Tag: Union

February 28, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Perth Amboy’s season for the ages comes to an end with loss to Union in North 2, Group 4 quarters

In its fourth season under head coach Donnie Reid, a Perth Amboy native who starred across the victory bridge at Cardinal McCarrick in South Amboy, the Panther basketball program reached heights it had not seen in a long time.

They won the GMC White American Division title, going 12-0 in division play, for their first title in 23 years. They Thursday night, they won their first state tournament game since 2015. Their 22 wins doesn’t happen every day in the Bay City either.

But all good things must come to an end, and while the future of the program is bright, and maybe next year will be even bigger in these parts, it did, indeed come to an end Saturday afternoon, as sixth-seeded Perth Amboy lost 69-30 at third-seed Union in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 quarterfinals of the NJSIAA state tournament.

Amboy took a 3-0 lead, then fell behind 8-5, and took an 11-10 lead into the second quarter, which is when things started to take a turn.

After the Panthers got an early bucket to make it 13-10, the Farmers went on a 9-0 run before Perth Amboy cut it to 19-16. But Union followed it by scoring the next 16 points to take a 32-16 lead that would be narrowed to a 14-point deficit at the break.

While that second run included four treys – Union couldn’t seem to miss, with Ezenna Asawabelem and Reed Flood each connecting twice from beyond the arc – head coach Donnie Reid said after the game that the Farmers’ switch to a zone defense is what really affected them.

In the end, the Panthers finish the season 22-5, and energized the city for the last two-and-a-half months. It’s a run that won’t soon be forgotten.

That is, until they pull of another one. And the way things are going with the Perth Amboy boys’ basketball program, that’s a distinct possibility.

Click below for postgame reaction from Perth Amboy head coach Donnie Reid with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

October 23, 2025October 23, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Group 5 Playoff Update: Bridgewater-Raritan could earn BCC’s only overall No. 1 seed; Plainfield, Rahway face “play-in” scenarios Friday night

It’s Cutoff Weekend in New Jersey high school football, and we’re taking a look at the playoff scenarios for every Big Central team in contention.

This week, Strength Index values are locked in, and out-of-state opponent SI values also have been updated by Gridiron New Jersey, which does all the official calculations of the NJ UPR formula for the NJSIAA. And we’ve double- and triple-checked our own standings to make sure they match with Gridiron’s.

We’ll have another update to the standings after Friday night’s games – yes, there are Thursday games, but none in the BCC, and we’ll only update if there are significant changes.

And, of course, Central Jersey Sports Radio will have its annual “Playoff Projection Show,” airing LIVE on Saturday at 6 pm. Mike Pavlichko hosts with analyst Marcus Borden, and they’ll run through all the projected brackets. Plus, you’ll hear from some of the league’s coaches as well.

Here’s our breakdown of the Group 5 supersections. We won’t be getting into how the brackets look just yet, but we’ll do that with our update after Friday night’s Week 8 action. Click the supersection header to see the official standings on Gridiron New Jersey.

NORTH GROUP 5

Bridgewater-Raritan: The Panthers (6-2) have a shot at the overall No. 1 seed here, but it won’t be easy. They would have to beat Phillipsburg (6-1) on the road Friday night and have West Orange (currently No. 1, 6-2) lose at 5-3 Bloomfield the same night. But even a Bridgewater loss might keep them there. Piscataway (7-2) visits Monroe (1-7) and the Chiefs just can’t gain enough from that game to put them in the fold for a top seed. Even Elizabeth at four overall can’t get much higher. So we think the Panthers are locked in as the top-seed in North 2, Group 5, it’s just a matter of whether they’ll edge out West Orange for the top-seed overall, which would mean they could host a group semifinal, if they got that far. Incidentally, their six wins are the most the Panthers have had since 2021 under Scott Bray, and a seventh win would be their best total since finishing 2017 9-3, with a trip to the North 2, Group 5 finals, the last of three straight they made, falling to undefeated Westfield all three times.
Piscataway: Even with losses by Bridgewater-Raritan and West Orange, we think the Chiefs (6-2) are maxed out at No. 3, so they should be the two-seed in North 2, Group 5. A loss could drop them to fourth, maybe lower depending how Passaic Tech and Union City do. Either way, they should start out at home, playing on Saturdays as they always do.

Elizabeth: If things break right for the Minutemen (4-4), a win over Union (1-7) coupled with losses by West Orange, Bridgewater-Raritan and Piscataway could get Elizabeth as high as three overall, which would earn them a two-seed in the North 2, Group 4 section, with the Panthers first and Piscataway third, then Linden fourth, making it an all-Big Central top four there. A loss would be tragic, potential dropping them to around eight overall, and on the road for a first-round playoff game. That’s quite the swing. But if the Minutemen fancy themselves a playoff team, they should handle the Farmers.
Linden: Sitting at 12, the Tigers (3-5) have Plainfield (also 3-5) at home Friday. Just on its own, that keeps them at 12. A win could move them to around ninth overall, while a loss could drop them to 14, but they should be solidly win. Behind them are three teams that have no business making the playoffs, including 5-2 Morristown, 1-7 Montclair and 1-7 Union. And those last two won’t even qualify if they don’t get to two wins (and it’s unlikely they will).
Plainfield: The Cardinals get in with a win over Linden, which would bump them all the way up to 12, not counting any other scores. But still, with Bloomfield at 13 and Linden at 14 – and we already counted a loss for them, there’s really no one who could catch them. With a loss? Well, they could back into the playoffs, thanks to those one-win teams. In that scenario, they would need Columbia (3-5) to lose to Union City (4-3), and for Union and Montclair to lose – leaving them each with one-win and ineligible – and they would get in. We can’t remember another scenario since the advent of the NJ UPR system in 2018 where a team got in from 18 because of two teams that didn’t meet the win requirement, but that’s what would happen here.
Union: A win over Elizabeth (5-4) should get them in, moving them to around the 12th position in the field of 16. But at 1-7, they must win that game. Two wins is the NJSIAA minimum to qualify.

SOUTH GROUP 5

Sayreville: We don’t think the Bombers have a path to a No. 1 seed, thanks in part to last week’s loss to Montgomery. They come in at 7-1, with a 3.6 UPR. Ahead of them is Atlantic City (7-1, 2nd) and Washington Twp. (8-0, 1st). Assuming Sayreville beats St. Thomas Aquinas (5-3), they can’t catch Washington Twp., even if they were to lose. And they’d be 0.2 UPR points behind Atlantic City. They’d need a loss by the Vikings, but since they play on Thanksgiving and have already played eight games, they’re idle this week. Now, the Trojans are a multiplier, but as of last year, teams only get bonus points if they lose; if they beat a multiplier, they get the normal points on the OSI side. That said, with a loss, they fall to four without any other games being considered, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. With Southern also above them, all three teams are from the south, Washington Twp. would get the top seed in Central 5, and Sayreville would be the two there regardless. But giving wins to Old Bridge and Rancocas Valley actually bumps them back up to third, mainly because Rancocas has Lenape (0-8) this weekend, and even a win would drop them and prop up the Bombers.
Old Bridge: The Knights are going to benefit from that Rancocas Valley drop, too, should they beat a solid (6-2) Colonia team at home Friday night. A loss and they drop to seven, and probably lock them in there. Why? Even if teams behind them win, there’s a gap from Old Bridge in fourth in the Central 5 section to Hillsborough fifth with five teams from the South in between the overall UPR standings. And the Raiders can’t catch them.
Hillsborough: Coming in at No. 13, the Raiders (3-5) have been hot and cold this season. At 1-4, they reeled off a couple of back-to-back wins, but fell off the wagon last week when Piscataway beat them at Noonan Field. A win Friday at Hunterdon Central (4-4) could get them around 11, while a loss could drop them as low as 15.
Hunterdon Central: The Red Devils look like they need to beat the Raiders to get in. That would put them at 15, with Trenton, Howell and Bridgeton behind them. They still might need some help from them. If all three win, Central is out. But Central can get in as long as two of the three teams lose. We think Franklin is out regardless. The fly in the ointment could be if Jackson (2-6) wins at Brick Memorial (6-2), but we think that’s unlikely. So here are the scenarios for the Red Devils, needing two of three losses by those three behind them. If Howell and Bridgeton lose, Central gets in at 15 and Hillsborough holds at 12. If Bridgeton and Trenton lose, Hillsborough is at 15, Central at 16, but they would jump the Raiders since they just beat them. If Howell and Trenton lose, Central gets in at 16, Hillsborough is at 12 again. Play-in games and scoreboard watching are what makes Cutoff Weekend exciting!

August 24, 2025August 18, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: American Gold Division

Even though it’s got just four teams, the American Gold Division certainly packs a punch. Here’s our last look at the divisions in the Big Central in the 2025 preseason.

St. Joseph-Metuchen won the division in 2024, but struggled down the stretch, losing its last four regular season games and in the opening round of the playoffs after a red-hot, 5-0 start. This year, the goal is to finish, not just in games, but on the practice field, in the weight room – everywhere!

After a late start, getting hired over the summer, Matt Andzel and his staff at Westfield are looking at a bounceback year after going 5-6 with a Turkey Day loss to Westfield. They get to go right back at it when the teams meet this year in Week Zero.

Elizabeth got past the noise last year to finish at 6-5, and Eugene Kline – who came in as head coach mid-season – is back for a full year, with things feeling different around the Minutemen this summer.

Union was the only team that struggled mightily last year, with just two wins, but in comes Barris Grant after a nine-year run at Hillside where he practically minted major college recruits.

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

August 21, 2025August 21, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Marcus Borden’s 2025 Camp Caravan: Edison travels up to Union

Week two of the 2025 Big Central Camp Caravan pressed on Thursday for Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football analyst Marcus Borden, who journeyed up to Union County for a scrimmage between the Farmers – led by new head coach Barris Grant – and Edison.

Below is video from the August 21, 2025 scrimmage at Union High School:

Edison: Head Coach Matt Yascko with seniors Jacob Watkins (OL/DL) and Anthony Sarni (LB), along with junior Shaun Garland (RB/DE).

Union: Head Coach Barris Grant with seniors Nick Betrolotti (TE/LB) and Uyi Igiehon (DE), as well as sophomore Josiah Tims (WR/DB).

June 23, 2025July 3, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2025: St. Joseph’s Tracy is longest-tenured among American Gold Division skippers

With coaching changes at the three other schools in the Big Central Conference’s American Gold Division over the last two years, defending division champion St. Joseph will have the most veteran coach at their school when the 2025 season kicks off in about ten weeks.

Despite a 5-5 overall record, the Falcons ran the table in the American Gold, going 3-0 last season under Bill Tracy, who’ll be entering his fourth season as head coach in Metuchen, following an eleven-year run at Ridge from 2009-2019.

As for the others, Westfield will bring back second-year head coach Matt Andzel, while Eugene Klein – who finished out last season after John Fiore was let go mid-year – will enter his first full season. Barris Grant slides over to Union after a successful nine-season tenure at Hillside.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the American 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 (*).

Elizabeth Minutemen (6-5, 1-2, 3rd place in 2024)
Head Coach Eugene Klein (4-4, 1st full season in 2025)

Week 0: at Linden
Week 1: Bayonne
Week 2: Westfield*
Week 3: at St. Joseph-Metuchen* (Sat)
Week 4: at St. Thomas Aquinas
Week 5: at Bridgewater-Raritan
Week 6: Morristown
Week 7: Watchung Hills
Week 8: Union*

Despite many distractions last year, Klein helped right the ship later in the year, as the Minutemen won their last three regular season games heading into the playoffs, and even won a state game, topping Morristown 34-33 before bowing out to Passaic Tech. They’ll return one of the top quarterbacks in the league in junior Arique Fleming, a dual-threat who led the team with 1,572 passing and 664 rushing yards last year.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (5-5, 3-0, American Gold champs in 2024)
Head Coach: Bill Tracy (17-13, 4th season)

Week 0: bye
Week 1: at Ridge
Week 2: at Union*
Week 3: Elizabeth* (Sat)
Week 4: Westfield* (Sat)
Week 5: at North Brunswick
Week 6: Phillipsburg (Sat)
Week 7: at St. Thomas Aquinas
Week 8: Woodbridge (Sat)
Week 9: Donovan Catholic (Sat)

The Falcons got off to a hot start last year, winning their first five games, but finished by losing their last five. They bring back quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo (1,953 pass yards, 18 TDs, 4 INT), who will be a senior, and that’s a big plus. They also have a number of young runningbacks returning. The defense returns players that were young, but inexperienced last year, and that should be a help to avoid a late-season swoon.

Union (2-8, 0-3, 4th place in 2024)
Head Coach: Barris Grant (1st season)

Week 0: at Woodbridge (Thursday)
Week 1: Hillsborough
Week 2: St. Joseph-Metuchen*
Week 3: at Westfield* (Sat)
Week 4: at Hunterdon Central
Week 5: Ridge (Sat)
Week 6: South Brunswick
Week 7: at Phillipsburg
Week 8: at Elizabeth*

After a dropoff last season under first year head coach Jason Scott, who got the job late when longtime mentor Lou Grasso, Jr, departed to take the AD job at Colonia, the Farmers will look to bounce back with an experienced head coach who knows Union County football in Grant, who sent numerous student athletes onto great college destinations while with the Comets. They’ll lose dual-threat QB Omalley King to graduation, but freshman Elijah Bryant threw for 273 yards last year in a pair of late-season last year, and he could compete to be a starter. The defense will need to improve upon a 26.7 point per game average.

Westfield (5-6, 2-1, 2nd place in 2024)
Head Coach: Matt Andzel (5-6, 2nd season)

Week 0: at Plainfield
Week 1: Phillipsburg (Sat)
Week 2: at Elizabeth*
Week 3: Union* (Sat)
Week 4: at St. Joseph*
Week 5: Hillsborough (Sat)
Week 6: at North Brunswick
Week 7: at Bridgewater-Raritan
Week 8: Ridge (Sat)

A transition year with a new coach, alum Matt Andzel, after the longtime head coach Jim DeSarno stepped down to become athletic director was a mixed bag last year, but this traditionally solid program should right the ship this year. While their top rusher and receiver both graduate, quarterback Cole Wiedler (761 pass yards, 11 TD) is back, but will need to cut down on the picks (10). No. 2 rusher Jordan Walsh (539 yards, 4 TDs) is back for his junior year. There are significant losses on defense, including senior linemene Zac Wragg (2 sacks, 3 TFLs) and Lincoln Meyers (6 sacks, 5 TFLs).

February 18, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Hillside’s Barris Grant departs Comets to take over storied football program at Union

Barris Grant – who led the Hillside football program for the past nine seasons – has left to become the new head coach at Union, after the Board of Education approved his hire Tuesday night.

Grant – who also will be a physical education teacher at the high school – replaces Jason Scott, who was there just one year after Lou Grasso stepped down to become the athletic director in his hometown of Colonia. The Farmers were 2-8 last season.

Grant had a record of 67-25 with Hillside, leading the Comets to three stellar seasons from 2017 through 2019, winning sectional titles all three seasons, and a regional title in 2019. Overall, Grant’s teams made four sectional title games.

The first of those years, Hillside went 9-3 and got the seven-seed in Central Jersey Group 2, then shocked top-seed Point Pleasant Boro at Rutgers, 20-13, to win the title.

They’d come back the next year to go undefeated in the 2018 regular season. In the playoffs, they were the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 2, and beat second-seed Manasquan for the title, 36-10. They would fall to Haddonfield, 17-7, in the South 2 regional championship at MetLife Stadium.

And then came the topper, the perfect 12-0 season of 2019.

Those Comets could put up points, while locking down teams defensively. They pitched six shutouts that season, only allowing double-figures twice, averaging 35.7 points per game in the regular season. They featured senior quarterback Nahree Biggins (1,083 yards, 12 TDs), while senior runningback James Louis led a 3,000-yard team rushing attack.

Seniors Anu Okungbowa and Akugbe Omokaro led a defense that registered 34 1/2 sacks on the season.

It all led to a third seed in South Jersey Group 2, and a sectional title with a 14-10 upset at top-seed West Deptford. The Comets then went on to with the South 2 regional championship at Rutgers over South 2 sectional champ and second-seed Cedar Creek, 25-3.

The 2022 team also reached a sectional final. As the two-seed in North 1, Group 3, they fell at top-seed Old Tappan in the title game, 28-14.

Union has won 11 sectional titles as a program, the most of any Union County school, and won its most recent title the same year Hillside and Grant won theirs, in 2019.

Grasso’s squad went 12-1 that season, earning the top-seed in North 2, Group 5, winning the section by virtue of a 42-28 victory over third-seed Clifton. They would fall, however, in the North Group 5 regional championship game at MetLife Stadium, 41-37, to Ridgewood, which lost the inaugural North 5 bowl the year before to Piscataway up at the Meadowlands.

Click below to hear Barris Grant talk about taking the head football coaching job at Union, and his impact at Hillside, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

October 11, 2024 by Mike Pavlichko

Thursday Night Big Central Roundup: Somerville, Ridge, Piscataway win big; Scott gets first win as head coach at Union

With Yom Kippur landing on a Friday this week, it’s a long three-day weekend of high school football across the Garden State, and – of course – in the Big Central Conference.

Here’s a look at some of the key games on Thursday in Week Six, with full scores and the rest of the weekend’s schedule as well.

No. 2 Somerville 56, North Hunterdon 7: Terrell Mitchell scored four touchdowns in another romp for the Pioneers, this time over the visiting Lions at Brooks Field. Mitchell – a Wake Forest commit – opened the scoring with an 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, then added a 30-yard reception and a 75-yard run in the first quarter.

