Tag: Westfield

by Mike Pavlichko

Friday Night Big Central Roundup: Hillsborough defense guts one out, Piscataway edges Sayreville in rivalry game, Aquinas takes Paramus Catholic to brink – without Young

Week Six action Friday night across the Big Central had no shortage of thrilling games, whether it was Edison finding its footing in an upset of No. 9 Colonia, or Somerville showing how good the third-ranked Pioneers are by humbling previously-unbeaten Summit.

And while Central Jersey Sports Radio was in person at both of those games, there was much more exciting action around the league as we get into the thick if the second half of the regular season.

Hillsborough 19, Westfield 13: Some way, some how, every time Hillsborough and Westfield get together it’s a battle. Playing in the American Silver – the toughest division in the Big Central Conference by any metric – the Raiders get a tough one every night out. And then, there’s the non-conference schedule.

But Hillsborough evened its record up at 3-3 – they started the season with a loss and have rebounded off each one with a win – with a six-point victory over Westfield at Noonan Field Friday, hanging on for dear life down the stretch.

After a scoreless first, Roberto Santiago caught a 36-yard pass from runningback Jackson Jankowicz to make it 7-0 ‘Boro, but the Blue Devils tied it on a 26-yard run by Blake Rudow, leaving it seven-all going into the half.

Santiago then caught a more traditional TD pass – 23 yards from QB Ryan Seamon – to give the Raiders a 13-7 lead; with Chimmy Ozokopor hauling in a four-yard pass from Seamon to make it 19-7 in the fourth. Westfield answered when Colin Coyle caught a 17-yard TD strike from Cole Wiedler to make it 19-13, but they missed the extra point.

With under four minutes to go, Hillsborough had the ball with a chance to add an insurance score after a Westfield kick, but they couldn’t run out the clock, and had to punt. The Blue Devils gained some yardage – helped by a penalty call on Hillsborough – but the Raiders sealed it with a pass breakup on fourth down, and hung on to win.

The Raiders visit Bridgewater-Raritan (3-3) next Thursday night – due to the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur – while Westfield (2-3) entertains struggling North Brunswick (1-5).

Hillsborough Head Coach Kevin Carty. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Click below for postgame reaction from Hillsborough head coach Kevin Carty:

No. 10 Piscataway 42, Sayreville 13: The Bombers got on the board first, recovering an onside kick midway through the quarter, then scoring on a 55-yard drive to lead 7-0, but much of the rest of the game belonged to the Chiefs.

The Chiefs tied it at seven on a 90-yard drive capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Landon Pernell to Jamari Atkinson. Then after a Sayreville fumble, Pernell found Jahai Jackson from 35 yards out to go ahead by a score, and Pernell scrambled from 18 yards out with nine seconds to go before the half for a 21-7 lead at the break.

The Chiefs added another touchdown pass from Pernell in the third to Sean Love, then got a one-yard dive from Jahai Jackson and a James Bodley five-yard run after a Johnson interceptions, sandwiched around a Sayreville 20-yard TD run by Shawn Jackson to make it 42-13, the final.

Piscataway (4-2) will visit East Brunswick (1-4) next Thursday night, while the Bombers (2-4) will host Franklin (3-3).

(Unbeknownst to him, Piscataway PA announcer Kevin Donahue contributed to this report.)

Paramus Catholic 35, No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas 34 (OT): It was a heavyweight matchup between a North Jersey powerhouse and a Central Jersey non-public that has raised its stck dramatically over the last several years, first under the late Brian Meeney, and now under Tarig Holman.

And the Trojans – ranked No. 9 in the state – gave it everything they had and them some in a hearbtreaking overtime loss at the state’s No. 11 team, Paramus Catholic.

Playing without Chase Young – the senior runningback who passed out and had to be resuscitated on the field last Friday night in a game at Elizabeth – Aquinas took the Paladins to the brink.

The game was a tight one, especially early. It was 7-7 after one quarter, and the next 12 minutes were scoreless. Paramus Catholic took a 28-14 lead into the fourth, but Aquians was able to tie it on a one-yard run by Roman Blanks and a two-yard run by Chukwuma Odoh.

In overtime, Paramus Catholic got it first, and scored on a Nekhi Martin seven-yard touchdown pass. Aquinas answered back, with Odoh running in a touchdown from three-yards out, but the Trojans elected to go for two for the win on the road.

That’s when Paramus Catholic’s Xavier Williams broke up a two-point pass to end the game.

Aquinas falls to 4-2 – neither loss coming to Big Central competition, against which they have won 28 straight – and will host Edison (3-3) next Friday night.

Division champs, with a twist

Woodbridge won its second straight Liberty Gold Division title in the Big Central with a 35-0 victory over Perth Amboy Friday night. Senior Shamar Wells ran for 167 yards and three touchdowns of three, 23, and 43 yards – after carrying twice for a grand total of two yards in two previous games this season.

Other Friday night scores….

  • No. 4 Bernards 28, South Plainfield 0
  • No. 5 Ridge 49, Union 7
  • No. 6 Phillipsburg 21, West Orange 14
  • No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen 40, North Brunswick 14
  • Spotswood 28, Bound Brook 0
  • South Hunterdon 16, Brearley 8
  • Delaware Valley 37, South River 8
  • Roselle Park 22, Dunellen 16
  • Bridgewater-Raritan 28, Elizabeth 27
  • Plainfield 34, Franklin 2
  • Scotch Plains-Fanwood 30, JFK 7
  • Manville 41, JP Stevens 20
  • Carteret 29, New Brunswick 8
  • New Providence 26, Middlesex 19
  • North Hunterdon 22, Monroe 21
  • Voorhees 47, North Plainfield 22
  • Cranford 14, Rahway 13

Saturday’s Games:

  • Highland Park at Metuchen, 1 pm (listen on CJSR)
  • Belvidere at Dayton, 1 pm
  • Roselle at Hillside, 2 pm
  • Montgomery at Linden, 2 pm
  • Johnson at Governor Livingston, 2 pm
  • No. 7 Old Bridge at Morristown, 2:30 pm
  • Watchung Hills at South Brunswick, 3 pm
  • East Brunswick at Hunterdon Central, 4:30 pm
by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two more coaches get first wins at their schools…

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

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

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

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

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

Who else is seeking their first?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Saturday Scores…

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

Westfield’s Mammary appointed as NJSIAA Assistant Director, will oversee four sports

Former longtime Westfield Athletic Director Sandra Mammary – who retired after the most recent school year and was succeeded by longtime football coach Jim DeSarno – has been appointed an NJSIAA Assistant Director.

The NJSIAA announced the appointment Thursday, saying Mammary will oversee boys’ and girls’ tennis, field hockey, boys’ and girls’ swimming, and girls lacrosse. She’s no stranger to the association, which she’s worked with since 2019 in varying positions.

She’s been a part of the NJSIAA/NJSCA Hall of Fame Committee, as well as its’ Boys/Girls Tennis Committee, and the Flag Football Committee, a sport that has taken off in recent years. She also is involved with the Union County Insterscholastic Athletic Conference, and the Union County Conference.

An East Stroudbsurg graduate, Mammary received her master’s degree from Kean University in Union, and has been in education for more than 30 years.

“Sandy has been a part of two committees within the NJSIAA since 2019, and we’re excited for her to have a bigger role on our team,” said NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguirein the release announcing the appointment. “As the former supervisor of athletics for Westfield Public Schools, she has 14 years of experience supervising 32 sports programs. I’m confident she’ll do an excellent job in this position.”

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DID YOU KNOW?

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

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

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

  • Bernards: Jon Simoneau
  • Bound Brook: Dave LePoidevin
  • Carteret: Kevin Freeman
  • Colonia: Tom Roarty
  • Dunellen: Dave DeNapoli
  • Highland Park: Shawn Harrison
  • Hillsborough: Kevin Carty
  • Hillside: Barris Grant
  • Hunterdon Central: Casey Ransone
  • Linden: Al Chiola
  • Johnson: Anthony DelConte
  • Montgomery: Zoran Milich
  • New Providence: Chet Parlevecchio, Jr.
  • North Brunswick: Mike Cipot
  • Phillipsburg: Frank Duffy
  • Piscataway: Dan Higgins
  • Rahway: Brian Russo
  • Ridge: Andy West
  • Roselle Park: Greg Dunkerton
  • South Hunterdon: Toby Jefferis
  • South River: Rich Marchesi
  • Summit: Kevin Kostibos
  • Watchung Hills: Rich Seubert
by Mike Pavlichko

2024 Big Central Preview: American Gold Division

The Big Central Conference’s American Gold Division is one of the tops in the league. All play difficult and challenging schedules, and there’s a lot of parity.

To wit, Union was 5-6 in 2023, with all but one of those losses coming to playoff teams.

Elizabeth has been young, but should make strides in Year Three under John Fiore, who had a wonderful run prior to coming to Union County up at Montclair. Westfield has a new coach in Matt Andzel, while St. Joseph continues to be solid playing with the big boys in the BCC.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Westfield keeps it in-house, names ’02 alum Matt Andzel new Blue Devils’ football coach

With longtime football coach Jim DeSarno stepping off the football field and into administration – taking over for the retiring Sandra Mamary in June to be Westfield’s next Athletic Director – the Blue Devils have a new head coach.

DeSarno has decided to keep things in-house in naming Matt Andzel as the 13th head coach in the storied Westfield program’s history. Andzel has been the defensive line coach for Westfield, spending the past eleven seasons under DeSarno, and also played for the Blue Devils under Ed Tranchina from 1999-2001.

Despite the late date of the higher, having someone inside the program who’s been around the current players their entire careers, whether freshmen or seniors, would appear to be key to maintaining continuity. And for course, DeSarno will still be on campus as the AD.

Andzel played his college ball at The College of New Jersey, his final season being in 2006. In three seasons, he played in 18 games – ten of which came in 2005 – and had 29 career total tackles on the D-line, along with a pass breakup and three fumble recoveries.

DeSarno spent five years at Kinnelon – going 18-32 – before coming to Westfield, where he spent over two decades leading the Blue Devil program. He was 122-63 in that time, including an remarkable stretch where Westfield went 36-0 from 2015 through 2017, winning three North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 titles, all at Met Life Stadium, and all over Bridgewater-Raritan; Andzel was on the staff during that run.

Westfield went 6-5 in 2023, capping its season with a 28-9 win over longtime Turkey Day rival Plainfield, in one of the few remaining local rivalries still played on Thanksgiving.

Click below to hear new Westfield head coach Matt Andzel talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

National Signing Day: Big Central football players make it official where they’ll play in college

Wednesday begins the Early Signing period for football players across the country to sign their National Letter of Intent. They can sign on the dotted line now through Friday, or can wait for the Spring period. Here is a team-by-team look at who signed were, with information submitted by their coaches and/or announced on social media.

This list will be updated throughout the day, as we get information from coaches, players, social media and other media reports. Please check back often for additions as they come in.

Colonia: Jaeden Jones – the Central Jersey Sports Radio Offensive Player of the Year – signed on with Monmouth. In his second season as a QB – after having never played the position before – he rished for 1,454 yards and 22 touchdowns, second best in the Big Central. One of the league’s most electrifying players, he also threw for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns. Now that he’s signed, it’s right back to playing hoops, where he’s the point guard for the Patriots’ basketball team.

Hillside: Diego Rodriguez, a two-way lineman for the Comets – will be attending the University of Connecticut.

Montgomery: Matt D’Avino – who may have had the most receptions in the state over the last two years, according to his head coach, Zoran Milich – signed on with Lehigh. He caught 67 passes this year for 1,501 yards – that’s 15.7 yards per catch – and had 16 touchdowns. He’s grabbed 122 passes the last two seasons.

Ridge: Chris Oliver, an offensive lineman/tight end, will be playing for Bucknell. The 6-3, 240-pounder played mostly defense for the Red Devils this season, logging 61 tackles, 42 solo, nine TFLs, seven sacks – with 13 in his two years playing varsity for Andy West – and also had a forced fumble.

Plainfield: Josue Cordoba – Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Two Way Player of the Year for 2023, signed on with Kent State Wednesday. ”He’ll catch a 60-yard bomb on one end, and come back and catch a pick-six on the other,” says his coach, James Williams. He caught 60 passes this year for 1,234 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for two. On defense: five interceptions, three for touchdowns.

St. Thomas Aquinas: Christian Magliacano – the 2023 CJSR Defensive Player of the Year – made it official he’ll be going to Colgate. ”Arguably the best linebacker in the state,” says his head coach Tarig Holman, he recorded 162 tackles this year at linebacker, 32 TFLs, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, one for a touchdown, and two blocked kicks.

Summit: Tyler Kessell singed to play football at Dartmouth. He totalled 133 tackles at linebacker this season, with 15 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

Watchung Hills: Big quarterback Aleks Sitkowski – the younger brother of Art, who starred at Old Bridge and played at Rutgers – signed on with Colgate. After moving from Piscataway to Warren, Sitkowski threw for 1,696 yards and 17 touchdowns for Watchung Hills, while also running it over 100 times for 609 yard and another 13 touchdowns. Head coach Rich Suebert says Sitkowksi turned his traditional run-first offense into a “high octane” passing attack. Sitkowski was an Honorable Mention CJSR Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.

Westfield: Linebacker Chris Rosetti put pen to paper to play for Brown University. He was tops with 124 tackles for the Blue Devils this year, four tackles for loss, and 1 1/2 sacks. He also had a QB hurry and a fumble recovery.

Woodbridge: The winner of Central Jersey Sports Radio’s “Record Setter of the Year” award, A.J. Bosch signed with Bucknell. He graduates as No. 1 all-time in Barrons annals with career receptions (134), career touchdown catches (27) and career rushing touchdowns (12) by a receiver. He also finished with 2,842 career rushing yards, No. 2 in the Woodbridge record books:

by Mike Pavlichko

Westfield, Phillipsburg, Aquinas all win Thanksgiving games

With two games on Thanksgiving – and one on Thanksgiving Eve – involving Big Central teams, Westfield, Phillipsburg and St. Thomas Aquinas all won their Turkey Day rivalry games.

Westfield 28, Plainfield 9

The Blue Devils (6-5) got 100 rushing yards on 20 carries out of Luke Jordan – along with two second half interceptions on the defensive side of the ball, as Westfield took their 118th meeting with Plainfield.

It was the eleventh straight win in the series, which the Blue Devils now lead 55-45, with seven ties.

The Cardinals – who also finish 6-5 on the year – were seeking their first win in the series since 2011.

Westfield got on the board first after a scoreless second quarter, on an 11-yard touchdown run by quarterback Mac Cho, to go up 7-0 with the extra point. Plainfield got to within four on a 26-yard field goal by Armando Avril, but Sebastian Magherini’s 20-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Cho made it 14-3.

In the third quarter, Cho threw another TD pass, then Jordan ran for a 25-yard touchdown to put the Blue Devils up 21-3.

In the fourth, Joel Cordoba caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Kamai Lowery, that got them to within 21-9 after the a two-point pass attempt failed. Then Jordan caught a 25-yard TD pass, with the PAT making it 28-9, the final.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden at Hub Stine Field presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Phillipsburg 47, Easton 12

Last year, the Stateliners beat Easton for the first time since 2014. This year, they made it two straight for the first time in two decades, since they turned the trick in 2002 and 2003.

Phillipsburg 47, Easton 12 after the final horn sounded at Lafayette College’s Fisher Stadium in Easton, PA, on Thanksgiving 2023. (Source: Raymond C. Patt on Twitter)

Phillipsburg (10-2) ran the ball for 319 yards and seven touchdowns, pounding their way on the ground to a 47-12 win at Fisher Stadium at Lafayette College. It was also P’burg’s second-largest win in the series, a 35-point margin.

John Wargo was named offensive MVP by the attending media, going for 156 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries; he also had two receptions in the game for 33 yards. Sophomore Sam Dech – who filled in more than ably when Wargo missed a couple of games due to injury this season – ran the rock 12 times for 136 yards, including long touchdown runs of 50 and 75 yards.

Easton still leads the overall series, 67-44-5.

St. Thomas Aquinas

In a new rivalry game this year, St. Thomas Aquinas closed out its season with a 42-14 win over Immaculata out of the Super Football Conference.

The Spartans (6-4) opened the scoring on an Own Blum touchdown pass from quarterback Mason Geis, and Anthony Brown returned a kick 90-yards for six in the second quarter. But Aquinas got the next three scores to take the lead before the half. Chase Young ran in a two-yard touchdown, Elijah Abass-Shereef scored from six yards out, and Roman Blanks took one in from a yard out to make it 21-14 at the half.

After a scoreless third period, the Trojans put up three more scores in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Young added a one-yard score, and Abass-Shereef added two more, the first of which went for 42 yards on the ground.

STA finishes the year 10-1, tying a program record for wins achieved just twice before. Aquinas went 10-1 in 1989, and also in 1984 when they beat Holy Cross to win the Non-Public South A title. That was their first of three straight state titles from 1984 through 1986, a span that saw the program go 28-4, winning its only three titles in program history.

by Mike Pavlichko

Healthy Wargo helps top-seed Phillipsburg top Westfield, 42-28, to reach second straight sectional final

John Wargo was back healthy, Phillipsburg put up a lot of points, and picked up a good win over a solid visiting team at Maloney Stadium Friday night.

Sounds like your typical Friday night, except this was the North 2, Group 5 semifinals, and the 42-28 win for the top-seeded Stateliners over 4th-seeded Westfield put P’burg in next week’s sectional final against second-seed Union City, back at Maloney.

The game was tight through one quarter, with John Wargo opening the scoring on a 14-yard touchdown run, and a Westfield 22-yard field goal made it 7-3 after one.

But the Stateliners got the next two scores – a 16-yard TD catch by Kevin Burgess and another run by Wargo from two yards out – that made it 21-10 ‘Liners at the half after Westfield added a late score to pull within eleven.

The teams alternated scores in the second half, but P’burg outscored Westfield 21-14 over the final 24 minutes.

Phillipsburg now will play Union City next Friday at home for the North 2, Group 5 title. Both teams are 9-1. The Soaring Eagles were 20-14 winners Friday night over West Orange, the team that upset the Stateliners last year in the very same sectional final, on the same field.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy about Friday night’s win over Westfield:

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg not looking past anyone, focused on Westfield in North 2, Group 5 semis

A year ago, Phillipsburg was undefeated heading into the North 2, Group 5 semifinals against West Orange. The Stateliners lost, but beat Easton on Thanksgiving, and all was right with the world.

West Orange was the better team that night, but to a (young) man, the singular goal of any Phillipsburg season is a win over arch-rival Easton. Last year was their first since 2014.

That behind them, and with another chance ahead this year, head coach Frank Duffy says it’s not a distraction, and really never has been.

Good thing, because the top-seeded Stateliners (8-1) must take on pesky fourth-seed Westfield (5-4) Friday night. The Blue Devils may have been just .500 entering the playoffs, but shutout Hillsborough 17-0 on Cutoff Weekend, a team that got the second-seed in South Group 5. Then they whitewashed Clifton 36-0 in the opening round of the playoffs last week.

For Duffy, the main target will be Max Cho, the Blue Devil quarterback who has thrown 12 touchdowns and just one pick while tossing it around the yard for 1,300 this season. The Stateliners, meanwhile, have picked off 13 passes this year, with Kevin Burgess and Felix Matos each responsible for three.

The Stateliners have had a number of guys get nicked up in recent weeks, including runningback/linebacker John Wargo, who is healthy and expected to play against Westfield.

Being an all-Big Central Conference matchup, it’s guaranteed at least one league team will play for a title next weekend. The winner takes on the victor of Friday night’s other semifinal between 2nd-seed Union City (8-1) and – lo and behold – sixth seed West Orange (5-4), the same Mountaineers who knocked them off in last year’s title game.

Click below to hear Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy talk about the Stateliners and their semifinal matchup with Westfield: