Last year, we saw Butler QB David Smith run his way to Big State Sports 2025 Player of the Year (and a second straight sectional title for the Bulldogs), West Morris RB Deacon Frayne come out of nowhere to lead the Wolfpack to their fourth sectional crown in five years, and Madison come just short of sending legendary coach Chris Kubik out a sectional champion.
But there were so many other major developments in the world of Morris and Sussex County football.
West Morris’ Tommy Borgia finished up an incredible four-year run as a dominant, two-way tackle. Mount Olive RB Braedon Longo had a season for the ages (not bad for a baseball kid good enough to earn a scholarship to Rutgers). Roxbury came of age a lot sooner than anyone thought thanks mainly to the work of linemen Vin Zanni, Matthew Donnelly, and Jonah Kali and QB Frankie Falco. Morris Knolls’ Jaylin Jones (15.5 yards per carry, 17 TDs) was one of the most electric runners we have seen in the area in many years. Holden Gillespie was one of the best two-way linemen in Mountain Lakes’ rich history.
In Sussex, Sparta’s Shane Hoover wrapped up a magnificent career as the latest brilliant QB off the Spartan assembly line (like Longo, Hoover is a baseball-first guy headed for Seton Hall to pitch). Vernon DE Gavin Wilczewski had a season for the ages. High Point RB Jerron Martress just may have finished up his career as the best runner in Wildcat history.
There were many, many other terrific individual and team accomplishments, too numerous to list here.
Whew, 2025 was quite a season!
So, what is in store for 2026? Glad you asked!
Here are some of the burning issues in the area for the upcoming season.
- Who is the best quarterback? The best returning QB in the area involving Morris-Sussex schools isn’t from Morris-Sussex but will play against Morris-Sussex schools. That is Warren Hills’ Cohl Stevens, who put up amazing numbers last year (2,141 yards passing, 22 TDs, 816 rushing, 8 TDs) for a playoff qualifier. The best QB returnees from Morris-Sussex include Chatham’s Ryan Hogan, Roxbury’s Frankie Falco, Montville’s Jackson Gering, Hackettstown’s Carter Bujno, Delbarton’s Gavin Gilardi, Kinnelon’s Matthew Siciliano, Wallkill’s Cole Bolich, Jefferson’s Eric Hokenberg, Par Hills’ Nick Napolitano, Sussex Tech’s Cole Young, and Mountain Lakes’ Lawson Fagan. Morristown’s Weston Elms showed promise as a junior last year but transferred to Blair.
- Can Sparta replace Shane Hoover? There is a simple answer and it is: YES! If any school can come up with a great quarterback, it’s Frank Marchiano’s Spartans, who have had such standouts as Austen Frattura, Kenneth Oelkers, Anthony Broccoletti, Matt Maute, Anthony Argula, Matt Seville and many more down through the years.
- Is Indian Hills in the SFC National White a misprint? No, unfortunately. I have spent much of the offseason scratching my head over this one. The revamped National White includes Boonton, Hopatcong, Kinnelon, Parsippany, Whippany Park and … Indian Hills? Huh? The SFC American White (Dumont, Lakeland, Mahwah, Ramsey, Westwood) would have been a better fit. I really don’t know how they came up with this one. Excuse me now while I go back to scratching my head.
- What’s up with the SFC’s obsession with four- and five-team divisions? A couple of things aren’t right with them. If you go 3-0 or 4-0 to win your league, and half of your other games are non-division games, that’s a problem. Two reasons: 1) Such a few number of games should never result in a league championship. Winning a league title should only come after a long grind of a season, not a mere handful of games sprinkled in during the season. All games should be of equal value, but coaches may as well be saying to their teams, “Okay this is a league game, so be extra ready … but the next two weeks are not, so they’re not as important, but then the two following weeks are league games, so buckle up!” That is exactly what we have here. 2) If you have pretty much half your roster making first-team all-division because there are only 3-4 other schools, and then the other half of your roster making second-team … then your league is too small.
- Can traditional rivalries build up with the constant switching around of teams? No, they can not. The SFC has a twitchy finger. My message to the league is: Please stop shuffling schools every offseason like they’re a deck of cards! The SFC should combine some of the small divisions, create divisions with 9-10 divisions, and then leave them alone. Let the rivalries blossom over time. Stop the madness of moving schools around. Fans shouldn’t have to use GPS or Waze until the playoffs.
- Who is the area’s best running back? That would be West Morris’ Deacon Frayne, and there is a back story to that. His dad, Henry, is one of the area’s best offensive line coaches. I’ve written this before and it bears repeating: Henry Frayne has built a Pied Piper-like following in Long Valley. A lot of kids grow up in the area wanting to be a hog on the Wolfpack O-Line. But Henry’s kid might turn out to be the best runner in school history. How’s that for irony? Frayne might go down the best ever at the school. I know it’s early, but put it this way: The all-time rushing leader at the tradition-rich school is Stefano Montella, who didn’t get a fulltime job in the backfield until he was a junior. Frayne rushed for 1,423 yards and 17 TDs as a mere sophomore. Other backs to keep an eye on in the area: Braedon Longo (Mount Olive), Jack Bronico (Mountain Lakes), Clement Hofbauer (Montville), Nate Kimkowski (Vernon), Braeden Cummings (Jefferson). Kenneth Sharperson was ready to do some big things at Morristown but transferred to Immaculata.
- What does Frayne do for an encore at West Morris? Well, the first thing he has to do is introduce himself to some of the new linemen because last year’s rugged bunch – Tommy Borgia, Blake Parkinson-Gee, A.J. Codella, Matt Lacerenza, and tight ends Luke D’Aconti and Sean Conway – graduated. Joey Drown should be the leader up front this fall. Weep not for West Morris, which seems to have a deep farm system that develops great linemen waiting in the wings. That’s known as the Henry Frayne Effect.
- Is there life after Jerron Martress at High Point? It is the job of new coach Will Nahan (formerly of Randolph) to find out. The Martress-led Wildcats had a strong season in 2025, finishing 8-2 under Bill Percey and scoring over 34 points eight times, including the final seven games of the season. Martress rushed 233 times for 1,153 yards and 19 touchdowns and finished his career as the best running back in school history after rushing for 3,184 yards and 47 touchdowns.
- Who is the best placekicker? I’m going with Montville’s Dominick Grunke. All he did last year was boot 6 of 9 field goals, with a long of 44 yards, and go 22 for 23 kicking extra points. But if I need a big kick to decide a game, I may go with Roxbury’s Josh DiPasquale, who was a first-team All-Area punter last year (38 yards per punt) but who can forget the time he booted the most clutch field goal of the year when he nailed a 51-yard rocket to beat Morris Knolls at the buzzer, 16-13? That helped set the tone for Roxbury’s tremendous season.
- How does Delbarton stack up in the United White? Very, very well. The Green Wave swept through the league (4-0) in both 2023 and 2024. Last year, they stumbled out of the gate – losing 3 of 4 to start the year, including a bad 42-7 setback against St. Peter’s Prep. But DePaul wound up beating St. Peter’s and Delbarton scored a 28-6 win over DePaul late in the year to earn a three-way tie. Good coaches figure out a way to straighten things out during tough stretches. Green Wave coach Brian Bowers did last year and that is why he is one of the best around.
- How will the area’s new coaches fare? Madison went on the biggest Cinderella run in school history and it almost resulted in bringing outgoing coach Chris Kubik his sixth – and easily most unlikely – sectional championship before the seventh-seeded Dodgers fell short (by two minutes) against Shabazz in the North 2, Group II final. The bad news for rookie Dodgers coach Curtis Sallie is that last year’s club was very senior heavy, so he’ll have his work cut out. The good news is that Sallie is a bright, young, passionate coach who is a former Dodger. Sallie learned from one of the best. The kids will want to work for him. Another new coach in Morris-Sussex is certainly no rookie and that is Mendham’s John Hack, who replaced Ethan Jeros, who was not rehired (How Mendham let a quality coach like that go is a story for another time). Hack lives in Chester and knows what he is doing, plus he has some tools to work with in QB Rocco Racioppi, RB-DB Thomas Guido, RB-LB Owen Lieberwirth, and RB-DB Luke Gianttassio.New High Point head man Will Nahan led Randolph to a sectional final in 2023 and was 42-18 with playoff appearances in all of his six seasons at Randolph, which has struggled since he left three years ago. High Point thrived under Percey the last two years but is in good hands with Nahan, who had been defensive coordinator the last two years.
- Can Butler three-peat in the NJIC and North 1, Section 1? Hey, why not? The Bulldogs (10 sectional titles) have one of Morris County’s most storied programs. Even in a down year, they are a threat. Coach Jason Luciani loses 3,000 yards of offense after the graduation of David Smith, Big State’s 2025 Player of the Year. Evan Croker, Tommy Henehan and Ryder Higbie were all-NJIC in one form or another and will likely be the nucleus for this year’s club. Luciani makes the most of what he has and always has the Bulldogs in contention.
- How does newcomer Chatham stack up in the Liberty White? Pretty well. The Cougars return one of the best QB-WR duos in QB Ryan Hogan and WR Nick Lagunowich, who was one of the best receivers in the area two years ago but was injured last year. Chatham lost plenty, especially on defense, but has one of the area’s bright young coaches in Evan Picariello. I think they’ll be in the thick of things.
- What was the Super Conference thinking when they shuffled Randolph and Roxbury out of the Liberty White and away from storied rivals Morris Knolls, West Morris, etc.? Uh, they weren’t thinking. Tradition and rivalries DO matter to most of us, but not to the SFC brain trust. The situation regarding the moving around of teams is sad. A little perspective: Does keeping the local football traditions alive bring peace to the Middle East? Does it feed the hungry? Shelter the homeless? No, no, and no. But are rivalries and traditions important to fans of area football? Absolutely yes. Should it be meddled with by Bergen County outsiders? Absolutely not! The creation of the SFC did eliminate the Delbarton-Pope John problem (those two schools needed to be separated from the area publics once and for all). But some Morris-Sussex public-school coaches are clamoring for a return to the old NJAC (minus Delbarton and Pope John). Don’t be surprised if that happens one day.
- Who are the best receivers? Two of the All-Area receivers from last year (Sparta’s Christian Brevig and Montville’s Brett Kunkel) are returning. So does Chatham’s Nick Lagunowich, who was All-Area two years ago but injured last year. Watch out for Delbarton’s Grant Van Raaphorst, Hackettstown’s Kolton Maney, and Mendham’s Tommy Guido. Chris Connelly (Jefferson), Zayne Carswell (Pope John) and Maxwell Curry (Madison) appear headed for big years as well.
- Is Roxbury Morris County’s best team? Right now, I’d say so, yes. The Gaels were mostly underclassmen last year and were thought to be a year away. Well, Ryan Roumes’ club arrived one year early and returns the guts of the team that went to the sectional semifinals, including QB Frankie Falco, two-way linemen Matt Donnelly and Vin Zanni, and LB Jimmy Murphy. The NJSIAA hasn’t posted the football classifications yet (it’s the middle of July … what’s the holdup, guys???), but one would think the Gaels are in the hunt for their first sectional title since 2012.
- Can Lenape Valley win the tight games? The Patriots finished 2-8 in coach Mike Moschella’s first year, but a deeper look into their season shows they were a touchdown away from some pretty good wins. Lenape lost to sectional finalist Kinnelon (20-12), sectional semifinalist Kittatinny (21-14), sectional semifinalist Mountain Lakes (28-24), and playoff qualifier Wallkill Valley (14-6). Look for traditionally strong Lenape to get back on track under Moschella, who did some great work at Pequannock before returning to his alma-mater last year.
- So … can Lenape contend in the National Blue? Yup. We will be looking at a Lenape Valley-Wallkill Valley race to the title in a league that also includes Kittatinny, North Warren, and Sussex Tech.
- Who has the best O-Line? When in doubt, go with Delbarton, which churns out O-Linemen as well as any school in Morris County. Tanner Kross and Matthew Shivas lead this year’s group. Roxbury figures to be particularly strong in the trenches, as does West Morris and Mount Olive.
- Who wins the Liberty Gold and the American Blue? Both divisions are an utter hodgepodge assortment of schools. The Liberty Gold consists of Montville, Par Hills, Passaic Valley, Sparta, and West Milford. That’s three counties (Morris, Sussex, Passaic) represented in a five-team league, which must be some kind of record. Look for Sparta and Montville to fight it out for the division crown. The six-team American Blue, meanwhile, is another weird three-county collection of teams made up of Hackettstown, High Point, Morris Catholic, Jefferson, Newton, and Vernon. That’s representation from Warren, Sussex, and Morris counties. Bizarre, but that is where we are right now. I think Newton comes away with that league.
- Are state Group championship games even necessary? No. New Jersey should have ended them … yesterday. We are New Jersey, not Texas. I think when some yahoos suggested to the NJSIAA to play down to one public school group champion, the state was led to believe that Rutgers and MetLife would be jam-packed with fans. That has not been the case, not at all. Once we get past the sectional finals, only the fans of the remaining teams still care. Trust me: A groundswell of fans are not clamoring for more football. There are more people who ARE itching for a return to the season beginning 2-3 weeks later and ending 2-3 weeks later.
- Is the season beginning way too early? Absolutely! We are beginning the season – and ending the season for about 99 percent of the teams – way, way, WAY too early. If the first round of the state playoffs are Halloween weekend and a team loses its first playoff game, it shouldn’t be time to pack the pads and helmets away. So … enough with the state-wide Group champion nonsense. Let’s cut our losses and admit that no one cares about the Group champs (except for the few South Jersey schools who shamelessly recruit). Let’s return to New Jersey football beginning around Labor Day and the first round of the playoffs being pushed to the first or second week of November. Then we’d have sectional finals ending the first weekend of December, the way they used to be. It’s much better for everyone, and not too much to ask.
- How does Caldwell fit in in the American White? Well, Mountain Lakes cannot be at all thrilled with this development. The last two times the Herd faced the Chiefs, they were bullied (34-0 in 2023, 34-14 in 2024) – and those were two of the best teams Darrell Fusco has ever had. The 2023 Herd went to the state Group I championship game before losing to Woodbury. In 2024, they won the state Group I championship over Glassboro. I’m not saying Caldwell pounds on Mountain Lakes again, but I bet Fusco reminisced about those two games when he saw the divisional shakeup.
- What about Hanover Park? Look for Caldwell, Mountain Lakes and Hanover Park to slug it out for the American White division crown. People forget just how powerful Hanover was last year under first-year coach Nick Liberato, rolling up nine straight wins (including wins over sectional finalists Madison and Mountain Lakes, a sectional semifinalist in West Essex, and a strong Weequahic club) before being stunned by Becton in the first round of the playoffs.
- Can Newton bounce back? I say that in jest. Matt Parzero’s Braves finished “only” 5-4 last year and second to High Point in the American Blue. Newton has been a model of consistent, winning football since Parzero arrived in 2017. During that stretch, Parzero’s Newton team had won eight straight division championships (including three division ties). That’s pretty remarkable. I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: The man is a living, breathing, walking dynasty! Newton had won or shared eight straight divisional championships in the SFC since he came aboard in 2016. The one time the Braves didn’t win their league was in his first year, when they finished second to Lenape Valley (where Parzero played for the great Don Smolyn). His great work isn’t limited to Newton. He was 45-27 while coaching at North Warren for seven years (from 2009-2015). Before he arrived there, North Warren was just 22-38 and has been mostly rebuilding ever since. In Newton’s 10 years before Parzero arrived, the Braves were just 29-61. The last time they were .500 before Parzero showed up was in 2006, when they were 5-5 under Tom Brennan. Great coaches make a difference.
