Tag: Thomas Amankwaa

by Mike Pavlichko

As high school football players get ready to sign, Hillsborough’s Thomas Amankwaa announces transfer from Rutgers

One of the most decorated players in Hillsborough football history – who came to Rutgers after playing his final high school game there in 2021, a win over Kingsway in the South Group 5 Regional Championship to finish 13-0 – has announced he’s leaving the Scarlet Knights.

Thomas Amankwaa will be entering the transfer portal next Monday, announcing the decision on Twitter Wednesday, just as National Letter of Intent Early Signing Day was getting underway.

Amankwaa was on the most successful Hillsborough football team in program history, helping lead the Raiders as a senior to an undefeated campaign, setting a program and county record with their 13 wins.

The Central Jersey Sports Radio Two-Way Player of the Year in 2021, Amankwaa was sparsely used at Rutgers, but put up big numbers at Hillsborough. He finished with 2,127 career receiving yards, 93 catches and 24 touchdowns. His senior year, he also ran the ball, going for 861 yards and 13 TDs on 73 carries, after rushing just 14 times combined in his sophomore and junior seasons.

Amankwaa will have two years of eligibility remaining.

by Mike Pavlichko

Dominating 13-0 season sees Hillsborough’s Amankwaa and Carty Jr. sweep Two-Way Player and Coach of the Year awards from CJSR

It was a season of perfection for Hillsborough, and the Raiders took home two honors Thursday night on the Central Jersey Sports Radio postseason awards show.

Standout Thomas Amankwaa – who signed his National Letter of Intent to go to Rutgers this Wednesday – was named Big Central Two-Way Player of the Year, while head coach Kevin Carty Jr. was named Coach of the Year.

And both awards had a lot to do with Amankwaa.

The RU-bound senior had career highs in two major offensive categories, racking up 853 receiving yards at his natural position, along with 13 touchdowns, but he also rolled off 1,125 rushing yards – and 15 more scores – as Carty got Amankwaa involved as a runningback, a stroke of genius that paid off with a 13-0 record, a school record in wins, and the Central Jersey Group 5 title, its first state title in 21 years.

He also came up big defensively. Though he only recorded 25 tackles – some of that due to a solid defense in front of Amankwaa that didn’t give him many chances – he had 5 interceptions for 118 yards and five pass breakups.

One of those picks came in overtime against Phillipsburg, completing a 21-14 comeback win.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlickho talk with Tommy Amankwaa and Kevin Carty, Jr.:

Honorable mentions from the Two-Way Player of the Year category included Charlie Barth of New Providence, Michael Olivo of Ridge and Union’s Davison Igbinosun.

Barth won the inaugural award last season, but sat out defensively at times this year to stay fresh, and after getting dinged up a bit early in the season; he didn’t play a snap on D in a blowout home win over Bound Brook.

But when he was in the game, he was a force to be reckoned with, as evidenced in a first-round playoff game at Delaware Valley, where an early red zone pick got New Providence on the board, and on its way to victory.

Olivo came up 33-yards shy of 2,000 total this season, with 947 passing yards, 961 rushing, and another 59 on returns. He scored 25 touchdowns on offense, then had 44 tackles and 3 INTs on defense.

Igbinosun – who still hasn’t decided on a college but holds more than 30 Division 1 offers – had 76 carries for 903 yards and 12 touchdowns, 20 receptions for 405 yards and four TDs, while amassing 74 tackles and exerting his dominance on defense, adding four interceptions and two tackles for loss.

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 3 Hillsborough gets it to all the right people in 31-21 road win over rival Bridgewater-Raritan

Wide receiver Thomas Amankwaa scored two rushing touchdowns, while bruising runningback Tyler Michinard had a touchdown catch.

No, that’s not a typo.

But that helped No. 3 Hillsborough beat rival Bridgewater-Raritan in the “Battle of Route 206” Saturday afternoon at Basilone Field, 31-21, in the “Big Central Game of the Week” driven by Autoland on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Amankwaa – who recently committed to Rutgers – finished with four rushes for 82 yards, including touchdown jaunts of 37 and 21 yards, as well as six receptions for 54 yards. He was named the Autoland “Player of the Game” and willl receive a custom football at the end of the year, courtesy of Autoland.

Hillsborough (4-0) also got a 16-yard TD reception from Tyler Michinard, and a 26-yard scoring catch from tight end Will Dixon.

The Raiders face Ridge next week, while the Panthers (2-2) will travel to No. 9 Phillipsburg Friday night.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from down on the field with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Autoland Player of the Game Thomas Amankwaa

Head Coach Kevin Carty, Jr.
by Dom Savino

Levonaitis caps stellar career, leaves Hillsborough in good hands with Amankwaa and Co.

Hillsborough High School’s football team enters every season with the same two goals.

The obvious one, like most teams, is a winning season that ends with a state title.

But equally as important in the football-loving town? Beat Bridgewater.

Though it didn’t get the chance to play for a championship in 2020, Hillsborough (4-4) defeated rival Bridgewater-Raritan during this year’s makeshift postseason, the capstone in a season that has the returning Raiders hungry for improvement.

Hillsborough finished in third place in Big Central Division 4 with a 3-2 league record. All four of its wins came by at least twenty points. Yet, two of its four losses — to Edison and top-10 Watchung Hills — came by a combined four points. The Raiders also dropped games to No. 3 Phillipsburg and No. 6 Ridge by two-touchdown margins.

Those narrow defeats have junior WR/CB Thomas Amankwaa already eager for the start of a new season. The pass-catcher’s close friendship with first-year starting QB Jay Mazuera led to a career year, hauling in a career-high 32 receptions for 637 yards and a career-best nine touchdowns. Mazuera threw for 1265 yards and 16 touchdowns, both among the top 10 in the Big Central.

When the classmates target a state title next year, they will do so without the steady services of RB/LB Sean Levonaitis. Even with the shortened season, the veteran nearly completed a third straight 1,000-yard campaign, rushing for 958 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns to cap one of the finest careers in the program’s history.

Levonaitis and Amankwaa spoke to Central Jersey Sports Radio about the season. Click below to hear their comments:

Sean Levonaitis

Thomas Amankwaa