Tag: St. Joseph-Metuchen

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio unveils 2026 High School Baseball Broadcast Schedule featuring a dozen regular season games, plus County, State tourneys

With a dozen regular season games, plus coverage of the GMC and Somerset County Tournaments – as well as state tournament coverage to be announced at a later date – Central Jersey Sports Radio has announced its 2026 high school baseball broadcast schedule.

It all gets started next week, with our opener on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 pm between defending 2025 SCT champion Immaculata and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 winner Hillsborough. Then, after the calendar turns to April mid-week, we get state Group 1 champion Middlesex visiting Spotswood, on Thursday, April 2.

Coverage also includes two regular season games at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater – Montgomery vs Pingry on April 11, and Rutgers Prep against South Plainfield two Saturdays later – as well as the semifinals and finals of the Somerset County Tournament on April 18th and 20th, respectively.

The schedule includes three of last year’s SCT semifinalists, and all four of 2025’s GMC Tournament semifinalists, including a rematch of the title game between Edison and St. Joseph-Metuchen, and a rematch on the Invitational final between New Brunswick and East Brunswick Magnet.

Last year’s North 2, Group 3 winner South Plainfield also is on the schedule, as well as finalist Colonia.

Click here to see the full 2026 broadcast schedule.

by Mike Pavlichko

From 6-16 to GMC Tournament champs, rejuvenated St. Joseph-Metuchen named CJSR Boys’ Basketball Team of the Year

A year ago, St. Joseph boys’ basketball was a mess. Karl Towns, Sr. – the father of Falcon great Karl-Anthony Towns, who brought the Metuchen school a Tournament of Champions title in 2014 – was on his way out after a disastrous 6-16 season, where he barely coached the team, and seemed to spend more time watching his famous son play at Madison Square Garden after being traded from Minnesota to the Knicks.

Oh, how things changed quickly.

St. Joseph went with a known commodity: Mark Taylor, a 1983 graduate who later coached Jay Williams and Andrew Bynum and won two GMC titles in his first go-round, then later coached at Ridge and St. Benedict’s Prep.

He brought in key transfers, including Aidan Carter from nearby St. Thomas Aquinas, Andrew Kretkowski from Rutgers Prep, and Joel Patrick from Union, among others. The last two played right away, but Carter had to sit 30 days due to NJSIAA transfer rules.

A beautifully-voiced singer once told us it’s “never as good as the first time,” but this one proved the exception to the rule.

The Falcons won their first 16 games before taking a loss, a 55-54 defeat on the road at South Plainfield. It prompted a nearly 45-minute postgame meeting in the visiting lockerroom, but Taylor later called it the best thing that could have happened to his team.

It must have been, because they won their next 13 games, too – blitzing through the GMC Tournament to win the championship, making it all the way to Jackson for the Non-Public South A finals, where they eventually lost to St. Peter’s Prep, a juggernaut that beat five different Central Jersey Sports Radio-area squads this year.

And while they may not have finished the year No. 1 – that went to Gill St. Bernard’s, which won its division, county tournament, state sectional and first-ever state championship – the Falcons’ turnaround and league title earns Team of the Year honors from Central Jersey Sports Radio.

By the way, the Falcons aren’t done yet. Who knows what Taylor has up his sleeve for next year, with Alijah Muprhy the biggest senior graduation, as the core of Kretkowksi, Carter and Patrick will return.

Click below to hear from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Boys’ Basketball Team of the Year, including juniors Aidan Carter and Andrew Kretkowski, along with head coach Mark Taylor:

by Mike Pavlichko

Four titles earns Gill St. Bernard’s No. 1 ranking in final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

When high school basketball teams open their preseason, hitting the gym in earnest for the first time, they can set all kinds of different goals. For most with high-end aspirations, there are four main ones: win the division, win the county, win a sectional, win a state championship.

In 2025-26, it was check, check, check, and check one more time for Gill St. Bernard’s. And that’s why they finish as the No. 1 team in the final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings of the year.

With a mark of 28-2, the Knights won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, and while they played though the division only once due to the new alignment, they decided to play Rutgers Prep twice anyway, the last meeting coming after the SCT seeding meeting, and took both matchups. They then beat the Argonauts in the Somerset County Tournament final, went on to avenge a defeat at the hands of Roselle Catholic in the Non-Public Group B title game, then put on a defensive masterclass in the Non-Public B state final at Rutgers, beating Holy Cross Prep of Delran to win the program’s first state title in school history

The Knights are followed by a very close second in St. Joseph-Metuchen. In their first season under alum Mark Taylor – in his second go-round coaching the Falcons – they went 29-2, their lone loss coming to South Plainfield by one on the road before falling in the Non-Public South A final to St. Peter’s Prep – which, by the way, beat every Central Jersey Sports Radio-area team it played this year: Colonia, Gill St. Bernard’s, Rutgers Prep, St. Thomas Aquinas (twice) and St. Joe’s.

Montgomery finishes in third. At 26-5, the two-time defending champion Cougars won a third straight Central Jersey Group 4 title, but this time had to go on the road to do it after being the top seed each of the last two seasons. Not only did they win at top-seed Hillsborough in the final, but the Cougars dominated Cherry Hill East in the Group 4 semifinals, and made it all the way to Rutgers for the state Group 4 final, where they lost back on Saturday to Plainfield for a second straight season, in a tight game most of the way.

Close behind in fourth is Colonia, which finished 21-11 after a 2-6 start, and having lost several key starters, including Aiden Derkack (transfer to Spire Academy in Ohio) and R.J. Wortman (early football enrolee at Rutgers) among others. The Patriots bowed out to Piscataway in a tight GMC Tournament semifinal game, but wound up getting the top-seed in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3, and won the sectional title for a fifth straight year, and sixth time in the last seven playoff seasons, all under head coach Jose Rodriguez. They made their first state final ever, too, but fell to Ocean City Sunday in the Group 3 finals at Rutgers, giving the Red Raiders their first state title in over 60 years.

Checking in at five is Piscataway (23-8). The Chiefs – despite a lack of height – were tough again in the GMC Red American Division this year, and took St. Joe’s to overtime in early January. They made it all the way to the county final, where they fell to the Falcons in the title game, and bowed out of a brutal North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 playoff section in the semifinals to eventual state Group 4 champion Plainfield.

At six, it’s Rutgers Prep (18-10). The Argonauts still had Will Brunson, but had to deal with the loss of Andrew Kretkowski, who transferred to St. Joseph-Metuchen. But they still showed out this season, reaching the Somerset County Tournament final, where it was another battle with Gill St. Bernard’s, who won the championship.

Hillsborough (22-8) checks in at No. 7, after putting together their first 20-win season under head coach Tim Palek, who just wrapped up his fifth season on the bench. The Raiders had fans enthralled through their playoff run, with an exciting win over Jackson Twp. in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, and they took Montgomery to overtime in the championship before taking the loss.

At No. 8, it’s Immaculata (21-7), the Skyland Conference Raritan Division champs. Season highlights included a home win over in-town rival Somerville, and handing Bridgewater-Raritan its first loss on the road after an 8-0 start by the Panthers.

The last three teams were unranked in the final poll before the postseason.

East Brunswick comes in at nine – going 21-7 this season, and winning the GMC Red National Division with an 8-0 mark – while two others share the tenth and final spot.

We put Perth Amboy (22-6) in at the ten spot along with Manville (19-9), honoring two teams for their full body of work, teams that might not otherwise get recognized in a crowded field of 48 teams between Middlesex and Somerset Counties. The Panthers won their first division title since 1993, claiming the GMC’s White American with an unblemished 12-0 record. The Mustangs, meanwhile, were Skyland Conference Mountain Division champions at 8-0, and beat rival Bound Brook twice this season, with the first of their two victories being their first against the Crusaders in 20 years.

Dropping out were Pingry (13-10) and South Plainfield (18-11).

Below is the complete final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for 2025-26:

by Nick Hart

St. Peter’s Prep outlasts St. Joseph-Metuchen, captures Non-Public South A championship

When two of the top non-public teams in the state face off, fans anticipate an exhilarating game, and that is exactly what transpired. St. Peter’s Prep defeated St. Joseph-Metuchen 59-46 despite early offensive struggles.  

With a first-quarter score more fit for a baseball game, 7-5 in favor of the Falcons (29-2), it seemed as though offense would be at a premium in this one.  Aiden Carter, five points, and Andrew Kretkowski, two points, were the only two St Joe’s players to record points in the first quarter, while Oscar Martinez knocked down a triple, along with a bucket from Caden Post, accounted for all of the Marauders’ scoring in the first eight minutes. 

As the second quarter progressed, both teams struggled to get the scoring started, as the Falcons could not find production from players other than Kretkowski and Carter, who combined for the 10 points in the quarter. Carter finished the first half with an impressive 11 of his team’s 17 points.  

Conversely, St. Peter’s Prep saw five different players tally a basket, with Richie Rosa leading the way with four points in the second stanza. St. Joe’s has a chance to take the lead with the last possession of the half, but missed three straight open threes as the final seconds ticked away. With two vastly different quarters, things were all knotted up at 17 when the horn sounded at the end of the first half. 

Coming out of the break, both teams continued to trade shots back and forth, yet defense was still the leading factor. At points, the Marauders looked to be pulling away, but defensive stops turned into offensive chances, allowing the Falcons to keep the game within one possession for most of the quarter. The defensive effort for St. Joes was punctuated by 6-foot-10 center Joel Patrick, who pinned a layup attempt against the glass to keep it a one-score game entering the fourth as St. Peter’s led 33-31 with eight minutes left to decide a champion.

Up to this point, it had been anybody’s game, with either side coming through in big moments. But ultimately, it was one aspect of the game where the Marauders outshone the Falcons, and that was shooting from long range. 

St Peter’s knocked down six triples in the second half, compared to just two by St. Joes which ended up being the difference on the scoreboard. While the scoreboard told one story after the made baskets, the Falcons’ players and fans told a different story. With each three that fell it seemed as though the energy of St. Joe’s did as well.  Mason Santiago and Martinez led the three-point barrage in the second half, pouring in all six made by the Marauders. 

When the clock struck triple zero, it was St Peter’s who emerged with a 13-point victory and a trip to the Non-Public A championship.

For the Falcons, the end goal was not achieved, but there is a lot of success to build on from head coach Mark Taylor’s first season at the helm. Without a senior in its starting rotation, St Joe’s could very well run back the same rotation next season.

“We’re gonna be back.. and we are going to come back with a vengeance next year”

Despite not achieving the goal he and his team set out for at the beginning of the season, Taylor had one message for his squad.

Click below for post game reaction from St. Joseph head coach Mark Taylor with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart:

by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA switches South Jersey non-public finals sites due to travel concerns, moves Rutgers Prep girls and St. Joseph-Metuchen title games

Typically, the NJSIAA has its sites chosen for neutral site state tournament games well in advance. And the championship games for the same sections are placed at the same venues, that way one school doesn’t have its boys’ and girls’ teams playing at the same time at different locations.

But one thing has been an issue among schools in the “south” half of the state, at least according to NJSIAA geography: travel.

And now that the non-public sectional finals are set after Thursday night games, the NJSIAA is making a change

Originally, Non-Public South B finals were supposed to be at Jackson Twp. High School (formerly Jackson Liberty), while the South A finals were to be held at Lenape H.S. in Medford Lakes.

But on Friday, the NJSIAA announced a change. All the South A finals have been moved from Lenape to Jackson, while the South B finals are going from Jackson to Lenape.

Locally, that means the South A boys’ final between St. Joseph-Metuchen and St. Peter’s Prep – yes, both are considered “south” due to the prevalence of teams up in North Jersey and the paucity of teams in South Jersey – will be in Jackson, while Rutgers Prep’s game against Gloucester Catholic for the South B girls’ title will be down at Lenape.

All the times remain the same, with St. Joe’s playing at 5 pm and Rutgers Prep at 7 pm.

There had been some chatter on social media about the methodology that left two teams from Middlesex and Hudson Counties playing a title game in Burlington County. It’s unknown, however, whether anyone from the participating schools contacted the NJSIAA about the matter.

None of the Non-Public North games were changed.

NON-PUBLIC SOUTH FINALS SCHEDULE

At Jackson Twp. (formerly Jackson Liberty)

  • South A Boys’ Final: (4) St. Joseph-Metuchen vs. (3) St. Peter’s Prep, 5 pm
  • South A Girls’ Final: (2) St. John Vianney vs. (1) Red Bank Catholic, 7 pm

At Lenape

  • South B Boys’ Final: (5) Bishop Eustace vs. (2) Holy Cross, 5 pm
  • South B Girls’ Final: (1) Rutgers Prep vs. (2) Gloucester Catholic, 7 pm
by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – GMC Tournament Boys’ Final: (1) St. Joseph-Metuchen 91, (2) Piscataway 61

Andrew Kretkowski had a career-high 32 points, had ten rebounds, and was named tournament MVP as top-seed St. Joseph of Metuchen beat second-seed East Brunswick, 91-61, to win their record 13th GMC Tournament championship, and first since 2019.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the play-by-play from Monroe Township High School on February 20, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – GMC Tournament Boys’ Semifinals: (1) St. Joseph-Metuchen 63, (5) St. Thomas Aquinas 51

Aidan Carter scored a game-high 24 points while Joel Patrick grabbed 14 rebounds to send No. 1 seed St. Joseph-Metuchen to the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament title game for the first time since 2019, with a 63-51 win in the semifinal round over fifth-seed St. Thomas Aquinas.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Vin Ebenau call all the play-by-play from Monroe Township High School on February 18, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Thomas Aquinas had opportunities, but St. Joseph-Metuchen prevails, 63-51, in GMC Tournament semis, as Taylor leads alma mater back to finals

Mark Taylor won two GMC Tournament championships in his first go-round as the head coach at his alma mater. But right now he’s a win away from what may be his masterpiece.

St. Joseph-Metuchen hasn’t been to the league’s championship game since 2019 the last of a ten-year stretch in which they appeared every year, and won nine of ten titles, the first eight under Dave Turco, the second eight under Mike Thompson, a teammate of Taylor’s with the Falcons in their playing days.

But now, they are back, in Taylor’s first year in his second stint at the Metuchen school, after a 63-51 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in the GMC Tournament semifinals, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

It wasn’t the most convincing win, but considering they’ve been knocked off once this year, 55-54 by South Plainfield on January 27th, Taylor will take it.

The turning point of the game might actually have been the first six minutes of the ball game. If not, it was certainly the most consequential moment. While top-seeded St. Joe’s built an eleven-point lead, they held the Trojans off the ball until the 2:08 mark of the first. Had they hit just a couple of buckets, the second half – and the final result – might have been different.

Joe’s (25-1) led by 13 at the half, 38-25. But fifth-seed Aquinas (11-14) got it to nine with six minutes left in the third, and 43-25 with 3:25 to go. But the Falcons went on a 10-1 run and led again by 13 heading into the fourth.

And still, St. Thomas was back for more. And and-one opportunity with a missed free-throw by Albion Ahmetaj cut it to eight with 4:38 left in the game. But with Dan Jennings and his brother, Jared, in foul trouble, that was as close as they would get.

Meanwhile, Aquinas transfer Aidan Carter had another monster game with 22 points, going 11-of-13 from the foul line. He led all scorers in the game, as he did at the half when he had 17 points. Big man Andrew Kretkwoski, the transfer in from Rutgers Prep, scored 18.

St. Thomas was led by Dan Jennings’ 15, including two triples, the first of which got Aquinas on the board late in the first quarter.

St. Joseph will go for its 13th GMC title Friday night at 8 pm when the Falcons take on second-seed Piscataway, which is back in the final for a second year in a row after a 64-59 win over third-seed Colonia Wednesday night. That will follow the girls’ final at 6 pm at Monroe Twp. High School, which features top-seed and six-time defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas taking on second-seed East Brunswick. Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live coverage of both games.

Click below for postgame reaction with St. Joseph of Metuchen junior Aidan Carter and head coach Mark Taylor, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Nearly-perfect St. Joseph-Metuchen seeks first trip back to GMCT finals since 2010s run as Falcons face rejuvenated St. Thomas Aquinas in all-parochial semifinal Wednesday

The St. Joseph-Metuchen boys’ basketball program hit its peak in the 2010s, making every GMC Tournament final in that decade, and wining nine of them, with just one loss – to Colonia in 2015.

Wednesday night down at Monroe Township High School, the top-seeded Falcons (24-1) will seek to get back to that game for the first time since 2019 when they take on fifth-seed St. Thomas Aquinas (11-3) in an all parochial school semifinal, immediately following an all-public matchup between Piscataway and two-time defending champion Colonia.

You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with tip-off at 7 pm and pregame at 6:45 as Mike Pavlichko and Vin Ebenau call the action, immediately following the Chiefs and Patriots in their 5 pm opener. Click here to listen.

Both teams are intriguing stories this year. In the off-season, St. Joseph parted ways with Karl Towns, Sr., the father of Karl-Anthony Towns of the NBA’s Knicks. That reunion lasted one season, as Towns frequently missed Falcons’ games to watch his son play.

Enter Mark Taylor: a St. Joe’s alum, who later coached them and future NBA players like Jay Williams and Andrew Bynum. Following stops at Ridge and St. Benedict’s, he’s back in Metuchen, and with an influx of transfer talent like Aidan Carter (from St. Thomas Aquinas) and Andrew Kretkowski (from Rutgers Prep), the Falcons have had a nearly-perfect season. Their lone loss came to South Plainfield in a road stunner, 55-54. Still, they were the GMC Red American Division champions, going 8-0 in divisional play.

On the other side, Tom Weiler is the first-year head coach of the Trojans, and worked briefly as an assistant under Bob Turco during the COVID-season, when STA lost to Colonia in the league’s top postseason pod – there was no full GMC Tournament that year. Turco left for Piscataway after the 2023-24 season, and Weiler came on board following an awkward season where Austin Whitehurst was let go mid-year due to off-the-court issues, and Victor Verdecia finished out the year.

Weiler’s first job was changing the culture around the program, and it’s been a grind this year, to be sure. They’re two games below .500 and finished 2-6 in the Red American Division – fourth place out of five – with their divisional wins coming over Old Bridge.

They also have a transfer from the other school, Dan Jennings, who headed south down Plainfield Avenue last season. He and Albion Ahmetaj are the team’s top two scorers, at 14.1 and 14.2 points per game, respectively. Ahmetaj is a big with 53 blocks, and is thee team’s top rebounder at 10.7 per game. Then, there’s Zymere Weaver, a sophomore who’s also the starting quarterback on the football team, and has a team-best 70 assists and 33 steals.

St. Joe’s is led by Carter, the STA transfer, who had to sit out the first 30 days of the season. That’s one reason the Falcons opened the season as early as they could – and earlier than everyone else – with a 103-36 blowout of Wesley College from Australia, to start that 30-day clock as soon as possible. Once he stepped on the floor, the winning margins (minus that season-opening blowout) got larger and larger. Carter is averaging a double-double – 17.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game – while Kretkowski is scoring 17 a game and has 22 treys. Junior Imaad Johnson has 33 to lead the Falcons, who are scoring about 12 more points per game on the whole than Aquinas.

Click below for preview interviews with both head coaches:

St. Joseph-Metuchen head coach Mark Taylor with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Vin Ebenau
St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Tom Weiler with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko
by Mike Pavlichko

Last Bellamy & Son Paving Boys Top Ten before season’s end sees first four hold, but rest shuffle as Piscataway, Colonia rise

In the final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten before the end of the season, The top four teams remained the same, while most of the rest got shuffled around, with Piscataway and Colonia trending upward.

Gill St. Bernard’s (20-2) remains No. 1, having won 16 straight, including two games last week. The Knight edged No. 3 Rutgers Prep Thursday in Somerset in a potential Somerset County Tournament final preview, 73-68. Then, Saturday, they beat Ridge in the SCT quarterfinals, 71-53. Gill will play Immaculata at 4 pm this Saturday in the SCT semis at Franklin High School.

Holding at No. 2 is St. Joseph-Metuchen (21-1). The Falcons swept their two games last week over a pair of GMC opponents: Sayreville on Tuesday, 66-55, and at St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday, 76-38.

Holding in third is Rutgers Prep (15-7), which went 2-1 in the week gone by. Monday, they beat Watchung Hills at home, 93-54, then lost to No. 1 Gill St. Bernards, 83-68, at home Thursday night. The Knights bounced back Saturday in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, rolling past Bridgewater-Raritan, 85-58. Their semifinal will be Saturday against Montgomery at 10 am at Franklin High School, a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

On a 3-0 week, Montgomery (19-3) holds in fourth, winners of eleven straight. After opening with a non-conference win at St. Joe’s of Montvale on Wednesday, the Cougars topped Bridgewater-Raritan on the road, 49-42. Saturday, they beat rival Hillsborough, 53-38, in the SCT quarterfinals, setting up a date with Rutgers Prep this coming Saturday at Franklin High School, a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Moving up two spots to fifth is Piscataway (17-6). The Chiefs had a perfect week, starting with an 84-47 win Tuesday at Woodbridge. They came back home for a Friday non-league win over Franklin, 71-69, then won Saturday at Columbia, 59-51.

Immaculata (16-5) holds in sixth. The Spartans opened the week Tuesday with an 85-50 win over Pioneer Academy, but then lost to No. 8 Hillsborough Thursday night, 78-64. But they bounced back strong, rallying in the second half for a 72-28 win at Pingry in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals. Immaculata will play defending champion Gill St. Bernard’s Saturday at Franklin High School at 4 pm in the semifinals.

Checking in at seven is Colonia (14-8), rising three spots this week. The Patriots had a rough start adjusting to graduation and other losses, but have won eight straight, including four last week. After a 55-47 win over Bayonne on Monday, Colonia won 56-51 at Newark Collegiate Wednesday, 64-52 at Old Bridge Thursday, and capped it with a mammoth win at Wall, the No. 17 team in New Jersey, 52-46.

Hillsborough (15-6) holds at No. 8 on the strength of a 2-1 week. The Raiders beat Watchung Hills, 66-53, on Tuesday, then won at No. 6 Immaculata Thursday, 78-64, before falling 53-38 at Montgomery Saturday in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals.

Down four spots to nine is Pingry (11-7), which lost twice last week. Wednesday, they fell at Franklin, 63-59. On Saturday, they got knocked out of the Somerset County Tournament in the quarterfinal round, with a 72-68 loss to Immaculata.

And dropping one spot to tenth is South Plainfield (13-9), which split a pair of games last week. After a 74-72 win at Old Bridge Tuesday, they lost a non-conference game to a solid Chatham team, 59-57.

Click below for the full Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 9: