Tag: South Plainfield

October 2, 2026 at 11:14 pm by Mike Pavlichko

Noblecilla scores twice, South Plainfield wins second straight, doubling up Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 28-14

South Plainfield picked up its second straight win, and improved to 4-2 on the season, with a 28-14 home win at Jost Field Friday night over visiting Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

Senior tight end Aiden Noblecilla caught two touchdown passes in the win.

He got the scoring going after the Tigers blocked a punt on the Raiders’ first possession with just 1:42 into the game, and by the 9:41 mark, sophomore quarterback Lucas Habe hit Noblecilla with a 16-yard strike to make it 7-0.

They added to that in the second period after a Nick France interception, resulting in a second Habe-Noblecilla connection with 10:40 to go before the half, but Scotch Plains responded on the next possession with a seven-yard touchdown run just 3:47 before the half, and the game was 14-7 at the break.

After a scoreless third, the Tigers went up 2-17 on a two-yard run by Micah Anderson with 7:08 to play, but Jayden Sanders made it a one-score game again for the Raiders, returning the ensuing kickoff for a score.

South Plainfield once again would punch back, however, as freshman Mason Smith scampered 71 yards for a score with 6:11 left. The Raiders turned it over on downs on their next possession, but still couldn’t score after they held the Tigers, and got another crack at it.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio analyst Marcus Borden with head coach Bill Hamilton and senior TE/DL Aiden Noblecilla, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

September 27, 2026 at 10:00 amSeptember 26, 2026 at 11:18 pm by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: South Plainfield 14, Carteret 6

Jayden Brown scored on a 53-yard touchdown run just two plays into the game, then added a 13-yard scoring run in the third quarter for insurance, as South Plainfield won at Carteret, 14-6, in a Big Central Conference crossover game.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart call all the play-by-play live from Walt Overholt Stadium in Carteret, NJ, on September 25, 2026:

1st Half

2nd Half

September 26, 2026 at 12:52 am by Mike Pavlichko

South Plainfield grinds one out, hangs on to beat Carteret on windy night at “The Pit”

South Plainfield got 114 yards rushing and a touchdown on just nine carries by Jayden Jones, but it helped make the difference as the Tigers ran the ball almost exclusively in a 14-6 road win over Carteret Friday night in the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The Tigers attempted just three passes in the game, all going incomplete, while Christian Brown ran it 17 times for 62 yards and a score.

When Jones broke free on the second play from scrimmage in the game to score a touchdown just 55-seconds in, it looked like a battle of two teams with solid ground games might turn into a foot race. But it was not to be, as that was the only score of the first half. Both squads could move the ball, but no one else seemed to be able to get into the end zone.

With 8:55 left in the third, South Plainfield (3-2) got a 13-yard run from Brown to make it 14-0. That was another short drive, too, taking just three plays to go 25 yards after Carteret had turned it over on downs following a failed fourth-down conversion attempt.

Truly, this game belonged to the defenses, both of whom played very well, though penalties and mistakes seemed to plague Carteret, who had at least three bad snaps that resulted in significant losses of yardage, three for 30 yards in the first half alone. Starting center Brandon Byron broke his leg on the second play of last week’s game loss to Scotch Plains-Fanwood, a repeat injury after doing the same against Hillside last year.

Carteret looked done for in the fourth quarter until the Ramblers (3-2) got on the board with 2:47 to play, on a 13-yard touchdown run by Al-Naiquan Boseman. An onside kick was expected, but a line drive kick went well over ten yards, pinning South Plainfield back inside its own five, but they were able to ice the game anyway.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart with South Plainfield head coach Bill Hamilton and senior running back Jayden Jones, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

September 25, 2026 at 7:00 amSeptember 24, 2026 at 10:33 pm by Nick Hart

South Plainfield looks to improve road record with with trip to Carteret Friday

With four games already in the rearview mirror for South Plainfield, it has been an up-and-down start to the 2026 campaign. The Tigers (2-2, 1-1 BCC United Silver) sit at .500 on the season, and the story has been quite the same for each of their wins and for each of their losses.

South Plainfield has been stellar in its wins this season, with both victories coming in double-digit fashion: a 20-10 win over North Plainfield and a 35-0 win over JFK. Similarly to their wins, the Tigers’ losses have both been by double digits as well: a 40-21 loss to start the season against Somerville and a 34-14 loss to Bernards this past week.

The Tigers look to change their fortunes on the road Friday night against Carteret in the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy and Son Paving. Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart are on the call with pregame at 6:45 pm and kickoff at 7. Click here to listen.

The Tigers handily won their last matchup in the series, 40-7, back in 2023. The Ramblers (2-2, 1-1 BCC United Gold) have had the slight upper hand in the matchup, being the victors in three of the last five contests against South Plainfield.

When it comes to the offense, sophomore signal caller Lucas Habe has led the way, sporting a 66.7% completion percentage for 414 yards and four touchdowns on the season. On the receiving end of Habe’s passes has been a slew of different receivers.

Senior tight end Aiden Noblecilla leads South Plainfield with eight receptions for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Upperclassmen Micah Anderson, seven receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown, and Nick France, five receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown, have also been big producers for the Tigers.

As far as the running back room goes for South Plainfield, 10 different players have a rushing attempt this season, four of which have double-digit attempts on the year.

Senior Christian Brown has taken most of the workload, however, tallying 53 of the Tigers’ 112 rushing attempts on the year and accounting for 414 of 743 rushing yards for his squad. Jaydon Jones has been a nice complement to Brown in the backfield, tallying 20 carries, 13 yards and a touchdown on the season.

Defensively, South Plainfield is anchored by its stout defensive front, which consists of a trio of seniors and an underclassman who are no strangers to getting off the line quickly. Aiden Noblecilla has had a standout start to the season, leading South Plainfield with five sacks, 17 tackles for a loss, and 46 total tackles.

Karl Josephis the lone underclassman on the line and despite being in just his second year of high school football, has produced at the level of a seasoned veteran. Joseph is second on his squad with 2.5 sacks on the season and second in tackles for a loss with seven so far.

Click below to hear South Plainfield head coach Bill Hamilton talk about the Tigers’ season so far and Friday night’s matchup at Carteret with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart:

September 24, 2026 at 6:15 pm by Mike Pavlichko

No excuses for dinged up Carteret, as run-first Ramblers host South Plainfield in traditional GMC matchup

Carteret and South Plainfield have been playing each other for years, whether it’s in the Big Central Conference or the GMC.

Both are blue-collar, grind-it-out, run-the-rock football teams. And when they meet again this Friday night at the newly-renovated Walt Overholt Stadium – affectionately known as “The Pit,” don’t expect much different.

It’s our Friday night Big Central Game of the Week on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with kickoff set for 7 pm, and pregame at 6:45. Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart have the call; click here to listen.

The Ramblers come in at 2-2, but have split their first four games, alternating between wins and losses. Throw out a 53-6 loss to the largest public school in the state, Elizabeth, in the opening week – and the Minutemen are off to a fantastic start – and the Ramblers are 2-1 the rest of the way, and have allowed just 25 points in their last two games, including a 13-6 loss at Summit two weeks ago, and a 16-12 win at Scotch Plains-Fanwood last Friday.

Senior Danyun McKill runs the offense, but it’s Al-Naiquan Boseman who powers it, taking 75 carries this season and going for 591 yards and five touchdowns, while the mobile McKill is next on the list at 130 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. He can run it if he has to, but Boseman is the No. 1 option most plays.

Defensively, Carteret is a bit thin in the secondary due to some injuries, but they do get after the ball, and get behind the line of scrimmage. To wit, they have six sacks and 25 TFLs on the season, with linebacker Nick Gomm leading the way at eight hits behind the line.

Click below to hear Carteret football coach Kevin Freeman talk about the Ramblers and their matchup against South Plainfield with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

June 29, 2026 at 12:00 pmJune 25, 2026 at 11:43 am 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, 2026 at 7:00 amJune 9, 2026 at 2:14 pm 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, 2026 at 9:04 pmJune 5, 2026 at 9:05 pm 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, 2026 at 12:47 pmJune 5, 2026 at 12:48 pm 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 at 10:16 pm 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: