St. John Vianney Reloaded For 2018 After 18 seniors graduated from the program, St. John Vianney has rallied and reloaded its team with some fresh faces and top talent. Former Matawan Regional High School and Kean University coach Joe Martucci is now the head coach and takes over a Lancers squad that’s a staggering 38-0 against Shore Conference opponents since the start of the 2014 season. Martucci has a career record of 197-81-1 in 28 seasons. The Lancers boast one of the most complete offensive lines in the Shore Conference. Right tackle CJ Hanson is a Rutgers University commit, and Division I prospect Paul Liseno create an intimidating presence on the right side of the offensive line. New faces to the program include junior QB CJ Duell, a transfer from St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia; ex-Central Regional junior tailback Kavon Chambers; and DB Damon Washington, a senior formerly of northern NJ powerhouse Don Bosco Prep. Martucci has also assembled a new staff featuring former New Orleans Saint and Seattle Seahawk defensive back Jay Bellamy. Check out SJV’s preview now:   St. John Vianney’s 2018 Schedule: Friday, Aug. 31 — vs. Red Bank Catholic Friday, Sept. 7 — @ Rumson-Fair Haven Friday, Sept. 14 — vs. Brick Township Friday, Sept. 21 — @ Middletown North Friday, Sept. 28 — vs. Brick Memorial Saturday, Oct. 6 — @ Freehold Borough Friday, Oct. 19 — @ Middletown North Friday, Oct. 26 — vs. Central Regional     Sponsor Alert! Coverage of all St. John Vianney sports is brought to you by BCB Bayshore. Thanks to BCB Bayshore, Jersey Sports Zone will be able to capture all the big moments from St. John Vianney athletics this year!

It doesn’t get much better than Montclair’s 2017 season.  A perfect 12-0 with one of the most explosive offenses, the challenge to match near perfection in all three phases will be daunting.  With QB Tarrin Earle off to Bucknell and Danny Webb at Army, the Mounties will turn to a strong senior group to fill the void.  Josh Crawford (committed to Central Michigan) takes over the running duties and Charles Murphy makes the move from wide receiver to run the offense at quarterback.  Defensively, Willie Matthews is a special player.  Coming off a 183 tackle, 25.5 sack junior season, Matthews has D1 interest including Rutgers and is determined to take his already high level of play to rarified air.  JSZ looks ahead to the 2018 Mounties: Montclair 2018 Football Schedule Saturday, September 8 – NUTLEY Friday, September 14 – at Washington (OH) Saturday, September 22 – EAST ORANGE Friday, September 28 – at Columbia Saturday, October 6 – at Seton Hall Prep Saturday, October 13 – BLOOMFIELD Saturday, October 20 – LIVINGSTON Friday, October 26 – at Irvington  

The North Jersey Super Football Conference geared up for the 2018 season with a Media Day at Wayne Valley High School.  The Jersey Sports Zone team had a chance to spend time with a long list of teams. JSZ’s Jon Rubenstein gives you just a small sample of the interviews captured by our cameras: JSZ Football Previews Every day in the month of August, JSZ brings you high school football previews from every part of the state.  A special thanks to all of our sponsors for allowing us to spotlight so many great communities all year long.  Check back with us often as we continue to count down to kickoff for 2018!

Holmdel took the leap from two wins to six and the Hornets bring back a whole lot of sting with a strong senior group that has two years of extensive varsity experience.  Dean Gallo is coming off a 1000 yard rushing season and he’ll have help in the backfield with Cameron LaMountain and QB Jeff DeCicco.  Mack Byrne is a playmaker who has an offer from Bryant and the Holmdel line returns four of five starters.  More important than wins and losses, the culture of Holmdel football has transformed.  JSZ takes you to Holmdel High where we look ahead to the 2018 Hornets: Holmdel 2018 Football Schedule Friday, September 7 – at Manchester Township Friday, September 14 – RED BANK REGIONAL Saturday, September 22 – at Keansburg Friday, September 28 – KEYPORT Friday, October 5 – at Donovan Catholic Friday, October 12 – ASBURY PARK Friday, October 19 – POINT PLEASANT BEACH Friday, October 26 – at Raritan Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage is made possible due to our great sponsors.  BCB Bayshore is the reason we can capture so many great moments from Holmdel sports all year long!

RBC’s 8-2 mark in 2017 was impressive, especially when you consider the Caseys held strong after losing one of the state’s top running backs (Zack Bair) to injury mid-way through the season.  Injuries forced a number of youngsters to get valuable varsity experience.  Coach Frank Edgerly’s third season of his second stint at RBC has his upperclassmen comfortable with his system.  Steve Lubischer had over 2000 yards of combined offense including 17 TD passes.  The Boston College commit has an array of weapons to engineer the Caseys offense including junior running back Billy Guidettii, senior wide receiver Jaden Key and junior tight end Kevin Bauman who has committed to Notre Dame.  On the defensive side, look for Charley Gordinier to emerge as one of the state’s top linebackers and sophomore Jake Louro is a name to watch after getting on the field as a freshman. The countdown is on to the much anticipated season opener against Saint John Vianney on August 31.  JSZ breaks down the 2018 Caseys: Red Bank Catholic 2018 Football Schedule Friday, August 31 – at Saint John Vianney Friday, September 7 – OCEAN Friday, September 14 – TOMS RIVER SOUTH Friday, September 21 – at Red Bank Regional Friday, September 28 – at Toms River East Friday, October 5 – LONG BRANCH Friday, October 19 – at Rumson-Fair Haven Friday, October 26 – MIDDLETOWN NORTH   Sponsor Shout Out Thanks to Playa Bowls in Red Bank for sponsoring our RBC coverage this year.  Head on downtown and get an awesome Acai Bowl.  Playa Bowls is the reason we will be able to capture so many great moments from the Caseys all year long.  

Before they clash football coaches from across the southern part of the garden state gathered at Lenape just a week prior to the start of training camp. For some it’s a chance to catch up with one another and for some like Camden Catholic’s Cody Hall it’s a fresh start in a new place. Watch our recap of the event with Nery Rodriguez now:  

As we gear up for the 2018 football season, JSZ is breaking down our film all during the summer to get ready for our team previews which begin on Monday, August 6th.  Don Bosco Prep running back Jalen Berger is one of the top rising juniors in the nation and is very much on the major college football recruiting radar.  Here’s a look at some of Jalen’s work during his sophomore season that saw him run for 940 yards for the Ironmen: Link: USA Today names Jalen Berger one of the top running backs in the class of 2020 Jalen Berger has 24 offers from elite college football programs: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama, Boston College, UConn, Duke, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Temple, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin

The Snapple Bowl was created 25 years ago by a man named Marcus Borden. Borden had a vision of a all-star game between Middlesex and Union County that would donate money to a charity for children. Never did he imagine though that his efforts would be such a success. Over the last 24 years the Snapple Bowl has raised 640,000+ dollars for the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Union and the Lakeview School in Edison, both organizations that help children with physical and mental disabilities. Check out the full story and this year’s 25th annual visit to the Lakeview School now:

Before the All Shore Conference football game it’s customary that the two best schools from Monmouth and Ocean County play each other in a 7 on 7 game. Fourteen teams gathered at Matawan High School to determine who Monmouth would be sending to the Tournament Championship. The Final would come down to Saint John Vianney and Middletown North. In the closing seconds with the game tied St. Joseph Prep of Philladelphia transfer CJ Duell hits fellow newcomer Kavon Chambers of Manchester Twp. to help SJV walk away with a 20-14 victory. The Lancers will take on up and coming Ocean Champs Donovan Catholic prior to the start of the annual All Shore Conference Game on Thursday July 12th at Brick Memorial high school. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the story:

Jersey Sports Zone brought its cameras to every part of the state to capture the tremendous talent on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons in the fall.  Here’s a look back at the ten most viewed games on Jersey Sports Zone during the 2017 high school football season #10: Westfield 20 Bridgewater-Raritan 7 – North 2 Group 5 Finals at MetLife Stadium The Blue Devils got a 47 yard TD run from Tim Alliegro to start the scoring and their defense produced two key turnovers including a 32 yard scoop and score by Adam McDaniel set up by a caused fumble from Jordan Barham to get a 37th straight win and a third straight victory over Bridgewater-Raritan in a sectional final.  Jake Vall-Llobera had the other Blue Devils touchdown, while Anthony Goffe’s 13 yard TD run with :40 seconds left in the half made it a 14-7 game.  But the Westfield defense did not yield any points after that.  JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from MetLife Stadium: #9: Paulsboro 34 Penns Grove 24 – South Jersey Group 1 Finals at Rowan Dehron Holloway had three TD’s and three INT’s in a sensational performance in the final high school game of his career.  SNJ Today’s Mike Frankel has highlights from Rowan: #8: Hillside 20 Point Pleasant Boro 13 – Central Jersey Group 2 Finals at Rutgers Nahree Biggins had two first-half touchdowns and an interception to help the #7 seed to a third straight upset win and a Central Jersey Group 2 championship.  The Comets defense produced three turnovers and was able to stifle Point Boro’s tricky option attack.  The Panthers scored two touchdowns in the 4th quarter.  James Fara’s 7-yard TD with 42 seconds left made it a 20-13 game, but Point Boro could not come up with the onside kick.  JSZ has highlights and post-game reaction from Rutgers: #7: South Brunswick 18 Manalapan 14 – Central Jersey Group 5 Finals at Rutgers Felix Quinones led a 92 yard drive capped off by a 17 yard TD pass to Jaylan Lawson with 53 seconds left and the Braves had a game winning TD catch by Naim Mayfield waved off due to pass interference in a wild finish to the Central Jersey Group 5 championship.  Manalapan raced out to a 14-0 lead on a Mayfield 34 yard TD run and 60 yard punt return.  The Vikings got a pair of Quinones TD passes in the second quarter to close the gap to 14-12.  JSZ has all the highlights and post-game reaction from a thrilling finish: #6 Shabazz 35 Weequahic 0 -North 2 Group 1 Finals at Kean University QB Anthony Travis accounted for all five touchdowns as Shabazz wins the North 2 Group 1 state championship at Kean University.  JSZ’s Bryan DeNovellis has a full breakdown of an impressive title win for the Bulldogs from Kean University: #5 Bergen Catholic 29 Don Bosco Prep 26 – Week 8 The one and only regular season game on JSZ’s Top 10 list from the 2017 football season.  One of the country’s greatest rivalries was shown to America on ESPN.  Alex Lorenzo brings you the thrilling highlights from a signature win during Bergen Catholic’s state championship season: #4: Long Branch 43 Freehold Boro 42 (OT) -= Central Jersey Group 4 Finals Pasa Fields grabbed a 6 yard score from Juwan Wilkins in OT and Eli Sherin caught a two point conversion to give the Green Wave a 43-42 overtime win over Freehold Boro in the Central Jersey Group 4 finals.  The Green Wave overcame a 271 yard, 6 TD rushing performance from Ashante Worthy to avenge a loss in the regular season.  Trailing 35-21 after three quarters, Juwan Wilkins had a 12 yard TD pass to Kahmar Mimes and a 1 yard TD run in the 4th quarter to force overtime.  Watch all the highlights of an incredible battle at Rutgers: #3: Montclair 35 Union City 14 – North 1 Group 5 Finals at MetLife Danny Webb ran back the opening kickoff 92 yards to spark a Mounties scoring outburst and Tarrin Earle completed his fantastic high school career with 2 TD passes and an 11-yard TD run to give Montclair its first sectional championship since 2014.  Earle finished the game 16 of 24 for 303 yards.  Colin Callahan had 6 catches for 120 yards and a score in the first half.  Montclair finished the year with a perfect 12-0 record with one of New Jersey’s most explosive offenses and a stout defense led by junior Division I prospect Willie Matthews.  JSZ has the highlights of Montclair’s 12th win of the year from MetLife Stadium: #2: DePaul 7 Saint Joe-Montvale 3 – Non-Public Group 3 State Championship at Kean One of the top defensive efforts of the entire season comes from the DePaul Catholic defense as they stand their ground in a thrilling 7-3 win over Saint Joe’s-Montvale.  Alex Lorenzo was there for one of the biggest games of the season: #1: Bergen Catholic 44 Saint Peter’s Prep 7 – Non-Public Group 4 State Championship at MetLife Johnny Langan threw for 117 yards, ran for 91 and accounted for four touchdowns in a dominating performance.  The Crusaders beat the Marauders 41-14 in the regular season and were able to stake a 31-0 halftime lead in the championship game.  Javontae Jean-Baptiste set the tone on defense with three sacks.  Langan led the offense with an 11 play, 70-yard drive to start capped off by the QB scoring from five yards out.  A hook and lateral to Rahmir Johnson made it 14-0, followed by a field goal and Langan’s second TD run.  Langan found tight end Tyler Devera in the back of the end zone with just 3 seconds left in the half to make it 31-0.  Anthony Corbin had a 54-yard fake punt and Josh McKenzie added a fourth-quarter touchdown run to close out the scoring.  The Crusaders finish the season with a 10-2 record, finishing unbeaten in New Jersey.  Jersey Sports Zone has highlights and post-game reaction from MetLife Stadium: Ashante Worthy wins JSZ’s Zoneman Trophy Jersey Sports Zone closed out the football season with our first JSZ Football Banquet in Woodbridge.  Freehold Boro quarterback Ashante Worthy won our Player of the Year honor, the Zoneman Trophy.  Click HERE to see our full banquet coverage, including video highlights of our All-Zone team, Plays of the Year, and profiles of our Zoneman Trophy Finalists!

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

Phil Simms 2018 North-South All-Star Game Highlights: The 40th North-South Phil Simms All-Star game took place once again at Kean University. This year the game was dominated by ferocious defense from the South Side. Holy Spirit QB Josh Zamot lead the way, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for one himself, while Ji’Ayir Brown was a monster on defense with two interceptions and multiple tackles. Brown was named the game’s defensive MVP. Check out full highlights of this exciting game now: 

North All-Stars 21 South All-Stars 7 – 22nd Annual Bergen County All-Star Game Usually football All-Star games are a chance for players to reconnect with teammates, rivals and coaches one last time. However, if you were in the crowd for the 2018 Bergen County North/ South All-Star game, you would have thought it counted toward a team reaching the State Final. North having dominated the contest in the last few years got off to a hot start with a blocked punt that would lead to a 1 yard touchdown run from Dom Patania to put them ahead 7-0. In the second North Struck again with a 38 yard rushing TD from Paramus Catholic standout Christian Bryd to lead 14-0. South countered with a score of their own to make it a one possession game, but North with a clutch touchdown from Westwood’s Joe Kramer and a fumble recovery from Joe Mosca would hold on for a thrilling victory. Kramer and Mosca were named MVP’s of the game for their clutch performances. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights:  

Red Bank Catholic rising junior Kevin Bauman is one of New Jersey’s top college prospects in the class of 2020.  The tight end has given a verbal commitment to attend the University of Notre Dame.  Bauman has two more years of high school football and the four-star prospect has emerged as a sure-handed tight end for coach Frank Edgerly’s offense.  Bauman had 14 catches for 231 yards and 5 Td’s for the Caseys as a sophomore.  Bauman made the announcement via his social media: God. Country. Notre Dame. I am beyond blessed and excited to announce that I am committed to The University of Notre Dame to continue my academic and athletic career. #IrishBouNDXX #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/qGNsDZuP5d — Kevin Bauman (@kbauman3) June 13, 2018 Notre Dame continues to use New Jersey as a critical pipeline to its recruiting efforts.  the Ademilola twins from Saint Peter’s Prep are set to join the Irish this fall and St. Joe’s Metuchen offensive linemen John Olmstead gave a verbal commitment to the Irish earlier this spring.  Watch Jersey Sports Zone’s sophomore highlight reel of the newest recruit for Notre Dame:  

DECISION DAY Antonio Alfano has given a verbal commitment to play Division I football in the SEC for the Alabama Crimson Tide.  Antonio made the announcement at Colonia High School and Jersey Sports Zone’s Alex Lorenzo produced the commitment video that was played as the big reveal: ALFANO ALL-ACCESS   Leading up to his commitment, Colonia defensive end Antonio Alfano gave Jersey Sports Zone’s Alex Lorenzo an All-Access pass as he prepares for his senior season of high school football.  Go in-depth with one of the nation’s top defensive prospects.  Watch Alfano All-Access Episodes Now! Episode 4: “Let’s Eat!” Q & A with Antonio Alfano Episode 3: Field Work Episode 2: “The Last Rep”  Episode 1: “How it Started”  Coming this Friday: The Decision Antonio Alfano will make his college choice at 3:00 pm at Colonia High School

Class of 2019 recruit, Ronnie Hickman of DePaul Catholic announced Friday via Twitter that he will play college football for The Ohio State University Buckeyes. Choosing the Buckeyes from a “Final 6” that included Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Florida, Notre Dame and Penn State. Hickman was in high demand by the elite programs of college football. The 6 foot 1, 200 lb junior displayed his great athleticism all over the field for DePaul Catholic, while helping the Spartans win a Non-Public Group 3 State Championship in 2017. Hickman, despite excelling at wide receiver on the high school level, is expected to play safety at Ohio State and is a 4-Star athlete currently ranked as New Jersey No. 2 overall prospect by 247Sports.Com. Dreams really do come true! #GoBucks⭕️🔥 pic.twitter.com/hZbUtBZifU — Ronnie Hickman (@asvprocket_) April 14, 2018 Watch highlights from Ronnie Hickman’s junior season at DePaul Catholic on JSZ!