Tag: Watchung Hills

by Mike Pavlichko

Top four stay the same, led by Immaculata, Ridge, in Bellamy & Son Paving Week 2 baseball rankings

There was much more stability in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week 2 of the high school baseball season, with the top four teams remaining right where they are. There was minimal movement below that, with Monroe rising and Watchung Hills joining the rankings after a 3-0 week, knocking out Bernards.

Immaculata (5-1) holds at No. 1 after 1 2-1 week down in Florida playing teams from around the country. The Spartans beat Riverdale Baptist (MD) 6-0 on Tuesday, fell 7-2 to Winter Park (FL) Wednesday, then beat Proctor (NY) 13-12. They’ll return this week for a Tuesday/Thursday home-and-home with Bridgewater-Raritan.

Holding in second is Ridge (7-1), which got in five games this week, and won four of them. After a 6-4 win over Randolph at home on onday, the Red Devils lost 12-7 to Hunterdon Central on Tuesday. But they rebounded to split the Delaware Division series with a 9-5 win in Flemington Thursday, followed by a 12-8 win Saturday at Warren Hills. Sunday, they beat New Providence, 11-8

Middlesex (5-1) is the top GMC team in the rankings, holding at No. 3, and the first of three straight league teams all with the same record. The Blye Jays were 15-4 winners Tuesday at Perth Amboy, then split with South Brunswick. They lost 3-2 to the Vikings at home Thursday, but came back to win on the road Saturday, 6-2.

Next is Edison (5-1), holding at four. The Eagles went to 5-0 with a 10-8 win at South Plainfield Tuesday and a 7-1 home win Thursday over Monroe, but lost 2-0 to the Falcons on Saturday to split the season series, taking their first loss of the season.

Monroe (5-1) – which is tied with Edison for first in the GMC Red Division after their split – moves up a spot to fifth. Besides their games with Edison, they finished off a two-game sweep of St. Joseph-Metuchen on Tuesday with a 4-3 win, helping them go 2-1 in the week gone by..

Colonia (5-0) also moves up a spot – to sixth – as the GMC White Division leader went 3-0 in the past week. Tuesday, the finished off a two-game sweep of JFK with a 12-2 home win, then swept two from Sayreville with a 7-1 home win Thursday and a 13-3 road win on Saturday.

Down to seventh is South Plainfield (4-3), which went 2-2 in the week gone by. After taking their first loss of the season at Edison two Saturdays ago (before the most recent rankings) they lost their next two, 9-2 to Cranford, and then 10-8 at home again to Edison. But they bounced back with a two-game sweep of Woodbridge, including a 4-3 home win Thursday and an 8-5 road win Friday.

New to the rankings this week, Watchung Hills (4-1) enters at No. 8. The Warriors had a 3-0 week, including a 9-1 win at Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday, a 7-6 walk-off win over the Panthers at home Thursday, and a 12-2 win at Roxbury on Saturday.

South Brunswick (4-2) is down a spot to nine. After a 3-0 start, the Vikings dropped their first game of the year 5-1 at Sayreville Tuesday, but rebounded with a 3-2 road win Thursday, handing Middlesex its first loss of the year. But the Blue Jays earned a split Saturday, beating South Brunswick, 6-2.

In tenth is Carteret (6-1), which dropped one spot. The Ramblers beat North Plainfield Monday 2-1, then were 5-4 winners at South River Wednesday, before taking their first loss of the season at home to the Rams, 7-2, on Thursday.

Dropping out is Bernards (3-2), which was swept 11-2 and 16-0 by Gill St. Bernard’s in a two-game home-and-home, before rebounding with a 7-3 win Saturday at home over Franklin.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Two:

by Mike Pavlichko

Watchung Hills “steals” walk-off, 7-6 win over Bridgewater-Raritan to sweep two-game set

Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, you haven’t.

Way back in the first inning of Watchung Hills’ Skyland Conference Delaware Division home game against Bridgewater-Raritan Thursday – heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – first baseman Max Payne did something he may never, ever do again.

He broke his bat – a metal bat – on what turned out to be an infield hit to the left side. Has anyone ever seen that happen? Probably not.

But he was outdone by how the Hustlin’ Warriors finished off the game.

After taking a 6-5 lead with five runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Panthers rallied in the top of the seventh to tie the game at six, forcing Hills to bat in the bottom of the seventh with the score 6-6.

Payne flied out to center, and Landon Pudlak popped up a foul ball to the first baseman. But with two out, Brody Griffith singled, and Brady Simo reached on a hard liner to third that was scored an infield hit. With a 3-1 count, centerfielder Chris Dorsi took a strike, as Griffith made a move toward third. That prompted a pickoff throw from catcher Michael Lobosco.

By now, Griffith was well on his way to third, but the throw couldn’t be handled at the bag by Connor Price, and it sailed to the fence, bringing Griffith home with the winning run, giving Watchung Hills (3-1) a 7-6 victory and a two-game sweep of BR following a 9-1 road win Tuesday.

The Warriors got on the board in the bottom of the first taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Pudlak, but Bridgewater got five in their half of the second on five hits. They did it with a two-RBI double by DH Stephen Pikulin with the bases loaded, then a three-run homer to left by Josh Moore – the first of his varsity career – during one of the few moments in the game when a steady wind died down. All five runs came with one out.

The Warriors got those five back in the fourth, taking a 6-5 lead, sending nine men to the plate in the inning. They loaded the bases when Brady Simo got hit by a pitch, Dorsi reached on an infield hit, and Sam Hunsinger got plunked as well. Stef DiGeronimo walked to drive in a run, making it 5-2 Panthers, and that was it for Bridgewater starter Kevin Kelly.

Gavin Butch relieved him, and went 3-2 on the next two batters before striking both out. But Payne cut the deficit to two with a hard liner to short that was ruled an infield hit, Pudlack drove in two with a line drive single to right to make it 5-5, and Payne scored on a wild pitch with Griffith at the plate to make it 6-5 Watchung Hills.

Jack Braswell, in his first pitching appearance of the season for Bridgewater-Raritan (1-3), took the loss, while the win went to the Warriors’ Lucas Sheehan, who also made his first appearance of the year, despite giving up the tying run in the top of the seventh.

Click below for postgame reaction from Alec Crouthamel with Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco, pitcher Nick minettio and second baseman Landon Pudlak, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Alec Crouthamel

Watchung Hills looks for midweek sweep, 3-1 start in battle against Bridgewater-Raritan

As the ground continues to thaw — and the wind continues to whip, as it did Tuesday — Watchung Hills’ offense has stayed hot, on the way to a 2-1 start.

The Warriors have scored 22 runs in three games, an average of just over seven per contest. And they’ll take their solid play back home for a Thursday matchup against Bridgewater-Raritan. They already faced the Panthers once, a 9-1 victory on Tuesday, and are looking for the sweep as the season starts to get fully in swing.

Watchung Hills eagerly awaits the finale of the two-game home-and-home set. That’s a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with first pitch at 4 pm and pregame at 3:40, with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Click here to listen.

The hitting and pitching stood out on Tuesday, as a classic pitcher’s duel between top arms Kellan Komline (BR) and Robbie Centamore (WH) set up a 2-1 game after four innings. But from there, both outings went in different directions.

Komline left the game after picking up two outs in the fifth, but the Warriors were already in full swing. They tacked on seven unanswered runs to end the game, as Centamore went six strong innings with 12 strikeouts.

Watchung Hills returns a key core of veterans after graduating a few of their top hitters from last year’s team. But it’s not like the new elder statesmen are filling new roles. This veteran group has seen a lot of varsity experience from a young age, and have developed under 13th-year head coach Joe Tremarco.

Centamore helps get everyone going both on the mound and at the plate. Stef DeGeronimo and Landon Pudlak — a junior and senior, respectively — continue their reign in the Warriors’ middle infield and are off to solid starts once again. Centamore and fellow senior Jacob Jaconski each pace the team with five hits in the early goings, and the lineup has produced at a high level, no matter who steps into the batter’s box.

On the pitching side, Watchung Hills is looking to a few veterans to fill out the rotation as an important secondary pitcher, including senior Isaac Russell. Centamore has thrown the lion’s share of innings so far, but won’t get the ball next after his stellar outing on Tuesday. In the bullpen, junior Caden Dias has emerged as a weapon out of the bullpen with three scoreless innings in the Warriors’ two wins so far.

As the sun continues to shine later, and the afternoons heat up, Watchung Hills looks to stay hot with its third win in four games to start the campaign.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco about the first week of the season, and Thursday’s game against Bridgewater-Raritan:


by Mike Pavlichko

Bridgewater-Raritan still figuring things out as Panthers head up to Watchung Hills seeking series split

A look at the score from Tuesday’s 9-1 loss to Watchung Hills doesn’t quite tell the whole story of how that game went down.

It was a 2-1 game until Bridgewater-Raritan got dinked and dunked to the tune of four runs by the Warriors, and it ended up being a 9-1 final.

Maybe a more experienced team wins that game later in the season. Maybe without early-season pitch limits set by coaches so they don’t burn out arms in April, Kellan Komline goes a little longer.

They’re not excuses, but the reality of the situation. Then again, all you can do is get back on the horse, and try, try again.

That’s what the Panthers will do on Thursday afternoon when they travel up to Warren Township for the finale of the two-game home-and-home set against Watchung Hills. That’s a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with first pitch at 4 pm and pregame at 3:40, with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Click here to listen.

Komline is one of the biggest returning veterans. He’s 1-1 on the season, and has struck out 14, walking eight, while allowing five earned runs, seven total.

He and catcher and fellow senior Michael Lobosco are the only two full-time returning starters from last season. Lobosco hit .295 last year with eleven runs batted in. Komline threw 41 innings, with a 0.68 ERA, while hitting .272 at the plate, playing centerfield when he wasn’t on the mound.

And yet, this season’s top two hitters – yes, it’s early still – are freshmen. There’s Nick Spirra, who’s likely to start at second base Thursday, hitting .417 with a team-best five RBIs, while leadoff hitter Andrew Schmeider – a rightfielder with a “physicality you don’t see much in a freshman,” according to head coach Max Newill, it 4-for-8 on the year with three runs batted in, and already a team-high six walks.

That’s just what you want for a leadoff hitter. Now – with just five regulars hitting better than .200 – the Panthers hope that hitting truly is contagious, and will work its way down through the rest of the lineup.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Bridgewter-Raritan head coach Max Newill about the first week of the season, and Thursday’s game against Watchung Hills:

by Mike Pavlichko

Watchung Hills football coach Rich Seubert steps down after a decade leading the Warriors

After retiring from football with the New York Giants in his mid-30s with a Super Bowl ring on his finger, Wisconsin native Rich Seubert and his family moved to California for a few years, where he coached a little football at the high school level.

But eventually, he came back to the East Coast, returning to New Jersey, and started coaching the offensive line at Watchung Hills. One year later, in the summer of 2016, he was promoted to head coach.

Now, after ten years, Seubert has stepped down as the program’s mentor. Seubert said in a text message to Central Jersey Sports Radio Saturday morning that it was “just time to move on,” but notes he “loved his time coaching” and said he would continue to be around the area, since his daughter is a freshman at Watchung Hills.

Seubert inherited a 4-6 program from 2015, but the Warriors struggled early on, going 2-8, 4-6, and 0-10 in his first three seasons. Then, things turned around, as Watchung Hills got to .500 at 5-5 in 2019, and went 5-2 in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

The Warriors’ best two seasons under his tutelage came in 2022 and 2023. The first of those teams went 7-3, while the ’23 squad went 8-3, with an opening round playoff win over Bridgewater-Raritan, just the program’s second playoff win ever.

In 2023, Seubert was named Somerset County Coach of the Year by the Bill Denny/Rutgers Football Letterwinners Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.

Seubert’s squads finished 41-57 over ten seasons, and Athletic Director Dan Root says Seubert’s impact was felt more than just in terms of wins and losses, and Xs and Os on the football field.

“We were very fortunate to have him as our head coach for as long as we did,” Root told CJSR Saturday morning via text message. “He gave so much to the program, the school and the community, and for that I am incredibly grateful. I know that ultimately whatever he decides to do, he will be successful.”

Suebert was a starter on the Giants’ offensive line in their Cinderella Super Bowl XLII run that culminated with a 17-14 win over New England, the David Tyree “Helmet Catch” game. According to the Giants website, he played in 104 games for Big Blue with 88 starts over nine seasons after joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2001.

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio unveils 2026 High School Baseball Broadcast Schedule featuring a dozen regular season games, plus County, State tourneys

With a dozen regular season games, plus coverage of the GMC and Somerset County Tournaments – as well as state tournament coverage to be announced at a later date – Central Jersey Sports Radio has announced its 2026 high school baseball broadcast schedule.

It all gets started next week, with our opener on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 pm between defending 2025 SCT champion Immaculata and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 winner Hillsborough. Then, after the calendar turns to April mid-week, we get state Group 1 champion Middlesex visiting Spotswood, on Thursday, April 2.

Coverage also includes two regular season games at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater – Montgomery vs Pingry on April 11, and Rutgers Prep against South Plainfield two Saturdays later – as well as the semifinals and finals of the Somerset County Tournament on April 18th and 20th, respectively.

The schedule includes three of last year’s SCT semifinalists, and all four of 2025’s GMC Tournament semifinalists, including a rematch of the title game between Edison and St. Joseph-Metuchen, and a rematch on the Invitational final between New Brunswick and East Brunswick Magnet.

Last year’s North 2, Group 3 winner South Plainfield also is on the schedule, as well as finalist Colonia.

Click here to see the full 2026 broadcast schedule.

by Mike Pavlichko

Cutoff Weekend Group 4 Playoff Update: Phillipsburg in play for a top-seed in North 2 section packed with Big Central squads; Rahway and Watchung Hills face “play-in” 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 4 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 4

This is a very difficult supersection to nail down since there are a ton of Big Central teams here, just about every other team from three on down, with Phillipsburg there, Montgomery fifth, Woodbridge at seven, Ridge at nine, and Colonia 11th, with Westfield at 15 and Rahway at 16 heading into Cutoff Weekend. And the teams are tightly packed, too. There are so many ways this can go, with each team dependent on several others above and below them. We could very well end up with six or seven teams from the Big Central in North 2, Group 4, once it all shakes out by geography, so there’s a very good chance we get sectional champion here from the BCC.

  • Phillipsburg: Phillipsburg (6-1) has a tough one Friday night at Maloney as Bridgewater-Raritan (6-2) comes in, with Declan Kurdyla now playing his third game back at QB after suffering an injury earlier this season against Hunterdon Central. A win could get them the top seed if No. 2 Mount Olive loses, even if No. 1 Northern Highlands wins. But, they would not get it the other way around, with a win, a Highlands loss and a Mount Olive win. They need help to get there. And if both those teams above them lose, they could end up No. 1 overall with some other help. A loss, and the Stateliners dip to four, and could fall even further back if Montgomery wins at Rahway.
  • Montgomery: The Cougars (6-2) visit Rahway (5-3) in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving Friday night at 7, with major playoff implications for both. If the Montgomery can win, and they get help from above, like losses from Phillipsburg and Ramapo, they can get as high as third overall, which would give them a two-seed in North 2, Group 4, guaranteeing home games for at least the first two rounds, into the semifinals. A loss could drop them to eight or lower overall, unless they get some help from the teams around them.
  • Woodbridge: With a win by the Barrons (7-1) at St. Joseph-Metuchen (7-0), Woodbridge could vault as high as fourth, but probably not any higher. But the Falcons are a multiplier, which is worth 70 percent of the SI value instead of 50 percent. That means a loss – on its own – keeps them at seven. We think, at the very least, Woodbridge is a two- or three-seed in North 2, Group 4.
  • Ridge: The Red Devils (5-2) are at Westfield (3-5) Saturday, and with the Blue Devils being a middle-of-the road team in terms of power points and SI, a win or loss doesn’t bump Ridge too far up or down. They should stay in the middle of the pack of 16 here, and likely begin the playoffs on the road; they’d have to pass Montgomery, but as we talked about, even a loss doesn’t kill the Cougars too much, so Ridge is a bit limited in where it can move. Should be a road team in the first round.
  • Colonia: The Patriots (6-2) should be in the playoffs regardless of what they do at Old Bridge (7-1) Friday night, since the Knights are a strong team SI-wise, and still give Colonia six power points even for a loss (their seventh win came in their eighth game, and only the first seven count for residuals). A win would be gargantuan, potentially moving them up to nine overall, and maybe higher if some things break their particular way, and they could even jump Ridge. With a loss, depending on the teams behind them, they likely won’t drop more than a spot or two, but even that might not move them in the North 2, Group 4 section.
  • Westfield: A loss to Ridge likely doesn’t hurt the Blue Devils too much, since the Red Devils are 5-2 and highly-rated in terms of SI. A win could pull them up to 12. We think they’re likely a seven seed – definitely a bottom four, first-round road team – in North 2 Group 4 unless some other games affect it.
  • Rahway: In the game we have on the air Friday night, the Indians (5-3) host Montgomery (6-2), and a win on its own gets them all the way up to 11th place. We don’t think there’s a way enough teams could pass them to knock them out, so we’ll call this a “play-in” for Rahway. But that also means if they lose, they’re probably out. They’d fall to 20 regardless of any other games, and would probably need a lot of help. It;s not impossible, they’d just need everything to break right ahead of them.
  • JFK: We tried a lot of numbers, but we think even if the Mustangs (6-2) beat South Plainfield (4-4) they can only get to 17 with a lot of help. It’s possible there’s a way, and it might be clearer after Friday night.
  • Watchung Hills: Don’t count out the Warriors (3-5), even though they start the weekend in 22nd place. Somerville is one of the top 35 SI teams in the state and has seven wins, so it’s a big jackpot if Watchung Hills can come up with a win. That may be easier said than done, but a victory could get them as high as 13 if things break right. We’re not sure if it’s a lock that they get in with a win, as they could still finish around 15 or 16, and if they finish 16 to Rahway’s 17, the Indians have the tiebreaker on head-to-head. But that’s if everything breaks wrong. Good chance they’re in with a win

by Mike Pavlichko

Group 4 Playoff Chase: Undefeated Phillipsburg 2nd overall in North Group 4, but in great shape for top-seed in North 2 section

As we continue taking a look at the playoff races here in New Jersey high school football with just three weeks left before the cutoff, the latest standings find Phillipsburg looking in very good shape in the North Group 4 supersection standings.

Though undefeated (5-0), Phillipsburg is second overall in the UPR standings, but that’s good enough for a top-seed. The Stateliners would get the North 2, Group 4 top seed, as the other No. 1 would be Northern Highlands, which is geographically further North, and would be the top-seed in North 1, Group 4. (That’s the team the Stateliners beat on a field goal by Alexie Moreira to make the state Group 4 final last season.)

A table displaying the standings for high school football teams in New Jersey, specifically for North 1, Group 4 and North 2, Group 4, summarizing wins, losses, ties, points per average, OSI average, UPR, Northern ranking, UPR rank, and N rank.

As with many of the other sections, all the Big Central teams are in what used to be their “natural sections,” which is North 2 Group 4. Phillipsburg leads the pack, and there’s a tight bunch of conference teams behind them, with Montgomery fourth overall, Ridge sixth and Woodbridge eighth, all seeded one through four in North 2. Then there’s Colonia at 5, but as we’ve talked about, they’re 11th in UPR overall, while Woodbridge (fourth in the section) is eight overall. So for Colonia to get a home game and jump to fourth in the section, they’d have to jump four teams to move up one spot.

Don’t forget to tune in to Central Jersey Sports Radio’s “Playoff Projection Show” as Mike Pavlichko and Marcus Borden go through the projected playoff brackets at 6 pm on Saturday, October 25th, Cutoff Weekend!!!

Westfield also is in the thick of things, but Watchung Hills is “on the bubble,” tied for 15th in UPR with Millburn. Hackensack and Garfield are close behind them. The Warriors close with a road game this week at Rahway, then home games with Elizabeth and Somerville. A win against either the Indians or Minutemen might get them in, since even a loss to a highly-rated Somerville probably wouldn’t hurt them too much.

Now, one might wonder why Woodbridge – undefeated – isn’t a top seed. While they’re 6-0 and Phillipsburg is 5-0, the SI values of their opponents dictate, and according to the formula, the Stateliners have a more challenging schedule.

A table displaying the standings for high school football in Central Group 4 and South Group 4, including team names, wins, losses, ties, point averages, and UPR ranks.

There aren’t any Big Central teams in the South 5 supersection, the only one in the state without any BCC teams. But this, again, is another well-balanced set of brackets. Each has four of the top eight teams. And the geography works out pretty good as well, with the longest trip from Middletown South to brick Memorial, while the furthest trip in the South might just be across the state from the Philly area to the Jersey Shore.

UPDATE: With Gridiron New Jersey’s update of out-of-state opponent Strength Index values Tuesday night, there was one change, as Middletown North and Shawnee flip-flopped. Pope John Paul II (PA) saw it’s SI go up, and since Shawnee played them, they jumped up to nine and Middletown North fell to 10. But it also underscores the change in seeding procedure this year. Since they are in separate sections geographically, and were the only two teams affected, they remain the fifth seed in their respective sections.

by Mike Pavlichko

Go-ahead FG, game-winning pick earn Watchung Hills’ Dillon Nunes Week 0 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week honors

Sometimes the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week is a runningback or QB who put up a bunch of yards, or a defensive end who hit the quarterback too many times to count. Sometimes it’s just that one big play in a critical moment that won a game.

Friday night, Dillon Nunes of Watchung Hills came up with two such plays, both of which came in the final minute of the Warriors’ season opener against Moorestown. And for that, Nunes is the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week for Week Zero.

Up 6-0 in the fourth after a one-yard touchdown run by Christian Warnicke – and having not kicked the PAT, Moorestown took a 7-6 lead late. But Watchung Hills marched down the field and got into field goal range to set up Nunes. He’s also a wide receiver, though, so while he was in the game, he came in to kick cold.

No problem. And with 59 seconds remaining, Hills was up 9-7. But Moorestown would still get a chance.

Well, Nunes squashed that, too, coming up with an interception on a third-down pass play that gave his team the ball back and go into victory formation to close with the win.

Watchung Hills has now won its last four season openers, including two-in-a-row over Moorestown.

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

The Warriors are back at it Friday, hosting Woodbridge, in a battle of 1-0 teams.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko’s interview with Week Zero Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Dillon Nunes of Watchung Hills:

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:

  • Sean Arcelay, Bernards: In a 27-15 win over Cranford, the junior wideout had three catches – all for touchdowns of 54, 34 and 10 yards, while also taking two carries for 16 yards. His TD receptions fed a scoring barrage that helped the Mountaineers wrest control of the game, the first meeting between the schools since 1941.
  • Arique Fleming, Elizabeth: In a 42-7 win at rival Linden Friday night, the junior signal caller was 12-of-14 passing for 272 yards and four touchdowns, along with 48 rushing yards and a score on the ground. Fleming was versatile, getting off long bombs, and short passes in space for yards after the catch. And all those numbers came in just the first half!
  • Shaun Jackson, Sayreville: The Bombers’ senior runningback rushed for 214 yards and three touchdowns – while catching a fourth for a 90-yard score – in a 26-18 win at Colonia, their second in three seasons against the Patriots.
  • Zymere Weaver, St. Thomas Aquinas: The Trojans – who have a new coach in Shamir Bearfield – haven’t missed a beat, as they trounced Montclair Friday at home, 56-3. And a big reason why was Weaver, the sophomore quarterback who completed six of just seven passes, but for 260 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for another.
  • Sam Meekings, Voorhees: Typically a big rushing offense, senior quarterback Sam Meekings went 15-of-17 for 241 yards and three touchdowns through the air in a 39-16 win at Orange Thursday night. The win was the first in a season opener for Voorhees since 2002.

Other Notable Performances:

  • Matt Resende, Brearley: In a 20-3 loss to Wallington, Resende took eight carries for 58 yards and a touchdown, while also recording 14 tackles from his linebacker spot on defense.
  • James Mongno, Hunterdon Central: In a 36-28, hang-on-for-dear-life win at North Hunterdon, Mongno grabbed 11 catches for 161 yards and four touchdowns.
  • Fiheem Howell, JFK: The senior runningback rushed 17 times for 157 yards and a touchdown, while also recording three tackles and a 37-yard interception return in a 36-0 win over Perth Amboy Thursday night.
  • Evan Canica, Manville: The senior had a big day at middle linebacker for the Mustangs in a 19-6 win over Manville Saturday afternoon. More than just a team-best 14 tackles, he had four TFLs and a sack, and was instrumental in two key fourth-down stops, while his fourth down QB hurry on the Red Raiders’ opening drive quashed their 17-play push at the Manville 21. At center, on offense, he helped pave the way for a 285-yard Mustang ground attack.
  • Obinna Obuba, Montgomery: The senior wide receiver had two catches for 32 yards and a touchdown, but the catch that mattered was a big-one: a 25-yard TD reception in overtime at Hopewell Valley that gave the Cougars the lead, before they sealed the game on defense, winning 35-28.
  • Michai Coffee, New Brunswick: While the Zebras ultimately fell 14-8 at Freehold Boro on Saturday, the senior runningback took five carries and made them count for 142 yards and the lone New Brunswick score.
  • Cole O’Connor, North Hunterdon: Though a late rally fell short in a 36-28 home loss to Hunterdon Central, the senior runningback carried 18 times for 102 yards and three touchdowns (one of nine yards, two each of one) and also had two receptions for 43 yards.
  • Ja’Quan Robinson, Rahway: The junior quarterback was 15-of-23 for 256 yards and four touchdowns (19, 48, 6, 72) on offense, though the Indians fell short, losing 35-33 to visiting Willingboro. On defense, at linebacker, he recorded two solo tackles, a three-yard sack, a TFL and two quarterback hurries.
  • Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage, Spotswood: In a season opening 38-0 win over Middlesex, the senior signal-caller carried 14 times for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Passing, he was 5-of-8 for 53 yards and another score to Ryan Foster.
  • Alex Schwark, Summit: The senior quarterback was solid on the ground, too, for the Hilltoppers in a 14-11 win over Morristown. He rushed 14 times for 260 yards and two scores to rally his team back from an 11-0 third quarter deficit.
  • Josh Allen, Woodbridge: The senior runningback was a workhorse Friday night for the Barrons in a 14-0 home win over Union. Allen carried 26 times for 170 yards and had two catches for 14 yards, plus a 16-yard kick return in the game.

by Mike Pavlichko

2025 Big Central Preview: Liberty Silver Division

The Big Central Conference Liberty Division should be an interesting one this year.

Somerville won the division in 2024, en route to a program record 12 wins and a Central Jersey Group 3 title. But many key guys are gone, and the Pioneers will need the next crop of seniors to step up.

Challenging them will be Rahway, which also lost some key pieces (who doesn’t?) from a team that gave up just 115 points in ten games last season, the second lowest total in the Big Central.

Then there are three teams who all could improve this year. Watchung Hills was 5-5 overall in 2024, but always is a tough out. North Hunterdon – which won a sectional title in 2022, then lost nearly everyone to graduation, and saw their coach step down – went from winless to a 4-5 season in ’24 under second-year head coach Ben Ibach.

And in Montgomery, offensive coordinator-turned-head coach Sean Carty takes the reins from Zoran Milich, who retired in the off-season, and is looking at a bounceback year after a senior-laden 2023 campaign.

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