The Big Central Conference turned six this past season, and there was plenty to celebrate both team-wise and individually.
Phillipsburg, as an example, earned its second consecutive NJSIAA sectional title, though had its bid for a repeat appearance in the overal Group 4 final cut short by Ramapo in the semifinals.
Manville and New Providence each reeled off 10 straight victories to start the season before losing its only game deep in the playoffs – Manville in the Central, Group 1 semifinals and New Providence in the North 2, Group 1 final. Bernards won its first nine games, but was edged by Madison, 22-21, in the North 2, Group 2 quarterfinals for its only loss.
From an individual standpoint, Shaun Jackson of Sayreville, Josh Allen of Woodbridge, Sam Dech of Phillipsburg and Andrew Avent of Rahway distinguished themselves among the state’s top running backs; Old Bridge quarterback Brody Nugent racked up 3,548 combined passing and rushing yards and accounted for 39 touchdowns; and Joe Squicciarini of Bridgewater-Raritan, Gavin Pereira of Spotswood, Alexie Moreira of Phillipsburg and Michael Firetto of Old Bridge were among the top kickers.
There were numerous other team and individual achievements, as you can see below as we select the top player, coach and team in each of the conference’s 12 divisions. We also have selected the overall Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Team of the Year in the BCC.
Player of the Year
Andrew Avent, Rahway, Sr., RB/LB
Former Rahway stars were probably simultaneously cheering and dreading the comet-like arrival of freshman Andrew Avent in September 2021.
In the first game that season against Linden, Avent not only recorded three tackles and a fumble recovery at linebacker (heady stuff for a 14-year-old), but scored the winning touchdown in that 21-20 triumph with a 4-yard run in the third quarter.
Great for the program, those old heroes probably thought about this precocious freshman, but not so good for the preservation of my school records.
Avent wrapped up his spectacular four-year career this fall by rushing for 1,916 yards and 22 touchdowns on 164 carries and racking up 56.5 tackles, 21.5 tackles for a loss and 10.5 sacks at linebacker to guide the Indians to a 6-4 mark.
He set new program marks for single-season rushing yards and TDs, career rushing and scoring and also established himself as one of Rahway’s best defensive players ever. The 6-2, 210 powerhouse closed his career with 4,524 rushing yards and 53 touchdowns on 615 attempts and 55 TDs overall. Defensively, he accumulated 289.5 tackles, 54.5 TFL and 16.5 sacks.
Coach of the Year
Sean Carty, Montgomery
Zoran Milich’s advise to handpicked successor Sean Carty was an act of friendship and faith from the man who’d built the Montgomery program from the ground-up and served as its only head coach for 25 years.
Milich didn’t realize then that the advise was also prophecy, and the quick-acting kind.
“I said, ‘Take the program further than I did and I felt very confident that he would,” Miich sad. “But I didn’t know he was going to do it in the first year.”
What Carty did was guide the Cougars to a sectional final for the first time in its brief history. They lost to Phillipsburg, 41-21, in that North 2, Group 4 championship Nov. 14, yet it was still a magnificent accomplishment coming of a 1-9 campaign in 2024 with a team composed largely of non-seniors.
Milich and almost everyone else around the Big Central knew this year’s squad would be much improved, and so he graciously stepped down in order to help Carty – Milich’s offensive coordinator the previous seven seasons – begin his head coaching career with some promising ingredients.
“You don’t want to put somebody that you handpicked in there and watch that first year be a disaster,” Milich sad. “But I knew Sean would do great. He’s a great coach, a very positive coach. The kids love playing for him.”
Carty – a former star at Somerville and a wide receiver and punt returner at Rutgers from 2002-05 – is the fourth member of his family to carry the title of head coach. His dad, Kevin Sr., was head coach at Somerville for many years; older brother Kevin Jr. has been head coach at Hillsborough for 15 years and was at Bound Brook five years prior; and younger brother Ryan is head man at the University of Delaware.”
Sean Carty earned his first victory on opening night Aug. 29 with a stirring overtime win over Hopewell Valley, 35-28, but then Montgomery lost a heartbreaker to Summit, 31-28, the following week. The Cougars rebounded by defeating Somerville, 22-15, to launch a four-game winning streak.
