Before we move on to the 2025 high school football season, let us look back at 2024.
It was, quite simply, a season for the ages!
Eight area schools won titles of some kind, including:
- Butler won its first-ever championship in the NJIC and then went on to win the North 1, Group I championship with a 42-7 win over two-time defending champion Mountain Lakes. Jason Luciani’s Bulldogs earned Big State Sports Team of the Year after outscoring opponents en route to the section, 129-35.
- Frank Marchiano’s Sparta Spartans swept through the SFC-Patriot Red with a 5-0 record and won the league by two games over West Milford, Vernon, and Lakeland.
- Newton was struggling in the early going (Matt Parzero’s Braves were coming off a 39-7 thumping by Sparta for their second straight loss) but went up to High Point and surprised the Wildcats and both finished with 4-1 records in the American Blue (Newton won the unofficial league title).
- Morris Knolls reached the sectional finals for the first time since 2005 before losing to Ramapo, 35-28. First-year coach Bryan Gallagher’s Golden Eagles took over for legendary Bill Regan and then swept through the powerful SFC-Liberty White.
- Mendham, led by coach Ethan Jeros, swept through the SFC-Liberty Blue (5-0) and won its first league title since 2004.
- Boonton, led by first-year coach Sean Norton, defeated Wallkill Valley and finished tied with the Sussex school in the SFC-National Blue. Both had 4-1 records. The Bombers won the head-to-head matchup and therefore captured the unofficial league title.
- Hanover Park went on the road and Glen Rock, 24-3 to win its first sectional championship since 1990. Dan Fulton’s Hornets swept through the SFC American White and won the league championship
- Delbarton stunned DePaul and came away with the SFC-United White with a 4-0 record under coach Brian Bowers. DePaul was arguably New Jersey’s second-best team coming into the game behind Bergen Catholic.
What a year for Morris-Sussex runners
Pope John’s Tylik Hill turned things up in the playoffs in a loaded field and wound up finishing the year with 1,916 yards on 264 carries and 21 touchdowns. He earned Big State Sports Player of the Year.
- Jerron Martress of High Point led the Wildcats to the sectional semifinals with 1,671 yards and 26 touchdowns.
- Nick Kurilko of Newton was a beast with the ball, rushing for 933 yards and 14 TDs.
- Morris Knolls’ Bobby Brickner earned Morris County Player of the Year for his work on both sides of the ball. As a runner, he was 189 for 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns.
- Mendham’s Cole Capuzzi helped lead the Minutemen to one of their best seasons in 20 years when he rushed 169 times for 1,181 yards and 17 touchdowns despite missing about 12 quarters of play because Mendham spent much of the season blowing teams out.
- If Capuzzi was 1 at Mendham, teammate Kevin King was 1A. King finished the year with 959 yards and 10 touchdowns on 109 carries. He missed the team’s first-round state playoff loss to River Dell and the Minutemen suffered mightily.
- West Morris had some great runners as usual but Brady Bentrewicz was the best all-around back. He was 95 for 968 in a balanced attack and caught 12 passes for 247 yards. He scored 10 touchdowns against a top-flight schedule.
- Mount Olive’s Tyler Cumming (154 for 1,121 yards, 11 TDs) was a big reason why the Marauders reached the sectional semifinals.
- Montville’s Anthony Feaster may have been the area’s most versatile running back as he was 76 for 475 yards (nine TDs) and caught 47 passes for 693 yards (five more TDs).
Quarterbacks thrived, too
Seldom was there as many top-flight performances at quarterback as there was in 2024, including:
- Delbarton’s Jadon Prinzivalli (140 for 229, 2,083 yards, 16 TDs) performed superbly against one of the most demanding schedules in all of New Jersey. He was the all-Morris County quarterback chosen by Big State Sports.
- Butler’s David Smith had a brilliant season, going 85 for 135 passing for 25 touchdowns while throwing just two INTs heading into the state Group I semifinals. He also ran for over 700 yards and is a terrific two-way threat.
- Sparta’s Shane Hoover used his powerful right arm to finish 161 for 231 yards and 2,265 yards with 30 touchdowns and only eight INTs.
- Hanover Park’s Joey Borrello had a big season passing (123 for 170, 1,679 yards, 19 TDs, 6 INTs) and ran the ball well (146 for a team-leading 510 yards, 11 TDs) in helping to lead the Hornets to their first sectional title since 1990.
- Chatham’s Will Allen (157 for 270, 2,022, 17 TDs, 82 for 336 rushing, 5 TDs) helped lead Morris County’s No. 1 surprise team. With Allen at the controls, Chatham won its first playoff game since 2015.
- Randolph’s Jackson Magley (112 for 177, 1,288 yards, 13 TDs) proved himself to be an able passer in the Liberty White, the best public division in Morris-Sussex by a wide margin.
- Montville’s QB Michael Ciullo had a strong year throwing the football (113 for 191, 1,334 yards, 10 TDs, 3 INTs) and ran well when needed (77 for 321, 4 TDs) for the sectional semifinalist Mustangs.
- Morristown-Beard’s Ryan Novak played in a little anonymity (The Crimson play an independent schedule) but was superb as he was 127 for 180 for 1,642 yards and 21 touchdowns while throwing just four INTs.
- Morris Knolls’ Chris Kaiser only threw for 331 yards, but he was one of the Golden Eagles most valuable performers and was one of the best running/option QBs the school has seen in many years. He was 66 for 833 rushing (15 TDs) and orchestrated the team’s intricate spread option running attack.
- Mount Olive’s Jake Asbury (133 for 205, 1,591 yards, 17 TDs, 47 for 157 rushing, 4 TDs) helped the Marauders reach the sectional semifinals.
