Senior QB Matt McKeever threw for 115 yards and a touchdown while senior runningback Gavin Schnall ran for 103 yards and a score to help Summit beat Edison, 20-0, in a Big Central Conference crossover game. Jackson Marx matched a season-high with a 37-yard field goal, going two-for-two with another 30-yarder as well.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play live from Investors Bank Stadium at Tatlock Field in Summit, NJ, on September 24, 2026:
On the field before Thursday night’s home game against Edison, Summit head coach Kevin Kostibos was asked about his defense, which has bee giving up just over 19 points a game through the first four this year.
His response was that they’ve played well, but big plays had been the difference.
Well, they didn’t give up many against the Eagles, and the ones they did didn’t matter, as they shutout Edison 20-0 at Tatlock Field in the Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, and heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
In fact, they held Edison to turnovers on downs on the Eagles’ first two possessions, the first of which stopped then on the Hilltopper 15 yard line.
Offensively, Summit did enough to win against an Edison defense that was, in the main, up to the task – if only they could have put some points on the board.
Gavin Schnall rushed 17 times for 100 yard and a six-yard score in the fourth quarter. QB Matt McKeever threw for 115 and a 33-yard touchdown to Will Heil in the first quarter. And Jackson Mark went 2-for-2 on PATs and 2-for-2 on field goals, matching his season high of 37 yards late in the third.
Summit moves to 3-2 with the win ahead of a trip to Watchung Hills next week. Edison drops to 1-4 but has the first of three home games coming up next week as East Brunswick rolls into town.
Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas with Summit QB Matt McKeever, RB Gavin Schnall, head coach Kevin Kostibos and Athletic Director Allison Flockhar, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
Governor Livingston 28, Lyndhurst 20
Junior runningback Elijah Garcia ran for two touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass as the Highlanders one back-to-back games for the first time this season, taking a road win at Lyndhurst in Bergen County.
Sophomore QB Colin Hughes also threw a pair of touchdown passes in the win, which gets the Highlanders to 3-2 on the year, heading into a Saturday home game next week against Johnson, the first of three straight home games the next few weeks for Governor Livingston.
It’s been an up-and-down four weeks for Summit football.
After starting the season in style by scoring the first 23 points in a win over Colonia, the Hilltoppers have traded wins and losses over the next three weeks to get to 2-2 on the season. Summit suffered another setback last week, as the Hilltoppers fell to Cranford 29-0 last Friday night.
Summit has another chance to bounce back when they host Edison on Thursday night in one of two Big Central Games of the Week here in Week Four, which you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call. Kickoff is at 6:30, pregame at 6:15. Click here to listen.
Offensively, the Hilltoppers have leaned heavily on the duo of quarterback Matt McKeever and running back Gavin Schnall, who have combined for 679 yards of offense on the ground – 72 percent of Summit’s total offensive yardage – through the first four games of the year.
While Summit is primarily a run-oriented offense, McKeever has had no shortage of targets when he’s dropped back to pass. Six different Hilltopper receivers have pitched in, led by Lucas Kubeck with three catches for 52 yards.
Summit also boasts a veteran-heavy defense, led by McKeever at middle linebacker with a team-high 49 tackles. On the defensive line, Max Zucker made the move from the secondary before the season and has quickly made his presence felt with 21 tackles and two sacks. Jackson Marx leads the Hilltoppers’ secondary with 30 tackles and three tackles-for loss, with JT Zobel making 20 tackles, three tackles-for-loss and a team-high two interceptions.
Summit now has a chance to get back over .500 against an Edison team that is coming off of its first win of the season against North Brunswick last week.
Click here to listen to Summit head coach Kevin Kostibos talk about the matchup against Edison with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
After three tough losses to open the season, Edison got its 22026 campaign headed in the right direction in Game Four on Week Three. (We know, it doesn’t make any sense. Just roll with it.)
That’s when they exploded for 34 points – after scoring just 14 in their first three games – in a ten-point win over North Brunswick, with senior Shaun Garland having himself a day.
Their biggest standout, the senior scored four times on runs of one, seven and 18 yards, while also picking off a second quarter pass and taking it 33 yards to the house.
They’ll need a mirror image of that effort, and maybe more, when the Eagles (1-3) travel to Summit for a rare Thursday night game at Investors Bank Stadium at Tatlock Field up in Union County.
It’s our Thursday night Big Central Game of the Week presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, with kickoff slated for 6:30 pm. Pregame starts at 6:15 with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call; click here to listen.
The first three games weren’t exactly pretty for Edison – a 35-0 loss to Union, 14-8 loss at Woodbridge, and a 41-6 loss two weeks ago at Sayreville, their only road game so far. But they certainly have some pieces.
Beyond Garland, who’s actually the team’s second-leading rusher, though he has a team best four touchdowns, there’s senior Michael Florentino with 245 yards on 53 carries, both team bests. The Eagles won’t throw the ball much, as senor Ryan Toth – who transferred in from Metuchen before the 2025 season – has only attempted 41 passes on the year; the team has yet to record a receiving touchdown.
Among their most active on defense are two seniors: defensive back Maki Williams (23 tackles, 14 solo, 1 sack, 2 TFLs) and linebacker Logan Ulozas (a team-high 29 tackles). And, of course, there’s Garland, who plays up front, and had a big pick-six against the Raiders in last week’s win.
It’s only the second-ever meeting between Edison and Summit. Their first came in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, with the Eagles taking a 20-17 win on Mischief Night.
Click below to hear Edison head coach Matt Yascko talk about the Eagles’ season so far and Thursday night’s matchup at Summit with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
There’s a proud tradition around the Summit football program, whether it’s one of their championship seasons or not.
Coming off a North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 finals appearance in 2025, this year’s Hilltoppers – who will now be playing in Group 4 thanks to the recent NJSIAA reclassification – are looking to finish the job.
And right off the bat in 2026, things looked good. Friday afternoon, senior Jackson Marx returned the opening kickoff from Colonia 96 yards for a score to put his team up 6-0 before the Patriots even got the ball in their hands.
Things snowballed from there, with Summit taking a 23-0 lead in the second quarter on a 32-yard field goal from Marx, and touchdown runs from Matt McKeever and Gavin Schnall.
And then the pendulum swung. Colonia cut it to 23-7 by halftime. They got a third quarter touchdown to pull within eight. Then, with a few minutes to go in regulation, Colonia looked poised to send the game to OT after a 10-yard touchdown run by Kyle Bell. Going for two to tie, Jackson Marx got in front of a receiver along the right sideline, inside the five, and picked off the pass to preserve the two-point lead.
The only way it could have been dramatic was if it were the last play of the game. It wasn’t, as Summit got the ball back and was forced to punt, but Colonia couldn’t make any headway on the ensuing possession, and the Hilltoppers escaped with a two-point W, 23-21.
For his efforts, Jackson Marx is the first Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Player of the Week, for Week Zero, in 2026.
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko with Week Zero Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Jackson Marx of Summit:
The Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week is chosen from nominees by Big Central coaches. At the end of the season, one player will be chosen to receive a $500 scholarship courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving. As always, we will recognize selected “Honorable Mentions,” and recognize all other all nominees in our weekly story.
Honorable Mentions:
Other Notable Performances:
There was little change from the preseason in the latest Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with Phillipsburg remaining atop the rankings, while two other teams flip-flopped and two others near the bottom dropped out with losses in their opening games.
Phillipsburg remained at No. 1 after a season-opening 28-21 win over Parkland (PA) at Maloney Stadium. The Stateliners open the season with three straight Pennsylvania opponents, and this week, they cross the “state line” to go play Emmaus (PA) Friday night at 7.
St. Joseph-Metuchen was idle, and remains in the No. 2 spot. The Falcons will welcome in No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan (1-0) Saturday for a 1 pm matinee to kick off their 2026 campaign.
Piscataway won its opener, hanging on with a goal line stand to win 26-20 at East Orange, moving them up one spot to No. 3 in the rankings. They’ll play host to No. 5 Somerville – their first meeting since 1987 – Friday night at 6 in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Old Bridge dropped a tough 43-35 decision to Shawnee out of the West Jersey Football League Friday down at the Battle at the Beach in Ocean City. The drops them one spot to fourth this week. Friday night at 6, they visit Montgomery.
Rounding out the top five is Somerville. The Pioneers beat South Plainfield in their opener at Brooks Field, 40-21, on Friday night, and this week, travel to No. 3 Piscataway. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 6 pm.
Bridgewater-Raritan holds in the No. 6 position after opening the season with a dominating 28-7 win at then-No. 8 Woodbridge Friday night, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. This week, it’s a tough test at No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, Saturday at 1 pm at Brenner Family Field.
Sayreville also won its opener, beating Plainfield 23-19 Friday night. That lets them keep the seventh position. The Bombers will host Ridge this Friday at 6:30 pm.
Summit moves up a spot to No. 8 after beating Colonia at home Friday afternoon, 23-21, with Jackson Marx intercepting a two-point conversion just outside the goal line late in the fourth-quarter to help preserve a lead that ended up being the final margin. This week, they visit Rahway for a 6:00 start Friday night.
Jumping in at nine is Elizabeth, one of two new teams in this week’s rankings. The Minutemen were 53-6 winners at Carteret on Friday night, and will visit Plainfield this Friday for a 6 pm kickoff.
The other new team is St. Thomas Aquinas, which won its opener out in Sheepshead Bay over Frank J. Macchiarola (NY), 36-12. The Trojans are back in action Friday, when Westfield visits North Edison for a 6 pm kickoff.
Below is the complete 2026 Week One Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:
Dropping out this week are previous No. 8 Woodbridge and previous No. 10 Bernards. The Barrons lost to Bridgewater-Raritan, 28-7, Friday night, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, while the Mountaineers fell 26-20 at Rutherford Friday night.
The storm threat that wiped out much of Thursday night’s schedule in the Big Central Conference and across New Jersey meant a busy Friday in the league, with plenty of coverage from our Central Jersey Sports Radio team.
No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan dominated No. 8 Woodbridge up front on both sides of the ball in a 28-7 road win heard on CJSR, while Highland Park blanked New Brunswick 29-0 in another live broadcast heard on CJSR; it was the Owls’ first shutout win in 15 years, since a 37-0 victory at now-shuttered Cardinal McCarrick in South Amboy on Halloween 2011.
Meanwhile, Delaware Valley blanked North Hunterdon at home, 17-0, in a game covered by CJSR football analyst Marcus Borden.
Scroll through for other game recaps and interviews, plus all Friday night (and Thursday) scores, as well as the schedule for Saturday afternoon.
Highlanders score big in season opener over Dayton…
Coming off a 5-5 season, expectations are high for Governor Livingston, which returns a tremendous amount of talent. And nearly everyone got into the act Friday afternoon in a BCC crossover matinee against Dayton.
Five different players scored in a 40-27 win over visiting the Bulldogs, including a pair of touchdown runs for 38- and 16-yards from junior Mateo Liloia.
Junior Connor Jakubowski opened the scoring with a ten-yard touchdown catch courtesy of sophomore QB Colin Hughes, who was 7-of-11 for 122 yards and two touchdown passes. Elijah Garcia added 195 yards and a score on 30 carries.
The Highlanders led 13-7 after one quarter, 27-13 at halftime, and never trailed in the game.
Raiders pick up win in Game One after winless ’25…
Coming off a winless campaign in 2025, North Brunswick was all business in the preseason, and at least for the Raiders’ opener, everything clicked on all cylinders.
They beat Snyder out of Jersey City Friday night at home, 39-8, the Raiders’ largest margin of victory since a 43-7 win at East Brunswick in mid-October 2023. They finished 8-1 that year.
Senior Sal Fama-Linn scored three times, all in the first half, after Josh Jeanty scored the opening touchdown of the game on a run. Fama-Linn caught a 94-yard pass from QB Jasiah Hogans to make it 13-0, and added another TD run and a catch in the second quarter to give the Raiders a 27-0 lead at the break. They also got a TD run from Hogans, a field goal from Engels Coello, and recorded a safety.
Other Notes…
FRIDAY SCOREBOARD
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
THURSDAY SCOREBOARD
Most seasons, in most sports – at least as far as we’re concerned – are a crap shoot when it comes to preseason rankings.
It is, of course, impossible to get to see all 59 teams we cover in the Big Central Conference. There are scrimmages, but no true preseason games like in the pros. Coaches are going to talk up their teams, whether they were 1-8, 5-5, or 14-0 and state champs. Sometimes that 1-8 team will have a big turnaround, sometimes a sectional champ will lose a lot of players.
We do our best to weigh who’s coming back, and who graduated, but more often than not, we’ll give the top teams from the year before the benefit of the doubt: a place in the Top Ten is theirs to lose.
And of course, it’s never where you start, but where you finish. And rankings based on opinion are just that: opinion – no matter how objective we try to be.
Nevertheless, there’s a little bit of both in the 2026 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio High School Football Preseason Top Ten, starting at the top.
Phillipsburg opens the season at No. 1, coming off a 10-3 season a year ago in which they reached their fourth straight sectional final, and won their second straight North 2, Group 4 title. Though they’re expected (official classifications are not out yet) to bump up to Group 5 this year due to the “success formula” for open-enrollment and similar type schools, that doesn’t affect who they play in the regular season. They’ve got a bunch back, and should be solid again.
St. Joseph-Metuchen begins the year at No. 2, up one spot, coming off a very good 8-2 season in which they beat all eight of their Big Central Conference opponents before falling in their regular season finale to Donovan Catholic, and in the opening round of the playoffs to Bergen Catholic.
Old Bridge has lost some key talent, but the Knights are coming off a 10-2 season in which they were one of only two BCC schools in Group 3 or higher to win ten games. The Knights – who went to the Central Jersey Group 5 title game last year, will start the season at No. 3.
Right behind them at No. 4 is Piscataway, which was 8-3, and beat to Old Bridge in the regular season by a touchdown, but was knocked out of the playoffs in the sectional semis. The Chiefs, however, bring back an experienced group led by Landon Pernell at quarterback.
Checking in at No. 5 is Somerville. The Pioneers had a surprising early exit from the playoffs in the first round last year, but finished 8-2 and are expected to be right back in the mix for the division and a sectional title this year. At 20-3 over the past two seasons under Matt Bloom, with a Central Jersey Group 3 title in 2024, that’s the expectation every year, and they have the horses.
Checking in at No. 6 is last year’s North Jersey, Section 2 Group 4 champion, Bridgewater-Raritan. The Panthers were 6-3 heading into the playoffs last year, but won all three games in their section – including a thriller in the final against Bayonne – to claim their first-ever sectional title. Still, they face some significant losses, and they’ll work to earn their way back up in ’26.
Sayreville will begin the year at No. 7, taking a huge blow in the loss of Shaun Jackson, who led the Big Central in rushing each of the last two seasons. Still, that’s a program, and alum Mark Poore has done a great job his first two years, and they will remain in the mix this season.
Woodbridge – which will start at No. 8 – finished out of the Top Ten at the end of 2025, but coming off an 8-3 season in Year two under veteran mentor Joe Goerge – after going 10-1 his first year – we know the Barrons are well-coached, and that Goerge can adapt his offensive system to the talent he has, and there certainly is talent in the cupboard.
Summit checks in at No. 9, coming off a 9-3 season and a trip to the North 2, Group 3 final last year, where they lost to West Morris. They dealt with all kinds of injury adversity last year, and this well-coached program will again be highly-competitive.
Bernards comes in at No. 10, and another tremendous regular season, despite a firs-round playoff loss. The numbers speak for itself: The Mountaineers haven’t lost to a Big Central opponent since September of 2022, a defeat at the hands of Hillside. Since then, they have won 32 straight BCC contests, three shy of the record 35 set by St. Thomas Aquinas, which came to an end last year. Since the start of 2022, Bernards has an overall record of 40-5, by far the best in the league over that stretch.
Below is the complete 2026 preseason Bellamy & Son Paving High School Football Top Ten:
Hillside is out of the Big Central Conference United Gold Division – moving to the Patriot Gold – but the four-team group won’t be any less challenging this year. While Summit may look a little different with the graduation of Alex Schwark, the well-coached group will likely be a preseason favorite to win it, but Cranford and Carteret may have something to say about that, while Scotch Plains-Fanwood will look to make strides in its third season led by Shawn Johnson.
Here are the preliminary schedules for the United Gold 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.
Summit Hilltoppers (9-3, 4-0, United Gold Division Champions)
Head Coach: Kevin Kostibos (14th season, 91-41)
The Hilltoppers were able to deal with a Spring 2024 lacrosse injury that kept Cole Sabol on the sideline – but helping his replacements immensely as an extra “coach” – by rotating the mobile Alex Schwark and passer Matt McKeever. Sabol and Schwark both have graduated, but McKeever returns after going 57-for-110 for 877 yards and four touchdowns. They will miss Schwark’s 1,274 rushing yards and 12 TDs, though, so head coach Kevin Kostibos will have to figure some things out again this year, too, after Summit reached its first sectional final since 2018, falling to West Morris. The defense – which had 21 sacks and 12 picks last year – will be challenged, with Gavin Schnall the biggest contributing junior in what was a senior-heavy unit last year. The linebacker had a sack, 16 TFLs, three picks and one for a touchdown last season, along with 82 total tackles, third best on the team
Cranford Cougars (4-6, 2-2, 2nd place United Gold)
Head Coach: Erik Rosenmeier, 22nd season (140-74)
If you believe in the cyclical nature of high school sports, Cranford might have typified it over the past few years. They won the North 2, Group 3 title in 2021 at 11-1, then went a solid 7-3 the next year, but dipped to 4-5 in 2023 before going 7-3 again in ’24, then 4-6 last season. And a look at who’s back might just bear that out. Rising senior Aidan Capizzi threw for 1,460 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior, while sophomore Logan Murray carried it 82 times for 470 yards and nine scores. Those two make a nice 1-2 punch, along with two junior receivers who will be back for one last go-round: Luke Owens (343 yards, 4 TDs) and John Fiore (239 yards, 2 TDs), the son of former Spotswood and longtime Montclair coach, now Perth Amboy AD John Fiore. It looks like the defense will lose some significant pieces, but senior Luke Owens (2 sacks, 5 1/2 TFLs) will be back, along with Jaren Acinapura (2 1/2 TFLs, 1 forced fumble), among a few others.
Carteret Ramblers (4-5, 1-3, 3rd place United Gold)
Head Coach: Kevin Freeman, 5th season (22-18)
Head coach Kevin Freeman won seven games each of his first two seasons after the COVID pause and taking over for Matt Yascko, now at Edison, but after a couple of four-win seasons, the Ramblers may be back in form. They’ll have an experienced quarterback in Danyun McKill, but the real focal point of the offense is Al-Naiquan Boseman, who rushed for 1,397 yards on 186 carries last year and scored 14 touchdowns as a junior. Give the kid the rock and let him do his thing; that’s Carteret football. Masihah Long was disruptive on the defensive side as a junior last year, registering six sacks and 12 TFLs with a forced fumble as well, and this looks like a very manageable schedule.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders (2-7, 1-3 United Gold)
Head Coach: Shawn Johnson, 3rd season (4-15)
Head coach Shawn Johnson will have his work cut out for him in his third season, with his biggest offensive player – quarterback Logan Weiss and his 993 passing yards – gone to graduation. Sophomore runningback Gabe Gutierrez should be back, carrying nearly 100 times for 416 yards and a touchdown, while there are two promising receivers back: rising senior Yasir Oates (6 catches for 135 yards) and rising sophomore Joey Reeves (11 catches for 153 yards, 2 TD). The biggest defensive player back should be active lineman Nick Marranca, with two sacks, four TFLs, and three fumble recoveries. At Westfield is a tough opener.
Sometimes, we just can’t decide.
Here we were, four members of the Central Jersey Sports Radio staff, gathered at a local watering hole to determine all our Player of the Year honorees, and we had an easier time picking appetizers.
Then again, maybe that should have been a sign: We eventually settled on three of them.
For the 2025 CJSR Special Teams award, we hemmed and hawed, then just decided to heck with it. We’ll split it up and have a Special Teams Returner of the Year and a Special Teams Kicker of the Year.
Those awards go to South Plainfield’s Dominic Massaro and Summit’s Cooper Smoragiewicz, respectively.
Returner of the Year – Dominic Massaro, South Plainfield:
The biggest compliment an opponent can give to a returner is to not kick the ball to him.
And South Plainfield’s Dominic Massaro – Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Special Teams Returner of the Year for 2025 – was complimented a lot this fall.
When the ball did find Massaro on special teams, he was a game-breaker (and on one occasion, a game-winner). He returned three punts for touchdowns this season – including the only one in a Week Zero win over East Brunswick. Even when he didn’t score, he set up great field position, averaging nearly 45 yards per return.
Dominic Massaro is about as South Plainfield of an athlete as they come, a tough-nosed kid who plays multiple sports at the only level he knows how: turned all the way up to eleven.
Noted for his grind-it-out rushing style, in a three-year varsity career, he’s rushed for over 3,000 yards, a thousand each of the past two seasons and just 25 yards shy – with 975 – his sophomore year.
On special teams, he had two kick returns for touchdowns in 2023, and another in 2024, and this year had three punt returns for scores, including an 85-yarder in Week Zero against East Brunswick that turned out to be the game-winner in a 9-7 road victory on August 28th.
What helped him most in that regard? Playing baseball. His comfort tracking down fly balls in the outfield helps him get to the right spot on special teams, and once the ball is in his hands, his running back instincts take over.
Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Justin Sontupe speak with Dominic Massaro, our Special Teams Returner of the Year:
Kicker of the Year – Cooper Smoragiewicz, Summit
Last year, the Special Teams Player of the Year was Alexie Moriera of Phillipsburg, who kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired to give the Stateliners the North 2, Group 4 title.
This year, Summit’s Cooper Smoragiewicz won not one, but two playoff games with “walk-off” kicks. The first came in the opening round of the playoffs, a chip-shot from 19-yards out to beat Warren Hills, 24-21. The second came in the North 2, Group 3 semifinals from 34-yards out against West Essex, to send the Hilltoppers to the sectional finals with a 31-28 win.
In a season where six of Summit’s nine wins came by just three points – including those two playoff victories – Smoragiewicz was 24-of-24 on PATs.
Oh, and he’s just a sophomore, so there will be plenty more of his story to be written by the time he finished his senior season in 2027!
Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel speak with Cooper Smoragiewicz, our Special Teams Kicker of the Year:
Honorable Mentions:
