Tag: Two-Way Player of the Year

by Mike Pavlichko

A winner whichever side of the ball he’s on, Logan Stevens of Bernards is CJSR’s 2025 Two-Way Player of the Year

There are the offensive numbers, and the defensive numbers.

Then, there are the intangibles.

Logan Stevens has all of them.

He’s the Central Jersey Sports Radio Two-Way Player of the Year, getting it done all over the field.

It was another outstanding year for Stevens, who ran it 125 times for 1,100 yards even and 14 touchdowns, including five multiple touchdown games, one of which came in the playoffs. He also had four catches for 112 yards and a score.

On the defensive side, from the secondary he made 44 tackles, 18 solo, and also had one TFL and a forced fumble. He had three interceptions, and blocked two kicks.

And the intangibles? All that led to him being a two-year captain, the only non-QB to do so in program history.

And while this honor is for 2025, he’s been a big reason why most of the crop of seniors who will don Bernards’ red this June never lost a single regular season game. They have won 34 straight non-playoff games, the longest active streak in New Jersey heading into 2026, their last loss coming in Game 2 of the 2022 season, when most were not playing as freshmen.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with CJSR’s Two-Way Player of the Year, Logan Stevens of Bernards:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Matt Resende, Brearley: At running back, the Bears’ senior carried 180 times for 1,284 yards and ten touchdowns, averaging 128 yards a game. On the defensive side, he logged 83 tackles, three forced fumbles, six TFLs, 1 1/2 sacks, and a pick. A team captain, first-year head coach Elliot Platt says he was the biggest factor in the team’s success this year; coming off a winless season, Brearley went 5-5 this year.
  • Grant Lorentzen, JFK: En Elite QB trainee with coach Matt Bastardi, Lorentzen led the state through ten games with 1,198 receiving yards, and it’s believed his 22 receiving touchdowns ties the single-season New Jersey record set in 1992 by Dion Bernardini of Florence.
  • Jack Fitzgerald, New Providence: At wide receiver, the senior had 12 catches for 172 yards and two scores before he was forced to move to running back when senior A.J. Whitehead went down. No matter. He carried an average of 14 times a game over the Pioneers’ last five contests, finishing with nearly 600 yards, and he was a big reason why New Providence made the sectional finals in North 2, Group 1 for he second straight year. On defense, in the secondary, he had 60 tackles, 45 solo, nine sacks, and 11 TFLs, along with a safety and a blocked kick.
  • Anthony Cianfrocca, Roselle Park: As part of an offense that rushed for over 2,500 yards this season – how did they not make the playoffs? – Cianfrocca rushed for 735 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the senior linebacker had 64 tackles, 22 solo, six sacks, and two forced fumbles, with one recovery. That unit also allowed just 16 points per game.
  • Jhonny Collado, Woodbridge: The kid never came off the field for second-year head coach Joe Goerge, even playing on special teams. A two-way lineman, he led an offensive unit that rushed for 2,379 yards, averaging 6.4 per trip, and scored 31 touchdowns. Defensively, he was six shy of 100 tackles on the year, with 33 solo, three sacks, 14 TFLs and a pair of forced fumbles.

by Mike Pavlichko

Excelling on both sides of the ball, Josiah Zayas of St. Thomas Aquinas is CJSR’s Two-Way Player of the Year for 2024

Being great on offense or defense – or special teams, let’s not forget about those flashy return guys and solid kickers – is one thing in high school football.

One coach told us this year he has a lot of “one-and-a-half-way players,” a quip we liked to describe guys who play both sides of the ball, but one more than the other.

To be the Two-Way Player of the Year, though, requires full-time effort on both sides of the ball. And this year’s winner is Josiah Zayas of St. Thomas Aquinas.

For the Trojans – who are on a 31-game Big Central win streak, the longest in the fledgling league’s five-year history – Zayas was the man, and he’s just a junior.

This season, he had 41 catches for 1,063 yards and scored 17 total touchdowns on offense. On defense, he had seven interceptions, one of the best marks in the state, tied for second with several other players, including Xavier Diaz of Old Bridge. Only three had more, leading the state with eight each.

He already has major Division 1 offers from Boston College and Syracuse, and he still has one more season to raise his stock.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with CJSR’s Two-Way Player of the Year, Josiah Zayas of St. Thomas Aquinas:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Andrew Avent, Rahway: The junior runningback/linebacker – who was honored with the “OMG He’s Back Another Year” Award – carried 194 times for 1,142 yards and 16 touchdowns this year, while also racking up 102 tackles (52 solo) on defense. Rahway coach Brian Russo says he’s “all-around, the best player on the team the last two years.”
  • T.J. Munn, New Providence: The senior threw for 608 yards and four touchdowns from the quarterback position this year, but was impressive on the ground as well, running for 16 touchdowns and nearly 1,200 yards. At defensive back, Munn recorded 41 tackles, three interceptions, a fumble recovery and broke up 15 passes. A big reason why the Pioneers surprised some to reach the North 2, Group 1 finals – though they fell in the title game to Cedar Grove – he helped lay the foundation for 2025, with solid back A.J. Whitehead returning.
  • James Bodley, Piscataway: Winner of the “Scores Every Which Way” award, Bodley scored rushing and receiving touchdowns, a couple of two-point conversions, a kickoff return for a touchdown, and a scoop and score. He cracked the “1,000-100 Club” – rushing for over 1,000 yards and recording over 100 tackles on defense.
  • Naquavere Thomas, Manville: The senior defensive back/wide receiver led the Mustangs in a slew of offensive categories, and was a big reason they flipped the script this year, from a 3-7 mark in 2023 to 7-3 under second-year head coach Dave Markowitch, earning a playoff berth. Thomas led the team in rushing and receiving, as well as yardage and touchdowns in both categories. And that’s just offense. ON the other side of the ball, he led the team in total tackles, solos, TFLs, sacks, and forced fumbles.
by Mike Pavlichko

Plainfield’s Joel Cordoba grabs Central Jersey Sports Radio Two-Way Player of the Year nod

Coach James Williams says “He’ll catch a 60-yard bomb on one end, then come back and catch a pick-six on the very next possession.

That’s not all he can grab, as this year, he’s taking home honors as Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Two Way Player of the Year.

Cordoba was a big reason why Plainfield has won 16 games in the last three years. Before Williams took over – and before Cordoba was in the mix – Plainfield had only won 15 games over a stretch of the previous ten seasons, from 2011 through 2020.

On offense, the junior grabbed 60 passes for 1,234 yards and nine touchdowns, while also adding two rushing scores. On the defensive side, he had five interceptions, more than half of which – three – went for touchdowns. They came against Elizabeth and Carteret in the regular season, and against West Orange in a first round playoff defeat.

Cordoba has interest from several colleges, and has an offer on the table from Duke.

Scroll down for Honorable Mentions.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with Plainfield junior Joel Cordoba:

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Jeremy DeCaro, St. Joseph-Metuchen, HB/FS/returner: On offense, the senior had 62 carries for 355 yards and five TDs, while also catching 44 passes for 894 yards and 11 TDs. Defensively, he had 49 tackles, three for a loss, and two interceptions, including a pick-six against Edison.
  • Braden Paulmenn, South Brunswick, QB/DB/OLB: Took every snap on offense and defense in 10 games, throwing for 446 yards and three TDs, while rushing for 740 yards and 13 TDs.
  • Jake Caldwell, Bernards, QB/DB: On offense, caught 42 passes for 459 yards and 4 TDs, while rushing for 94 yards and 3 TDs. On defense, he had four INTs for 196 yards, and had picks in three straight games at one point. He also had 52 tackles for a secondary that didn’t allow a single passing touchdown the entire regular season. A Hobart lacrosse commit.
  • Samaad Hicks, North Brunswick, RB/WR/FS: Over 1,200 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns this season, he rushed for 600 and 11 TDs, while logging 451 receiving yards and five scores. He had 4 picks on defense, including a pick-six Week 7 against South Brunswick.