Tag: Voorhees

by Mike Pavlichko

2024 Big Central Preview: Patriot Gold Division

The Big Central Conference Patriot Gold Division is one of the smaller ones in the league, with only four teams. And there’s a wide range here.

Bernards is the defending champ, coming off a 12-1 season in which their only loss came in the Group 2 semifinals at Westwood. They lose a ton of talent, but should still be the favorite here, as the Mountaineers rarely rebuild, they just reolad.

Delaware Valley will look to make strides in the Terriers’ second season with Ben Ibach at the held, while Voorhees has a new coach in John Hack – formerly of Immaculata and Morris Catholic – and will build off a solid ground game last year that ran for over 3,000 yards.

JP Stevens is new to the division, and will look to break the longest active losing streak in New Jersey, at 42 games. Their first chance to break the skid under second-year head coach Jason Goerge is Week One against Bound Brook, on September 6th.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 6 Playoff Analysis: Group 3

As we head down the home stretch of the high school football season in New Jersey, attention begins to turn to the postseason, and where everyone’s favorite team will fall.

Central Jersey Sports Radio has you covered the next three weeks, with our playoff analysis brought to you by My Family Appliances, Route One South in the Wick Plaza in Edison. They’re also the presenting sponsor of our “Playoff Projection Show” on Saturday, October 21 at 5 pm, and will be giving away three $100 gift cards to some lucky listeners!

In the meantime, a lot can happen between now and Cutoff Weekend, but here’s out team-by-team breakdown of where every Big Central Conference team in contention for the playoffs could end up. Click the supersection header to be taken to the official UPR standings heading into Week 6, as calculated for the NJSIAA by Gridrion New Jersey:

NORTH GROUP 3:

2. Summit (4-1): The Hilltoppers are rolling, their only loss coming to undefeated St. Thomas Aquinas in between a pair of wins their first two weeks, and two straight victories since. We think Summit pretty much controls its own fate. If they can take care of business in their last three games, they should be able to at least hold onto one of the top two seeds. Summit already is first in power points – by a lot – by virtue of having played Aquinas, a multiplier, for which they received 24 points for a loss. And their OSI is third, at 58.09. So there’s not much room for them to go up. But the nearest team behind them in OSI is Parsippany Hills at 54.64, then Vernon, Pascack Valley, and West Essex all around 52. Summit’s next three opponents all have SI values that should bring their OSI up: that’s Linden this week at Tatlock Field, then road trips to Colonia and St. Joseph-Metuchen. If Summit keeps doing what it has been doing, the Hilltoppers will be in fine shape for a top two finish and a No. 1 seed in whatever section they end up.

6. Cranford (3-2): The good news is the Cougars are in the top eight, with a UPR of a pure 6 (which is sixth in both power points and OSI) and the next team – Pascack Valley – is two full OSI points behind them. After 1-5 Scotch Plains on the road this week, things get a little tougher: Linden at home next week, then at North Brunswick the Friday night of Cutoff Weekend. Two wins – including SPF – should be enough to keep a hold on a top eight finish, which would give the Cougars at least a guaranteed first round home game in the playoffs.

9. Hillside (3-2): The Comets are squarely on the “first round home game bubble,” if you will. They’ve got a 9.2 UPR, while 8th place Passaic Valley has an 8.8 UPR. Their remaining schedule is not easy, with Johnson at home this week, then road games at Delaware Valley and Carteret, all of whom have winning records. That’s something very few teams have here in the last few weeks. Most have at least one winless or one- or two-win team. Barris Grant’s team will be challenged, but it’s also an opportunity to lock down a first-round home game at Conant Street Park. We’re not sure if two will do it, but three very well should. Check back again next week; we’ll have a better idea then!

15. Governor Livingston (5-1): The Highlanders are having a tremendous season, Owen Chait just won the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week award for Week Five, and yet they’re in 15th place, on the bubble. It’s a 2.8 UPR point lead for GL over the 17th place team, 1-4 Sparta. Our take is that sub.-500 teams don’t belong in the playoffs, but that’s a debate for another time. The remaining schedule is a two-fold challenge for Governor Livingston. On the one hand, they have very tough games this week against Carteret, and in two weeks against Bernards; those two teams are a combined 11-1. Both are at home. In between is South River, a game that could very well hurt their standing, even with a win. It’s possible they may need to sweep, but they might be able to get away with two wins, since one of those victories would have to come over a very good team. Let’s see what happens against the Ramblers, and what everyone else does. We should have a much clearer picture by then.

21. Voorhees (3-3): Though the Vikings are .500 on the year, they have a 21 UPR, 5.2 points out of a playoff spot. We think they’re out regardless of how they finish, since their last three opponents are a combined 3-14 between South Plainfield, JFK and North Hunterdon, and the Tigers own all three of those wins. It’s too much ground to make up with a schedule that isn’t strong enough.

SOUTH GROUP 3:

8. Somerville (4-2): The Pioneers are the highest-ranked BCC team in the supersection, and they have Camden and Ocean Township both 1.6 UPR points behind, nipping at their heels. Their losses have come to the best two teams they’ve played so far: Montgomery and Union, both top ten teams. They’re at Westfield Saturday, Hillsborough next week, then back home for South Brunswick at Brooks Field Friday night of Cutoff Weekend. The teams behind them have a mixed bag of a schedule. For example, Camden has a 5-0 team and an 0-5 team to face. Wins in both could cancel out. Ocean Township has an ok schedule, too. We think Ville’s is tougher, so we’re thinking two wins in their final three games might lock up a top eight finish, and a first round home game.

12. Carteret (5-1): The Ramblers are having a great season, and while we won’t exactly place them on the bubble here, we think it’s a good probability the Ramblers get in. Our thinking is they win at least one if not two of their remaining games. Either should be enough to keep them in. But it won’t be easy. This week, it’s Governor Livingston on the road – a game they may well need, too – and then home to Rahway and Hillside the last two weeks. Both should be fun matchups! Can the Ramblers reach No. 8? Well, that may require a sweep. Let’s see how things shake out this week against GL – and with the teams ahead of them and behind them – and we’ll have a clearer picture.

by Mike Pavlichko

2023 Big Central Preview: Patriot Gold Division

The top two teams in this division, whether it had a name or not, have been Bernards and Delaware Valley the past couple of seasons. And this year may be no different.

The Mountaineers always challenge themselves, and have three-year QB Connor Laverty back on the scene, so there’s stability on offense that’s always a positive. The Terriers have a new head coach in Ben Ibach – who’s been with the program since 2017 but now takes over for Mike Haughey – and also have a number of holes to fill.

The rest of the division was young and suffered some injuries last year. Hoping to stay healthy, Voorhees, South River and Bound Brook look to make big improvements as well.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko’s preview of the Patriot Gold Division from the Big Central Conference’s inaugural Media Days:

by Mike Pavlichko

Harrell, Summers team for key late shot to beat pesky Voorhees, extend NJ’s longest active winning streak to 23

Twenty-two and counting.

Not only are the wins for Bound Brook piling up quickly, but the attention being paid to them is growing.

That’s what happens when the team that used to have the longest active winning streak in New Jersey – which was Camden at 44 games – loses for the first time in the current decade, and you’re suddenly at the top of the pile.

But it took a full 48-minute from Bound Brook to beat Voorhees Thursday night, as a Quadir Harrell to Jordan Summers play that resulted in an old-fashioned three-point play broke a 40-all tie with under a minute to go, and gave the Crusaders – now 9-0 – a 44-40 victory.

Click below to listen to Bound Brook head coach Anthony Melesurgo talk about the win, and his team’s focus as they work through the winning streak:

Bound Brook went 14-0 last year and won the Skyland Conference middle pod championship. Combined with this year, they’ve won 23 straight. There are seven teams remaining in the state who are undefeated, but none have a streak as long as Bound Brook at the moment.

Two of those teams are in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area: St. Thomas Aquinas (13-0) and Rutgers Prep (10-0). The others are Saddle River Day, Morris Catholic, Morristown, St. Augustine, and Governor Livingston.

Morristown is the only one of those teams playing tonight, according to NJ.com’s online schedule. The Colonials visit Morris Knolls Friday night at 7 pm.

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls, Gill St. Bernards boys should be “top seeds” in Skyland’s “postseason”

Barring the unthinkable happening for either team, the Rutgers Prep Girls and Gill St. Bernard’s boys are likely to be the top seeds in their respective Skyland Conference “postseasons,” where eight-team pods will be formed to play down to champions.

On the girls’ side, Rutgers Prep – No. 1 in the Central Jersey Sports Radio rankings – showed their dominance against the No. 2 team in the rankings, Franklin, handing the Warriors their second Skyland Conference defeat this week (they lost to Hillsborough Tuesday). That hasn’t happened since January 2017. The Argos led 35-6 at halftime and won 65-33.

Gill, meanwhile, sits atop the Delaware Division, with a rematch with second-place Hunterdon Central not coming until Thursday, the day after the Skyland seeds the tournament Wednesday morning. Seeding committee chair Jason Miller says all games up to and including Tuesday, February 23rd will be considered.

The committee will include Miller, the athletic director at South Hunterdon, as well as six other ADs: Montgomery’s Chris Penna, Phillipsburg’s Tom Fisher, Bound Brook’s Jeff Steele, Immaculata’s Mike Gambino, Bridgewater-Raritan’s John Maggio, and Rutgers Prep’s Mary Coyle-Klinger. Jack Baum – the Sykland’s assignor of officials – also is on the committee.

Girls’ play begins Monday, and will continue Wednesday and Friday, while the boys will start Tuesday, and continue Thursday and Saturday, the final day of play allowed this season by the NJSIAA, which is not holding the state tournament this year due to the COVID-shortened season.

While the top picks on the girls’ and boys’ side seem easy, who will be right behind them? Who else will be in the upper pod of eight on the girls’ side? What other teams will be in the boys’ top pod of seven? (The boys’ side has one less team than the girls.)

Here’s a look at Central Jersey Sports Radio’s projections, based on results through Saturday, February 20th.

Oh, and one last request: please be kind? This is my first basketball tournament projection – ever! I don’t like to do projections unless there’s math involved – even if it is the Born Power Index.

Skyland Boys’ Top 7 Pod:

  1. Gill St. Bernard’s (4-2) – The Knights are the easy top pick from the league’s top division, despite their two losses, which have both come out of conference – to Bergen Catholic and Patrick School. They have legit D1 talent, are ranked No. 6 statewide, and pass the eye test. They’re the best team in the league until someone knocks them off. In the seven-team format, Gill would get a bye from Monday’s first-round.
  2. Hunterdon Central (6-2) – The Red Devils are right behind the Knights, and gave them a run in a 77-64 road loss on Feb. 4 (click here for our postgame coverage). Too bad they won’t get another crack at Gill – at home – before the seeding is done.
  3. Montgomery (7-1) – How much will Monday night’s result against St. Joseph-Metuchen (6 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio – click here to listen) weigh in? Tough to say. A win against one of the top few teams in the GMC and a state power program may boost the Cougars’ standing here more than a loss to a solid non-conference opponent. Their only loss came this week, to Shore Conference opponent Middletown North.
  4. Bound Brook (7-0) – Sure, the Crusaders are a small-school program, but undefeated has to count for something. And Bound Brook has been playing well, and deserves a home game (in a 4-5 matchup). The only problem is, only two of their seven opponents (Warren Hills and Bernards) have winning records at the moment. They’ve been mostly scoring points in bunches.
  5. Watchung Hills (6-2) – Led by dual-sport star Chad Martini – the football QB who just scored his 1,000th point – the Warriors are quietly having a good season, overshadowed in the big-boy Delaware Division by Gill and Hunterdon Central. Making the top seven would put three teams from the Delaware in the upper pod, but they deserve it. Hills lost by five to the Red Devils on February 5th, and rematch Tuesday, the day before the committee seeds this thing. That game could disrupt the apple cart. Stay tuned…
  6. Rutgers Prep (2-3) – The Argonauts were first hit by the late preseason news that Villanova signee Trey Patterson would be leaving the Somerset school to enroll early down on the Main Line. Then, they had not one, but two COVID stoppages, and are still trying to find their sea legs. They’re a tricky team to figure; they deserve to be in the top seven given the talent they have, but have three losses – yet they’re undefeated in league play at 2-0, with wins over Phillipsburg (2-6) and Franklin (2-3). Out of conference losses have come to state No. 1 Camden, Elizabeth and Hudson Catholic. The Argos are a tricky one, for sure; it’s hard to seed any tournament when a team has only played two games against their peers. They have one more game this week before the cutoff, Immaculata (5-3) on Tuesday.
  7. Ridge (6-2) – The Red Devils dropped out of the Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten last week, but they’re the next best option down the list in the Skyland Conference. They should edge out Immaculata for the final spot, though the two have similar records. But Ridge has beaten them twice, including Saturday afternoon. However, should the Spartans beat Rutgers Prep on Tuesday, look for some movement here in the bottom two.

Skyland Girls’ Top 8 Pod:

  1. Rutgers Prep (7-0) – You know Rutgers Prep is good. Really good. No. 23 in the nation good. (How have they gone unbeaten and dropped seven spots since the preseason? Whatever!) But have you seen them play? Did you see them put on a defensive, ball pressure clinic against No. 2 Franklin Saturday afternoon. (Click here for our postgame coverage.) Probably not, thanks to COVID, but man they were impressive. They’re the odds on favorite to win the whole damned thing, let alone get the top seed.
  2. Gill St. Bernard’s (6-0) – Unfortunately, Franklin gets Gill on Tuesday – at least it’s at home – the day before the seeding committee puts this whole thing together. But Gill has been solid, too. Too bad we don’t get to see them play Rutgers Prep this year. Then again, maybe we will. Barring any more snow or COVID cancellations, the Knights should roll into the postseason at 9-0 or better.
  3. Mount St. Mary (8-0) – I’m still not sure if these are projections, or my version of the seeding. The Skyland postseason has never been done before, although much of the same seeding principles remain. But I’m a big believer in undefeated teams being rewarded. Regardless of school size or division, to maintain the focus says a lot. That said, I go with Mary’s here, with a perfect record. You play the schedule you’re handed, and when you beat them all, you deserve the credit.
  4. Bound Brook (6-1) – The Crusaders have one blemish, a loss to undefeated Mount St. Mary’s, which is why the Lions are ahead of them here. You can’t argue with that. But you also can’t argue with how good Bound Brook is. They should be winning their sixth straight sectional championship this year, but they won’t get a crack at it. Though they’re tied in the division behind Belvidere, they did dismantle the County Seaters in what will have been their only matchup this year, 78-34 on Feb. 6th.
  5. Ridge (5-4) – The Red Devils sandwiched between Rutgers Prep and Phillipsburg in the Division. They split with the Stateliners (but the win was more recent) and have losses to the Argonauts, plus Watchung Hills, Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep, all “quality losses.”
  6. Voorhees (6-2) – The Vikings are red hot at the right time, having won four in a row after splitting their first four. The Voos have done it with defense, holding four teams under 40 points this year, allowing 37, 30, 30 and 27 on their recent streak. They’re deserving of being in the top eight.
  7. Franklin (3-2) – The Warriors should be in the top eight, as they’re one of the better teams in the county; they just don’t look elite this year. Part of that is being hampered by COVID, sure; they played one game before having to pause all team-related activities. They did not look good against Rutgers Prep, and the Hillsborough loss was a head-scratcher, no disrespect to the Raiders. Franklin – at least the Franklin on the last four seasons, with two TOC titles to their credit – doesn’t lose those types of games. They could make a big statement Tuesday against Gill, though, as mentioned earlier.
  8. Hunterdon Central (6-2) – Their only losses are to Gill St. Bernard’s and Franklin, and the jury is still out on Franklin. Still, the Warriors get the nod over the Red Devils due to their head-to-head: Audrey Taylor’s squad beat them by six – just last Wednesday. They’re the last team in, for now. Central has Watchung Hills, a team they beat by eight earlier this season – on Tuesday, but I’m not sure a win there moves the needle much.
by Mike Pavlichko

Wall to Wall Big Central Football will air Thanksgiving Weekend on Central Jersey Sports Radio

Did the high school football season end too soon for you? Not stuffed yet from Thanksgiving Dinner?

Have no fear.

Central Jersey Sports Radio begins a new tradition this year: We’ll air every single one of our high school football broadcasts back-to-back-to-back to…. (you get the idea) … to-back this Thanksgiving Weekend.

Buy a bigger belt!

That’s right: 3 days, 13 games, 20 teams, 30 hours of Big Central Conference Football, powered by Bellamy & Son Paving of Piscataway.

Simply go to our website and click the Listen Live button to tune in any time, morning, noon or night. We’ll be “on the air” practically from sunup to sundown – definitely after sundown!

Here’s the schedule for each day, with original air date, and approximate start time:

Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 26

  • Somerville vs. South Plainfield, October 2 – 8 am
  • St. Joseph-Metuchen vs. Elizabeth, October 3 – 9:45 am
  • Old Bridge vs. East Brunswick, October 9 – noon
  • South River vs. Spotswood, October 10 – 2 pm
  • Bernards vs. Johnson, October 12 – 4:30 pm
  • Bound Brook vs Voorhees, October 16 – 6:30 pm

Friday, November 27 (Now starts at 9 am instead of 8 am)

  • Edison vs. North Brunswick, October 23 – 8 am
  • Manville vs. Bound Brook, October 30 – 11 am
  • Ridge vs. Hillsborough, November 6 – 1:45 pm
  • St. Joseph-Metuchen vs. Woodbridge, November 7 – 4:15 pm
  • Metuchen vs. South Hunterdon – 6:30 pm

Saturday, November 28

  • Woodbridge vs. Somerville, November 13 – noon
  • Edison vs. Hillsborough, November 20 – 3 pm
by Mike Pavlichko

Bound Brook tops Voorhees in first win over Group 3 school in playoff era

Bound Brook rode a career game from junior quarterback Patrick LePoidevin en route to a 32-8 win over Voorhees on Friday night at LaMonte Field.

The victory was Bound Brook’s first over a Group 3 school since the start of the playoff era in 1974 – at least 46 years – and puts them at 2-1 on the season. The Vikings fall to 1-2.

LePoidevin threw for 224 yards – a personal best – and tied a career high of four touchdown passes, a mark he set in the opening game of this season in a 44-15 home win over South Hunterdon. He now has thrown for 488 yards, 10 touchdowns, and just 2 interceptions in his first three games of the season.

Below, listen to all the play-by-play with Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino on the call from Friday, October 16, 2020:

First Half:

Second Half:

by Mike Pavlichko

AUDIO: Coach LePoidevin, QB LePoidevin postgame reaction following big win for Bound Brook

Bound Brook used a stifling defense and a career-best performance from junior QB Patrick LePoidevin in a 32-7 win over Voorhees Friday night at LaMonte Field.

Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Dom Savino caught up with the Crusaders’ quarterback as well his head coach father, Dave LePoidevin, after the victory:

Bound Brook Head Coach Dave LePoidevin

Bound Brook QB Patrick LePoidevin

by Mike Pavlichko

Voorhees looks to build on offensive output when it travels to The Brook.

Voorhees managed just a safety in its season opener against Delaware Valley, losing to the Terriers 24-2.

When the Vikings traveled to Manville in Week 2, the offense came alive to the tune of 44 points in a 44-14 victory.

While they came out of the gates slow, a new tweak to the offense installed by head coach Ricky Kurtz was the impetus behind the offensive explosion.

Listen below to Kurtz’ comments to our very own Dom Savino heading into Friday night’s tilt at 1-1 Bound Brook, the Big Central Game of the Week (6:50 air time, 7:00 kick off on Central Jersey Sports Radio). Click here to listen to the game Friday night.

Ricky Kurtz on his team’s offensive improvement from Week One to Week Two: