In a rematch of the 2024 Group 4 semifinals, Ramapo turned the tables on Phillipsburg, taking a 41-21 win to advance to the state Group 4 title game for the second time in three seasons.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play live from Maloney Stadium in Phillipsburg, NJ, on November 21, 2025:
As soon as the Ramapo football team stepped onto Bellis Field at Maloney Stadium in Phillipsburg Friday night, the Raiders huddled up, and psyched themselves up even more for Friday night’s game, if that was even possible.
The sting of a 35-6 defeat here last year was fresh, and one of the captains shouted “We want revenge! Let’s get ’em!”
And right from the get-go, that’s what they did in the Group 4 semifinals, heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, ultimately leading to a convincing 41-20 win over the Stateliners.
Ramapo (11-1) will play in the state Group 4 finals for the second time in three years, and will face the winner of Saturday’s other Group 4 semi, with Brick Memorial (10-2) visiting Winslow Twp. (10-2).
Phillipsburg (10-2) will play Easton on Thanksgiving at Lafayette College. The Red Rovers (13-1) took their first defeat of the season Friday night, falling to LaSalle, 49-7, in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals.
Ramapo won the opening toss, took the ball, and needed just three plays to score on a four-yard run by 6’3″, 185 pound runningback Liam Hayward to go up 7-0. Win or lose, this would not be like last year.
Phillipsburg answered with an eleven-play drive, with ten of those plays going to Sam Dech, who capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to tie it.
And things looked pretty good after they got Ramapo behind the sticks on their next possession, forcing a three-and-out. And while the Stateliners settled for a 32-yard field goal from Alexie Moreira to give them their first lead of the game at 9:03 of the second quarter, they left points on the board.
And it would be their only lead, despite Ramapo only running seven offensive plays to that point.
They scored on their next turn on a three-yard run by Gino Gorga to make it 14-10, then got it back on a Dominic Bracco interception over the middle – picked off by Jack Schneider – and punched in an eight-yard touchdown run by quarterback Casey Grusser, who stretched the ball over the end zone as he was being tackled, making it 21-10 Raiders at halftime.
Phillipsburg failed to score on its opening possession of the half, and Gorga would punch in his second touchdown of the night from three yards out, capping a 12-play, 81-yard drive to make it 28-10.
From there, the Stateliners were in a massive hole, and without a significant passing game, had little time to make a push.
Sam Dech would score on a quick, four-play drive – helped by one of his trademark 48-yard runs – to get it to 28-17, but Ramapo answered back on a 21-yard TD catch by No. 1 receiver Joseph Santo-Yessis, his 14th of the season. Moreira would add another field goal, and Grusser would hit tight end Mike Visksjo with 4:44 to go, but by then, the game was well in hand.
Dech finished with a typical Dech night: 24 carries unofficially for 160 yards and two touchdowns, which puts him at at 2,760 yards heading into his final high school game on Turkey Day against the ‘Liners biggest rivals.
Click below for postgame reaction from Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy – and most coaches – will tell you that even teams who are very familiar with each other are completely different from one year to the next.
That may be moreso for Phillipsburg, which has had similar success to last year but with many new pieces to the puzzle.
Ramapo – the Stateliners’ opponent Friday night at Maloney Stadium in the Group 4 semifinals – is likely more similar to last year’s team.
The schemes haven’t changed for second-year head coach Nick Guttuso, a longtime assistant under – and disciple of – legend Drew Gibbs, who took over after Mike Miello left after the 2000 season to join the staff of 34-year-old rookie Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. And the players are mainly the same as well.
You can hear all the action live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – our “Big Central Game of the Week,” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving – starting with pregame at 6:45. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas have the call with kickoff at 7; click here to listen.
It starts with Casey Grusser, the senior quarterback who has thrown for 2,100 yards on the nose this season, 24 touchdowns, and just four picks. He’s also completing 72 percent of his passes. Favorite targets include Joseph Yessis, Sal Livoti, and Michael Ballan – all of whom have at least 30 catches and have combined for 989 receiving yards and 23 scores.
They are senior heavy on defense, too. Carter Cooney is a stout middle linebacker at 6’1″, 210, who leads the team with 82 tackles, it’s been a team effort to get to the quarterback; the team has 16 sacks, but no single player has more than two on the year.
Both teams are 10-1, with Ramapo’s lone loss coming back on September 19th, 28-24 at Old Tappan. The Knights are undefeated, 11-0, one of the last seven unbeatens left in the state, and playing West Morris in the Group 3 semis Friday night as well.
In eleven games this season, Ramapo has pitched three shutouts and only allowed 20 or more points in four games. Two of those came against Northern Highlands, both wins, including a 28-21 win on October 24th – Cutoff Weekend – in the regular season, and a 28-27 win last week in the North 1, Group 4 final, where they stopped Highlands going for two for the win in overtime to seal the deal.
But despite the attention the aerial attack gets, the Raiders can run it, too. Senior runningback Liam Hayward has carried 130 times for 797 yards and 14 touchdowns, leading the team in all of those categories, while Grusser is the No. 2 rusher, at 503 yards and nine scores on 61 carries.
Last week, Ramapo got off to a hot start, hitting Livoti for a 61-yard TD strike down the middle on the first play from scrimmage. Getting off to a good start will be key against the Stateliners, who have only trailed twice in the first half all season: earlier this year against West Orange – in a game they won – and last week, 8-3, to Montgomery in the North 2, Group 5 title game.
Click below to hear Ramapo head coach Nick Guttuso talk about the Raiders’ season and their matchup with Phillipsburg in the Group 5 semifinals:
In 2024, Phillipsburg became the first Big Central Conference team to make the NJSIAA’s state football finals, in the third year sine the playoffs expanded.
In 2025, they’re looking to make the return trip.
To do so, they’ll need to beat the same team they did last year, North 1 Group 4 champion Ramapo. That’ll be the last game at Maloney Stadium this season for Phillipsburg, as the North 2, Group 4 champion Stateliners take on the Raiders at 7 pm this Friday night in the Group 4 semifinals. Both teams are 10-1.
You can hear that game Friday on the “Big Central Game of the Week,” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas calling all the action. Pregame is set for 6:45 pm. Click here to listen.
Phillipsburg – though they have one loss this season, coming at the hands of St. Joseph-Metuchen – has maintained a steady focus on the prize – or should we say prizes, plural – this year.
That includes winning a sectional championship (already done, their tenth overall), beating Easton on Thanksgiving (that’s next week) and winning a state title. A win Friday gets them there, and then they’ll have to beat either defending champ and 2025 South Jersey Group 4 champ Winslow, or Central 4 champ Brick Memorial.
Last week, in the North 2, Group 4 title win over Montgomery, everyone played a role. Four different players scored, including the usual suspects like Sam Dech and Dominic Bracco, but so did Shane Moore – on a big TD pass – and tight end Donovan Samson in the second half.
Defensively, there were big plays at key moments, including a first-half safety after an Montgomery interception down near the goal line. And special teams recovered an early kick that Montgomery couldn’t.
Now if Phillipsburg likes to run they rock – and they do – Ramapo likes to toss it. Senior quarterback Casey Grusser has thrown for 2,100 yards this season, and he has three receivers who’ve caught 30 or more passes: Sal Livoti, Joseph SantoYessis, and Michael Ballan.
Click below to hear Phillipsburg coach Frank Duffy talk about the Stateliners and Friday’s Group 4 semifinal against Ramapo with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
On the strength of a 12-2 third quarter, North 1 champion Ramapo topped North 2 champion Colonia in the Group 3 boys’ semifinals, 52-46. Freshman A.J. Grieg led the Raiders with 24 points, while junior Aiden Derkack’s 19 led the Patriots in defeat.
Click below to listen to all the action as called by Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from The Dunn Center in Elizabeth on March 11, 2025.
It’s uncanny at this point.
For four years in a row now, Colonia has won the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 title. And all four years, their season has come to an end in the Group 3 semifinals, all at the hands of Ramapo.
The Green Raiders – the North 1, Group 3 champs – topped the Patriots Tuesday night at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth, 52-46, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Colonia actually led by three at the half, 25-22, with the first 16 minutes as tight as could be, no one leading by more than a single possession.
But in the third quarter Ramapo hit their shots, and Colonia went cold, getting outscored 12-2. Aiden Derkack also picked up his third foul in the quarter, hampering him from being able to play the type of defense he’s used to.
For a Ramapo team that graduated its top three starters, the impact player was freshman A.J. Grieg, the team’s leading scorer coming in at 12.7 per game. Tuesday night, he finished two shy of a career high with 24, while hitting four threes, including two big ones in what turned out to be the decisiove fourth quarter.
Derkack led Colonia with 19, as the Patriots’ season ends at 29-6.
Ramapo (19-10) moves on the Group 3 state final Saturday at 6 pm at Jersey Mike’s arena at Rutgers, where they’ll play Central 4 champion Colts Neck, who rallied to beat South 4 champion Ocean City, 47-45.
Click below for postgame reaction from Colonia Coach Jose Rodriguez, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
You can almost set your watch by it.
Each of the past three seasons, Colonia has stormed to a North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 title. The Patriots have been the best team in their playoff section for a while now, and even if they’re down, they’re never out.
Last year, they added GMC Tournament champions to their season resume, and again on the sectional crown.
But in each of the past three years – and add in 2019 as well – Colonia has been stymied in the Group 3 state semifinals, and all four of those seasons, it’s been Ramapo moving on to the state championship.
Can this year be different? Sure, Ramapo was 25-8, 30-3, and 23-7 in those seasons, and they’re “just” 18-10 this year, but no one wins a title by accident. So, here they are.
The two will meet Tuesday night at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth for a trip to the Group 3 finals at Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena on Saturday night at 6 pm. You can hear tonight’s game with tip off at 7 and pregame at 6:40 live on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Click here to listen.
And yet, Colonia (27-4) is different, too. All due respect to the last three editions of C-Town hoops, but they now have a second straight GMCT trophy in hands, and this may be the best of the bunch. Nearly everyone is back from last year, and the newcomers – like freshman Jayce Rodriguez – have really established themselves, while guys like R.J. Wortman have turned out to be real prime time players.
As for the Green Raiders, they graduated their three top scorers in Chris Cervino, Wyatt Eglinton-Manner, and Peyton Seals – their only double-digit scorers. While they have a bit more balance this season, and a good number of seniors, their leading scorer is freshman A.J. Grieg, checking in at 12.7 points per game.
A win for Colonia would give the Patriots their first ever trip to the state finals.
Click below to hear preview interviews of Tuesday night’s Group 3 boys’ state semifinal between Colonia and Ramapo with the two head coaches:
For all the talk about the laundry list of talented players who’ve contributed to Phillipsburg football this season, it came down to one of the mainstays.
Jett Genovese, the senior quarterback in his third year as a starter, put on a master class Friday night at Maloney Stadium. He scored four of the Stateliners’ five touchdowns in a 35-6 win over Ramapo in the Group 4 semifinals, making history in the process.
Phillipsburg will be the first team from the fledgling Big Central Conference to make the state finals in the third year of the expanded playoffs.
Phillipsburg will face one of the top two teams in New Jersey – as far as the power rankings based on Strength Index is concerned – in the Group 4 final at Rutgers on Wednesday, December 4th. Winslow Twp (12-0) hosts Millville (9-2) Saturday at 1 pm in the South end of the Group 4 semis.
The title game will be played on December 4th because Phillipsburg still has a Thanksgiving Day game ahead, next Thursday against Easton at Lafayette. The Stateliners have beaten the Red Rovers on two straight Turkey Days.
After a scoreless first quarter, Genovese opened the scoring with a five-yard run, and while Ramapo got what looked like the equalizer, they missed the PAT, and it was 7-6 Stateliners. But P’burg got two more touchdown runs of 12- and 22-yards from Genovese – who finished with 149 rushing yards on 15 carries – to take a 21-6 lead into the break.
By that time, it was nearly over, as Felix Matos added a one-yard touchdown run in the third, and Genovese added a 36-yard run in the fourth.
Either way, Group 4 will have a brand-new champion, though last year’s title winner still has a shot at one. That’s because Mainland – which won Group 4 last season – is down to Group 3, but they’ll face Old Tappan in the Group 3 final at a time, date and location to be determined after beating Somerville in overtime Friday night at Brooks Field, 36-35 in overtime.
Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
Group 4 Semifinals:
When: Friday, 7:05 pm
Where: Maloney Stadium, Phillipsburg
Matchup: Ramapo (8-3, North 1 Group 4 champs) at Phillipsburg (10-1, North 2 Group 4 champs)
Coverage: Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter.
Weather: 38 degrees, 71% chance of rain, wind WSW 4 mph (from right corner of South end zone, to right corner of North end zone)
HEAD COACHES:
Phillipsburg: Frank Duffy (9th season, 77-23)
Ramapo: Nick Guttuso (1st season, 8-3)
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Phillipsburg:
First Round: def. #8 Nutley, 42-0
Semifinals: def. #5 Chatham, 31-14
North 2, Group 4 Finals: def. # 3 Northern Highlands, 13-11
Ramapo:
First Round: def. #6 Westfield, 21-0
Semifinals: def. #2 Woodbridge, 26-7 (Woodbridge was 10-0)
North 1, Group 4 Finals: def. #1 Morris Knolls, 35-28
Who’s next? The winner of this game will play the winner of the other Group 4 semifinal game, featuring Central winner Millville (9-2) against South winner Winslow Twp. (12-0). (Yes, both are South Jersey teams.)
Should Phillipsburg win, they would play Wednesday, December 4th at Rutgers’ SHI Stadium in Piscataway. While there are expected to be four title games at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands on Black Friday, and possibly more the Sunday after Thanksgiving at Rutgers, the Stateliners play their annual rivalry game with Easton on Thanksgiving up at Lafayette College. So, they can’t do the quick turnaround, and thus would play Wednesday.
If it’s Ramapo, the game date would depend on who they face. Winslow doesn’t have a Turkey Day game, but Millville does. Should they face Winslow, the Group 3 final would likely be Friday or Sunday, but should they draw Millville, it would get pushed to Wednesday at Rutgers.
SERIES HISTORY:
This will be the first meeting between Phillipsburg and Ramapo, but they have two common opponents.
Phillipsburg lost at Ridge on September 20th, 28-21, while Ramapo beat the Red Devils in the North 1, Group 4 semifinals, 28-27.
The Stateliners were 13-11 winners over Northern Highlands in last week’s North 2, Group 4 final – on a school-record 46-yard field goal by Alexie Moriera – while Ramapo beat them 25-23 in overtime on Cutoff Weekend.
Phillipsburg Preview Story with Head Coach Frank Duffy: Phillipsburg, settled down after wild title win, ready and focused on Ramapo in Group 4 semis
Ramapo title game recap: Ramapo scores often, gets key defensive stops to claim back-to-back North 1, Group 4 titles; will visit Phillipsburg Friday in Group 4 semis
FINALS HISTORY:
Phillipsburg:
The winningest program in New Jersey didn’t play in the NJSIAA playoffs for many years. They won one title in four finals berths from 1975 through 1979 – only missing the title game in 1976 – then joined the NJSIAA in the mid-90s. It took them until 2001 to reach a final, their second overall, and first in a span of seven titles in 11 appearances over nearly two decades from 2001 to 2018.
The Stateliners were the No. 1 seed in North 2, Group 5 the last two seasons, but fell to 6-seed West Orange, 28-7, in 2022, and to No. 2 seed Union City, 24-17 last season. Back down to Group 4, they won their ninth New Jersey sectional title last Friday, 13-11, over Northern Highlands.
Playoff Berths: 40
Playoff Record: 35-33
Finals Berths: 18
Sectional Titles: 9
North 2, Group 3
1975: #1 Morris Hills def. #2 Phillipsburg, 7-0
1977: #2 Phillipsburg def. #1 Parsippany, 26-0
1978: #4 Rahway def. #3 Phillipsburg, 23-10
1979: #2 Rahway def. #1 Phillipsburg, 14-6
North 2, Group 4
2001: #5 Phillipsburg def. #2 Montclair, 10-7
2004: #1 Piscataway def. #2 Phillipsburg, 27-26 (OT) at Rutgers
2005: #1 Phillipsburg def. #2 Piscataway, 15-6 at Rutgers
2006: #3 Elizabeth def. #1 Phillipsburg, 14-9
North 2, Group 3
2008: #4 Phillipsburg def. #6 Rahway, 20-6
2009: #2 Phillipsburg def. #5 Ridge, 34-7 at Kean
North 2, Group 4
2013: #1 Phillipsburg def. #6 Mendham, 39-0
2014: #2 Phillipsburg def. #1 Colonia, 28-21 (OT) at Rutgers
2015: #1 Middletown South def. #2 Phillipsburg, 35-7
2017: #2 North Hunterdon def. #1 Phillipsburg, 21-20
2018: #1 Phillipsburg def. #3 Irvington, 42-7
North 2, Group 5
2022: #6 West Orange def. #1 Phillipsburg, 28-7
2023: #2 Union City def. #1 Phillipsburg, 24-17
North 2, Group 4
2024: #1 Phillipsburg def. #3 Northern Highlands, 13-11
Ramapo:
While the Raiders have won 14 sectional title in 19 trips – an astounding 14-5 record all-time in sectional finals – much of their success in the post season has come in the last quarter decade of the playoffs than the first.
From 1974 through 1998 – the first 25 years of playoffs in New Jersey, which started in 1974 – Ramapo had won four titles in five appearances. Their first came in 1974, when they beat Dumont to win a two-team field (as the playoffs were in that first season). They also won North 1, Group 3 titles in 1983, 1993 and 1997, their only loss in that span coming in 1988.
But from 2000 on, they’ve been to the finals 14 times and won ten crowns. BY now, they have not missed a sectional final since 2016. They went to the finals in 2017 and lost, but won the next two before the COVID year – where there were no playoffs, then made it again in 2021 and 2022, and won sectional titles last year and this season.
Playoff Berths: 31
Playoff Record: 52-18
Finals Berths: 19
Sectional Titles: 14
North 1, Group 3
1974: #1 Ramapo def. #2 Dumont, 46-14 (two teams qualified)
1983: #4 Ramapo def. #3 Wayne Valley, 13-7
1988: #3 Wayne Valley def. Ramapo, 49-10
1993: #1 Ramapo def. #2 Wayne Hills, 23-17
1997: #2 Ramapo def. #1 Hoboken, 21-14
2000: #2 Ramapo def. #1 Wayne Hills, 14-7
2001: #1 Ramapo def. #3 Wayne Hills, 14-10
2002: # 1 Wayne Hills def. #3 Ramapo, 19-0
2003: #2 Ramapo def. #5 Demarest, 31-28
2009: #7 Ramapo def. #1 Wayne Hills, 16-8
2012: #2 Ramapo def. #5 Sparta, 37-34
2015: #2 Ramapo def. #1 River Dell, 45-15
2017: #2 River Dell def. #1 Ramapo, 28-7
2018: #1 Ramapo def. #3 River Dell, 31-7 (Ramapo def. Summit, 42-22, in North 3 Regional Championship, finished 13-0)
2019: #1 Ramapo def. #3 Pascack Valley, 28-23 (Ramapo def. Parsippany Hills, 38-21, in North 3 Regional Championship, finished 13-0)
North 1, Group 4
2021: #1 Northern Highlands def. #2 Ramapo, 35-30
2022: #4 Northern Highlands def. #2 Ramapo, 49-42
2023: #1 Ramapo def. #3 Northern Highlands, 14-10 (Ramapo def. Mount Olive, 24-19, in Group 4 semifinals) (Ramapo def. Mainland, 56-0, in Group 4 final at Rutgers)
2024: #3 Ramapo def. #1 Morris Knolls, 35-28
2024 PHILLIPSBURG COVERAGE:
NEWS & NOTES:
Easton vs. State Championship…
Since the 2023 season ended, Phillipsburg has set its sights on a state championship. Losing in the sectional finals the last two seasons with loaded teams that earned the No. 1 seed both years didn’t sit well with the Stateliners, even though they beat Easton on Thanksgiving back-to-back years for the first time since 2002 and 2003.
In the years where Phillipsburg won their eight prior state sectional titles, Phillipsburg is 3-5 against Easton. In the nine seasons where they lost in the sectional finals, their record is 2-6-1, with those two wins coming in the last two years.
Offense/Defense…
Last year, Phillipsburg scored 431 points, or 35.9 per game, and they topped 40 seven times, with a season-high 54 scored against North Hunterdon (which went winless in 2023).
This year, they have scored 40 or more six times, with two more chances to match last year’s total. This year, they have scored 391 points in eleven games, for a 35.5 average.
The North 2, Group 4 final win over Northern Highlands, 13-11, was the Stateliners’ lowest offensive output of the season.
Defensively, they’ve held six of their 12 opponents to single-digit scoring. And while they have three shutouts to their credit, the lowest point total Phillipsburg has allowed otherwise is the ten they allowed last week. Three others scored 14.
Last year’s team had no shutouts, but held half of their 12 opponents to single digits.
Best Football, Right Time…
Ramapo is a great story, having started the year 0-3, but recovering nicely, not only to make the playoffs, but to win the North 1, Group 4 title. They opened with an out-of-state loss to Somers (NY), then followed it with home losses to Ridgewood and Old Tappan.
But things turned around in Week Four, picking up a ten-point road win over Montclair. Then they beat Passaic Tech at home, 21-7, in one of their signature wins this season. (The Bulldogs were sectional finalists, falling to Union City by five last week.)
Their Northern Highlands win also was a high water mark, beating the Highlanders at home, 25-23, in triple overtime, after missing a field goal that would have won it in regulation with under ten seconds left. It was their sixth straight meeting decided by a touchdown or less, with three of them – but not that one – coming in sectional finals.
Repping Warren County…
There are only five football-playing public high schools in Warren County, a fairly sparse part of New Jersey, population-wise. Besides Phillipsburg, there’s North Warren, Warren Hills, Hackettstown and Belvidere. Combined, the county has claimed just 12 sectional titles over the years, with nine going to the Stateliners.
Warren Hills is the last Warren County school besides Phillipsburg to win a sectional title; that came in 2000, in the North 2, Group 3 section. Belvidere won its only title in North 2, Group 1 in 1999. And Hackettstown won the North 2, Group 2 title in 1981. North Warren has never won a title.
Everyone in Phillipsburg is still buzzing about last week’s game.
It was the North 2, Group 4 title tilt, and the Stateliners trailed by one with 24 seconds left and no time outs. Four plays later and with four ticks left, they set up Alexie Moriera for a 46-yard field goal. He made it with :00 showing on the clock, setting a school record for distance, and setting off a frenzy among the faithful.
They can talk about it, but the Stateliners aren’t. After all, they have not one, but two big games coming up.
There’s Easton, of course, on Thanksgiving, but they’re not talking about that any more than they are last week’s Hollywood ending.
No, everyone in that locker room is focused on Ramapo. The Raiders (8-3) will meet Phillipsburg (10-1) for the first time in school history Friday night at 7 pm at Maloney Stadium. Ramapo was the third-seed in North 1, Group 4, but knocked off top-seed Morris Knolls last Saturday in the sectional final, 35-28.
Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for coverage Friday night!
For Phillipsburg, last week’s game was more than just a storybook ending. It was proof that football is always more than one individual. The game was won by many, but the final nail was the field goal by Moriera, a seldom-used kicker making just the third field goal attempt of his life.
It was just his second make, and the longest in school history.
But, oh yeah, right. We’re not talking about that.
What Phillipsburg is talking about is containing a fast, potent offense in Ramapo, led by quarterback Casey Grusser. The junior has thrown for 2,231 yards this year, while running for another 640, the team’s second-leading rusher.
That’ll be a task for Phillipsburg to maintain, one they believe they’re up to.
Click below to hear from Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy:
