Tag: Spotswood

by Mike Pavlichko

Spotswood pulls away in second half for 78-43 win over Highland Park behind VanLeeuwen’s 21

Last season, Spotswood head coach Steve Mate called newcomer Tyler VanLeeuwen a freshman sensation.

“I see big things for him,” said veteran head coach Steve Mate.

His sophomore year? He’s even better, and what’s best is he knows there’s still a lot of room for improvement.

VanLeeuwen scored 21 points Tuesday night – ten above his average and five shy of a career high he just set Saturday against JFK – in a 78-43 road win over Highland Park in a GMC crossover game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

And he did it almost entirely on two-point field goals, with one three, and a trio of foul shots.

The game was tight early, with two lead changes in the first half, and Highland Park had a three-point lead as they bombed away from three. Evangelinos Kambitsis had 12 first-half points, all from downtown, and of their eight first-half field goals, seven were from beyond the arc, many from two or more feet behind the line.

But Spotswood took an 18 point lead into halftime, 48-30, and never looked back, clamping down on defense in the second half. The Owls only had three triples the rest of the way as the Chargers extended their defense.

Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage finished with 18 and Leo Carone added 15, including three treys. Spotswood (8-6) now has won four straight, their best stretch of the year as they jockey for position in the Central Jersey Group 2 power point standings.

Kambitsis was high scorer for the Owls (4-12) with 16, while Cooper Ballentine added 11, chipping in three treys himself.

While the two former GMC Blue Division rivals hadn’t played in four years, it was the Chargers’ eleventh straight win against Highland Park, dating back to January of 2012.

The victory also was the 494th of Steve Mate’s 35-year coaching career. He was 34-49 in four years at Verona before landing in Spotswood for the 1995-96 season, amassing a 460-335 record. The Dean of GMC coaches is now 494-384 overall.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with head coach Steve Mate and sophomore Tyler VanLeeuwen, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central’s first off-season hire comes in Spotswood, where Andy Steinfeld is promoted to lead Chargers after one year as an assistant

Andy Steinfeld played at East Brunswick for Marcus Borden, and coached there under him, then led the program now on his own. Last season was the first he spent with another program besides that of the Bears in three decades, working as an assistant under Chris Meagher, and alongside his son, Matt.

Now, he’s his son’s boss.

Andy Steinfeld was appointed as the tenth football coach in Spotswood history Tuesday night, when his hiring was approved by the Board of Education. He’ll take over a program that has had great on field success in the past several years, going 8-1 in each of the last three seasons under Chris Meagher.

Meagher stepped down at the end of the 2025 season, in which the Chargers – inexplicably – finished 8-1 but failed to make the playoffs, losing out on the 16th and final seed on the third tiebreaker, OSI, to Camden Eastside, a 3-5 football program that had lost its last four games by a combined total of 160-20.

Frustration aside, Steinfeld was thrilled to be a part of the program last season, and is excited to be the new head coach, citing what he calls “the it factor” about the Spotswood kids, and falling in love with a true family atmosphere around the program and district.

Steinfeld was 18-29 in five seasons as East Brunswick head coach, going 4-5 his first year in 2019, then 4-4 in the shortened 2020 COVID season, before coming out of it with an 8-2 campaign and a playoff appearance in 2021, losing 28-14 in the opening round of the playoffs to Toms River North.

But he was let go two weeks before camp started in July of 2024, even though he had good performance reviews, after being asked to re-interview for the job. That session, Steinfeld told Central Jersey Sports Radio at the time, included “community members” who were “against our program, bashed our program,” and had complaints about East Brunswick’s middle school football program siphoning players away from their own league.

After a year off, Steinfeld joined Meagher’s staff at Spotswood, and now he’s back where he belongs: as a head coach.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko and Marcus Borden talk with new Spotswood football head coach Andy Steinfeld:

by Mike Pavlichko

Spotswood, Highland Park renew old GMC Blue Division rivalry with Tuesday night crossover

Just about everything about Tuesday night’s Greater Middlesex Conference crossover meeting between Spotswood and Highland Park will have an old-school feel to it.

The two are longtime GMC Blue Division rivals. You know, before teams started going in every different division, moving up or down based on their recent success. But they haven’t played each other in four years.

The Chargers are coached by Steve Mate, who’s just seven wins away from 500 for his career, and his been at Spotswood for 31 of his 35 years as a head coach, the first four coming at Verona.

And the game – which can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – will tip-off at 7 pm. That’s when everyone played “back in the day,” until participation numbers dwindled to the point where some schools don’t even have JV programs.

So, yes, Tuesday night should be a fun one.

You can hear it live from Highland Park with pregame at 6:45, and Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen on the call. Click here to listen.

It could also be an intense one. Spotswood comes in at 7-6 with a very young team; the starting lineup consists of one senior – Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage – along with just one junior, a sophomore, and two freshmen. Mate is high on the group, but knows it may take some time before they get close to scratching the surface of their full potential.

And they’ll be looking to make a run and improve their 11th place standing in the Central Jersey Group 2 power point standings.

Highland Park sits at No. 21 in Central Jersey Group 1, but everyone between then and the top 16 – and a few in it – are below .500, so the question becomes, “Why not them?” A few wins strung together could really turn the tide, and catapult them up the standings.

They are more of a senior-laden group, led by Evangelos Kambitsis, scoring 11.7 points a game. Assistant Coach Matt DeCeglie – who’s filling in while head coach Colin Copperthwaite is on leave following the birth of his first child, a daughter named Kennedy – says he’s “as tough as they come.”

Two teams in search of some wins have all the makings of an old-time rivalry, renewed.

Click below for preview interviews with both head coaches:

Highland Park assistant coach Matt DeCeglie wih Dylan Allen
Spotswood head coach Steve Mate
by Mike Pavlichko

Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten goes 29-3, leaving little change in Week 5 rankings

What happens when the top ten barely loses a game? Not much apparently.

There were only three losses in 32 games played this past week by the Bellamy & Son Paving girls’ basketball top ten, meaning very little change in the rankings.

It’s now five straight weeks at No. 1 for Rutgers Prep (8-2), which had two wins in a light week, 66-22 over Hunterdon Central on Monday, and 57-24 at Mount St. Mary on Thursday.

That’s followed by St. Thomas Aquinas (11-3) holding it down at No. 2, going 4-0 in the past week. They beat No. 5 East Brunswick 75-42 on Tuesday, then South Brunswick 68-23 on Thursday, and won 92-56 at Piscataway on Friday. Saturday, they beat St. Rose, 52-38, in the Coaches Choice St. Thomas Aquinas Challenge in North Edison.

Holding in third is Gill St. Bernard’s (8-3), which went 3-0 in the past week, beating Pingry 55-50 Tuesday, winning 65-33 at Hunterdon Central Thursday, then 70-39 at Thrive Charter on Saturday.

Hillsborough (8-2) held in fourth. The Raiders lost to Franklin, 72-44, on Tuesday, but came back to win two straight road games, 42-33 at Pingry on Thursday, and 55-17 at neighboring Montgomery on Friday.

East Brunswick (9-2) holds at No. 5. They also dropped their first game of the week – falling 75-42 to St. Thomas Aquinas Tuesday – but rebounded with a 44-40 win at Monroe Thursday, and a 59-46 victory against North Plainfield on Saturday.

Up a spot to seventh is Colonia (9-0), which swept three games in the week gone by. They narrowly beat Spotswood – their closest win of the year – 59-57 on the road Tuesday, then came back with a 51-35 win at Edison Thursday, and a 62-38 win over Old Bridge on Saturday.

Bernards (8-0) continues to win as well, but flip-flopped with Colonia to seven. They were 2-0 last week, beating Voorhees 40-39 Thursday, then picking up a 53-32 win over Hanover Park on Saturday.

Somerville (10-2) holds at No. 8 after a monster 5-0 week. Monday, they beat Science Park out of Newark on the road, 53-18, then won two more road games: 57-28 at Warren Hills Tuesday, and 52-44 at Delaware Valley Thursday. Then, they won twice over the weekend, 50-27 Saturday against Hopewell Valley, then 66-14 over South Plainfield in the Coaches Choice St. Thomas Aquinas Challenge in North Edison on Sunday.

Bound Brook (10-1) remains at No. 9 after a 4-0 week. They won 632-26 at College Achieve Central Tuesday, then beat South Hunterdon 60-18 at home Thursday, and Lawrence on Saturday, 61-36.

Woodbridge (8-2) remains in tenth. After a 73-55 win over North Brunswick on Tuesday, and a 64-27 victory at JP Stevens Thursday, the Barrons lost 61-44 to Monroe on Saturday to complete a 2-1 week.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 5:

by Mike Pavlichko

Little change in Week 4 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten, as first six all hold court

Despite the top two teams in the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten going 1-2 last week, Rutgers Prep and St. Thomas Aquinas held their ground in Week Four, with the top six remaining unchanged, but one new team joining the rankings.

For a fourth straight week, it’s Rutgers Prep (6-2) at No. 1. The Lady Argonauts lost to Red Bank Catholic Monday in the Kevin Williams Christmas Classic Showcase at Toms River North’s RWJBarnabas Health Arena, 59-42, then bounced back Friday with a win over South Bronx Preparatory (NY) 62-41 in the Garden State New Year’s Ball at Weequahic. But they also lost Sunday down at Jefferson University in Philadelphia to Cardinal O’Hara, 52-42.

Holding in second is St. Thomas Aquinas (7-3), which also went 1-2 in the week gone by. They dropped their first two: Monday to St. Mary-Manhassett (NY), 63-50, and to unbeaten Westfield, 52-48, on Tuesday in the Coaches Choice Holiday Classic at FDU-Madison. But the Trojans rebounded Saturday with a division win at Monroe, 70-23.

Still in third is Gill St. Bernard’s (5-3), which went 3-0 in the past week. At the Holiday Hoopfest at Paterson Kennedy, they closed out with two wins: Sunday over Roselle Catholic, 50-20, and Tuesday over Immaculate Heart, 53-46. They wrapped the week with a 49-42 win Saturday over Hudson Catholic in the Garden State New Year’s Ball at Weequahic.

Hillsborough (6-1) only played one game last week, and won it, Saturday at Linden, a 72-37 victory. The Raiders held in fourth.

At No. 5 again this week is East Brunswick (7-1). The Lady Bears won their final game at the Holmdel Holiday Showcase over their hosts, 58-40, on Tuesday, then beat Piscataway 71-43 Saturday before falling to St. Joseph by the Sea (NY) in the Coaches Choice New York/New Jersey Staten Island Challenge at Moore Catholic.

Holding at six is Bernards (6-0), the highest-ranked undefeated team in the Top Ten. The Mountaineers won three games this past week, winning the Artie Flaherty Holiday Tournament at Metuchen with a 49-34 win over Brearley Monday, and a 39-28 victory over the host Bulldogs on Tuesday. They also beat Verona at home Saturday, 42-31.

Up a spot to seven is Colonia (6-0), which is having a great bounceback year after going 7-20 a year ago. The Patriots swept two games to win the Charlie Dolan Holiday Tournament at Kearny. They beat Montclair 52-46 Monday, then the host Cardinals 69-46 on Tuesday.

Down a spot to eight – flipping with Colonia – is Somerville (5-2). the Pioneers lost Tuesday in the Holmdel Holiday Showcase to Colts Neck, 52-40, on Tuesday, but bounced back Saturday with a resounding 70-37 win at Koinonia.

Staying at nine is Bound Brook (6-1). After taking their first loss of the season Monday to Union Catholic, 62-53, in their own Crusader Classic championship game, they came back with a Saturday win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 60-50, then beat Staten Island Academy (NY) in the Coaches Choice New York/New Jersey Staten Island Challenge at Moore Catholic.

Spotswood drops out from its position at No. 10 after a 1-3 week left them 3-4 overall. They beat North Plainfield Monday at Edison in the Gene Haley/Jim Muldowney Memorial Holiday Classic, but then lost three straight. The first was to Woodbridge on Tuesday in their final game in the showcase, 70-67. Then the Chargers lost at Middlesex, 51-41 on Saturday, and 60-43 Sunday to Tottenville (NY) in the Coaches Choice New York/New Jersey Staten Island Challenge at Moore Catholic.

That puts Woodbridge (6-1) in the top ten on the strength of a three-win week. They beat Edison Monday, 70-54, in the Gene Haley/Jim Muldowney Memorial Holiday Classic at Edison, then topped Spotswood, and wrapped it up with a 70-42 blowout of South Plainfield on Saturday.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 3:

Graphic showing the Week 4 rankings for the 2025-26 Girls' Basketball season presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, featuring team names, records, and previous rankings.

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep holds No. 1 spot in Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten ahead of matchup with state No. 1 Red Bank Catholic; Aquinas, East Brunswick make moves

Make it three weeks in a row for undefeated Rutgers Prep at the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten, with St. Thomas Aquinas and East Brunswick making upward moves in the latest rankings.

Half the top ten remains undefeated on the season.

Rutgers Prep (5-0) was 2-0 last week, beating Princeton Monday, 72-26, then topping St. Rose of Belmar Saturday in the Kevin Williams Classic at the RWJBarnabas Arena at Toms River North in the “Showcase Bracket.” Monday at 6 pm, the Lady Argonauts – ranked No. 4 in New Jersey – will take on state No. 1 Red Bank Catholic in a huge early season clash.

St. Thomas Aquinas (6-1) moves up a spot this week to No. 2. The Trojans won their only game in the past week, beating St. Joseph Hill (NY) on Tuesday, 72-69.

Dropping one place to No. 3 is Gill St. Bernard’s (3-3). The Knights lost Friday to last year’s Group 4 state runner-up West Orange, 47-45, in the Holiday Hoopfest at Paterson Catholic, but got a win Sunday as the round robin event continued, 50-20 over Roselle Catholic.

Holding at No. 4 is Hillsborough (5-1). The Lady Raiders picked up a pair of wins in the Mercer County Community College Holiday Showcase at MCCC in West Windsor, beating Thrive Charter 67-52 on Saturday, and following it up with a 57-38 win over Ewing on Sunday.

East Brunswick (5-0) is off to its best start since a 7-1 run to begin 2021, picking up two wins in the week gone by. Monday, they beat Somerset County foe Mount St. Mary, 62-38, then topped Marlboro in the Holmdel Holiday Showcase on Sunday, 67-46.

The Bears’ move puts Bernards at No. 6, followed by Somerville in seventh. The Mountaineers beat Delaware Valley on the road Tuesday, 36-22, in their only game of the week gone by. The Pioneers played two and split, picking up a 43-30 victory at North Hunterdon Tuesday, but falling 66-25 to Manasquan (NJ No. 13) Sunday in the Holmdel Holiday Showcase.

The last three teams remain the same, starting with No. 8 Colonia (4-0). The Patriots won their only game of the past week, Friday against Montville, 60-40. They’re back in action Monday in the Charloe Dolan Holiday Tournament at Kearney against Montclair.

At No. 9 is Bound Brook (4-0), which beat Columbia Saturday in the Crusader Classic, 49-26.

And holding at ten is Spotswood (2-1), which did not play last week after a Sunday loss to Cheltenham (PA), 56-54, in the Shore games, which had not been reported in time to be included in last week’s record.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 3:

A table displaying the rankings of girls' basketball teams for Week 3 of the 2025-26 season, including team names, records, and previous rankings, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

by Mike Pavlichko

With a 3-0 week, Rutgers Prep holds on to No. 1 in Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten; Colonia, Bound Brook join latest rankings

A week after regaining the top position in the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten, Rutgers Prep remains at the top, while two new teams join the rankings: unbeatens Colonia and Bound Brook.

Overall, the top six teams remain in the same place as a week ago.

Rutgers Prep (3-0) had a light week, but won both games. First, they beat then-No., 7 Franklin on Monday, 82-62, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, as Sophia Georgiades scored her 1,000th career point. Then, with five days off in between, they topped Sidwell Friends (DC) in the Shore Games at Colts Neck High School on Sunday, 54-46.

Holding at two is Gill St. Bernard’s (3-1), which went 2-1 this past week, with two over Bellamy-ranked ranked squads. They beat No. 4 Hillsborough 68-47 at home Tuesday, then were 64-53 winners at then-No. 7 Franklin Thursday, before falling 60-45 to Gloucester Catholic at the Shore Games at Colts Neck on Sunday.

Still in third is St. Thomas Aquinas (5-1). The Trojans won all four games this week, including 78-32 at South Brunswick Tuesday, 63-36 at home against Piscataway on Thursday, Saturday 86-42 at North Plainfield, and 77-60 over Thrive Charter in the Shore Games at St. Rose-Belmar Sunday afternoon.

Holding at four is Hillsborough (3-1), which went 2-1 this week. Following a Tuesday loss at No. 2 Gill St. Bernard’s, 68-47, they bounced back with a 77-56 home win over Watchung Hills Thursday, and a 62-20 win at Trenton on Saturday.

At five again is Bernards (2-0), which won its first two games of the season, 40-36 at North Hunterdon on Tuesday, and 47-31 at Warren Hills on Thursday.

Somerville (3-0) holds in sixth, winning its first three games this week. Tuesday, they won at College Achieve Central in North Plainfield, 43-26. Thursday, they beat in-town rival Immaculata 52-44, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Then, Saturday, they topped Lawrence at home, 50-36.

At No. 7 is East Brunswick (3-0), which climbed three spots this week. The Bears were 71-43 winners Tuesday at home over 2025 GMCT runner-up Monroe, then won 69-38 at North Plainfield Thursday, and 53-33 victors at South Brunswick on Saturday.

Joining the ranks at No. 8 is Colonia (3-0), which did not make the rankings at all last season after being in every week during the prior season, 2023-24. The Patriots opened with a 49-13 win over Edison on Tuesday, a 50-33 win at Old Bridge Thursday, and a 54-39 win over Middlesex on Saturday.

No. 9 also features a new team: Bound Brook (3-0), snapping an 18-week streak not in the Top Ten. The Crusaders cruised past Manville in their opener Tuesday, 55-26 on the road. They then crushed Belvidere, 53-30 in their home opener Thursday, before coming up with a 51-36 win over Pope John Saturday in the Shore Games at The Fort Athletic Club in Oceanport.

Dropping out were No. 7 Franklin and No. 8 Monroe. The Warriors (0-3) lost Monday at Rutgers Prep, 82-62, Thursday to Gill St. Bernard’s 64-53, and Sunday to Demarest, 53-41, in the Shore Games. The Falcons bookended a Thursday 54-41 win over South Brunswick with a 71-43 loss Tuesday at then-No. 9 East Brunswick, and a 52-41 loss at Piscataway on Saturday.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 2:

2025-26 Girls' Basketball Week 2 rankings by Bellamy & Son Paving, listing teams, their records, and previous positions.

by Mike Pavlichko

A win and a loss flip Nos. 1 and 2 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Week 1 Top Ten

No doubt defending Non-Public B State Champion Morris Catholic took a heavy graduation hit when twins Mia and Mya Pauldo got their diplomas last spring, but Rutgers Prep’s win over the Crusaders Sunday in the NJBCA Tip-Off Classic – handing them their first loss to a New Jersey school since 2023 – has put the Lady Argonauts back to the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week One.

Rutgers Prep didn’t graduate a single player from last year’s team, but got a double-double from Hailey Benbow – 16 points and 16 rebounds – as well as 15 points and three steals from Ava LaMonica in a 52-40 win over Morris Catholic at home Sunday afternoon. They have a quick turnaround to Monday night, when they open Skyland Conference Delaware Division play against No. 7 Franklin.

The Argonauts’ move to No. 1 also dovetails with the preseason No. 1, Gill St. Bernard’s, taking a 49-42 loss to Westfield in the same NJBCA Tip-Off Challenge at Rutgers Prep. Seniors Kaity and Addy Platt led the Knights with 14 and 13 points, respectively, in defeat, as Gill drops to No. 2.

St. Thomas Aquinas holds in third, after splitting a pair of games at the Electric City Madness event up in Scranton. The Trojans lost to Crestwood (PA) Saturday in the opener, 62-54, but came back to beat Scranton (PA), 64-46, Sunday afternoon behind a double-double of 24 points and eleven rebounds from Jordan Barnes, and 13 points – including three treys – from Kayla Navarro.

Hillsborough remains at No. 4, opening its season Saturday at Princeton Day with a 55-33 victory. the defending Group 4 champion Raiders got 16 points – including four treys – from Victoria Liedl, as well as 15 points and ten rebounds from Alexa Gaspar, and eleven points and five steals from Isabella Ruh.

On a light opening weekend, mainly at showcase events, the rest of the Top Ten didn’t play, so everyone else from five through ten remain in the same positions, including Bernards at No. 5, followed by Somerville, Franklin, Monroe, East Brunswick, and Spotswood.

Bernards will open its season Tuesday at North Hunterdon, while Somerville visits College Achieve Central in North Plainfield. Franklin travels across town to No. 1 Rutgers Prep for a 5:30 tip of a game that can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Alec Crouthamel calling all the action. Click here to listen.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 1:

High school girls' basketball ranking chart for 2025-26, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Lists teams, their records, and previous rankings, featuring Rutgers Prep at No. 1.

by Mike Pavlichko

Defending Somerset County champ Gill St. Bernard’s leads Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten preseason rankings

For the first time since Central Jersey Sports Radio’s initial season of high school basketball coverage in the COVID-shortened 2021 campaign, there’s someone else besides Rutgers Prep beginning the year at No. 1: Gill St. Bernard’s.

The Knights won the Somerset County Tournament in 2025, their first county title since 2014, which also was the last time Rutgers Prep missed the county final before last season, when they were knocked out in the semifinals by Hillsborough.

All that considered, Gill St. Bernard’s earned the No. 1 spot in the 2025-26 preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten. Gill finsihed 23-5 last year, sharing the Skyland Conference Delaware Division with Rutgers Prep, having split their two games. The Knights also reached the Non-Public North B Finals.

However, they’ll look to reload as they graduated several key players, including leading scorer and rebounder Gandy Malou-Mamel, who’s now playing at UConn. Fellow seniors Tessa Lozner, Maya Abramson, Sidney Quinn and Cassidy Moore all graduate, while the top returning scorer is senior Addy Platt, who contributed 10.1 points per game last year, and led the team with 61 steals.

Rutgers Prep is second in the rankings, after finishing last season 20-7. The Argonauts reached the Non-Public South B final, but unlike Gill, return all five starters. Among them is senior and 2024-25 leading scorer Ava LaMonica, with 13.4 points per game, and a team-best 65 steals and 81 assists. Ava Frith (9.1 ppg) and Sophia Georgiades (11.6 ppg, 60 steals) also return for their senior seasons.

In third is St. Thomas Aquinas, which finished 23-7 last year, steamrolling its way through the GMC Red Division by more than 40 points per game. They Trojans won the GMC Tournament again – their sixth straight title going back to 2019 – and will graduate some key seniors like Gianna Chuffo (9.8 ppg), Leah Crosby (15.7 ppg), and Adrianna Summersett (6.1 ppg), but also bring back a good deal of talent. Trista Whitney (12.9 ppg, 6 rpg, 121 assists) is back for her senior year, as is post Jordan Barnes (10.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg), as well as juniors Lauryn Downing and Leah Kearney, all of whom played significant minutes last season.

Hillsborough makes won its first-ever sectional championship, then went all the way and won the state Group 4 championship at Rutgers, finishing 26-6 on the season. They also knocked off Rutgers Prep in the SCT semifinals and reached the county title game for the first time since 2006. The Lady Raiders lose a ton, however, including all-time leading scorer – girls’ or boys’ – Francesca Schiro (21.1 ppg), who’s now at Siena and leading the team in scoring as a rookie. Mya Loniewski (11.6 ppg) and Reghan Bice (5.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg) also graduated, with sophomore center Isabella Ruh the most significant returnee, having scored 9.8 points per game last season, and grabbing 6.1 rebounds per contest.

Checking in at No. 5 is Bernards, which won the Skyland Conference Mountain Division, followed by Somerville at No. 6, which won the Skyland Valley Division. Both finished 23-6 and went to sectional semifinals, the Mountaineers in North 2, Group 2, the Pioneers in North 2, Group 3. Bernards returns top scorer and rebounder Aletha Reynolds (16.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg) for her senior year, along with second-leading scorer Jasmine Kelleher (82. ppg) for her junior season. Somerville returns senior Kaylee Lauber, who led the team with 16.4 points per game, but No. 2 Charlotte Taylor (11.5 ppg, team-best 5 apg) is gone to graduation.

In seventh is Franklin, which has been previously unranked before making it into the final rankings last season at 11-16, a tough out which plays in the tough Skyland Delaware with Rutgers Prep, Gill St. Bernard’s and Hillsborough. A young Aleah Sunkins scored 16 points per game and grabbed 9.3 boards per contest in her sophomore year, and with more experience, the Warriors could make moves. Their lone senior to graduate was Precious Wheeler (6 ppg, 5.9 rpg).

2025 GMC Tournament runner-up Monroe checks in at eight. The Falcons finished 20-10 last season and not only reached the GMC title game, but also the Central Jersey Group 4 final, where they ran into juggernaut Hillsborough. They lose one of the program’s greats in Evangelina Francisco (20.7 ppg) to graduation. The GMC is Aquinas and everyone else, but the Falcons should be high among the “everyone else” category.

Making its debut in the rankings at No. 9 is East Brunswick, which was 13-14 last season. But they were young and are expected to be one of the better GMC teams in the higher divisions this season, having talked to a few coaches around the league. Ava Catanho (17.3 ppg) led the Lady Bears in scoring last year as a freshman, and other key contributors also return.

And Spotswood rounds out the group in tenth. The Chargers finished second in the GMC White last season at 18-8, but champion Middlesex lost its two best players to graduation, including all-time leading scorer Jess Devine and Mallory Gianchilia, so the Blue Jays fall out of the final rankings from last season. As for Spotswood, they return Gabrielle Hill, a junior who was a starter a year ago, and led the team with 15.4 points per game. The downside is they also lose senior Lizzie Calandruccio (14.6 ppg) to graduation.

Here’s the complete preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten:

A table displaying the 2025-26 preseason rankings for high school girls' basketball teams, including team names, records, previous rankings, and notes on achievements.

by Mike Pavlichko

As Spotswood wraps third straight 8-2 season, head coach Chris Meagher steps down

Less than 24 hours after the Spotswood football team finished off an 8-2 season – snubbed by the NJSIAA’s UPR playoff formula in favor of 3-5 Camden Eastside on a strength of schedule tiebreaker – head coach Chris Meagher has stepped down.

Meagher coached the Chargers for four seasons, and after a 1-8 campaign in his first, a rebuilding year, Spotswood never won fewer than seven games his next four seasons, going 7-3 in 2022, then 8-2 in 2023, last season, and this year.

And the 2025 team was something special. They started the year 6-0 and never allowed more than eight points in a game until a 20-19 loss to Dayton, where they scored a late touchdown, decided to go for two after a penalty on the PAT try, but got stopped just short of the goal line.

They rebounded with a 41-8 win at South Hunterdon, and a 26-16 win over Roselle Park. While the finished the regular season with three victories over five-win clubs, it was no match for the state’s playoff formula.

While Spotswood will lose talented seniors like QB/DE Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage, RB/LB Sebby Saracino, and excellent kicker Gavin Pereira, they’ll return sophomore wideout and defensive back Ryan Foster, as well as backup QB Jon Regan and sophomore defensive lineman Tyrus Lazar in 2026.

As far the the head coaching job, one potential candidate – if he wants it – could be Andy Steinfeld, the former East Brunswick coach who joined his son, Matt, on Meagher’s staff this season. Meagher called the hire “a home run” back in the preseason.

Andy (lt.) and Matt (rt.) Seinfeld
Former East Brunswick football head coach Andy Steinfeld (left) has joined his son, Matt, on Chris Meagher’s staff at Spotswood. (Photo: Marcus Borden)

Steinfeld spent five years coaching at East Brunswick, going 18-28, but going 4-4 during the COVID year.

Meagher – a health and physical education teacher – had been coaching at North Brunswick under Mike Cipot prior to Spotswood, leaving a teaching job there to lead the Chargers. But in the time since, he was unable to get a job in the high school, instead working at Schoenly, an elementary school in the district.

The small high school has only five phys ed/health teachers, and it’s a district that typically has very little turnover. But coaches often prefer to work in the same building where they coach, otherwise it leads to them getting to practice on a daily basis later than the rest of the staff.

Two coaches standing and talking on a football field, surrounded by green turf and yellow markings.
Spotswood head coach Chris Meagher (right) and Middlesex mentor Bobby Swercheck before the 2025 season opener in Spotswood on August 28, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Meagher is leaving to take a teaching job at Edison High School, his alma mater, where he graduated in 2007. And he says he wanted to let Spotswood know as soon as possible so the administration could get a head start on the hiring process.

Click below to hear Chris Meagher talk about stepping down as Spotswood head coach with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: