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Current News
Marlboro remains unbeaten on the ice
Jersey Sports Zone takes you to the Red Bank Armory for Monday afternoon hockey. Marlboro is on the short list of unbeaten teams in New Jersey high school hockey. Red Bank Catholic tried to pull off the upset. We’ve got a great Shore Conference showdown for you! Marlboro 4 Red Bank Catholic 2 Jack Werther scored a pair of goals, Anthony Galante got his 17th and senior Thomas Whittle scored his first varsity goal as the Mustangs held off a third period rally from the Caseys to reach 8-0-2 on the season. JSZ has the highlights from Red Bank: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Red Bank Catholic is made possible by Playa Bowls in Red Bank
Watch Monday 1.21 MLK JSZ Hoops Highlights
As schools across the Garden State honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., JSZ is pleased to bring you statewide basketball coverage from 1/21. Check back in as we continue to post games throughout the evening! Marist 54 Woodbridge 43 Angelo Santiago led Marist with 18 points — 13 coming in the second half — to […].....Read More »
60 more great nominees up for JSZ Hoops Game Balls
It’s time to honor great performances from New Jersey high school basketball with our JSZ Game Balls. We have polls for North, Central and South Jersey in both boys and girls categories. The polls are open now through Tuesday at 3:00 pm. We look forward to handing out 6 JSZ Game Balls every week and […].....Read More »
Watch Saturday 1.19 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone is pleased to bring you statewide basketball coverage from 1.19. While many games were postponed around the state due to the impending weather, JSZ was able to get our cameras around to Central Jersey and bring you four games of action! Christian Brothers Academy 72 Middletown South 53 – Boys Basketball Christian Brothers Academy picked up it’s third win in a […].....Read More »
Point Boro Grabs Six Pins to Win the Battle of Point Pleasant
Make it seven years in a row for Point Boro. The Panthers continued their dual-meet dominance over crosstown rival Point Beach Friday night with a 41-26 win before a sold-out crowd at Memorial Middle School. Point Boro got six-point efforts from Billy Borowsky, Charles Latendorf, Nick Torre, Jack Bailey, Ty Bailey and Spencer Robinson to […].....Read More »
"JSZ Polls"
60 MORE GREAT NOMINEES UP FOR JSZ HOOPS GAME BALLS
Game Ball Presentations
60 more great nominees up for JSZ Hoops Game Balls
It’s time to honor great performances from New Jersey high school basketball with our JSZ Game Balls. We have polls for North, Central and South Jersey in both boys and girls categories. The polls are open now through Tuesday at 3:00 pm. We look forward to handing out 6 JSZ Game Balls every week and we’ll stop by mid-week practices or games to make a presentation. NJM Insurance South Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll Jersey Sports Zone is able to honor South Jersey athletes every week thanks to the support of NJM Insurance JSZ North Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll JSZ Central Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll Coaches and fans – if you have a player that is worthy of nominating contact rich@jerseysportszone.com by Saturday evening
Kimmy Halpin Wins Week 2 North Jersey Game Ball | Hasbrouck Heights High School
Hasbrouck Heights’ Kimmy Halpin won the Week 2 North Jersey Game Ball for her performance during the game against North Arlington. Halpin scored 24 points for the Aviators, and averages 10.6 points per game. The Aviators currently have a 7-4 overall record. Check out Halpin’s full ceremony right now:
Alyssa Bondi Wins Week 2 Central Game Ball | East Brunswick High School
East Brunswick’s Alyssa Bondi won the Week 2 Central Jersey Game Ball for the East Brunswick Bears for her performance against South Brunswick. Bondi scored 26 points, and the Bears came out on top with a 75-37 win. East Brunswick currently has a 9-3 overall record, and a 4-2 Conference record. JSZ’s Madison Bess was in East Brunswick for the full ceremony:
Top Hoops Performances up for JSZ Game Balls – Vote Now!
It’s time to honor great performances from New Jersey high school basketball with our JSZ Game Balls. We have polls for North, Central and South Jersey in both boys and girls categories. The polls are open now through Tuesday at 3:00 pm. We look forward to handing out 6 JSZ Game Balls every week and we’ll stop by mid-week practices or games to make a presentation. NJM South Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll Thanks to NJM Insurance for sponsoring JSZ’s South Jersey Game Balls Central Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll North Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll Coaches and fans – if you have a player that is worthy of nominating contact rich@jerseysportszone.com by Saturday evening
Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s Jayson Williams Wins JSZ’s Week 1 North Jersey Game Ball
Two seconds left. Tied at 58. Jayson Williams gets the ball. He hits the game winner with no time left on the clock. Thanks to his last second heroics in Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s 61-58 win over Union on Jan. 5, voters from around the Garden State overwhelmingly voted to select SFP’s Jayson Williams as JSZ’s Week 1 North Jersey game ball winner. Here’s the presentation from JSZ’s Jay Cook: Take Our Poll
Jackson Liberty’s Daniel Sofield Wins Week 1 Central Jersey Game Ball!
Senior Daniel Sofield won the Week 1 Central Jersey Game Ball for his performance during Jackson Liberty’s game against Pinelands. Sofield scored 21 points, had 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Check out Daniel’s full ceremony right now:
Feature Stories
NJ Devils + Damon Severson Honor JSZ’s Top December Goals
Jersey Sports Zone and the New Jersey Devils are teaming up for the second consecutive year to honor the Garden State’s rich crop of hockey talent. NJ Devils defenseman Damon Severson met Adriana Crepaldi (Trinity Hall), Jack Werther (Marlboro), Demitri Forand (Middletown South) and Sam Charlat (Millburn) to recognize their next-level scores from December. The players were treated with a VIP experience, watched their goals on the largest in-arena scoreboard in the world and were treated with a timely scoring outburst from the Devils as they scored season-high eight goals in an 8-5 rout over the Chicago Blackhawks. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the story from The Rock here: The best scores captured by JSZ cameras have the chance to be selected as the top five goals of each month throughout the winter. Stay tuned for more of JSZ’s extensive New Jersey high school hockey coverage along with future polls to send your favorite goal-scorer to the Prudential Center!
Ranney Panthers take the JSZ Hoops Challenge!
The #12 team in the nation puts up an impressive number in Jersey Sports Zone’s fun team competition. See how Ranney’s five seniors do in our unique long range shooting contest The JSZ Hoops Challenge requires a true team effort to get the top score. We’re excited to bring our cameras around the state and visit high school basketball practices and test teams long shooting range. Five players take five consecutive three-pointers. There are bonus points for one coach three point shot and each player gets a chance at a half court shot. The Ranney Panthers, currently ranked #1 in New Jersey and #12 in the USA Today Super 25 took time in Tinton Falls to take the challenge. Click below and watch the Panthers set the bar high with an impressive display: If your team wants to take the JSZ Hoops Challenge, let us know on Twitter, Instagram or reply to the comments section of the YouTube video you just saw. We’ll keep scores throughout the year of the top teams! In case you missed it, the Saint John Vianney Lady Lancers have also taken the JSZ Hoops Challenge
Top NJ Football Recruits Put Pen to Paper
Congratulations to the dozens of New Jersey high school football players who inked their National Letters of Intent Wednesday morning. Jersey Sports Zone has coverage from the St. Joe’s (Mont.) and Newark Central signing days as their top recruits make their college choices official. State Champs Grieco, Cross III Highlight SJR Signing Day Two of New Jersey’s most feared defensive players have made their college choices. Both JSZ All-Zone team members, defensive back Connor Grieco officially signed with Boston College and defensive lineman Howard Cross III will join Notre Dame. Grieco was one of the highest ranked uncommitted recruits coming into this week after decommitting from Rutgers mid-season. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the story on the eight SJR signees: Central High School’s Mohammad Kamara Chooses Temple University Newark’s Mohammad Kamara made his decision public and official on National Signing Day at Central High School in front of his friends, family members, teammates and coaches. The Top 50 Linebacker was between Rutgers and Temple. However, Kamara signed with Temple University, and will further his athletic and academic career in Philadelphia next fall. JSZ’s Madison Bess was there to watch him sign his name on paper: Four Pleasantville Greyhounds Sign Meanwhile at Pleasantville High, four Greyhounds football players signed Division I letters of intent. Three of the four will play football, with one heading to track and field in college. Mohamed Toure is part of Rutgers Signing Day Class. SNJ Today’s Mike Frankel has more from South Jersey:
SJV girls take first JSZ Hoops Challenge
We always love showcasing great New Jersey basketball with our high definition highlights. This year, we want to visit the practice court and challenge teams to a fun shooting competition. Saint John Vianney, NJ’s #1 ranked team in the preseason and #18 in the USA Today Super 25 is the first to step up and take the JSZ Hoops Challenge! Thanks to the Lady Lancers for taking time before their season starts to give us our first team to take their shot. Watch the video and see how the Lancers did with the cameras on in a rapid fire shooting contest If your team wants to take the JSZ Hoops Challenge, let us know on Twitter, Instagram or reply to the comments section of the YouTube video you just saw. We’ll keep scores throughout the year of the top teams!
Excitement Galore After NJ’s First-Ever Girls Wrestling Match
After months of conversation and planning, girls wrestling in the Garden State has finally arrived. A pair of Shore Conference teams — Jackson Memorial and Manalapan — took part in the first-ever girls wrestling match Friday night before a packed house at Manalapan High School. The excitement was through the roof. Coaches and wrestlers from both programs said afterwards they hoped to have kickstarted some momentum into more girls coming out for wrestling. The latest numbers show about 125 girls will wrestle throughout the season. Jersey Sports Zone was on hand and captured every big moment from each match throughout the evening: Match Results Jackson Memorial 30 Manalapan 21 161: Abby Stanburry (JM) p. Ruba Chakra Abou 3:13. 185: Alley Meyer (JM) p. Olivia Delgado 1:44. 225: Jordyn Katz (JM) p. Samantha Albujar :56. 100: Trinity Valentin Walczak (M) by forfeit. 111: Julia Manolas (M) p. Gianna Tandari 1:02. 118: Avery Meyers (JM) p. Alexandra Urbanek 5:40. 127: Angelina Vitola (M) d. Kayla Gregory 5-3. 136: Brandi Rado (JM) p. Alyssa Curcio 1:00. 147: Jess Johnson (M) p. Skyelar Smith 1:03. Exhibition Bout Sabrina Maniscalco (M) d. Shannon Stroud 6-3. More Girls Wrestling Coverage Jersey Sports Zone sat down with coaches and wrestlers prior to the 2018-2019 season to gauge the interest of girls wrestling across the state. The results? Astounding. Watch our feature from July that gets into the nuts and bolts about how girls wrestling in New Jersey can take off:
Shadon Willis Is The Heart of Hillside
Make no bones about it — Shadon Willis is the unquestioned Heart of Hillside. Albeit a talented football player, it’s the tribulations and challenges Willis overcame in an early life without parents and through the foster care system that make him one of his town’s most beloved young men. It’s also the main reason why Willis was presented the 2018 Heart of a Giant award, a collaboration between the New York Giants, USA Football and the Hospital for Special Surgery. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the inside look at Willis’ transformation into the young man he is today: Willis won JSZ’s Top Play for Week 4 and proudly wore his Top Play belt throughout the 2018 season:
Recruiting
SJR’s Smith Vilbert Commits to Penn State
One of New Jersey’s top remaining uncommitted Class of 2019 prospects has a new home. Smith Vilbert, a senior defensive end for St. Joe’s (Mont.), announced Friday he will be signing his national letter of intent to play Division I football at Penn State University. Vilbert made the announcement via his personal Twitter account. Blessed to say that I am committed to Penn State University 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾#weare pic.twitter.com/gkQtelKWQO— Smithvilbert (@Smithvilbert2) January 18, 2019 Vilbert was a proverbial wrecking ball for the Green Knights during his senior season. In 2018, the 6-7, 251-pounder collected 43 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, had 11 quarterback hurries and notched nine sacks, second only behind Notre Dame commit Howard Cross III. Watch JSZ’s highlight reel of Vilbert’s senior season: Vilbert anchored a defensive line that wrecked havoc on passers all season long in one of the country’s toughest high school conferences. St. Joe’s (Mont.) finished at 10-2 this past year and won the Non-Public Group 4 state sectional title. The Green Knights shut-out reigning champions Bergen Catholic, 13-0. After coming onto the scene in his senior season, Vilbert racked up 19 major D-I offers, including programs like Oregon, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Syracuse and Maryland. Vilbert joins All-American offensive lineman Caedan Wallce (Hun School, Princeton) and quarterback Taquan Roberson (DePaul Catholic, Wayne) as fellow Class of 2019 Penn State signees.
Bergen Catholic’s Robert Howard Commits to Penn State
Robert Howard is the real deal. The Bergen Catholic junior is on the heels of a 2017-2018 year where he collected some major hardware. And he how has one more accomplishment to tout. He announced yesterday on Twitter his decision to commit to the top-ranked collegiate wrestling program, Penn State, for legendary head coach Cael Sanderson. N I T T A N Y L I O N 🦁 #WeAre pic.twitter.com/1ZFlepqlc6 — Robert Howard (@Robbie__Howard) December 5, 2018 Howard is the No. 1 nationally-ranked wrestler at 126 pounds and the No. 3 ranked prospect in the Class of 2020, according to FloWrestling.com. Howard went 26-0 during his sophomore campaign, won his first state championship at 120 pounds and grabbed the gold medal at the Youth Olympics this summer in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Jersey Sports Zone was on hand last season as Howard helped Bergen Catholic topple Blair Academy to win The Who’s No. 1 Duals title and for his state title win in Atlantic City. Here are highlights of Howard from the 2017-2018 season: Sponsor Shoutout! Like seeing highlights of the nationally-ranked Bergen Catholic wrestling program? Thank Equinox Fitness. They’re the reason Jersey Sports Zone travels around the state to watch the Crusaders hit the mat.
Patrick School’s Al-Amir Dawes Commits to Clemson
Patrick School four-start point guard Al-Amir Dawes made his college choice official Thursday afternoon, officially choosing to attend Clemson University after his graduation in 2019. Dawes is currently ranked No. 95 nationally by ESPN.com for the Class of 2019 rankings. He scored 11.8 points per game for Patrick School last year en route to a 14-11 record. Watch JSZ’s feature about Dawe’s college decision: Dawes brings speed, tenacity and leadership to a Clemson squad on the rise. The Tigers went 25-10 last year and played into the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen round. Clemson also finished third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He joins an elite class of recruits from the Garden State who’ve committed prior to the start of their senior seasons. Roselle Catholic’s Kahlil Whitney will attend the University of Kentucky, while top-flight Ranney School recruits Bryan Antoine (Villanova) and Scottie Lewis (Florida) have made their decisions. Want to see highlights from Dawes’ junior season? JSZ has them right here:
The Decision is IN: Scottie Lewis to Florida
The Scottie Lewis sweepstakes is over. The five-star, super-athletic Ranney School small forward has given a verbal commitment to play for the Florida Gators upon his graduation in 2019. Lewis had narrowed his college choices down to Kentucky and Florida in the past weeks. He made the decision Tuesday night via his various social media channels. Jersey Sports Zone gives fans across basketball a glimpse of what’s to come in college basketball and beyond with Scottie’s highlight reel captured by our cameras: Lewis and Ranney teammate Bryan Antoine have been two of the most high profile recruits in America over the last four years — Antoine gave his verbal commitment to defending national champion Villanova in September. Antoine and Lewis are respectively ranked the No. 13 and 14 players in the Class of 2019, according to ESPN. In 2015, Lewis and Antoine arrived to the Tinton Falls private school which didn’t have much of a basketball reputation. That quickly changed as Ranney became Shore Conference champions in their junior season and reached the Non-Public “B” state championship game in a matchup against the eventual Tournament of Champions winner, Roselle Catholic. Lewis and Antoine — along with University of Florida commit Alex Klatsky and Division I prospect Ahmadu Sarnor — are considered the favorites to be New Jersey’s top team in high school basketball for the 2018-19 season. Lewis, however, has also made it clear he has aspirations beyond basketball. Before his junior season, Lewis held his first annual Hoops for Homeless fundraiser that helped raise awareness for Lunch Break, a Red Bank-based non-profit organization. Jersey Sports Zone has chronicled the high school careers of Lewis and Antoine over the last three years. Watch some of our videos below to see not only incredible highlights but a glimpse of the high character that Scottie is bringing to Gainesville and the national basketball scene:
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:
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