Tag: Zaimer Wright

Sayreville's Zaimer Wright scores his third of five touchdowns in a 35-14 first round win at Montgomery in North 2, Group 4 first round playoff action on October 27, 2023. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
by Mike Pavlichko

Sayreville stuns Montgomery on the road, 35-14 in North 2, Group 4 opener

Thanks to three first-half touchdowns from Zaimer Wright – who finished with five in the game – sixth-seed Sayreville knocked off third-seed and unbeaten Montgomery on the road Friday night in an All-Big Central opening round North 2, Group 4 playoff game.

But just as in control as the Bombers looked, up 21-0 with 4:07 left in the second quarter, they were a bit lucky to be up two scores at the break.

Montgomery got on the board late – with just 28 seconds left before the half – on a 20-yard connection from Michael Schmelzer, Jr., to Trey McFadden.

The Bombers then fumbled the kickoff return – and after calling a timeout with 1.7 seconds to go, Schmelzer found Brady Post wide open at the goal line as time expired. But the officials ruled Schmelzer – who had taken off down field – was past the line of scrimmage when he heaved it up. The score was nullified, the half was over, and Sayreville could breathe a sigh of relief.

In the second half, Wright scored again with under five minutes to go in the third quarter, but Montgomery got it right back to make it 28-14.

And Wright capped it all off with 18.7 seconds to go in the third, on a 72-yard touchdown run.

The Bombers (8-2) move on to visit second-seed Mount Olive next Friday night; the Marauders beat seventh-seed Wayne Valley 28-21 Friday night. Montgomery took its first loss to fall to 8-1-1, going 0-1-1 in its last two games of the year.

Click below for postgame interviews by Marcus Borden presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Mitchell’s late pick on 2-pt try helps Sayreville withstand Woodbridge on Homecoming, 22-20

In a tight, back-and-forth game with a lot of big plays, Sayreville made one more than Woodbridge, and the Bombers came away with a 22-20 home win Friday night that will likely improve their playoff standing in North Jersey Group 4.

The Barrons got on the board first with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Derek Anderson to AJ Bosch late in the first quarter, and Sayreville looked like it had the equalizer on the first play of the second quarter on a one-yard run by QB Nick Nunez, but the PAT was blocked.

Sayreville would go into halftime with a 13-7 lead on a two-yard run by Zaimer Wright just 43 seconds before intermission.

After trading punts, the Barrons got the lead back with 2:15 to go in the third on a 72-yard run by Bosch. But Sayreville would answer big.

They got a 56-yard touchdown pass from Nunez to Wright just ten seconds into the final period, then with 2:32 to go Aaron Losada got a much-needed three points on a 41-yard field goal in the rain.

It was needed because the Barrons had one more score left in the tank, a quick toss to Izaiah Toliver to make it 22-20. But when they went for the tie with a two-point try, senior defensive back Ky’Von Mitchell intercepted the pass in the end zone to seal the win.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Wright’s 3 TDs lead No. 10 Sayreville, Bombers hold off Chiefs at the goal line for 24-16 win

Sayreville senior runningback Zaimer Wright carried the ball 28 times for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Exactly the way head coach Don Sofilkanich would have drawn it up.

Except the first quarter went anything but the way he would have drawn it up.

Quarterback Nick Nunez threw interceptions to end the 10th-ranked Bombers’ first two possessions at rival Piscataway Friday night – in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, and as they were about to get the ball back for a third time, Zaimer Wright fumbled a punt, giving the Chiefs the ball back at the eight yard line.

Yet, after all three turnovers, the Chiefs only led 3-0. They missed a field goal their first time with the ball, punted on the second, and finally converted a 26-yard field goal via the foot of Vincent Novak.

But Sayreville got a 33-yard TD run from Wright with 5:07 to go in the half, and added an Aaron Losada 24 yard field goal with three seconds left to go into the locker room with a 10-3 lead.

The defense bailed out the Bombers in the first half, limiting Piscataway to fewer than ten yards of offense through the first 24 minutes of play, and no first downs.

In the second half, the Chief offense started to wake up. They got a 31-yard touchdown catch from Jahai Johnson to knot the game at ten with the extra point. Wright put the Bombers ahead 17-10 with a two-yard touchdown run, but again Piscataway got what looked to be the equalizer, on a 20-yard pass play to DeShaun Stephens. But on a bad snap, the Chiefs missed the PAT, and trailed by one with exactly four minutes to go.

That’s when Wright scored for the third time on the night, from 66-yards out, capping a five-play, 80-yard drive, to go up by eight.

And it still wasn’t over. The Chiefs marched down the field, spiking the ball on first downs since they were out of time outs. They got a pass interference call on a toss into the end zone – yes, it was on Wright, but it may have saved the game – and were given the ball at the 14, but after a first down play went for a loss of four, an incomplete pass into the end zone as time expired ended the game.

The loss is a hit to the playoff chances of Piscataway (4-4), which was in 15th place in the North Group 5 supersection coming into the night. Sayreville – 12th in South Group 4 – may move up with the win, now 6-2 on the season, with a chance to move up even further if they can win their regular season finale at home against Woodbridge next week.

Click below for postgame interviews from Marcus Borden presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

All the “Wright” stuff leads No. 4 Sayreville to 42-21 win at No. 8 Colonia in season opener

Zaimer Wright figured in four Sayreville touchdowns in Friday night’s Week Zero game, leading his fourth-ranked Bombers to a 42-21 win on the road at No. 8 Colonia in the season opener for both schools.

He scored two touchdowns on the ground in the first half, and threw for another. He added another in the third, and finished with 17 carries for 195 yards.

Derek Osae also had a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown for Sayreville (1-0).

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with Sayreville senior runningback Zaimer Wright and head coach Don Sofilkanich, sponsored by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

What were the Top Ten stories of 2022 on Central Jersey Sports Radio? Here’s a look at the first five:

End-of-the-year lists are always popular, so we figured what better time to look at the most-read stories on Central Jersey Sports Radio this past year, one in which we had – yet again – a record number of visitors to the site? So, we compiled the top ten feature and game stories of the past year, and present them to you now.

We start today with stories 10 through 6, and will have the top five later this week.

Click on each headline for the complete, original story.

10. Yascko, Edison defense help knock off top-seed Lenape, bring home trophy for first time in 31 years

Edison’s Matt Yascko – shown here as a freshman against South Plainfield on October 18, 2019 – helped lead the Eagles to their first title since 1991. (Photo submitted by coach Matt Yascko)

It had been a long time coming, but Edison finally got its championship. With a group that had several key four-year starters, the Eagles brought home the big one. But they’d have to travel through wind and rain to do it.

With the remnants of Hurricane Nicole buffeting the state, Edison and some of the Eagles’ heartiest fans had to make the hour-plus-long trek down to to-seed Lenape in Medford, NJ (Burlington County) to see their beloved team. But it paid off, as they won the Central Jersey Group 5 championship, their first since the CJ4 trophy they won in 1991.

FULL GAME AUDIO: Central Jersey Group 5 Final: (6) Edison 28, (1) Lenape 14

9. Sayreville looking for more of the Wright stuff

Zaimer Wright (left) with his Bellamy & Son Player of the Week Award from Week 3, poses alongside head coach Chris Beagan. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Zaimer Wright was just a sophomore in 2021, but with him leading the way on the ground, Sayreville had its best season since they won the Central Jersey Group 5 title in 2018. His 1,403 yards and 25 touchdowns made him the to returning runningback in the Big Central Conference in 2022.

Injuries, however – both to Wright and others – slowed the Bombers a bit in 2022. They finished 4-5 as Wright only managed to play in seven of the team’s nine games and rushed for 644 yards and three touchdowns on 103 carries, fewer than half as many touches as he had in 2021.

Should he be healthy in 2023, expect more big things from Wright and the Bombers in his senior season.

8. Edison, Lenape to face off for Central Jersey Group 5 title tonight in Medford

Edison coach Matt Fulham talks to his team after a 42-23 win at St. Joseph-Metuchen on October 7, 2022. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Excitement was at a fever pitch for Edison fans heading into the Central Jersey Group 5 title game. Not only had it been a long time since they’d won a title – 31 years, to be exact – they had not been to a final since they last won it in 1991.

And with Eagles’ fans not knowing much about Lenape other than they were a top seed in the section despite a middling record of 4-4 at the cutoff, our interviews with Edison head coach Matt Fulham and Indians’ head coach Joe Wojceichowski drew a great number of fans to check it out.

It probably didn’t hurt that Lenape fans didn’t know much about Edison either.

7. Entire Edison community mourns the loss of much-beloved youth sports leader “Mr. G”

The man Edison children knew for years as “Mr G.”

People in Edison love their school sports, as you’ll notice from this bottom five of our Top Ten list. But they also loved “Mr. G.”

Beloved youth sports mentor William Giampolo passed away in January of 2022, and the news affected everyone who’d ever played rec baseball or football dating all the way back to the 1970s. He led the Edison Boys’ Baseball League from 1973 to 1998, and was instrumental in the Edison Youth Sports Council.

We talked with Edison Boys’ Baseball League President Brian Calantoni for his memories of Mr. G for this story, which also includes a photo gallery.

6. Yascko & Yascko: How the father-son QB-OC tandem united to help bring Edison its first title in 31 years

Edison’s Matt Yascko (the QB/son, left) and Matt Yascko (the offensive coordinator/father, right) have helped lead Edison to its first sectional title since 1991. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

One more Edison story today, and this one’s a keeper. (Hey, we can’t help it if Eagles fans turn out on CJSR!)

Matt Yascko was a freshman in 2019 when the Eagles’ starter went down to injury, and he was elevated to starting quarterback for the final six games of the season. But before head coach Matt Fulham made the call, he made a call: to Yascko’s father, Matt, then the head coach at Carteret. Yascko, the dad, had played at Edison and was on the 1991 team that was the last one – until this year – to win a sectional championship for the Eagles.

With his blessing (though he might have done it anyway) Yascko, the son, became the starter.

And the next year, despite uncertainty about the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yascko the dad joined Fulham’s staff at his alma mater as offensive coordinator, bringing father and son together for what would be an immensely successful three-year run: a record of 20-10 over that span, culminating with the Central Jersey Group 5 title this past season.

Check back later this week for the remaining five stories in our Top Ten of 2022 on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio announces “Specialty Awards” for 2021

Last year, we decided our inaugural awards show had too few awards to recognize all the truly great student-athletes in the Big Central Conference, on or off the field. So besides Players and Coach of the Year, we decided to give out “Specialty Awards.”

And we’re back with more for 2021, so get ready for some fantastic stories!

Offensive Line of the Year: Cranford

They literally paved the way for Cranford’s third state championship in eleven seasons. The five guys up front kept quarterback Shane VanDam on his feet, and cleared a path for Colin Murray, who had a career-best 334 yards in the North 2 Group 3 championship game against Sparta.

Cranford offensive lineman Kevin Shriner holds up the NJSIAA trophy as he and his teammates celebrate a state championship. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Geoff Gretta, Kevin Shriner, Kyle Fay, Ryan Heesters, and Matt Fries – who signed his National Letter of Intent this week to attend the University of Illinois – were all instrumental in Cranford’s success. Four of the five – with the exception being center Kyle Fay – are at least 6-2 and 280 pounds.

“It helps we have a bunch of large humans,” head coach Erik Rosenmeier told us earlier this season.

It also helps they can all flat out play.

Listen below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with all five Cranford offensive linemen:

The “Nobody Scores” Award:

It took eight games for someone to score on St. Thomas Aquinas, and nobody threw a touchdown pass against them all year.

Those were the kind of dominant defensive numbers the Trojans put up on 2021, not an easy task considering they led most of their games pretty big this year, and a bunch of 16- and 17-year-olds could easily have lost their focus.

They didn’t, only allowing nine points the entire regular season, all of them coming in their finale against Delaware Valley, on a mud-soaked field in North Edison.

Villanova-bound senior Jon Wyatt has been an integral part of the Trojans’ success on both sides of the ball. (Mike Pavlichko)

Senior Jon Wyatt, who’s going to Villanova, was a lock-down corner. Barely anyone threw toward him – and if they did, they couldn’t complete a single pass. If they did manage to get a ball caught, it was in the hands of Wyatt.

Click below to hear Wyatt talk about how it all worked out for St. Thomas Aquinas:

“Rising Star” Award

Last season, sophomore quarterbacks were making an impact, whether it be Franklie Garbolino, Matt Yasko, or a host of others around the league.

In 2021, sophomore Zaimer Wright of Sayreville is one who had a big impact for his team, leaving a bright future for the Bombers.

Sayreville sophomore Zaimer Wright helped his team knock off No. 1 North Brunswick on September 17, 2021. (Source: Twitter)

Wright was a Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week earlier this year, and finished the season with 1,401 yards rushing, 25 touchdowns, and five two-point conversions, scoring 160 total points. He also starts at safety, contributing on defense, and returns punts and kickoffs, as well as runs down on the kick coverage team.

He’s been under the weather recently, so we didn’t get a chance to speak to him, but we think we’ll have plenty of opportunities the next couple of years. Feel better, Zaimer!

“Mr. Versatility“

There’s no doubt this award goes to Alex Benitez, a senior from Montgomery. He has played runningback, moved back to quarterback, then back to runningback while also playing outside linebacker on defense.

Montgomery senior QB Alex Benitez gets ready to throw a pass in preseason camp on Friday, August 27, 2021 at Cougar Stadium.

A four-year starter, Benitez didn’t miss a single game, and only fumbled four times in his career – three of them coming in his freshman year!

He also punts, kicks off, kicks PATs, long snaps and return kickoffs. He’d probably drive the team bus if it wasn’t an insurance issue.

Coach Zoran Milich calls him “the best all-around player in New Jersey.”

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with jack-of-all-trades Alex Benitez:

“Mentorship Award”:

With a strong influence in his own family, Jehu Andrews realizes that not every boy in Carteret is as lucky as he is.

So that’s why, in addition to being a leader on his own Carteret Rambler football team, and being a great asset to first-year head coach Kevin Freeman, he’s involved with youth football.

Jehu Andrews of Carteret (source: Twitter)

Sure, he helped pave the way up front on offense and defense to a three-win season after not playing at all in 202 because Carteret cancelled fall sports due to COVID

But he laid some of that knowledge on the 14-and-under Bulldogs in town, becoming a father figure to, perhaps, a bunch of future Jehu Andrews.

Click below to hear Andrews talk with Mike Pavlichko talk about his season, community involvement, and influences:

Perseverance Award

Sure, a lot of football players face obstacles in their seasons. Maybe it’s a nagging injury, a tough defeat, or just some bad luck.

How many have a fire destroy everything they own, save only their football jersey, and show up to play that night?

Matthew Ihemsie of Hillside (Source: Twitter)

Matthew Ihemsie of Hillside does, and to be honest, there are no words that can do it justice, except for his. So give a listen:

“Mr. Dynamic” (Most Electrifying Player):

He can run, he can throw, but his ability to inspire his teammates to great heights, quickly shift the momentum of a game, make Josh Oluremi of Colonia the obvoious choice for most electrifying player in the Big Central Conference.

Mr. Dynamic, Oluremi rushed for 1,594 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, while throwing for 954 and 6 touchdown passes. He also had 32 tackles and a pair of picks from his cornerback spot on defense.

Josh Oluremi of Colonia (Source: Twitter)

He almost single-handedly got Colonia past Edison on September 10th, rushing for four and throwing another touchdown in the game, a 38-7 victory over the Eagles.

For his career, he finishes with 2,000+ rushing yards, and nearly 1,800 passing yards, responsible for a total of 36 overall touchdowns.

Click below to hear Josh Oluremi talk about his season, career, and style of play:

Red-Hot Recruit of the Year:

Picking these awards aren’t always easy. Which means sometimes it is. In this case, it was a no-brainer.

Davison Igbinsoun of Union holds 30-plus Division I scholarship offers, and is still deciding where he’ll attend college, getting a lot of attention in the past week from Rutgers’ Greg Schiano – who arrived in a chopper for the second time this season – and Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, who took him for a ride in a Porsche.

He originally committed to Rutgers, but withdrew that commitment after his recruiting ranting picked up a fourth star, though the Scarlet Knights remain in contention for him.

Union’s Davison Igbinosun (Source: Twitter)

One of the most dominant players in the area in recent memory, his numbers weren’t off the charts in 2021, but that’s because he’s an incredibly unselfish player, and the Farmers had a lot of athletes to go around.

This year, he had 18 total touchdowns, 76 carries for 903 yards and 12 touchdown, 20 catches for 405 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, he recorded 74 tackles, 4 picks, and two tackles for a loss.

He’ll be special wherever he goes.

by Mike Pavlichko

Benitez runs and catches, kicks and picks his way to Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Award

Throwing a pass was about the only thing Alex Benitez didn’t do Friday night for Montgomery. And he’s even done a little of that this season.

But everything else he did helped him pick up Week Seven Bellamy and Son Paving Player of the Week Honors, while helping the Cougars to their second straight victory.

What didn’t Benitz do? He had 16 carries and a rushing touchdown, as well as five catches on offense. He also kicked three PATs. On defense he had not one, but two pick-6s, and he also had a pair of 55-yard punts on special teams.

His two interception returns for touchdowns came on back-to-back possessions defensively, and were part of a four-minute spurt that saw Benitz score three times – the first of the TDs coming on offense – to put the nail in the coffin on Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

And the win has Montgomery – now just 2-4, but winners of two straight – on the cusp of a playoff berth. They moved from 20th to 19th with the win, and have a chance to get to .500 if they can pick up a win this week against JFK, and next week against Cranford. That’s a tall order – even at home – but even a loss might still get them in due to Cranford’s high SI value, currently at 79.51. Montgomery’s OSI is 39.61, meaning even if they lose and get just half of Cranford’s value, that would keep them even.

Click below to hear Alex Benitez talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about his Week 7 performance:

Honor Roll…

Sayreville’s Zaimer Wright – who won the award in Week Three – gets some “also ran” recognition in Week Seven. He was a workhorse going for 270 yards on 33 carries, scoring four touchdowns and adding a two-point conversion in a critical 29-16 win against South Brunswick that was the Bombers’ fourth straight victory.

Nasir McGlone of North Plainfield ran for even more yards on fewer touches Friday night. He averaged a whopping 21.5 yards per carry in a 42-26 win at Governor Livingston, the Canucks’ third straight win following a three-game skid.

Of his five touchdown runs, only one went for less than 40 yards – a ten-yard spring in the second quarter. The others were 70, 61, 48 and 44 yards. That’s a total of 233 yards on touchdown runs alone.

That’s a game for most good runningbacks.

Continuing the runningback theme, the final honorable mention goes to Ethan MacNair of Somerville, who had 300 rushing yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns in the Saturday Big Central Game of the Week driven by Autoland, a 47-26 win over St. Joseph in Metuchen.

by Mike Pavlichko

Sayreville’s Zaimer Wright earns Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Honors

With touchdowns of four, five, two and 53 yards, Sayreville sophomore Zaimer Wright not only showed the promise of the future for the Bombers, but also made an impact in the present, helping his team knock off the Number One team in the Big Central.

Wright’s four TD’s against North Brunswick gave his team a 35-22 win – on the road, mind you – and earned him the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Award.

Wright will receive a custom football at the end of the season, and one of the weekly winners will receive a $500 scholarship courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving.

Wright’s last touchdown was the longest one, and helped solidify the win for Sayreville, which picked up its first win of the season to move to 1-2 on the year.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Bellamy & Son Paving Week 3 Player of the Week Zaimer Wright of Sayreville:

Honor Roll…

Three other players around the Big Central had notable efforts this week, starting with Old Bridge senior runningback Lawrence Hunter III.

Hunter scored three touchdowns at Mike Elko Field in a 40-11 blowout of South Brunswick in the Big Central Game of the Week, driven by Mark Montenero and his team at the world-famous Autoland, and also earned Player of the Game honors.

READ MORE: No. 5 Old Bridge routs South Brunswick as Hunter, Haughney star

The 7th-ranked Knights (2-1) have a big showdown Friday night at home against No. 10 Monroe (3-0).

Two weeks ago it was Shaun Purcell, this time a different Mustang gets on the board as Manville senior Brandon Flores earns a laurel.

Flores got it done on the ground, through the air and on special teams. He rushed a dozen times for 106 yards and three touchdowns, adding two catches for 42 yards, one for a TD. He also kicks extra points, and was 5-of-6 in that department in a 41-0 home win over Montclair-Kimberley Academy.

With that and a season-opening win over Dunellen, the Mustangs have outscored their first two opponents by a combined 89-6.

Hillsboro’s Jay Mazuera also had a solid game in a blowout win over Franklin; 12-of-19 passing for the senior quarterback for 276 yards and four touchdowns. Mazuera and his teammates will play in the Battle of Route 206 Thursday night when the No. 3 Raiders (3-0) visit Brddgewater-Raritan (2-1) Thursday night at 7 pm in the Big Central Game of the Week driven by Autoland.