“After every loss (excepting the sectional final), they would come back and win the next game against somebody pretty good,” Milich said. “That says a lot about a head coach when the kids can bounce back after a tough loss and be ready to go against another tough opponent. I thought Sean did a great job.”
Team of the Year
Phillipsburg (10-3)
The Stateliners lost to ancient cross-river archrival Easton (PA) on Thanksgiving Day, which means it is probably a little too soon yet for the team (and community) to warmly reflect on all the accomplishments they did realize in 2025.
At P’Burg, the main goal every preseason is to beat Easton, while everything else seems to be secondary concern, at best. That’s what a 118-year rivalry can do to the heart and psyche.
But this honor does not originate from Phillipsburg, so we can view Phillisburg’s fourth straight double-digit win season and second straight North 2, Group 4 title with the objectivity it deserves.
What is especially impressive about the Stateliners’ 10-3 season is how they went about practically mirroring 2024 (11-3) despite the graduation of such multi-year stars as quarterback Jett Genovese, wide receiver Matthew Scerbo Jr. and fellow skill standouts Fleix Matos and Jah’lil Dooley.
Head coach Frank Duffy shifted the offensive emphasis to more of a running attack, and senior Sam Dech (1,530 yards, 23 TDs) enjoyed great success in those schemes behind the blocks of Ky Stocker, Ryan Mulvaney and others, while DL Aedan Hywel, linebackers Ziyahn McGurn, Eddie ONeill and Dech and DBs Mike Bracco, Jaysen Blacknall and Nazyan Losier-Palin anchored a rugged defense.
Phillipsburg did lose a cross-divisional Big Central game against St. Joseph, 21-0, on Oct. 11, but rebounded from that setback to win five straight en route to a 41-21 victory over Montgomery for the sectional crown.
Division Awards
American Gold
Player of the Year: Justin Scaramuzzo, St. Joseph, Sr., QB
Coach of the Year: Bill Tracy, St. Joseph
Team of the Year: St. Joseph (8-2)
American Silver
Player of the Year: Sam Dech, Phillipsburg, Sr., RB
Coach of the Year: Jeff Sutherland, Ridge
Team of the Year: Phillipsburg (10-3)
Freedom Gold
Player of the Year: Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage, Spotswood, Sr., QB
Coach of the Year: Elliot Platt, Brearley
Team of the Year: Spotswood (8-2)
Freedom Silver
Player of the Year: Isaiah Bennett, Manville, Sr., RB/DB
Coach of the Year: David LePoidevin, Bound Brook
Team of the Year: Manville (10-1)
Liberty Gold
Player of the Year: Josh Allen, Woodbridge, Sr., RB/DB
Coach of the Year: Tom Roarty, Colonia
Team of the Year: Woodbridge (8-3)
Liberty Silver
Player of the Year: Andrew Avent, Rahway, Sr., RB/LB
Coach of the Year: Sean Carty, Montgomery
Team of the Year: Montgomery (8-4)
National Gold
Player of the Year: Brody Nugent, Old Bridge, Sr., QB/DB
Coach of the Year: Dan Higgins, Piscataway
Team of the Year: Piscataway (8-3)
National Silver
Player of the Year: Anwar Witherspoon, St. Thomas Aquinas, Sr., LB/TE
Coach of the Year: Mark Poore, Sayreville
Team of the Year: Sayreville (9-2)
Patriot Gold
Player of the Year: Logan Stevens, Bernards, Sr., DB/RB
Coach of the Year: John Hack, Voorhees
Team of the Year: Bernards (9-1)
Patriot Silver
Player of the Year: Mike Petses, New Providence, Sr., LB/RB
Coach of the Year: Gus Kalikas, Johnson
Team of the Year: New Providence (10-1)
United Gold
Player of the Year: Matt McKeever, Summit, Jr., LB/QB
Coach of the Year: Kevin Kostibos, Summit
Team of the Year: Summit (9-3)
United Silver
Player of the Year: Grant Lorentzen, Iselin Kennedy, Sr., WR/DB
Coach of the Year: Michael Henderson, Iselin Kennedy
Team of the Year: Gov. Livingston (5-5)