.

Hillside: Diego Rodriguez, a two-way lineman for the Comets – will be attending the University of Connecticut.

Montgomery: Matt D’Avino – who may have had the most receptions in the state over the last two years, according to his head coach, Zoran Milich – signed on with Lehigh. He caught 67 passes this year for 1,501 yards – that’s 15.7 yards per catch – and had 16 touchdowns. He’s grabbed 122 passes the last two seasons.

Ridge: Chris Oliver, an offensive lineman/tight end, will be playing for Bucknell. The 6-3, 240-pounder played mostly defense for the Red Devils this season, logging 61 tackles, 42 solo, nine TFLs, seven sacks – with 13 in his two years playing varsity for Andy West – and also had a forced fumble.

Plainfield: Josue Cordoba – Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Two Way Player of the Year for 2023, signed on with Kent State Wednesday. ”He’ll catch a 60-yard bomb on one end, and come back and catch a pick-six on the other,” says his coach, James Williams. He caught 60 passes this year for 1,234 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for two. On defense: five interceptions, three for touchdowns.

St. Thomas Aquinas: Christian Magliacano – the 2023 CJSR Defensive Player of the Year – made it official he’ll be going to Colgate. ”Arguably the best linebacker in the state,” says his head coach Tarig Holman, he recorded 162 tackles this year at linebacker, 32 TFLs, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, one for a touchdown, and two blocked kicks.

Summit: Tyler Kessell singed to play football at Dartmouth. He totalled 133 tackles at linebacker this season, with 15 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

Watchung Hills: Big quarterback Aleks Sitkowski – the younger brother of Art, who starred at Old Bridge and played at Rutgers – signed on with Colgate. After moving from Piscataway to Warren, Sitkowski threw for 1,696 yards and 17 touchdowns for Watchung Hills, while also running it over 100 times for 609 yard and another 13 touchdowns. Head coach Rich Suebert says Sitkowksi turned his traditional run-first offense into a “high octane” passing attack. Sitkowski was an Honorable Mention CJSR Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.

Westfield: Linebacker Chris Rosetti put pen to paper to play for Brown University. He was tops with 124 tackles for the Blue Devils this year, four tackles for loss, and 1 1/2 sacks. He also had a QB hurry and a fumble recovery.

Woodbridge: The winner of Central Jersey Sports Radio’s “Record Setter of the Year” award, A.J. Bosch signed with Bucknell. He graduates as No. 1 all-time in Barrons annals with career receptions (134), career touchdown catches (27) and career rushing touchdowns (12) by a receiver. He also finished with 2,842 career rushing yards, No. 2 in the Woodbridge record books:

Plainfield’s Joel Cordoba grabs Central Jersey Sports Radio Two-Way Player of the Year nod

Coach James Williams says “He’ll catch a 60-yard bomb on one end, then come back and catch a pick-six on the very next possession.

That’s not all he can grab, as this year, he’s taking home honors as Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Two Way Player of the Year.

Cordoba was a big reason why Plainfield has won 16 games in the last three years. Before Williams took over – and before Cordoba was in the mix – Plainfield had only won 15 games over a stretch of the previous ten seasons, from 2011 through 2020.

On offense, the junior grabbed 60 passes for 1,234 yards and nine touchdowns, while also adding two rushing scores. On the defensive side, he had five interceptions, more than half of which – three – went for touchdowns. They came against Elizabeth and Carteret in the regular season, and against West Orange in a first round playoff defeat.

Cordoba has interest from several colleges, and has an offer on the table from Duke.

Scroll down for Honorable Mentions.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with Plainfield junior Joel Cordoba:

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Jeremy DeCaro, St. Joseph-Metuchen, HB/FS/returner: On offense, the senior had 62 carries for 355 yards and five TDs, while also catching 44 passes for 894 yards and 11 TDs. Defensively, he had 49 tackles, three for a loss, and two interceptions, including a pick-six against Edison.
  • Braden Paulmenn, South Brunswick, QB/DB/OLB: Took every snap on offense and defense in 10 games, throwing for 446 yards and three TDs, while rushing for 740 yards and 13 TDs.
  • Jake Caldwell, Bernards, QB/DB: On offense, caught 42 passes for 459 yards and 4 TDs, while rushing for 94 yards and 3 TDs. On defense, he had four INTs for 196 yards, and had picks in three straight games at one point. He also had 52 tackles for a secondary that didn’t allow a single passing touchdown the entire regular season. A Hobart lacrosse commit.
  • Samaad Hicks, North Brunswick, RB/WR/FS: Over 1,200 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns this season, he rushed for 600 and 11 TDs, while logging 451 receiving yards and five scores. He had 4 picks on defense, including a pick-six Week 7 against South Brunswick.

Westfield, Phillipsburg, Aquinas all win Thanksgiving games

With two games on Thanksgiving – and one on Thanksgiving Eve – involving Big Central teams, Westfield, Phillipsburg and St. Thomas Aquinas all won their Turkey Day rivalry games.

Westfield 28, Plainfield 9

The Blue Devils (6-5) got 100 rushing yards on 20 carries out of Luke Jordan – along with two second half interceptions on the defensive side of the ball, as Westfield took their 118th meeting with Plainfield.

It was the eleventh straight win in the series, which the Blue Devils now lead 55-45, with seven ties.

The Cardinals – who also finish 6-5 on the year – were seeking their first win in the series since 2011.

Westfield got on the board first after a scoreless second quarter, on an 11-yard touchdown run by quarterback Mac Cho, to go up 7-0 with the extra point. Plainfield got to within four on a 26-yard field goal by Armando Avril, but Sebastian Magherini’s 20-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Cho made it 14-3.

In the third quarter, Cho threw another TD pass, then Jordan ran for a 25-yard touchdown to put the Blue Devils up 21-3.

In the fourth, Joel Cordoba caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Kamai Lowery, that got them to within 21-9 after the a two-point pass attempt failed. Then Jordan caught a 25-yard TD pass, with the PAT making it 28-9, the final.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden at Hub Stine Field presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Phillipsburg 47, Easton 12

Last year, the Stateliners beat Easton for the first time since 2014. This year, they made it two straight for the first time in two decades, since they turned the trick in 2002 and 2003.

Phillipsburg 47, Easton 12 after the final horn sounded at Lafayette College’s Fisher Stadium in Easton, PA, on Thanksgiving 2023. (Source: Raymond C. Patt on Twitter)

Phillipsburg (10-2) ran the ball for 319 yards and seven touchdowns, pounding their way on the ground to a 47-12 win at Fisher Stadium at Lafayette College. It was also P’burg’s second-largest win in the series, a 35-point margin.

John Wargo was named offensive MVP by the attending media, going for 156 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries; he also had two receptions in the game for 33 yards. Sophomore Sam Dech – who filled in more than ably when Wargo missed a couple of games due to injury this season – ran the rock 12 times for 136 yards, including long touchdown runs of 50 and 75 yards.

Easton still leads the overall series, 67-44-5.

St. Thomas Aquinas

In a new rivalry game this year, St. Thomas Aquinas closed out its season with a 42-14 win over Immaculata out of the Super Football Conference.

The Spartans (6-4) opened the scoring on an Own Blum touchdown pass from quarterback Mason Geis, and Anthony Brown returned a kick 90-yards for six in the second quarter. But Aquinas got the next three scores to take the lead before the half. Chase Young ran in a two-yard touchdown, Elijah Abass-Shereef scored from six yards out, and Roman Blanks took one in from a yard out to make it 21-14 at the half.

After a scoreless third period, the Trojans put up three more scores in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Young added a one-yard score, and Abass-Shereef added two more, the first of which went for 42 yards on the ground.

STA finishes the year 10-1, tying a program record for wins achieved just twice before. Aquinas went 10-1 in 1989, and also in 1984 when they beat Holy Cross to win the Non-Public South A title. That was their first of three straight state titles from 1984 through 1986, a span that saw the program go 28-4, winning its only three titles in program history.