Tag Archives: Monmouth County

Watch Monday 2.18 JSZ Hockey Highlights!
The Road to the Rock begins in New Jersey high school hockey. JSZ has two opening round matchups including RFH rolling into round two and a Public “A” showdown between Nutley and West Windsor-Plainsboro South Rumson-Fair Haven 9 Verona-Glen Ridge 0 – Public C First Round Sam Catalano scored a hat trick to pace a dominating effort by the Bulldogs. RFH scored a pair of goals in the first and put the game away with a four goal outburst in the second period. Rumson earns a spot in the second round a matchup with top seed Indian Hills. JSZ brings you the highlights and post-game reaction from the Red Bank Armory: Thanks to Gold Coast Cadillac for sponsoring our RFH coverage on JSZ. They are the reason we could bring you this first round matchup! Nutley 3 West Windsor-Plainsboro 2 – Public A First Round 19th seed Nutley upset the 14 seed in the Public A Tournament bracket, West Windsor-Plainsboro for some first round drama. After a scoreless first period the Raiders scored twice in the second, including a penalty shot from Joe Melillo to take a two goal lead. Rocco Albanese would get his second score to begin the final period. Despite West Windsor countering back with a pair of goals the defensive effort from Nutley goalie Johnny Matrona was enough to secure the victory. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our West Windsor-Plainsboro North and South coverage!

Red Bank Regional Hosts First Ever NJSIAA Girls Wrestling Region Championships
Female wrestlers from all over the state of New Jersey came together at Red Bank Regional on Sunday night, competing in the first ever Girls Wrestling Region Champs. Each one of these wrestlers went down in New Jersey High School Athletics history, as they each represented their high schools at this brand new Championship. The girls who wrestle for their high school teams are used to being surrounded by mostly boys. However, Sunday night was the first time that female wrestlers in the state of New Jersey wrestled only against other females. The wrestlers who won their matches from the North and South Jersey Finals on Sunday night, will also be competing at the NJSIAA State Championships in Atlantic City at the end of February in just under two weeks. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the North Jersey Finals highlights and post-match reaction from Red Bank: Sponsor! Thank you to the Garnet Booster Club for sponsoring Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Phillipsburg High School! Thank you to Ryser’s Landscape Supply for sponsoring Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Phillipsburg High School! JSZ’s Madison Bess has the South Jersey Finals highlights from Red Bank: Sponsor! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Princeton, Allentown and Notre Dame is made possible by Princeton Orthopaedic Associates!

Miles Wood watches JSZ Top Goals, then lights the lamp for Devils!
The New Jersey Devils honored the Top 5 Goals from New Jersey high school hockey in January captured by JSZ cameras during the NHL team’s 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night at the Prudential Center in Newark. Once again, the Devils rolled out the red carpet and gave the VIP treatment to five great high school hockey standouts. From a pregame film session with Miles Wood, to five awesome goals on the scoreboard at the second intermission, it was another special night provided by the Devils. Watch our recap of another special evening: New Jersey Devils winger Miles Wood met with our players prior to faceoff and watched the Top 5 goals from January captured by JSZ cameras. There’s no question that the players were inpsired to see an NHL player talk about their goal and Wood’s pre-game video session paid off as well. Wood scored his sixth goal of the season in the Devils 4-1 win over Buffalo. Here’s Miles Wood breaking down the Top 5 goals from January: Congratulations to our Top 5 goals from January #5: Tommy Kleinman, Bergen Catholic #4: Dom Troisi, Saint John Vianney #3: Ty Pezzolla, Saint Peter’s Prep #2: Dyland Idland, Morris Knolls #1: Andrew Kutzman, Freehold Boro On March 21, the Devils will honor the Top 5 goals from February during their home game against the Boston Bruins. On March 25, the Devils and JSZ host our 2nd annual All-Zone hockey banquet during their game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Saddle River Day’s Michelle Sidor Wins JSZ North Jersey Game Ball
Michelle Sidor has been dominating the competition so far throughout her senior season. The Saddle River Day Rebel became only the fourth girl in state history to score her 3,000th point and because of that, voters in North Jersey selected Sidor to win this past week’s JSZ North Jersey game ball. JSZ’s Jay Cook caught up with the Michigan-commit Sunday after SRDS won their fourth-consecutive Bergen County Tournament title. Watch her presentation here: Take Our Poll Jersey Sports Zone was on hand on Feb. 5 when Sidor scored her 3,000th point on her home court. JSZ’s coverage of that historic moment can be found here:

Watch Sunday 2.17 JSZ Hoops Highlights!
The Sunday basketball actions continues! Jersey Sports Zone has highlights from two arenas on opposite ends of the state as Saddle River Day claimed Bergen County glory and Ranney chips away at Shore Conference Tournament competition. Enjoy the highlights! Saddle River Day 55 Immaculate Heart Academy 49 – Bergen County Tournament Girls Final Put them in the record books! Top-seeded Saddle River Day became only the second team in county history to record four-consecutive Bergen County Tournament championships after knocking off No. 2 seed IHA. Michigan commit Michelle Sidor dropped a game-high 22 points and future Duke Blue Devil Jaida Patrick went off with 16 points and 10 boards. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Ramapo College: Ranney 72 Middletown South 53 No. 1 in the NJ Top 20, Ranney advanced to the semifinals of the Shore Conference Tournament with a 72-53 victory over Middletown South. After an uncharacteristic first half that saw Villanova bound star Bryan Antoine held to just three points, the Panthers turned it in the third quarter thanks to a barrage of dunks to take a 26 point lead entering the fourth. Antoine would finish with 13 points, Florida commit Scottie Lewis had 18 and Phillip Wheeler dropped 20 points. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Monmouth Building Center for sponsoring our Middletown South coverage!

60 Hoops Players Nominated for Final JSZ Basketball Game Balls of 2019
It’s time to honor great performances from New Jersey high school basketball players 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. Thanks to everyone who made a nomination this week!

Saint Augustine wins seven bouts at District 31 wrestling
The road to Atlantic City is underway. Williamstown High School hosted the District 31 wrestling championships. Saint Augustine Prep won the team title with an impressive seven district champions and four additional Hermits reached the finals. Williamstown’s Taylor Robinson won most outstanding wrestler after his come from behind 6-5 win in the third period over top seed Tyler McLeer of Saint Augustine at 120 pounds. Mike Frankel has the highlights: District 31 Team Results 1 St. Augustine Prep – 2552 Williamstown – 170.5 3 Clayton/Glassboro – 136.5 4 Gateway/Woodbury – 135.0 5 Middle Township – 97.0 6 Millville – 45.0 7 Mainland Regional – 32.0 8 Vineland – 15.0 District 31 Individual Finals 106—Ryan Defoney Saint Augustine defeats John Hildebrand Williamstown 10-4 113—Mark Johnson Clayton/Glassboro defeats D’Amani Almodovar Saint Augustine 7-4 120—Taylor Robinson Williamstown defeats Trey McLeer Saint Augustine 6-5 126—Romeo Rodriguez Middle Township defeats Gianni Danze Saint Augustine 6-4 132—Michael Albergo Saint AAugustinetech falls Brody Colbert Williamstown 5:29 138—Kodi Petroski Gateway/Woodbury defeats Connor Forand Millville 7-3 145—Brett Bodnar Saint Augustine defeats Chad Tracy Williamstown 3-2 152—Connor Kraus Saint Augustine pins Joseph Racobaldi Williamstown 3:02 160—Salvatore Manera Saint Augustine defeats Jacob Rodriguez Clayton/Glassboro 7-5 170—Joseph Colon Saint Augustine defeats Jesse Bishop Mainland 8-6 182—Mike Misita Saint Augustine majority decision Tommy Watson Clayton/Glassboro 11-0 195—Noah Putney Clayton/Glassboro defeats Nick Marshall Saint Augustine 7-3 220—Thomas Sherlock Williamstown pins Matt Goetz Gateway/Woodbury 5:15 285—Tom Goetz Gateway/Woodbury d Roy Buhrman Clayton/Glassboro 5-0.

Rutgers Prep’s Trey Patterson Wins JSZ North Jersey Game Ball
Trey Patterson has been on an absolute tear through his sophomore season. The 6-9 Rutgers Prep sophomore forward is averaging 18.5 points and 9 rebounds per game, but blew both of those statistics out of the water on Feb. 9 when he went for 26 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks in a 73-65 win over St. Peter’s Prep. Voters from around state overwhelmingly selected Patterson to win this past week’s Jersey Sports Zone North Jersey Game Ball. Watch his award presentation — along with a special guest announcer — now! Take Our Poll

West Windsor North’s Jaden Sands wins NJM South Jersey Game Ball!
Winning a JSZ Game Ball is hard enough, but for West Windsor Plainsboro North’s Jaden Sands, it’s business as usual. Sands took home the award last season and followed up his performance this year. The Senior has been a cornerstone for the Knights offense averaging 20.4 points a game and scoring 408 to pass his total from 2017-2018, he is also on pace to reach the 1,000 point by the end of the season. In North’s 53-50 victory over Robbinsville, Jaden scored 33 points. The fans have spoken and after hours of countless voting he is this week’s NJM Insurance South Jersey Game Ball winner! Take Our Poll Sponsors! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring all of our South Jersey Game Ball presentations! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring our West Windsor- Plainsboro North coverage! Have a question for Nery? E-Mail him: nery@jerseysportszone.com

Hailey Russell of Riverside wins NJM Girls South Jersey game Ball!
Hailey Russell has been Riverside’s go-to scorer for most of her high school career. Russell has put up over 1,300 points for the Rams and is averaging 17. 3 a game. In their 67-49 win over Vineland Hailey scored 32 points. The fans have spoken and after hours of countless voting she is this week’s NJM Insurance South Jersey Game Ball winner! JSZ’s nery Rodriguez stopped by practice for her award ceremony: Sponsor! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring all of our South Jersey Game Ball presentations! Have a question for Nery? E-Mail him: nery@jerseysportszone.com

Watch Saturday 2.16 JSZ Basketball Highlights!
It’s not a Saturday in February without a serious blend of boys and girls hoops. JSZ has highlights from Gill St. Bernards’ regular season finale win, Trenton’s blowout over Allentown in the Mercer County Tournament, Roselle Catholic putting in work during the UCC and Manasquan staving off Red Bank Regional in a Shore Conference Tournament thriller. Stay tuned for all the action! Gill St. Bernard’s 69 Rutgers Prep 61 Gill St. Bernard’s is ready to rumble. The Knights closed their regular season out with a road win against Rutgers Prep as Rutgers commit Paul Mulcahy led the way with 24 points. One storyline for GSB as the playoffs arrive, however, is the addition of Tristian Jeffries to the starting five. The Hudson Catholic transfer dropped 18 points in his season debut for the Knights. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the action from Somerset: (1) Roselle Catholic 88 (8) New Providence 61 – Union County Tournament Quarterfinal Colby Rogers led four Lions in double digits with 22 points as the Lions cruise into the UCT semifinals and a matchup with #4 seed Union Catholic. Kahlil Whitney added 17, Josh Pierre-Louis had 16 and Ahmad Robinson scored 12. Watch the highlights from Rahway High School: (2) Trenton Catholic 84 (7) West Windsor-Plainsboro North 63 – Mercer County Tournament Quarterfinal Second seed Trenton Catholic advanced to the Mercer County Tournament semifinal round with an 86-63 victory over 7th seed West Windsor-Plainsboro North. The Iron Mike’s got ahead early and kept a hefty lead thanks to Butler University commit Khalif Battle, who finished the day with 40 points. TCA will look to get back to the Tournament Final after falling to eventual Group 3 State Champs Nottingham, but first they’ll take on Notre Dame. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our Trenton Catholic and West Windsor-Plainsboro North coverage! #4 Manasquan 61 #12 Red Bank Regional 58 – Shore Conference Tournament Quarterfinal The Manasquan Warriors defeated the Red Bank Regional Bucs in overtime during the Girls Shore Conference Quarterfinal on Saturday afternoon. The Bucs made a comeback in the second half. RBR’s Meghan Murray scored a 3-pointer in the last four seconds of regulation time, forcing the game into OT. Manasquan’s Faith Masonius scored two for the Warriors in OT, bringing the score to 60-58. Masonius scored the game-high of 27 points for the Warriors. Manasquan will take on SJV in the Semifinals on Feb. 18. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights and post-game reaction from Toms River: Sponsor! Thank you to Ryser’s Landscape Supply for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of Red Bank Regional!

Franklin Girls Basketball Stays Undefeated, Beats Long Island Lutheran at the Buzzer
It was an exciting night on the hardwood for the Franklin Warriors girls basketball team. Entering the day on Friday, the Warriors have yet to lose a game this season. Franklin’s Junior Guard, Kennady Schenck kept her team undefeated after hitting a three-point shot at the buzzer, lifting the Warriors to a 44-42 win over the Crusaders. Franklin’s 6’3 senior forward/guard and McDonald’s All-American, Diamond Miller led the Warriors with 15 points. The hero of the night, junior guard, Kennady Schenck finished the night with 11 points.

Watch Friday 2.15 JSZ Hockey Highlights!
It’s Cup season in New Jersey high school hockey. We’ve got the Gordon Cup thriller between Don Bosco Prep and Delbarton plus the Kelly Cup comes down to a last minute goal. We also have the Mennen Cup and Mercer County titles on the ice! Don Bosco Prep 5 Delbarton 3 – Gordon Cup Final On a night with plenty of action between the state’s top two teams, it was Don Bosco Prep defenseman TJ Schweighardt coming through and powering the Ironmen to a Gordon Cup final win behind a hat trick. The game was back and forth, even with Delbarton holding onto a 3-1 lead at one point. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Codey Arena: Hun 9 Princeton 4 – Mercer County Tournament Final The Hun School won its sixth straight Mercer County Tournament Championship with a 9-4 win over Princeton. The Raiders were led by Captain Brian Nelson who finished the night with a hat trick and capped off the season with 50 points. Watch the highlights now: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our Princeton and Hun coverage! Millburn 2 Cranford 1 Jack Williams power-play goal with 54.1 seconds give the Millers their second straight Kelly Cup title. The two teams traded goals in the first four minutes and then settled in for a defensive tussle. Cranford goalie Henry Devenny made a number of high quality saves as part of his 31 stop effort, but Millburn dominated the shots on goal (33-15) and persevered in the final minute. JSZ has the highlights of a great game along with post-game reaction from Codey Arena: Madison 3 Randolph 1 – Mennen Cup Final The #2 Madison Dodgers made history on Friday night, defeating the #1 Randolph Rams for their first ever Mennen Cup! The score was 1-1 going into the second period, after Dave Renzulli put up a point for the Dodgers. In the third period, it was Boston College commit, Jason Siedem who scored the tiebreaker. The Dodgers took the lead 2-1, and Renzulli scored the third on an open net. Madison’s goalie, Matt Ubertaccio, also had 28 saves for the night. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights and post-game reaction from Mennen Arena, during this historic moment:

RBR’s Weidman wins JSZ Central Game Ball for big game against rival
Red Bank Regional scored a huge rivalry win against Rumson-Fair Haven last Saturday and Matt Weidman’s 23 point performance was a big reason for the Bucs first win over their rival in four years. Thanks to all the great fans of RBR who voted Matt to win this week’s JSZ Central Boys Game Ball. We paid a visit to Bucs practice for the presentation: Take Our Poll Thanks to everyone for voting. We will have 10 more great nominees from Central Jersey boys basketball up for nomination this Sunday for our final basketball Game Balls of 2019! Watch the highlights of RBR’s 50-47 upset of Rumson-Fair Haven that earned Matt his Game Ball: Thanks to Ryser’s Lanscape Supply in Little Silver for sponsoring Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Red Bank Regional

Watch Thursday 2.14 JSZ Basketball Highlights
It’s Conference Tournament season in New Jersey and JSZ has action from around the state. We’ve got a sole remaining regular season matchup between two Bergen County foes, plus Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine get their McDonald’s All-American jerseys at Ranney. The Shore Conference Tournament features a shocker from the Red Bank Regional Lady Bucs plus a one point game between the Middletown South Lady Eagles and Toms River North. Watch all the action now! Bergen Catholic 61 Don Bosco Prep 49 The Crusaders have their revenge. After a nail biting two-point loss to Don Bosco Prep a month ago, Bergen Catholic responded with a 61-49 win over the Ironmen. BC was paced by Matt Zona (17 points) and a pair of 13-point games from Zach Freemantle and Doug Edert. Don Bosco’s Victor Konopka led his team with 17 on the night. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Oradell: Ranney 94 Jackson Liberty 39 – Shore Conference Boys Tournament Second Round On an evening with plenty to celebrate, Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine bulldozed through Jackson Liberty to push Ranney through to the next round in the Shore Conference Tournament. Lewis and Antoine were presented with their McDonald’s All-American jersey pregame, and Lewis was also just named as a member to the U.S. Nike Hoop Summit team. JSZ’s Diana Cannizzaro has the highlights from Tinton Falls: (8) Middletown South 63 (9) Marlboro – Shore Conference Boys Tournament Second Round Luke Albrecht had 17 points to lead three Eagles in double digits as the #8 seed moves on to the SCT quarterfinals and a matchup with top seed Ranney on Sunday in Toms River. Mike Dabas had 13 and Bobby Pirie added 12 in the win. Watch the highlights from Middletown: Thanks to Monmouth Building Center in Shrewsbury for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of Middletown South (12) Red Bank Regional 65 (5) Red Bank Catholic 62 – Shore Conference Girls Tournament Second Round The #12 Red Bank Regional High School Bucs defeated the #5 Red Bank Catholic Caseys in an upset win on Thursday night during the Round 2 Shore Conference Tournament! Sophomore Caitlyn Decker scored her career-high and the game-high with 26 points. Meghan Murray scored the second highest with 20 points. The Bucs will take on #4 Manasquan on Feb. 16. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights and post-game reaction from Red Bank: Sponsor! Thank you to Ryser’s Landscape Supply for sponsoring our Red Bank Regional coverage! Sponsor! Thank you to Playa Bowls in Red Bank for sponsoring our Red Bank Catholic coverage! Middletown South 53 Toms River North 52 – Shore Conference Girls Tournament 2nd Round Eve Pirie and Kalya Richardson joined forces to block Jenna Paul’s game winning shot attempt from 8 feet at the buzzer to give the Eagles a date with top seed Saint John Vianney in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Isla Brennan led the Eagles with 18, while Colgate bound Jenna Paul led all scorers with 23 points. This was a fantastic game that featured plenty of late game drama. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction: Thanks to two great sponsors for bringing us an SCT thriller! CJA Construction sponsors JSZ’s coverage of Toms River North and Monmouth Building Center in Shrewsbury is the reason we have the Middletown South Eagles covered all year long

SportsCenter Top 10 Features Highlight-Reel Goal from Delbarton’s Balzarotti
By Jay Cook Delbarton’s Michael Balzarotti was admittedly modest about his jaw-dropping goal Wednesday night, but the decision-makers in Bristol, Conn. knew they were watching something special later that evening. Balzarotti’s highlight-reel dangle and goal in a Gordon Cup semifinal game — captured by JSZ cameras — was featured as the No. 3 play in America on SportsCenter’s Top 10 on Feb. 13. “I have the high school package on the DIRECTV and I was watching this — look at your boy Michael Balzarotti of Delbarton School,” ESPN anchor and noted hockey aficionado John Buccigross remarked during the Top 10 breakdown Wednesday evening. “That is some nice dancing,” Buccigross added. Michael Balzarotti, #9 in your programs, #3 on the @espn @SportsCenter Top 10! @Delbarton wins 3-0 over CBA to advance to Gordon Cup Finals. #delbartonsports #playoftheyear pic.twitter.com/xyMmYdWM9D— Delbarton Sports (@DelbartonSports) February 14, 2019 Early in the third period of a Feb. 13 Gordon Cup semifinal game against Christian Brothers Academy at Aspen Ice, Balzarotti wrangled in a clear from teammate Max Williams, gathered the puck before dangling past a CBA defender. He then finished with a Sidney Crosby-eqsue backhand, all while playing shorthanded on a CBA power play. Balzarotti’s goal gave the Green Wave an emphatic 2-0 lead — they’d go on to capture a 3-0 win and move into the Gordon Cup finals. Michael Balzarotti…are you for real? 🤯🤯 This wild dangle and backhand helped @DelbartonHockey into the Gordon Cup finals after a 3-0 shutout against CBA. @DelbartonSports stay tuned for the full highlights tonight! pic.twitter.com/iskC89koDc— Jersey Sports Zone (@JSZ_Sports) February 13, 2019 “Yeah, so it was a great clear by Max Williams on the PK; I saw him going for the ice so I figured I’d kind of blow the zone and see what happened,” Balzarotti described to JSZ after the game. “After that, the puck came to me and I found myself in a one-on-one with the puck a little behind me. I tried to put it in an area and get to it. Luckily, it paid off and I had a nice backhand into the net. It was good to pad the lead there.” That viral goal comes in the midst of a career-season for Balzarotti. His 53 points (24 goals, 29 assists) have him as third leading scorer in New Jersey’s uber-competitive Gordon Conference, a collection of private schools across the state littered with talent. Delbarton now sits at 16-5-4 on the season and will look to capture their third-straight Gordon Cup title Friday night. “I think it’s going to be incredibly hard to beat us when we’re locked in this,” Balzarotti added. Watch JSZ’s full highlights from the 3-0 win over CBA: Balzarotti’s goal now becomes the second score shot by JSZ cameras to make it to the SportsCenter Top 10. JSZ Chief Operating Officer Rich Chrampanis captured a wild goal between Freehold Township’s Julian Kislin and Max Halvorsen in the 2014-2015 season which took the internet by storm and quickly became the No. 1 play on SportsCenter. As always, stay tuned for plenty more high school hockey coverage from Jersey Sports Zone through the rest of the winter season.

Watch Wednesday 2.13 JSZ Hockey Highlights
Cup season is in full swing! JSZ had cameras around the state to capture a absolute must-see goal from Delbarton as the Green Wave move onto the Gordon Cup finals, Princeton winning a Mercer County shootout against Notre Dame and St. Joe’s (Mont.) scoring three-straight to win a thriller against Northern Highlands. Stay tuned for all the action! Delbarton 3 CBA 0 – Gordon Cup Semifinals Michael Balzarotti nearly blew the roof off of Aspen Ice Wednesday night when he undressed CBA’s defense en route to one of the wildest goals JSZ has captured all season long. That goal, along with a shutout from sophomore sensation Brett Cleaves, punched Delbarton’s ticket to the Gordon Cup finals Friday night. Delbarton is the two-time Gordon Cup defending champs. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the highlights from Randolph: Princeton 8 Notre Dame 5 – Mercer County Tournament Semifinals Princeton advanced to their third straight Mercer County Tournament Final with an 8-5 win over Colonial Valley Conference rival Notre Dame. An overwhelming first period by the Lil Tigers had them in front 4-1 heading into intermission, but Notre Dame continued to answer back all the way up to the final period when they trailed by two scores. Princeton’s Aidan Trainor pulled in a haul, finishing with four goals. They will face the Hun School of Princeton in the Championship for a third straight year also. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both St. Joe’s (Mont.) 3 Northern Highlands 2 – Big North Gold Cup Semifinal It was an exciting night at the Ice Vault, as the #1 SJR Green Knights took on the #5 Northern Highland Highlanders for the Big North Gold Cup Semifinal. The Highlanders led the way in the first period, scoring two goals. However, the Green Knights came back in the third period, scoring two. Aiden Garabed tied the game, forcing it into an overtime period. Garabed then scored the game-winning goal about seven minutes into overtime. St. Joe’s advanced, and will take on #2 Indian Hills in the Big North Gold Cup Final. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights and post-game reaction from Wayne:

Christ the King comes to NJ and beats SJV in post-season tuneup
Jersey Sports Zone brings you a high profile girls basketball matchup in Holmdel as Christ the King out of New York comes to Saint John Vianney and puts on a tremendous defensive performance. Watch the highlights and post-game reaction featuring one of the nation’s top junior prospects! Christ the King 40 Saint John Vianney 28 Natalija Marshall scored 14 points and the Royals held the Lancers to just 10 points in the first half in a big road victory. Both teams are expected to contend for state titles. Marshall, rated the #12 junior in the nation, was a force on both ends of the floor. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from this exciting post-season tuneup in Holmdel:

Point Beach’s Carleigh Burns Wins JSZ Central Game Ball!
Point Pleasant Beach’s Carleigh Burns took home the Girls Central Jersey Game Ball for her performance during the game against Keyport last week. She scored 22 points, leading her team to a 67-52 victory. Burns averages 16 points per game, and has 752 career points! Congratulations, Carleigh!

Watch Tuesday 2.12 JSZ Hoops Highlights
With much of the state snowed out, the Shore Conference Tournament was able to play part of its first-round schedule. JSZ brings you four games from Monmouth and Ocean counties. Jay Cook has the battle of Brick on the boys side. We’ve also got Jenna Paul stepping up big once again for TRN, a 1,000 point milestone for RBR’s Meghan Murray and a Middletown South home win. Watch all the action! (20) Brick Memorial 66 (13) Brick 59 – SCT Boys First Round The combination of Matt Bernstein (25 points & 13 rebounds) and Kyle McMahon (24 points) proved to be too much for Brick to handle as Brick Memorial opened their Shore Conference Tournament run with an upset win. Brick Township’s Shane Williams scored a game-high 26 points for the Dragons in the loss. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights and more: (12) Red Bank Regional 51 (21) Southern Regional 44 – SCT Girls First Round Chloe Teter hit the go-ahead layup with 2:09 to go to spark a 9-0 run to close out the game as the Bucs move on to the second round a matchup with #5 seed Red Bank Catholic. Meghan Murray led the Bucs with 18 points including her 1000th career point and Teter added 17. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from Little Silver: Thanks to Ryser’s Landscape Supply for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of Red Bank Regional – Ryser’s is the reason we were able to bring you this great moment from the Lady Bucs! (8) Middletown South 56 (25) Barnegat 30 – SCT Girls First Round Eighth seed Middletown South advanced to the second round of the Shore Conference Tournament after a 56-30 win over Barnegat. The Eagles got things started early with the three point shot as they connected four times from beyond the arc to lead 20-2 after the first. South was led by Kayla Richardson, who scored 18 points, Isla Brennan had 13 points and Sam Keenan finished with 8 points and 4 rebounds, all would connect from three more than once. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Monmouth Building Center for sponsoring our Middletown South coverage! (9) Toms River North 79 (24) Point Pleasant Beach 46 – SCT Girls Opening Round No. 9 seed Toms River North took on 24-seed Point Pleasant Beach on Tuesday night for the First Round of the Shore Conference Tournament. The Toms River North Mariners dribbled into this game with a 17-4 overall record, and the Point Beach Gulls came in at 16-5. North’s Colgate commit, Jenna Paul, led the way, scoring the game-high and her season-high of 34 points. Kristina Johnson scored the second highest number of points with 18. Brielle Bisogno also scored in the double digits with 16. The Mariners advanced to the Second Round on Thursday, and will take on Middletown South. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Toms River: Sponsor! Thank you to CJA Construction for sponsoring our Toms River North coverage! Sponsor! Thank you to PEAK Coaching For Success for sponsoring our Point Pleasant Beach Coverage!

Middletown North icers hand Marlboro first loss to reach Dowd Cup Final
We’ve got an upset from the Shore Conference Tournament! Middletown North scores a 2-1 stunner over previously unbeaten Marlboro. The #11 seed reaches the Dowd Cup Final. JSZ has the highlights from some great playoff hockey in Middletown! Middletown North 2 Marlboro 1 John Miranda’s sharp angle shot with 3:34 to go in the third period was the game winner as the #11 seed reaches the Dowd Cup final thanks to a second straight upset. Marlboro came into the game with a 12-0-2 mark and took a 1-0 load on a Josh Solovey goal with just six seconds remaining in the first period. North drew even on a marvelous end to end rush from Dan Quiles in the second period. Middletown North will take on #2 seed Manasquan in the Dowd Cup Final on Wednesday in Wall. JSZ has the highlights from an outstanding playoff atmosphere:

Watch Monday 2.11 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Franklin 68 Bishop Ahr 45 It was business as usual for the number one team in the state as Franklin cruised to another victory with a 68-45 win against No. 17 Bishop Ahr. The Warriors were headlines by McDonald’s All-American and University of Maryland bound Diamond Miller, who scored 27 points. Franklin is now 6-0 against Top 20 teams this season. Watch the highlights now:

NJ basketball continues to rally for Ranney coach and his son’s cancer battle
As Ranney begins their quest to finish the season as New Jersey’s top-ranked boys’ basketball team, the Panthers have a perspective that their battles on the court pale in comparison to the battles of real life. Head coach Tahj Holden’s 2-year old son, Max, has been fighting pediatric neuroblastoma for over a year. With overwhelming medical bills mounting, the New Jersey basketball community continues to rally and raise money for the Holden family as Max continues his fight against cancer. The Jersey Shore Challenge featuring Ranney and Roselle Catholic gave a portion of the proceeds from the sold-out game to Max Strong, a fund that helps with the Holden family’s medical expenses. On Saturday, Tahj’s high school alma mater stepped up with a fundraiser. All the proceeds from the RBR/RFH and Ranney/Asbury Park doubleheader benefitted Max Strong. Watch JSZ’s feature on how Max Holden has inspired the Ranney basketball team and how everyone continues to support the Holden family. To learn more about Max Strong and how you can contribute, please visit this link: MAX STRONG GoFundMe Page

Watch Sunday 2.10 JSZ State Wrestling Finals Highlights!
It’s state championship Sunday in Toms River. JSZ brings you highlights from five state title matches including a Kingsway upset, West Essex scoring their first state championship, an historic milestone for Paulsboro and their legendary head coach, plus Southern Regional wins on back to back pins and Camden Catholic gets things started with a Sunday morning state championship. Southern Regional 34 Hunterdon Central 27 – Group 5 State Final Ben LoParo and JT Cornelius scored back to back pins at 195 and 220 pounds to secure a third state championship for Southern Regional. Last second scoring was the key to Southern’s victory. John High scored a fall at 3:59 of his match at 170 pounds. That was the same time for LoParo, who had 12 seconds to go in the second period before his move set the stage for his pin 11 seconds later. An exciting finale to the duals portion of the New Jersey wrestling state championships. JSZ has all the action from Toms River: Paulsboro 63 Kittatinny 3 – Group 1 State Final What a run it’s been for Paul Morina. On a day where Paulsboro captures its 32nd team state title, the South Jersey coaching legend collected his 700th win. Paulsboro was paced by seven pins by Georgio Mazzeo, Jacob Perez-Eli, Gabe Onorato, George Worthy, Shawn Williams, Brandon Green and Santino Morina. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights and post-match reaction from a legendary coach’s historic day: Kingsway 26 Phillipsburg 20 – Group 4 State Final It all came down to Cheney Kinner. The junior 138-pounder stepped on the mat with Kingsway leading 23-20 heading into the final bout and “Chainsaw” ripped through his competition to clinch Kingsway’s fourth-ever state final. This match was a back-and-forth affair that lasted over two hours where every bout went the distance. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from yet another big moment from the Kingsway Dragons: Sponsor Shoutout! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of all Phillipsburg athletics is proudly brought to you by the Garnet Booster Club. West Essex 40 Delsea 33 – Group 3 State Final Freshman Mike Pescatore rallied from a 5-0 deficit to score a dramatic pin in the second period at 106 pounds to spark West Essex to its first ever state wrestling championship. Delsea took a 15-14 lead on a Curtis Thomas pin at 195 pounds. West Essex would win the next five matches highlighted by pins courtesy of Bardhyl Gashi (285), Pescatore (106) and Carson Barry (120). JSZ has the highlights and post-match reaction from a special moment in West Essex history: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Delsea is made possible thanks to the support of NJM Insurance Camden Catholic 33 Pope John 29 – Non-Public Group B Final Camden Catholic took home the Group B Non-Public State Title on Sunday morning, defeating Pope John, the defending 2017-2018 champs. This is their 15th State Title win, and their first since 2013. Camden Catholic’s 145-pound University of Pennsylvania commit, Lucas Revano had the first pin for the Irish. The Irish had two more pins from 170-pound Martin Cosgrove and 182-pound Ronnie Crane. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights and post-match reactions from Toms River: Sponsor! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Camden Catholic is being brought to you NJM Insurance Group!

Career Milestones, Eye-Popping Statlines Up for Mid-February JSZ Game Balls
It’s time to honor great performances from New Jersey high school basketball players 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. Thanks to everyone who made a nomination this week!

Frosh Goalie McCormack Pushes Summit to Union County Tourney Title in MVP Performance
Saturday hockey has JSZ with highlights of Summit’s Union County title plus a shootout between Howell and Jackson Liberty out of the Shore Conference Summit net-minder Grant McCormack is still getting adjusted to playing goalie on his high school hockey team. No, not because he’s freshman — it’s because the position is relatively foreign to him. McCormack, who’s played hockey his whole life, only played the position for one year on his peewee team. Now he’s stepped as Summit’s full-time goalie as Nikita Pryymak is recovering from a lower body injury and has helped the Hilltoppers grab some gold. McCormack was a proverbial brick wall in Summit’s 3-0 win over Westfield in the Union County Tournament finals Saturday night. He stopped 21 shots, captured the shutout and was named tournament MVP. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all highlights from Warinanco Park: Sponsor Shoutout! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of all Westfield athletics is brought to you by Assemblyman John Bramnick. Howell 11 Jackson Liberty 8 Joe Bianco had four goals an assist as Howell outscored Jackson Liberty on Saturday night. The Jackson Liberty duo of Nick Labianca and Joe Granza both eclisped 200 career points in the loss. JSZ has the highlights from the Shore Conference:

Watch Saturday 2.9 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone’s Saturday hoops menu features the Max Strong doubleheader at Red Bank Regional, a Shore Conference girls battle between Rumson-Fair Haven and Trinity Hall plus a dominating performance from the Notre Dame Irish Red Bank Regional 50 Rumson-Fair Haven 47 – Boys Basketball Matt Weidman scored 23 points including six straight free throws in the final minute to give the 9-11 Bucs an upset over rival RFH (16-5) in the Battle of Ridge Road. Liam Joyce added 18 in the win for RBR with Ian O’Connor leading the Bulldogs with 22. Red Bank Regional trailed by 9 points with six minutes to go, but Weidman hit three 3-pointers and Joyce added a mid-range jumper to get the Bucs within 1. Weidman took over from there with his free throw prowess. JSZ has the highlights from a thriller in Little Silver: Thanks to Ryser’s Landscape Supply (RBR) and Gold Coast Cadillac (RFH) for sponsoring this fantastic ballgame! Ranney 72 Asbury Park 47 – Boys Basketball Less than 24 hours after its loss to Monteverde (FL), the Panthers bounce back and wrap up the regular season with a convincing win at Red Bank Regional High. Proceeds from the game along with the RBR-RFH matchup went to Max Strong, a fund that helps the medical expenses of Max Holden, the son of Ranney head coach Tahj Holden who is battling cancer. Watch the highlights of Ranney’s 20th win of the season: Notre Dame 72 New Egypt 33 – Boys Basketball Notre Dame picked up its ninth straight win with a 72-33 victory over New Egypt. The Irish were led by seniors Leon Jones and Justin Yu, the duo combined for 33 points. With the Mercer County Tournament seeding coming out in the upcoming days, ND has a chance at being number one after the W. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring our Notre Dame coverage! Rumson-Fair Haven 39 Trinity Hall 33 – Girls Basketball The Rumson-Fair Haven Bulldogs defeated the Trinity Hall Monarchs on Saturday afternoon, improving their overall record to 14-8 for the season. Rumson-Fair Haven’s Grace Munt scored the game-high for the Dawgs with 16 points. This is the Bulldogs’ third win in a row. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Rumson: Thanks to Gold Coast Cadillac and Trinity Hall for allowing us to bring you this great girls basketball showdown!

Diamond Miller keeps Franklin perfect on the year!
Franklin 78 Trenton Catholic 66 Top ranked Franklin cruised to a 78-66 victory over No. 11 Trenton Catholic to remain undefeated on the year at 20-0. The Warriors took advantage of TCA’s early foul trouble to take a 37-25 lead at halftime. The second act was dominated by McDonald’s All-American Diamond Miller, the University of Maryland commit dropped 29 points. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring our Trenton Catholic coverage!

Watch Friday 2.8 JSZ Sectional Final Wrestling Highlights
It’s title time! The wrestling state sectionals are the first big tournament of the winter season and great teams always deliver. JSZ has highlights from three sectional championship matches around the state – Bergen Catholic vs. Delbarton, Phillipsburg vs. North Hunterdon and Point Beach vs. Shore Regional. Stay tuned throughout the night for all of our wrestling coverage! #2 Bergen Catholic 48 vs. #1 Delbarton 17 – North Non-Public A Final While Bergen Catholic still got wins from its nationally-ranked 182 and 195 pounders, it was heavyweight John High and 106-pounder Joe Cangro who were the heroes Friday night. They notched back-to-back pins to spark six-straight wins for the Crusaders as Bergen Catholic went on to win its eight-straight sectional championship. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Morristown: Shore Regional 45 Point Pleasant Beach 19 – Central Jersey Group 1 Final The Blue Devils busted open a 17-10 lead with back to back pins from Jamie Mazzacco and Brendon Denovaes at 182 and 190 pounds to seal an historic first ever sectional championship in front of a raucous crowd in West Long Branch. Sophomore Jack Maida’s pin at 106 clinched the title and a trip to Toms River this Sunday where Shore will face Kittatinny in the Group 1 state semifinals. JSZ has the highlights and post-match reaction from Shore’s special win: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Point Pleasant Beach is brought to you by Peak Coaching for Success – they are the reason we were able to bring you highlights of Shore and the Garnet Gulls! Phillipsburg 28 North Hunterdon 19 – North Jersey 2 Group 4 Final The Phillipsburg Stateliners won their 38th Sectional Title, and 6th in a row, against the North Hunterdon Lions on Friday night. The Stateliners won eight bouts, leading from the very beginning of the match. #1 Phillipsburg will take on #4 Wayne Valley at 11:30am on Sunday for the Group 4 Semifinals in Toms River. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Phillipsburg: Sponsor! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Phillipsburg is made possible by The Garnet Booster Club of Phillipsburg High School!

Watch Thursday 2.7 JSZ Hoops Highlights
We’ve got plenty of Thursday night basketball action! JSZ has highlights from Camden’s upset win over Paul VI, Seton Hall Prep and St. Peter’s Prep battling it out at the Dan Finn Classic and Phillipsburg eeking out a close win over Franklin. Stay tuned throughout the night for all the highlights! Camden 51 Paul VI 43 Camden picked up its third straight win with a 51-43 upset victory over No. 11 in the current NJ Top 20, Paul VI. The Panthers snapped PVI’s eight game streak thanks to some tough defensive play from bigs Lance Ware and TaQuan Woodley. Ware finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds while Woodley had 9 points and 12 rebounds. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Seton Hall Prep 49 St. Peter’s Prep 40 Ashton Miller was the spark plug Seton Hall Prep needed to capture its seventh consecutive win. Miller scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed game MVP honors to push the Pirates to a 14-6 record on the year. St. Peter’s Prep was led by freshman phenom Mark Armstrong, who scored a team-high 17 points for the Marauders. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from the opening night of the Dan Finn Classic in Bayonne: Phillipsburg 47 Franklin 46 Richard Manigault scored 21 points and Phillipsburg survived a late surge from the Warriors to hang on for a quality road victory in the Skylands Conference. The Stateliners had a 34-23 lead at the end of three quarters before Franklin stormed back in the 4th thanks to full court pressure. Franklin would come back to tie the game at 42, but Phillipsburg scored five straight points to take the lead. The Warriors would get a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but Tracy Brown’s three pointer was just off the mark. Watch the highlights from an exciting final moments: Thanks to the Garnet Booster Club for supporting JSZ’s coverage of Phillipsburg High all year long!

Rachel Kuhl Wins JSZ Central Jersey Game Ball
Old Bridge High School’s Rachel Kuhl won the Central Jersey Girls Game Ball for her performance during the game against J.P. Stevens. Kuhl scored 34 points, leading her team to a 62-53 win. She averages 21.7 points per game, and has 1,207 career points as a junior. Check out her full ceremony online right now:

St. Mary (Ruth.) Takes Home Both North Jersey Game Balls
St. Mary’s Janea Kelty and Nick Boyd took home this week’s North Jersey Game Balls for their performances last week during their games against Becton High School. Kelty scored 31 points, leading her team to a 60-36 victory. They are 13-5 for the season, and will head to Weehawken tonight for an away game. Check out her full ceremony online right now: Boyd scored 41 points against Becton, leading his team to an 83-75 win. The boys team will take on Weehawken at home. They head into this game with a 9-9 overall record. Check out his full ceremony online right now:

Nottingham’s Brandon Raba Wins NJM South Jersey Game Ball!
Coming off a Group 3 State Title hasn’t been easy for Nottingham but Brandon Raba has stepped up to the challenge of being the North Star’s go-to playmaker. In their game against Bordentown, Raba dropped 33 points. The fans have spoken and after countless hours of voting he is this week’s NJM Insurance South Jersey game Ball winner! JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez stopped by practice where father and North Stars Head Coach, Chris Raba presented him with his award: Take Our Poll Sponsor! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring all of our South Jersey Game Ball presentations! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring our Nottingham coverage! Have a question for Nery? Email him: nery@jerseysportszone.com

Howell Rebels Rolling, Move on SJG5 Finale
Howell is on the fast track to vying for their fourth-straight sectional championship – and they’re laser focused on that feat. It was all evident Wednesday night when Howell rallied behind Shane Reitsma and Christian Murphy to knock off Toms River North, 34-26, to move onto the South Jersey Group 5 sectional championship later this week. Reitsma grabbed a second period pin at 170 pounds and Murphy followed that up with a first period pin of his own at 195 pounds to cap off a 15-point swing and jolt the Rebels in front. Wednesday’s win also marked the 77th-straight dual match win for Howell. The win sets up a rematch with Southern in Manahawkin. Howell last defeated Southern, 33-15, in last year’s Group 5 final at RWJ Barnabas Arena in Toms River. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights: Howell 34 — Toms River North 26 Match Results 120: Ryan Rosenthal (TRN) tf. James McGee 5:48, (16-1) 126: Nick Reilly (TRN) d. Neiko Malone, 6-5 132: Darby Diedrich (H) by forfeit. 138: Mark Fedeli (TRN) d. Pierce Gomez, 4-2 145: Evan Richard (H) d. Sergio Boyda, 6-1 152: Nick Boggiano (TRN) d. Paul Jakub, 8-3 160: Jack Oleske (TRN) d. Xavier Kelly, 3-2170: Shane Reitsma (H) p. Matt Spalletta, 2:21182: Jake Nase (H) d. Alex Murrillo, 8-1195: Christian Murphy (H) p. Alex Vargas, :32 220: Joe Sardina (H) won by DQ over Vincent Palmieri, 3:57 (Stalling).HWT: John O’Donnell (TRN) d. Justin Wright, 2-1 (double OT)106: Ethan Liptzin (H) md. Jake Rosenthal, 8-0113: Alex Danielson (TRN) by forfeit Sponsor Shoutout! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of all Toms River North athletics is brought to you by CJA Construction!

Watch 2.6 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone is pleased to bring you statewide basketball coverage from 2.6. Check back in as we continue to post games throughout the evening! Moorestown 60 Ewing 50 Moorestown picked up back to back wins with a 60-50 victory over Ewing to improve to 15-5 on the year. After being tied for 3 quarters, the Quakers were able to pull away late in the fourth thanks to Nick Cartwright-Atkins who capped off a 20 point day. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsors! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring our Ewing coverage! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring our Moorestown coverage!

Bryan Antoine becomes Shore’s all-time leading scorer
The Ranney senior guard and Villanova bound McDonald’s All-American scored 30 points in a 103-43 Panthers win over Mater Dei Prep on Senior Night. JSZ captures the big moment and talks with Antoine and Scottie Lewis about a record that stood for 46 years Bryan Antoine sets Shore Conference all-time scoring mark What started as a senior night celebration for Ranney’s groundbreaking class morphed into the coronation of Bryan Antoine as the Shore Conference’s all-time leading scorer. Antoine needed 20 points against Mater Dei Prep to set the record that was set by Croydon Hall’s Norm Caldwell in 1975. Croydon Hall is now defunct and the record of 2,302 stood until the third quarter of the Panthers 103-43 victory. Antoine took a long feed from Scottie Lewis and slammed down the new Shore Conference mark. Antoine finished the game with 30 points. Watch our feature on this historic moment in Tinton Falls: Here’s the raw video of the three-pointer, followed by the dunk that set the Shore Conference scoring mark Bryan Antoine has been a highlight machine over the past four years on Jersey Sports Zone. In case you missed it, take a look at Antoine’s junior highlight reel!

Bishop Ahr’s Quadry Adams Wins Central Jersey Game Ball
Junior Quadry Adams won the Week 5 Central Jersey Game Ball for Bishop Ahr for his performance during the game against Carteret. He scored 20 points, leading his team to a 62-58 victory. Check out Quadry’s full ceremony online right now:

Hillside’s Brian Ugwu Commits to Rutgers
Hillside’s senior linebacker and running back, Brian Ugwu, officially made his decision and put the pen to paper on Wednesday afternoon. The 6-3, 228-pounder will attend Rutgers University next fall. Ugwu has had an accomplished high school career, leading his team to their first sectional title in 32 years. The multifaceted player received many offers from other Division I football programs such as University of Pittsburgh and Temple University. But, Ugwu decided to stay local and loyal to the team who has shown him love since the start of his recruitment process. JSZ’s Madison Bess was in Hillside for Ugwu’s special day:

Woodrow Wilson’s Stanley King Staying Home, Commits to Rutgers
Stanley King is ready to represent his home state at the next level. The 6-5, 175-pound wideout hailing from Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden put pen to paper Wednesday morning and officially signed his National Letter of Intent with Rutgers University. King has left a legacy as one of the best playmakers in South Jersey history. He was named an Under Armour All-American this season and posted 148 receptions, 2,516 yards and 28 touchdowns over his high school career. Watch JSZ’s highlight reel from King’s senior season: No. 8 was the main offensive weapon on a Woodrow Wilson squad that scored 34 points per game, accrued a 9-4 record and won the South Jersey Group 3 sectional title in a 22-14 win over Burlington Township. King was one of 12 wide receivers selected to JSZ’s All-Zone statewide team, joining the likes of Charles Njoku (UCLA), Jaaron Hayek (Villanova), John Metchie (Alabama), Ayir Asante (Holy Cross) and fellow Rutgers commit John Guaimano. This play making WR is staying home! Welcome to the Brotherhood, @StanleyK_‼️ pic.twitter.com/m2yfH8MxDq— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) February 6, 2019 King selected Rutgers over Western Michigan, where his high school quarterback and JSZ Zoneman Finalist Nick Kargman is committed to. King was initially verbally committed to Louisville but decommitted just before his senior year started.

Middletown Mayor’s Cup ends in tie for second straight year
A capacity crowd came to Ice World for the battle of Middletown. North against South is always a spirited rivalry game and once again did not disappoint. JSZ has the highlights from the Mayor’s Cup! Middletown North 3 Middletown South 3 Jesse Dickinson’s goal with 2:01 remaining in the third period gave Middletown North the equalizer as Middletown’s Mayor’s Cup ends in a deadlock for a second straight year. The Eagles got scores in the final seconds of the first and second period. Freshman Mike Ferlanti scored with 21 seconds to go in the first and Michael Hannigan scored with only 8 seconds remaining in the second to tie the game at 2. Demitri Forand gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead in the third on a power-play tally before Dickinson came through with the game-tying goal for North. Brian Lupo and Anthony Tavares had the other Lions goals. The two crosstown rivals play each other twice a year. The Lions won the 2018 opener 5-3, but since the Eagles won the Mayor’s Cup two years ago, Middletown South retains the Cup once again thanks to a second straight tie. Jersey Sports Zone has the highlights from one of the best ice rivalries in the Garden State: Jersey Sports Zone was at the Mayor’s Cup thanks to the support of Monmouth Building Center in Shrewsbury. Thanks to MBC for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of Middletown South

Secaucus’s Amanda Ulrich Scores 2,000th Career Point!
Senior St. Leo University Commit, Amanda Ulrich, scored her 2,000th career point on Tuesday night during the game against Lyndhurst. Ulrich is the seventh female basketball player in Hudson County history, and first from Secaucus High School, to hit 2,000th points. Ulrich went into the game on Tuesday with 1,995 points. She sunk a 3-pointer early on in the game, as well as a free throw. However, her second 3-pointer of the night is what got her to not only 2,000, but 2,002. Ulrich scored 18 points for the night, and now has 2,013 career points. But, the season is not over quite yet. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the full story from Secaucus:

Call Her Ms. 3,000: Michelle Sidor Reaches Landmark Milestone
Michelle Sidor has made 750 field goals, 395 three-pointers and 290 free throws in her three-and-a-half year career so far at Saddle River Day. Each of those buckets, plus the incalculable hours spent in the gym, culminated Tuesday night when Sidor became the fourth-ever girl in New Jersey history to score 3,000 career points. The dream became a reality after Sidor’s red-hot high school career start. She scored her 1,000th point as a sophomore, broke the 2,000 point barrier as a junior and eclipsed the all-time Bergen County scoring record just a few weeks back. Sidor joins St. Peter’s Kristen Somogyi (3,899), Wildwood’s Monica Johnson (3,173) and Belleville’s Jen Apicella (3,105) as the fourth girl in the 3,000 Point Club. And there’s plenty more on the horizon for the Michigan basketball commit. Sidor very well could end up the 2nd all-time scorer in state history — for both boys and girls — if Saddle River Day makes the postseason push its fans expect. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the story from Saddle River:

Roselle Catholic holds on to take down Patrick School for second time!
Roselle Catholic 48 Patrick School 42 The current second ranked team in New Jersey, Roselle Catholic picked up its third straight win with a 48-42 victory over fellow Top 20 opponent, The Patrick School. It was second time the Lions took down TPS this season, their first matchup ended 42-41 in favor of RC. This time around the Celtics were able to hold University of Kentucky commit Kahlil Whitney to just 12 points but it was the play of future UNLV Runnin’ Rebel, Josh Pierre-Louis in the second half that would be the difference maker. Roselle Catholic with this win on Senior Night improve to 20-2 on the year. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the call:

A special senior night at SJV for the Karpell’s
Saint John Vianney girls basketball coach Dawn Karpell and senior guard Sarah Karpell haven’t been caught up in the mother-daughter dynamic of their basketball relationship. The Lancers have been too focused competing among New Jersey’s best teams over the past four years. But when SJV scored a convincing 82-27 win against Neptune on Senior Night, coach and player took a moment to acknowledge that it’s been a special time for mother and daughter over the past four years. Coach Karpell has guided numerous elite athletes to the world of college basketball and Sarah is adding to the Lancer legacy. Karpell has signed to play Division I basketball in the Atlantic 10 at Fordham, but first she’s looking to lead her team to one more championship season before closing out her high school career. With so much attention paid to big scoring during hoops season, Sarah has never scored more than 20 points in a game in her career, yet it’s the sum of her entire game that has earned her the respect of the state and earned her the opportunity to play at the next level. Watch JSZ’s feature on a special senior night in Holmdel: Sarah Karpell trained at Reach Your Potential Training in Tinton Falls since the 8th grade. Thanks to the support of RYPT, JSZ is able to shine the spotlight on the incredible athletes who train to get the extra edge!

Watch 2.5 JSZ Wrestling Highlights
JSZ takes you to a pair of Shore Conference gyms for the opening round of the state sectional team tournament. We’ll have highlights from Long Branch’s title defense and a historic win for Rumson-Fair Haven on Ridge Road. #4 Long Branch 36 vs. #5 Northern Burlington 26 The Green Wave rolled to their Central Jersey Group 4 title defense behind four pins to capture a double-digit win over Northern Burlington. Pins came from Tracey Taylor, Kevin Cerruti, Joe Conlon and Steven Pabone. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Long Branch: Sponsor Shoutout! Thanks to Rosario Realty for their loyal sponsorship of all Long Branch Green Wave athletics. #3 Rumson-Fair Haven 33 vs. #6 Holmdel 30 The Rumson-Fair Haven Bulldogs defeated the Holmdel Hornets during the Central Jersey Group 2 quarterfinal match on Monday night. RFH’s two pins of the night came from 138-pound Max Brignola and 160-pound Jack Kelly. The Bulldogs will take on Raritan on Wednesday night for the semifinal round. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights and post-game reactions from Rumson: Sponsor! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Rumson-Fair Haven is made possible by Gold Coast Cadillac!

10 great nominees are up for JSZ New Jersey Devils January Goal of the Month!
Another tremendous month of NJ high school hockey highlights has ten nominees for the JSZ/New Jersey Devils January goal of the month. Jersey Sports Zone is excited to team with the New Jersey Devils for a second straight year to honor outstanding highlights from New Jersey high school hockey. We’re asking your vote for the top hockey goal of January captured by JSZ cameras. We have 10 great nominees from all around the state. Our poll stays open through Thursday at 3:00 pm. The winner of the poll will get one of our 5 spots for our plays of the month segment. The other four slots are selected by the Devils and JSZ staff. Our Top 5 goals for January will be honored during the Devils game against the Buffalo Sabres at the Prudential Center on February 17th. Watch some great goals and cast your vote! Take Our Poll The Devils roll out the red carpet and give JSZ’s goal of the month winners the VIP treatment. Watch our December honorees get to share a special moment with defenseman Damon Severson:

NJ hockey unites to support Brick Stars Super Sunday showcase
It’s become a Super Bowl Sunday tradition at the outdoor Avon Pond on the Jersey Shore. The US Wounded Warriors hockey team comes to Avon by the Sea to face off against the Brick Stars, a challenger program that features special needs athletes who get the chance to play in front of a capacity crowd. The program started nearly 10 years ago with eight athletes learning to play the sport and has blossomed. There was a huge turnout of Shore Conference hockey teams lending their support including CBA, Trinity Hall, Manasquan, Saint Rose, Point Pleasant Boro, Wall, Lacey and Central Regional. Three former NHL stars were on hand (Grant Marshall and Bruce Driver from the Devils and Nick Fotiu from the New York Rangers). Watch JSZ’s story on an inspiring day on the ice: To learn more about the Brick Stars visit their website HERE:

Bergen Catholic’s Tyler Devera Commits to Maryland
Tyler Devera emerged as New Jersey’s top tight end during his senior season and the Bergen Catholic product has officially made his college commitment. The 6-4, 225-pound Wayne native revealed he will continue his football career at Maryland. Devera made the official announcement via his Twitter account during Super Bowl LIII. C O M M I T T E D❗️…. LOCKS LESSONS🐢🐢#FearTheTurtle pic.twitter.com/Sh5Eoo8jpe— ₮Đ (@TylerDevera) February 3, 2019 Devera was the top receiving option in on an explosive Bergen Catholic offense that made it to the Non-Public Group 4 title game. Devera had a team-high 45 receptions for 613 yards and five touchdowns. Watch JSZ’s highlight reel of Tyler Devera’s senior season here: Tyler Devera was one of four tight ends named to JSZ’s 2018 All-Zone team, alongside Red Bank Catholic’s Kevin Bauman (Notre Dame), West Deptford’s Jason Collier (Pitt) and Hun’s Dylan Deveney (Georgia Tech). Devera whittled his Top 5 list down to Maryland, Colorado, Louisville, UMass and Rutgers, where he decommitted from prior to the 2018 season.

Buzzer Beaters, big stats headline JSZ Game Ball Nominees on Super Sunday
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. Thanks to everyone who made a nomination this week!

Zincone’s pair gives Seton Hall Prep big Gordon Conference win
JSZ has Saturday night hockey from Codey Arena as Seton Hall Prep scores a 2-1 win over Gloucester Catholic Seton Hall Prep 2 Gloucester Catholic 1 Freshman Patrick Zincone scored both goals including the game winner in the third period to give the Pirates a critical two points as the Gordon Cup regular season rapidly comes to a close. Zincone opened the scoring in the second period with a quick wrist shot. After Tyler Carter got the equalizer early in the third, Zincone was able to shoot the game winner in between the defenseman’s legs and over the right shoulder of the goalie to secure the win. JSZ has the highlights from a great Saturday night game at Codey Arena: JSZ’s coverage of Gloucester Catholic is made possible thanks to the support of NJM Insurance

Princeton Day’s Freddie Young Wins NJM South Jersey Game Ball
Freddie Young in just his second season the 6’2 sophomore has already made his mark at Princeton Day School. Freddie is well on his way to eclipsing 1,000 points as he needs just 230 more. In PDS’s game against Princeton, Young scored 24 points. The fans have spoken and he is this week’s NJM Insurance South Jersey game Ball winner! Watch his ceremony below: Take Our Poll Sponsor! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring all of our South Jersey Game Ball presentations!

Watch Saturday 2.2 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Conference tournaments are right around the corner! JSZ has Saturday hoops from around the state including the Roselle Catholic boys and girls squads in action, CBA and RBC battle for the Founders Cup and a tight matchup between Paul VI and Trenton Catholic. Roselle Catholic 56 St. Mary’s (Eliz.) 51 – Boys Basketball Roselle Catholic went on a clutch 9-0 in the final minutes against St. Mary’s (Eliz.) to secure yet another hard-fought win this season. The Lions were paced by Kahlil Whitney (23 points) and Cliff Omoruyi (10 points), but it was Josh Pierre-Louis who helped lead Roselle Catholic after being taken out of the game earlier with back and wrist injuries. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the highlights from the Tom Richel Memorial HoopFest: Paul VI 81 Trenton Catholic 77 – Boys Basketball No. 15 in the current NJ Top 20, Paul VI picked up their eighth consecutive win with an 81-77 victory over Trenton Catholic. Despite the Iron Mike’s having an eight game win streak coming in PVI was able to hold off TCA and Bulter University commit Khalif Battle. With a two point lead in the closing seconds Hantrel Haye came up with a game ending block against Battle. Haye finished the day with 24 points. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Trenton Catholic is made possible by Princeton Orthopaedic Associates! CBA 61 RBC 39 – Boys Basketball The Colts got 20 points from Stephen Braunstein and a 17 point 11 rebound effort from Josh Cohen to retain the Founders Cup for a third straight year. CBA busted open a one point lead at the end of one quarter to a 26-16 halftime advantage and poured it on in the second half to improve to 16-3 on the season. JSZ has the highlights from Lincroft: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Red Bank Catholic is made possible by Playa Bowls of Red Bank Roselle Catholic 48 Notre Dame 41 – Girls Basketball The Roselle Catholic Girls Basketball team defeated Notre Dame on Saturday morning, improving their overall record to 10-6 for the season. Jenissa Encarnacion scored the game-high 18 points for the Lions. Taniya Hanner scored the second highest number of points with 17. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the full highlights from Roselle: Sponsor! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Notre Dame is made possible by Princeton Orthopaedic Associates!

Watch Friday 2.1 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone is thrilled to bring you statewide basketball coverage from 2.1. Check back in as we continue to post games! Bishop Ahr 62 Carteret 58 Bishop Ahr picked up its second straight win with a 62-58 overtime victory against rival Carteret. The Trojans never trailed once during the game, keeping a small lead at the end of the first three quarters. However, Carteret stayed alive in the closing minute of the fourth to leave us tied at 50 entering OT. In extra time Bishop Ahr had a few mistakes but were able to overcome those errors and make free throws to ultimately help them walk away with the victory. Quadry Adams finished with 20 points, Zayon Marsh had 14. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Campozino restaurant for sponsoring our Carteret coverage!

Watch Friday 2.1 JSZ Hockey Highlights
What a way to kick off in February! Jersey Sports Zone was in Flemington and Middletown for some Friday night hockey. We’ll have highlights from Jude Kurtas’ career game for Hillsborough, Anthony Galante’s game-winning goal against Middletown South and an offensive explosion from Freehold Boro. Stay tuned throughout the night for all our hockey coverage! Marlboro 5 Middletown South 4 Anthony Galante scored with :15 seconds left in the game and Dan Gerts made 48 saves in a thrilling Shore Conference battle. Middletown South rallied from a 4-2 deficit with back to back goals from Michael Hannigan to draw even at four. The Eagles outshot Marlboro 52-25 and nearly got the game winner until Gerts made a stellar glove save on Dimitri Forand with only 23 seconds remaining. Galante took the puck off the draw and streaked down the left wing to score his 21st of the season. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from a great game! Thanks to Monmouth Building Center in Shrewsbury for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of Middletown South Hillsborough 9 Bridgewater-Raritan 3 Hillsborough junior Jude Kurtas had a night to remember as he scored five goals and eight total points, both career bests, in a 9-3 rout against Bridgewater-Raritan. Kurtas has emerged this season as one of New Jersey’s best players and now has 86 points (43 G, 43 A) as Hillsborough prepares for the state playoffs. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the highlights from Flemington: Sponsor Shoutout! Jersey Sports Zone is thankful for its great sponsors. If it wasn’t for Princeton Orthopaedic Associates (Hillsborough & Bridgewater-Raritan) and Total Rehab & Sports Medicine (Bridgewater-Raritan), we wouldn’t have been able to capture this career-night. Freehold Boro 9 Colonia 3 Sam Giove and Gabe Roman scored two goals apiece to pace the Colonials to a win at Middletown Ice World on their senior night. Freehold Boro raced out to a 3-0 lead, had a 4-2 advantage through one and added five more goals in the second period. JSZ has the highlights including a must see goal courtesy of Nick Ochlan: Playa Bowls at the Freehold Raceway Mall is the reason that we can bring you great moments from Freehold Boro High all year long!

Immaculata’s Jaden Honis Wins Week 4 North Jersey Game Ball!
Junior Jaden Honis took home the Week 4 North Jersey Boys Game Ball for his performance during the game against Somerville last week. He scored 29 points for Immaculata, leading the Spartans to an 80-64 win. Immaculata currently holds an 11-5 overall record. They hit their home court tomorrow night to take on Bound Brook. Check out Jaden’s full ceremony right now:

South Brunswick’s Justin Carbone Wins Week 4 Game Ball!
Justin Carbone won the Week 4 Central Jersey Game Ball for South Brunswick for his performance against Northern Burlington. Carbone scored 25 points for the Vikings, leading them to a 75-58 win. South Brunswick is currently 9-9 for the season. Check out Justin’s full ceremony right now:

Phillipsburg’s Cody Harrison: Top 10 to Big Ten
Phillipsburg High School’s Cody Harrison is currently the No. 1 152-pound wrestler in the state of New Jersey. Harrison’s statistics are remarkable. He is 14-1 so far this season with eight pins. Since his 2016/2017 season, he has won 63 matches, and only lost eight. Harrison is going into this year’s NJSIAA Wrestling Championships in Atlantic City having placed the past two years he has competed there. He was a Region 3 Champion last year, and finished 4th in the state in the 138-pound weight class. What’s on Harrison’s plate for next year? Big Ten Wrestling. Harrison recently announced his commitment to wrestle next year at Rutgers University. JSZ’s Madison Bess was in Phillipsburg with more details on next month’s NJSIAA Wrestling Championships and what’s in store for next year at RU: Sponsor! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Phillipsburg High School is made possible by The Garnet Booster Club of Phillipsburg High School!

Timber Creek wins Sicklerville Showdown
Timber Creek 64 Winslow 54 The Chargers score a road win to clinch the Olympic Conferece’s Patriot Division. Mike Frankel brings us the highlights from the Sicklerville Showdown in South Jersey:

Natalie Mehl of Steinert wins NJM South Jersey Game Ball!
Steinert’s Natalie Mehl is not a stranger to our ceremonies, last year she took home a JSZ Game Ball as a junior! Mehl who recently reached 1,000 points has been the Spartans go-to playmaker for most of career. In Steinert’s 69-45 victory over West Windsor-Plainsboro South, Natalie scored 25 points. The fans have voted and she is this week’s NJM Insurance South Jersey Game Ball winner. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez stopped by practice for her presentation ceremony: Take Our Poll Sponsor! Thank you to NJM insurance for sponsoring our all of our South Jersey Game Ball presentations! Have a question? E-Mail Nery: nery@jerseysportszone.com

Ridgefield Park’s Trisha Tellian Wins JSZ North Jersey Game Ball
Trisha Tellian was the lead scorer in Ridgefield Park’s best outing this season after she dropped a game-high 20 points in a 76-53 win against Tenafly last week. Tellian was nominated by Jersey Sports Zone for the North Jersey game ball and her friends and family voted furiously for her to win the fan poll. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the award presentation from Ridgefield Park: Take Our Poll

Ranney Hoops Gets Revenge, Dismantles Roselle Catholic
Ranney had to wait over 10 months to get their hands back on Roselle Catholic. And it seemed it was well worth the wait. Ranney dismantled the Lions, 61-49, to get revenge from the Non-Public “B” loss dealt by Roselle Catholic last season, before a sold-out crowd at the Robert J. Collins Arena at Brookdale Community College. Villanova-commit Bryan Antoine led the way with 25 points in the win and also received MVP honors. Florida-commit Scottie Lewis was largely held in check but fell just short of a double-double with 8 points and 10 rebounds. The X-Factor, though, was junior Phil Wheeler, who scored 10 points, gathered 12 rebounds and dominated the paint in the 2nd half to help secure Ranney’s win. Roselle Catholic’s Kahlil Whitney, a Kentucky commit, scored 15 points and UNLV commit chipped in 13. Highly-touted junior prospect Cliff Omoruyi accounted for a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, largely coming in the first half. It was one of the most anticipated regular season games in recent memory, considering three McDonald’s All-Americans (Whitney, Antoine and Lewis) suited up to play. Kentucky coach John Calipari was even in attendance to watch the spectacle. JSZ’s Jay Cook and Rich Chrampanis have the extensive highlights and coverage from Lincroft:

Rivalry Alert: Phillipsburg Wrestling Defeats Easton (PA) 40-22
The Phillipsburg Stateliners defeated Easton High School on Wednesday night in arguably one of the biggest high school wrestling rivalries between New Jersey and Pennsylvania public high schools. P’Burg came into this match with a 12-2 overall record, after losing last weekend’s match. After losing the first three bouts to Southern, P’Burg amped it up after sophomore Logan Maczko pinned Easton’s Alex Cameron in the 113-pound weight class. However, it was 120-pound freshman Joe Innamorato who put the Stateliners in the lead. He pinned Easton’s junior Anthony Daiello 3:16 in. The other two pins came from 138-pound Kyle Tino and 195-pound Austin Roth 2:32 and 5:29 into the bouts, respectively. The Phillipsburg Stateliners won eight out of 14 bouts for the night, registering four pins in total. The Stateliners walked away with a 40-22 victory, improving their overall record to 13-2 for the season. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the full highlights as well as a post-game reaction from Austin Roth: Sponsor! JSZ’s coverage of Phillipsburg is made possible by The Garnet Booster Club of Phillipsburg High School!

Watch Wednesday 1.30 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone is thrilled to bring you basketball highlights from Brookdale Community College featuring: No. 19 Manasquan vs. Jackson Liberty and No. 3 Ranney vs. No. 1 Roselle Catholic. Those highlights coming up! Carteret 76 Middlesex 67 Carteret picked up it’s seventh straight victory with a 76-67 win over Greater Middlesex Conference rival Middlesex. A barage of threes in the first quarter had the Ramblers out in front 22-14, but Middlesex fought back to take a 41-35 lead at halftime. Jahlil Nix stepped up when it mattered most for Carteret as he would take over the third quarter finishing with 21 points total. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Campozino restaurant for sponsoring our South River coverage!

Middletown South scores four third period goals to come from behind against Wall
Middletown South 5 Wall 2 Joe Ciervo scored a pair of goals and including the game tying goal and Sean Asaro delivered the game winner as part of a four goal outburst in the third period to give the Eagles a come from behind victory. Wall scored a pair of second period goals from Dan Mitrione and Bobby Seelinger to take a 2-1 lead heading into the third. Ciervo’s power play tally knotted the game and sparked four goals by the Eagles in the span of 4:52. Watch the highlights from the Shore Conference at Middletown Ice World: A special thanks to Monmouth Building Center in Shrewsbury for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of Middletown South!

Watch Tuesday 1.29 JSZ Hoops Highlights
JSZ has highlights from three basketball games tonight to prepare you for the biggest showdown of the regular season tomorrow. Stay tuned tonight as we’ll have highlights from Elizabeth’s dominant performance over Patrick School, a dazzling back and forth showdown between Marlboro and Long Branch plus the Southern Rams scoring a road win. Elizabeth 62 Patrick School 51 No. 9 in the current NJ Top 20, Elizabeth upset No. 8 The Patrick School to remain undefeated on the year at 16-0. It was the first time the Minutemen defeated TPS in 6 seasons. After trailing in the first two quarters Elizabeth fought back to take and hold a tight lead in the second act. Brenden Kelly finished with 14 points while Abdul Shanunu had 10. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Marlboro 72 Long Branch 67 – Boys Basketball Marlboro’s Dylan Kaufman dominated inside the paint and spoiled a special night for Marc Dennis as Kaufman dropped a career-best 32 points in a home win over the Green Wave. Dennis scored his 1,000th career on a long jumper early in the third quarter and ultimately finished with a career-high 36 points on the night. It was a back and forth battle between two of the Shore Conference’s best at their respective positions. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the highlights from Marlboro: Sponsor Shoutout! Jersey Sports Zone is thankful for our great sponsors who give us the ability to cover special moments of Garden State athletes. Thanks to Rosario Realty, we were able to capture Marc Dennis’ 1,000th career point. Cherokee 56 Eastern 52 – Boys Basketball Olare Oladipo scored 14 points to lead a balanced attack as the Chiefs clinch the Olympic American title with a hard fought win and overcoming a 26 point, 15 rebound night from Eastern’s Ryan Ems. Mike Frankel has the highlights from South Jersey: Southern Regional 44 Central Regional 36 – Girls Basketball The Southern Regional Rams traveled to Bayville to take on the Central Regional Golden Eagles for a Tuesday night Division match-up. Jacqueline Ward scored the game-high 19 points for the Rams, leading them to their third win in a row. Southern improved their overall record to 10-7 for the season. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the full highlights from Bayville:

Southern’s Kaela Curtin Wins Central Jersey Game Ball!
Southern Regional’s Kaela Curtin won the Week 4 Central Jersey Game Ball for her performance last week during the game against Lacey. Curtin scored 22 points and had 12 rebounds. Check out her full ceremony online right now:

Watch Monday 1.28 JSZ Hockey Highlights
Happy Monday! Jersey Sports Zone kicks off the final week of January hockey with a three-pack of great games. CBA and St. John Vianney go toe to toe, Seton Hall Prep and Pope John find themselves in a familiar finish and RFH and Freehold Township battle out the nightcap in Red Bank. Stay tuned for all the highlights! CBA 3 Saint John Vianney 1 Kyle Contessa broke a 1-1 tie with just :51 seconds left in the third period and Garrett Silverman’s second goal of the night sealed the deal on an empty netter as the Colts avenge last year’s 5-2 loss to the Lancers. SJV suffered its first loss of the season. Colin Meany scored on a breakaway early in the first period for the Lancers lone goal. JSZ has the highlights from the top two teams in the Shore Conference: Pope John 2 Seton Hall Prep 2 Pope John and Seton Hall Prep found themselves in familiar territory Monday evening after battling for 45 minutes to their second tie in the last 12 days. The back-and-forth contest featured great goaltending from these two net-minders and a couple of award-worthy goals. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Codey Arena: Rumson-Fair Haven 5 Freehold Township 2 The Rumson-Fair Haven Bulldogs took on the Freehold Township Patriots for a Shore showdown at the Red Bank Armory on Monday night. The Bulldogs scored three goals in the first period alone, setting them up well for the rest of the game. RFH improved their overall record to 8-6-2 for the season. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Red Bank: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Rumson-Fair Haven is made possible by Gold Coast Cadillac!

Watch Sunday 1.27 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone is pleased to bring you basketball coverage from 1.27. Check back in as we continue to post games from: No. 12 Camden vs. No. 2 Roselle Catholic, Gill St. Bernard’s vs. Ranney, No. 3 St. John Vianney vs. No. 2 Saddle River Day (Girls) and more! Gill St. Bernard’s 62 Ranney 60 – Boys Basketball Connor Murphy had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Paul Mulcahy’s two free throws in the final minute proved to be the difference in an epic battle that saw the Knights knock off NJ’s top ranked team. GSB raced out to a 24-8 lead, but Ranney rallied and an Alex Klatsky half court shot made it a 32-27 Knights lead at the half. Ahmadu Sarnor in his first game this season tied the game at 60 on a driving layup, but Phil Wheeler missed the front end of a one and one with 3 seconds left to give GSB the win. Watch the highlights and post-game reaction from a thriller at the Hearts 2 Hands Invitational at Kean University: Roselle Catholic 97 Camden 66 – Boys Basketball Kahlil Whitney (32 points) and Josh Pierre-Louis (30 points) both post career highs as the Lions put on a dominating effort against the #12 ranked team in the state. Cliff Omoruyi added 16 points on a dazzling dunk display. JSZ has the highlights from Kean University: St. John Vianney 67 Saddle River Day 56 – Girls Basketball Senior Sajada Bonner was the driving force St. John Vianney needed to topple a stacked Saddle River Day lineup. Bonner led SJV with 26 points in a decisive win in a battle between two of the top three teams in the Garden State. The Lancers also employed stifling defense all game long. Michelle Sidor led Saddle River Day with 19 points in the loss. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Holmdel high School at the Coaches Choice USA Showcase: St. Mary’s (Elizabeth) 74 West Side 58 – Boys Basketball No. 11 in the current NJ Top 20, St. Mary’s (Elizabeth) knocked off No. 8 Newark Westside with a 74-58 upset victory at Kean University on Sunday afternoon. After trailing by two points to close out the first quarter, the Hilltoppers awoke thanks to a scoring frenzy by Izaiah Robinson to lead 37-22 at halftime. Robinson would finish with 22 points and 5 assists while Phil Brown contributed 15 points. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Manasquan 60 Patrick School 32 – Girls Basketball Lola Mullaney and Faith Masonius left no doubt Sunday afternoon in Holmdel as Manasquan’s dynamic duo each notched double-doubles and combined for 45 points and 23 rebounds in a blowout win against Patrick School. Mullaney had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Masonius scored 19 and grabbed 11 boards. Manasquan is 13-3 on the season and has a huge rematch Friday night against St. Rose. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Holmdel high School at the Coaches Choice USA Showcase:

Five Dozen NJ Basketball Players Up for Final January JSZ 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.

No. 1 Nationally-Ranked Blair Gets Sweet Revenge, Rolls Through No. 4 Bergen Catholic
They had to wait well over 365 days, but it sure was worth it. No. 1 nationally-ranked Blair Academy got its long-awaited revenge on No. 4 ranked Bergen Catholic Saturday night as the Bucs took it to the limit and wiped out the Crusaders, 45-20, at Lehigh University. The Bucs won 10 of the 14 bouts and got major bonus points thanks to pins by Josh Gobencion, Domonic Mata, Julian Ramirez and Daniel Wask. The win comes a year after Bergen Catholic defeated Blair, 33-19, in Oradell to capture the Who’s No. 1 Duals title. It was the first time Bergen Catholic had ever defeated Blair. JSZ’s Jay Cook has highlights from every single match inside Lehigh University’s Grace Hall: Blair Academy 45 — Bergen Catholic 20 Match Results 113: Ryan Miller (BLAIR) d. Nick Kayal, 3-1 120: Trevor Mastrogiovanni (BLAIR) d. Dylan Cedeno, 5-1 126: Robert Howard (BC) d. Michael Colaiocco, 3-2 132: Shane Van Ness (BLAIR) d. Anthony Ferrari, 5-1 138: Travis Mastrogiovanni (BLAIR) md. Alex Strashinsky, 11-3 145: Joshua Gobencion (BLAIR) p. Nate Camiscoli, 4:47 152: Nicholas Incontrera (BLAIR) d. Wade Unger, 3-1 SV 160: Domonic Mata (BLAIR) p. Adrian Pietri, 0:32 170: Julian Ramirez (BLAIR) p. John Fiore, 0:22 182: Christopher Foca (BC) p. Peyton Craft, 5:14 195: Jacob Cardenas (BC) p. Sanoussi Kane, 0:24 220: A.J. Ferrari (BC) tf. Elijah Anthony, 16-1 HWT: Owen Trephan (BLAIR) tf. John High, 19-4 106: Daniel Wask (BLAIR) p. Joseph Cangro, 3:14 Sponsor Shoutout! Jersey Sports Zone was able to be on hand for this match between two nationally-ranked high school teams thanks to Equinox Fitness Clubs, JSZ’s sponsor for Bergen Catholic!

No. 16 Southern Regional Boys Wrestling Upsets No. 7 Phillipsburg
The Southern Regional Rams skipped the Shore Conference Tournament this weekend, and instead hosted the Phillipsburg Stateliners on Saturday afternoon. Phillipsburg went into the match with an 11-1 record, after Hunterdon Central handed them their first loss on Thursday. The 152-pound weight class was the third bout of the day. Cody Harrison, the No. 1 152-pound class wrestler, took on Southern’s Nick O’Connell. O’Connell won the bout 11-3. The 120-pound weight class resulted in the only pin of the day. Southern’s Matt Brielmeier pinned Phillipsburg’s Joe Innamorato, sealing the deal for the Rams. Southern Regional walked away with a 32-16 upset win, improving their overall record to 11-4 for the season. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Manahawkin as well as a post-game reaction from O’Connell: Sponsor! JSZ’s coverage of Phillipsburg is made possible by The Garnet Booster Club of Phillipsburg High School!

Howell claims four individual titles and team crown at Shore Conference Wrestling
Nieko Malone wins Most Outstanding Wrestler at 126 pounds to highlight four Howell Rebels capturing titles at the Shore Conference championships at Red Bank Regional. JSZ has highlights and post-match reaction from 13 championship matches! The Howell Rebels won the 2019 Shore Conference team title thanks to four individual champions and two second-place finishes at Red Bank Regional High Schoool Jackson Memorial and Saint John Vianney produced two individual champions apiece. 120 pounds: (1) Vin Scollo (Jackson Memorial) defeats (2) Logan Waller (Colts Neck) 5-1 126 pounds: (5) Nieko Malone (Howell) defeats (2) Michael Conklin (Toms River East) 13-11 Malone was named outstanding wrestler of the meet thanks to his upset victory over the second seed 132 pounds: (2) Darby Diedrich (Howell) defeats (1) Hunter Gutierrez (Lacey) 7-1 138 pounds: (1) Alex Baran (Manalapan) defeats (3) Al DeSantis (Shore) 3-1 145 pounds: (1) Nick Boggiano (Toms River North) defeats (2) Luke Rada (Colts Neck) 5-1 152 pounds: (1) Paul Jakub (Howell) pins (3) Carsten DiGiantomasso (Jackson Memorial) 1:23 The sophomore has now won two straight Shore Conference titles 160 pounds: (1) Rob Kanniard (Wall) wins by forfeit over (2) Xavier Kelly (Howell) 170 pounds: (1) Shane Reitsma (Howell) defeats (2) Matt Benedetti (Manalapan) 9-4 182 pounds: (1) Nick Addison (Rumson-Fair Haven) defeats (3) Christian Murphy (Howell) 11-4 195 pounds: (2) Kyle Epperly (Jackson Memorial) won by injury default over (1) Jacob Anderson (Middletown North) 3:12 220 pounds: (1) Billy Borowski (Point Pleasant Boro) defeats (11) John O’Donnell (Toms River North) 2-0 285 pounds: (1) Paul Liseno (Saint John Vianney) pins (3) Joe Teresi (Ocean) 1:46 Liseno wins the heavyweight bracket for a second straight year 106 pounds: (1) Tyler Klinsky (Middletown North) pins (2) Jack Maida (Shore Regional) 4:46 The Lions junior scored his 100th win earlier in the tournament and improves to 25-0 after handing Maida his first loss of the year: 113 pounds: (1) Dean Peterson (Saint John Vianney) defeats (2) Vincent Santaniello (Brick Memorial) 5-2 NJ’s #1 ranked and #5 in the nation scores the win to remain unbeaten. It’s Peterson’s second consecutive Shore Conference title Shore Conference Tournament Team Results Howell – 187.5Jackson Memorial – 136.5Toms River North – 106Middletown North – 103.5Shore Regional – 98Rumson-Fair Haven – 96.5Point Pleasant Boro – 90Saint John Vianney – 87.5Ocean Township – 82.5Manalapan – 76.5

Watch Saturday 1.26 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone is pleased to bring you basketball coverage from the Jeff Coney Classic at Rancocas Valley Camden Catholic 51 Moorestown 35 Camden Catholic has now won 10 of their last 11 games to improve to 12-3 on the year. Their latest victory against Moorestown featured a stunning performance from Babatunde Alike and Uche Okafor who combined for 30 points and 24 rebounds. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring both our Camden Catholic and Moorestown coverage! St. Augustine 64 Burlington Township 54 St. Augustine picked up their sixth win in a row with a 64-54 victory over Burlington Township to improve to 12-2 on the year. Leading just 27-25 at halftime the Hermits were able to dominate in the second act thanks to a 33 point performance from Senior Charles Solomon. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights:

Watch Friday 1.25 JSZ Hockey Highlights
We’ve got two Friday night tilts from New Jersey high school hockey. Southern Regional upped its unbeaten streak to five and Mahwah and Wayne deadlock at the Ice Vault. Watch all the action! Southern Regional 9 Toms River North 2 Joe Cezjak had a hat trick on his senior night and Zach Minafo and Chris Laureigh added two goals each as the Rams upped its unbeaten streak to five games. JSZ has the highlights from Shore Conference action in Toms River: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Toms River North is brought to you by CJA Construction Wayne Hills 4 Mahwah 4 The Wayne Knights and the Mahwah Thunderbirds took it to Ice Vault Arena for a Friday night face-off. The Knights scored twice in the last 1:12 of the game, tying the game 4-4 with just three seconds left. The Thunderbirds and the Knights are ranked 1st and 2nd in the Big North – Liberty Stars Conference, respectively. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the full highlights from Wayne:

Watch Friday 1.25 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Grab a seat and enjoy some serious Friday night basketball highlights! Jersey Sports Zone has coverage from Roselle Catholic’s nail-biting win against Gill St. Bernard’s, All-American Diamond Miller’s next career achievement and a CVC battle between the West Windsor-Plainsboro high schools. Enjoy! Roselle Catholic 48 Gill St. Bernard’s 47 – Boys Basketball Chalk this one up as a game-of-the-year nominee. After only scoring 16 points and trailing by double-digits at the half, Roselle Catholic (16-1) relied heavily on senior guard Colby Rogers as he hit a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining in regulation to cap off a come-from-behind win against Gill St. Bernard’s. Rogers dropped a game-high 24 points with five three-pointers to spark the comeback. Newly-minted McDonald’s All-American Kahlil Whitney was off but still managed to score 13 points. Gill St. Bernard’s led 26-16 at the half and was paced by junior forward Zach Martini, who dropped a monstrous 19-point, 17-rebound double-double. Rutgers commit Paul Mulcahy chipped in with eight points in the loss. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the highlights from the Friday nightcap to the Hearts 2 Hands Invitational: Franklin 73 Patrick School 50 – Girls Basketball One day after being selected as a McDonald’s All-American, Franklin’s Diamond Miller scored her 2,000th career point in a blowout win Friday night. Miller, a University of Maryland commit, scored a game-high 27 points in the win. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the highlights plus Miller’s thoughts from the Hearts 2 Hands Invitational in Gladstone: West Windsor-Plainsboro North 53 West Windsor-Plainsboro South 40 – Boys Basketball West Windsor-Plainsboro North picked up its second win in a row with a 53-40 victory over Colonial Valley Conference and crosstown rival West Windsor-Plainsboro South. The Knights took a slim 18-15 lead at halftime but turned it on in the third quarter to eventually lead by as many as 20 points. Jaden Sands had 17 points for North. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our West Windsor-Plainsboro North and West Windsor-Plainsboro South coverage! Donovan Catholic 55 Manchester Township 45 – Boys Basketball Freshman Amari Petty sparked a 13-0 run late in the third quarter with six straight points to help Donovan Catholic won its third straight game. Matt Melon led the Griffins with 14 with Petty and Braeden Kunzman adding a dozen. JSZ has the highlights from Toms River:

Wayne Hill’s Charles Njoku Commits to UCLA
The top remaining uncommitted wideout in New Jersey has made his college choice. Charles Njoku, the 6-4, 200 pound wide receiver from Wayne Hills High School, announced Friday night he will be attending UCLA. Appreciated the journey but my story isn’t finished yet. COMMITED…all glory to god pic.twitter.com/ATOl5Wqzx8— C.C ΝJΘΚU (@Charles_Njoku3) January 26, 2019 Njoku was arguably New Jersey’s most dominant wide receiver during the 2018 season. He hauled in 52 catches, 1,106 yards and a staggering 16 touchdown receptions. Watch JSZ’s highlight reel from Njoku’s senior season here: Njoku was the top weapon on a high-octane Wayne Hills team that went 11-2, scored 34.9 points per game, won the North 1 Group 4 sectional final and also captured the inaugural North Group 4 Bowl at MetLife Stadium. If his last name sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Older brother David Njoku played tight end at the University of Miami and was selected 29th overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2017 NFL Draft. His other brother, Evidence Njoku, is a redshirt freshman wide receiver currently enrolled at the University of Miami.

Assemblyman Wimberly Pushing for Increased Sensitivity Training in NJ Sports Programs
Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Passiac) has been around high school sports for more than half his life. He’s experienced levels of discrimination and unconscious bias over those years and says it still exists to this day. That’s why Wimberly is the lead sponsor on a bill creating guidelines for mandatory sensitivity training programs aimed at all athletic directors, coaches and referees associated with all public and non-public high schools sanctioned by the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association. The bill was unanimously voted out of the state’s Assembly Education Committee Thursday afternoon as legislators from both sides of the aisle pledged their support. Jersey Sports Zone’s Jay Cook was in Trenton for the hearing and has the story: Wimberly believes the training program should occur every four years and educate on topics like gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disabilities, religious tolerance, unconscious bias and diversity and inclusion. The bill, A-4679, still needs a sponsor in the state senate before it can progress through that legislative body. There’s no timeline on when the bill could reach the Assembly and Senate floor for a vote.

Watch Thursday 1.24 JSZ Hoops Highlights
An exciting night of Thursday night hoops on JSZ! We’ve got a Dwaine Jones buzzer beater that allowed Neptune to spoil Rob Higgins’ 2000th career point in Middletown, plus Rumson-Fair Haven snapping RBC’s 12 game win streak and St. Joe’s-Metuchen scoring a GMC win. On the girls side, Newark Tech took out East Orange, improving their overall record to 12-2. Watch it all here! Neptune 66 Middletown North 63 Dwaine Jones hit a step back three-pointer at the buzzer as Neptune spoiled Rob Higgins 2000 point milestone. Higgins came into the game needing 20 points to reach 2K and after 17 points in the first half, hit the mark midway through the third quarter. Higgins becomes the 8th player in Shore Conference history and the 100th in New Jersey. Neptune had a 10 point lead with under four minutes to go in the fourth, but Higgins would score 10 straight points to draw the Lions even. Jones and Higgins traded three-pointers to tie the game at 63. Jones played the spoiler with a fantastic shot from the corner with Higgins in his face. Jones had 23 and Higgins finished with 37 including 17 in the final eight minutes. JSZ has all the excitement from a great game in Middletown: Rumson-Fair Haven 51 Red Bank Catholic 43 Jackson McCarthy scored 19 points and sparked an 8-0 third quarter run to give RFH a season sweep of RBC and snapping the Caseys 12 game win streak. Ian O’Connor added 15 as RFH is now 12-2 on the season. JSZ has the highlights of Shore Conference action in Red Bank: Thanks to Gold Coast Cadillac (Rumson-Fair Haven) and Playa Bowls of Red Bank (RBC) for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of these two great schools! St. Joseph (Metuchen) 54 Monroe 43 St. Joe’s (Metuchen) picked up its third straight victory with a 54-43 win over Greater Middlesex Conference- Red Division rival, Monroe. After staying tied in first two quarters of play the Falcons came alive in the second half to eventually dominate the fourth quarter with a comfortable lead. Senior Jack Hogarty finished with 18 points. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring our Monroe coverage! Newark Tech 64 East Orange 41 | Zianna Goda 24 points Newark Tech improved their overall record to 12-2, after playing an exceptional game against East Orange on Thursday night. Zianna Goda scored 24 points, and 16 points alone in the first for the Terriers. Nia Mallette and Mariah Perez scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. Mallette and Perez both walked away with double-doubles. Mallette had 10 assists in addition to her 12 points, and Perez had 15 rebounds. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Newark:

Newark Tech’s Mariah Perez Wins Week 3 Central Jersey Game Ball
University of Dayton commit, Mariah Perez, won the Week 3 JSZ Game Ball for Newark Tech after scoring her 1,000th point during the game against West Orange last week. Perez led the Terriers to a 66-33 victory against the West Orange Mountaineers. However, JSZ’s Madison Bess was at Newark Tech’s game against East Orange on Thursday night for Mariah’s full ceremony:

Jackson Memorial’s Kristina Donza Wins JSZ Central Jersey Game Ball
There’s no denying the impact of a dominant double-double. That’s exactly why voters across the Garden State overwhelmingly selected Jackson Memorial’s Kristina Donza for our Central Jersey Week Three game ball winner after her 20-point, 13-rebound performance against Brick on Jan. 17. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the presentation from Jackson: Take Our Poll There were nearly 21,000 votes cast this past week in the Central Jersey girls game ball poll. Coaches — please feel free to nominate a player by reaching out to Rich@JerseySportsZone.com.

Four NJ hoops players to play in McDonald’s All-American Game
New Jersey’s reputation as a basketball hotbed speaks for itself and the prestigious McDonald’s All-Amercan Game has taken notice. Three NJ boys and an NJ girl are heading to Atlanta to compete in the premiere All-Star game on March 27! JSZ has highlight reels of the newest McDonald’s All-Americans. The McDonald’s All-American high school basketball game has become one of the most prestigious invites a player can receive. With an alumni list littered with current and past NBA and WNBA superstars, there are just 24 spots reserved for the very best from high school basketball. For the second straight year, New Jersey has three selections for the boys game. The Ranney duo of Scottie Lewis (Florida) and Bryan Antoine (Villanova) were selected along with fellow five star recruit Kahlil Whitney (Kentucky) from Roselle Catholic. On the girls side, Franklin’s Diamond Miller (Maryland) is the lone representative from the Garden State. Lewis is part of the East roster, while Antoine and Whitney will play together on the West squad. Bryan Antoine – Ranney One of the best scorers in New Jersey hoops history, Antoine is currently closing in on becoming the Shore Conference’s all-time leading scorer. He is signed, sealed and delivered to play in Philadelphia for Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats. Scottie Lewis – Ranney The future Florida Gator has seen his already high profile skyrocket following a sensational 26 point performance on national television in Ranney’s 73-63 win over Federal Way (WA) in the Hoophall Classic in Springfield. Kahlil Whitney – Roselle Catholic Whitney is regarded across the board as a top-10 national player and the future Kentucky Wildcat has shown that the hype is real. Like Antoine and Lewis, Whitney is projected as a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Precious Achiuwa, Monteverde (FL) – formerly Saint Benedict’s Prep In addition to the Ranney duo and Whitney, another player with New Jersey ties is on the McDonald’s All-American list. Precious Achiuwa, who played last season for St. Benedict’s Prep and is now at Monteverde in Florida will play on the East roster alongside Lewis in Atlanta. Achiuwa is one of the top uncommitted players in the class of 2019. Diamond Miller, Franklin The Maryland signee will represent New Jersey as the lone girls reprentative. A JSZ 2018 Player of the Year finalist, Diamond’s stellar resume is highlighted by playing for the US Under 16 women’s squad and leading Franklin to a Tournament of Champions title: Click HERE to see the full McDonald’s All-American Game rosters

Blair Bucs Basketball Gets Revenge on St. Benedict’s Prep
Blair Academy sure knows how to make a statement. Star junior Jabri Abdur-Rahim dropped a game-high 24 points to pace Blair (13-3) to a 74-61 win over St. Benedict’s Prep in a battle of two of New Jersey’s top prep school programs. The win served as a bit of revenge for Blair after the Bucs fell in heartbreaking fashion to St. Benedict’s Prep, 59-58, in last year’s Prep A final. University of Pennsylvania commit Jordan Dingle also put up 22 points for the Buccaneers. St. Benedict’s was led by junior C.J. Wilcher’s 16 points, but Blair was simply too much to handle from the second quarter on. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Blairstown:

Watch Wednesday 1.23 JSZ Hockey Highlights
We’ve got two Wednesday night ice battles in the New Jersey high school ranks. CBA bounces back from a loss to Don Bosco with a big home win over Pope John plus we’ve got Manalapan and Freehold Boro from the Shore Conference CBA 4 Pope John 1 Kyle Contessa scored twice and the Colts wiped out an early 1-0 deficit to score four straight goals to score a Gordon Conference win. Josh Scharf and freshman Zach Wagnon also scored for CBA who improves to 14-2-1 and gets back on track after a 5-1 loss to top ranked Don Bosco on Sunday night. JSZ has the highlights from Wall: Manalapan 9 Freehold Borough 5 | Ryan Marsala Hat Trick The Manalapan Braves defeated Freehold Borough 9-5 on Wednesday night, improving their overall record to 7-7-3 for the season. Manalapan’s Joe Mazza scored twice for Manalapan, both of his goals being just about seven minutes apart in the first. However, Marsala scored a Hat Trick for the Braves, scoring one in the second and two in the third. He has now scored 10 goals so far this season. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Middletown: Sponsor! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Freehold Borough is made possible by Playa Bowls located in the Freehold Raceway Mall!

Paulsboro’s Keyshun Sanders wins NJM Insurance South Jersey Game Ball!
Paulsboro freshman Keyshun Sanders might be our youngest Game Ball winner to date. Sanders In his first varsity season has already scored over 200 points. In the Raiders game against Florence, Keyshun had 18 points and 10 steals to lead Paulsboro to a 71-54 victory. For this performance the fans have voted him this week’s NJM Insurance South Jersey Game Ball winner! JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez stopped by practice to present him with his Game Ball: Take Our Poll Sponsor! Have a question? Email Nery: nery@jerseysportszone.com

Lexy Linton of Rancocas Valley wins NJM South Jersey Game Ball!
In only her sophomore season Rancocas Valley’s Lexy Linton has already made her mark for the Red Devils. Linton is currently averaging 18 points a game and has doubled her point total from last year for a career Toal of 330. In RV’s 66-48 victory over Pennsauken she dropped 25 points, for this performance the fans have spoken and she is this week’s Nom Insurance South Jersey Game Ball winner! JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez stopped by practice for her acceptance ceremony: Sponsor! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring all of our South Jersey Game Ball presentations! Take Our Poll Have a question? Email Nery: nery@jerseysportszone.com

Chad Martini Wins Week 3 Game Ball For Watchung Hills
Watchung Hills’ Chad Martini took home the Week 3 North Jersey Game Ball for his performance during the game against Gill St. Bernard’s. Martini scored 17 points and had 12 rebounds, leading the Warriors to a 64-60 victory. JSZ’s Madison Bess was at Watchung Hills Regional High School for Martini’s full ceremony:

Hopewell Valley Rolls R’Ville, Wins 39th Straight CVC Dual
There’s just no stopping them. Hopewell Valley used a 33-point outburst over the final six bouts to take control, clinch a win and secure yet another Colonial Valley Conference Valley Division title in a 45-22 win over Robbinsville Tuesday night. That nearly three-dozen point run was sparked by pins from Brandon Bowman at 182 pounds, heavyweight John Snyder and Jacob Venezia at 113 pounds. Hopewell Valley has now won 39-straight CVC dual and has won 93 out of their last 94 CVC duals. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Hopewell: Match Results Hopewell Valley 45 — Robbinsville 22 120: Drake Torrington (ROBB) over Allen Lopez (Fall 1:00) 126: Joey Vannozzi (HVH) over Isaiah Lederman (Dec. 17-10) 132: Vincent Truong (ROBB) over Alejandro Lopez (Dec. 7-6) 138: Ryan Kanner (ROBB) over Aaron Longo (Dec. 6-2) 145: Justin Venezia (HVH) over Nick Migliaccio (Fall 1:26) 152: Jack Milazzo (ROBB) over Heath Trainor (MD 16-4) 160: Sean Santora (HVH) over Stephen Perna (Dec. 8-4) 170: Garrett Bilgrav (ROBB) over Josh Beigman (Fall 2:40) 182: Brandon Bowman (HVH) over Ian Kempton (Fall 1:15) 195: Brian LaCross (HVH) Forfeit 220: Christian Cacciabaudo (HVH) Forfeit 285: John Snyder (HVH) over Mateo Cruz (Fall 0:48) 106: Christian Micikas (HVH) over Shailen Savur (Dec. 6-0) 113: Jacob Venezia (HVH) over Aiden Weil (Fall 0:29) Double Sponsor Alert! Thanks to loyal sponsors like Princeton Orthopaedic Associates, Jersey Sports Zone was able to be on hand and capture this Mercer County rivalry between Robbinsville and Hopewell Valley!

Watch Tuesday 1.22 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone is pleased to bring you statewide basketball coverage from 1.22. We’ve got three great boys games. Elizabeth remains unbeaten passing another test, Manasquan gets a season sweep of Shore rival Rumson-Fair Haven and Delsea gets a monster game from Javon Gordon in a South Jersey win at Cumberland. Watch all the highlights now! Elizabeth 68 Union Catholic 47 No. 9 in the current NJ Top 20, Elizabeth remained undefeated on the year with 68-47 victory over No. 15 Union Catholic. Despite taking the first matchup in a grueling triple overtime game, the Minutemen cruised to a W thanks to some great defense and a shining 14 point, 11 rebound performance from Senior Jesiah West. Jordan Price finished with 20 points while DJ Watkins added 13. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Manasquan 49 Rumson-Fair Haven 41 Alex Galvan had 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Warriors completed a regular season sweep of RFH and snapping the Bulldogs 10 game win streak. Brad McCabe added 13 points and 13 boards in the victory to give Manasquan a 14-2 record. JSZ has the highlights from this Shore Conference battle: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Rumson-Fair Haven is made possible by Gold Coast Cadillac Delsea 73 Cumberland 33 Javon Gordon scores 27 points to lead the Crusaders to a dominant road win. SNJ Today’s Mike Frankel has the highlights from South Jersey: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Delsea is made possible by NJM Insurance

Woodbridge’s Kyree Henry Wins Week 3 Central Jersey Game Ball
Sophomore Kyree Henry from Woodbridge High School won the Week 3 Central Jersey Game Ball for his performance during the game against North Brunswick. Henry scored 24 points during the game against North Brunswick, leading the Barrons to a 75-68 win. JSZ’s Madison Bess was in Woodbridge for Henry’s full ceremony:

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 help the Royal Knights capture their seventh consecutive win this season. Under new head coach Ben Gamble, Marist has already equaled its win total of 10 games from a year ago. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Long Branch’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Showcase: Trenton 62 Piscataway 53 Trenton picked up its fourth win in a row with a 62-53 victory over Piscataway in the MLK Round Ball Classic from New Brunswick high school. After trailing 21-18 after the first quarter, the Tornados outscored their opponent 17-8 in the second to take a 35-29 lead at halftime. Nassir Hodge was named MVP of the game for his 17 points and 5 rebounds as Trenton improves to 11-3 on the year. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring our Trenton coverage! Long Branch 57 Lakewood 36 The Long Branch Green Wave defeated Lakewood in the last game of the MLK Scholarship Basketball Showcase at Long Branch High School on Monday. The Green Wave had two players score in the double digits: Marc Dennis and Devyn Blount. Dennis scored 12 and Blount scored 11. Blount also won the MVP award for his performance during the game against the Piners. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Rosario Realty for sponsoring our Long Branch coverage! Thank you to the Law Firm of Michael Inzelbuch for sponsoring our Lakewood coverage!

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

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 row with a 72-53 victory over Middletown South. After a close first half CBA closed out the final two quarters strong as they outscore their opponent in the third alone. Steve Braunstein was a sparking plug for the Colts in the second half, finishing with 15 points, Josh Cohen had 18. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Monmouth Building Center for sponsoring our Middletown South coverage! Rumson-Fair Haven 60 Marlboro 51 – Boys Basketball Ian O’Connor had 28 points and 15 rebounds and freshman Geoff Schroeder scored eight straight points to start the 4th quarter to break a 35-35 tie as the Bulldogs get to 10-1 on the season. Schroeder was scoreless in the first three quarters but erupted for 14 in the final eight minutes. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from Rumson: Jersey Sports Zone brings you great highlights from Rumson-Fair Haven thanks to Gold Coast Cadillac in Oakhurst! St. Rose 66 National Christian Academy (MD) 52 – Girls Basketball St. Rose sent a message to the national pundits after knocking off nationally-ranked National Christian Academy, a team loaded with five nominees for the 2019 McDonald’s All American game. Brynn Farrell and Lauren Lithgow each scored 22 points in the win and Neptune-transfer Makayla Andrews notched nine points and six rebounds in the win. This game was meant to be played in Brooklyn, but the impending snow storm forced a change of venue. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Belmar: Sponsor Alert! Thanks to RYPT – Reach Your Potential Training, Jersey Sports Zone was able to be on hand to capture this great moment for the Purple Roses. Middletown North 50 Howell 49 – Girls Basketball – Autism Awareness Showcase Middletown North defeated Howell at home during their Autism Awareness Showcase matchup. The Middletown North Lions picked up their first win after a three-game losing streak. After being defeated by the Howell Rebels earlier in the season, the Lions got their revenge with one point. Moe Golembieski scored the team-high 12 points for North. Gina Palladino and Victoria Palladino scored 11 and 10, respectively. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Middletown:

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 drive the win. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from an electric atmosphere in Point Pleasant: Match Results Point Pleasant Boro 41 Point Pleasant Beach 26 195: Liam Buday (Beach) d. Scott Franceschini 5-3 SV 220: Josh Henderson (Boro) d. Noah Ramos 2-1 2OT Hwt: Billy Borowsky (Boro) p. Connor Smith 106: Charles Latendorf (Boro) p. Michael Storino 113: Nick Torre (Boro) p. Jonah Bowers 120: Kip Lovgren (Beach) d. James Latendorf 2-0 126: Riley Simon (Beach) p. Lucas Sabo 132: Jesse Bowers (Beach) tf. Peter Karras 19-4 138: Jack Bailey (Boro) p. Macky Liotta 145: Ty Bailey (Boro) p. Anthony Luongo 152: Spencer Robinson (Boro) p. Lance White 160: Paul Franceschini (Boro) d. Jason Schulz 4-3 170: George Kaiafas (Beach) md. Andrew Witkowski 14-5 182: Jason Sherlock (Beach) p. Patrick Frawley Sponsor Alert! Jersey Sports Zone was able to be on-hand to capture this wild crosstown rivalry thanks to our Point Pleasant Beach sponsor, Peak – Coaching For Success!

Watch Friday 1.18 JSZ Hockey Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone is pleased to bring you statewide hockey highlights from 1.18. We’ve got Manasquan reaching the 11-0 mark thanks to a 3rd period snipe, Robbinsville picking up their third straight win and Bergen Catholic scoring a quarterfinal win in the Bergen County tournament Manasquan 4 Point Pleasant Boro 2 Matt Franzoni’s second goal of the game with 5:36 to go in the third period broke a 2-2 tie as the Warriors remain unbeaten with an 11-0 mark. Point Pleasant Boro gave a valiant effort despite having just eight skaters. Eddie Coyne tied the game on a power play goal on a two-man advantage in the third period to tie the game at 2. The Panthers appeared to take the lead 26 seconds later on an Aidan Zielaznicki goal, but the officials ruled a no-goal after it went off his skate and into the net. Fran Robbinsville 4 Notre Dame 3 Robbinsville picked up its third win in a row with an exciting 4-3 victory over division rival Notre Dame. Despite being down 2-1 entering the third period the Ravens scored three times, including a must see goal from Jeremy Van Duren. Robbinsville improves to 6-6-2 on the year and could increase their seeding in the upcoming Mercer County Tournament. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our Robbinsville and Notre Dame coverage! Bergen Catholic 4 Paramus 2 – Bergen County Tournament Quarterfinal The Bergen Catholic Crusaders defeated the Paramus Spartans 4-2 on Friday night, improving their overall record to 5-11-1. The Crusaders had four different scorers for the night: Devon Kelley, Nicholas Stoebling, Tommy Kleinman and William Frassetto. Bergen Catholic will take on Don Bosco Prep for the Semifinal round on Monday, Jan. 21. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Friday’s Quarterfinal face-off: Sponsor! Thank you to Equinox Fitness Clubs for sponsoring our Bergen Catholic coverage!

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.

Watch Thursday 1.17 JSZ Hoops Highlights
Thursday night basketball on JSZ features three games from around New Jersey. Nery Rodriguez has the highlights of Roselle Catholic’s one point win over the Patrick School, Rich Chrampanis brings us Don Bosco Prep’s two point win at Bergen Catholic and Mike Frankel has Gloucester Catholic winning a South Jersey battle over Woodstown Roselle Catholic 62 The Patrick School 61 In one of the must see matchups of the basketball season No. 1 Roselle Catholic remained undefeated on the year with a thrilling 62-61 win over No. 7 The Patrick School. Early on it was the Celtics leading RC, but the Lions thanks to University of Kentucky commit Kahlil Whitney were able to take the lead late in the third quarter and then hold off TPS in the closing seconds of the fourth. Whitney had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Clemson commit Al-Amir Dawes finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Don Bosco Prep 56 Bergen Catholic 54 Kyle Maurer had 16 points including four first-half three-pointers to lead a Don Bosco barrage of ten long-range shots as the Ironmen make it four straight wins over their archrival. Myles Ruth added 12 points including an acrobatic putback in the 4th quarter. Don Bosco improves to 8-1 on the season. JSZ has the highlights from a sold-out gym in Ramsey: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Bergen Catholic is brought to you by Equinox Fitness Clubs Gloucester Catholic 71 Woodstown 62 Ryan Roney and Conor Regan combined for 43 points to give Gloucester Catholic its 10th win of the season. SNJ Today’s Mike Frankel has the highlights from South Jersey: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Gloucester Catholic is brought to you by NJM Insurance

Howell Wrestling Takes Down South Plainfield, Wins 67th-Straight Dual Meet
It’s been quite the run for Howell Wrestling. The Rebels tacked on another “W” to extend their lengthy win-streak to 67-straight dual meet wins on the heels of a 30-28 instant classic against South Plainfield Thursday night. Howell started off with back to back win, but South Plainfield strung together three-straight bonus point wins in the lower weights. Howell’s Paul Jakub spurred a four-match run for the Rebels after a third period pine and Joe Sardina avoided a pin from South Plainfield’s nationally-ranked Zach DelVecchio in the final match at 220 pounds. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from South Plainfield: FINAL: Howell 30 – South Plainfield 28 HWT: Justin Wright (H) d. Julian Medina 1-0 106: Ethan Liptzin (H) tf. Julian Irizzary 16-1 113: Jacob DelVecchio (SP) md. Kyle Nase 13-5 120: Anthony White (SP) p. Spencer Ostroff 3:00 126: David Loniewski (SP) p. James McGee 2:58 132: Neiko Malone (H) d. Thomas Fierro 4-2 SV 138: Darby Diedrich (H) d. Alex Amato 9-5 145: Joe Sacco (SP) p. Pierce Gomez 1:48 152: Paul Jakub (H) p. Marc Giordano 5:15 160: Xavier Kelly (H) d. Sebastian Santos 5-3 170: Jake Nase (H) d. Divon Pender 4-3 182: Shane Reitsma (H) md. Brenden Hedden 15-5 195: Luke Niemeyer (SP) d. Christian Murphy 8-3 220: Zach DelVecchio (SP) d. Joe Sardina 9-5

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: