Tag: Rahway

by Mike Pavlichko

Russo wins his 100th game, but has Rahway focused on task at hand after 2-0 start

Last year’s Rahway team started the year 3-1, but never won another game en route to a rare three-win season for the Indians.

This year, two big numbers came out of their 34-7 home win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood Friday night: 2 and 100.

The win made the Indians 2-0 for the second time in three years. It was also No. 100 in the coaching career of Brian Russo, now in his tenth season at Rahway.

A Woodbridge alum who also coached there for nine seasons from 2003 to 2011, going 48-45, Russo is 52-37 at Rahway.

But none of those numbers, nor the 100, are important to him.

Even the 2-0 isn’t important. The number that matters is the number 1. As in, Rahway plays “one” game this week, and their job is to win it.

The last time they started 2-0 was in 2022. They went 2-5 the rest of the way to finish 4-5.

So, he is keenly focused on making sure his young team – which travels to Waters Stadium in Perth Amboy Friday night to face the 1-1 Panthers – is locked in on the task at hand.

Offensively, thus far, Rahway has been led by sophomore quarterback Jaquan Robinson, who’s thrown for 256 yards and four touchdowns through two games. And junior runningback Andrew Avent has rushed for 270 yards and give scores.

Defensively, Avent – a linebacker – lead the team in tackles with 20, plus a forced fumble and a recovery for a touchdown, while sophomore linebacker Jyvon Cooper has a team-best 13 solo tackles, plus a sack and 3 TFLs, as well as a fumble recovery.

Click below to hear Rahway head coach Brian Russo with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

2024 Big Central Preview: Liberty Silver Division

Plainfield is out, Somerville is in. And even though both teams hovered around .500 last year, the Liberty Silver Division of the Big Central Conference gets no easier in 2024 for the remaining teams.

Somerville at Plainfield at least are in divisions that make a little more sense geographically speaking. The Pioneers should challenge for the division, with a host of talent back and Matt Bloom entering his second full season as head coach.

Montgomery will have to replace the talented QB-reciever duo of Michael Schmelzer and Matt D’Avino, but head coach Zoran Milich has a program there, not just a team, so expect the Cougars to reload. North Hunterdon – winless after a state sectional championship season in 2022 that saw big losses to graduation – should bounce back.

Watchung Hills took a stinging playoff loss last year in the semifinals, but should also be in fine form, and Rahway is hoping some of the youth they had last year – which got a little worn down after a good start to the season – will pay off in the form of experience and stamina this year.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s 2024 GMC/BCC Camp Caravan: Night scrimmage features Carteret at Rahway

Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football analyst Marcus Borden finished off a double-dip of coverage Monday, catching Carteret and Rahway’s get together at Rahway River Park.

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

Rahway: Head Coach Brian Russo; seniors Malachi Lowe (DE/RT), Donae Fish (G/DT), and Kevin Taylor (DE/OT); and junior Andrew Avent (RB/LB)

Carteret: Head Coach Kevin Freeman and seniors Ja’Kir Thomas (RB/FS), Eric Thompson (QB/DB), Jacob Bess (G/DE) and Yari Miranda (C/DT)

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Rahway looks to turn last year’s heart, youth and inexperience into this year’s success

Many football teams across New Jersey are looking for a new quarterback to step up this year. Others are looking for a new top runningback. Some are in need of both.

Rahway doesn’t have that problem.

While the Indians were just 3-7 in 2023, they were a team with heart, but also youth. They started a sophomore at quarterback in Ziare Fields, and fellow sophomore Andrew Avent led them in the ground attack as well. Both are back, and looking to make an impact in 2024.

Head coach Brian Russo is entering his tenth season with the Indians, and although they’ve been quite successful in that time, the last three seasons have been a challenge. But he’s banking on the fact that mistakes sophomores may make will be a thing of the past now that they are juniors.

Click below to hear from Rahway football coach Brian Russo and runningback/linebacker Andrew Avent:

by Mike Pavlichko

In like Flynn? CJSR projections say 30 Big Central publics will qualify for playoffs, as 5 of 7 “bubble teams” appear to make it, with one more to go

Heading into Cutoff Weekend, 25 of the 57 Big Central Conference public schools appeared to have a playoff bid locked up, with six more teams on the bubble. Now, after Friday’s games, it looks like at least five of those seven bubble teams will make the tournament, with one more looking to punch its ticket Saturday afternoon.

That team is in South 2, where Spotswood has done about all it could this season, and has one more thing to do: beat JP Stevens today. Yes, the Hawks are winless and haven’t put a W on the board since 2018, but the Chargers only won this game 18-7 last year. They had to get some breaks to get here. Last week, everyone around them lost, allowing them another lease on playoff life despite a 48-0 loss at home to AL Johnson in the rain last week. We thought they’d be out with a loss, but other results vaulted Johnson up before they even played it, and allowed Spotswood to hang in there. Now, a win clinches a playoff berth at No. 16, with a trip to Point Pleasant Boro likely looming in the first round.

In North 5, Bridgewater-Raritan got a little help Thursday night when Paterson Eastside lost to Passaic Tech, but they might not have needed it. Not after a 49-21 win at Old Bridge Friday night by the Panthers themselves moved them up to No. 14 in the standings. That looks likely to hold and we think B-R will visit Union City in the opening round of the North 2 section.

In North 4, it looks like both bubble teams – Rahway and Colonia – are in. The Indians lost to Colonia, 35-7, Friday night, but Rahway is still ahead of the Patriots in the standings. Regardless of No. 16 Orange’s game result today against Lincoln in Jersey City (4 pm at Caven Point) we think the Patriots are in because Rahway would drop down to 16 and with Colonia at 17, they’d get in based on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

That would be the second year in a row one Big Central Conference team has ousted another from the 17th spot in the playoff standings. Last year, Old Bridge got in on Cutoff Weekend thanks to a head-to-head victory over South Brunswick early in the season, which was a wacky one in itself. The Knights had missed a field goal and were trailing late when the Vikings, trying to run out the clock, fumbled. Old Bridge recovered, scored the go-ahead touchdown, then held off South for the win.

In North 3, it appears Governor Livingston will be in regardless of its result at home against Bernards today, mainly because of how strong an opponent the Mountaineers are in terms of power points (they’re 8-0) and OSI (they have a 79.69 Strength Index value). If they hold in 16th, they’ll be in the North 2 section and face top-seed Summit on the road in the opening round.

The only bubble team not to make it in on Cutoff Weekend so far looks to be Brearley, which was eliminated with a loss at Dunellen Thursday night.

by Mike Pavlichko

FRIDAY Cutoff Weekend Playoff Analysis: Group 4

It’s Cutoff Weekend, and we’re the place to get all the updated playoff standings all week long, with our coverage brought to you by My Family Appliances on Route 1 South in the Wick Plaza, Edison.

We’ll have more analysis throughout the day Saturday as scores roll in. And don’t forget to join us for our “Playoff Projection Show” on Saturday at 6:00 pm as Mike Pavlichko brings you all the playoff projections, with analysis and commentary by Marcus Borden, live in studio!

Here’s an updated look at the Group 4 supersections based on Friday night results as reported to Gridiron New Jersey.

NORTH GROUP 4

Ridge beat Union Friday night to stay in 4th place, and they should stay there, giving them a two-seed in the section where Ramapo will be the top-seed. They’re No. 1 overall, having flip-flopped with Roxbury, now in second. Northern Highlands jumped 5th to 3rd place, while Mount Olive fell below Ridge to fifth place.

Montgomery and Linden played an instant classic – a 42-42 triple overtime tie – and neither dropped as a result. The Cougars hold in 6th and Linden in 9th. We think that top nine is pretty locked in, as the only teams to play Saturday in this section are Middletown North (at Marlboro) and Orange (at Lincoln). North can’t get higher than ten with a win, but that would knock Sayreville down one spot from 10th to 11th place. Woodbridge could be affected if Middletown North loses.

Interestingly, the way things shook out, we originally thought Colonia‘s win over Rahway Friday night may not have gotten them in. They fell to 17th even though their UPR went up, as other teams around them won. Rahway holds in 15th with the loss and we think they’re in. So, we figured the Patriots would be watching Orange-Lincoln Very closely. We figured they needed an Orange to loss to get in. Otherwise, they finish in 17th. But here’s the kick. With an Orange win Colonia would fall to 17th, but right behind Rahway. And when the NJSIAA does a top-down tiebreaker, Colonia would get the 16 seed because they won head-to-head Friday night. A loss would get Colonia in 16th, but Rahway 15th. And Colonia would flip-flop, again on the head to head tiebreaker.

So, upon further review, the call in the earlier post has been overturned: We think Colonia is in!!

Key Saturday Games to Watch:

  • #11 Middletown North at Marlboro
  • #16 Orange at Lincoln

SOUTH GROUP 4

There are no Big Central Conference teams in this section, but Millville took the top spot with a win Friday night, while Winslow moved from 4th to 2nd, while Brick Memorial held in third and Mainland – despite a win to finish 9-0 – fell from the top spot to 4th place.

by Mike Pavlichko

Jones powers Colonia to 35-7 win over Rahway, likely playoff spot

It was considered a play-in for the playoffs and Jaeden Jones’ elevated his play one more notch.

Hard to fathom there was any room to even do that, as he’s having another stellar season. But Friday night may have taken the cake: 233 rushing yards on 21 carries (10.6 per rush!) and three touchdowns on his own Senior Night, while throwing for 137 more and two scores on just 3-of-5 tossing it.

The result was a 35-7 win for Colonia that looks like it will get them in the playoffs. They started the night as the 16th team in North Jersey Group 4.

Colonia (5-4) got out to a 13-0 lead on a pair of touchdown runs – eight and four yards – in the first quarter. Rahway got one back on a two-yard run by sophomore Andrew Avent, but that was all they would manage.

The Patriots scored two more TDs in the final 2:16 of the first half – a 57-yard touchdown pass and a 17-yarder to Nygel Hill – the second of which was a toss to the right coffin corner of the end zone by Jones that was tipped high in the air by the defender, who then lost sight of it. Hill didn’t and grabbed it a few feet away for the score.

Jones would an another touchdown run – 27 yards – in the fourth quarter to make the final score.

Rahway fell to 3-6 with the loss, and has now lost four straight, but the Indians may have a chance at the postseason. They’ll just have to sit and wait to see what happens elsewhere Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

Colonia should be in, it’s just a matter of where.

Follow us for updated standings late Friday night/early Saturday morning, plus analysis on cjsportsradio.com Saturday, then our live “Playoff Projection Show” sponsored by My Family Appliances on Route One South in Edison. We’ll give all out matchup projections with Marcus Borden as out live in-studio analsyt, and we’ll be giving away three $100 gift cards to lucky listeners from My Family Appliances.

Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Colonia QB/S Jaeden Jones and WR/CB Nygel Hill
Colonia head coach Tom Roarty
by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Playoff Analysis: Group 4

It’s down to the final weekend of the regular season in high school football, and Cutoff Weekend is just days away. This week, Central Jersey Sports Radio will bring you exclusive, team-by-team analysis of all the playoff scenarios for the 57 public schools in the Big Central Conference.

It’s all brought to you by My Family Appliances on Route 1 South in the Wick Plaza, Edison.

And don’t forget to join us for our “Playoff Projection Show” on Saturday at 6 pm (moved to an hour later) as Mike Pavlichko brings you all the playoff projections, with analysis and commentary by Marcus Borden, live in studio!

With that, here’s a look at Group 4, with all scores and playoff standings based on Gridiron New Jersey’s official calculations as of Sunday, October 15, 2023. Click on the heading to see the standings at Gridiron New Jersey:

NORTH GROUP 4

4. Ridge (6-1, 4.2 UPR): We think the Red Devils already are at their ceiling. The top six at least should be favored over their respective opponents this weekend, at least based on records. So, assuming no upsets, we peg Ridge are the overall fourth-place team. If all win, it’ll be Roxbury, Ramapo, Mount Olive and Ridge, putting the Red Devils in with the overall top-seed Roxbury. If they’re the only one to lose, they could fall to six, but they’re still safe for a first round home game. The top of this supersection is really good, so it’s a pick-your-poison scenario as to which No. 1 team you want to potentially face in a title game.

6. Montgomery (8-0, 5.2 UPR): It appears that the Cougars have a mathematical shot at a top four appearance, which would guarantee first round home games through at least the semifinals of the sectionals. They first need a road win over Linden (6-2) Friday night, but also need losses by Ridge to Union (4-4) and Northern Highlands (6-2) against Wayne Hills (1-7). The latter isn’t likely, but that is why they play the games, right? Or we’d just declare a champion, right? So, the most likely scenario is a fifth-place finish for the Cougars, right behind Ridge. But since Linden is a strong opponent, we don’t think a loss hurts Montgomery a lot. We’d project them at six, if everything else goes the way we think it will.

8. Linden (6-2, 9.0 UPR): With a win over Montgomery, we think the Tigers keep pace and hold in eighth. With a loss, a lot can happen. They may not drop much if the teams around them lose, but if those behind them win, they could drop as low as 12th. The problem is this: at least two teams behind them are guaranteed to win. Ninth place Morris Knolls (4-3) and 10th place Randolph (5-3) play each other this weekend, as do 11th place Sayreville (6-2) and 13th place Woodbridge (6-2). So, the Tigers need to hand Montgomery their first loss of the year if they want a home playoff game in the first round.

11. Sayreville (6-2, 10.4 UPR): We believe the Bombers still have a shot at a first-round home game. The first step is a win at Woodbridge (6-2) this Friday night. That should be a fantastic game, and it’s why Marcus Borden will be there covering it for Central Jersey Sports Radio. (Follow him here for live updates, and we’ll have postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen on our site after the game.) With a win, Sayreville could end up as the eight or seven overall seed, depending on how other teams do. We think they need at least a loss by Morris Knolls to Randolph and Middletown North to get as high as seven. A Randolph loss in that combo may limit them to the eighth spot. A Bomber loss to Woodbridge, and they could be looking at as low as a 13th seed, but we don’t think that’s the most likely scenario. Bottom line is there’s still a lot to play out here.

13. Woodbridge (6-2, 12.4): The ceiling for the Barrons appears to be the eighth spot, but like Sayreville, it starts with winning their matchup on Friday night at Priscoe Field. (Have we mentioned a lot is on the line there? I think we have.) Again, they’ll need help. A Morris Knolls loss is better than a Randolph loss, and Middletown North should be watched on the scoreboard as well. A loss, and if all breaks wrong elsewhere for the Barrons – like a Rahway win over Colonia and an Orange (6-1) win over Lincoln (5-2), they could end up at 15. We don’t see the Barrons falling out of the top 16, but keep an eye on that Orange game for the next couple of teams we talk about. That will be a factor in the bottom of these standings, and it’s a 4:00 start at Caven Point Saturday afternoon.

15. Rahway (3-5, 15 UPR) and 16. Colonia (4-4, 17.4 UPR): We’re going to put these two together since they’re next to each other in the standings (as well as neighbors geographically) and are playing each other Friday night in what we consider a “play-in” type of game, which we’ll be airing live on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 6 pm, pregame 5:45 – click here to listen. A Colonia win and they still might need some help with a loss by Chatham (2-6) at Montville (5-3), which is highly likely. There could even be a scenario where the Patriots get no higher than 17th, but with Rahway 16th. And a Colonia win means they would jump the Indians based on beating them head-to-head. Rahway may be able to get in with a loss. On the other hand, a Rahway win would be more definitive, in that Colonia probably can’t get in with help, and Rahway could go as high as 13, though we think more of a 14, maybe a 15, depending how things shake out. Again, Orange-Lincoln could be a big factor here, and we’re going to get that result late in the day Saturday with it being a 4:00 kickoff in Jersey City.

SOUTH GROUP 4

There are no area teams here from the Big Central, but it looks like as far as top seeds go, if both No. 1 Mainland (8-0) and No. 2 Millville win this weekend, it looks like they will flip, as Millville has a stronger in opponent in Cherokee (6-1) while Mainland has Egg Harbor Township (1-7).

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 7 Friday night Playoff Analysis: Group 4

Through the end of the season, Central Jersey Sports Radio will be updating unofficial playoff standings following Friday night’s games. Full analysis after the weekend will come during the week as the official standings are released by Gridiron New Jersey.

Here’s a look at unofficial standings after games of Friday, October 13th in Group 4. Results are calculated using scores on Gridiron New Jersey as of 9:30 am on October 14th:

Ridge hods in fourth as the highest-standing Big Central Conference team, and while their UPR stays at 4.2, they are a) no longer tied with Mount Olive, which despite a win, dropped behind them and to a 4.8 UPR, and b) now closer to third place, as the new team in that spot – Northern highlands – has a 3.8 UPR. So, Ridge is now within striking distance with an improvement of just one spot in either rank, power points or OSI.

Assuming a win today by Ridge at Westfield, the Red Devils would move to third, not counting any other fringe games or residuals that could occur. And they would be just 0.4 UPR points from a top two finish and a No. 1 seed. A loss and a Ramapo win could drop them as low as six. Huge game today in Union County for the Red Devils.

As expected, Montgomery’s win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood dropped them a bit, falling from fifth to sixth, the only difference being a three-seed in a different section with the overall top seed.

In the middle of the pack, Linden’s win over Cranford keeps the Tigers in ninth, while Sayreville’s win over Piscataway pushes them up one spot to No. 11, but Woodbridge drops from tenth to 13 after a victory over winless North Hunterdon.

Rahway’s loss to a highly-regarded Carteret team didn’t hurt them in the standings, keeping them in 15th, but Colonia’s loss to Summit – also highly-regarded – gave them a boost from 18 to 16, while Orange – which had been 16th entering the weekend – dropped with a forfeit win over lowly-regarded Dickinson, which had to cancel the game due to a lack of players and safety concerns, according to a message on the Orange athletics website.

South 4 is presented here with no analysis, with no Big Central teams placed in this supersection.