Along with two Josh Rodriguez touchdown runs, Somerville led 37-0 after the first 12 minutes of play, with the running clock going. Mitchell added a 60-yard run in the second quarter, while Justin Bowen and Leo Altomari also scored for Somerville.

The Pioneers are now 7-0, with the second quarter touchdown they allowed to North Hunterdon’s Cole O’Connor the first score they let up in three games, their previous two being shutouts.

The ‘Ville travels to Plainfield next Friday night, while the Lions (2-5) will visit East Brunswick (1-6).

No. 6 Ridge 41, No. 10 Hunterdon Central 13: In a battle of Red Devils, Ridge built up a 34-0 lead with a running clock before halftime, thanks to four touchdowns by Aiden Stieglitz, and a touchdown catch from Joseph Dachnowitz. Stieglitz scored on 48-, six- and 19-yard runs in the first quarter, and an eight-yard run in the second to activate the running clock.

Hunterdon Central got on the board in the third before Adian Siteglitz scored his fifth touchdown of the game in the fourth – on a six-yard run – while Hunterdon Central added one more score to make it 40-13, the final.

Ridge (5-1) has now won five straight games since a 37-34 loss at St. Joseph-Metuchen to open the season, and will visit North Brunswick (1-6) next Friday night. Central had a mini two-game win streak snapped, and will travel to Old Bridge (4-3) next Friday night.

No. 8 Piscataway 55, East Brunswick 0: The Chiefs pitched their second shutout in three weeks, while blowing past the Bears in a game where the running clock kicked in during the first half. QB Landon Pernell hooked up with Jahai Johnson on three first-half touchdown passes, in a win that moves Piscataway to 5-2 on the season; they’ll host Hillsborough (4-3) next Friday night. East Brunswick falls to 1-6 and will host North Hunterdon (2-5) next Friday night.

Union 35, South Brunswick 7: Jason Scott picked up his first win as Farmers’ head coach in a 35-7 win over the Vikings in Monmouth Junction. The win snapped a six-game losing streak, and puts Union at 1-6 heading into a home game with No. 6 Phillipsburg at Stewart Field next week.

Other Thursday night scores….

No. 4 Bernards 29, Summit 22 (CJSR)
No. 7 Old Bridge 38, Monroe 0
Hillsborough 34, Bridgewater-Raritan 24
Metuchen 40, JP Stevens 6
JFK 39, North Plainfield 26
Elizabeth 26, Morristown 24
Cranford 45, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 13
Union 35, South Brunswick 7
Belvidere 36, South Hunterdon 0
Vernoa 26, New Providence 13
Westfield 21, North Brunswick 13

Friday’s Games:

Plainfield at Colonia, 6 pm
Linden at Perth Amboy, 6 pm
Newark Collegiate at Roselle, 6 pm
New Brunswick at South Plainfield, 6 pm
Edison at No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas, 6:30 pm
No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen at No. 7 Phillipsburg, 7 pm (Listen on CJSR)
Montgomery at No. 1 Woodbridge, 7 pm
Franklin at Sayreville, 7 pm (Follow Marcus Borden)
Middlesex at Bound Brook, 7 pm
Hillside at Carteret, 7 pm
Manville at Dunellen, 7 pm
Delaware Valley at Johnson, 7 pm
Highland Park at Roselle Park, 7 pm

Saturday’s Games:

Brearley at South River, 1 pm
Dayton at Spotswood, 1 pm
Rahway at No. 9 Watchung Hills, 7 pm
Governor Livingston at Voorhees, 7 pm

October 9, 2024October 8, 2024 by Mike Pavlichko

You Choose! What will be our Friday Night “Bellamy & Son Paving” Big Central Game of the Week for Week 7??

We have two weeks left in the high school football season, and now we’re letting you tell us what you want to hear! That’s right. We want to know: What should be the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving for Week 7 on Friday, October 18th?

We’re giving you five options of games to choose from:

Hillsbrorough at Piscataway: Some pretty good football here. The Raiders play in the toughest division in the Big Central but need to keep winning to make the playoffs, while the Chiefs are playing for a first-round home game when they make the playoffs for the first time since 2019, pre-COVID.
Hunterdon Central at Old Bridge: Two solid teams, another Middlesex-Somerset County crossover, both jockeying for position in the bottom eight of the South Group 5 playoff chase.
JFK at Middlesex: The Mustangs might come into this one with three wins in a season for the first time since 2018, and looking for more, while Middlesex has done well under the tutelage of first-year head coach Bobby Swercheck.
South Hunterdon at Spotswood: The Eagles ore one of the better small schools in the Big Central Conference, while Spotswood may face a must-win to make the playoffs in the first night game on their brand-new turf!

Here are the rules!

Vote as early and often as you would like!
Share the poll on social media with your friends on Facebook and your followers on Twitter.
The matchup with the most votes will be the game we broadcast Friday night on Central Jersey Sports Radio, complete with pregame coverage with the coaches from each team, a live broadcast, and postgame recap on the site with reaction from the winning team’s coach and a standout player.
Voting will close at noon on Monday, with the winner being announced Tuesday on Twitter. (Follow us at @CJSportsRadio on Twitter if you don’t already!)

Good luck to your favorite team – vote early and often!

_{Note: In the event a game turns out to be unavailable for broadcast or for other any reason, Central Jersey Sports Radio reserves the right to choose an alternate game, if necessary, regardless of the final vo}_te.

September 14, 2024 by Mike Pavlichko

Saturday Big Central Roundup: Colonia rallies to win Chiola Bowl, St. Joe’s handles Union, two new coaches pick up their first wins

Though there are fewer games on any given Saturday in the Big Central Conference than Friday nights, there was no shortage of action. Colonia came from behind to beat Linden, St. Joseph-Metuchen continued its strong early season play, and Matt Andzel and Shawn Johnson got their first wins as head coaches at their alma maters.

Colonia 21, Linden 14: The Patriots used a fourth quarter rally, scoring 14 unanswered points, in their Big Central Liberty Gold Division opener to beat Linden at Tiger Stadium, 21-14.

Rynal Wortman opened the scoring for Colonia with a 41-yard touchdown catch thrown by Dylan Chiera, in the first quarter, but in the second, Tyrone Hinton of Linden threw a ten-yard TD pass to Richard Lugardo to tie the game at seven.

After a scoreless third, Hinton scored on a one-yard run to make it 14-7, but Colonia would score twice to close out the game.

First, Yisrael Custudio scored on a ten-yard touchdown run. Then, with the game tied and Colonia facing a fourth-and-three from its own 46, they called a timeout to figure out how they’d go for it. The ensuing play was a 55-yard touchdown pass from Chiera to Nigel Hill for the score.

The Patriots are now 3-0 for the second time in three seasons (they also did it in 2022, an 8-2 season) ahead of a big one Friday night against in-town rival Woodbridge. The Barrons, who are also 3-0, are ranked No. 3 in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten.

Colonia has now won two games that have gone right down to the wire, the first being a 22-21 overtime win against Sayreville in its season opener.

Saturday’s game also was being called “The Chiola Bowl,” as Linden coach Al Chiola lives in Colonia, and his son, Tyler, is in the football program.

St. Joseph-Metuchen 32, Union 8: The Falcons improved to 2-0 with a convincing win over Union, 32-8 Saturday afternoon at Brenner family Field. Union drops to 0-3 in the first season under Jason Scott.

St. Joe’s rushed for 149 yards as a team, led by quarterback Justin Scaramuzzo, who rushed for 73 yards and two scores, while also throwing 10-of-18 for 115 yards. And the Falcon defense snared three interceptions on the day to help their cause.

St. Joe’s goes to Elizabeth (2-1), while Union hosts Westfield (1-1) next Friday night.

Two more coaches get first wins at their schools…

In two other Saturday games, two new coaches picked up their first wins, both at their alma maters.

Westfield evened its record at 1-1 with a 37-21 home win over Elizabeth that earned alum Matt Andzel his first head coaching victory. Andzel played for Ed Tranchina from 1999 to 2001.

The game was tight early, with Westfield leading 6-0 after one quarter, but they exploded for 24 second quarter points and built a 30-7 lead by halftime. Quarterback Cole Weidler got some big pass plays going, completing just nine passes in 15 attempts for 219 yards and four touchdowns, an average 24 yards per reception.

Blake Rudow rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown on a busy day, with 32 carries.

Meanwhile, Scotch Plains Fanwood’s Shawn Johnson picked up win No. 1 with a 42-0 rout at New Brunswick. Jaden Richards and TJ Rasberry each rushed for two touchdowns in the game. See Marcus Borden’s postgame reaction – presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen – here.

Who else is seeking their first?

Two of the ten new coaches hired this offseason have picked up their first wins. Along with Andzel and Johnson, East Brunswick’s Matt Pazinko, Middlesex’s Bobby Swercheck, Sayreville’s Mark Poore, Ibrahim Halsey of South Brunswick, John Hack of Voorhees, and Woodbridge’s Joe Goerge are all on the board.

That leaves Tyrone Turner of Roselle and Jason Scott of Union. The Rams will visit AL Johnson Friday night, while Union hosts Westfield at Cooke Field, also on Friday night.

But there are still two coaches who took over teams last season still searching for that first win.

North Hunterdon was decimated by graduation when CJ Robinson took over as head coach, and went 0-9 last year. The Lions, who are 0-3 this season, have lost ten straight since their North 1, Group 4 title win in 2022. They host Montgomery, which also is 0-3, Friday night in Annandale.

And former Spotswood assistant Steve Gluchowski is still looking for his first in at New Brunswick. The Zebras also went 0-9 last year, and also have started this year 0-3. They have lost 17 straight, with their last win coming September 16th, 2022, against Franklin, a 28-26 win at Memorial Stadium.

While Robinson had to deal with graduation and the cyclical nature of high school football, especially coming off a title year with a heavily senior-laden team, Gluchowski inherited a program that had only won 10 games in the previous five seasons under alum Nate Harris, a stretch that included an 09- campaign in 2019, and where their best years was a 4-6 mark in 2021.

The Zebras’ last season above .500 was a 9-2 year in 2015 under Don Sofilkanich, where their only regular season loss was to Colonia, and New Brunswick got knocked out of the state tournament in the Central Jersey Group 5 semifinals by Old Bridge.

Other Saturday Scores…

Morris Knolls 34, Bridgewater-Raritan 14
Franklin 34, East Brunswick 0
JFK 28, Governor Livingston 27
Summit 41, Hillside 14
South River 45, Roselle Park 19

August 25, 2024August 22, 2024 by Mike Pavlichko

Late coaching changes jolted what was otherwise a calm offseason in the Big Central Conference; Here are the ten schools with new football coaches

The springtime departure of Joe LaSala from Woodbridge and the controversial dismissal of Andy Steinfeld at East Brunswick added to what otherwise would have been a calm off-season in the Big Central Conference for coaching changes.

With 14 new coaches in 2022, and another ten for 2023, only six schools would have seen new mentors this year in the BCC. That would have been the fewest since the transition from Year One to Year Two in the league, when only six schools – Spotswood, Dayton, Middlesex, Plainfield, Roselle and South Plainfield – changed coaches.

But Joe LaSala resigned from Woodbridge in late March, leading to three other changes: Joe Goerge left South Brunswick to lead the Barrons, Ibrahim Halsey left Roselle to replace Goerge, and Tyrone Turner left his Co-Defensive Coordinator job at Plainfield to take over at Roselle.

Then, just a couple of weeks before preseason practice began, Matt Pazinko was elevated from Offensive Coordinator to interim head coach at East Brunswick.

Here’s a look at the league’s new mentors heading into 2024:

East Brunswick – Matt Pazinko: Described by his former boss as his “right-hand man,” Pazinko – who, like Steinfeld, played for, was a captain, and coached under longtime mentor and current Central Jersey Sports Radio high school football analyst Marcus Borden – will have to help his team tune out the noise after the events of late July and early August. Little will likely change in the offensive scheme, as all of Steinfeld’s assistants remain on staff. The Bears will try and rebound from back-to-back one-win seasons after going 8-4 in 2021.

Middlesex – Robert Swercheck: When they say people do stuff “for the kids,” they mean a coach like Phlip McGuane, who stepped down after a cancer diagnosis. All indications are his prognosis was good, but he didn’t want the team to suffer if he had to spend any time away. So, he stepped aside, and in comes North Brunswick alum Robert Swercheck, who had been holding down the fort at Scotch Plains-Fanwood since head coach Austin Holman stepped aside for personal reasons mid-season. Swercheck takes over a Blue Jays team that went 7-2 a year ago, its best showing since going 8-2 in 2019.

Roselle: Tyrone Turner: “Go out and have fun” is how Turner put it to his new kids, as he takes over a Rams’ program once coached by his most recent boss. James Williams preceded Ibrahim Halsey before leaving for Plainfield, and Turner was his co-defensive coordinator with the Cardinals. Prior to Plainfield, Turner – an East Orange Campus alum – was offensive coordinator at Weequahic in 2015 and 2016, with the Indians going 12-0 and winning the North 2, Group 1 title over Shabazz. He later became the head coach at Shabazz, going 13-23, improving the team to 5-6 his final season in 2022, before heading to the Queen City.

Sayreville – Mark Poore: Though the Bombers went 8-2 in 2023, Don Soflikanich is out after one season, and Sayreville alum Mark Poore is in. He was an assistant under the program’s last three head coaches, including Sofilkanich, Chris Beagan and George Najjar, for whom he played in the early 2000s. His senior year, the Bombers went 10-1, their only loss coming to Scotch Plains Fanwood in the North 2, Group 3 semifinals. A quarterback, he threw for over 1,000 yards that year and ran for 500 more. Poore also brought on former North Plainfield coach James DiPaolo as offensive coordinator.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood – Shawn Johnson: A former standout for the Raiders at , Johnson coached the Scotch Plains-Fanwood PAL youth team to a Super Bowl victory, and retired last year as a juvenile detective as a sergeant, spending 25 years with the department. SPF was in a bit of flux last year, with head coach Austin Holman leaving mid-season and Bobby Swercheck keeping things going, but he’s now at Middlesex. The Raiders were 1-3 when Holman left, and lost their next four before closing things out with a pair of wins over JFK – ironically, Holman’s previous coaching stop – and South Plainfield.

South Brunswick – Ibrahim Halsey: The Vikings were right in the middle of the late-Spring coaching carousel in the Big Central Conference. The vacancy at Woodbridge lured away Joe Goerge, and Ibrahim Halsey getting hired by South Brunswick left Roselle looking for a new coach. The Rams were 17-16 in three years with Halsey at the helm. The 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey starred at Elizabeth, then in the Big Ten at Illinois. The Vikings are coming off back-to-back 5-5 seasons under Goerge, and won their last two games last season over Howell and Egg Harbor.

Union – Jason Scott: When you’ve worked under the previous coach – as Jason Scott did for Lou Grasso – for nine years, you’re bound to pick up a thing or two, and probably not mess too much with success. After all, he helped lead Grasso’s 2019 Farmers to the North 2, Group 5 title and a 12-1 season that just adds to the tradition at The “U.” Though 5-6 last season, that’s just a cyclical public school hiccup; the future looks bright at Union in 2024.

Voorhees – John Hack: An Immaculata alum, where he played for the legendary Pierce Frauenheim, he later coached there, then at Morris Catholic. Now, he’s at a public school in Glen Gardner taking over for Ricky Kurtz, whose Vikings had four losing seasons before breaking through last year, going 7-4. But Kurtz stepped down after a ten year run, during the first five of which he was an assistant. Though they graduate top runnignback Brandon Kurzeja and his 1,070 yards, Voorhees rushed for a mind-boggling 3,081 yards last year, and they have two junior backs returning who contributed nearly 600 yards and five touchdowns last year in Antonio Sauchelli and Matteo Tramutola.

Westfield – Matt Andzel: The first alum to coach the Blue Devils in its long and storied history, Andzel takes over for Jim DeSarno, who retired to take the Athletic Director post, after Sandra Mammary,at the end of the year. So, the former head coach truly got to pick his own replacement. A 2007 College of New Jersey graduate, he played for DeSarno’s predecessor, Ed Tranchina, from 1999-2001. Westfield is one of the legendary programs in Central Jersey, and won three straight North 2, Group 5 titles from 2015 to 2017, all coming over Bridgewater-Raritan at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, going unbeaten all three years. Andzel was on the staff during that run, and takes over a team that went 6-5 last year, beating solid teams like Hillsborough and Thanksgiving rival Plainfield.

Woodbridge – Joe Goerge: After two years in his second stint at South Brunswick, Joe Goerge has moved North to coach the Barrons. Goerge won the Vikings their only state titles – three of then in a seven-year stretch where his teams were 63-17. Woodbridge is loaded, so talent won’t be an issue. But Goerge has run option a good portion of his career, so it’ll be interesting to watch if he works any of that in or lets senior QB Derek Anderson fling it to his twin brother, Bryan whenever he gets the chance. The Barrons were 6-4 last season, dropping their last two games, to Sayreville and Ridge.

DID YOU KNOW?

There have been 40 coaching changes in the Big Central Conference since its inaugural season in 2020. Some have had multiple changes, like Somerville, which started with Dallas Whitaker, then Ian Pace, and now Matt Bloom.

In the end, there are 22 schools who have the same head football a coach now as they did four seasons ago. (Two of them had a change, but didn’t play varsity in 2020. Carteret sat out fall sports that year, and Matt Yascko left to become offensive coordinator and coach his son at Edison; Kevin Freeman was hired in the spring. And Highland Park hired Shawn Harrison after the 2019 season to replace Derrick Nobles, but the Owls didn’t have the numbers to field a varsity team that year.)

Here are the 22 schools who have not had a coaching change during their time playing in the Big Central: