Tag: Voorhees

by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2026: With a new look, new teams, Patriot Gold could be wide open

The Big Central Conference Patriot Gold Division in 2026 is like New Year’s Day: Out with the old, in with the new. Except a little bit will carry over, too.

This is one of those divisions that got a major revamp, moving down the likes of Hillside, New Brunswick and North Plainfield from their divisions, and moving division champ Bernards out for a tougher schedule. Voorhees and Delaware Valley remain, and have some good crossover to help their playoff hopes.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Patriot 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.

Voorhees Vikings (8-2, 2-1, 2nd place Patriot Gold)
Head Coach: Matt Evancho, 1st season

  • Week 0: Warren Hills
  • Week 1: at New Providence
  • Week 2: North Plainfield*
  • Week 3: Hillside*
  • Week 4: at East Brunswick
  • Week 5: Delaware Valley*
  • Week 6: at Bernards
  • Week 7: New Brunswick*
  • Week 8: at North Hunterdon

Giving Voorhees New Providence and Bernards as crossovers should boost the Vikings in their playoff push. But the bigger challenge will be replacing a slew of offensive talent, including Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week scholarship winner Matteo Tramutola, whose 1,338 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns were the vast majority of the ground game last year. Not only has he graduated, but so has quarterback Sam Meekings (1,560 yards passing, 19 TDs) and top receiver Rylan Benitez (775 yards, 11 TDs) and No. 2 wideout Logan Direny (408 yards, 4 TDs). The defense should fare a little better in terms of losses. Shawn Turino had 2 1/2 sacks last year as a junior – along with a pair of fumble recoveries – while sophomore Keith Richard added another two sacks.

Delaware Valley Terriers (6-4, 1-2, 3rd place Patriot Gold)
Head Coach: Ben Ibach, 4th season (17-11)

  • Week 0: North Hunterdon
  • Week 1: Johnson
  • Week 2: at Hillside*
  • Week 3: Warren Hills
  • Week 4: Bernards
  • Week 5: at Voorhees*
  • Week 6: at New Brunswick*
  • Week 7: North Plainfield*
  • Week 8: at Belvidere

Again, keeping Bernards is a boost here for the Terriers, who had an up-and-down 6-4 season a year ago. They won their first two of the year, then alternated between wins and losses the rest of the way out. Senior QB Kelton Ibach, the head coach’s son, graduates after a 1,674-yard passing season, where he connected for 20 touchdowns against just three interceptions. But two runningbacks – junior Ben Culberson (331 yards, 8 TDs) and sophomore Gabe Miller (139 yards, 2 TD) – return, along with tight end and top receiver Brayden Picardo-Leask (439 yards, 5 TD). The defense should return a good deal as well, including junior linebackers Evan Strochak (2 sacks, 4 1/2 TFLs), Culberson (3 sacks, 6 TFLs, 1 INT), Marcus Gary (2 sacks, 3 TFLs, team-high 80 tackles) and Miller (1 sack, 2 1/2 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovered). They also return their special teams skill players, including kicker/punter/returner Brayden Costello, and the younger sophomore returner Brooks Brunner.

Hillside (3-6, 2-2, 3rd place in United Gold)
Head Coach: Isa Abdul-Quddus, 3rd season (8-11)

  • Week 0: at Columbia
  • Week 1: Roselle
  • Week 2: Delaware Valley*
  • Week 3: at Voorhees*
  • Week 4: at New Brunswick*
  • Week 5: Bernards
  • Week 6: North Plainfield*
  • Week 7: at Manville
  • Week 9: at Cranford

After a 5-5 debut season for head coach Abdul-Qudddus, the Comets dropped out of the playoff picture in 2026, and the skipper will have some work to do, with rising junior Muwahid Williams at least a candidate to start at QB, after throwing 6-of-15 for 96 yards and a touchdown in limited action last season behind the now-graduated Justin Ashford (889 yards, 7 TDs). No. 1 target Kamari Robinson (559 yards, 6 TD) also is gone, but top runningback Travis Miles (342 yards, 5 TDs) should return for his senior year. And while the defense also graduates a ton, perhaps their most disruptive member should be back; junior Kamsi Igboanugo had five sacks and 15 TFLs last season. Xavier DaSilva (13-16 on PATs, 2-5 on FGs) also should return for his junior season.

North Plainfield (3-6, 1-3, 4th place in United Silver)
Head Coach: Steven Brown, 1st season

  • Week 0: Orange
  • Week 1: South Plainfield
  • Week 2: at Voorhees*
  • Week 3: at New Brunswick*
  • Week 4: at JFK
  • Week 5: Spotswood
  • Week 6: at Hillside*
  • Week 7: at Delaware Valley*
  • Week 8: Brearley

Steven Brown comes in as the new head coach, and one of his first tasks will be to find a quarterback. Four played last year, including the now-graduated senior Jordan Burnett, who threw for 244 yards. Three juniors also saw snaps – including Evan Collazo, Alex Kruszczynski and Iam Lameira, a msulti-sport athlete who was 5.2 with a 2.62 ERA on the Cancuck baseball team this year. Top rusher Jordan Burnett (773 yards, 10 TD) and No. 2 Julius King (394 yards, 4 TD) also have graduated, but three sophomore receivers could make impacts as juniors this year. Defensively, junior DL Jeremiah Dorlus was the most disruptive player in 2025, with three sacks, while sophomore defensive back Anthony Costello had three picks, including one for a touchdown.

