Tag: Summit

by Mike Pavlichko

Higgins Speed Lab presents the “Speedster of the Week,” honoring the top rushing performances in the Big Central Conference: Summit’s Alex Schwark is 2025’s first honoree!

Here’s one of our new features this season: the “Speedster of the Week,” presented by Higgins Speed Lab in South Brunswick! Each week, we’ll feature the top ten rushing performances in the Big Central Conference, with the top rusher being honored as the “Speedster of the Week.”

Higgins Speed Lab in South Brunswick was founded by Kyle Higgins, son of longtime Piscataway head coach and NJFCA Hall of Famer Dan Higgins. Kyle grew up around the program and remains a Chiefs’ assistant coach to this day. At Higgins Speed Lab, Kyle has developed a system to help athletes increase speed while in a competitive small group environment of similar age and skill.

Logo of Higgins Speed Lab, featuring bold lettering in black with a clean design.

They offer sport-specific training in football, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, baseball, golf, volleyball, track, gymnastics, and tennis. And “speed” isn’t their only focus. They’ll also work on proper running mechanics, plyometrics, acceleration/deceleration, top speed, linear and multi-directional speed, first-step quickness, endurance, strength, coordination, mobility and injury prevention.

We’ll have more with Kyle Higgins later this week, but in the meantime…

The Higgins “Speedster of the Week” for Week Zero is Alex Schwark of Summit! Alex is a senior quarterback who rushed for 247 yards and both of his team’s touchdowns on 14 carries to rally the Hilltoppers to a 14-11 season-opening win over Morristown back on Friday. His first score came from 43 yards out with 24 seconds left in the third quarter to cut an 11-0 deficit to four. He then scored from 46-yards out, giving his team the lead for good.

A senior quarterback, Alex Schwark, rushing with a football during a game. He has achieved 247 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 14-11 victory over Morristown.
Listen to the “Speedster of the Week” presented by Higgins Speed Lab!

Here are the rest of the top ten rushing performances this week in the Big Central:

  • Joshua Allen, Woodbridge: 182 yards and 2 TDs in a 14-0 win over Union
  • Brody Nugent, Old Bridge: 168 yards and 3 TDs in a 21-7 win over Cedar Creek in the Battle at the Beach at Rowan University
  • Reggie Osae-Aye, Hunterdon Central: 158 yards in a 36-28 win at North Hunterdon
  • Fiheem Howell, JFK: 157 yards and 1 TD in a 36-0 win over Perth Amboy
  • Shaun Jackson, Sayreville: 150 yards and 4 TDs in a 26-18 win at Colonia
  • Michai Coffee, New Brunswick: 142 yards and 1 TD in a 13-8 loss to Freehold Boro
  • Kamari Toney, South Brunswick: 133 yards and 1 TD in a 41-34 loss to Robbinsville
  • Josh D’Ambrosio, Manville: 123 yards and 2 TDs in a 19-6 win over Keyport
  • Aidan Bush, Somerville: 120 yards and 3 TD in a 34-17 win over Schalick

Disclaimer: All statistics are gathered from multiple public online sources. If someone is missing from this list, it likely means their coach has not updated statistics. All coaches are urged to do so no later than 11:59 pm on Sundays during the season.

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: United Gold Division

Here’s how challenging the Big Central Conference’s United Gold Division was in 2024:

Cranford finished with the best overall record at 7-3. Summit beat them in the regular season and swept four games to win the division, but the Cougars got them back in the opening round of the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Hillside – which went 5-5 – narrowly beat Carteret 7-0, while Cranford edged them by ten.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood should be improved in its second-year under head coach Shawn Johnson, who’s knowledgeable about his players from his years coaching youth football, and the Comets have a new coach, too, in six-year NFL veteran Isa Abdul-Kuddus.

It all should make for an interesting 2025 in the United Gold.

Click below to hear our preview of the United Gold Division from Big Central Conference Media Day:

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: Plenty of room to grow in United Gold Division for defending champ Summit and others in one of the best top-to-bottom divisions

The 2024 football season for the Big Central’s United Gold Division was on overall solid good one.

While the league had a few winless or one- or two-win teams, nobody won fewer than three games in the United Gold – with Scotch Plains-Fanwood going 3-7 – while the rest had relatively solid or better campaigns. As a whole, the division was 26-25, for a .510 win percentage, one of just five out of the 12 BCC groupings to win more games than they lost, in total.

While Summit won the United Gold, going 4-0 against the Raiders, Carteret, Hillside and Cranford, they finished 5-4, while the Cougars had he best overall record at 7-3. Hillside went 5-5, and one more win would have gotten the Ramblers to .500 on the year.

And there should be some good parity again in 2025.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the United Gold Division teams – in alphabetical order – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge. Please note game dates and times may be changed without notice as the season approaches. Division games marked with an asterisk (*).

Carteret Ramblers (4-6, 1-3, 4th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Kevin Freeman (18-13, 4th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Perth Amboy (6p)
  • Week 2: Cranford*
  • Week 3: Summit*
  • Week 4: at Scotch Plains-Fanwood*
  • Week 5: New Brunswick
  • Week 6: at Hillside* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 7: Linden
  • Week 8: at Bernards

True to form at Carteret, the Ramblers were more of a run-first team in 2024, but they will lose talented senior Jakir Thomas and his 1,311 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns from last season. The only likely returnee at quarterback is Al-Naiquan Boseman, a sophomore who threw one pass in 2024. A few receivers should be back, though, including rising senior Jeremiah Arrington, who caught six balls last year for 134 yards. A number of underclassmen contributed on defense last season, with junior Ronelle Nimneh-Gilbert (2 sacks, 9 TFLs, 1 forced fumble/recovery) and Anthony Bilbao (2 sacks, 2 TFLs) making their marks. The Ramblers will look to start things out with a fourth straight win in their rivalry game with Perth Amboy after a Week Zero bye.

Cranford Cougars (7-3, 3-1, 2nd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Erik Rosenmeier (136-68, 21st season)

  • Week 0: Bernards
  • Week 1: at Somerville (6:30p)
  • Week 2: at Carteret*
  • Week 3: South Plainfield
  • Week 4: Summit*
  • Week 5: Rahway
  • Week 6: Scotch Plains-Fanwood*
  • Week 7: at Colonia (6p)
  • Week 8: at Hillside* (Sat, 1p)

The bad news is the Cougars’ starting QB Tyler Veltre (937 pass yards, 4 TD) and top receiver Luciano Firoenza (265 yards, 0 TD) are gone, but Cranford didn’t really throw the ball much either. And while three of their top four runningbacks are gone to graduation, Gabe Worrell – who lead the team with 805 rushing yards and ten touchdowns – is back, and he’s just a junior. But he’s a nice piece to build around, as sophomore Aidan Capizzi is the only returning QB to throw a pass. The defense will see some changes, however, after a senior-heavy unit in 2024. But let’s not forget, Cranford went 7-3 in 2024, and there’s a reason Erik Rosenmeier is the dean of Union County coaches, with only two other Big Central mentors at their current schools longer: Rich Marchesi of South River entering year 29, and Dan Higgins at Piscataway going into his 22nd season.

Hillside Comets (5-5, 2-2, 3rd place in ’24)
Head Coach: Isa-Abdul Quddus (1st season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: Bernards (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 2: at Summit* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 3: Scotch Plains-Fanwood (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 4: at Somerville (6:30p)
  • Week 5: at Roselle (Sat, 2p)
  • Week 6: Carteret* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 7: at Voorhees (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 8: Cranford* (Sat, 1p)

It’s sort of a coach swap here, as Barris Grant left to take the Union coaching job, while Isa-Abdul Quddus – a former standout for the Farmers who played in the NFL – now takes the reins at Hillside. Senior Justin Ashford – who only threw three passes last year – should get the top crack at the starting QB job after the graduation of thousand-yard passer Zion Risher, who also tossed 12 touchdown passes. Top back Mitchell Jenkins rushed for 938 yards and 11 TDs as a sophomore, and with the Robinsons – Kamari (40 catches, 419 yards, 6 TDs) and Quaron (25 catches, 319 yards, 1 TD) coming off solid junior campaigns, Quddus will have a lot to work with on offense. The defense has expected returnees like DL Uyi Igiehon (1 sack, 1 TFL) and LB Ian Shillingford (1 sack, 9 TFLs) and defensive back Shakeam Gatweeod (2 forced fumbles, 2 INT, 1 blocked kick) back.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders (3-7, 0-4, 5th place in ’24)
Head Coach: Shawn Johnson (3-7, 2nd season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: Rahway
  • Week 2: New Brunswick
  • Week 3: at Hillside* (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 4: Carteret*
  • Week 5: JFK
  • Week 6: at Cranford*
  • Week 7: at Perth Amboy
  • Week 8: at Summit (Sat, 1p)

The Raiders have struggled the last several years, and with three coaches in three years, consistency has been the issue. Austin Holman stepped down in the middle of the 2022 season, replaced by interim Bobby Swerchek, who coached the team for 2023 but left after the season to take over for Phlip McGuane at Middlesex, who left after a cancer diagnosis and just took over for Dave DeNapoli, who retired at Dunellen. Got all that?

Last year’s team never stuck together back-to-back wins, beating New Brunswick, JFK and Perth Amboy, and they haven’t beaten a team that finished with a winning record since 2021, when they upset Woodbridge, 34-33. Last year’s was a senior-laden club, other than returning junior QB Callum Fynes, who was 3-12 for 17 yards and one interception in four games. The defense was somewhat young – few juniors, but a mix of seniors and sophomores – and they should be more experienced this year, even if they went through baptism by fire in ’24.

Summit Hilltoppers (5-4, 4-0, United Gold champs in ’24)
Head Coach: Kevin Kostibos (82-38, 13th season)

  • Week 0: bye
  • Week 1: at Montgomery
  • Week 2: Hillside* (sat, 1p)
  • Week 3: at Carteret*
  • Week 4: at Cranford*
  • Week 5: Somerville (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 6: Bernards (Sat, 1p)
  • Week 7: at Woodbridge
  • Week 8: Scotch Plains-Fanwood* (Sat, 1p)

Oscar Marx is a solid receiver the Hilltoppers will lose to graduation, along with his 23 catches and six touchdowns, but many others are back on offense, including rising senior QB Cole Sabol, who was 43 yards show of a thousand last year, but more impressively, threw ten touchdowns and just one pick last season. Their top two runningbacks are expected to return in junior Gavin Schnall (472 yards, 2 TD), and senior Alex Schqark (434 yards, 7 TD), as are the next two on the list. And a good number of players return on defense, including LB Matt McKeever, who had three sacks and five TFLs last season as a sophomore, while Junior Connor Gawronski had the team’s lone INT last year. This year’s D could be even better.

by Mike Pavlichko

Kreitz, 16-0 first quarter run send No. 5 Ridge to 4-0 start, 52-20 victory over Summit

The Ridge boys’ basketball team allowed Summit the first two points of the game, but the Red Devils scored the next 16 to take a doube-digit lead they would never relinquish, in a 52-50 win over the Hilltoppers Friday afternoon in Basking Ridge.

Senior Luke Kreitz had 14 points by halftime – including a pair of treys – and led Ridge with 19 points on the afternoon, while fellow senior Quinn Dashefsky added 13.

Summit (1-2) had seven different players score, but none had more than six, as Jack Baker had three field goals in the game. Ridge held the Hilltoppers to just ten points in each half.

The Red Devils played solid basketball all the way around: good ball movement and shot selection on offense, with physical rebounding, and defense that forced Summit into turnovers and poor shots early on, setting the tone nearly from the get-go.

It’s Ridge’s best start since their terrific run in 2014-15 to the county and state North 2, Group 4 final. They would finish that year 24-4, falling to Gill St. Bernard’s in the Somerset County Tournament title game, and to Linden in the sectional final, after beating Columbia in the semis to get there on a buzzer-beater by Derek Lyons.

Click below for postgame reaction from Ridge senior Luke Kreitz and head coach Bill Lester:

by Mike Pavlichko

Nolan’s two-minute drill, Hanratty’s go-ahead TD is Week 6 Chris’ Auto Body “Drive of the Week”

Thanks to our newest sponsor, Chris’ Auto Body of Lambertville and New Hope, we have a new segment this football season on Central Jersey Sports Radio: “The Chris’ Auto Body Drive of the Week.”

Each week, we’ll pick the best drive from the previous weekend’s games, as shot by our high school football analyst Marcus Borden. And you’ll be able to watch the drive right here on cjsportsradio.com.

This week, it’s Bernards, which was down 22-21 late to Summit, but scored on a Terrance Hanratty run with 55-seconds left. The Mountaineers went for two and got it to lead 29-22, then held Summit on the ensuing drive to move to 7-0 on the season, their 21st straight win against Big Central competition.

Click below to watch the “Chris’ Auto Body Drive of the Week” for Week Six:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY:  No. 4 Bernards 29, Summit 22

A late-game drive capped by a Terrence Hanratty touchdown run propelled No. 4 Bernards past Summit, 29-22, in a Big Central Conference crossover game. The win makes the Mountaineers 7-0 and extends their league winning streak to 21 games, the second best active streak in the conference.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from Olcott Field in Bernardsville on October 10, 2024:

1st Half
2nd Half
by Mike Pavlichko

Hanratty’s TD, Bernards defense gives Mountaineers big 29-22 win over visiting Summit

Terrance Hanratty scored from seven yards out in the closing minutes to give No. 4 Bernards a thrilling 29-22 win over Summit Thursday night at Olcott Field in Bernardsville.

In a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, both teams played a tight first half, not always able to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them.

Summit came out running tempo with QB draws that kept Bernards off balance, but they only managed a single touchdown before the half. And Bernards had a good drive going late, but turned it over. And when they got it back off a Hilltopper turnover, missed a field goal that would have given them the lead.

Summit opened the scoring on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Cole Sabol to Oscar Marx, and they made it 8-0 by converting a two-point try. With 91 second left in the first half, Bernards answered back with a four-yard run by Logan Stevens, but after a penalty set them back, they elected to go for the PAT.

Summit got on the board again midway through the third quarter on a three-yard touchdown run by Ethan Lawton to make it 15-7. And it was then the Bernards offense came alive, but not without the help of their defense.

After a Summit turnover, Walsh hit Jack Mora for the first of two touchdown passes, a 59-yarder with 3:43 to go in the third to get Bernards within a point, then they connected again just a few minutes later after another Summit fumble, and got the ball in the red zone, punching it in on two plays, the last a nine-yard pass to Mora.

Summit wasn’t done, though. The Hilltoppers got a seven yard run from Gavin Schnall with 4:06 to play, giving them a 22-21 lead.

And then it was Bernards’ turn. A long drive got down to the seven yard line, then Terrance Hanratty muscled his way into the end zone, pushing the pile forward, to make it 27-22. Head coach Jon Simoneau called for a two-point try to make it a seven-point lead, and they got it, as Patrick Carlisle ran it into the end zone, the same one where Connor Laverty scored in overtime to give Bernards its first-ever state sectional title less than a year ago against Lakeland.

Bernards improves to 7-0 on the season, extending its Big Central win streak to 21 games. They also evened the all-time series with Summit – which dates back to 1914 – at four games apiece. Summit lost its second straight, falling to 4-2, with Woodbridge looming next Saturday at Tatlock Field.

Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen with Bernards QB Nolan Walsh, DE Thomas Diemar and head coach Jon Simoneau:

by Alec Crouthamel

Summit looking to learn from first loss of the season as they travel to undefeated Bernards

The old adage in coaching – one that Summit coach Kevin Kostibos echoed during the week – is that teams often learn more from losses than wins.

Following a 41-0 loss at Somerville, the Hilltoppers had plenty of learning to do.

After starting the season 4-0, Summit is looking to bounce back with another challenge, this time on a shorter week at No. 4 Bernards on Thursday, in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio. You can hear that game at 7 pm with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Pregame is 6:45; click here to listen.

An effective ground attack led by junior Alex Schwark has led the Hilltoppers to a strong start in Kostibos’ 12th season at the helm. Sophomore Gavin Schnall has also provided a spark, leading the team in carries.

While the passing game doesn’t feature many gaudy stats, it has gotten the job done of keeping the ball in possession. Junior Cole Sabol, in his second year as Summit’s starting quarterback, has been a “fantastic game manager,” according to Kostibos.

While some may see the term as a backhanded compliment, a game manager is exactly what many coaches look for especially when paired with an effective running game. Sabol leads the team with 418 passing yards and six touchdowns to only one interception. He also has 84 yards on the ground with another touchdown using his legs.

His primary target – senior Oscar Marx – has had a terrific season in all three phases of the game. He leads the team with 174 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver, has a pick six along with 21 tackles as a defensive back, and has also returned a kickoff for a score.

Going up against a top-five team in the Big Central – on the road no less – is always a challenge, but Kostibos’ team is looking to grow week by week, and last week’s loss to Somerville can help them diagnose what has gone well and what needs to change. It will be no small task against the Mountaineers – who are 6-0 – but it is one the Hilltoppers are ready for.

Click below to hear Summit’s head coach Kevin Kostibos talk about the Hilltoppers, and Thursday night’s game at Bernards, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

by Mike Pavlichko

Bernards has picked up right where it left off, starting 6-0 a year after winning first state title

The 2023 football season was a year to remember forever.

How can they forget? Apparently the team was watching the clip of their game-winning touchdown against Lakeland to give them the North 2, Group 2 title, complete with play-by-play from Central Jersey Sports Radio.

That is, until Jon Simoneau told them to cut it out. After all, the head coach told them, this us a new year and a new team.

And while a look at the roster might show it, a look at their record doesn’t. They’re 6-0, just like they were at this point last year.

But they will have their hands full this week when the fourth-ranked Mountaineers host Summit, in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio. You can hear that game at 7 pm with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call. Pregame is 6:45; click here to listen.

Summit is 4-1, taking their first loss last week at Somerville, 41-0, in a game in which the Pioneers scored all their points in the first 24 minutes of football. Summit is very good, and Simoneau is hard-pressed to find any weaknesses in the game film. The Pioneers are just that much better.

But the Hilltoppers are still a Group 3 team, Bernards is a Group 2, and Simoneau knows his team is in for a challenger.

Click below to hear Bernards’ head coach Jon Simoneau talk about the Mountaineers, and Thursday night’s game against Summit, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 3 Somerville blows past Summit, 41-0, in battle of undefeated teams at Brooks Field

Third-ranked Somerville remained undefeated Friday night, as the Pioneers improved to 6-0 with a 41-0 home win over Summit at Brooks Field, in a battle of undefeated teams.

Somerville scored three times in the first quarter to take a 20-0 lead on a Terrell Mitchel 21-yard touchdown run, a 57-yard TD pass from Brenden Pacheco to Brady Scheier, and a 65-yard strike to Max Nuzzi.

In the second, Pacheco found Nuzzi again from 18 yards away after the Pioneers got the ball on a Mitchell interception. A second strike to Scheier, again from 57 yards made it 34-0, then after a second Mitchell pick – with a running clock in play – Pacheco ran in a score from nine yards out to make it 41-0.

And with that running clock, Somerville and Summit (4-1) played a fast, scoreless second half.

Click below for postgame reaction with Marcus Borden, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: