Tag: South Plainfield

June 29, 2026June 25, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Bernards takes 32-game league win streak into United Silver, joining solid Governor Livingston, South Plainfield and JFK

The United Silver Division of the Big Central Conference looked like it would be a tight race last season, and it was indeed. This year, North Plainfield and New Brunswick move to smaller school divisions, while Patriot Gold champion Bernards takes a step up into the division. And that could make this fun to watch.

Governor Livingston went 5-5 overall, but won the division at 4-0, with South Plainfield and JFK both finishing the year two games over .500 overall. Now, add in the Mountaineers, who have won 32 straight BCC games, and are three away from the all-time mark held by St. Thomas Aquinas, which had its streak snapped last season in a loss to fellow non-public Big Central rival St. Joseph-Metuchen. And they very well could have the horses to do it.

And give credit where credit is due: The Highlanders were 4-5 at the cutoff, while lesser teams made the playoffs in other sections, but they didn’t – partly a product of their schedule. The Big Central moving Bernards in – and New Brunswick and Hillside out – will help, even if they end up with a similar record again. And the same goes for South Plainfield and JFK, both of which were 6-4 and also failed to make the playoffs. The stronger schedule, even if they end up 5-5, should be a boost.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the United Silver Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication, along with a few notes on each squad. Division games are starred.

Governor Livingston Highlanders (5-5, 4-0, United Silver Division Champions)
Head Coach: Pete Ramiccio, 5th season (20-20)

Week 0: at Dayton
Week 1: at Monroe
Week 2: at Bernards*
Week 3: JFK*
Week 4: at Lyndhurst
Week 5: Johnson
Week 6: Scotch Plains-Fanwood
Week 7: South Plainfield*
Week 8: at New Providence

Two tough season-opening losses last year were followed by three straight Division wins for the Highlanders, who were a young squad in 2025 and will come back with a ton of experience. Of their three biggest offensive players stat-wise, two were sophomores, and one was a freshman. The ninth-grader was QB Colin Hughes, who threw for 248 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Mateo Liloia went for 216 yards and a touchdown. Their top receiver was a sophomore, Parker Chatfield, who caught 15 passes for 157 yards, but GL did most of its damage on the ground, to the tune of 1,755 yards, led by soph Elijah Garcia, who carried 130 times for 806 yards and eight scores. The pump for the offense should be primed this year – and next. Chatfield also had three picks on defense in the secondary, as did sophomore Connor Jakubowksi, accounting for six of the team’s seven interceptions. And every single return man was as sophomore last year.

South Plainfield Tigers (6-4, 3-1, 2nd place United Silver)
Head Coach: Bill Hamilton, 6th season (25-24)

Week 0: at Somerville
Week 1: at North Plainfield
Week 2: JFK*
Week 3: at Bernards*
Week 4: at Carteret
Week 5: Scotch Plains-Fanwood
Week 6: Cranford
Week 7: at Governor Livingston*
Week 8: Perth Amboy

The young man the Tigers will miss most is Dominic Massaro, not just for his 1,165 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, but also his grittiness, physicality and leadership – the prototype South Plainfield football player. Freshman QB Lucas Habe didn’t have to do a lot last year, throwing for just 226 yards and 2 TDs, while the offense rolled off nearly 2,500 yards on the ground. And they have a defensive beast back in Aiden Noblecilla, who registered a whopping 16 sacks and 39 1/2 TFLs, as well as three forced fumbles and a recovery. Massaro’s six interceptions will be missed, but surely the Tigers will be solid on D. And they’ll have to fill Dom’s loss on special teams, where he returned six kickoffs for 161 yards and seven punts for over 300. The opener at Somerville will be a beast.

JFK Mustangs (6-4, 2-2, 3rd place United Silver)
Head Coach: Anthony Nyers, 1st season

Week 0: at East Brunswick
Week 1: Spotswood
Week 2: at South Plainfield*
Week 3: at Governor Livingston*
Week 4: North Plainfield
Week 5: at Metuchen
Week 6: Carteret
Week 8: Bernards*
Week 9: Johnson

Woodbridge alum Anthony Nyers leaders his Offensive Coordinator position at Westfield to take over the Mustangs program in his first head coaching job. But to listen to his former boss with the Blue Devils, he’s going to be just fine. “Our players immediately gravitated toward him,” Andzel told Central Jersey Sports Radio when he was hired in February. The Mustangs were a solid 6-4 last season, winning three games by shutout, splitting their four division games. But Nyers will have to find some key offensive replacements. All seniors, QB Richie Trotman threw for 1,387 yards, while Grant Lorentzen caught 55 passes for 1,221 yards and 22 touchdowns, and Fiheem Howell ran it 168 times for 1,058 yards. That was a shad under 80% of their offense, not counting other seniors who were in the mix. Rising senior Braylon Diaz will be a key part of the defense; he had four sacks, two forced fumbles and one recovery last season. But Lorentzen (3) and Howell (2) combined for five of the unit’s eight picks last season.

Bernards Mountaineers (9-1, 3-0, Patriot Gold Division Champions)
Head Coach: Jon Simoneau, 19th season (130-58)

Week 0: at Rutherford
Week 1: Cranford
Week 2: Governor Livingston*
Week 3: South Plainfield*
Week 4: at Delaware Valley
Week 5: at Hillside
Week 6: Voorhees
Week 7: at JFK*
Week 8: at Summit

Not only does Bernards bring in the second-longest win streak in the BCC at 32 games (the longest active streak), but the Mountaineers have won 34 straight regular season games. Their last defeat before either of those came on September 2, 2022 to Hillside, a 35-20 defeat. Since then, they have one sectional title (2024) in two trips to the finals (their second was last year.) And they should be loaded again, despite the loss of senior runningback Logan Stevens, who ran for 1,100 yards even last year and 14 touchdowns. But junior Patrick Carlisle (324 yards, 4 TDs) will be back to take the handoffs from returning QB Nolan Walks, who threw for 1,096 yards as a junior last season, while his favorite target, Sean Arcelay (25 catches, 470 yards, 5 TDs) also returns. Defense should be solid, too. Thomas Diemar – the school’s all-time sack leader with 22 – only played three games before a torn ACL ended his scholastic career, but others stepped up. Tyce Hanratty had two sacks and five TFLs as a junior, plus two picks, while junior Jordan Riley and sophomore Victor Nina combined for four sacks and 14 tackles for loss. No shortage of talent here, and few teams can match Bernards’ physicality.

June 10, 2026June 9, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

New No. 1 highlights final 2026 Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten as Ridge takes top spot

It’s not where you start, but where you finish.

But, to be honest, the Ridge baseball team didn’t have very far to go.

The Red Devils – the only Central Jersey Sports Radio-area team to win an NJSIAA sectional title this season – finish the year at No. 1 in the final Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball rankings, and are the Central Jersey Sports Radio Team of the Year.

The Skyland Conference Delaware Division was a beast this year. Immaculata won the division, second-place Watchung Hills won the Somerset County Tournament, and Ridge beat the Warriors to win the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 title last Friday. The Red Devils’ season came to an end, however, in dramatic fashion Monday afternoon, in an 8-7 loss to Ridgewood on a walk-off, leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the eighth. They finish the year at 19-11.

Watchung Hills (18-9) – which lost two of three to Ridge this season – finishes second. In the past week, they beat second-seed Bayonne by run-rule, 10-0 in five innings, in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals before falling to Ridge Friday in the title game.

Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament champion Monroe (15-14) comes in third. The Falcons were the tournament’s nine-seed, but beat five-seed Old Bridge to win the title two Saturdays ago in their season finale, after getting knocked out of the state tournament the day before the GMC final.

In fourth is Immaculata (22-6), which was knocked out of the state tournament in the Non-Public South A semifinals by CBA, 1-0 in eight innings. The Spartans won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division at 9-1, their lone regular season division loss coming to Watchung Hills, and they lost to the Warriors in the SCT title game as well.

At five is GMC Tournament finalist Old Bridge (21-10), which won last Wednesday in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, 10-0 over Hightstown in five innings, but then lost in the title game, 14-1, at home to Hunterdon Central on Friday.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 finalist South Plainfield (17-12) finishes sixth. They got the the title game with a 4-2 semifinal win at top-seed Chatham last Wednesday, but fell Friday to Cranford in the final, 10-5.

GMC White Division champion Middlesex (22-6) comes in at seven. The Blue Jays fell in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals last Wednesday to Shore, 2-0 at home, preventing them from having a chance to repeat as CJ1 and state Group 1 champions.

At eight is Edison (19-8). The Eagles – beset by pitching injuries later in the season – got knocked out of the stats in the first round, and the GMC Tournament in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Monroe, but won the GMC’s top division, the GMC Red, with an 11-3 mark, finishing two full games ahead of second-place Old Bridge

Checking in ninth is St. Thomas Aquinas (14-15) – ranked for the first time this season. STA reached the finals in Non-Public North B for the second time in three years with a 7-3 road win at second-seed Rutgers Prep in the semifinals. But the third-seeded Trojans lost at top-seed St. Mary-Rutherford in the title game last Friday, 11-7.

And in tenth, it’s Rutgers Prep (17-8). The Argonauts were Skyland Conference Raritan Division Co-Champions with North Hunterdon – who they split with in the regular season – finishing 8-2 in divisional play, and were knocked out of the states in the Non-Public North B semis last Wednesday by St. Thomas Aquinas, with a 7-3 loss.

Below is the complete and final Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for the 2026 season:

June 5, 2026June 5, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

South Plainfield, Old Bridge fall in sectional title games Friday, ending GMC’s run in state playoffs

Losses by South Plainfield and Old Bridge in sectional titles games – coupled with St. Thomas Aquinas’ loss to St. Mary-Rutherford in the Non-Public North B final – have officially ended the run for the Greater Middlesex Conference in the NJSIAA state baseball tournament.

All that remains is Ridge out of Somerset County and the Skyland Conference, with the Red Devils coming from behind to beat Watchung Hills in the North 2, Group 4 title game, to win their tenth sectional championship as a program. they’ll visit North 1, Group 4 winner Ridgewood Monday in the state Group 4 semifinals, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

North 2, Group 3 Final – (3) Cranford 10, (4) South Plainfield 5: Two days after going on the road and knocking off top-seed Chatham in the North 2, Group 3 semifinals, the Tigers’ season came to an end with a 10-5 loss at Cranford.

South Plainfield (17-12) got on the board in the top of the first, taking a 1-0 lead on a groundout by starting pitcher Andrew Bena, driving in Dom Masaro, who had doubled to lead off the game.

But Cranford got the lead back in the bottom of the inning. After the first two batters were hit by a pitch, and Michael Tripodi singled to load the bases, a sac fly from Adam Kielczynski scored one. A walk reloaded the bases, and a single by David Rosa made it 2-1, then a Evan Ketschke walked to bring in another, making it 3-1.

The Cougars added one in the third, on a sac fly by Brayden Fry with the bases loaded to make it 4-1, and that would be all for Bena. But South Plainfield tacked one in the top of the fourth on a double by Joe Stanzione to keep it a two-run game, 4-2. But Cranford again got the first two hitters in the home half of the inning on base the painful way, then got a walk to load the bases. Following a strikeout, Ketschke picked up his second RBI of the day on a double to right to make it 5-2.

But the Tigers still wouldn’t go away. In the top of the fifth, Aiden McCarthy singled to lead off the inning, and Bena doubled to cut it to 5-3. After stealing third, Bena scored on a passed ball with Chris Loniewksi at the plate to make it 5-4. A sac bunt got him to second, but two groundouts ended the inning.

Cranford answered in the second, getting a two-run homer from Patrick Bendert – his sixth of the year – after a leadoff single by Fry, making it 7-4.

And yet, the Tigers still weren’t done, cutting it to 7-5 on a two-out double by Aiden McCarthy, but as Massaro scored, he tried to get to third and was thrown out to end the inning. But Cranford put the game out of reach in the bottom of the sixth, when – after two singles to lead the inning, and a fielder’s choice – Fry hit his tenth homer of the season, clearing the fence in left field to make it 10-5, with South Plainfield going out 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh.

Bena took the loss to drop to 4-3, while Patrick Berry got the win in relief to improve to 3-0. Cranford, now 22-9, will visit Old Tappan on Monday. The top-seed in North 1, Group 3, they beat second-seed Ramapo at home Friday, 9-4, to win the sectional title.

Central Jersey Group 4 Final – (3) Hunterdon Central 14, (1) Old Bridge 1: Despite pumping out ten hits, Old Bridge simply couldn’t cash in against the Red Devils, dropping their second straight Central Jersey Group 4 title game, following a loss to Hillsborough a year ago.

Central got four in the top of the first off starter Blake Dunleavy, who came out after two innings of work, giving up seven runs – six earned – on eight hits. After a single sandwiched between the first two outs, Trevor Wallace doubled for the first run, and Chase Reinhard followed with an inside-the-park home run down the left field line to make it 3-0. And after a JP Santos single, he went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground ball to third by Matty Dalfonzo that resulted in an error.

Old Bridge got one back in the bottom of the inning. After two fly outs, Jared Volpe singled, and scored on a single by Erich Schikschneit, but he was thrown out trying to advance to second on the play.

Then Hunterdon Central buried Old Bridge in the third, with a six-run inning. After a single, hit batter and another single loaded the bases, Brady Meyer came on in relief, but he walked Dalfonzo walked to drive in one, then Trey Garutti walked to make it 6-1. A dingle by Ryan Ganguzza drove in two to make it 8-1, a single by Contiliano scored another run, and a Nik Holot sac fly made it 10-1 before Old Bridge could get out of the inning.

Hunterdon Central added another four runs in the top of the seventh, further putting the game out of reach. The Red Devils (18-13) now move on to the Group 4 state semifinals on Monday, where they will play at South Jersey Group 4 champion Kingsway, with the top seeded Dragons taking the title with a 12-2 win over third-seed Eastern.

June 5, 2026June 5, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

South Plainfield seeks back-to-back titles when Tigers visit Cranford in North 2, Group 3 title game

When the South Plainfield Tigers take the field in Cranford today for the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 sectional final, they’ll try and become the first GMC school to win back to back titles since Middlesex (four straight from 2017-2019, and 2021), and the first ever from the CJSR-area to successfully defend a Group 3 sectional title.

But if you asked head coach Scott Gleichenhaus before the season whether this team would be back playing for a title, considering all his team lost, he might not have been so sure.

Hopeful, yes? But in the state tournament – or anywhere else for that matter – there’s no guarantee. There are so many examples this year alone – Edison, Immaculata, Middlesex – of some really good teams whose seasons are done right now, while the Tigers are still playing.

Despite losing players like Nick Irizarry, Dan Kapsch, and Steve Studlack, and pitchers like Mike Castagna and Kevin Penny – who got the win in last year’s sectional final at Colonia – South Plainfield (17-11) has persevered.

This afternoon at 3 pm, the fourth-seeded Tigers play third-seed Cranford (20-9) in the North 2, Group 3 final. And like South Plainfield – which got here with a late rally in a 4-2 win at top-seed Chatham in Wednesday’s semifinals – the Cougars also got here via an upset, a 9-3 win at second-seed North Hunterdon.

Cranford is in its second season under Ryan Matlosz, after the departure of veteran mentor Dennis McCaffery, who later resurfaced at St. Joseph-Metuchen, and brought the Falcons to a GMC Tournament championship last season in his inaugural campaign there.

They were knocked out of the Union County Tournament in the quarterfinals by eventual champion A.L. Johnson, but have outscored their opponents 40-12 in three state tournament games so far.

Offensively, they are led by junior shortstop Brayden Fry, hitting .439 on the season with a team-best 21 RBI, but otherwise are hitting .266 as a team. The Cougars likely will go with either one of two juniors: Tyler Muccigrosso (5.76 ERA) or Christian Pereira (3.28 ERA), or some combination of the two.

Basketball big man Andrew Bena is expected to get the nod for the Tigers. He’s 4-2 with a 3.84 ERA, and he’s been a bright spot for both teams this year, a nice starter on the mount to complement Aiden “The Bull” McCarthy, who got the win in the semifinals.

Offensively, speedy centerfielder Dom Massaro is one of the top hitters in the state, at .525 with 26 runs batted in, while Aiden McCarthy (.349) has knocked in 27 to lead the team. Bena is hitting .301 and has driven in 26 for a team that is as aggressive on the base paths as anyone.

South Plainfield is seeking its fourth title overall. In addition to last year’s championship, the Tigers won Central Jersey Group 3 in 1975, and North 2, Group 3 in 2015 under Anthony Guida, finishing 24-8 and winning the state Group 3 title. That year, they beat Cranford in the sectional final, 4-2, then beat North 1 champ Mount Olive in the state semis, 3-1, before taking down Northern Burlington, 8-4, to win the Group 3 championship at Toms River North HS.

Click here to listen to Scott Gleichenhaus’ postgame interview from Wednesday’s semifinal win at Chatham with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

June 3, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

State Playoff Roundup: South Plainfield, Watchung Hills, Old Bridge will join Ridge and St. Thomas Aquinas playing for NJSIAA sectional titles Friday after semifinal wins

There will be three sectional championship games played in the NJSIAA baseball state tournament Friday featuring teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area, plus one non-public final, as Ridge, Watchung Hills, Old Bridge and South Plainfield all gained berths in title games, while Middlesex and Piscataway Magnet saw their seasons come to an end in the sectional semifinals Wednesday.

Then, add into the mix St. Thomas Aquinas, which beat Rutgers Prep Tuesday to advance to the Non-Public North B title game for the second time in three years, but had to have their game at St. Mary-Rutherford moved to Friday to accommodate the Trojans’ graduation ceremony, set for Thursday.

Old Bridge will host Hunterdon Central in the Central Jersey Group 4 final, while Ridge and Watchung Hills will meet for a fourth time this year when they play in the North 2, Group 4 title game. And South Plainfield will visit Cranford in the North 2, Group 3 final, their third straight trip to a sectional championship game.

Here’s a rundown of Wednesday’s action, with links to separate stories, audio and the remaining state tournament schedule.

Central Jersey Group 4: (1) Old Bridge 10, (4) Hightstown 0 (5 inn.): The Knights are back in the CJ4 title game for the third time in four years after a run-rule win over the Rams, who had beaten Monroe in the quarterfinals, a Falcon team that beat Old Bridge back on Saturday in the rain-postponed GMC Tournament final.

After a scoreless first two innings, the Knights (21-9) scored twice in the third, getting an RBI single from Matt Chin, and a double-play groundout by Erich Schikschneit that scored another. And in the third they added two more on a Matt Levitt triple and an Adrian Lutomski sacrifice fly to right.

And in the bottom of the fifth, they got six more to walk it off, all coming with two outs after a leadoff single by Chris Crosta.

Blake Dunleavy got the win, allowing just two hits, striking out one, but perhaps most importantly, doing it in an economical 46 pitches, meaning he can come back Friday, if needed. That’s when the Knights will face third-seed Hunterdon Central (17-3) at Fred Cole Field in the Central Jersey Group 4 final. Old Bridge beat North Brunswick to win the title in 2023, en route to the state Group 4 final. They lost last year in the CJ4 title game to Hillsborough.

Click here to listen to Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue talk about the win with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 – (1) Ridge 10, (5) Bridgewater-Raritan 6: The Red Devils broke a 3-3 tie with six runs in the fifth to take a 9-3 lead, added a run in the sixth, but had to survive a late ralyl from Bridgewater-Raritan, where the Panthers scored three times in top of the seventh before reliever Jake Dolan could close the door.

(3) Watchung Hills 10, (2) Bayonne 0: The Warriors (18-8) stunned the second-seed on the road Wednesday afternoon, taking scoring a run each in the first two innings, then exploding for an eight-run third from which the Bees (21-9) could never recover. Max Payne drove in three runs on a 1-for-3 day, while Jacob Jaconski was 2-for-3 with two runs batted in.

Rob Centamore was brilliant on the mound for Watchung Hills. He struck out ten, walked one, hit one batter, and allowed just two hits, and the offensive explosion kept the Hustlin’ Warriors from needing their bullpen, freeing up everyone else on the staff to be available for Friday afternoon’s North 2, Group 4 title game at top-seed Ridge.

Click here to listen to Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco talk about the win with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 – (4) South Plainfield 4, (1) Chatham 2: Andrew Bena delivered the big hit for the Tigers (17-11) to upset the top-seed, while Aiden McCarthy once again proved why he’s the ace of the South Plainfield staff.

The Tigers took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. After Dom Massaro reached on a dropped line drive hit to left field, McCarthy singled, Bena got plunked, and Chirs Loniewksi doubled, driving in two. Chatham cut the lead in half with a single to right field, then tied it in the top of the sixth on a double Ryan Bailey.

That’s when Bena came through. Massaro worked out a five-pitch, one0out walk. McCarthy beat out an infield hit. Then Bena doubled to left to score them both, giving the Tigers a 4-2 lead. That was all they’d get, as the next two hitters struck out, but with McCarthy on the mound, that was all they would need. He tossed a one-two-three seventh – a pop-out, strikeout, and another pop-out – to end the game, picking up his fifth win of the season, and sending South Plainfield to its third straight sectional title game.

The Tigers – who lost to Randolph in the final two years ago, but won at Colonia last year to take the title – will visit third-seed Cranford (20-9) in the North 2, Group 3 championship game. The Cougars were 9-3 winners at two-seed North Hunterdon Wednesday.

Click here to listen to South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus talk about the win with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

Central Jersey Group 1: (5) Shore 2, (1) Middlesex 0: The defending state Group 1 champion Blue Jays’ season ends at 22-6 with the shutout loss at home, marking the first time in a decade Middlesex will not meet Point Pleasant Beach in the playoffs. Whether in the finals or the earlier rounds, it’s been a regular occurrence in this section.

Liam Hennelly and Ryan Barham each knocked in runs in a two-run fifth as senior Chris Kozak took the loss in his final game as a Blue Jay.

(3) Point Pleasant Beach 14, (2) Piscataway Magnet 2: The toast of the GMC – with its best record in program history – saw its season come to a close at 25-4, with a loss to last year’s sectional runner-up, the Garnet Gulls, who will play fifth-seed Shore Regional in an all-Shore Conference CJ1 title game Friday afternoon. Point Beach took a 3-0 lead into the third – after scoring two in the first and one in the second – then exploded for an eight spot in the third and got three more in the fourth before the Raiders could get on the board.

Trey Lyerly and Vincent Canavan each drove in runs, with Canavan going 2-for-3 with a triple. Jack Garrison took the loss, allowing five earned runs in two innings, though just two were earned.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, JUNE 5:

Non-Public North B Final: (3) St. Thomas Aquinas (14-4) at (1) St. Mary-Rutherford (16-11-1), 4 pm (LISTEN LIVE on CJSR)
Central Jersey Group 4 Final: (3) Hunterdon Central (17-13) at (1) Old Bridge (21-9), 6 pm
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Final: (3) Watchung Hills (18-8) at (1) Ridge (18-10), 4 pm (LISTEN LIVE on CJSR) (NOTE: This is a unique link, not the usual Listen Live link!)
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Final: (4) South Plainfield (17-11) at (3) Cranford (20-9), 3 pm

MONDAY, JUNE 8 – State Semifinals (hosted by the team with more power points)

Group 4 – Central vs. South: Should Old Bridge win the Central Jersey Group 4 title, they would face the winner of the South Jersey Group 4 between top-seed Kingsway (22-5) and second-seed Eastern (21-8). If the Knights play Kingsway, it would be on the road, but if Eastern wins, Old Bridge would host. The Knights beat Eastern in the Group 4 semifinals at Fred Cole Field in 2023, en route to the state Group 4 final.
Group 4 – North 1 vs. North 2: The winner of the Watchung Hills/Ridge North 2, Group 4 final would play the winner of the North 1, Group 4 final, featuring top-seed Passaic Tech (28-2) and third-seed Ridgewood (22-7). Both have higher power point values than the North 2 teams, so either Watchung Hills or Ridge would be on the road in that semifinal.
Group 3 – North 1 vs. North 2: Should South Plainfield win the North 2, Group 3 title, the Tigers would face the winner of the North 1, Group 3 title matchup, featuring top-seed Old Tappan (23-4) and second-seed Ramapo (21-7-1). But both have higher power point values, so South Plainfield would be on the road, either way.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10 – Non-Public State Finals at Rutgers:

Non-Public A Final: 4 pm
Non-Public B Final: 7 pm

SATURDAY, JUNE 14 – Public State Finals at Rutgers:

Group 3 Final: 10 am
Group 4 Final: 1 pm
Group 1 Final: 4 pm
Group 2 Final: 7 pm

June 3, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Where will NJSIAA state semifinals be this year? Under new wrinkle, it depends on who’s playing

One of the tweaks the NJSIAA made to the high school baseball playoffs this year was a change as to who hosts the state semifinals.

This years state tournament regulations differ from years past, where the sections would alternate. One year it would be South Jersey and North Jersey, Section 2 champions hosting, the next it would be Central and North Jersey, Section 1.

This year, hosts will be the team with the higher power point values.

Keep in mind, that doesn’t necessarily mean the higher seed. The top three seeds in one section might have higher power point values than the top seed in another. And, of course, you could get two No. 1 seeds – so how would that be decided?

In this case, it’s strictly the team with the most power points, so even though everyone is two wins away from the state semis, let’s take a look at the four state semifinals that could see the seven public schools still alive from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.

Central Jersey Group 4: Old Bridge is the top seed, and will play fourth-seed Hightstown Wednesday at 5 pm in the semifinals. The winner gets either third-seed Hunterdon Central or seven-seed Jackson Twp. in the final.

If Old Bridge wins the title, they would host anyone from the South Jersey Group 4 bracket except the top-seed Kingsway, which has more power points than the Knights. If Eastern, Rancocas Valley or Cherry Hill East win it, Old Bridge will host the state semifinals at Fred Cole Field.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: Three of the four teams in Wednesday’s semifinal from the CJSR area, and all from the Skyland Conference Delaware Division. Top-seed Ridge plays five-seed Bridgewater-Raritan at 4 pm (listen live on CJSR), while third-seed Watchung Hills visits second-seed Bayonne, with a 4:30 first pitch.

And though three of our teams could win the North 2, Group 4 title, all would be on the road in the state semifinals. That’s because all four teams in the semis in North 1, Group 4 – top four seeds Passaic Tech, Mount Olive, Ridgewood, and West Orange – have higher power point values than the four remaining in North 2. That is a tough section, indeed. Passaic Tech went to the Passaic County Tournament title game, and lost 11-1 to DePaul. And Mount Olive shocked state No. 1 Delbarton, 8-7, to win the Morris County Tournament title, its first in 35 years.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: Fourth-seed South Plainfield is on the road today, with a tough task at top-seed Chatham at 4 pm. The winner faces either second-seed North Hunterdon or third-seed Cranford.

But with defending champion South Plainfield having the lowest power point total of the eight teams remaining in North 1 and North 2, the Tigers – should they win the section again – will be on the road, no matter who they face.

Central Jersey Group 1: The two CJSR-area teams are on opposite ends of the bracket, so it’ll be top-seed Middlesex hosting five-seed Shore Regional at 4 pm, and second-seed Piscataway Magnet facing third-seed Point Pleasant Beach at the same time.

The defending champion Blue Jays and Piscataway Magnet are the No. 1 and No. 2 teams among the eight remaining between Central 1 and South 1, so if either of them win the sectional title, they will host a state semifinal next Monday.

UPCOMING PUBLIC SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Wednesday, June 3: Sectional Semifinals (at higher seeds)
Friday, June 5: Sectional Finals (at higher seeds)
Monday, June 8: State Semifinals (at higher power point values)
Sunday, June 14: State Finals (at Rutgers – Group 3 at 10 am, Group 4 and 1 pm, Group 1 and 4 pm, Group 2 at 7 pm)

June 1, 2026May 31, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

State tourney, GMC final results yield yet another shuffling of Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten

It was a second week in a row of a fairly good amount of upheaval in the Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten.

Why?

Monroe’s upset of Old Bridge in the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament championship game – coupled with the first two rounds of the NJSIAA state tournament – resulted in some changes, including one team making its first appearance in the rankings this season.

Despite all the movement, Watchung Hills (17-8) remained No. 1 this week, one of just two teams in the same position they were last week. The Hustlin’ Warriors dropped their last regular season game on Tuesday, a 12-5 decision at Millburn, but won two games in the state tournament. In the North 2, Group 4 first round, they beat 14-seed Elizabeth 10-0 in a five-inning mercy-rule walkoff, then got by six-seed Westfield in the quarterfinals, 8-6. They’ll be in the sectional semis at second-seed Bayonne this Wednesday.

Continuing its meteoric rise is Monroe (15-14), now the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament champion after knocking off third-seed Old Bridge, 7-0 in the final, as the nine-seed. However, their season is over, as they got knocked out of the state tournament in Central Jersey Group 4 on Friday, 10-2 down at fourth-seed Hightstown. That came after beating 12-seed Montgomery, 1-0, on a walkoff single by Alex Marcus.

Holding at No. 3 is Immaculata (22-5). The Spartans beat Rutgers Prep at home, 7-0 on Tuesday, in preparation for the state tournament. After a first-round by in Non-Public South A, the top-seeded Spartans beat eighth-seed Paul VI, 7-0, in the quarterfinals on Thursday. They’ll get back to it on Tuesday, when they host 5th-seed CBA. Central Jersey Sports Radio will have Sean Newcomb covering that game, and you can follow him in Twitter by clicking here.

Dropping two spots to fourth is Old Bridge (20-9), after falling to Monroe in the GMC title game on Saturday, 7-0. But the Knights’ season is not done. After opening up the Central Jersey Group 4 playoffs with a 1-0 win over 16-seed East Brunswick on Wednesday, and following it up with an 8-0 win over eight-seed Freehold Township in Friday’s quarterfinals, the Knights – who had an 11-game win streak snapped Saturday – will look to rebound and move on in the state tournament when they host four-seed Hightstown in the semifinals.

A number of teams edged down a spot or two, mainly due to Monroe’s rise. That includes Ridge (17-10), which dropped one spot to five. On Tuesday, they won a regular season game at Hillsborough, 8-1, then got into the state tournament. They beat 16-seed Barringer (Newark) 13-3 in a mercy-rule five-inning walk-off on Wednesday in the North 2, Group 4 opening round, then walked off eight-seed Phillipsburg in six, by a 10-0 score on Friday. Wednesday, they will face five-seed Bridgewater-Raritan in the semifinals, a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio starting at 4 pm, with Mike Pavlichko on the call. Click here to listen.

South Plainfield (16-11) climbs to six this week, one of only two teams (the other, Immaculata) to have a perfect week. The Tigers went 3-0, starting with a 7-1 regular season playoff tune-up victory over Middlesex on Tuesday. The next day, they opened the state playoffs with a 5-0 win over 13-seed JFK in the North 2, Group 3 first round. Friday, they were 7-0 winners over fifth-seed North Plainfield, and now move on to Wednesday’s semifinals, where they’ll go on the road for the first time this year in the states, facing top-seed Chatham.

Middlesex (22-5) drops a notch to seven this week. After the 7-1 loss to South Plainfield on Tuesday, they opened Central Jersey Group 1 play in the state tournament with a 21-1 win in five innings over 16-seed Highland Park, then an 11-1 win on a walk-off in six against eight-seed South Hunterdon. Next up, the Blue Jays play host to five-seed Shore in the CJ1 semifinals on Wednesday.

In the eighth spot is Rutgers Prep (17-7), same as last week. The Argonauts dropped a 70- regular season state tourney tune-up to Immaculata in Flemington on Tuesday, but came back nicely with a 16-0, five-inning win over ten-seed Pope John of Sparta in the Non-Public North B quarterfinals, after getting an opening round bye. Tuesday, they will host third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas at 4 pm in a Skyland-GMC crossover you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Alec Crouthamel calling the action. Click here to listen.

Down two spots to nine is Edison (19-8), which literally limped to the finish line with its top three starters – D1 commits Connor Murphy, Dom Innocenti and Rob Roma – all injured or nagged by arm issues in some way shape or form by the end of the year. None of the three were available for Wednesday’s opening round playoff loss to 15-seed Franklin, 5-4, in the Central Jersey Group 4 section.

And new to the rankings this week is Bridgewater-Raritan. The Panthers – despite a last place finish in the grueling Skyland Conference Delaware Division – proved their metttle not just by reaching the Somerset County Tournament semifinals as a five-seed a couple of weeks ago, but also by reaching the North 2, Group 4 semifinals as a five-seed this week. Bridgewater beat 12-seed Plainfield 11-0 in five innings in the opening round Wednesday, then went on the road in the quarters on Friday and knocked off four-seed JP Stevens, 10-0 in six. Next, they travel to top-seed Ridge for what should be a good rubber match in the sectional semifinals: each team beat the other 4-3 this year in their regular season matchups.

Dropping out was previous No. 10 Colonia. The ninth-seeded Patriots (14-10) lost their opening round North 2, Group 3 playoff game to nine-seed Middletown North, 5-1, on Wednesday, just two weeks after being eliminated from the GMC Tournament in their opening game.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten for Week Nine. NOTE: This will be the final ranking until the season is complete for all CJSR-area clubs.

May 29, 2026May 29, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Friday NJSIAA Public State Playoff Roundup: Top-seed Old Bridge advances, but fellow GMC finalist Monroe is knocked out; Watchung Hills, No. 1 seeds Ridge, Middlesex move on; South Plainfield ousts North; Piscataway Magnet walks off again

We started with 32, and after two rounds, we’re down to seven. (At least among the publics.)

Seven teams are all that remain from the Greater Middlesex and Skyland Conferences after the first round and quarterfinals of the NJSIAA state tournament, and all will have an opportunity to reach the section finals in their respective sections next Friday, if they can win semifinal games next week.

Only one team remains in Central Jersey Group 4, where top-seed old Bridge advanced, but fifth-seed Monroe lost, on the eve of their meeting in the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament championship game Saturday at Ray Cipperly Field in East Brunswick. First pitch of that game is at noon with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe calling the action. Pregame is set for 11:40, and you can either listen to the game on Central Jersey Sports Radio the usual way, or watch our live YouTube stream by clicking here.

In other sections, second-seed Piscataway Magnet earned its 25th win – for the second straight state tournament game in walk-off fashion – leading the Raiders into one semifinal, while top-seed Middlesex won again by the mercy rule and also will play for a title game berth.

Top-seed Ridge, third-seed Watchung Hills and fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan advanced in North 2, Group 4 action, making it three of four teams in the semifinals from the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, while defending North 2, Group 3 champion South Plainfield also moved on to the semis in its section, and will seek a third straight trip to the finals.

Scroll through for section-by-section game recaps, interviews, links and more, followed by the schedule for the next round – which resumes next week after a weekend break – for the non-public sections (Tuesday) and publics (Wednesday).

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4

(1) Old Bridge 8, (8) Freehold Twp. 0: The Knights (20-8) got a complete game, one-hit shutout from Mason Mule, who only needed 66 pitches to get through seven innings, facing the minimum 27 batters, despite only striking out three. In fact, the only hit he allowed was a third-inning single by Julian Polo, who was thrown out at second by right fielder Michael Chiarella when he tried to turn it into a double.

Old Bridge got two RBI’s apiece from Nicholas Agonstino and Matt Chin, while Jared Volpe scored twice. They went up 1-0 in the second on an Adrian Lutomski double, then got two more in the fourth when Chiarella, with the bases loaded, lined a ball to short, but an error allowed two runs to score. And while that was all they’d need, the Knights added four more for insurance in the fourth, and one more for good measure in the fifth.

Perhaps the biggest thing about Mule’s performance is that head coach Matt Donaghue elected not to go with his top pitcher, Brady Meyer, and it paid off. That leaves Meyer in line to start the GMC Final Saturday afternoon against Monroe. (See the Falcons’ game summary from today for their pitching situation.) And he could come back Wednesday in the semifinals if he throws under 90 pitches Saturday, or in a potential final Friday regardless of his Saturday pitch count.

Click here to listen to Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue talk about the win over Freehold Twp., and Saturday’s GMC Final against Monroe, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

(4) Hightstown 10, (5) Monroe 2: The Falcons (14-14) were down 2-0 early in this one, as the Rams (18-7) scored twice in their first at bat, on a bases loaded single to center by Dylan Stables and a bases loaded ground out by Manny Gonzalez. And Monroe kept Highstown in check until the fourth, when they exploded for eight runs to take a 10-0 lead. That chased starter Aadi Shah from the game after 3 2/3, allowing seven hits and seven runs, only four of them earned.

With neither Ben Faigin nor Andre Love pitching in the game, both are available to Saturday in the GMC final against Old Bridge, with nearly their full complement of pitches: Faigin will be capped at 105 and Love at 96.

Click here to listen to Monroe head coach Sean Field talk about Friday’s state tournament loss, and coming back Saturday for the GMC final against Old Bridge, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

(7) Jackson Twp. 12, (15) Franklin 0 (5 inn.): The Warriors (8-12) got nine hits through five innings, but failed to get anything across in a mercy-rule shortened game. The Jaguars (12-15) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but piled on eight runs in the second – aided by three Franklin errors – and added three more in the fourth. Dylan Shah, Mason Bonds, Shayne Rooney and Christian Jacas each had two hits in the losing effort.

(1) Old Bridge def. (8) Freehold Twp., 8-0
(4) Hightstown def. (5) Monroe, 10-2
(3) Hunterdon Central def. (6) Manalapan, 12-7
(7) Jackson Twp. def. (15) Franklin, 12-1

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1

(1) Middlesex 11, (8) South Hunterdon 1 (6 inn.): The Blue Jays (22 -5) look very much like the team that won the Group 1 state championship last year, and might even be better. Once again, it was Dominic Long on the mound, striking out six and allowing just five hits and one earned run in six innings of work.

Middlesex never trailed in the game, but they did find themselves tied 1-1 heading into the home second inning. But they took the lead back with one in the second, the first of ten unanswered runs over the final five innings. After taking a 2-1 edge into the third, they scored two in the third, then got three more in the fifth and walked it off with a five-spot in the bottom of the sixth.

Dylan Ianiero and Chris Kozak each drove in two runs, while Long scored three times, and Ianiero and Marcus Lavornia each scored twice.

The Blue Jays will host 5-seed Shore (19-8) next Wednesday in the semifinals, but the Blue Devils first have the Monmouth County Tournament Ted Jarmusz Division title game at 4 pm Monday at Colts Neck.

(2) Piscataway Magnet 5, (10) Delaware Valley 4 (9 inn.): For the second straight game in the state tournament, the Raiders won 5-4 in their final at bat, this time needing two extra innings to prevail. Freshman shortstop Trey Lyerly drove in Vincent Canavan with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, after Canavan walked to leadoff the inning and stole second to get into scoring position. You can read the full game story, complete with postgame audio from Lyerly and head coach Greg Sampson at the link.

The Raiders (25-3) will face third-seed Point Pleasant Beach (16-6) – a CJ1 finalist last year and the winners of three straight sectional titles before that – Wednesday in the semifinals, back at home.

(5) Shore 4, (4) Metuchen 0: The Bulldogs’ season ends at 19-8, as the Blue Devils managed five hits and four runs (three earned) off starter James Fenton in his six innings of work, getting two runs in the second and adding two more in the fifth for insurance. Metuchen managed just four hits off Blue Devils’ (19-8) starter Ryan Barham, who struck out seven and walked just one.

(1) Middlesex def. (8) South Hunterdon, 11-1 (6 inn.)
(5) Shore def. (4) Metuchen, 4-0
(3) Point Pleasant Beach def. (11) Florence, 11-1 (5 inn.)
(2) Piscataway Magnet def. (10) Delaware Valley, 5-4 (9 inn.)

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4

(1) Ridge 10, (8) Phillipsburg 0 (6 inn.): The Red Devils (17-0) jumped on Phillipsburg (14-10) with four runs in the bottom of the first, then walked it off with three in the bottom of the sixth to end the game by mercy rule.

Lucas Grob and Jake Dolan stroked back-to-back one-out singles in the first, and another by Casey Kucerka got Ridge all the runs they turned out to need. After a walk to Casey Kucerka, Dimitri Romer singled score two, and Aiden Kerrigan hit a sac fly to right to make it 4-0.

Kucerka drove in three runs for Ridge, while Grob and Dolan each had two RBIs. Romer went all six innings for the win, striking out five, scattering just three hits to improve to 5-2 on the season.

The Red Devils will meet Skyland Delaware foe and five-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (13-16) in the semifinals – a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – next Wednesday at 4 pm. The teams split their two game set this year, both winning by 4-3 scores.

Click here to hear Ridge head coach Tom Blackwell talk about the Red Devils’ state playoff win over Phillipsburg with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

(5) Bridgewater-Raritan 10, (4) JP Stevens 0 (5 inn.): The Panthers (13-6) have now won four of their last six after a mercy-rule win over the Hawks, their second by the run rule in two state tournament games. Nico Moore got the win, allowing just four hits in his five innings of work. Read Alec Crouthamel’s game story, and hear postgame reaction from Nico Moore, Michael Lobosco and head coach Max Newill at the link.

The Panthers will visit top-seed Ridge Wendesday at 4 pm in the semifinals, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Ridge and Bridgewater split their two game set this year, each winning by a 4-3 score.

(3) Watchung Hills 8, (6) Westfield 6: The Hustlin’ Warriors hung on for dear life in this one, nearly seeing an 8-1 lead after five innings slip away.

Westfield led 1-0, opening the scoring in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Andrew Lisnok, but Watchung Hills took the lead in the bottom of the inning. After a walk and hit batsman to lead off the inning, pinch-hitter David Begarney singled to tie the game. Brody Girffith stole home for the second run, and Jacob Jaconski makde it 4-0 with a line drive single to left.

Then, it was a five-spot in the fifth. Max Payne led off, reaching on an error on the shortstop, Landon Pudlak Walked, and Griffith reached on a bunt down the third-base line. After BRady Simo popped out – with the infield fly in effect – Bennett Dealaman reached on a fielder’s choice to make it 5-0 Warriors. A walk to pinch-hitter Lucas Ricci loaded the bases again, and a Jaconski walk scored the sixth run.After another fielder’s choice, this one by Stef DeGeronimo, Rob Centamore singled to drive in two, giving Watchung Hills what looked like a commanding lead.

But, Westfield would chip away. They got a two in the top of the sixth on and RBI single by Jack Doherty and a two-RBI double by Liam Sullivan to make it 8-4. And they came back for more in the seventh. After a leadoff error, a groundout, another error and a walk, Max Payne came in for Hills and walked Doherty to make ti 8-3, then gave up a single to Alex Lawrence to score two and make it 8-5. All that came with one out, but Payne then induced a pop up for the second out, and fanned Owen O’Connor on strike three swinging to end the game.

The Warriors will travel up to second-seed Bayonne (21-8) to play the Bees in the semifinals next Wednesday afternoon.

(2) Bayonne 3, (10) Woodbridge 1: The Barrons’ season ends at 16-11, dropping a pitchers’ duel in Hudson County Friday afternoon in which Woodbridge actually outhit their hosts, 5-3. The Bees opened the scoring in the first on a groundout by Cody Guthrie, and Woodbridge tied it in the fifth with a double by Hogan Boyd. But Bayone got two to go ahead for good in the bottom of the inning, one on an error on a grounder to Gavin Slicner off the bat of Brayden O’Connor, and another on a sac fly to center by Carmelo Isler.

(1) Ridge def. (8) Phillipsburg, 10-0
(5) Bridgewater-Raritan def. (4) JP Stevens, 10-0 (6 inn.)
(3) Watchung Hills def. (6) Westfield, 8-6
(2) Bayonne def. (10) Woodbridge, 3-1

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3

(4) South Plainfield 7, (5) North Plainfield 0: Andrew Bena – the second half of a formidable 1-2 starting pitcher punch for the Tigers (16-11) was outstanding, allowing just four hits while striking out ten in a six-inning effort. Jayden Jiminez closed it out.

South Plainfield got on the board with four runs in the bottom of the second. Andrew Cicenia and Ed Bundzinski opened with back-to-back singles, and after a strikeout, Andrew Burns walked, and Joe Stanzione cleared the bases with a double to make it 3-0. Stanzione scored after a second strikeout when Aiden McCarthy hit the ball to second and reached on an error.

The defending North 2, Group 3 champion Tigers – who added another run in the fourth and two more int he sixth for insurance – move on to play at top-seed Chatham (20-6) Wednesday in the sectional semifinals.

Click here to listen to South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus talk about the Tigers’ quarterfinal win over North Plainfield with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

(1) Chatham def. (9) Middletown North, 3-0
(4) South Plainfield def. (5) North Plainfield, 7-0
(3) Cranford def. (11) Summit, 17-7 (5)
(2) North Hunterdon def. (7) Millburn, 6-0

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, June 3 (all games 4 pm unless otherwise noted)

Non-Public North B Semifinals

(5) Morristown Beard at (1) St. Mary-Rutherford
(3) St. Thomas Aquinas at (2) Rutgers Prep, 4:30 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

Non-Public South A Semifinals

(5) Christian Brothers Academy at (1) Immaculata (at Diamond Nation, Flemington) (Follow Sean Newcomb on Twitter for updates)
(3) Red Bank Catholic at (2) St. Augustine

Wednesday, June 4 (game times TBA)

Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinals

(4) Hightstown at (1) Old Bridge
(7) Jackson Twp. at (3) Hunterdon Central

Central Jersey Group 1 Semifinals

(5) Shore at (1) Middlesex
(3) Point Pleasant Beach at (2) Piscataway Magnet

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Semifinals

(5) Bridgewater-Raritan at (1) Ridge
(3) Watchung Hills at (2) Bayonne

North Jersey, Section 2 Semifinals

(4) South Plainfield at (1) Chatham
(3) Cranford at (2) North Hunterdon

Thursday, June 5: Non-Public Sectional Finals (at higher seeds)

Friday, June 6: Public Sectional Finals (at higher seeds)

May 25, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Watchung Hills’ win in SCT propels Hustlin’ Warriors to top spot in Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten

With a new champions of Somerset County baseball comes a new team atop the Bellamy & Son Paving rankings for Week 8: Watchung Hills.

The Warriors displaced No. 1 Immaculata after a 1-0 win over the Spartans in eight innings in the Somerset County Tournament final Friday night, getting the game-winning hit from Stef DeGeronimo, and a three-hit, complete game shutout from starting pitcher Lucas Sheehan, the first sophomore to earn a win in the SCT title game since Casey Cahill of Immaculata did it in 1998.

With that win, and Monday’s semifinal victory over Bridgewater-Raritan, Watchung Hills (15-7) moves up two spots this week to No. 1. They will play a regular-season game at Millburn Tuesday afternoon before opening the state playoffs as a No. 3 seed in North 2, Group 4 first round action at home Wednesday against 14-seed Elizabeth.

Holding in second is Old Bridge (18-8), which only played one game last week, beating Sayreville 9-8 at Fred Cole Field Friday on senior night. The top-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, the Knights will open the playoffs against 16-seed East Brunswick on Wednesday. Should they win, they’ll play a sectional quarterfinal game at home Friday before Saturday’s rescheduled Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament Championship Game against Monroe. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – or watch it live on our YouTube channel – with first pitch scheduled for noon.

Immaculata (20-5) falls to third, going 2-1 in the past week. Between their 7-6 win over Bridgewater-Raritan in the SCT semifinals Monday and their loss in Friday’s championship, they beat West Morris in a regular season game, 1-0, on Friday afternoon. The Spartans are the No. 1 seed in the state tournament’s Non-Public South A section, and will open play on Thursday in the quarterfinals against either nine-seed Donovan Catholic or eight-seed Paul VI.

Ridge (15-9) once again checks in at No. 4. After their 4-2 loss to eventual SCT champion Watchung Hills in the semifinals on Monday, the Red Devils rebounded with a 7-0 win over Madison on Saturday. They’ll open state tournament play on Wednesday as the No. 1 seed in North 2, Group 4, hosting 16-seed Barringer.

Holding at five is Middlesex (20-4), which lost its only game this week, a Tuesday non-conference loss to North Hunterdon, 4-2. They have one more regular season game to play – Tuesday at South Plainfield – before opening state tournament action as the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 1 on Wednesday afternoon against 16-seed Highland Park.

Up one spot to No. 6 is Monroe (13-13), which split a pair of games last week, falling 16-4 to Robbinsville on Monday before coming back to beat South Brunswick, 6-4, on Wednesday. The Falcons will open the state playoffs as the five-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, hosting 12-seed Montgomery in the opening round Wednesday. Should they win, they will get a sectional quarterfinal game on Friday before playing Old Bridge for the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament Championship Saturday afternoon. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – or watch it live on our YouTube channel – with first pitch scheduled for 12 pm.

Down one spot to seven is Edison (19-7), which went 2-1 last week after falling the week prior in the GMC Tournament semifinals to Monroe. The Eagles were 9-1 winners over Somerville Tuesday, and 9-0 victors over Carteret on Wednesday – both at home – before losing, 4-0, to Hunterdon Central on Thursday. Wednesday, they open play as the two-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, hosting 15th-seed Franklin.

Up one spot to eight is South Plainfield (13-13), which was idle last week. The Tigers will open state tournament play as the four-seed in North 2, Group 3 in Wednesday, hosting 13-seed and conference mate JFK.

Rutgers Prep (3-1) is down a spot to nine. They beat Dayton 8-7 Monday, then lost 16-10 in a slugfest to Princeton Day on Tuesday in the Prep B Semifinals. They rebounded with a 5-3 win over Pingry on Thursday and an 11-0 win over Phillipsburg on Friday.

And Colonia (14-9) holds at ten after a 2-2 week. They opened with a 5-0 loss to Woodbridge on Monday, then lost Wednesday, 9-2, at Scotch Plains-Fanwood. But they came back with a 4-1 win at Ferris on Thursday, and beat Dayton 6-3 on Saturday. Wednesday, they open play in the North 2, Group 3 section of the state playoffs as the eight-seed, entertaining nine-seed Middletown North.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Eight:

May 21, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge, Monroe and GMC stuck between turf and a rainy place on Jim Muldowney Championship; how did others handle it?

Sometimes, despite all the best planning and intentions, things just don’t work out.

All was right with the world when the Greater Middlesex Conference announced just a week ago that its baseball and softball tournament championship games would be held at Rutgers University, following in the footsteps of the NJSIAA, which announced in early January that the state baseball finals would be held at Bainton Field on RU’s Livingston Campus in Piscataway.

A week later, it may have just been too good to be true. But it’s not the GMC’s fault, or Rutgers.

Blame Mother Nature. As we know from this season, she can be fickle.

Big picture, many more people will have their Memorial Day Weekend plans ruined by the rain expected to come down this weekend.

But as far as high school sports in Central Jersey, he first victim was the GMC Softball final, scheduled to be held at Rutgers Wednesday evening. Thunderstorms in the forecast moved that game to Friday at 7 pm, but had to move it to a different venue.

Now, it’ll be Sayreville and St. Thomas Aquinas playing for the trophy at East Brunswick High School. That game will air live on the King James Radio Network with veteran broadcaster Korbid Thompson on the call.

The Somerset County Tournament baseball final also was scheduled for Wednesday at 6 pm at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, but that was moved as well, to Friday at 4 pm, at the same location. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, and also watch it on our YouTube channel, with coverage beginning at 3:40 pm.

The good news on both of those is, none of it will really have a huge impact on the state tournament – which begins next week – for the teams involved. Softball has no pitch count restrictions.

And while baseball does, anyone who needs four days’ rest for Immaculata will get it because the top-seeded Spartans will get five days off between the SCT final and their first game in the states, in the South A quarterfinals against either eight-seed Paul VI or nine-seed Donovan Catholic. And their SCT opponent, Watchung Hills, will open next Wednesday in the first round against 14-seed Elizabeth, giving them four days’ rest. That means everyone’s pitch count should reset to zero.

But for Old Bridge and Monroe, who are in the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament title game, it’s a different story.

Initially, the plan was as it had always been: the semifinals and finals on back-to-back Saturdays at East Brunswick Magnet’s Ray Cipperly Field, a great natural grass surface that would make some minor league baseball teams jealous. (The late Ray Cipperly, the school’s one-time baseball coach and AD, created that field, and later became the Somerset Patriots’ first groundskeeper.) The rain date was to be Sunday, as always.

Then came the news last week that Rutgers would be hosting the baseball final, same day as previously scheduled, same time.

And as of Thursday evening, that game is still on. The GMC is going to wait as long as it can, we’re told, even until Saturday morning, before making a call on postponing it, which is the right call. If you can get it in Saturday, go for it. MAybe they can move it a bit earlier? Currently, the best chance looks like between noon and 4 pm.

The problem is, Sunday’s weather looks even worse. Rutgers has told the GMC Bainton Field wouldn’t be available Sunday. But even if the GMC hadn’t gone there, East Brunswick Magnet would still be soaked from all the rain to play a game there Sunday. Having it at another high school site on Memorial Day weekend, when everyone is away, would just be impossible from a logistics standpoint.

And don’t even think about moving it to the actual holiday on Monday, which may be the only decent day of the three-day weekend.

So, the GMC – if it reschedules – would move the finals to Saturday, May 30, which happens to be smack dab in the middle of the state sectionals, with Friday, May 29th – the day before – being the quarterfinal round, and Wednesday, June 3rd being the sectional semifinals.

But that’s going to leave both teams figuring out what to do with their pitching. Assuming the two starters this weekend would be Brady Meyer for the third-seeded Knights and Ben Faigin for the ninth-seeded Falcons, they will have to choose between starting them when they want in the state tournament – typically, but not always, top pitchers start in the second round, to line them up for a potential title game – or starting them in the GMC Tournament final, if indeed it gets moved to a week later.

It’s not an enviable position to be in, but it’s not without precedent. In fact, through 2018, that’s the way the tournament was set up, with the finals on a weekend during a break in state tournament play. The GMC went to the current format, moving everything a week later, in 2019, with the goal of ensuring divisional play could get wrapped up before the seeding meeting.

In 2018, South Plainfield – then led by head coach Anthony Guida – was a 14-seed and played in the first round of the GMC Tournament on Monday, May 14, then the quarters on Thursday, May 17, and the semifinals on Sunday, May 20. But the state tournament was scheduled to start on Monday, May 21. The Tigers beat AL Johnson in the first round of Central Jersey Group 2, then had a very good Governor Livingston team coming up – on the road – in the quarterfinals.

“I was talking to my pitching coach, Mike Battista,” Guida told Central Jersey Sports Radio Thursday night, “and he said ‘We have five more games in the state if we went all the way to the final, but we have one more game to win to be [GMC] Champions.”

But Guida added he had three legitimate starters that year, so it wasn’t that big an issue. “We knew that we wanted to put our best, Chris Shine, on the mound in the county final, knowing Amboy had two studs on the mound, too.”

“We made the decision to go for the county tournament win,” Guida said.

South Plainfield would fall on Thursday to the Highlanders in the quarterfinals, 11-2, before coming back Saturday – just two days later – to beat 12-seed Perth Amboy, 2-1 in 12 innings, to claim their first – and only – GMC Tournament title to date. Shine went 8 2/3 innings and scattered nine hits, allowing one earned run, with Billy Keane closing it out with 3 1/3 shutout innings.

The Panthers were in a similar boat, getting knocked out in the same round of the North 2, Group 4 section by Bayonne, 8-0, before falling to South Plainfield in the final.

Even three years later, St. Joseph-Metuchen was in a similar situation due to weather. The semifinals of the GMCT got moved to Monday, May 31, and the finals a week later to Sunday, June 6. The NJSIAA fifth-seeded Falcons had to open the state tournament on Friday, June 4 against fourth-seed Red Bank Catholic. But head coach Mike Murray says they “punted on RBC” figuring they had a better chance to win the county tournament, and saved their ace Andrew Goldan for the GMC final.

They would lose to the Caseys, 4-0, but the GMC second-seeded Falcons were 2-0 winners over five-seed South Brunswick, and the gamble paid off.

What’s interesting to note this year is that Monroe is a five-seed and Old Bridge the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, meaning they’re in the same half of the 16-team bracket. If they can both get past the first two rounds, they’ll play each other in the semifinals, and that would at least put them back on equal footing, pitching-wise. That is, if both coaches are thinking in a similar fashion.

Say the top starter for each team goes Wednesday in the CJ4 opening round, they could go up to 69 pitches and still be able to come back Saturday for the GMC final, and have 81 left in the tank. That could work. They’d also have three days off until the sectional semis, and could throw another 69 pitches then.

If the top-starter goes Friday in the state sectional quarters, they likely would have not pitched Wednesday either, although they could throw a maximum 49 pitches Wednesday, perhaps in relief, then have 101 for Saturday, but they’d be limited to 49 again the following Wednesday in the CJ4 semis, and wouldn’t be able to go in the county final.

Both teams have a legitimate shot at a state title, but to go back to Guida’s thinking, they still have to win three games to even get a crack at it, and nothing is a sure thing. What is a sure thing is that both teams can win a title with one win in the GMC final, whether it’s this Saturday or next.

Ultimately, Matt Donaghue of Old Bridge and Monroe’s Sean Field could have some tough decisions to make.