Tag: Shawn Harrison

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s been a while! Highland Park blanks Metuchen 35-0 for first Goal Post Trophy win since 2017

It’s been nine years since the Goal Post Trophy could be proudly displayed by the Highland Park football team, but now it’s back.

The Owls snapped a seven-game skid against their former Thanksgiving Day rivals – including a “did not play” forfeit win in 2018 – and shutout Metuchen 35-0 Friday night, on an evening when the program also retired the jersey of L.J. Smith, who went on to star at Rutgers and in the NFL.

The win was a bounceback over a 28-20 loss at Dayton last week that spoiled an otherwise perfect season, and gave the Bulldogs their first division title in 17 years. But it also was Highland Park’s sixth shutout of the season in nine games.

After Ziquan Grier’s 38-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Marcus Smith put the Owls up 7-0 in the first quarter, Smith scored twice in the second – on runs of 76 and 31 yards – to give the Owls a 21-0 lead at the half. Jacob Quiros scored on a one-yard run in the third and a five-yard run in the final quarter to round out the scoring.

Highland Park finishes the regular season 8-1, and will be in the South 2 playoffs, their first postseason berth since 2010. Metuchen’s regular season ends at 3-5.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden with Highland Park head coach Shawn Harrison and senior QB Marcus Smith, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

Highland Park, Dayton to square off Friday with each looking for first divisional title in nearly two decades

It’s been a long time, in more ways than one.

There are many similarities between the Highland Park and Dayton football programs.

For starters, they are among the older programs in the league, with Jonathan Dayton playing its first game in 1907, while Highland Park has been playing football since 1937. In fact, the two met that year, and the Owls won 7-6 before the Bulldogs returned the favor in 1938 with a 23-0 victory.

In the present day, they both have a lot of different way to beat you on offense.

And it’s also been 17 years since both teams last won a division title.

For Dayton, that came in 2009 under then-head coach Joe Goerge (now at Woodbridge) as part of the Mid-State 39 Conference (which later became the 38, then the 37), winning the Union Division. And they almost won it again in 2010 in a 10-2 season, had it not been for a season-opening loss to division for New Providence.

For Highland Park, it was the GMC Blue Division in ’09, with Rich McGlynn as head coach. Current coach Shawn Harrison was his successor, rejuvenating the program to the point where the Owls have now won at least six games in two of their last three seasons.

Friday night, they meet in Springfield, both 4-0 in their division, playing for the Freedom Gold Division title.

You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, our Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Game of the Week, with kickoff set for 7:00, and pregame at 6:45, with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Click here to listen.

The Owls (7-0, 4-0 BCC Freedom Gold) are led offensively by mobile senior quarterback Marcus Smith, the team’s No. 2 rusher with 457 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 44 carries, averaging more than a first down every time he touches the ball; he’s also thrown for 715 yards and eight touchdowns with just one pick. Senior runningback Jacob Quiros has rushed 108 times for 639 yards and seven TDs.

But most impressive has been their defense, which has allowed just six points all year, on a touchdown and missed extra point by Roselle Park. Bound Brook scored a touchdown against the Owls, too, but that was came on defense, via an interception return for a score. They are averaging nearly five sacks a game, with 32 through their first seven contests, along with 65 tackles for loss.

The Bulldogs (5-2, 4-0) have a big three-headed monster. It starts with senior QB Adrian Bernknopf, who has passed for 1,238 yards and 19 touchdowns, with three picks. His favorite target has been fellow senior Jackson Babiarz, with 22 catches for 550 yards and eight scores, while a third senior, Tyler Fuscaldo – a Springfield kid who played his first two years at Seton Hall Prep, and saw limited action as a sophomore – has rushed 85 times for 594 yards and eight touchdowns.

Defensively, Dominic Pintado and Isaiah Rivas – a defensive back and defensive lineman, respectively – each have 2 1/2 sacks, while as a team, the Bulldogs have recovered nine fumbles, two for touchdowns, have blocked two kicks, and a pick six from Pintado as well.

Click below top hear preview interviews with both head coaches!

Dayton head coach Nick Iannacone with Mike Pavlichko
Highland Park head coach Shawn Harrison with Alec Crouthamel

by Mike Pavlichko

Highland Park’s amazing season continues with big shutout of Brearley, 35-0

Coming into Friday night’s penultimate regular season home game of the 2026 season, the Highland Park football team was staring down the barrel of clearly its toughest two-game stretch of the year: a home game against 5-1 Brearley, and a road game at Dayton, which is 4-2 heading into Saturday’s tilt at South River.

As for the first test, the Owls passed with flying colors.

They scored all kinds of ways, and the defense was in the same lock-down mode it’s been all season, as Highland Park came up with a 35-0 victory over the Bears to remain undefeated (7-0), potentially setting up a game for the division title next week in Union County.

That defense has allowed six points all season. The only other seven points they surrendered all year came on offense, on an interception for a touchdown.

Marcus Smith scored twice, on 12- and two-yard touchdown runs, rushing for 62 yards on nine carries while throwing for 59. Jacob Quiros scored on a ten-yard touchdown run and a fumble recovery in the end zone. And A.J. Lee had a 25-yard pick-six in the third quarter.

But perhaps most impressively, against a team that had been scoring 31 points per game – and 41 a game in their last three – the Owls shut them out completely. In fact, their defense outscored the Bears 7-0, thanks to Lee’s interception for a touchdown.

Highland Park is now 4-0 in the Freedom Gold, with Dayton 3-0, but still with South River on the schedule Saturday. Should they Bulldogs win that game, it’ll be down to next week’s matchup in Springfield to determine the Freedom Gold champion.

Brearley falls to 5-2 with the loss, 2-2 in the Freedom Gold, with losses to Highland Park and Dayton.

Click below to hear Highland park head coach Shawn Harrison talk about the Brearley win with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Highland Park routs JP Stevens, 43-0, for Owls second 3-0 start in three seasons

There were two things certain coming into Thursday night’s game in North Edison between Highland Park and JP Stevens.

First, both teams were off to 2-0 starts in the same season for the first time since 2002. Second, one of those teams would remain undefeated at 3-0.

The Owls (3-0) left no doubt it would be them almost right from the get-go, as senior quarterback Marcus Smith rushed for a 48-yard touchdown after a fake handoff for the first score of the game.

And from there, it was all Owls. They would score twice more in the opening quarter – on a 46-yard touchdown run by Ziquan Grier and a ten-yard run by Jacob Quiros to take a 20-0 lead – then add two more scores in the second period, courtesy of a 40-yard pick-six from Grier, and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Smith to A.J. Lee, making it 36-0 at the break.

That kicked off a running clock in the second half, where Bryce Morales scored on a 13-yard touchdown run with 1:26 left in the third to make it 43-6.

JP Stevens fell to 2-1 with the loss, after starting the season 2-0 for the first time since 2003, when Frank Zarro was head coach.

For Highland Park, it’s their second 3-0 start in the last three seasons. The year after snapping a 54-game losing streak, the Owls started 3-0 in 2024 – with a four-game win streak stretching back to the last game of 2023 – and finished 6-3.

They’ll look to extend their current streak to four when they visit Roselle Park next Friday night.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with Highland Park head coach Shawn Harrison and senior QB/LB Marcus Smith, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Chris Tsakonas

Highland Park kicks off 2026 with 29-0 win over New Brunswick, first whitewash in 15 years

Highland Park opened the 2026 season in emphatic fashion as the Owls defeated New Brunswick 29-0 at Joseph Policastro Stadium Friday night.

In the process, Highland Park picked up its first shutout win in 15 years, when they won 37-0 at now-shuttered Cardinal McCarrick on Halloween 2011.

Highland Park totaled 240 yards of offense, with 143 of those yards coming on the ground. Jacob Quiros led the way with 11 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Marcus Smith completed eight of nine passes for 97 yards through the air and had eight carries and 38 yards for two touchdowns on the ground.

Highland Park received the opening kickoff in this game, and the offense wasted no time setting the tone. Led by a rushing attack of Jacob Quiros and quarterback Marcus Smith, the Owls scored first on an eight-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off by a 14-yard touchdown run from Smith with 6:42 to play in the first quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out on the Zebras’ opening drive, Highland Park turned the ensuing punt into a safety. Three tacklers teamed up to make it an 8-0 Owl lead with 4:07 to go in the opening quarter.

Highland Park caught another break when the ensuing kickoff was muffed, and the Owls recovered to immediately go back on offense. Highland Park made it count with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that ended in a seven-yard touchdown run from Ziquan Grier with three seconds left in the first quarter.

New Brunswick finally put a promising drive together, going 60 yards in seven plays to set up a 4th and 12 from the Owls’ 11-yard line. The pass from Jo Jo Morfa was broken up to end the first half.

The Zebras got the ball back to start the second half, and traded a pair of empty possessions before another promising scoring drive ended in an interception.

Highland Park got the ball back on their own 15 with 3:19 to play in the third quarter, and methodically led the ball down the field in an eight-play, 85-yard scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run on a quarterback sneak from Marcus Smith.

New Brunswick went three-and-out twice in the fourth quarter, with Highland Park getting the ball back with 1:25 to play. The Owls kneeled the game out to seal the first win of 2026.

Offensively, the Zebras finished with 100 total yards of offense. Quarterback Jo Jo Morfa completed six of 10 for 64 yards, while Arisnel Mota-Sanchez had eight carries for 32 yards on the ground.

Click below to hear postgame reaction with Highland Park seniors Marcus Smith and Jacob Quiros, and junior Du’an Fleming, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Alec Crouthamel

Highland Park looks to continue upward program trajectory, opening 2026 season against New Brunswick tonight

Highland Park and New Brunswick bring some similarities to Friday’s opening game of the season.

Both battled through tough losing streaks, but came out on the othe side better than they entered, and from there have set solid groundwork to continue to build forward.

Now two full seasons removed from snapping the skid, the Owls have continued to build upward, and head into the 2026 season with a mix of veteran returners and eye-turning young talent.

They’ll kick it all off at home Friday night at 7:00 against the Zebras, in the second Big Central Game of the Week to open the season live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Tune in at 6:45 for the pregame show with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel; click here to listen.

Highland Park returns its starter to the most important position, with Marcus Smith back for his second year as the starting quarterback. Much of his development over the offseason came on the mental side, as well as the physical side, as a rising senior after throwing for 866 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Owls also return just over 60 percent of their rushing production, led by top rusher Jacob Quiros, who is also heading into his senior year. Even after the graduation of Kostas and Stamatis Hantsoulis, the skill-position cupboard is well-stocked for Highland Park, especially with some exciting youngsters entering the fray, set for some of their first varsity action.

And much the same could be said for the defensive side. Even with the graduation of Matthew Adamczyk-Zapor, who led the team in sacks (three) and tackles for loss (seven), there remains a solid set of leaders and talent across the defense, with young talent continuing to be infused.

But above all the stats and talent across the board, the main key the veterans bring to the table is their experience. They saw what it meant to snap the skid and to grow from it with 6-3 and 3-6 records, and are now the leaders in the clubhouse. Head coach Shawn Harrison has led the charge in raising the expectations for the program, and it starts with the returning veterans that have seen it all under his watch.

Those expectations will help be set with the opening home game against nearby New Brunswick.

Click below to hear Highland Park football coach Shawn Harrison talk about the Owls and their season opener against New Brunswick, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

by Mike Pavlichko

Highland Park entertains Roselle Park Friday with very different playoff implications for both

Friday night, when Roselle Park travels to Highland Park for a Big Central Conference Freedom Division game, both certainly need a win. But the effect on the playoff race for both teams will be markedly different.

Their records aren’t much different. The Owls are 2-3, with the Panthers are 3-2. But Roselle Park – despite the better record – is sitting at 24th place in the North Group 1 supersection, eight spots out of a playoff berth. Highland Park is in 14th in South Group 1.

It might not even be that one section is stronger than the other. Even though only seven teams in North Group 1 have an OSI over 40, and the first 14 are all 40 or higher in the North, Roselle Park would still be in a similar situation in the South.

Of Roselle Park’s three wins, two are over winless teams in South River and Dunellen, whose SI values average around 25. In fact, Dunellen is under 20, which kicks in the NJSIAA rule that – for OSI purposes – no team can be awarded fewer than 20 points for a win, and ten for a loss (Dunellen’s SI is calculated as 20 for playoff seeding purposes).

Fortunately, they have better competition this week. They’ll probably have to win at Spotswood to get in on Cutoff Weekend, but … one game at a time.

For the Owls, they also need wins. They finished 6-3 last season at the cutoff, but didn’t make it. If they keep winning, they should be able to fend off the teams behind them.

But Friday’s game – the first in a “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving twin-bill this week – is all that matters now. Both teams need to win.

The Owls have a new quarterback with the graduation of Markos Hantsoulis, but his cousins Kosta and Stamatis remain, and new QB Marcus Smith – a junior – has looked good, passing for 526 yards and five touchdowns through five games. Defensively, they have six sacks, led senior defensive end by Matthew Adamczyk-Zapor with two.

For Roselle Park, they’re more a run-heavy team, with three ball carriers in triple digits, led by junior Nick Salas (75 carries, 459 yards, and a team-best 17 touchdowns). Senior QB Anthony Damiano has thrown for 351 yards on the year and four TDs. He’s not turnover prone – with just one pick – but they just don’t throw it a lot. He’s only attempted 32 passes this season, and doesn’t run it a lot either. He lets the backs do that.

Defensively, though, they get after it. Damiano has two interceptions on the year, one for a touchdown, and is one of three players with two sacks apiece, while senior Jose Candelaria leads the Panthers with three.

You can hear Friday night’s game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Mike Pavlichko and Vin Ebenau on the call. Kickoff is at 7 pm, pregame at 6:45. Click here to listen.

Click below to hear preview interviews from both head coaches:

Highland Park head coach Shawn Harrison with Mike Pavlichko
Roselle Park head coach Greg Dunkerton with Vin Ebenau
by Mike Pavlichko

Highland Park broke out in 2024, now Owls look to keep it going with one more goal in mind

The Highland Park football program has come a long way under Shawn Harrison, who inherited a team in 2021 that hadn’t won a game since beating arch-rival Metcuhen in their 2016 season finale, a Turkey Day rivalry victory.

Wins didn’t come right off the bat.  It took a lot of hard work, dedication and preseverence, but they finally got one at Point Pleasant Beach in their 2023 finale.

Good things and success take time.

Then came 2024, when the Owls not only won their opener, but took their first three games,putting them on a four-game win streak overall.  And though they narrowly missed finishing in the top 16 for the playoffs, Highland Park finished the year 6-3, their first .500-or-better season in almost a decade.

This year?

Highland Park has clear expectations:  keep winning.

Though they lose quarterback Markos Hantsoulis to graduation, his cousins, twins Kosta and Stamatis return, as do a host of others who have been through the battles without seeing immediate results, then were rewarded greatly last year.

So, why not again for the Owls?  After all there’s one more goal still out there for the taking.

A playoff spot.

Click below to hear from Highland Park head coach Shawn Harrison and seniors Stamatis Hantsoulis and Jared Matos with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko at Big Central Media Day:

by Mike Pavlichko

After breaking their long skid, six-win season makes Highland Park CJSR Turnaround Team of the Year for 2024

The build to 2024 was a long one, but the hard work paid off.

Toiling through years of teams with barely two dozen players, the Highland Park football team ended up with more Owls on the varsity roster at the end of the season than they had at the beginning.

Now, that’s saying something.

But first, the Owls made a statement. The did last year, and all the years before, when they refused to quit. Last year, with an 0-9 record, they said “Why not?” to one more game, down at Point Beach.

After 51 straight losses, more than anyone else in the state at the time, they finally got a win, and beat the Garnet Gulls.

This year? They won their first three to give them a four-game winning streak, then finished the year 6-3.

And that has earned them Turnaround Team of the Year honors for 2024 from Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Highland Park senior Markos Hantsoulis and head coach Shawn Harrison:

by Chris Tsakonas

Improved Highland Park gears up for rivalry matchup against Metuchen Saturday afternoon

After snapping a 51-game losing streak in the final game of the 2023 season, Highland Park has taken a big step forward through the first half of the year.

They won their first three games of the season, giving them a four-game winning streak going back to last year, their longest stretch of success since starting 4-0 in the 2008 season.

After taking their first defeat of the year last week at the hands of Spotswood, the Owls are currently 3-1 with a 2-1 record in the Big Central Conference Freedom Gold Division, with a chance to get the fourth win of the year in a cross-divisional rivalry game against Metuchen (3-2) on Saturday afternoon.

Offensively, Highland Park is led by senior dual-threat quarterback Markos Hantsoulis, who has already recorded 12 total touchdowns – six each passing and rushing – through the first four games of the year. The Owls’ run game also features running back Zyaire Holland, who has 40 rushes for 232 yards and a touchdown. Wide receivers include Kosta Hantsoulis (seven catches for 187 yards and four touchdowns), Jaylin Adams (three catches for 72 yards) and Stamatis Hantsoulis (five catches for 39 yards).

It’s also been a strong start for the Highland Park defense, which has allowed an average of 10.5 points per game through the first half of the season. In each of the Owls’ three wins this year, the defense has allowed no more than seven points.

You can catch Saturday’s “Big Central Game of the Week” – presented by Bellamy & Son Paving – between Metuchen and Highland Park with pregame at 12:45 on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Kickoff is at 1 with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call. Click here to listen.

Click below to hear Highland Park head coach Shawn Harrison talk about the Owls with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas: