Reggie Bropleh – Central Jersey Sports Radio

All good things must come to an end.

That’s the 35-game Big Central winning streak – the longest in the short history of the fledgling league – which came to a crashing thud for No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas Friday night, as No. 1 St. Joseph controlled their matchup in North Edison from start to finish for a convincing 41-19 win.

And with one end, comes a new beginning for the Falcons, who last week ascended to the top spot in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten with a 21-0 win over then-No. 1 Phillipsburg at home.

Maybe they’ll be the next one to put together such a streak. If they way they’ve been playing this year is any indication, that could be a distinct possibility.

Senior quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo opened the scoring with a touchdown pass to Kenny Noonan with 2:23 left in the opening quarter, then followed it up with a 20-yard strike to Reggie Bropleh at 8:55 of the second – following a fourth-down stop by the Falcons’ defense – to make it 14-0.

But the Trojans would cut it to a one-score game with 2:59 left before halftime with a Zymere Weaver six-yard touchdown pass to Anwar Witherspoon. A one-yard Scaramuzzo run with 29 ticks on the clock put Joe’s up 21-7 headed into the locker room.

In the third, after an Aquinas touchdown was called back on a penalty, they were stopped on fourth down and Joe’s answered with a 16-yard TD catch by Edgar Cruz with 3:54 left in the third.

But Aquinas would get the next two scores to stay in it. They got a kickoff return for a score by Anthony Perez, making it 28-13 after they missed a two-point try, then Weaver found Witherspoon again from 35-yards out to make it 28-19, again missing on a two-point try.

From there, the Falcons hunkered down, and pulled away.

Scaramuzzo hit Bropleh from 25-yards out to make it 35-19 with 9:29 left, the Falcons recovered a fumble on the next possession, and capitalized with the third Scaramuzzo-Bropleh connection of the game with 6:49 to go, making it 41-19.

St. Joseph (7-0) is back in action next Saturday against No. 2 Woodbridge (7-0), while the Trojans will visit No. 7 Sayreville (6-1).

Click below to watch postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden with St. Joseph-Metuchen head coach Bill Tracy and seniors Reggie Bropleh and Justin Scaramuzzo, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Most people would not have been surprised whoever won Saturday afternoon’s game between Phillipsburg and St. Joseph-Metuchen.

But few probably figured the No. 1 Stateliners and No. 6 Falcons would have been scoreless at the half, and probably fewer would have predicted a shutout in either direction.

But stout play up front on both sides of the ball was the decisive edge, and the Falcons came out with a 21-0 win at Brenner Family Field on the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, one that will send ripples throughout all the media rankings, including Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Tied 0-0 at the break, St. Joseph scored three times in a 12 minute span in the second half. The first was a one-yard run by Michael Willett III, with a goal line play set up after a long run at the 3:07 mark of the third quarter.

Then, just three-plus minutes into the fourth, another big play set up a six-yard touchdown pass from Justin Scaramuzzo to Reggie Bropleh for his fourth TD catch of the year, making it 14-0.Then, a 24-yard run by Willett, his second TD of the game, provided the final margin.

All the while, the St. Joe’s defense continually stuffed running plays.

Oh, and Joe Ketuskey.

The sophomore cornerback had two interceptions off a fellow sophomore, ‘Liners QB Dominic Bracco, who hadn’t thrown a pick all year coming into the matchup.

The win was one of the biggest for St. Joseph in its young history; this is just the school’s 15th year of varsity football, while Phillipsburg is in its 120th. Also for consideration would be a win against a highly-rated Pope John club in October of 2023.

But it was also win No. 150 in head coach Tracy’s career. He was 56-57 in 12 seasons at Livingston, then 71-44 in eleven at Ridge, and now is 23-13 in Metuchen with the Falcons.

St. Joseph is now 6–0 ahead of a road game next week at St. Thomas Aquinas, while Phillipsburg drops to 5-1 and is back in action next Friday at home against Union.

Click below for postgame reaction from senior Reggie Bropleh and sophomore Joe Ketuskey, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen, followed by head coach Bill Tracy: