Tag: Ridge

by Mike Pavlichko

Sunday NJSIAA State Tourney Notebook: Big challenges ahead for Piscataway boys, Metuchen girls, while Ridge nearly pulls second huge upset

The tip-off of the NJSIAA state basketball tournament had to wait two days, but we’ve seen a lot of basketball since things actually got underway on Thursday, and it was everything it always was: blowouts, expected wins, upsets and thrilling action.

With an off-day on Saturday before a full week ahead – starting with Group 1 and 3 sectional quarterfinal action Monday, and wrapping with public sectional title games Friday and Saturday – we thought we’d look back at a few storylines from the first three days of play.

Piscataway is ready for the challenge…

Everyone knows North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 on the bots’ side is an absolute best. Piscataway is far from chopped liver at 23-7, to be sure; they reached the GMC finals a little over a week ago for the second year in a row, and both years under head coach Bob Turco, who instilled a defensive philosophy that instantly turned the Chiefs into contenders in Middlesex County. But a couple of big state-ranked teams finished behind them in power points. Statewide No. 8 Linden – runner-up in the Union County Tournament to Roselle Catholic – got the two seed right behind Piscataway, while 16th-ranked Elizabeth got the seven seed.

Piscataway senior Donald Nwaigwe heads to the basket in the GMC Tournament semifinals against Colonia at Monroe Twp. High School on February 18, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

And what happened in the first round? Ridge knocked them the Minutemen, 54-53 Thursday night, on a buzzer-beater by Sidd Narayanabhatla. Keep in mind, that game was on the road as well. It just proves anything can happen year.

Then there’s Plainfield, the No. 6-ranked team in New Jersey, which got the fourth-seed, behind Linden. The Cardinals got through the first two rounds easily, beating 13-seed Bridgewater-Raritan 66-39, then fifth-seed Bayonne, 85-58. Meanwhile, Piscataway has rebounded nicely with three straight wins heading into Tuesday night’s semifinal matchup with fourth-seed Plainfield. Can they take them? It’s a huge challenge, no doubt, but that’s why they play and that’s why we watch.

Click below to hear Piscataway head coach Bob Turco talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Back to the Red Devils…

Speaking of upsets, that Ridge win over Elizabeth was a big one, and the Red Devils’ nearly pulled off a second one at Linden Saturday evening. The Tigers led 26-25 at the half, but trailed for the first 15 minutes and 59 seconds. They went ahead on a bucket with one second left before halftime. Ridge wouldn’t lead again, but kept it tight before falling by ten, 55-45. It was Linden’s lowest scoring output this post-season – including the Union County Tournament – and since a 50-41 loss to Union Catholic on February fifth.

What’s more remarkable is where Ridge came from. They started the season 0-4, and we first saw them this year in a December 21st loss to Delbarton up at FDU, 50-47. That left them at 0-4, but with a slew of injuries. From that point forward, though, Ridge won six of its next eight games, and finished the season a highly respectable 15-13. Among them were two losses to Gill St. Bernard’s, and one each to Rutgers Prep, Montgomery and Hillsborough, all four of which are state-ranked, with the Raiders jumping in at No. 20 last week.

Senior Sidd Narayanabhatla handles the ball for Ridge against Delbarton in a December 21, 2025 game at FDU_Madison. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

It was certainly a season of perseverance for Ridge, and they will have a large part of the core back next year, so there are some bright times ahead for the Red Devils, and a lot of good in 2025-26 off which to build for the future.

Click below to hear Ridge head coach Bill Lester talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

One half gone, what about the other?

Perhaps even more remarkable than Colonia’s four straight sectional titles in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 – all since the COVID year, when there were no state playoffs – is the fact that beyond that, Ramapo has been a thorn in their side. The Raiders have won North 1, Group 3 each of the last four seasons, and met Colonia in the state semis. And all four seasons, Ramapo has gotten the upper hand, all on neutral floors, whether it was at Phillipsburg in 2022 and 2023, Bloomfield in 2024, or at Elizabeth last season.

Even before COVID, they’d been a royal pain. While Colonia lost in the sectional final in 2020, they won it in 2019 – head coach Jose Rodriguez’ first season on the bench – and lost to Ramapo in the semis.

Well, no matter what the Patriots do – and they’re a remarkable story on their own, starting the year 2-6, but 15-4 since – that won’t happen this year. That’s because the Raiders, who were the six seed in North 1, Group 3, got knocked out in the first round on a late bucket by Morris Knolls, 68-67. That means someone else will win that section for the first time since 2018, when Demarest edged Ramapo 37-36 in the title tilt.

Metuchen is ready for anyone, and here comes Manasquan…

Shore Conference basketball is quite the beast indeed. On the girls’ side, you’ve got Red Bank Catholic, St. John Vianney, Manasquan, and just a notch down this year, Rumson-Fair Haven and usually St. Rose, though they’re having a down year, finishing 7-16 with a first round loss in the states.

The Warriors, meanwhile, are No. 7 in the state, and the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 2, where they’ve won the state Group 2 title each of the last two seasons. So, Metuchen knows what it’s up against.

Victoria Zaniecki – in the middle, with balloons – is Metuchen’s top scorer and rebounder. (Source: @metuchenbball on Instagram)

And even though they’re 15-13 and the 12-seed, they’re in the semifinals against Manasquan, coming off a 37-34 win in a rare 12/13 matchup over Robbinsville down at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor. Victoria Zaniecki has been a double-double machine; she went for 16 points and 12 rebounds against the Ravens Saturday evening, her 16th double-double of the season and fourth straight, including both games of the state tournament.

Click below to hear Metuchen head coach Kathy Glutz talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Bernards continues terrific season, seeking first finals trip in nearly two decades…

The Mountaineers continue to roll on this season, with a 24-4 record, and are looking to make some history. Well, more than they’ve already made. Last year’s squad set a new program record for wins with 23, and they followed that up with 24 this season, a new mark.

After a 45-25 win over seventh-seed Hanover Park Saturday afternoon, seventh-seeded Bernards is a win away from its first sectional finals berth since 1998, when they lost to – get ready for it – Montgomery in Central Jersey Group 1. The year before, Bernards won their one and only title, beating Highland Park in the finals at Sayreville, bowing out in the state semis to Burlington Township, finishing 22-3.

That’s the kind of job Brett Bisconti has done in seven years at the helm, instilling a winning culture in his team. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a group that has won 47 games in the last two years, including top scorer and rebounder Aletha Reynolds, then adding in a young freshman like Jane Freisen, who’s second on the team from downtown with 40 treys, second only to Reynolds’ 56.

A look ahead…

While the Group 1 and 3 publics and non-publics have only gotten in one round, Groups 2 and 4 are on to the semifinals, and we can get a picture of some possible championship game matchups.

The Montgomery boys have won the last two Central Jersey Group 4 titles, both on their home floor, both times as the top seed. In 2024, they were 63-37 winners over second-seed Monroe, and last year beat third-seed West Windsor-Plainsboro North 80-41. This year, they’re the third-seed, with Hillsborough the No. 1, despite the fact the Cougars beat them twice in the regular season: 53-37 at home on January 13th, and 53-38 on February 7th in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals.

Should the Cougars win at second-seed Marlboro (21-5) Tuesday in the semis, and the Raiders beat five-seed Jackson Twp. (18-6) at home, we’ll get a rubber match at Hillsborough. Can the Cougars claim a third win over the Raiders this season, for all the marbles in CJ4?

Meanwhile, just about any way you slice it in North 2, Group 4, it should be a great final. While Piscataway is the top-seed, fourth-seed Plainfield is pretty much the favorite against the Chiefs in Tuesday’s semifinals. If Donald Nwaigwe, Isaiah Fowler and Co. can pull this one off, they’d most likely get two-seed Linden, which is also having a great year. And if it’s Plainfield? Boy, that would be a great one, too.

On the girls’ side, we’d be surprised if top-seed Franklin didn’t take care of business with fifth-seed Jackson Twp. The Lions are 16-10, Franklin 20-8, and we’re not saying it will be easy, but they’re a battle-tested team, with New Jersey losses to Rutgers Prep (twice), Gill St. Bernard’s, Demarest, Immaculate Heart and Morris Catholic. Those are some solid teams, which means they’ve beaten everyone they should.

As far as the other teams in the semis, third-seed Hillsborough and second-seed East Brunswick, the Warriors haven’t played the Lady Bears, but did beat Boro – the defending state Group 4 champions – 72-44 back on January 6th. But the rematch between ‘Boro and EB should be interesting; as Hillsborough won their GMC-Skyland crossover back on January 22 at home, 70-52.

by Mike Pavlichko

Unbeaten Montgomery retains No. 1 spot in Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top Ten, Rutgers Prep, Bridgewater edge up, Somerville joins

The combination of the winter break – and a winter storm that blew through the area Friday into Saturday this past weekend – meant a light schedule for many of the boy’s basketball teams in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.

As a result, there was very little movement in the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten.

Montgomery (6-0) held on to the top spot, winning its only game of the week, 75-27 over Hamilton West. The Cougar Holiday Classic at Montgomery was moved from Saturday to Monday due to the storm.

Rutgers Prep (4-1) moved up a spot on the strength of a win over defending South Jersey, Group 2 champion Camden Sunday at the Pete & Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University outside of Philly. That dropped Gill St. Bernard’s (3-1) down one to third, as they were idle this week.

The next four teams all held court. The first of the bunch is No. 4 Piscataway (6-0), which won on Monday at Colonia, 75-73 in double overtime, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They followed it up with a win over previously unbeaten Perth Amboy on Tuesday, 80-52.

St. Joseph-Metuchen held in fifth, but we’ve updated the Falcons’ record to 3-0 after their December 8th opener against Wesley College of Australia – a 101-37 win – was posted.

East Brunswick (6-0) holds at six after a 2-0 week, with a 75-71 win over Franklin on Tuesday, and a 78-69 victory over Ranney Saturday in the Alfred E. Martin Buc Classic at Red Bank Regional, which puts them into Monday’s semifinals.

And holding at No. 7 is Sayreville (4-1), which was a 68-47 winner over Monroe on Monday in their only game of the week.

Bridgewater-Raritan (5-0) moves up a spot to No. 8, though they did not play, as previous No. 8 Colonia (2-4) drops out. The Patriots lost to Piscataway Monday in double-OT at home, 75-73, then fell to Friendship Tech Saturday in the Governor’s Challenge showcase event down in Salisbury, MD.

Somerville (4-0) joins the rankings at No. 9 , after a 1-0 week in which they beat Manville, 48-23, on the road.

And Immaculata (2-1) – idle last week – holds at No. 10.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week Three:

A digital ranking table displaying the Week 3 standings for the 2025-26 boys' basketball season, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. The table includes team names, records, and previous rankings, with highlighted spots for the top ten teams.

by Mike Pavlichko

A New No. 1, and two new teams join the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

The first full week of play in high school basketball didn’t have anything in the way of seismic upsets, but there is a new No. 1 team in the Bellamy & Son Paving rankings – with a very fine line and little room for error among the top five teams, which are a combined 17-2 following this weekend’s action – as well as two new teams joining the bottom half of the rankings.

None have necessarily come up with any stunning or signature wins, but are playing very good basketball at the moment.

We start, of course, at the top, where 5-0 Montgomery takes the top spot by a nose, with an unblemished record. The Cougars won four games this week, starting off their league slate with an 81-55 win at Watchung Hills on Tuesday. Thursday, they beat Immaculata, 72-62 at home, then won twice over the weekend. Saturday, it was a 60-36 win over Haddonfield at the Jimmy V Classic down at Cherokee High School, then a 72-33 rout of Paramus Catholic in The Battle at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth.

Monty’s move leaves Gill St. Bernard’s (3-1) in the second spot. After a Tuesday win over Hillsborough, 51-49, then a 66-36 rout at Phillipsburg, Gill fell to unbeaten St. Peter’s Prep, 59-43, at the Big Jersey Showcase down at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft.

Holding in third is Rutgers Prep (3-1). The Argonauts bounced back from a season-opening loss with a 64-51 win over Phillipsburg Tuesday, a 62-60 win at Ridge Thursday, and a 70-60 win at Don Bosco Prep on Saturday.

Piscataway (4-0) is in fourth for a third straight week. The Chiefs beat West Orange Wednesday – as head coach Bob Turco picked up his 400th career win – then topped his old school, St. Thomas Aquinas, 90-66 on Thursday, before beating Old Bridge Saturday, 82-58.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) edges up one notch to five, after winning its opening two games (their December 8th game has not been officially recorded as a regular season win, so we’re not considering it here). The Falcons won 89-70 at Old Bridge Tuesday, and got by then-No. 5 Colonia at home, 58-40, Saturday afternoon.

Joining the Top Ten for the first time this season, at No. 6, is East Brunswick (4-0). The Bears won three games this week to stay perfect, starting with a 63-35 road win over Monroe. On Thursday, they topped No. 7 Sayreville, 58-53, then beat South Plainfield at home Saturday, 77-72.

That leaves Sayreville (3-1) in seventh, with a Tuesday win at St. John Vianney, 54-42, and a Saturday 81-58 win at Woodbridge sandwiched around the previously-mentioned loss to the Bears.

At No. 8, it’s Colonia (2-2), down three spots. The Patriots were 2-1 this week, starting with a pair of wins: 59-49 over St. Thomas Aquinas, and 71-60 over Old Bridge. Saturday, the Patriots took their second loss of the season, falling 58-40 at St. Joseph-Metuchen.

Checking in at No. 9 is Bridgewater-Raritan (4-0), also making its debut. The Panthers were 3-0 in the week gone by, starting with a 70-63 win at Franklin on Tuesday, followed by a 51-40 win over Hunterdon Central on Thursday, and a 64-19 win over College Achieve Central.

And still in the ten-spot is Immaculata (2-1). The Spartans beat Ridge Tuesday, 68-53, at home, then lost 72-62 at Montgomery Thursday, before bouncing back with a 61-53 win over Delaware Valley on Saturday.

Two teams dropped out to make room for East Brunswick and Bridgewater-Raritan. Ridge (0-4) fell out from No. 8 after an 0-3 week, with losses at Immaculata, 68-53 on Tuesday, Rutgers Prep 62-60 on Thursday, and against Delbarton in the Rose City Classic at FDU-Madison on Sunday, 50-47. St. Thomas Aquinas (1-3) fell out from No. 9 after a 1-2 week, including a 59-49 loss to Colonia Tuesday, and a 90-66 loss at Piscataway Thursday. They rebounded with a 49-35 win over 0-4 St. Joseph-Montvale Saturday in the Dr. Gerald Glisson Classic at Paterson Eastside. It’s the first time in the history of the CJSR/Bellamy Top Ten (dating to the COVID-shortened 2020 season) that the Trojans are not in the rankings, snapping a 50-week streak.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week Two:

Image of the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten rankings for high school boys' basketball for the 2025-26 season, displaying the current standings, records, and previous rankings of the teams.

by Mike Pavlichko

Shorthanded Ridge hangs tight, ultimately falls to Delbarton in Rose City Classic at FDU-Madison

The Ridge boys’ basketball team was shorthanded again Saturday – down some key players – but they hung in tight against an unbeaten Delbarton team in the opener of the Rose City Classic up at FDU-Madison Sunday afternoon.

Despite a career high from junior Gabe Kielb – who had 22 points, including a pair of treys – Ridge dropped to 0-4 on the season with a 50-47 loss that came right down to the wire at the Ferguson Recreation Center.

The two played it close in the early going, with the Green Wave leading 11-9 after one, but they put some distance between themselves and the Red Devils over the next eight minutes, holding Ridge to just one second quarter field goal en route to a 22-16 halftime lead.

Ridge started to figure it out in the third, despite a number of perimeter shots still not falling, driving more to the basket, looking for contact. And the strategy paid off, as they got Delbarton in the bonus and hit five free throws in the third, even taking the lead back at one point.

The game was tied 31-31 after three.

And it kept playing tight, with ties at 34, 40 and 42, the last with just 1:16 to go. Nick Treue’s trey put Delbarton up by three with :48.6 to go, and after and and-one put them up six, Ridge got a bucket to cut it to four.

Still, down by six again with :16 to go, Sidd Narayanabhatla hit from downtown with 0.3 seconds left, and got fouled. Aiming to intentionally miss the free throw, the shot missed the rim – a violation – and once the inbound was touched, that was the ballgame.

Delbarton improved to 4-0 with the win, and was led by Gunther Neumann’s 13 points. Narayanabhatla finished with 16, including a pair of triples, for Ridge.

Click below for postgame reaction with Ridge head coach Bill Lester, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gill St. Bernards, Montgomery remain Nos. 1, 2 in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten after light schedule on Opening Weekend

There weren’t a lot of games on Opening Weekend across high school basketball, even though teams could have begun play as early as Monday, as St. Joseph-Metuchen did.

The upshot was there was little movement in the Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, as the first five teams stayed in the very same spots, with just three of them in action.

Gill St. Bernard’s won its opening game in Montgomery, topping Madison in the NJBCA Tip-Off Challenge. The defending Somerset County Tournament champions won without point guard Dorsett Mulcahy – who assistant coach Jaren Sina says is banged up, but should be back soon – and with Jaren, himself, leading the team. Head coach Mergin Sina is out for the first two games after getting ejected from the Knights’ last game of last year, a 43-25 loss to Roselle Catholic – with a controversial ending – in the Non-Public North B Final.

Montgomery remains at No. 2 after a huge win over Don Bosco Prep at home, 66-47, in the NJBCA Tip-Off Challenge. The two had been ranked ninth and seventh in the statewide preseason rankings entering the game. Sophomores Connor Benedict and Mike Simborski had 21 and 23 points respectively in the win for the defending Central Jersey Group 4 champs.

Rutgers Prep dropped its opener Saturday, 70-61, to Linden in the NJBCA Tip-Off Challenge at Montgomery. The Argonauts got 19 points and nine rebounds from William Brunson, and another 11 from Nicholas Nsenkyire in defeat.

Staying in fourth is Piscataway, which rolled to a season-opening 76-20 win over McKee/Staten Island Tech in the Outerbridge Crossing Challenge, played at Edison High School, and heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Senior Isaiah Fowler scored a career-high 14 points, eleven of which came in the opening quarter as the Chiefs got out of the gate early to a 28-2 lead in the first eight minutes.

Colonia – which stays at No. 5 – dropped its opener, 62-35 to St. Peter’s Prep in the NJBCA Tip-Off Classic at Montgomery. The Marauders are the No. 4 team in the state. The Patriots were led by sophomore Jayce Rodriguez, who hit three triples in the game and finished with 17 points.

St. Joseph-Metuchen moves up a spot to sixth after a season-opening loss by Ridge and a 101-37 rout at home Monday over Wesley College of Melbourne, Australia.

Sayreville – which won 75-64 Saturday in the Friends of South Amboy Charity Games at South Amboy High School – moved up a spot as well, to seventh, after beating Oratory behind two monster nights. Sam Jones led the way with 33 points and three treys, while Chidi Chukwura had a double-double of 29 points and 20 rebounds.

Ridge falls to No. 8 after a season-opening 50-42 loss to Ewing. Gabe Kielb scored 10 points, while Dan Rafanello grabbed ten rebounds in defeat.

Holding in ninth is St. Thomas Aquinas. The Trojans sow coach Tim Weiler’s debut spoiled by Franklin, 64-54 in the Friends of South Amboy Charity Games at South Amboy High School. Joshua Anane had a double-double – 16 points, 14 rebounds – in defeat, while Sean Duncan had a big game for Franklin: 27 points including five treys.

And in tenth, it’s Immaculata. The Spartans open up Tuesday in Somerville against No. 8 Ridge, in an early season top ten Skyland Conference matchup.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week One:

Graphic displaying the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for high school boys' basketball for Week 1 of the 2025-26 season, including team names, records, and previous rankings.
by Mike Pavlichko

Dre Garcia’s pick, handoff to Greg Brown, earns Ridge Red Devils the win for the 2025 Highlight Reel Play of the Year

Seven nominees, seven really good highlights.

But in the end, the fans must pick one.

With nearly six thousand votes cast, the Ridge Red Devils nearly had a plurality, earning almost 29-hundred votes – and almost 48 percent of the total – in our fan balloting for the 2025 Highlight Reel Play of the Year.

And like many nominees – and some past champions – it wasn’t a play that was drawn up or routinely worked on at the end of practice.

Junior nose tackle Dre Garcia read the screen pass from the North Brunswick quarterback perfectly. It came right to him, and he made his push forward.

But he quickly saw linebacker Greg Brown running right next to him. Brown says his plan was to block downfield for him, figuring he was faster and could get in front of him to stifle the Raiders’ offense, now trying to stop the ball carrier.

But Garcia said, “here, you take it” – if not in so many words – and he shoved the ball into Brown’s chest.

Brown took it the rest of the wat for a score in a 57-20 home win over North Brunswick on October 17th at Lee Field in Basking Ridge.

Click below to see Ridge’s winning Highlight Reel play, then scroll further down to hear Dre Garcia, Greg Brown and head coach Jeff Sutherland talk about the play with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sport Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Ridge NT Dre Garcia, LB Greg Brown and head coach Jeff Sutherland:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Third Place: Andre Pereira, Cranford, October 3rd: After a successful onside kick, Pereira’s number was called again with his team down 41-40 at home against Rahway late in the game. The attempt would be from the left hash mark, a 37-yard try. Not only did he nail it to set off a wild celebration over the win, but he just got it around a Rahway defender who charged across the line of scrimmage from his left.
  • Second Place: John Archer and Dorian Roundtree, Bound Brook, September 26: On a fourth-and-ten from their own ten yard line, Archer hits Roundtree on the right sideline, right at the sticks. Then, he turns and gets upfield for the remaining 80-yards, and it’s a 90-yard touchdown to put the Crusaders over Belvidere, 28-27.

Click here to watch all seven nominees for the Highlight Reel Play of the Year!

by Mike Pavlichko

Gill St. Bernard’s, Montgomery boys lead stacked preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

Coming up with a preseason Top Ten is never an easy proposition, but one thing seems pretty certain – or maybe it isn’t: the first rankings of 2025-26 very likely will look nothing like the final one.

The group includes a team that won just six games a year ago – St. Joseph-Metuchen, which brings back alum and former coach Mark Taylor – but will have to prove itself early and either soar up the rankings if they win as many expect, or quite possibly fall out if they don’t jell in December.

At the top is Gill St. Bernard’s, which finished 22-7 last season, won the Somerset County Tournament, and made the sectional finals in the state tournament’s Non-Public North B section. They return a solid core, including senior guard Dorsett Mulcahy (9.6 ppg, 30 treys), senior Jakub Malecki (6.3 ppg), and sophomore Connor Junker (9.25 ppg), who played out of his mind in the SCT final against Rutgers Prep – scoring 15 points, including four triples – and hit a team-best 49 treys last season.

Montgomery at No. 2 has the talent, but with some key losses, may be a little less proven. The Cougars didn’t lose to a public school all last season until the Group 4 state final at Rutgers, where they faced Plainfield. And even the year before, they only Lost to Lenape – in the regular season and in the Group 4 semifinals. Gone to graduation are big Bohdan Biekietov and guard Christian Hill – the team’s second and third leading scorers – but back is point guard Ethan Lin for his senior season. At 19.7 points per game last year, he had an amazing bounceback after breaking is leg the season before and missing the entire postseason run.

In third is Rutgers Prep. The Argonauts also made a sectional final last year – in Non-Public South B – and also went to the Somerset County Tournament final, falling to Gill. A mostly young team in 2024-25, third-leading scorer and post player Andrew Kretkowski (15.3 ppg, 34 blocks) transferred over the summer to St. Joseph-Metuchen, and senior Myles Parker (14.8 ppg) graduated. But Jacob Canton, the team’s leading scorer at 15.3 ppg and with a team-best 47 treys returns, along with senior Logan Franz and junior Rocco Loomis.

At four and five, respectively, are the two GMC Tournament finalists from a year ago, runner-up Piscataway and champion Colonia. Both teams lose significant parts from last season.

The Chiefs graduated top-scorer Nate Davis (14.5 ppg, team-best 53 treys) and swing Vaughn Turner (9.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg), but other key pieces like junior Landon Pernell (7.9 ppg) and seniors Donald Nwaigwe (11.7 ppg) and Josh Lima (10.3 ppg, 40 treys) return.

Colonia was dealt a double-blow, first when Aiden Derkack (24.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg) left to play his senior year at Spire Academy in Ohio, then last week when R.J. Wortman (12.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) signed with Greg Schiano, getting a football scholarship at Rutgers, where he will enroll in January. Zach Smith graduates, too, but Dylan Chiera is back for his senior season, along with Julien Jones. Both are top-notch athletes, and will see increases scoring roles, along with the coach’s son, Jayce Rodriguez, who had a fantastic freshman season, scoring 7.7 points per game, and led the team from beyond the arc with 58 triples.

At No. 6 is Ridge, which was 22-7 last season. Seniors Luke Kreitz (16.2 ppg, 74 treys) and Quinn Dashefsky (11.9 ppg) have graduated, but Gabe Kielb and Sidd Narayanabhatia were also key contributors last season as juniors.

St. Joseph-Metuchen makes its debut at No. 7. After a difficult year finishing 6-16 under Karl Towns, Sr. – the father of Falcon great Karl-Anthony Towns, currently of the New York Knicks – the school hired 1983 alum and former coach Mark Taylor back to Metuchen, and he’s made progress before the team even steps on the floor, bringing in a number of transfers to shore up the ranks. Word around the league is they will be the team to beat. The question is: will they mesh right off the bat, or take some time to find their footing?

The final three teams all fell one spot from the final rankings last year to make room for St. Joe’s.

2024-25 GMC White Division champion Sayreville is eighth, coming off a 22-7 season. The Bombers’ top two scorers return, including seniors Chidi Chukwurah (18.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg) and Sam Jones (16.6 ppg, team-best 61 threes).

St. Thomas Aquinas starts the year at nine, after a 15-12 campaign, but they also have a new coach, and a bunch coming back. Dan Jennings is the top-returning scorer at 11.1 ppg, and he’ll be back for his senior season after spending his first two up the road at St. Joe’s; he also was one shy of the team lead in treys with 43; graduated senior Aiden Ur had 44. Albion Ahmetaj (7.8 ppg) also should be a big part of things under new head coach Tom Weiler, a mentee of former Aquinas coach Bob Turco, who’s now at Piscataway.

And in tenth is Immaculata. The Spartans were 20-8 last season, and will return top scorer Riley Gorman (18.1 ppg, team-best 72 treys), along with junior Nick Swartwood (7.2 ppg), the team’s top rebounder at 7.5 per game.

Below is the complete preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten:

A table displaying the preseason rankings for the 2025-26 boys' basketball top ten teams, including team names, records, previous rankings, and notes about their achievements.
by Mike Pavlichko

It’s time for you – the fans – to pick the Central Jersey Sports Radio 2025 “Highlight Reel Play of the Year!” Watch, then vote!

Central Jersey Sports Radio is giving YOU the chance to weigh in on your favorite play of the 2025 high school football season, as submitted by Big Central Conference coaches!

All our finalists are in the montage below…

Watch the video below, then scroll down
to vote for your favorite!!
Voting ends at NOON on Monday, 8th.
Remember: Vote early, vote often!

The winner will be announced during our Big Central Conference
Postseason Awards Show on Thursday, December 11 at 7 pm!

2025 Highlight Reel Play Of The Year

Sorry, voting is closed.

Good luck to your favorite school and player for the 2024 Highlight Reel Play of the Year!

by Mike Pavlichko

Both Big Central top-seeds advance, as Bridgewater-Raritan cruises past Linden, Phillipsburg blows out Newark Central; Woodbridge, Montgomery and Colonia also win in North 2, Group 4

The two Big Central Conference teams that earned top-seeds in the NJSIAA playoffs this season both won their opening round games handily Friday night.

Phillipsburg – the top overall seed in North Group 4 – won its first round game in the North 2, Group 4 section, blowing out eight-seed Newark Central at home, 55-14.

And Bridgewater-Raritan – the No. 1 seed in North 2, Group 5 – was a 35-6 winner over eight-seed Linden at Basilone Field.

Denzel Amoafo opened the scoring for the Panthers not even four minutes in with a 32-yard touchdown run, then after a Linden fumble late in the quarter, QB Declan Kurdyla scampered for 18 yards to make it 13-0. He then hit tight end Jack Cifuentes from six out, then ran another in from 17 to make it 28-0 with 5:52 to go before the half.

One more touchdown pass – eleven yards to Mikey Bratus – made it 35-0 at the break, a deficit the Tigers could not recover from, though they would get two second half scores with the running clock in effect for the final 24 minutes.

Bridgewater-Raritan (7-3) will host fourth-seed Union City (6-3) Friday night. The Soaring Eagles – who beat the Panthers 61-10 in the same round last year up at their place – edged five-seed Irvington at home Friday night, 21-14.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with head coach DJ Catalano and senior quarterback Declan Kurdyla, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Meanwhile, out at Maloney Stadium, it was all Phillipsburg in this one, as the top-seeded Stateliners scored the game’s first seven touchdowns en route to a 55-14 win. Tyler Wargo scored twice on runs of five and eight yards, while Eddie O’Neill had a two-yard fumble return for a TD, and three others scored in the first half, including a Xavier Campbell-Graham 57-yard run, a six-yard run by Sincere Gilmer and a two-yard fumble return by Elian Cuevas.

Gilmer had a late 50-yard TD run in the fourth, while Thomas LaBella had a 14-yard run in the third quarter.

The Stateliners (8-1) will play fifth-seed Colonia (7-3) next week at home in one semifinal, after the Patriots topped Ridge, 20-19 on the road.

That game was a back-and-forth affair, with no one down by more than a touchdown throughout. After a scoreless first quarter, each team scored twice in the second to make it a 13-13 game at the half.

Jack Donley scored on a 44-yard touchdown for Ridge (5-4) to open the scoring, but the kick was blocked by Harsimran Mann. RJ Wortman answered with a 22-yard pick-six, Nick Pfenning got it back for the Red Devils on a seven-yard run, while Julien Jones tied it with a six-yard run, which also saw a blocked kick.

In the third quarter, Wortman scored again, this time on a four-yard run, and with a few minutes left in the game, Lenny Paolilo got Ridge within one with a 14-yard touchdown run that capped a long drive. But Mann came up big again, blocking the extra point.

“The second one was the biggest one I’ve ever seen,” said head coach Tom Roarty.

Click below for postgame reaction from Colonia head coach Tom Roarty with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

The other semifinal in North 2, Group 4 will feature second-seed Woodbridge (8-2) against third-seed Montgomery (7-3), a rematch of a game from three weeks ago that the Barrons won 41-31 in Somerset County. Second-seed Woodbridge topped seventh-seed Rahway (6-4), 21-7, while Montgomery was a 32-10 home winner over sixth-seed Westfield (4-6).

by Mike Pavlichko

The playoffs are here! More than two dozen Big Central public schools open postseason play this weekend, with 20 games on tap. Here’s Part One of our preview on Groups 4 and 5

It’s time for the playoffs!

We got through opening weekend in the sweltering heat of the late dog days of August. We didn’t really have much of a fall, but the weather mostly nice. And Cutoff Weekend last weekend saw some teams sweating it out, some disappointed, and others rewarded for their play during the season.

Now, it’s time to get it all going!

Here’s Central Jersey Sports Radio’s look at all the playoff games involving BCC schools this weekend, section by section in Groups 4 and 5, including game dates and times. Games are Friday, except where noted.

Find our preview of Group 1, 2 and 3 schools will by clicking this link.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 5:

  • #8 Linden (3-6) at #1 Bridgewater-Raritan (6-3), 6pm: The Panthers, after making the playoffs out of a strong division with no more than four wins each of the last three seasons, broke through in Year Three under the young, energetic DJ Catalano as head coach. And they survived two games without QB Declan Kurdyla, a Rutgers lacrosse committ whose season it was thought might be over after a lower body (knee) injury against Hunterdon Central in Game Four. It turned out to be not as serious as originally thought, and he was back three weeks later. A win over Piscataway – a two-seed in the same section – may have been their best of the year. As for Linden, Mark Ciccotelli’s took over for Al Chiola, and the Tigers struggled a bit out of the box, starting 0-3, and going 1-5 through their first six. But they won two of their last three, beating Perth Amboy and Carteret, then lost by one to a super-talented, if inconsistent Plainfield team last weekend. Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates and we’ll have video postgame reaction late Friday night.
  • #6 Bayonne (6-3) at #3 Elizabeth (5-4), 6 pm: When you have a three-year starter like the dynamic Arique Fleming in quarterback – a three-year starter who’s still only a junior – you have to like the Minutemen and their chances. After a 2-1 start, they lost three straight, but have won three in a row over Morristown, Watchung Hills and Union, the win over the Warriors – on the road – being the most impressive. But Bayonne comes in hot, too. The Bees won just one of their first four games, but have reeled off five straight coming into the playoffs. But that one win they had early? It came over Elizabeth, 26-21, at Williams Field. Can the Minutemen return the favor?
  • #7 Plainfield (4-5) at #2 Piscataway (7-2), Saturday 1 pm: This is our Saturday “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Click here to listen, with pregame starting at 12:45. The Chiefs are looking like their old selves again, that is, a team that’s capable of winning a championship, even if they have to clean up some penalties and miscues. They and Plainfield both have talent over the field. Landon Pernell can get the ball to receivers like Josiah Zayas, who came back to the program from St. Thomas Aquinas, and Zaire Young can do things on the ground. Devin Thomas – the Plainfield quarterback is dynamic, having thrown for over 2,000 yard – with 27 touchdowns and just four interceptions – and leading the team in rushing at 466 yards. This is going to be a game with a lot of big plays. Read our full preview and hear from both head coaches at the link.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 5:

  • #5 Hillsborough (4-5) at #4 Rancocas Valley (5-4), Saturday 12 pm: This is a tough draw for the Raiders, being on the road, but they’re also familiar with the West Jersey Football League, playing fellow Group 5 squad Washington Twp. in the Battle at the Beach down at Rowan back in August. That 43-12 loss came to a team that was 9-0, but don’t discount the Red Devils, even though they’re “just” 5-4. They have a run-heavy attack led by Jameer Bellamy (864 yards, 11 TDs), and have a sophomore in Michael Beasley and a junior in David Ogunsola who have combined for 22 1/2 of the team’s 29 sacks this year. Hillsborough will have to protect senior QB Devon Khurana – who already played the early part of the season with a broken pinkie – and will be challenged to get thousand-yard rusher Andrew Schwarz the numbers they’d like. Fun fact: This will be the third “Red Devils” opponent for the Raiders this year, who lost 28-7 to Ridge, but beat Hunterdon Central in Flemington last week, 33-8.
  • #6 Freehold Twp. (5-4) at #3 Old Bridge (8-1), Saturday 6 pm: The Knights have one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the area in Brody Nugent, the senior QB who has thorwn for 1,811 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for a team-best 799 yards and 15 more scores. He’s a points machine for a team that has been perfect in the six games since they lost 28-21 at Piscataway on September 12th, a full month-and-a-half ago. Freehold Township had won three straight before falling to Manalapan last week. A pass-heavy offense that has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards between two quarterbacks could make this a very entertaining game, indeed.
  • #7 Trenton (6-3) at #2 Sayrveille (8-1), 7 pm: The Bombers rebounded from a 43-15 loss to Montgomery two weeks ago with a 33-26 win over St. Thomas Aquinas that ended their Big Central-record 35-game winning streak. Shaun Jackson has been the offensive weapon all season long, with 1,650 yards and 20 touchdowns on 162 carries. Almost on the nose, he touches the ball a little more than every other play. The Tornadoes have a more balanced attack, with junior QB Keith Williams throwing for 1,210 yards, and have won three straight coming in. This will be the Bombers’ first opponent from Mercer County since 2008, when they beat West Windsor-Plainsboro South in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, before losing in the title game to Brick Memorial.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4:

  • #8 Newark Central (6-3) at #1 Phillipsburg (7-1), 7 pm: The Stateliners get to defend their North 2, Group 4 title, and the beginning of theat defense starts with an explosive Blue Devil club out of Newark. They have a sophomore quarterback who has thrown for almost 1,400 yards in Zahyir Taylor, but while he’s thrown 14 touchdown passes, he’s also been prone to throwing picks, with nine on the season. This is a very balanced attack, but Central doesn’t play nearly the schedule Phillipsburg does. They are still humming along even after a 21-0 loss at St. Joseph-Metuchen a couple of weeks ago, with another sophomore QB in Dominic Bracco playing traffic cop with the ground game, which has reeled off nearly 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns this season.
  • #5 Colonia (6-3) at #4 Ridge: (5-3), 7 pm: This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools, and both have had fine seasons. The Patriots had won four straight before a Cutoff Weekend loss to Old Bridge, but it’s also been the most comfortable Cutoff Weekend Colonia has had in the last few years, since they had a playoff berth already locked up coming in. It’s a solid senior group that has put up big numbers through the air, with Dylan Chiera tossing for 1,971 yards and 21 TDs with just two picks all season, and favorite target RJ Wortman already over a thousand-yards receiving. Ridge will need to keep an eye on Julien Jones, who has racked up nine of the team’s 19 sacks on the season. Ridge also had won four in a row before falling to Westfield last week This will be Colonia’s passing game against the Red Devils’ ground attack, which has amassed 1,802 yards on the season. They’ve run it 334 times compared to 114 passing plays. Oh, and their defense can get after it, too. They have five picks, one for a touchdown.
  • #6 Westfield at #3 Montgomery, 7 pm: The last meeting between these schools was ten years ago, as the schools finished a home-and-home that saw the Cougars win in 2014, the Blue Devils in 2015. That being distant history, the Cougars are a bit banged up right now after the Rahway game, in which senior QB Jack Kristjanson went down with what appeared to be a lower leg injury late in the game after a sack. They’ve got some big wins, over Somerville and Sayrville, and in overtime in their opener against a solid 7-2 Hopewell Valley squad. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, are looking for their first back-to-back wins of an up-and-down season. But if they can play like they did against Ridge last week, when they netted a 14-7 upset win at home – their first win over the Blue Devils since 2017 – they can pull this one off. Senior Jordan Walsh is the reigning Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Player of the Week, coming up with big plays late in that win.
  • #7 Rahway (6-3) at #2 Woodbridge (7-2), 6 pm: The side story here is that this is the “Russo Bowl.” Rahway head coach Brian Russo is a Woodbridge grad, won a state title there, coached there, and his son, Sean, is a senior wide receiver for Joe Goerge. The main storyline here is: this should be one damn good football game. The Indians were physical in a 28-7 upset win over No. 3 Montgomery last Friday night, a win that got them in the playoffs, and senior Andrew Avent – who’s now the school’s all-time rushing leader at 4,395 career yards and 79 overall touchdowns – can change the game in a hurry. But they can get to the quarterback, too, with the defense coming up with at least four sacks last week alone. The Barrons have been one of the best teams in the Big Central the last two years, with just one regular season loss, that coming to St. Joe’s a couple of weeks ago. Joshua Allen is also a great back; the senior has gone for 1,355 yards and 18 scores this season. Can they limit Rahway on the scoreboard? Though the Barrons have pitched two shutouts, those came against Union and Perth Amboy. But the rest of the schedule has all scored at least 18 points against them in every game.