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Current News
Watch Saturday 9.22 JSZ Football Highlights
New Jersey high school football action from Week Three is highlighted by one of the best rivalries in America and a South Jersey quarterback who broke the state passing record. Make sure to scroll down and watch highlights from every game Jersey Sports Zone was at around the state this weekend. Be sure to check in Sunday for the Week Three Top Plays! Bergen Catholic 14 Don Bosco Prep 13 Saturday’s game marked the 70th all-time meeting between these two Bergen County foes and one of America’s best high school rivalries surely lived up to the hype. Bergen Catholic stymied a Don Bosco Prep drive late in the fourth quarter thanks to a game-clinching, one-handed interception by Pierson Tobia. Tight end Tyler Devera also caught a trick play touchdown before the half to give the Crusaders a lead that would never be caught. JSZ’s Jay Cook was in Oradell for this exciting chapter of the top New Jersey rivalry: Sponsor Shoutout! Thanks to Equinox Fitness’ sponsorship of Bergen Catholic, Jersey Sports Zone was able to be at this nail-biting game. JSZ will be on hand at many more Crusaders games throughout the 2018-2019 season because of Equinox Fitness. Woodrow Wilson 59 Cedar Creek 37 Woodrow Wilson quarterback Nick Kargman passed for a state-record 539 passing yards in a shootout win against Cedar Creek. The two teams combined for 96 points in one of the highest scoring games so far this season. Believe it or not, but Kargman has only one college football offer — Rutgers. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has highlights from the record-breaking day: Westfield 33 Old Bridge 17 Hank Shapiro was a perfect 14 of 14 for 200 yards and 2 TD’s as Westfield rallied from a 17-14 halftime deficit to beat Old Bridge in its home opener. Tim Alliegro ran for 181 yards and two scores and Jacob Saltzer had back to back TD catches in the third quarter to give Westfield the lead for good. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from Madison Bess: Thanks to Assemblyman Jon Bramnick for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of Westfield High all year long Summit 22 North Hunterdon 9 Summit remains undefeated after a 22-9 victory over the defending Group 4 Sectional Champions. The Hilltoppers defense played a key roll on the victory. Check out full highlights now: Sponsor Alert!! Coverage of Summit is brought to you by Equinox Fitness Clubs. Thank you Equinox! Trenton 30 Nottingham 0 Fans in Mercer County had Nottingham vs. Trenton circled on the schedule. However, no one expected to see a lopsided victory. The Trenton offense in a complete team effort was able to move the ball early to take a commanding lead at half time thanks to quarterback Mahsiah McRae. Then it was the Tornado Defense’s turn to take over in the second half to make sure they secured the victory. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the call: Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our Nottingham and Trenton coverage on JSZ. We look forward to bringing you more North Star and Tornado athletics all year long! Holmdel 35 Keansburg 0 Jeff DeCicco threw two touchdown passes and Dan Tempone delivered a memorable 43 yard punt block and return for a score as the Hornets improve to 2-1 on the season. JSZ has some great highlights of the Hornets Saturday afternoon win: Thanks to BCB Bayshore-Your Community Bank for giving us the ability to showcase Holmdel athletics all year long! Toms River North 42 Central Regional 6 The Mariners erupted with 35 second quarter points as Jake Kazanowsky threw four of his five TD passes in the second. Watch highlights of the Mariners reaching the 3-0 mark on Saturday afternoon in Ocean County: Thanks to CJA Construction for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of the Toms River North Mariners Manasquan 34 Raritan 13 Canyon Birch is one of the nation’s top high school lacrosse players and he’s got skills on the gridiron as well. Birch ran for 112 yards and two TD’s on the ground to go along with a kickoff return for a score as Manasquan reaches the 3-0 mark. JSZ has the highlights of Saturday afternoon Shore Conference action: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Raritan is possible thanks to the support of BCB Bayshore-Your Community Bank Paulsboro 49 Lindenwold 9 Red Raiders quarterback Nick Pellegrini threw three touchdown passes in a West Jersey Football League rout over Lindenwold. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights from a blowout win for Paulsboro: Missed our Friday Highlights? Watch 11 games of action from around the state – CLICK HERE!
Watch JSZ Friday 9.21 Football Highlights
The high school football season heads into Week Three and Jersey Sports Zone had cameras around the state capturing everything from upsets to blowout wins to record-setting coaching nights. Click below to watch a preview of our Friday Week 3 coverage then scroll below to watch 11 games of action from around New Jersey: Union […].....Read More »
Dontrell Alston wins JSZ Week 2 Game Ball | Marlboro High School
JSZ presented the Shore’s Week 2 Game Ball to Dontrell Alston from Marlboro High School. Alston was presented the Game Ball for 152 rushing yards and a touchdown in their game against Lakewood High School. It was exciting to see how enthusiastic and hungry the Marlboro High School team is for the rest of their […].....Read More »
Watch JSZ 9.20 Soccer Highlights
Watch soccer highlights from 9.20 including Delbarton-Chatham, South Brunswick-East Brunswick, Hopewell Valley-Hightstown and more!.....Read More »
Kelsey O’Kelly | Trinity Hall’s Leader on the Pitch
Kelsey O’Kelly is tasked with plenty of duties as one of the senior captains on Trinity Hall’s girls soccer team. O’Kelly might not get all the scoring chances considering her position as a center back, but she does much more for the Monarchs than score goals — she’s the heart and soul of a young […].....Read More »
Game Ball Polls
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Vote now for JSZ Top Play for Week 2
40 nominees vie for JSZ Week Two Game Balls
Game Ball Presentations
Dontrell Alston wins JSZ Week 2 Game Ball | Marlboro High School
JSZ presented the Shore’s Week 2 Game Ball to Dontrell Alston from Marlboro High School. Alston was presented the Game Ball for 152 rushing yards and a touchdown in their game against Lakewood High School. It was exciting to see how enthusiastic and hungry the Marlboro High School team is for the rest of their season:
Jalen Palmer wins Week 2 Game Ball | Hawthorne High School
With the second week’s Game Ball polls in the books, JSZ presented the North Jersey Week 2 Game Ball to Jalen Palmer. Palmer was presented the Game Ball for both his Rushing Touchdown and Receiving Touchdown during the game against Harrison High School. It was great spending time with Jalen and the rest of the Hawthorne High School team:
Bridgewater-Raritan’s Miftar Hasanaj is Courtney’s Week 2 Game Ball Winner
Miktar Hasanaj is a sophomore outside linebacker who made his varsity debut against Ridge last week, and while his team did not win, Hasanaj’s defensive performance stood apart from the rest. With 2 sacks, 4 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss, head coach Scott Bray says he has high expectation for the young linebacker. Check out his game ball ceremony now: Total Votes: 8,022 Take Our Poll Sponsor Alert! Coverage of Bridgewater-Raritan HS athletics is brought to you by Princeton Ortho & Total Rehab and Sports Medicine. JSZ would like to say thank you to these great sponsors!
Robbie Bennett of Nottingham wins JSZ South Jersey Week 2 Game Ball
Baseball and football star Robbie Bennett is no stranger to big pressure situations. Bennett came up with an interception and a fumble recovery in Nottingham’s 24-21 overtime win against Moorestown in Week 2. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez was happy to stop by practice Wednesday to present Robbie with the South Jersey Game Ball on his birthday! Watch the North Stars serenade their teammate at his acceptance ceremony below: Take Our Poll Jersey Sports Zone would like to thank NJM Insurance Group for sponsoring our South Jersey Game Ball presentations. We look forward to bringing you the best highlights and celebrations South Jersey has to offer! Each week Nery Rodriguez will nominate 10 players from the WJFL for the chance to win a JSZ Game Ball at practice. Voting closes at 3 p.m. Tuesday so be sure to get out and vote! Email Nery: nery@jerseysportszone.com
Hillsborough’s Sean Levonaitis is Courtney’s Week 1 Game Ball Winner
Sean Levonaitis earned Courtney’s Week 1 Game Ball after rushing for 250 yards and 4 touchdowns against Bridgewater-Raritan. The sophomore running back is quickly becoming one of the most notable offensive weapons in the Mid-State, and may even be New Jersey’s best kept secret! Check out Sean’s Game Ball Ceremony now: Total Votes: 19,513 Take Our Poll Sponsor Alert!! Our coverage of Hillsborough is brought to you by Princeton Ortho. Thank you Princeton Ortho for supporting JSZ and allowing us to give Raiders fans exciting highlights every week!
Trevor Brey of Middletown South Wins JSZ’s Shore Week One Game Ball
Brey Wins JSZ’s Shore Week One Game Ball Middletown South’s Trevor Brey opened the 2018 season at home with a bang. His 204-yard, 4 touchdown performance at The Swamp pushed the Eagles past Freehold Township with a 37-0 win. Thanks to his standout game, voters around the Shore Conference picked Brey to win JSZ’s Shore Week One Game Ball. Congrats, Trevor!
Feature Stories
Kelsey O’Kelly | Trinity Hall’s Leader on the Pitch
Kelsey O’Kelly is tasked with plenty of duties as one of the senior captains on Trinity Hall’s girls soccer team. O’Kelly might not get all the scoring chances considering her position as a center back, but she does much more for the Monarchs than score goals — she’s the heart and soul of a young team and motivates her teammates through an infectiously fun attitude on the pitch. JSZ has the story about this senior captain with aspirations of playing college soccer. Sponsor Shoutout! Thanks to Trinity Hall, Jersey Sports Zone is able to bring you great games and features about Monarch athletes all year long.
Aleka Strong | Shore Regional Remembers Beloved Teammate
The Shore Regional girls soccer team had an exciting 2017 as they powered through the playoffs and won their third straight Group I state title, but celebration was cut short 11 days later as beloved teammate Aleka Damiano, a 17-year-old West Long Branch resident, passed away after tragically falling ill. It hasn’t been an easy wound to mend, but her Blue Devils teammates have rallied to start the 2018 season and are honoring their play this season in her memory. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the story about Shore Regional’s appreciation, dedication and affection for Aleka Damiano.
Football rivals unite to help flood victims
When a flood brought 7.83 inches of rain to the Greenbriar community of Brick, over 100 people were forced to evacuate. Two days later, the devastation was on full display as people were forced to get many essential items out of the house and onto their front lawn and driveway. For such a daunting task for an elderly community, they didn’t have to go through it alone. The Coast Guard and a host of volunteers came to the Greenbriar neighborhood and pitched in. The Brick Township and Brick Memorial football teams both had large contingents walking the streets and going house to house to lend a hand. Watch JSZ’s feature on “One Brick” and see how these bitter rivals on the gridiron showed what it means to come together in the face of adversity.
More Than Just Hoops at the South Jersey Basketball Academy
The South Jersey Basketball Academy hosted by St. Mary’s of the Lakes in Medford, NJ is a great opportunity for girls and boys ages 7-15 to work on their skills during summer break. Organized by Co-Directors Kevin Hagan and Rowan University Men’s Basketball Coach, Brian Bouchard, SJBA is out to teach important life lessons to its camp goers in addition to improving their physical skills. Current and former college players looking to coach also see it as an opportunity to gain experience for their careers. The South Jersey Basketball Academy will be starting a 3 on 3 league set to take place this Fall, you can click here for more sign up information. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the story:
Matawan raises awareness with Ball For Life fundraiser
As just a sophomore Darell Rogers Jr. quickly rose through the ranks of Matawan basketball. The 16 year old point guard went from a bench player to one of the Huskies go to scorers this past season. During a morning practice in May for his AAU team Darell suddenly collapsed while running a lay up drill. He suffered a heart attack, thankfully his coaches acted quickly and performed CPR. He was then airlifted to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and eventually to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he is currently making his recovery. Friends, family, teammates and the Matawan community with the help of Immediate Care of Hazlet banned together to organize “Ball for Life”. The fundraiser was to help spread awareness on getting athletes proper heart screenings before sporting seasons and also raise enough money to help the Rogers family cover his medical expenses. You can donate to his GOFundMe by clicking the link. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez was there for the event:
LA Rams linebacker gives back at Red Bank Regional
Garrett Sickels returned to his high school alma mater to give the Red Bank Regional defensive line a 30-minute tutorial on technique and what it takes to get to the quarterback. The 2012 RBR graduate was a US Army All-American during his high school days and went on to Penn State where he had 6.5 sacks and 47 tackles in his redshirt junior campaign earning defensive MVP honors in 2016. Sickels chose to enter the 2017 NFL Draft over returning to Happy Valley as a redshirt senior. Many were surprised when the Nittany Lions defensive end was not drafted. What followed was a roller coaster trip on NFL practice squads. After stints with the Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns, Sickels landed on his third practice squad in Los Angeles. Switching from a 4-3 defensive end to an outside linebacker, Sickels was activated for the Rams final regular season game. He was re-signed by Los Angeles for 2018 and enters training camp looking to contribute to the Rams linebacking corps. Thanks to head coach Nick Giglio and Garrett, JSZ gets an inside look of a young NFL player inspiring high school players with great instruction and the mindset it takes to succeed on and off the football field: Thanks to Ryser’s Landscape Supply for sponsoring our Red Bank Regional coverage on Jersey Sports Zone
Recruiting
Bonnies Bound: Justin Winston commits to St. Bonaventure
Justin Winston, who played his high school basketball at Montclair Immaculate, has made a verbal commitment to play Division I basketball in the Atlantic 10 for Saint Bonaventure University. Winston will play the 2018-19 season at Putnam Academy Science in Connecticut, the winners of the 2018 National Prep School championship. The 6-foot-7 power forward averaged 15.3 points per game for an ICHS team that upset Hudson Catholic and reached the state semifinals in New Jersey’s Non-Public “B” division. Ranked the #47 power forward in the class of 2019, Winston had 11 Division I offers, choosing the Bonnies over UConn, Pitt, and Seton Hall among others. Watch JSZ’s highlight reel of Justin Winston’s junior season: Saint Bonaventure went 26-8 in 2017-18 under head coach Mark Schmidt, beating UCLA in the play-in game of the NCAA Tournament before falling to the Florida Gators. St. Bonaventure has two New Jersey natives on the current roster who went to Putnam Science Academy before arriving in Western New York. Kyle Lofton (Union Catholic) and Osun Osunnyi (Mainland) will begin their college basketball careers this winter. Winston was honored by Jersey Sports Zone at its All-State basketball banquet last March. GO BONNIES!!!🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/jjllG7zUDh — J_DOT35 (@BBM__Justin) September 17, 2018
Alexander Rice commits to Bucknell
Former Mater Dei Prep guard Alexander Rice has committed to play Division I basketball in the Patriot League for the Bucknell Bison. Rice, who began his high school career at St. Anthony’s in Jersey City playing under legendary coach Bob Hurley, moved on to Mater Dei Prep for his junior season after the Jersey City school closed its doors. With the sudden departure of Ben Gamble, Rice elected to transfer to the Patrick School for his senior campaign. Rice will team with to Al-Amir Dawes to form one of the most dynamic backcourt duos in New Jersey high school basketball in 2018-19. Alexander’s father, King Rice, was a star at the University of North Carolina and is the current head coach at Monmouth University. Watch JSZ’s highlight reel of Rice from his junior season at Mater Dei Prep:
Ranney’s Klatsky commits to Florida Gators
Ranney guard Alex Klatsky has made his college choice. The sharpshooting guard will join the Florida Gators basketball program as a preferred walk-on. Klatsky averaged 9.2 points per game for the Panthers and drained 66 three-pointers, good for 2.4 a game. Watch JSZ’s highlight reel of the SEC-bound marksman: Klatsky made his commitment following a visit to Gainesville with Ranney teammate Scottie Lewis. Lewis, one of the top recruits in the nation, has Florida among his finalists and is still mulling his options. Bryan Antoine committed to defending NCAA champ Villanova earlier this month. It’s great to be a Florida Gator 🐊 pic.twitter.com/Ou6aQIRGU5 — Alex Klatsky (@AlexKlatsky4) September 11, 2018
Roselle Catholic’s Pierre-Louis is Vegas bound
Roselle Catholic guard Josh Pierre-Louis has given a verbal commitment to play Division I basketball for the UNLV Runnin Rebels. Watch his JSZ highlight reel from his junior season that saw him run the floor for New Jersey’s Tournament of Champions winner Pierre-Louis averaged 8.8 points and 2 points per game for the Lions playing alongside Naz Reid (LSU), Alanzo Frink (South Carolina), Ithiel Horton (Delaware) and Kahlil Whitney (Kentucky). Whitney and Pierre-Louis are back for their senior season at Roselle Catholic as they look to defend their T of C title. The Roselle Catholic point guard chose UNLV over Georgia and Oklahoma State. Adam Zagoria of Zags Blog was the first to report the commitment: pic.twitter.com/fQjDAllbPo — Josh Pierre-Louis (@mvojet1) September 9, 2018
Ranney’s Antoine commits to Villanova
Ranney five-star recruit Bryan Antoine has given a verbal commitment to play for coach Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats. Antoine is considered one of the top 10 prospects in the country. He made the official announcement on Tuesday morning after informing coach Wright on Monday night on his decision to join the Wildcats. Teammate Scottie Lewis has not announced his college choice yet and has Villanova in his final five along with Stanford, Duke, Kentucky and Florida. Watch JSZ’s highlight reel of the newest member of Villnova:
X marks the spot for Bergen Catholic’s Freemantle
Bergen Catholic four-star forward Zach Freemantle has made a verbal commitment to play Division I basketball at Xavier. Freemantle blossomed into an offensive force for the 23 win Bergen Catholic Crusaders in 2018. The 6 foot 8 junior poured in 20 points a game, playing physical and above the rim in the post, but also able to step back and knock down a jumper when needed. Zach exploded for 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocks in the Crusader’s Bergen County Jamboree Semi-Final win over Ramapo. Watch JSZ’s junior mixtape from the newest member of the Xavier Musketeers: Zach was named to JSZ’s All-Zone boys basketball team for his junior season and will be one of the top big men in the rugged North Jersey basketball scene heading into his senior campaign. Blessed to announce that I have commited to Xavier University! ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/KtRWY3u4H4 — Zach Freemantle (@zachfreemantle) August 21, 2018 Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Bergen Catholic is made possible by the support of Equinox Fitness Clubs. Equinox is the reason we can bring you great highlights of all the Crusaders!
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