Tag: playoffs

by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge wins 28-27 thriller in CJ5 semis at Sayreville on late TD catch by Alsbrook and PAT, to clinch first title game berth in a decade

It was September 1994 when Old Bridge High School officially opened its doors, a merger between Cedar Ridge and Madison Central. Seven years later, they made their first sectional title game, falling 10-7 to JP Stevens.

They’d go again in 2015, falling to South Brunswick.

For the first time, since they are back.

The third-seeded Knights (10-1) beat second-seed Sayreville (9-2) Friday night in the Central Jersey Group 5 semifinals, 28-27, to advance to the title game next week. They’ll visit top-seed Washington Twp, which is 11-0 after beating Rancocas Valley, 44-26, Friday evening at 6:00.

Sophomore wide receiver Amari Alsbrook had the game-tying touchdown with 1:33 remaining, and the PAT by Michael Firetto made the difference, giving Old Bridge a slim, one-point lead that would turn out to be all they needed.

The Knights led 14-7 at halftime, with senior QB Brody Nugent involved in both scores, the first a 12-yard run, the second, a 33-yard pass to Alsbrook for his first of two TD catches on the night. Those were sandwiched around a 22-yard TD run by Sayreville’s Shaun Jackson, and OB led 14-7 at the break.

Things were looking good when Chase Rizzo caught a 43-yard pass from Nugent to take a two-score lead at 21-7 in the third.

But that’s when Sayreville woke up.

They would score three straight touchdowns. Jackson had a four-yard run to cut it to 21-14. Then, in the fourth, Joseph Curbello picked off a Nugent pass and returned it 76 yards for a score, then Jackson scored from 37-yards out to give his team the lead. But it won only by six, 27-21, as the PAT failed.

Shaking it off, Nugent led the game-winning drive, eventually hitting Alsbrook for the second time, and getting Firetto’s extra point for the one-point lead.

Click below for postgame reaction from Amari Alsbrook, Justin Valinotti and head coach Matt Donaghue with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg controls play up front as Wargo, Dech lead Stateliners to fourth straight sectional finals with 35-7 win over Colonia

For all the talent Colonia had this season – and an excellent one it was – the Patriots knew a trip to Phillipsburg would be an immense hurdle.

And for a while, they were right in it. Even though the Stateliners had he ball for more than 14 of the game’s first 20 minutes, and even down 21-7 at halftime.

But when the rain came again – after light precipitation a bit in the first half – in the third quarter, it was easy to tell this might not be their night for a comeback win.

Ultimately, top-seed Phillipsburg (9-1) got three touchdowns from Tyler Wargo and two more from Sam Dech en route to a dominating 35-7 win over 5th-seed Colonia (7-4) to advance to the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 final for the second year in a row, and their fourth straight sectional title game overall. (Their first two of the stretch came in Group 5.)

And they will get the chance to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 2013 and 2014 when they host third-seed Montgomery (8-3) next Friday night at 7 pm at Maloney Stadium.

Phillipsburg got the ball first and Tyler Wargo capped a ten-play, 63-yard drive that took six minutes flat with a one-yard touchdown run. And after Colonia held the ball for five minutes but failed to score in the red zone, the Stateliners put together an even longer drive: 14 plays, 68 yards in 8:26, capped by another one-yard run by Wargo to make it 14-0.

Colonia got one back on a short drive just before halftime, on a 15-yard TD catch by R.J. Wortman, the state’s top receiver, who unofficially finished the game with 12 receptions to give him an even 100 on the season, leading the next closest on the list not by a few, but like by at least 20 catches after Friday night action.

But Wargo scored again on a one-yard run on Phillipsburg’s third possession, and they took a 21-17 lead into the temporary locker rooms both teams were using while the stadium gets a new fieldhouse that should be set for next year.

After the break, the rains came down heavier, and it was hard for anyone to get any footing. Ultimately, the ‘Liners got two more touchdowns, one on a 70-yard run by Sam Dech that started the possession where he came out of the pile with nothing but green in front of him, with 3:06 to go in the third, and a 22-yarder with 4:45 left in the game.

Phillipsburg – now 14-0 at Maloney Stadium over the past two seasons – will meet Montgomery next Friday night as the Cougars beat Woodbridge in the other semifinal, 20-15, less than a month after falling to the Barrons at home despite having a lead at halftime. It’ll be the Cougars’ first-ever trip to a final.

Click below for postgame reaction from Phillipsburg runningback Sam Dech and head coach Frank Duffy with Justin Sontupe, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Logo of Sportsplex at Metuchen featuring icons of various sports including volleyball, soccer, basketball, and hockey, along with contact information.
by Mike Pavlichko

Bridgewater-Raritan tops Union City at home, 22-7, to clinch first sectional finals berth since ’17

The last time Bridgewater-Raritan reached a sectional final, it was their third straight trip, in 2017.

All three years they’d face Westfield, and all three years the Blue Devils won, ending a wild stretch where they went 36-0 over those three seasons, 2015 through 2015.

Well, Westfield is down in Group 4 now, but the Panthers had quite the nemesis on the other side of the Basilone Field Friday night in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 semifinals.

That would be fourth-seed Union City, which has been one of the top public schools in the state for the past decade or so, and which also beat Bridgewater-Raritan 62-10 last year in this same round. Though the Panthers were 4-6 heading into that game, and were 7-3 before Friday night’s semifinal, few might have given them a shot.

They should have.

The Panthers held Union City to just one touchdown, in the second quarter. But they get touchdown runs of 20 yards from Denzel Amoafo and seven-yards by Jahmier Black, as well as a safety, and two field goals – 29 and 25 yards – from Joe Squiccarini – en route to a 22-7 win that wasn’t quite as close as the score indicated.

Now, the Panthers (8-3) will host the North 2, Group 5 final, next Friday night at 6:30, they just have to wait to see who their opponent is. It’ll be the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between second-seed Piscataway (8-2) and sixth-seed Bayonne (7-3). That game is at 1:00, and you can hear it live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

So if you want to congratulate the Panthers’ coaching staff, you know where they’ll be.

Click below to hear Bridgewater-Raritan head coach D.J. Catalano talk about the win over Union City with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

New Providence earns second straight finals trip with 28-21 OT win at Hasbrouck Heights

No one led by more than a touchdown, and they needed more than 48 minutes to decide the game.

That’s playoff football, folks.

In Hasbrouck Heights Friday night, third-seed New Providence got three touchdowns from Jack Fitzgerald – including what turned out to be the game winner in overtime – to come out with a 28-21 win over the second-seeded Aviators, clinching a berth in next week’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 final.

Add in the fact that top-seed Mountain Lakes was upset at home by fourth-seed Cedar Grove, 22-15, in the other semifinal, and it all adds up to the Pioneers hosting that title game, next Friday night at 6:30.

After a scoreless first quarter, New Providence took a 14-0 lead on consecutive touchdowns, a 45-yard run by Kevin Reilly, and a 13-yard run by Fitzgerald, a wide receiver converted to running back when A.J. Whitehead suffered a season-ending leg injury a few weeks ago.

But Heights got the next three scores. Brady Shine caught a 16-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7 at the break, then Michael Napolitano scored on a ten-yard run in the third to tie it at 14-all, and Shine caught another touchdown pass in the fourth – from Nico Nipitella for 63-yards, to take a 21-14 lead.

And that’s where Fitzgerald took over. He scored from 33-yards out to tie the game at 21 in the fourth.

Then, getting the ball first in overtime, Fitzgerald scored from 25 yards out on the very first play to give the Pioneers a 28-21 lead. On the Aviators’ turn, they got a first down, then took a loss of a yard before throwing three straight incomplete passes to end the game.

So now, it’s New Providence – the last unbeaten team in the Big Central at 10-0 after Manville’s loss at Burlington City Friday night – going up against Cedar Grove (8-3) for the North 1, Group 1 title, a rematch of last year’s final, which the Panthers won 35-14 en route to the state Group 1 final, which they lost to Glassboro.

But that one was on the road. This time, the Pioneers will be at home, looking for a better outcome – and their seventh overall sectional title.

Click below to hear head coach Chet Parlavecchio, Jr., talk about the win with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Montgomery quarterback Jack Kristjanson (14) fires a pass with pressure coming.
by Alec Crouthamel

Montgomery overcomes mistakes, holds on 20-15 over Woodbridge in North 2 Group 4 semifinals to earn first-ever title game trip

Next-play mentality. It is one that’s hard to perfect in high school football, no less when the going gets tough in the playoffs.

But Montgomery did just that, shaking off a couple of mistakes and instantly snatching the momentum back to defeat Woodbridge 20-15 in the North 2 Group 4 semifinals, advancing to the first sectional final in program history.

The Cougars (8-3) also rebounded from a 41-31 loss to the same team back on October 17th, and prevented the Barrons (8-3) from reaching the end zone in the second half, after they scored a trio of third-quarter touchdowns in the first matchup.

Montgomery was led on the ground by senior running back Caiden Miller and his 112 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. He crossed the century mark with a 14-yard run to ice the game with under two minutes to play – just a minute after needing to be helped off the field after suffering an apparent leg injury.

Senior quarterback Jack Kristjanson got it done with his arms and legs, completing 10 of 23 passes for 97 yards, and running for 44 yards on seven carries.

Woodbridge took the early momentum, as senior defensive back Emilio Ruiz stepped in front of a Kristjanson pass at midfield, intercepted it, and took it all the way to the house for a pick-six to open the scoring four minutes into the game.

As they have all year, the Cougars responded immediately. Junior wideout Xavier Harrigan took a bouncing kickoff 89 yards the opposite direction for a score just seconds later, and while the two-point attempt was no good, Montgomery was right back in it.

The two teams traded defensive stops before Woodbridge extended its lead. The Barrons used a long drive to take the momentum back, as senior running back Joshua Allen scored on a 15-yard toss play. A successful two-point conversion put the home team up by two possessions at 15-6 midway through the second quarter.

Montgomery then went two-for-one, efficiently marching down the field to close the first half, as Miller punched in a six-yard score with just over 90 seconds left in the half. After regrouping in the locker room, the Cougars got another short-yardage stop in their own territory, and once again used the ground game to take the lead. After a 12-play drive, senior Michael Bellamy rumbled in a two-yard rushing touchdown to give Montgomery a lead it would not relinquish.

The Barrons did not go down without a fight, however.

Even after punting on the ensuing drive to end the fourth quarter, they gave themselves another chance. Facing a third-and-long near the red zone, Kristjanson threw his second interception of the night, this time to Allen, as he ran the return all the way to the doorstep of the red zone.

But the Cougars’ defense held strong once again. Facing a second-and-four in the red zone, the defensive front stuffed Woodbridge on three consecutive run plays, including a fourth-and-one handoff where Allen was stuffed at the line of scrimmage.

And it still wasn’t over by that point.

The Cougars picked up two key third downs, as Kristjanson shook off his two picks and confidently found Harrigan for a first down through the air. Miller iced the game with his aforementioned heroic run after coming back from injury.

Finally, Montgomery was able to hold on, and clinched a sectional final berth for the first time in school history.

They will travel to Maloney Stadium next weekend and face off against top-seeded Phillipsburg in the North 2 Group 4 championship. The Stateliners (9-1) defeated fifth-seeded Colonia 35-7 in the opposite semifinal matchup on Friday night.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Montgomery head coach Sean Carty, along with running back Caiden Miller and wide receiver Xavier Harrigan, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central guaranteed finalists – and title in North 2, Group 4 – but who else will play for trophies next weekend? A look at the semis

There are eleven Big Central Conference public schools left in the state playoffs, less than half of the 25 teams that initially qualified.

But of those that remain, there are some good opportunities for the league to win championships, and there’s even a guarantee it will in North 2, Group 4, where all four teams playing in semifinals Friday are from the BCC.

That was pretty well expected, as seven of the eight teams in that section were from the Big Central, and the one that wasn’t – eight-seed Newark Central – was likely to get clobbered by top-seed Phillipsburg, which they did, 55-14.

Here’s a look at who’s in action Friday night, public and private – as well as Saturday, where Piscataway and Summit will play home matinees – with links to our pre-game, in-game and post-game coverage.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 5:

  • (4) Union City (6-3) at (1) Bridgewater-Raritan (7-3), Friday 6 pm: Call this the “merger” bowl, with the Panthers of the BCC a merger back in the early 1990s between Bridgewater East and West, and the Soaring Eagles a conglomeration of Emerson and Union Hill in 2008. This is their second meeting, with last year being a 61-10 win for Union City. But that Bridgewater team finished 4-7 on the season, and was 3-6 when they started the playoffs. Union City finished 11-2 and went all the way to the state Group 5 final, losing to Toms River North. This is still a tall order for the Panthers, but they are much closer in record now than they were last season, and one of their two losses came with senior QB Declan Kurdyla back in the lineup. He’s thrown for 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Jahmier Black (676 yards, 5 TDs) and Denzel Amoafo (633 yards, 12 TDs) lead the ground game. Meanwhile, it’s all the ground game for Union City, which has run it 403 times for nearly 4,000 yards, with two thousand-yard rushers: Ja’Zaire Aurelus (1,084 yards, 18 TD) and Mark Boyd (1,516 yards, 25 TDs). On defense, they have 36 sacks as a team – eleven from Omar Tillman, ten from Reynaldo Mercedes – and nine picks, with two returned for touchdowns.
Two groups of high school football players shaking hands at midfield during a coin toss before a game, one team in white uniforms with red accents and the other in black and yellow uniforms.
Piscataway and Plainfield captains shake hands before the coin toss ahead of their North 2, Group 5 opening round playoff game at Kenny Armwood Stadium in Piscataway on November 1, 2025. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
  • (6) Bayonne (7-3) at (2) Piscataway (8-2), Saturday 1 pm: The Chiefs have beaten Bayonne all three times they’ve played them: in 2014, 2017, and last year in the first round of this section, a 42-13 win for Piscataway, which bowed out in the semis to West Orange. And this may be the best team the Chiefs have had since COVID. They can score, they get good line play, and they bend but don’t break on defense: all characteristics of some of the best P’way teams over the last decade-and-a-half. Read our full preview, with interviews with both head coaches here. This is our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, so click here to listen as Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the action, with pregame at 12:45 pm.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 5:

  • (3) Old Bridge (9-1) at (2) Sayreville (9-1), Friday 7 pm: Why don’t these two teams play in the regular season? That’s a story for another day. In fact, believe it or not, the Knights and Bombers haven’t played each other since 2021! Besides that blasphemy, these teams have gone back and forth over the years in the series, and this one could see video game-like numbers, between Old Bridge QB Brody Nugent and Sayreville runnigback Shaun Jackson. Nugent has thrown for 1,926 yards and 15 TDs this season, while rushing for 1,108 and 19 scores. Jackson, meanwhile, has rushed for 1,761 yards – that’s 9.8 yards per carry, almost a first down every trip! Follow Marcus Borden for live coverage tonight, with a recap after the game at cjsportsradio.com. The other semifinal at 6 pm Friday features fourth-seed Rancocas Valley (6-4) at top-seed Washington Twp. (10-0). If Rancocas wins, the winner of the Old Bridge-Sayreville game would host the CJ5 final next Friday night. If Washington Twp. wins, the game would be down there, just north of Glassboro and Rowan University. You know, right smack dab in the heart of Central Jersey! (Eye roll)

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4:

  • (5) Colonia (7-3) at (1) Phillipsburg (8-1), Friday 7 pm: There have only been two meetings between these two teams, and both have come in the playoffs – and a long time ago. They last met in 2015, a sectional semifinal win for P’burg, and the year before at Rutgers, the Stateliners held off Colonia in overtime for the North 2, Group 4 title. A win for the Patriots would get them back to a title game for the first time since, but more than that, would be a monumental win over one of the premier programs in the state. One matchup to watch will be Colonia receiver R.J. Wortman against Phillipsburg defensive back Jaysen Blacknall. Wortman is the top receiver in the state with 88 – that’s right, close to 100! – catches on the year for 1,160 receiving yards and 14 scores. Can the line buy enough time, though, for Dylan Chiera to get him the ball? The Stateliners are stout up front on both sides of the ball, and Colonia will have to stop a dominating run game. Only St. Joseph-Metuchen has beaten P’burg this year, and that tape has probably been worn out this week by Colonia coach Tom Roarty and his staff. This is our Friday night “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Click here to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the action live from Maloney Stadium, with pregame at 6:45. Read our Colonia preview here, including and interview with head coach Tom Roarty. Our Phillipsburg preview is here, with a chat with head coach Frank Duffy.
A football player catches the ball while being tackled by two defenders on the field during a night game, with a large crowd visible in the background.
Woodbridge senior runningback Joshua Allen scores against Montgomery on October 10, 2025. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
  • (3) Montgomery (7-3) at (2) Woodbridge (8-2), Friday 6 pm: Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates – with postgame later on cjsportsradio.com – from this rematch of their October tenth game in Skillman, where the Cougars led 25-14 at the half, but the Barrons scored three third quarter touchdowns to pull ahead, and won 41-33. The two to watch in this one are Woodbridge runningback Joshua Allen – who had 221 yards and three touchdowns in the game – and Montgomery QB Jack Kristjanson, who threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns in that game, but also two picks. He was roughed up a bit in a Cutoff Weekend game at Rahway, getting sacked numerous times and going just 5-of-12 for 27 yards, but bounced back nicely last week against Westfield, with 13-for-20, 251 yards and three scores in a 32-10 win. Woodbridge bounced back last week, too, after losing two straight to end the regular season after a 7-0 start. They beat Rahway 21-7 in the opening round.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3:

  • (3) West Essex (6-3) at (2) Summit (8-2), Saturday 1 pm: This is their first meeting since 2023, a 27-17 first round playoff defeat for the Hilltoppers, who are 4-13-1 all-time against the Knights. Summit has won three straight – including a victory over Woodbridge – since dropping back-to-back games to start October, both without runningback-turned-QB Alex Schwark in the lineup. When he’s on the field instead of the bench, they’re 8-0. This could be a high scoring game, as both teams can put up points, and both can be scored upon; Summit is allowing 17 points per game to the opposition, West Essex nearly 22, but they are also 4-0 on the road this season, with wins at Caldwell, Lakeland, Nutley and Morris Knolls. Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for live coverage of this one, with postgame later at cjsportsradio.com. The winner gets the victor from the other semifinal, which has fourth-seed Roxbury (7-3) at top-seed West Morris (10-0) at 7:30 Friday. Summit, should they win, would be at home if they get Roxbury, and on the road if it’s West Morris.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 1:

  • (3) New Providence (9-0) at (2) Hasbrouck Heights (8-2), Friday 7 pm: In a rematch of a first-round game last year, New Providence at least is very different. Not only did they graduate star QB T.J. Munn, but standout runningback A.J. Whitehead broke his leg a few weeks ago and won’t be back in the postseason. That’s forced Chet Parlevecchio, Jr.’s staff to shuffle some guys around, leaning more on fullback Mike Petses and converting Jack Fitzgerland from wide receiver to runningback. It’s kept the Pioneers on the right path so far, with Fitzgerald going for 345 yards on 40 carries the last three weeks, after carrying just five times in the four games he even carried the ball prior. Heights is led by senior QB Nico Nipitella (1,018 yards, 16 TDs) and senior RB Michael Naplitano (1,320 yards, 18 scores). After falling in the finals last year at Cedar Grove, New Providence could face them again in the finals. The other semi has the fourth-seeded Panthers (7-3) visiting top-seed Mountain Lakes (7-2) Friday night at 7.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1:

  • (4) Manville (10-0) at (1) Burlington City (9-1), Friday 6 pm: Last week, Manville made history with its first playoff win, coming in just its sixth playoff appearance all-time. The Mustangs also set a program record with their tenth win. Now, if they get an eleventh, they’ll be in the finals for the first time ever. To do that, they will have to get past a very good Burlington City team that has run the rock about three times more than they’ve thrown it all year, to the tune of 2,278 yards on the ground, with 1,625 of them coming from senior runningback Donte Davis, who also has 22 touchdowns on the year. But hey, Manville has some gamers, too, and dominated Asbury Park on the line of scrimmage last week – though the Blue Devils are not to be confused with the Blue Bishops. Still, the two-headed quarterback monster Manville has with Sam Echeverri and Josh D’Ambrosio is confusing, and watching them on film can only do so much. Can Manville keep making history? The other semifinal is at 6 pm Friday, featuring sixth-seed Point Pleasant Beach (7-2) at second-seed Shore (7-2).
A high school football game in progress, featuring players in blue and yellow uniforms on the field, with a focus on a quarterback preparing to throw the ball under the stadium lights.
Manville’s Josh D’Ambrosio looks to throw against Asbury Park in a Central Jersey Group 1 opening round game at home on October 31, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

NON-PUBLIC GROUP B:

  • (10) St. Thomas Aquinas (5-5) at (7) Immaculata (8-2), Friday 7 pm: The Trojans are in a transition season with new head coach Shamir Bearfield and a host of transfers in and out of the program. But they’re here in the playoffs, and have a solid opponent in the Spartans, who play in the Super Football Conference despite being in Somerset County. Quarterback Zymere Weaver is having a fine sophomore season, throwing for 2,061 yards and 23 touchdowns against just two interceptions, and Ian Roberts paces the ground game with 815 yards and seven scores. Immaculata has won five straight coming in, and is led on the ground by Daysir Spille, with 1,276 yards on 157 carries and 26 touchdowns this season. Should be a good one, with the winner going on to play second-seed Paramus Catholic (4-6), which has a bye along with top-seed DePaul in a 14-team field. The Palladins beat St. Thomas on October third, 42-14.
by Mike Pavlichko

Is Piscataway “back?” Chiefs host Bayonne in North 2, Group 5 semifinals, seeking first title game berth since 2018

Wins and losses are important, program development is important.

But success in some high school football programs is also measured by championships. And that’s the way it is in Piscataway.

Saturday afternoon at Kenny Armwood Stadium, the Chiefs will look to reach their first title game since 2018, when they won North 2, Group 5, then beat Ridgewood in the first North Group 5 bowl game to finish 13-0, setting a Middlesex County single-season win record that remains unmatched to this day.

It’ll be our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, as second-seed Piscataway (8-2) takes on sixth-seed Bayonne (7-3) in the North 2, Group 5 semifinals live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Pregame is at 12:45 pm, with kickoff at 1. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas are on the call; click here to listen. The game is sponsored in part by Piscataway Township and Mayor Brian Wahler.

Official seal of the Township of Piscataway, featuring a historic design with the year founded, 1666, and an emblematic representation of the township.

The Chiefs and Bees are familiar with each other. They met last year in the opening round, a 42-13 win for Piscataway, which bowed out in the semifinals, with a 35-0 loss to West Orange, which then lost to East Orange in the finals. The Chiefs also had playoff wins in 2017 and 2014 against Bayonne.

The winner will face off against either top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (7-3) or fourth-seed Union City (6-3). That semifinal game will be Friday night at Basilone Field in Bridgewater. The Panthers beat the Chiefs at home back on September 5th, 34-27.

If Piscataway and Bridgewater win, the Panthers would host the finals next Friday night. Should the Chiefs get the Soaring Eagles, they would host the North 2, Group 5 title game next Saturday, their first title game at home since beating Union City for that 2018 title.

Piscataway and Bayonne are also very similar teams, with a lot of talent on the field, in need of superior line play to get the ball to their skill guys, and with some pretty good defenses as well. The Chiefs have held opponents to under ten points in five of their last seven games, and are 1-1 in the games where they’ve allowed more. The Bees haven’t allowed more than 15 points in their last six games, all wins.

While both teams are more experienced a year later, perhaps the biggest difference from 2024 to 2025 – for either team – is the addition of two key transfers for Piscataway who both began their scholastic careers in the program: Josiah Zayas and Mickye Simmons.

Zayas – a wide receiver – was in the Chiefs’ program for a year before transferring to St. Thomas Aquinas. Simmons – a runningback – was at P’way for two years before joining Zayas in North Edison. But both came back to their home district for their seniors years, although they had to sit out the first several weeks due to NJSIAA transfer rules, since it was their second switcheroo.

The two have been a big part of what Piscataway does offensively, and are playing big roles on defense, too, with Zayas at middle linebacker, and Simmons in the secondary.

If they and everyone else keeps doing their thing, and the Chiefs keep playing the way they have since a loss to Sayreville at home on October third, they’ll be partying like its 2018, with a chance at a ring for the first time in seven years.

Bayonne, meanwhile – for those unfamiliar – have a very balanced offense, running about 150 pass plays, and 196 on the ground. Senior QB Nico Sampson, Jr., has thrown for 1,362 yards and isn’t turnover prone in the least, with 21 TDs to just two picks. But Piscataway is a plus-10 in that regard this season.

Defensively, the bees have logged 24 sacks, almost two-and-a-half per game. And Jerome Hayes, Jr., the coach’s son, has two pick sixes on the season.

Click below to listen to pregame interviews with both head coaches and Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Piscataway head coach Dan Higgins
Bayonne head coach Jerome Hayes

by Mike Pavlichko

Veteran Colonia heads out to Phillipsburg for first meeting in a decade, with trip to North 2, Group 4 finals on the line

Last week, under the lights on a cold night in a do-or-die playoff game at Ridge, every time Colonia needed to make a play, a senior stepped up and delivered. 

Down 6-0 early and back on defense in the second quarter, senior R.J. Wortman’s pick-six helped give Colonia its first lead. Down 13-7 late in the first half, senior Julien Jones rumbled in from six yards out to tie the game just before the break.

Then, on the first drive of the second half, Wortman caught a short touchdown pass from senior quarterback Dylan Chiera to put Colonia ahead 20-13. Even when Ridge scored again early in the fourth quarter, senior Harsimran Mann blocked his second extra point of the night to keep the Patriots ahead, 20-19.

With Ridge driving to win late in the fourth quarter, it was Julien Jones again leading the charge on a fourth down stop on Colonia’s own 29-yard line to seal the deal.

Senior, senior, senior, senior.

The result: a 20-19 road win over the fourth-seeded Red Devils in the first round of the North 2, Group 4 playoffs and a date with top-seeded Phillipsburg Friday night in an all-Big Central sectional semifinal.

The Stateliners will present all types of challenges. For one, it’s an hour-plus bus ride west for Colonia on Friday afternoon. For another, Phillipsburg is 8-1, ranked 2nd in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, and their only loss is to No. 1 St. Joseph-Metuchen.

Last year, the Stateliners captured the North 2, Group 4 title over Northern Highlands on a 46-yard field goal by Alexie Moreira – who’s back this year – as time expired. Colonia head coach Tom Roarty called Phillipsburg “a top-five team in the state every year.”

At this stage of the season, though, experience is everything. And Colonia has it in droves. Dylan Chiera has thrown for over 2,185 yards and 22 touchdowns. R.J. Wortman has over 1,160 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns. Julien Jones has 6 touchdowns on offense and 8 sacks on defense. Harsimran Mann, George Simpson, and Yisrael Custudio all have double-digit tackles for loss. All are seniors. 

“Now we’re 7-3, but our three losses are to Sayreville, Woodbridge, and Old Bridge. They’re all in the second round of the playoffs, too,” said Colonia’s 13th-year head coach Tom Roarty. “I told the kids ‘Why not us?’ We have to believe we’re a good team and we’re just as good as anybody that we play.”

The senior-laden Patriots will have a huge opportunity to prove it and advance Friday night at Phillipsburg in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. You can hear the game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame at 6:45 and kickoff at 7:00. Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will be on the call; click here to listen.

It’ll be the first meeting between the schools since they faced each other in the semifinals of this very same section in 2015, a 28-13 Colonia loss. They also played the year before in the finals at Rutgers, with the Patriots falling in overtime, 28-21, when a fourth-down pass play fell short of the line-to-gain.

Click below to hear Colonia head coach Tom Roarty preview the game with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Justin Sontupe:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg seeking fourth straight sectional final bid when Colonia comes to Maloney Friday

Discipline. Ignore the Noise. Grit.

Every team has a slogan, a manta, and this is Phillipsburg’s.

D.I.G.

Perhaps more than most teams in the state, that middle part may be the most important for the Stateliners.

They are the equivalent of a Michigan, a Southern Cal, an Alabama. It doesn’t matter the coach or the players, they are football royalty. They could be 0-8, but a win over them is to be celebrated. They are a name program.

Of course, they’re never 0-8. (Well, they’ve only lost that many games four times since their inaugural season in 1899!) But one thing Phillipsburg gets is a lot of attention, whether it be around town, or in the press. And there’s a lot of press that “follows” Phillipsburg. Not just covers them a few times a year. Follows them.

Tuning it all out is a process, ingrained in Phillipsburg football early on. Focus on the game, all the rest will take care of itself.

And that will be no different this Friday, when the top-seeded Stateliners (8-1) take on five-seed Colonia (7-3) at Maloney Stadium in Phillipsburg in the North 2, Group 4 finals. And the ‘Liners will be looking to make it to their fourth straight sectional final, after falling in the North 2, Group 5 final in 2022 and 2023, then beating Northern Highlands last year on a field goal as time expired by Alexie Moreira to win North 2, Group 4.

You can hear the defending sectional champions and the Patriots do battle here on Central Jersey Sports Radio, in our “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Kickoff is at 7, but Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe join you from Maloney at 6:45 with the pregame show; click here to listen.

Phillipsburg is coming off a 55-14 blowout win over 8th-seed Newark Central, a team that was overmatched in every facet of the game last week, despite being a six-win team out of the Super Football Conference. Head coach Frank Duffy was emptying the bench early in the second quarter.

And while that certainly was the sportsmanlike thing to do, it wasn’t without its advantages for the Stateliners, as Duffy and his staff got to evaluate his backups and third-team under the lights in live game action. That’s something that happens often around these parts, and its one reason this year’s team is as successful as it is, considering the graduation losses of players like Jett Genovese, Felix Matos, and Matthew Scerbo, Jr., the most decorated receiver in ‘Liner history.

Against Colonia, they will be challenged. This is a Patriot team that knocked off fourth-seed Ridge, 20-19, last Friday night in the opening round, thanks in large part to Harsimran Mann, who blocked not one, but two extra points, in a game the Pats won by one.

Click below to hear Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the Stateliners’ playoff matchup with Colonia:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gameday with Marcus Borden: Week 2 Playoff Edition!

The playoffs for high school football in New Jersey are into their second week – with sectional semifinals for public schools, and opening round game for some non-publics (mostly in Group B). So, it’s time to talk about it all with Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden!

Mike and Marcus take a quick look at some notable “consolation” games from Week Nine, then look ahead to the sectional semifinals for publics, including the games we’ll have live coverage of, featuring Colonia at Phillipsburg and Old Bridge at Sayreville on Friday, with Piscataway hosting Bayonne and Summit entertaining West Essex on Saturday, plus St. Thomas Aquinas opening its playoff push against Immaculata.

Click below to listen to the Week 2 playoff edition of “Gameday with Marcus Borden”: