Shabazz – Central Jersey Sports Radio

Bernards’ quest for a second straight sectional title – and second straight undefeated season through the sectional championship – fell short on Friday night as the second-seeded Mountaineers fell 28-14 to fifth-seeded Shabazz in the North 1 Group 2 final.

The Bulldogs used a strong rushing attack and opportunistic defense to take home the title, upsetting the top two seeds in the process.

It was a defensive rock-fight for the first 30 minutes, as the teams went into the halftime locker room scoreless. In the third quarter, however, the scoring exploded, with three touchdowns coming in the third and another three in the fourth.

Bernards was led on the ground by running back Logan Stevens, who had a solid game running and receiving. He ran for 102 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown on the ground, as well as catching four passes for 72 yards through the air. Quarterback Nolan Walsh relied on him as a safety net out of the backfield and he delivered in a big way.

Wide receiver Jack Morra had another big game, catching three passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. Walsh for the game completed 10 of his 21 pass attempts for 174 yards and a score. It was a strong day for the Mountaineers’ passing attack, particularly in the second half, but it was not enough to keep up with Shabazz.

Bulldogs quarterback Romeo Tables led the way with his arms and his legs, as he threw for 86 yards and a touchdown while carrying the ball 12 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns. All three scores were on big plays from 20, 17, and 53 yards out. His final carry – the 53-yard score – essentially iced the game after Shabazz’s special teams unit recovered an onside kick, giving the Bulldogs a 28-14 lead with three minutes to play. Running backs Zaiden McDonald and Jalen Cline each ran for 64 and 63 yards respectively.

A key factor in the game turned out to be the penalties, as the Mountaineers committed several pre-snap penalties to push them back and stall drives, as well as give Shabazz good field position on defense. Bernards also had an interception called back due to a defensive pass interference, a drive that Shabazz later scored on.

The Mountaineers finish their season at 11-1, while the 9-2 Bulldogs will advance to the Group 2 semifinals where they will face Hanover Park, which beat top-seeded Glen Rock in the North 2 Group 2 finals earlier tonight.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 Final:
When: Friday, 7 pm
Where: Olcott Field, Bernardsville
Matchup: #2 Bernards (11-0) vs. #5 Shabazz (8-2)
Coverage: Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter.
Weather: 47 degrees, clear, wind NW 60 mph (crosswind, away from Bernards sideline)

HEAD COACHES:

Bernards: Jon Simoneau (16th season, 120-56)
Shabazz: Naz Oliver (2nd season, 16-7)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Bernards:
First Round: def. #7 Rutherford, 35-33
Semifinals: def. #3 Pequannock, 17-0

Shabazz:
First Round: def. #4 Caldwell, 36-33
Semifinals: def. #1 Westwood, 146

Who’s next? The winner of this game will play the North 2, Group 2 winner in the Group 2 semifinals. That game is Friday night at 6 up in Bergen County, where top-seeded Glen Rock (9-1) hosts second-seed Hanover Park (9-1). Both teams finished ahead of the Mountaineers in the North Group 2 standings, so if Bernards wins, they’ll be on the road next week, regardless of their opponent.

SERIES HISTORY:

This is only the third meeting between the two teams, as they split their first two meetings as part of a season-opening home-and-home in the middle of the last decade. Bernards won 54-40 in Newark in 2016, while the Bulldogs returned the favor with a 35-7 win at Olcott Field in 2017.

PREVIEWS:

FINALS HISTORY:

Bernards:

Last season, the Mountaineers captured their first state title of the playoff era, beating seventh-seed Lakeland at home 23-17 in overtime on Connor Laverty’s touchdown run. Not only that, but their 12 wins set a program record. This will be Bernards’ fourth sectional finals appearance all-time, and the third for head coach Jon Simoneau. In 2016, they lost to Manasquan 42-6 at Kean University in Union. The Big Blue were the 3-seed, Bernards the 5-seed.

In 1996, the Mountaineers were the top-seed, and suffered what may still be the most gut-wrenching loss in school history. As the top-seed, and up 12-6 in the fourth quarter in second-seed Shore at home, coach Rich Tramaglini had his quarterback, Dave Melitski, take a knee with six seconds left. At least, that was his initial plan. He tried to change the call, but Meltiski was too quick to take the knee. Shore got the ball and immediately scored, sending it to overtime tied at 12. Shore scored first and got the PAT, and when Bernards got a touchdown on its possession, they went for two for the win, but a pass to the back of the end zone went incomplete.

Playoff Berths: 18
Playoff Record: 12-16
Previous Finals Berths: 3
Sectional Titles: 1

1997: Central 1 – #2 Shore def. #1 Bernards, 19-18 (OT)
2016: Central 2 – #3 Manasquan def. #5 Bernards, 42-6
2023: North 2, Group 2 – #2 Bernards def. #7 Lakeland 23-17 (OT) (Westwood def. Bernards, 17-0, in Group 2 semifinals)

Shabazz:

The Bulldogs have won three sectional crowns, and are 3-5 all-time in the finals, but it took them until 1996 – 22 years after the inaugural playoff season in 1974 – to get to a final. Their most recent title came last year, but in North 2, Group 1, as they moved up in group size this year to Group 2. They also made three straight finals from 2016 through 2018, and four in a span of five years from 2014 through 2018, with a win that first year in the North 2, Group 1 title game over Dunellen, 14-6, at Rutgers.

Playoff Berths: 25
Playoff Record: 22-21
Previous Finals Berths: 8
Sectional Titles: 3

1996: North 2, Group 3 – #3 Morris Knolls def. #4 Shabazz, 36-20
2005: North 2, Group 3 – #1 Middletown South def. #2 Shabazz, 22-0
2013: #1 Hoboken def. #2 Shabazz, 13-7
2014: North 2, Group 1 – #6 Shabazz def. #1 Dunellen, 14-6
2016: North 2, Group 1 – #1 Weequahic def. #3 Shabazz, 18-8
2017: North 2, Group 1 – #2 Shabazz def. #1 Weequahic, 35-0
2018: North 2, Group 1 – #2 Hasbrouck Heights def. #1 Shabazz, 13-7
2023: North 2, Group 1 – #6 Shabazz def. #1 Butler, 40-13 (Mountain Lakes def. Shabazz, 49-20, in Group 1 semifinals)

2024 BERNARDS COVERAGE:

*Summit visits Bernards on October 10, 2024. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

NEWS & NOTES:

Long Run, Many (More) Wins…

Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau is the second-most tenured head coach in Somerset County, having taken over the program in 2018. After a 5-5 debut season, and records of 1-9 and 3-7 the next two years, the Mouintaineers went 7-3 in 2011, the first of a run of 12 seasons of out 13 with at least 7 wins, the only outlier being a 3-7 season in 2017 – they played four teams that went to state finals that year – the year after their last finals appearance. Simoneau’s clubs have won seven games four times in his tenure, and at least eight a year in seven straight (2019 through 2024, including 8-1 in 2020, the COVID year) and ten overall.

Plenty O’ Points…

The 2023 version of the Mountaineers own the program record for points scored in a single season, racking up 461 points in their first 12 games before getting shutout by Westwood in the Group 2 semifinals. Still, that was tops, and Jon Simoneau-coached teams now own seven of the top ten scoring seasons in school history.

Last year’s team also had the largest point differential in any of the coach’s 16 seasons in Bernardsville, operating at a +33.3 margin heading into the sectional finals. They ended up at +27.3 on the year, with one loss.

The Undefeated, With a Catch…

Since the playoffs expanded to eight teams per section in 1998, there have been six state sectional title winners from Somerset County. (Middlesex has had 28 in that time period.) Three of them finished undefeated, including Hillsborough in 2021 (13-0), Ridge in 2013 (12-0), Immaculata in 2006 (12-0).

Bernards last year became the fourth – sort of. They are the fourth team from the county to be undefeated when winning a championship, but ended up with a loss. That’s because the group semifinal Bernards played in last season – and lost at Westwood – wasn’t a thing before 2018.

Hillsborough’s 2021 team is the only other team to go beyond the sectional finals, and they beat Kingsway at Rutgers in the South 5 Regional Championship to finish with a perfect season.

The Undefeated, Part 2…

There are eleven undefeated teams remaining in New Jersey, including Bernards, which is 11-0. Two are in the Big Central, with Somerville also in a title game Friday night, when the Pioneers host Delsea in the Central Jersey Group 3 final. The third league team to enter the playoffs undefeated – Woodbridge – lost last week to Northern Highlands, which visits one-loss Phillipsburg Friday in the North 2, Group 4 final.

(Side note: Only ten of the eleven teams left in the state with unblemished records will play for titles this weekend, and no, the other one is not a non-public. It’s Cliffside Park, which finished its season 9-0, but is in one of the Super Football Conference’s developmental “Ivy” divisions, with teams that are ineligible for playoffs due to their relief schedule.)

Double dip?

If Bernards and Somerville can win titles this weekend, it would be the first time Somerset County has had multiple winners since 1994, when Franklin won Central Jersey Group 3, Somerville won Central 2, and Immaculata won Parochial Group 3.

*Somerville players celebrate their 2017 Central Jersey Group 3 championship – the school’s first since 1994 – at midfield at Rutgers’ High Point Solutions Stadium. (File photo)*

Two teams won in 1987, but while Franklin beat West Windsor for the Central 3 title, Ridge’s Central 2 title was “declared,” as no other teams qualified in that section. (Teams had to be .500 by the Cutoff to qualify.)

This is also the first time two Somerset schools have reached the finals in the same year since 2017, when Somerville won it’s last championship, topping Rumson-Fair Haven 20-15 at Rutgers, while Bridgewater-Raritan lost to Westfield at Met Life Stadium, 20-7. That was the Panthers third trip – and third straight visit – to the finals; they dropped all three to the Blue Devils, who went a combined 36-0 in that stretch.

Here’s the list of seasons with multiple sectional title winners from Somerset County:

1994: Franklin, Somerville, Immaculata
1987: Franklin, Ridge*
1985: Somerville, Immaculata
1984: Franklin, Immaculata

*declared champions

Lucky 7…

Last year, Bernards won the 27th sectional title in Somerset County history. That makes them just the seventh school in the county (out of 13, currently) to win a championship. With Somerville still alive, two Somerset County squads have a chance at a title this year,

Somerville: 8 titles (2017, 1994, 1986, 1985, 1983, 1979, 1977, 1976)
Franklin: 5 titles (1996, 1994, 1990, 1987, 1984)
Immaculata: 4 titles (2006, 1994, 1985, 1984)
Hillsborough: 3 titles (2021, 2000, 1980)
Ridge: 3 titles (2013, 2003, 1987)
Bridgewater East: 2 titles (1990, 1977)
Bernards: 1 title (2023)