Tag: Watchung Hills

by Mike Pavlichko

Centamore fans career-best 13, helping send Watchung Hills to Somerset County final for first time in a decade with 4-2 semifinal win over Ridge

After falling behind 1-0 in the second inning of the first of two Somerset County Tournament semifinals Monday at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, Watchung Hills had no panic in them.

All they did was come back in the bottom of the third to score four runs, and with four-year varsity pitcher Robbie Centamore on the mound, he did the rest. Centamore struck out 13 – a new career high – en route to a 4-2 win heard and seen live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – that puts the Hustlin’ Warriors back int he finals for the first time since 2016.

Ridge (14-9) got on the board first, in the top of the second inning.  Casey Kucerka walked to lead it off and was replaced by courtesy runner Colin Newcomb, and Sawyer Paul reached on an error on a grounder to third.  After Aiden Kerrigan struck out, Dmitri Romer blooped one to right that brought in Newcomb. 

But Centamore got out of the inning, striking out the next two hitters to limit the damage.

Watchung Hills (14-7) would rally to take the lead in the bottom of the third, sending nine men to the plate.  Brady Simo led off with a walk, then James Esposito singled to tie the game at one.  Back to the top of the lineup, Jacob Jaconski tripled to left – as left fielder Matt Pypcznske lost his footing and the ball got by him toward the foul line – to make it 2-1 Hills.

After a groundout for the first out, Centamore reached on an infield hit.  A Max Payne ground out to second brought in Jaconski from third to make it 3-1 – adding insurance they would eventually need – and an errant throw by third baseman Dmitri Romer on a grounder by Landon Pudlal brought in the fourth run.  Lucas Liston got out of it though; after hitting Brody Griffith to put runners at first and third, he got Lucas Ricci to fly out to center to end the inning.

Ridge got one more run in the sixth, on a one-out RBI double by Casey Kucerka, but Centamore got a ground out and strikeout to end the inning.

Starter Lucas Liston took the loss for Ridge, allowing all for Warriors’ runs on seven hits in five innings of work.

Watchung Hills will play the winner of Monday’s second SCT semifinal between top-seed and defending champion Immaculata and fifth-seed Bridgwater-Raritan in Wednesday’s 6 pm final back here at TD Bank Park.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco and senior starting pitcher Robbie Centamore, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

County tournaments wreak havoc on Top Ten, but not at the top; Immaculata still reigns heading into SCT semis Monday

A week of relative stability in the Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball rankings was short-lived.

While Immaculata remained the No. 1 team this week, nearly everyone else shuffled around, much of it centered around upsets and surprises in the GMC Tournament, which saw top-seed Edison get knocked out in the quarterfinals, and second-seed Middlesex eliminated in the semifinals, with finalists Old Bridge and Monroe rising in the rankings.

Immaculata (18-4) was one of just two teams to have a perfect Week 7, going 4-0. They opened with a 17-3 win at DePaul on Tuesday, then won their opener in the Somerset County Tournament, beating eight-seed Montgomery 11-1 in six innings in the quarterfinals on Thursday. They then won two Skyland Conference games, beating Voorhees 8-0 on Friday, and winning 7-2 at Phillipsburg on Saturday. The Spartans will host five-seed Bridgewater Monday afternoon at 4 pm in the SCT semis at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater. Listen to the game here, or watch it on our YouTube channel.

Climbing from No. 6 to No. 2 is GMC Tournament finalist Old Bridge (17-8). The Knights may the hottest team in the area, having won eight straight, going 4-0 each of the past two weeks, and it even looks like it earned them a top seed in Central Jersey Group 4. (Brackets will be announced by the NJSIAA on Tuesday.) Old Bridge opened the week with a 1-0 win over 14-seed Sayreville in the GMCT first round on Monday. After a non-conference win over Manalapan, 12-3, on Tuesday, the Knights beat six-seed Woodbridge 1-0 in eight innings at home in the GMC quarterfinals on Wednesday, then knocked off No. 2 seed Middlesex, 9-3 in eight innings on Saturday afternoon in the semis. Old Bridge will face Monroe in the title game Saturday at 2 pm at Rutgers’ Bainton Field in Piscataway.

Watchung Hills (13-7) moves up from five to No. 4, going 2-2 in the past week. The Hustlin’ Warriors fell 9-2 at home to Holmdel on Wednesday, but won their Somerset County Tournament opener over ten-seed Franklin, 9-5, on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals. They won 6-5 at Madison Friday, but fell at home to Livingston 5-4 on Saturday afternoon. Monday, they’re in the SCT semis at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater against third-seed Ridge. Listen to the game here, or watch it on our YouTube channel.

Ridge (14-8) holds at No. 4, after a 1-2 week, but they won the most important one. After a 6-3 loss at Seton Hall Prep on Monday, and a 7-4 home loss to Mendham on Tuesday, the Red Devils beat six-seed Hillsborough in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, 7-0, on Thursday afternoon. Ridge will seek a sixth straight trip to the SCT title game Monday when they play second-seed Watchung Hills in the semis at 1 pm. You can hear the game here, or watch it live on our YouTube channel.

At five, it’s Middlesex (20-3), down two spots after falling in the GMC Tournament semifinals Saturday afternoon, 9-3 to Old Bridge, a game in which they erased a 3-0 deficit over the final two innings, but saw the Knights explode for six in the top of the eighth. But the Blue Jays did go 2-1 last week, beating 12-seed South River Monday in the first round, 12-2, then seven-seed St. Thomas Aquinas in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, 3-0.

Edison (17-6) drops down from three to No. 6. The Eagles were 3-1 last week, opening on Monday with a 10-0 win over 17-seed Piscataway Magnet in the GMC Tournament’s first round. But they got knocked off by nine-seed and eventual finalist Monroe, falling 9-1 Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles rebounded, though, with a 5-2 win over South Brunswick on Thursday, and a 7-2 non-conference home win over Nottingham on Saturday.

Monroe (12-12) re-enters the rankings after a two-week hiatus at No. 6. The Falcons went 4-0 in the past week, starting with a win Monday at eight-seed Colonia, 9-2 in the GMC Tournament’s first round. Wednesday, in the quarters, they won at top-seed Edison, 9-1, then took a break with an 8-1 win over Manasquan at home on Thursday, before knocking off five-seed South Plainfield, 1-0, in Saturday’s GMCT semifinals. That puts Monroe in the championship game this Saturday at 2 pm at Rutgers’ Bainton Field in Piscataway.

Rutgers Prep (13-5) falls one spot to No. 8, after a 1-1 week. They beat eight-seed Newark Academy in the opening round of the Prep B Tournament on Wednesday, 6-1, sending them to the semifinals on Tuesday at 4 pm at home against Princeton Day. But they lost Thursday in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, falling 10-5 in eight innings to fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, which will face Immaculata in Monday’s second semifinal, with first pitch set for 4 pm.

Holding at No. 9 is South Plainfield (13-11), which had a 2-1 week, all in the GMC Tournament. They won their first-round game Monday, 2-1, over 12-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen, then topped four-seed Metuchen, 7-6, in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, before falling Saturday, 1-0, to nine-seed Monroe.

Dropping out is Metuchen (18-6), which had a 4-1 week, knocked out of the GMC Tournament in the quarterfinals by five-seed South Plainfield on Wednesday, 7-6.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge seeks sixth straight SCT title game bid, while Watchung Hills looks to get back to the party

In the last few years since the COVID-19 pandemic, Ridge has consistently been in the mix for championships.

The Red Devils have made the last five Somerset County Tournament title games, going back to the season before the pandemic, and the last four since. (There was no tournament in 2020, when no baseball was played, nor in 2021, the first season back.)

They have also won ten straight against Watchung Hills, their opponent Monday in the semifinals. The Hustlin’ Warriors last win over Ridge came in their first meeting since COVID, a 7-6 win on April 29, 2021.

And for Watchung Hills, they’re looking to get back to the finals for the first time since 2016, when they made the second of back-to-back trips, losing in the 2015 title game to Hillsborough, and the year after to Montgomery.

Monday afternoon, it’ll be second-seed Watchung Hills and third-seed Ridge playing for a trip back to the championship game, and we’ve got it live for you on Central Jersey Sports Radio. First pitch is set for 1 pm from TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, with pregame at 12:40. Game Two between top-seed and defending champion Immaculata and fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan will follow at 4 pm.

Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel will call all the play-by-play; click here to listen or watch here on our YouTube channel.

Here’s a closer look at the first semifinal game of the day:

(2) Watchung Hills (13-7) vs. (3) Ridge (14-8)
at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater
1 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio
Audio Stream: (LISTEN LIVE)
Video Stream: (WATCH LIVE)

PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Watchung Hills: Rob Centamore (5-0, 1.33 ERA)
Ridge: Lucas Liston (2-3, 5.71 ERA)

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:

Watchung Hills head coach Joseph Tremarco with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko
Ridge head coach Tom Blackwell with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel

HOW THEY GOT HERE: As top four seeds, each team got a bye to the quarterfinals, which were held last Thursday afternoon.

Watchung Hills: The Warriors were 9-5 winners over ten-seed Franklin in the quarterfinals. Watchung Hills got off to a rough start, falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first. They took a 3-2 lead in the home half of the inning, then found themselves down again before taking a 5-3 lead in the sixth, never looking back. Lucas Sheehan got the win, tossing six three-hit innings, striking out seven. Jacob Jaconski and Max Payne each had two RBIs, with Jaconski going 4-for-5 on the day.

Ridge: The Red Devils blanked six-seed Hillsborough 7-0 on strong pitching from starter Dmitro Romer, who pitched six innings and allowed just one hit. Toby Nicholson hit a two-run home in the fifth after Ridge got a run in the first and four more in the second, all coming on RBI singles.

TOP HITTERS:

Watchung Hills: Senior DH Jacob Jaconski is hitting a team-best .477, and leads the Hustlin’ Warriors with 31 hits and nine doubles. The next seven hitters down are all hitting .300 or better, including Landon Pudlan, who has a team-high 13 stolen bases and hit hitting .344 with nine runs batted in. May Payne has driven in a team-best 21 runs, while the Warriors have hit eleven home runs, led by three off the bat of Rob Centamore.

Ridge: The Red Devils have cranked eleven homers this year, five off the bat of Jake Dolan, who also is the team’s top hitter at .429, with 26 RBIs, also a team-best. He and Kieran Callanan both lead the team with 15 stolen bases apiece. Callanan also is hitting over .400, at .421, to be exact. They can put the ball in play with the best of them.

LAST FINALS BERTH:

Watchung Hills: The Warriors last made the finals in 2016, and also made it the year prior. They lost to Hillsborough in the first of those trips, in 2015, and to Montgomery in the second. Their last SCT title was all the way back in 2009, when they were the second seed, and took out nine-seed Montgomery, 4-0. Watchung Hills has won five SCT titles, fourth on the all-time list behind Hillsborough, Ridge, and leader Immaculata, which has 15.

Ridge: The Red Devils have made the last five county finals, going all the way back to 2019, pre-COVID. They lost to the Immaculata last year, just as they did last season, and their only title in that time was in 2022, the first SCT after the pandemic, when they beat six-seed Rutgers Prep, 6-0. Ridge is second on the all-time title list with seven, second only to Immaculata.

PAST COVERAGE:

Watchung Hills

Ridge

by Mike Pavlichko

SCT Quarterfinal Recap: Skyland Delaware sweeps into Monday’s semis as Immaculata, Ridge roll, Watchung Hills recovers from early deficit, Bridgewater-Raritan needs extras

The Somerset County Tournament semifinals will be all Skyland Conference Delaware Division teams, as top three seeds Immaculata, Watchung Hills and Ridge won quarterfinal games on Thursday, while fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan knocked off Rutgers Prep in extra innings.

Monday’s semifinals – which can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from TD Bank Park in Bridgewater – will feature second-seed Watchung Hills and third-seed Ridge in the 1 pm opener. The second game is scheduled for four pm with fifth-seed Bridgewater and top-seed and defending champion Immaculata. Click here to listen as Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the action.

Read through for recaps on three of the four games, and a link to Alec Crouthamel’s game story on the Panthers and Argonauts, followed by the schedule for the rest of the SCT.

(1) Immaculata 11, (8) Montgomery 1 (6 inn.): The Spartans (16-4) led the Cougars (9-14) 7-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth, when they scored four runs to walk-off with a ten-run rule win out at Diamond Nation in Flemington. After Ryan Auten pitched a scoreless first, Immaculata got on the board with a five-spot in the home half of the inning. After a leadoff double by Luca Catanzarite, Owen Schilling hit a one-out, two-run homer. A double by Owen Rivenbark followed, then another by Nehemiah Diaz made it 3-0. And Diaz was driven in on a two-run homer by Andrew Wheeler.

The Spartans got two more in the second – on RBI singles by Justin Labrador and Rivenbark – to take a 7-0 lead before Montgomery got on the board in the fifth on a triple by Kenta Komatsu. And then came the sixth. Catanzarite, Labrador and Schilling all walked to begin the inning, then Rivenbark drove in the first two with a single to right. Nick Diaz singled to make it 10-1, and the final run came on a comebacker by Wheeler and an error on the pitcher, allowing Rivenbark to score.

Auten struck out 16 and walked just one for Immaculata, and improved to 6-0 on the season, with a 0.83 earned run average.

(5) Bridgewater-Raritan 10, (4) Rutgers Prep 5 (8 inn.): The Argonauts (13-5) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after two innings, but the Panthers (9-14) got back into it, tying the game at five with three runs in the sixth, then winning it with a five-spot in the top of the eighth inning.

Bridgewater-Raritan went yard twice in the game. Stephen Pikulin hit a three-run homer in the fifth to tie the game off reliever Jake Brown, and Michael Lobosco did the same in the fifth to extend a 7-5 lead to 10-5, after a Josh Moore double to break the tie, and a Kellan Komline sac fly to extend the lead to two.

It’s the Panthers’ fourth trip to the semifinals in the five tournaments since COVID – there was no SCT in 2020 due to the pandemic, nor in 2021 due to a shorter season – having only missed last season.

Click here to read Alec Crouthamel’s game story, along with postgame reaction from Kellan Komline, Stephen Pikulin, and head coach Max Newill.

(2) Watchung Hills 9, (1) Franklin 5: The Hustlin’ Warriors (Watchung Hills, 12-6) fell behind early to the Franklin Warriors (6-9) with a rough start to the ballgame, but rebounded nicely for the win, to earn their second trip tot he SCT semifinals in three years, their last appearance coming in 2024.

Franklin scored twice in the top of the first off Hills’ starter Lucas Sheehan, who got the win to improve to 5-2. He surrendered a one-out homer to Mason Bonds, then after a double and hit batter, a second run came in on an error. Unfazed, Watchung Hills would answer in the home half of the inning.

Brody Griffith and Jacob Jaconski singled. Rob Centamore grounded into a fielder’s choice, and an error allowed Griffith to score. After a walk to Max Payne, Landon Pudlak tied the game at two with a sac fly to center, , and after a walk to Stefano DeGeronimo, a groundout to third by Brady Simo gave the Hustlin’ Warriors a 3-2 advantage.

It was short-lived. A sac fly by Franklin’s Kelvin Heuston tied the game at three in the top of the second, but Hills came right back to take a 4-3 lead they’d never relinquish in the bottom of the inning, on a fielder’s choice by Max Payne.

Watchung Hills got one more in the third, taking a 5-3 lead on a Jacob Jaconski single, plating Griffith for his second of three runs scored. And in the bottom of the fifth, they blew it open.

After a one-out walk by Lucas Ricci, James Esposito doubled to make it 6-3. After a ground out for the second out, Jaconski doubled to score Esposito, Centamore followed with the same to score courtesy runner James Perruna for Jaconski, and Payne singled to center to score Centamore, giving Hills a 9-3 lead.

Franklin got two more in the top of the seventh to make it interesting – on a fielder’s choice and an infield hit – but reliever Jacob O’Sheal got a pop out and a K to end it.

Click here to listen to Watchung Hills head coach Joseph Tremarco talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the Hustlin’ Warriors’ win in the SCT quarterfinals.

(3) Ridge 7, (6) Hillsborough 0: Dimitri Romer pitched six innings of one-hit ball and Lucas Liston finished out the seventh to team up for the shutout for the Red Devils (14-8), who are back in the semis for a third straight year.

Ridge got on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Sawyer Paul. Then, they burst out with a four-spot in the second, all on singles. After a leadoff strikeout, Toby Nicholson and Matt Pypcznski reached back-to-back. Kieran Callanan followed with a single to left, driving in Nicholson for a 2-0 lead. A fourth straight single by Lucas Grob loaded the bases before Jake Dolan popped up and the infield fly was called for the second out. But Casey Kucerka singled to score one, and Paul singled to plate two, giving Ridge a 5-0 lead.

They would add two more in the fifth on a two-run homer by Nicholson, his first of the year.

SCT SCHEDULE

Monday, May 18
Semifinals at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater

  • 1 pm: (2) Watchung Hills (12-6) vs. (3) Ridge (14-8)
  • 4 pm: (1) Immaculata (16-4) vs. (5) Bridgewater-Raritan (9-14)

Wednesday, May 20
Finals at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater

  • 6 pm: Watchung Hills/Ridge winner vs. Immaculata/Bridgewater-Raritan winner

by Mike Pavlichko

After much shuffling, stability returns to Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving baseball Top Ten

Division play is all done, county tournaments are underway, and crossovers and non-conference games took center stage last week in the GMC and Somerset County.

And while eight of the teams in last week’s top ten took at least one loss, that was a recipe for a break in the volatility of the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Six.

In fact, only three teams moved around this week, one dropped out, and the top five remained the same, led once again by Immaculata (14-4) for a sixth straight week. The Spartans opened the week with a 10-0 loss on Tuesday at No. 5 Watchung Hills. But that didn’t knock them from the top spot, nor did it cost them the No. 1 seed in the Somerset County Tournament, which the coaches voted on that very night. But due to Skyland Conference scheduling, Immaculata never got a crack at the Warriors a second time before the seeding meeting, and with a 6-0 Immaculata win at Diamond Nation in Flemington Thursday over Watchung Hills, they split the series. The Spartans finished out the week with a 5-2 win Saturday over The Hun School. They’re next play Tuesday at DePaul.

Holding in second is Middlesex (18-2), which went 3-0 in the week gone by. They beat two GMC Red Division teams in crossovers, topping St. Joseph-Metuchen 8-7 on Monday, then winning 10-8 at East Brunswick on Wednesday. Yet, it was not enough to give them the top-seed over Edison in the GMC Tournament, which was seeded Friday morning. Still, the Blue Jays beat then-No. 6 Rutgers Prep on Saturday at Mountainview Park, 7-1. Middlesex is back in action Monday afternoon against South River in the first round of the GMCT.

Speaking of Edison (14-5), the Eagles fell Monday to Metuchen, 6-5, but rebounded with a 16-2 win Tuesday over East Brunswick and a 1-0 win Wednesday over Spotswood. Edison did indeed get the top seed in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament, and will host Piscataway Magnet in the GMC’s first round Monday afternoon.

At No. 4 again this week is is Ridge (13-6), which dropped its first game of the week, 9-5, to Hillsborough on Tuesday, but rebounded with two home wins: 4-3 over Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday, and 8-0 over Somerville on Friday. The Red Devils are back in action Monday afternoon when they take on St. Peter’s Prep out of Jersey City.

Holding at No. 5 is Watchung Hills (11-5). The Warriors were just 1-2 in the week gone by, but their first loss came to defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston on Monday, 12-2. They bounced back with a 10-0 home win over Immaculata Tuesday, though it was not enough to give them the top-seed in the Somerset County Tournament, having lost twice to Ridge, which in turn had lost twice to the Spartans. And the Warriors had to settle for a split with Immaculata after taking a 6-0 loss at the hands of the Spartans Thursday out at Diamond Nation in Flemington. Watchung Hills has a few days off before a Thursday Somerset County Tournament quarterfinal game, where they’ll host the winner of Monday’s second round game between Somerville and Franklin.

Moving up two spots on a the strength of a 4-0 week is Old Bridge (13-8), which rises to No. 6. The Knights won 10-4 at Colonia on Monday, then beat Metuchen, 8-0, on Wednesday. They welcomed in Bridgewater-Raritan from Somerset County on Friday and won 5-4, before taking down Jersey City’s St. Peter’s Prep Saturday, 3-1. Old Bridge is back in action at home Monday against Sayreville in the first round of the GMC Tournament.

That drops Rutgers Prep (12-4) one spot to seventh, after the Argonauts split four games in the past week. The beat Bridgewater-Raritan 12-8 on Monday, then lost a pitchers’ duel out at North Hunterdon, 1-0, on Tuesday. Prep bounced back with a 10-0 home win over the Lions Thursday to split the home-and-home, but lost Saturday at Middlesex, 7-1. Next up, the Argonauts play Newark Academy on Wednesday.

Also down a spot to No. 8 is Colonia (10-6). The Patriots only played two games this past week, and split. Monday, they lost 10-4 at home to Old Bridge, but they came back to beat St. Joseph-Metuchen on Wednesday, 3-2. Colonia is back in action hosting Monroe in the first round of the GMC Tournament on Monday.

Holding at No. 9 is South Plainfield (11-10). The Tigers went 3-2 in a busy week gone by, winning their first three games: Monday 3-1 at Spotswood, Tuesday 10-5 at Monroe, and Thursday at home, 14-4, over JFK. But on Friday, they lost 5-4 at Sayreville in a crossover with the White Division, then fell 19-9 in a full seven innings to Red Bank Catholic on Saturday.

Making its season debut in the Top Ten is Metuchen (14-5). They enter at No. 9 after a 2-1 week that began in fine fashion with a 6-5 win over No. 3 Edison. They lost at Old Bridge, 8-0, on Wednesday, but bounced back with a 4-2 home win over Monroe on Saturday. The Bulldogs return to action Monday in the GMC Tournament’s first round when they host Spotswood.

Metuchen knocked out previous No. 10 Carteret (14-4), which on Tuesday, handed Piscataway Magnet a 10-0 loss, the Raiders’ first of the season, then beat Highland Park 10-0, but lost a GMC Tournament preliminary round game to Sayreville, 6-1.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Defending Somerset County Tournament champ Immaculata hangs on to get top seed in 2026 tourney

As was widely expected, defending Somerset County Tournament champion Immaculata – the No. 1 team in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for the last five weeks – has been awarded to No. 1 seed in this year’s event by the county’s baseball coaches at the annual seeding meeting held at Immaculata High School in Somerville.

But the decision was a lot less certain heading in than it looked just a few hours earlier.

The Spartans were given the top seed despite a 10-0, five-inning loss at Watchung Hills Tuesday afternoon. That was their first Skyland Conference loss of the season; at 12-4, their other three losses came to Delbarton, Delsea and Winter Park (FL) in a Spring Break trip down South.

Watchung Hills – which got the two-seed – improved to 11-4 with the win, but has two league losses, 12-10 and 13-3 to Ridge, along with defeats at the hands of Notre Dame out of Mercer County and defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston. The two defeats at the hands of the Red Devils, who were swept themselves by Immaculata a couple of weeks ago, appeared to factor into the decision.

The Spartans are the first team to win the SCT title and be seeded No. 1 the following year since Montgomery did it nearly a decade ago. The Cougars won the SCT as the top seed in 2016, then were the No. 2 seed again the following year.

The top four seeds – which all get byes to the quarterfinals – were rounded out with Ridge third and Rutgers Prep fourth.

Teams five through ten get byes to the second-round. In order, they are Bridgewater-Raritan fifth, followed by Hillsborough, Somerville, Montgomery, Gill St. Bernard’s, and Franklin..

That leaves the final four seeds – 11 through 14 – to play a pair of first-round games, ideally scheduled for Friday, though teams will have some flexibility to play Thursday, if they’re able.

That includes Bernards at No. 11, followed by Pingry, Manville and Bound Brook.

Here’s the full 2026 Somerset County Tournament bracket:

Here’s the fill 2026 Somerset County Tournament Schedule:

  • First Round: Friday, May 8 at higher seeds
  • Second Round: Monday, May 11 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 14 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Monday, May 18 at TD Bank Park (1 and 4 pm)
  • Finals: Wednesday, May 20 at TD Bank Park (6 pm)

Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast the semifinals and finals live at cjsportsradio.com.

Watchung Hills pitcher Robbie Centamore throws a pitch.
by Alec Crouthamel

Full-lineup power propels No. 5 Watchung Hills to 10-0 run-rule win over No. 1 Immaculata

The afternoon of the Somerset County Tournament seeding meeting, each team in action wanted to put their best foot forward ahead of the postseason.

No. 5 Watchung Hills did that, and then some, against No. 1 Immaculata.

The Warriors (11-4, 7-2) bounced back from a 12-2 loss to defending Group 2 state champion Governor Livingston with a five-inning 10-0 victory of their own, giving the Spartans (12-4, 8-1) their first loss in conference play.

Senior pitcher and designated hitter Rob Centamore did his job on the mound and at the plate, going the distance with five shutout innings, while striking out seven batters and allowing just two hits. He also hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend the lead to 6-0, helping his cause even further.

First baseman Max Payne capped off a four-run fifth inning with a bases-loaded RBI single to close out the win. Watchung Hills would’ve batted around in the inning, had the game not ended with the hit.

The rest of the lineup production came from the bottom of the order, with the Warriors’ eighth and ninth hitters — centerfielder Chris Dorsi (two RBIs), pinch-hitter Bennett Dealaman (one RBI), and right fielder Sam Hunsinger (four RBIs) plating the remaining seven runs.

Dealaman was a busy man himself, courtesy-running for catcher Jacob Jaconski — who was plunked three straight times in his first three plate appearances through four innings — before stepping up to the plate himself in the fifth to drive in a run with a single.

Watchung Hills threatened in the first inning with runners on the corners and one out, but Immaculata pitcher Cole Raymond worked a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the jam scoreless. That came after the Spartans left a runner in scoring position in the top of the first with a one-out double from sophomore second baseman Luca Catanzarite, as Centamore left him at second base.

The Warriors got the job done in the second inning, though. The first five batters reached base against Raymond — with four hits and a walk — and Dorsi opened the scoring with a two-run bloop single. Hunsinger brought in two more with a single of his own to bring home the first four runs of the game. Jaconski recorded his second HBP of the game with one out, but another timely 4-6-3 double play ended the inning with a four-run advantage.

Centamore continued to deal, rendering Immaculata hitless from the first inning until the fifth inning, with two walks serving as the only baserunners. He helped his own case in the bottom of the fourth inning with the aforementioned two-run blast, a sky-high ball that just cleared the left-field fence at Frank T. Matullo Stadium. A groundout on the ensuing batter ended the inning, and worked through a shutout inning in the fourth before a pitching change.

Sophomore first baseman Andrew Wheeler moved over to the mound to take over for Raymond. He worked a flyout against second baseman Landon Pudlak, but the next three batters all reached, with back-to-back walks followed by an RBI single from Dealaman.

Immaculata then went to senior right-hander Michael Drelich out of the bullpen, but Watchung Hills kept on hitting. Hunsinger laced a double into the left-center field gap to plate two more runs to make it a nine-run lead, before Drelich worked a groundout to record the second out. That was the last out the Spartans would get, however, with the best of the order due up.

Jaconski worked a walk — without getting hit by the pitch this time! — and Centamore added a single to put runners on first and second with two outs. Payne ended it with his RBI single up the middle to send the Warriors home with an early victory.

Centamore earned the victory with five shutout innings, two hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. Raymond was given the loss in four innings of work, allowing six earned runs on seven hits, two walks, two strikeouts, and three hit batters.

How this affects Tuesday night’s SCT seeding meeting remains to be determined. Watchung Hills had been in the mix for a top-four seed for much of the recent weeks, and Immaculata was the favorite to be the tournament’s top seed. While Immaculata only has the one county loss, Watchung Hills’ two conference losses came to Ridge, which was swept by the Spartans.

It’s a Somerset County transitive triangle!

CJSR’s Mike Pavlichko will have the full bracket after the meeting — starting at 7:30 Tuesday night — at @cjsportsradio on Twitter/X, with a full story after.

All these teams can do is control what is in front of them, and the Warriors — now winners of seven of their last eight games since getting swept by the Red Devils in mid-April — did a good job of putting their best foot forward Tuesday.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco and senior pitcher/DH Rob Centamore, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

More movement in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, after No. 1 Immaculata and No. 2 Middlesex hold serve

The two two high school baseball teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten didn’t move at all this week, but most of the rest did.

And with division play mostly out of the way in the GMC, things could get really interesting this week with crossovers heading into Friday morning’s seeding meeting. Same in Somerset County with the last few games before Tuesday’s seeding by the league coaches.

Immaculata (12-3) remains No. 1, as it has been for the past four weeks, after a 3-0 week gone by. The Spartans picked up a Tuesday/Thursday sweep of Hunterdon Central, including a 4-1 home win Tuesday at Diamond Nation in Flemington, and a 14-0 road win just a mile or so away on Thursday. Saturday, they blanked Old Bridge 9-0 in the finale of Spotswood’s E4M showcase. Their last game before the SCT seeding will be Tuesday afternoon, a big one at Watchung Hills. It’s the first of two between the teams, but the only one before the meeting.

Then, it’s to the GMC at No. 2, where Midddlesex (15-2) remains in the same position as last week. The Blue Jays went 2-1, with a sweep of Colonia, both games 4-0 decisions, including a home win Thursday heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They lost Saturday at Westfield, 2-0, and have two big games this week, playing up against the GMC Red Division. They’ll welcome St. Joseph-Metuchen to Mountainview Park on Monday, and visit East Brunswick on Thursday. A win in either game could give the Blue Jays a strong argument for the No. 1 seed in the GMC’s Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament.

The other team that will be considered for that top-seed is Edison (12-4), which went 4-1 this past week. They blanked Woodbridge 1-0 Monday, then lost at St. Thomas Aquinas, 3-2, on Tuesday, before returning the favor with a 5-0 home win Thursday. Then, they played two on Saturday, first beating North Brunswick 15-4, then topping JP Stevens, 7-2. The Eagles have three games before Friday’s GMC seeding: Monday at Metuchen, Tuesday at home against East Brunswick, and Spotswood at home on Wednesday.

At No. 4 is Ridge (11-5), down one spot from last week after playing just one game, falling 4-3 at Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday. The Red Devils have lost four straight – including two to Immaculata and another at North Hunterdon – after starting the season 11-1. They will host Hillsborough on Tuesday.

In the five spot, it’s Watchung Hills (10-3), which re-entered the rankings at seven last week, and now is up two more spots after a 3-0 week. That included a 6-2 win over Hillsborough on Tuesday, an 18-8 win at Hillsborough on Wednesday, and a 6-2 home win Friday over South Plainfield. Monday, they get a crack at defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston at home, then host Immaculata on Tuesday less than four hours before the seeding meeting. They’re in the same division – the Skyland Delaware – but will only meet once before the meeting; their second is Thursday. Should the Warriors win, could that be enough – at 11-3, not counting what happens against the Highlanders, to earn a top-seed? Watchung Hills did lose twice to Ridge, and that could hurt them, but also consider if they beat GL how that might be seen by the coaches. It’s definitely not insignificant.

At No. 6 is Rutgers Prep (10-2). The Argonauts won their only game this week, an 11-1 drubbing of Phillipsburg, but they get a chance at two Skyland Conference Delaware Division teams before Tuesday’s SCT seeding meeting: Bridgewater Monday, North Hunterdon Tuesday. Both are on the road.

Colonia (9-5) falls two spots this week to No. 7 after an 0-2 week, both losses coming to No. 2 Middlesex. The first, on Tuesday, was a 4-0 home loss. Then, they lost on the road by the same score on Thursday, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. This week, they get crossover with a pair of Red Division opponents: Old Bridge Monday at home, then at St. Joseph-Metuchen on Wednesday.

At No. 8 is Old Bridge (9-8). The Knights went 3-2 in the week gone by. They started with a 10-4 loss to East BRunswick, but came back to sweep St. Joseph-Metuchen with a 5-1 road win Tuesday and a 9-4 home win Thursday, sandwiched around a 12-1 win at Monroe Wednesday. The finished up with a 9-0 loss Saturday to Immaculata in Spotswood at the E4M Showcase.

Back in at No. 9 after a week out is South Plainfield (8-8). The Tigers split two games this week, beating Monroe on Monday, 12-3, then taking a 6-2 loss Friday at then-No. 7 Watchung Hills. They visit Spotswood Monday and are at Monroe Wednesday looking for a series sweep, before entertaining JFK on Thursday.

And holding at ten is Carteret (12-3). The Ramblers went 2-0 this week, with a 12-2 win over New Brunswick on Monday at home, then a 15-1 road win against the Zebras on Wednesday. This week, they visit Perth Amboy Magnet Tuesday and host Highland Park on Thursday.

Monroe dropped out from No. 9 after a 1-3 week, leaving the Falcons at 8-9. They lost 7-6 on Monday at Toms River South, at South Plainfield on Tuesday 12-3, and 12-1 to Old Bridge at home on Wednesday, before snapping the skid with a 6-3 win Saturday at home over Colts Neck.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Watchung Hills veteran Joe Ascolese promoted from OC to head coach of Warrior football program after departure of Rich Seubert

Joe Ascolese, the Watchung Hills football team’s Offensive Coordinator who has spent nearly two decades on the program’s staff over two stints, has been named the Warrriors’ new head coach, following the recent departure of Rich Suebert.

The move was approved Tuesday night by the Watchung Hills Regional High School Board of Education, according to Athletic Director Dan Root.

The 45-year-old Ascolese has been the team’s OC since 2019, and also was with the program as an assistant from 2005 through 2015. In between, he coached split ends, tight ends and defensive backs at A.L. Johnson in Clark.

He has also been a physical education and health teacher at Watchung Hills for more than two decades, and was named Watchung Hills Regional High School Educator of the Year in 2024.

This will be his first head coaching job.

Seubert stepped down in late March after a ten-year run leading the Warrior football program. He turned the program’s fortunes around in a few years, getting the team 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.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Joe Ascolese about taking over the Watchung Hills football program:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rough week for most of Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, but Immaculata remains No. 1

While the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten went just 14-13 in the past week, leading to additional volatility in the rankings, Immaculata remains at No. 1 for a fourth straight week, a position it’s held this year for all but the preseason list.

It was also a bit of a light week, with many games rained out on Saturday.

The Spartans (9-3) went 2-1 in the week gone by, with a pair of wins over then-No. 2 Ridge, 3-0 in Basking Ridge on Tuesday, and 6-0 at Diamond Nation in Flemington, on Wednesday, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. ‘Lata took a loss, though, on Friday, falling 8-1 at Delbarton, the top-ranked team in the state.

Meanwhile, Ridge (11-4) loses the No. 2 spot after their 1-3 week, which included those losses to Immaculata, and a Friday loss at North Hunterdon, 6-2. They opened the week with an 8-7 home win over Pingry on Monday.

That all opened the door for Middlesex (13-1) to move up to No. 2. The Blue Jays have won nine straight, including three games last week. After opening with an 8-3 win at JFK on Tuesday, Middlesex swept Sayreville with a 2-0 home win Thursday and a 9-7 road win Friday.

Edison (8-3) holds in the fourth spot after a 1-1 week. They opened it up with a 9-0 win at East Brunswick on Tuesday, but were no-hit in a five-inning loss to Woodbridge on Thursday, 14-0.

Colonia continues it’s rise, as the 9-5 Patriots move up a spot to No. 5 this week. After a 5-4 loss Tuesday at Spotswood, Colonia came back to sweep Perth Amboy,m winning 7-2 at home on Thursday, then again 6-3 on the road on Friday.

Rutgers Prep (9-2) shot up this week from ninth to sixth, after a 2-0 week that now has them on an eight-game winning streak. The Argonauts swept a pair from Somerville, winning 6-2 on the road Tuesday, then 5-0 at home Thursday. Prep also had its Saturday game at TD Bank Park against South Plainfield – originally scheduled to air live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – moved to later in the season, due to rain.

Watchung Hills (7-3) re-enters the rankings at No. 7, on the strength of a 2-0 week. The Hustlin’ Warriors were 6-2 winners at Hunterdon Central on Tuesday, then beat them back at home on Wednesday, 10-5.

In eighth is Old Bridge (6-6), down one spot after a split week. The Knights lost 4-1 Tuesday at South Plainfield, but came back home Thursday and beat Monroe, 9-5.

The No. 9 position goes to Monroe (7-6), which fell from No. 5. The Falcons were 0-2 in the week gone by, including an 8-1 loss on Tuesday at home to St. Thomas Aquinas, and a 9-5 loss Thursday at Old Bridge.

And holding in tenth is Carteret (10-3), despite a 1-2 week The Ramblers were 12-5 winners over North Brunswick on Monday, but then were swept two games by JP Stevens, including a 3-1 road loss in North Edison Wednesday, and a 10-0 home loss on Friday.

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