New Brunswick Zebras (1-9, 0-4, 5th place in United Silver)
Head Coach: Geoffrey Chrisman

  • Week 0: at Highland Park
  • Week 1: at Metuchen
  • Week 2: at Linden
  • Week 3: North Plainfield*
  • Week 4: Hillside*
  • Week 5: at Perth Amboy
  • Week 6: Delaware Valley*
  • Week 7: at Voorhees
  • Week 8: Scotch Plains-Fanwood

Despite a long losing streak – and few points scored – the Zebras persevered and finally picked up a win in Game 10 of the 2026 season, beating West Windsor-Plainsboro 36-0 in their season finale on October 29th. Like JP Stevens and Highland Park before them, all it takes is one to get the ball rolling, and New Brunswick has to hope that will be the case this year. After all, they don’t just start the season undefeated like everyone else, but there are very few teams who can say they ended their season with a win. Of course, there will be some graduation losses to deal with, but the charismatic Chrisman will just have to keep up his recruitment of the hallways to maintain his efforts to right the ship.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central Conference coaching updates: What’s left to fill with less than two months before camp opens?

It was another year of coaching turnover in the Big Central Conference, whether by coaches not being retained, or stepping down on their own.

Of the 59 schools in the league, 12 will have new head coaches for the upcoming 2026 season. That’s 25 coaching changes in the past two seasons – nearly half the league – after 13 new coaches were hired following the 2024 campaign.

The latest hire was Steven Brown at North Plainfield, whose appointment was approved Monday night by the Board of Education. He’s been the defensive coordinator at Verona for the last two seasons, and also at Elizabeth for girls’ flag football, a Big Central playoff finalist each of the last two seasons.

And that leaves just one position open in the BCC, in Perth Amboy, where William Clark will not be retained after seven seasons as the Panthers’ head coach. His teams were 12-52 in that span, never winning more than three in a season; they went 3-7 in 2021.

Once that hiring is complete, the entire Patriot Silver Division – Amboy, New Providence, AL Johnson, Spotswood, Roselle and Metuchen – will have new head coaches, and be responsible for half the new mentors in the BCC this season.

Here’s a look at the rest of the Big Central Conference schools with new coaches in 2026:

  • JFK: One of the early hires, the Mustangs will be led by Anthony Nyers, a Woodbridge grad from across town who was appointed in late February. He most recently was the wide receivers coach and Offensive Coordinator at Westfield under Matt Andzel, and had spent the previous season with Al Chiola at Linden.
  • Johnson: Athletic Director Gus Kalikas ran the show last season, and the Crusaders went 7-2 with his son, Jack, at starting quarterback. But this year, the job was given to Mike Ryan, who was approved in late May by the Board of Education, and promoted after spending two years with the Crusaders as an assistant. Ryan has been a head coach at JP Stevens in the past, and was on the Edison staff of Matt Fulham when they won the Central Jersey Group 5 title in 2022.
  • Metuchen: Alum Jordan Leitner is gone after going 21-20 in four seasons, including a solid 7-4 campaign in 2024. In steps Middlesex County veteran Joe Riggi, who was a defensive coordinator at JFK in the mid 2010s, sandwiched by a pair of stints as the head coach at JP Stevens, from 2007 to 2009, and again from 2015 to 2019.
  • New Providence: The Pioneers kept it in-house after Chert Parlavecchio, Jr., stepped down to take an assistant coaching position at his alma mater, Delbarton. They went with Anthony Conzentino, who played scholastically at Livingston – starring on a 2008 squad then led by current St. Joseph-Metuchen head coach Bill Tracy – and coached running backs, linebackers and special teams the past five years at New Providence.
  • Roselle: Tyrone Turner is out after two seasons – and was quickly snapped up by Steven Brown at North Plainfield – and James Roach is in. He’s been director of the Union County Vipers youth football and mentoring organization since 2011 and is a local outreach coordinator, according to his LinkedIn bio.
  • South Brunswick: Mike Gerst will now lead the Viking program, coming to Middlesex County after two seasons up at Fort Lee, his first-ever head coaching job. He replaces Ibrahim Halsey, who was 7-12 in two seasons (and now is an assistant at Franklin) while Gerst’s teams went 16-3 in that span an the Super Football Conference’s “Ivy Red” Division, one in which teams aren’t eligible for the playoffs by playing a “relief” schedule aimed at rebuilding. That included a 9-0 campaign last year, the first in over 100 years of Fort Lee football.

by Mike Pavlichko

John Hack approved as new football coach at Mendham, after stepping down from Voorhees

When John Hack took the head coaching job at Voorhees two years ago, he told his athletic director the only other job he’d ever take would be in the his own home district, where he and his family live, up at Mendham.

Two years later, that’s where he’s headed.

Hack was approved Monday night by the West Morris-Mendham Board of Education to be the new head football coach at Mendham, replacing Ethan Jeros, who was not brought back following a 4-6 season. He was 26-25 in five years leading the Minutemen, making the playoffs the last four seasons, with no playoffs in 2021 due to the COVID-shortened campaign.

Hack told Central Jersey Sports Radio that he resigned on January 12th at Voorhees, where he guided the Vikings to an 8-2 record this past season and a Central Jersey Group 2 playoff berth behind a stout rushing attack led by senior Matteo Tramutola, who carried for 1,338 yards and 17 touchdowns en route to a Central Jersey Group 2 playoff berth.

The air-game was excellent, too, as senior Sam Meekings threw for 1,560 yards and 19 touchdowns to a talented corps of receivers, including Rylan Benitez (39 catches, 775 yards, 11 TD) and Logan Direny (28 catches, 408 yards, 4 TD), as well as junior Toby Dorr (20 catches, 233 yards, 2 TDs).

Hack says besides the fact he lives in the West Morris-Mendham district, the move also will give him an opportunity – in a few years – to coach his only son, who’s currently in the fifth grade. That means he plans to stay at Mendham a while, as long as they’ll have him.

He also says he was blown away by the administration at Mendham, and as many coaches know, you’re only as good as the people supporting you.

Hack was contacted about the job before Thanksgiving after the departure of Jeros. Prior to his arrival, Mendham had not had a .500 season or better since 2014, but Jeros told the local Observer-Tribune earlier back in January that he felt his coaching and leadership of the program had suffered the past two seasons. He’s a guidance counselor in Manville, which kept him from building the kind of relationships he wanted to at Mendham.

Hack is an Immaculata grad, who returned under the late Pierce Frauenheim in 2004 to coach the defensive line. He succeeded the legendary coach – the school’s original football coach dating back to the 1960s – and spent two seasons there in 2013 and 2014, going 9-12 in that span – before heading to Morris Catholic and coaching there from 2015 through 2023.

He then spent the past two years leading the Vikings up in Glen Gardner.

Click below to listen to John Hack talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Voorhees’ Matteo Tramutola runs off with Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Scholarship for 2025

As always, there were tons of great performances across the Big Central during the 202 high school football season, and it’s not always easy choosing the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Award.

But, of course, thanks to Central Jersey Sports Radio founding sponsor Joe Bellamy – without whom none of this would be possible – somehow, we figure it out.

Each week, we pore over all the nominations. Some weeks it’s like a chip shot field goal. Other times we just fire it downfield and hope to hit the open man.

Then, after nine weeks of regular season play, we have to pick from those to award a $500 scholarship from Bellamy & Son Paving, and this year, we went west – far west – for Voorhees’ Matteo Tramutola.

Logo for Bellamy & Son Paving featuring the text 'The Big Central Player of the Week' in red and yellow colors.

Not only did the Vikings’ senior have a great year, but capped a fantastic four-year varsity career out in Glen Gardner. He rushed for a personal best 1,338 yards on 193 carries, scoring 17 touchdowns for the second straight season, giving him 39 for his career. And over four years, he ended up as the school’s all-time leading rusher. How’s this for symmetry: 444 total carries for an exactly even 3,000 career rushing yards?

Tramutola won the award in Week Six, when he carried 26 times for 154 yards and two touchdowns. But two other aspects made it all the more remarkable. First, his second touchdown of the game turned out to be he game-winner in a 21-14 win at Governor Livingston on October 11th. But the game also saw him set the Vorhees career rushing record.

Click below to listen to Matteo Tramutola get surprised by Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Scholarship:

Here’s the full list of Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Year Honorees. Click the links to read more about each player’s performance, plus Honorable Mentions and a full list of nominees.

by Mike Pavlichko

The playoffs are here! Part Two of our first round, Big Central postseason preview, with a look at Groups 1 through 3

It’s time for the playoffs!

We got through opening weekend in the sweltering heat of the late dog days of August. We didn’t really have much of a fall, but the weather mostly nice. And Cutoff Weekend last weekend saw some teams sweating it out, some disappointed, and others rewarded for their play during the season.

Now, it’s time to get it all going!

Here’s Central Jersey Sports Radio’s look at all the playoff games in Groups 1, 2 and 3 involving BCC schools this weekend, section by section, including game dates and times. Games are Friday, except where noted.

Click here to read our preview of playoff games in Groups 4 and 5.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3:

  • #5 Cranford (4-5) at #4 Roxbury (6-3), 7 pm: The Cougars could be tough to figure out, or maybe not. Their season has been perfectly symmetrical, a football anagram. They lost their first two, then won two, lost one, then won two again, and lost two coming into the playoffs, falling 40-15 at Colonia, and 23-22 in overtime at Hillside last Saturday. And to move on in the playoffs, they’ll need to win on the road, a place they’re 0-4 this season. Talk about a balanced attack: though they run it more than they pass, Cranford has just 31 more yards passing than they do on the ground, 1,337 to 1,306. But they don’t rely on any one person. For example, five different receivers – led by senior Quinn Smith with 32 and junior John Fiore with 23 – have at least 15 receptions this season. Roxbury, meanwhile, likes to keep it on the ground, and in the hands of duel threat quarterback Frankie Falco. He’s just a sophomore, but he’s completing 62% of his passes for 608 yards and three touchdowns – but seven picks – while rushing for a team-best 1,048 and eleven scores. This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools.
  • #7 Warren Hills (5-4) at #2 Summit (7-2), Saturday 1 pm: These schools were more familiar when they were in the Mid-State Conference together, but haven’t played since 2021. The Blue Streaks have been back and forth all season, never winning or losing more than two straight all year long. Coming off a 48-20 win at Hackettstown that locked down a playoff berth, they’re a balanced attack with a good aerial game, but turnover-prone, while Summit has seven picks on the year and two fumble recoveries, with senior Andrew Trujillo disruptive up front. Say this, the Hilltoppers are battle-tested. Their two losses came to two very tough opponents – Somerville and Bernards, who combined for just one loss between them this season, by the Pioneers – and they’ve beaten some outstanding squads as well, including Montgomery and Woodbridge. Back-tunred-QB Alex Schwark continues to shine running the offense, also running himself, to the tune of 918 yards – and that’s after missing those two games due to injury. There’s a reason Summit is perfect this season with him in the lineup, but he’ll have to have another Alex Schwark type of game for his team to move on to the next round.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 3:

  • #7 Matawan (5-4) at #2 Somerville (8-1), 7 pm: Here’s another first-ever matchup, as the Huskies come in to Brooks Field sporting a 1-4 road record this season, with losses at Hightstown, Red Bank, Middletown North and Shore. Then again, they’re the only team to beat Manasquan this season, so who knows what they’ll come up with. They should be a huge underdog on the road in this first round game to a team that likes to play no-huddle, switching back-and-forth, and also run Aidan Vesuvio-Bush out of the wildcat. The Pioneers are a tough team to keep up with, that’s for sure. But they will have a good shot at defending their 2024 Central Jersey Group 3 title as one of the favorites in this section.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 2:

  • #7 Madison at #2 Bernards, 7 pm: It’s been a long time since these two teams played, their last meeting in September of 2018, predating the Big Central. But Bernards has been the winningest program in the Big Central Conference for three straight seasons. They have not lost a single regular season game, and have a sectional title to their credit, going 32-2 since the start of the 2023 season. The Mountaineers have a program folks, and they play smash-mouth football. As CJSR analyst Marcus Borden once said, “After you play Bernards, you know you played Bernards.” Junior QB Nolan Walsh has been back for a couple of games after missing two due to injury, but it’s good to know that freshman A.J. MacCracken – the first ninth-grader to start at the position for Bernards in at least 50 years, according to head coach Jon Simoneau – wouldn’t miss a beat if he was needed, as he didn’t in two starts. Bernards has put up some big offensive numbers this year, with senior Logan Stevnes nearing 1,000 yards rushing, and Walsh just 77 shy of the same milestone on the passing side. Madison will run it a lot, but yardage-wise they’re very balanced, and rarely turn it over, while their defense stays at home. The Dodgers come in on a three-game winning streak.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 2:

  • #8 Voorhees (8-1) at #1 Camden (6-2), 6 pm: This is a loaded section, and even the top teams will be challenged here. And this will be good measuring stick – win or lose – for the Vikings, who have an incredibly stout run-game and a potent offense, as they face a challenging, explosive South Jersey foe. That includes senior runningback Matteo Tramutola (1,338 yards, 17 TDs) and QB Sam Meekings (99-165, 1,560 pass yards, 19 TDs). With 20 sacks – and a team-best five from senior Madden Kramer. Voorhees’ only loss this season came to Bernards, 31-21, in Week Three (Game Four – don’t get us started on this again!). The Panthers have some strong wins over teams like Kingway and Rancocas Valley. They have been back and forth between QBs this season, as senior Ahman JOnes and freshman Gregory Wyche, Jr., have combined for 1,231 yards passing. And boy can their defensive line play. They have 29 sacks and 47 TFLs on the season, with senior Jerome Foster logging 9 1/2 of each, while fellow senior DB Ibn Muhammad also has 4 1/2 sacks. It’s the first meeting between the schools.
  • #5 Johnson (7-1) at #4 Mansquan (7-1), Saturday 1 pm: No recent history here either, as these two last played in 2016, with ‘Squan coming up with a 33-29 win that year. The Warriors have had a challenging schedule, their lone loss coming to Group 3 Matawan, with wins over Shore (6-2) and Red Bank (5-3). But Johnson has beaten its share of good teams, including Brearley, Metuchen and Delaware Valley, all 5-4. Their lone loss came to undefeated New Providence. While the Big Blue are led by senior runningback Ace Etienne – perhaps the coolest football name ever – ALJ will keep it on the ground even more, almost exclusively. They have run 268 running plays, and made just 27 pass attempts this season, rushing for 2,079 yards and 26 touchdowns behind a balanced attack that includes juniors Zaire Majerska and Manny Rendiero, and sophomore Julian Colon, all with at least 300 yards rushing, with several more close behind.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 1:

  • #8 Brearley (5-4) at #1 Mountain Lakes (6-2): And so they meet again. The Bears last made the trip up north in 2022 for the North 1, Group 1 title game, and fell 16-6. This year, they open up the playoffs with the Herd, a team they’ve met four times prior, splitting the wins two games apiece. After starting the season 1-2, Mountain lakes has won five straight since, and scored no less than 28 points in any of those games, three times scoring over 40. Included in that are two solid wins over Madison and Newton. It’s almost exclusively a ground attack, having attempted just 39 passes on the year, with 30 runs for a total of 2,592 yards on the ground. Might be best if Brearley can get up early and get the Herd playing from behind. Brearley started the year 0-3, but has won five of six since, the lone loss coming two weeks ago, 27-9, to Metuchen. They beat Dayton 10-7 last weekend to clinch their playoff berth. Senior QB Matthew Resende has put up Matt Sims type numbers on the ground (he was the QB on the ’22 team) but doesn’t do the same through the air; he’s more a runner than a passer. In fact, he hasn’t thrown a TD pass all year in 55 attempts. Sophomore defensive lineman Rocco Federico, however, can get after the QB; he has 13 1/2 sacks on a team that has 19 overall.
  • #6 Secaucus (5-3) at #3 New Providence (8-0), 7 pm: Some way, some how, Chet Parlevecchio, Jr., has been able to keep this team perfect, despite graduation losses and injuries. T.J. Munn, a huge part of last year’s North 2, Group 1 finalist team, graduated, but star runningback A.J. Whitehead returned, only to break his leg late in the season, ending his 2025 campaign. That’s shifted the load to seniors like Jack Fitzgerald, Daniel Porretti, and Mike Petses, who, for example, combined for over 150 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries last week in a win over Delaware Valley. Maybe the secret is how well-coached this team is, and well-prepared. Secaucus has won two straight coming in, and has an interesting setup, with co-head coaches – Charlie Voorhees and Tom Curry, Jr. Their best wins have come over Hawthorne and Bogota. Brandon Vega is the team’s leading rusher at 867 yards and nine scores, but QB Chase Berckes has been turnover-prone, throwing for nearly 700 yards and five TDs, but with six picks. The New Providence defense – with four touchdowns on the year – must be salivating; as a group, they’ve got ten picks this year, returning three for scores. They also have seven fumble recoveries.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1:

  • #8 Bound Brook (5-4) at #1 Burlington City (8-1), 5 pm: This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools, and not an easy task. The Crusaders are a hard team to figure, as they haven’t beaten the best teams, but three of their losses came to undefeated squads. Four of their wins came over teams that have combined for just three victories themselves, and they lost to 1-8 North Warren in their opener by a score, but they also beat 5-4 Belvidere. But they were likely still working things out, as line coach Rich Hilliard has really transformed the play up front in his first season on head coach Dave LePoidevin’s staff. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils’ only loss came in a rivalry game with Group 3 Burlington Twp., and they’re a veteran group with quality wins on the schedule. This is the epitome of how a tough schedule rewards a team – if they win.
  • #5 Asbury Park (5-3) at #4 Manville (9-0): Throw out the Mustangs’ first undefeated mark since 1968, but note two things here. First, this may be the best Manville team every, at least in the playoff era (since 1974) and b) this is a different level of competition than what they’ve seen most of the year. Take nothing away from their accomplishments: they were hands-down the most dominant Group 1 squad in the Big Central this year, with three shutouts, and averaging 48.5 points per game over their last six, while allowing just under nine per contest. Their best wins were over a pair of 5-4 teams in Bound Brook and Belvidere. And they have a two-headed quarterback situation with Josh D’Ambrosio (1,038 rushing yards, 15 TDs) and Sammy Echeverri, and then there’s Isaiah Bennett (762 rush yards, 15 scores). The defense has 14 sacks on the year. They’ll have to slow one of the top runningbacks in the state in A’Meire Massie, who has breakaway speed, and finds holes opened by the offensive line – which, by the way, includes twin sisters! And boy (girl?) are they legit: Elani and Eniya Johnson. They have made a difference on a team that’s back in the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, under second-year head coach and former Blue Bishop standout QB Will Johnson, who won two titles playing in that majestic stadium along Deal Lake.

by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Friday Playoff Update – Group 2: Bernards edges up, but still no top-seed; Voorhees locks up bid, Dayton can play itself in, Spotswood will miss playoffs at 8-1

With Friday night’s Cutoff Weekend high school football games all in the books, Central Jersey Sports Radio is updating the unofficial NJSIAA playoff standings as we head into Saturday action.

We’ll have further analysis late morning into the afternoon Saturday, with our 2025 “Playoff Projection Show” scheduled for 6 pm where we give our bracket projections. The full tournament for the public schools will be unveiled on Sunday by the NJSIAA via Gridiron New Jersey. We’ll have them shortly after. The brackets become official at noon on Monday.

NORTH GROUP 2

Table displaying the unofficial NJSIAA playoff standings for North Group 2 high school football teams, including team names, win-loss records, points averaged, and other statistics.
  • Even with a win Friday night over Carteret, Bernards still won’t get the top-seed, even though they edged up one place overall. Westwood and Shabazz will get top-seeds, with Shabazz getting it in North 2, Group 2, the same section as the Mountaineers, who would then be the two-seed.
  • Dayton sits in 18th but hosts Brearley Saturday. It’s a true play-in game. Win and they’re in, lose and they’re out.

SOUTH GROUP 2

Table displaying the playoff standings for high school football in South Group 2, including team names, wins, losses, ties, point average (PP AVG), and rankings.
  • The top two seeds flipped here, even though both won. Haddonfield should get the South Jersey Group 2 top seed, while Camden will be the Central Jersey Group 2 No. 1 seed.
  • Johnson held in 8th.
  • Voorhees wrapped up a spot with a win in the Milk Can Game at North Hunterdon.
  • Spotswood, however, is going to be the big news. You could talk about their schedule not being as good as some others, but they beat the teams that were given to them – all but Dayton – including five-win Roselle Park, five-win Bound Brook, and four-win Brearley (who has a chance at a fifth Saturday at Dayton.) Having an 8-1 team miss the playoffs is just absurd, and it’s a combination of a) moving down in divisions after some down years heading into the most recent two-year Big Central scheduling cycle (the new one starts next season), b) a need for better scheduling of crossovers in the Big Central (we’ll have some ideas next week) and c) a state scheduling formula that still gives too much emphasis to losses against strong competition. Welcome to New Jersey, where a win isn’t just a win anymore. You know the old adage, “You don’t get style points?” Apparently, here, you do.
by Mike Pavlichko

Thursday night Cutoff Weekend playoff update: Minimal games, but slight changes in standings

There were 13 high school football games Thursday night, but only seven playoff-eligible games (Ivy Divisions in the Super Football Conference aren’t playoff-eligible).

Those games didn’t have a big impact on the standings, but when combined with the rest of the results to come in Friday and Saturday, they could have some real sway in who makes the postseason and who doesn’t.

Remember, SI values are locked in, so the values you see are the ones you get this weekend. All that matters is who won and who lost.

Here’s a look at all the public school sections impacted by Thursday night’s play, large or small.

  • North Group 5: Though there were seven football games in the Super Football Conference Thursday night, all but one were Ivies, who are ineligible for the playoffs. That was Passaic Tech beating Passaic at home, 35-7. Tech stayed at No. 5, but four other teams moved around as a result. Union City dropped from six to eight, while Livingston climbed two spots to take the Soaring Eagles’ place. Further down, Passaic having lost helped Plainfield (3-5), which moved up from 15 to 14, flip-flopping with Morristown. That’s because Passaic (4-4, 18th) dropped below the Cardinals in power points, cutting Plainfield’s UPR by 0.4 to a 15.2 UPR.
  • South Group 4: There was a five-game slate in the West Jersey Football League Thursday. Shawnee blanked Hammonton at home, as expected, 21-0, while Willingboro lost at Seneca, 28-21, and Pennsauken was a 40-6 winner over Clearview, also as expected. With a weak opponent, Shawnee dropped two places from third to fifth, moving Manalapan and Millville up one spot each to third and fourth, respectively. Pennsauken at ten dropped, flip-flopping with Middletown South at 11. Hammonton held at 15. Clearview – well out of the race – held at 27.
  • South Group 3: Overall No. 1 Burlington Twp. topped Cinnaminson Thursday on the road, 21-0. Burlington should at least have wrapped up a No. 1 seed, if not the overall top-seed. That shouldn’t affect Somerville, however, which still has a chance at a top-seed and win with some help.
  • South Group 2: A Willingboro loss at Seneca, 28-21, on Thursday helped a couple of teams, though only one is evident in the standings. Voorhees (8-1) climbed one spot from 16 to 15, while Overbrook rose from 15 to 14, and Willingboro fell from 14 to 16. The loss also likely helps Spotswood, which still needs to beat Roselle Park Friday – and get some help – to qualify. But hey, one down, more to go.
  • North Group 1: Only one game here saw Weehawken beat Elmwood Park at home, 20-50. And while Weehawken stayed at 25, it did bump Whippany Park and Roselle Park (5-2) each up one spot to 23 and 22, respectively, while Saddle Brook dropped to 24. It’s still unlikely the Panthers can reach the top 16 – even with a win over 7-1 Spotswood Friday night, but we’ll know much more after the rest of Friday’s scores come in.

by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Group 2 Playoff Update: Bernards a longshot for a top seed, Spotswood’s in trouble (at 8-1!), while Dayton and Voorhees face play-in type games

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 2 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 2

  • Bernards: Upon closer inspection, it looks like the Mountaineers (8-0) are most likely going to get squeezed out of a first round playoff game, unless they get a lot of help. Coming in with a 4.2 UPR, it’s not a lot to get to the two teams tied for second at 2.8, Shabazz and Rutherford. But Friday night they play Carteret, and the Ramblers aren’t bad at all; their SI is 56.54 and they’re worth 15 power points. But Bernards’ OSI is a 56.81, and its power point average is 16.13, so it’s just not enough to move the needle either way very significantly. In that scenario, a win on its own keeps them tied for fourth (and with no common opponents and no head-to-head, Hanover Park would get the tiebreaker for now). Now, if they can get some help, that would be good. It looks like if Bernards wins, and Rutherford, Shabazz and Hanover Park all lose – regardless of what Westwood does – Bernards may be able to get the two-seed overall, and a top-seed in North 2, Group 2. But it’s unlikely all three lose. A loss by Bernards, and they could drop to six or perhaps a bit lower.
  • Dayton: The Bulldogs (6-2) get Brearley Saturday, worth 18 power points and with a 49.52 SI value. Both are higher than their current averages (11.43 power points, 40.03 OSI) so a win on their own bumps them up to 15 from their current seat in the 16th position. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but giving wins to the five teams behind them in that scenario – Becton, Vernon, Lyndhurst, Mahwah and Cresskill – still keeps them in at 15; Vernon would jump them, but the others wouldn’t be able to make up enough ground. Should they lose, they’re out. So, we think this is a play-in game for Dayton.

SOUTH GROUP 2

  • A.L. Johnson: The Crusaders (7-1) play Perth Amboy (1-7) Friday, so even a win on its own would drop them from eighth place to a tie for ninth with Gloucester City. That wouldn’t drop them in their section, necessarily, however, because Gloucester City will be in South Jersey Group 2, and Johnson will be in Central Jersey Group 2 when split by geography. Even a win by Bordentown behind them would keep them there, as the Scotties have Pemberton (1-6) on the schedule Friday. A loss, however, could drop them to 11 or lower. Johnson certainly is in the playoffs, but we think either way, they likely play on the road, and they most likely scenario is a 5th seed in CJ2.
  • Voorhees: The Vikings (7-1) are having a fantastic season, but only in 16th coming into Cutoff Weekend. Their schedule is not as bad as some of the smaller-school six- and seven-win teams, but this section is a brutal one. Only one team above them – Point Pleasant Boro at 3-4 – has fewer than four wins. Now, we think that’s mainly the way it should be, but not every supersection is like this. North 5 for example has six of the last seven teams in the top 16 with three wins or fewer, including Montclair at 16 with a 1-7 record. (They would have to reach two wins to be eligible, but something is wrong with a system that allows that to even happen in the first place.) In any event, Voorhees will be hurt by having North Hunterdon (1-7) this weekend in the annual Milk Can Game, a rivalry that dates back to 1976, in which the Lions have a wide advantage. A win alone won’t move them up, though they could edge up if Willingboro and Overbrook – currently ahead of them – were to lose. A loss would drop them to 17, and even losses by Overrook Camden and Willingboro won’t help. Note that Camden Eastside – also ahead of them – is idle this week. It’s possible some quirk would get them in, but the best path is a win over North Hunterdon.
  • Spotswood: Seems like we have this discussion every year with the Chargers. They’re 7-1, their lone loss is to Dayton, and they are on the outside looking in at 18. Let’s just get the easy part out of the way: A loss to 5-2 Roselle Park makes them toast. Now, can they find a way in? The big thing is Roselle Park is 5-2, and they’re a big prize for the Chargers: a 56.10 SI team, where their average is currently 39.45, and worth 21 power points, almost double their current average. But guess what? It still doesn’t move them from 18th! It’s a sign the system is broken and rewards teams more for losses to good teams than wins. (We’ll have more on this Saturday night, during our live projection show, you can be sure of that.) So, is there a path in? We’re going to assume a Voorhees win, which isn’t a big stretch. This one we’re going to dive deep on. What you have to look at is where you can gain in each metric, power points and OSI. The five teams ahead of Spotswood in power points (Spotswood is 13 there currently – by the way, we’ve advocated for ditching power points, going to solely OSI, and making losses less valuable (like 30 or 40 percent) – are Sterling, Collingswood, Voorhees, Manasquan and Lower Cape May. Giving all but Voorhees a loss, the Chargers are still at 17. Now, let’s try OSI, where Spotswood is 21st. The teams ahead of them are Delaware Valley, Governor Livingston, Raritan, Voorhees and Lower Cape May. We already got those last two, and Governor Livingston should beat winless New Brunswick (which hasn’t scored more than eight points in a game since 2022, a streak of 28 games). So we’ll be realistic, and give losses to Del Val and Raritan, and they still don’t get in. Maybe there’s a quirk we haven’t found yet – like a loss by Willingboro -but it looks pretty bleak for Spotswood, even with a win. Will it change anything? Probably not, but it should.

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 1 still goes to St. Joe’s, but seven other teams move around as upsets rock Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Top Ten heading into Cutoff

There was a second straight week of major upheaval in the Bellamy & Son Paving Big Central Top Ten, with Montgomery handing Sayreville its first loss, No. 1 St. Joseph-Metuchen ending St. Thomas Aquinas’s 35-game league winning streak, and Woodbridge falling to unranked Summit for the Barrons’ first loss of the season.

The result saw the Falcons stay at No. 1 with perhaps the two biggest wins of the season by any team in the league, but nearly everyone else moved around, with No. 6 Bernards the only other team to hold its position.

St. Joseph-Metuchen kept its perfect regular season alive with two games to play – remember, the non-publics play an extra week before the playoffs are seeded – with a 41-19 win at then-No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas. Next up, the Falcons host No. 5 Woodbridge (7-1) Saturday afternoon, before closing on Halloween at Donovan Catholic.

Up two places to No. 2 is Phillipsburg (6-1), right behind the Falcons after their defeat in Metuchen two weeks ago. The Stateliners were 42-0 winners over Union at home Friday, and are at Maloney again this week when they host Bridgewater-Raritan (6-2).

Montgomery (6-2) shot up this week with their second win over a ranked team this season, a 43-15 win at then-No. 5 Sayreville. The Cougars visit Rahway (5-3) this Friday night at 7 pm in the Bellamy & Son Paving “Big Central Game of the Week,” which you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino on the call.

Somerville (7-1) moves up from seventh to No. 4 after a 40-28 home win over Plainfield, heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Pioneers will travel to Watchung Hills (3-5) Friday for their regular season finale.

Promotional banner for Bellamy & Son Paving featuring their services including driveways, parking lots, stone paving, and sewer line repair.

Down three spots to fifth is Woodbridge (7-1), which took its first loss Friday, 10-7, to Summit. And it’s a tough task ahead for the Barrons, who will travel to top-ranked St. Joseph-Metuchen (7-0) Saturday afternoon.

Holding court at No. 6 is Bernards (8-0). The Mountaineers extended their regular season win streak to a state best 33 games with a 35-7 home win over Governor Livingston back on Friday, and host Carteret (3-4) this Friday. Bernards now has won 31 in a row in Big Central play, four away from tying the league record, which just ended Friday.

That’s St. Thomas Aquinas (5-3), which drops to seventh after falling 41-19 at home to No. 1 St. Joseph-Metuchen on Friday. The Trojans’ had their 35-game Big Central win streak go by the boards in the process, and they’re back in action against No. 8 Sayreville (7-1), which dropped three spots this week after falling 43-15 at home to then-No. 10 Montgomery.

Down one place each – due to Montgomery’s rise – are Piscataway and Old Bridge. The Chiefs are 6-2 after a 21-7 win at Hillsborough Friday, and are at Monroe (1-7) this Friday . The Knights are 7-1 – but that loss is to Piscataway – after a 45-29 win at Hunterdon Central. Old Bridge closes at home against Colonia (6-2) this Friday night at Lombardi Field.

Promotional banner for Bellamy & Son Paving featuring their services including driveways, parking lots, stone paving, and sewer line repair.

No one dropped out this week.

In the Also Considered category are Voorhees (7-1), New Providence (7-0) Ridge (5-2), and Manville (8-0), all the same schools as last week.

Here’s the complete 2025 Bellamy & Son Paving Central Jersey Sports Radio Big Central Week Seven Top Ten:

Image of the Week Seven Top Ten rankings for the Big Central Conference, featuring team names, records, and previous rankings.

by Mike Pavlichko

Senior Matteo Tramutola scores game-winning TD for Voorhees, becomes Vikings’ all-time leading rusher, wins Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Award

We like it when a Player of the Week nominee does more than one thing.

Last Saturday, Matteo Tramutola of Voorhees did four.

He may get most of his attention for what he does when he runs the football, but he also plays defense, and punts. Oh, and he plays baseball, too.

Last Saturday, he carried 26 times for 154 yards and two touchdowns, with the second giving his team a 21-14 lead in the rain at Governor Livingston, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He also had seven solo and 3 assisted tackles on defense, and helped the Vikings win the field position battle with his punting, in difficult conditions.

In the process, he became the school’s all-time rushing leader with 2,726 career yards to go along with 36 career TDs. The yardage eclipses the school’s previous benchmark of 2,652, held by Charlie Rodenberger (2013-2016) according to second-year head coach John Hack, who Tramutola also credits with changing the culture in Glen Gardner and turning the program around.

From 2018 through 2022, Voorhees had just one above .500 season, in 2022. After going 3-6 last year, the Vikings are 6-1 and in 12th in the South 2 playoff standings, looking very much the part of a playoff club.

For all his efforts, but especially this week, Matteo Tramutola of Voorhees is the Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week.

Logo of Bellamy & Son Paving highlighting the Big Central Player of the Week.

The Vikings (6-1) are back in action this Friday night at home against Hillside (1-5).

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko’s interview with Week Six Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Matteo Tramutola of Voorhees:

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:

  • Geoffrey Young, Belvidere: In a 16-0 win over South Hunterdon last Friday, the senior carried 17 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, accounting for 14 of the team’s 16 points. His second TD sealed the game with a one-yard run, then ended it for good with a sack in the end zone for a safety. He also had 12 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble at middle linebacker.
  • Zahmir Moore, Bound Brook: In a 38-28 road win at Middlesex that puts the Crusaders at 5-2 – their best record since finishing the COVID-shortened 2020 season with the same record – the junior wideout caught four passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns of five and 85 yards. He also had ten tackles out of the secondary on defense, with seven solos.
  • Andrew Schwarz, Hillsborough: In a 30-18 win over rival Bridgewater-Raritan at home last Friday, the senior runningback did yoeman’s work. The yards(154) weren’t as important as the carries, of which he had 36, part of the Raiders’ “offense is the best defense” strategy to keep the Panthers offense off the field. He finished the night with four touchdowns, and also a TFL on defense at the linebacker spot.
  • Isaiah Bennett, Manville: The senior only carried three times in a 62-7 win over Dunellen Friday night, but he scored all three times! He went for 93 yards on the night, but then from his outside linebacker position had a 40-yard pick six, along with four tackles – two solo – and a tackle for loss in just one half of game action.
  • Shaun Jackson, Sayreville: The Bomber senior went over 200 yards rushing for the third time this season, setting a new personal best with 338 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a 37-28 win at Franklin on Friday night.

Other Notable Performances:

  • Logan Stevens, Bernards: In a huge, 17-14, come-from-behind win over Summit Saturday, the senior runningback carried 17 times for 176 yards and a touchdown, with four catches for 20 more yards. At corner, he also notched six tackles and a TFL.
  • Ben Ibach, Delaware Valley: The Terrier sophomore wide receiver had six catches for 70 yards and a rush for 13 in a 21-19 loss to A.L. Johnson Friday. In the secondary, he came up with 14 tackles.
  • Grant Lorentzen, JFK: The senior wide receiver had seven catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-13 win over North Plainfield. At defensive back, he logged four tackles, 3 assists, and also had 43 return yards on three attempts on special teams.
  • Justus Leitner, Metuchen: In a 53-0 blanking of JP Stevens, the Bulldog senior wide receiver had eight catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns, but what came first was a 43-yard pick six from his cornerback position on defense. His first offensive TD was a 56-yarder, and his second came on a diving catch in the end zone.
  • Julius King, North Plainfield: The senior rushed 13 times for 130 yards and a score, also adding three catches for 70 yards, in a 33-13 home loss to JFK.
  • CJ Griffith, Ridge: In a 28-7 home win over Hunterdon Central, he finished with 121 yards and a touchdown, the final one of the night in a battle of the Red Devils.
  • Andrew Avent, Rahway: In a 49-20 win over Watchung Hills Friday that put the Indians in the thick of the playoff chase, Avent carried 10 times for 201 rushing yards – just over 20 yards per carry – with three touchdowns from 77, eight and 42 yards out. His first TD came on the first play of the game from scrimmage, and he scored on three of his first four carries in the game. Avent also had a sack on defense for -7 yards. He’s also close to several school records and personal bests that he could set in the next week or so.
  • Jamir Hall, Union: The junior runningback carried 12 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns for the Farmers, in a 21-13 win over South Brunswick Friday night, their first victory of the season.