The Panthers enter the 2024 season looking to rebound from their 3-7 record a year ago when they finished at the bottom of the American Silver division. After winning their home opening against Edison, B/R went on a six-game skid from September 1st through October 6th. Four of their six losses came to division opponents during that span, giving them a 0-4 division record.
The 2024 season will be full of question marks for the Panthers, as nearly all of last year’s starters graduated. There will be a lot of new players coming up from JV, and even the players on the varsity team who weren’t seniors last year are still getting their feet wet. One player to keep an eye on this season will be junior quarterback Declan Jurdyla, who enters the season as the only quarterback on the roster with experience at the varsity level, setting him up to be a leader on this team.
The Raiders may have been the best team to finish third in their division a year ago. Hillsborough finished the season with an 8-3 record but finished behind Phillipsburg and Ridge in the powerful American Silver. Even more impressive, the Raiders’ defense was one of the primary reasons they were one of the Big Central’s best. Hillsborough kept teams in check, allowing only 126 points in a division with high-scoring teams.
There is much optimism surrounding the 2024 season, as the Raiders have many offensive starters returning. Senior running back Jackson Jankowicz is coming off a 1,000-yard rushing season and leading the team in total touchdowns with nine. Chimmy Ozokopr and Roberto Santiago also aim to improve in their senior year. The duo were one and two in receptions last year (Ozokopor, 22, Santiago, 18), becoming quarterback Alex Relling’s top targets.
The 2023 season saw the Red Devils finishing over .500 for the first time since the 2018 season. Hunterdon Central jumped out to a 4-0 start as road warriors riding high into a three-game stretch against division opponents. The Red Devils battled through the three games but ultimately went on a three-game slide, crushing their hopes of an American Silver title. Casey Ransone’s group bounced back to win its last two games of the regular season but fell to Kingsway in the Group 5 quarterfinals.
Much like Bridgewater-Raritan, Hunterdon Central enters this year having lost some starters who have graduated. Senior Xavier Arteaga and junior Giovanni Veliz should compete for carries at running back after both saw action at the varsity level a year ago. Devon Marrero is the only returning receiver who found the end zone in 2023 as he looks to become a top option for the Red Devils’ offense. The returning defensive players to watch will be senior Tyler Suk, coming off a four-sack season, and junior AJ Melo, who had three sacks of his own.
We head to beautiful Western Jersey for Phillipsburg, where the reigning division champs hope to repeat in 2024. The Stateliners lit up the scoreboard in 2023 behind a box office offense. Phillipsburg scored 424 points, second only to Bernards in the Big Central Conference, who finished with 461. The defense wasn’t too shabby either, allowing more than 20 points twice in 2023 to Westfield and Union City. The Soaring Eagles defeated Phillipsburg in the Sectional Final to end the Stateliners’ run.
Frank Duffy’s team enters the 2024 season as one of the top 20 teams in the state, looking to be even better than last season. Jett Genovese has become a box office name on the west side of Jersey and should be even better entering his senior season. Since becoming the starting quarterback, Genovese has led the team to a 221-3 record, throwing 2,738 yards and 27 touchdowns. Will this be the year they advance to the state finals? We’ll just have to wait and see
The Red Devils were the biggest threat to Phillipsburg in 2023 after finishing with an 8-2 record. One of those losses came against the Stateliners in the season’s second game. Ridge went on a tear after that, on a seven-game winning streak that included a 42-14 blowout of Woodbridge in the section quarterfinal. Ridge’s season ended after Northern Highlands pulled off the upset, exploding for 21 points in the 2nd quarter, and the Red Devils couldn’t recover.
Ridge has an opportunity to bounce back this season despite some stat leaders graduating last year. Seniors Aiden Steiglitz and Ryan Turner combined for eight rushing touchdowns in 2023 and will only improve this season. Turner was also a receiving threat out of the backfield, hauling in 14 receptions for 367 yards and five touchdowns. Chase Fritz comes in as one of the better pass rushers returning from last year, where he had three sacks, three tackles for loss, and 27 of his 48 tackles being solo tackles.
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