NJ high school football preview: Big Central Conference Freedom Gold Division
With high school football's Aug. 25 kickoff approaching, here's a look at BCC Freedom Gold teams heading into the 2023 season.
Brearley
Allen Phillips understands the monumental task in front of him as he replaces the towering presence of Scott Miller as Brearley’s head football coach.
“It's going to be tough, big shoes to fill,” Phillips confessed. “No pun intended.”
During Miller’s 21-year reign, the Bears reestablished themselves as one of the state’s elite small-school programs, compiling a 139-66-1 record. Brearley (10-1) suffered its only loss last season to Mountain Lakes, 16-6, in the team’s ninth trip to a sectional championship game and finished in the MyCentralJersey final BCC Top 15.
The Bears have strung together five consecutive winning campaigns, going 37-12 over that span, and have not had a losing season since 2012. Brearley opens Aug. 25 with a home game against Boonton.
The Kenilworth school did not have to look far to replace Miller, who still serves as the school’s athletic director. The 2010 graduate played quarterback and defensive back and returned to his alma mater as an assistant seven years ago, after playing and coaching for one year at Montclair State. He has primarily mentored quarterbacks, running backs and defensive backs, and is also the school’s head wrestling coach.
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“It’s going to be a nice challenge, setting up a game plan for how we are expecting to be out here. Commitment to excellence,” said Phillips. “Scott helped me get through and learn as much as I can when he was here and I’m looking forward to just taking on the challenge and continuing our success.”
The Bears had 40 players when they opened practice, a 20% increase from last fall. Several will be playing organized football for the first time. Phillips estimates that 15 wrestlers are on the roster, and he’s actively recruiting more.
Brearley graduated quarterback Matt Sims, who amassed 2,586 yards of total offense while throwing for 10 touchdowns and running for 26 more; and receiver Brendan Fitzsimmons, who caught 46 of those passes for 798 yards and seven scores.
Phillips is adapting a “moneyball” type of approach, counting on multiple players to make up that prodigious productivity.
“We’ve moved some players around, we’re putting in some first-year varsity guys that are going to get the nod,” Phillips explained. “It’s just going to be all 11. We’re not going to just be a two, three-man show. We’re going to have to scheme, formations, motions, just moving players around so they’re not just standing still.”
The Bears return half a dozen two-way starters, a solid core to build around on both sides of the ball. The majority of the new starters will also play both ways and some will stay on the field for special teams as well. Standard operating procedure for Group 1 schools.
Senior tight end/linebacker Mike Kollarik is the top returning player and a team leader who embodies the Brearley tradition.
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“I’ve been playing varsity since I was a sophomore, so I try to lead by the example I was set when I was younger,” Kollarik noted. “This year, with such a young team, I feel like it’s much easier for me and my other senior teammates to get across and really teach them Brearley football. I see Brearley football different than any other team. We play with toughness, grit, and we don’t stop until that last second.”
Senior Ryan Obiedzinski, the team’s kicker last year, takes over at quarterback, with running back and linebacker duties filled by senior Gavin Marranca and sophomore Matt Resende. Anthony Flowers, a state-champion hurdler with excellent hands, provides an experienced threat at receiver and corner.
Senior wrestlers Anthony Pacheco and Brandon Pires bolster both lines while another 12th-grader, Kristian Jenecko, will step in at guard.
Brearley is looking to several sophomores to step up on defense, including Carter Stein, a DB/Slot who advanced to the state wrestling regionals in his first varsity campaign as a freshman last year. Classmate Resende will move in at linebacker, joining Kollarik and Marranca.
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Phillips has a pretty successful template to follow and he’s not looking to reinvent the wheel, but he is making some adjustments as he puts his imprint on the program.
“The only thing different is just taking things a little bit slower,” Phillips declared. “Just installing it a little bit more off of chalk talk where, if they have questions, go ahead and ask them. I told them that this is my first year as head coach. I told them I’m going to make mistakes, we’re going to make mistakes, but we’re going to correct them together."
Dayton
Things are trending up in Springfield.
Dayton thrilled its fans last season with the program’s best finish since going 5-5 in 2015. The Bulldogs went 4-5, falling just short of their first winning season since 2010.
Dayton set the tone for the season with two gritty wins to start 2-0, a 14-8 victory over Dunellen and a 20-14 win over Roselle Park in Nick Iannacone’s first season.
Among the names to watch is senior running back/linebacker Alex Altemus, who rushed for nearly 500 yards last season, Brandyn Bernknopf (Sr., slot receiver/DB), Nick Apicella (Sr., OL/LB), Declan Vesey (Sr., RB/LB), John John DeSarno (Jr., QB), Andres Valladares (Sr., DL), Tyler Flores (Sr., OL/LB), Andrew Arias (Sr., DL) and Molly McLeer (Jr., OL).
Potential breakout candidates include Evan Cornelison (Sr., WR), R H Back & Edge Oskar Suarez (Sr., H-back/edge) and Jordan Gonzalez (Jr., slot receiver).
Highland Park
Experienced upperclassmen. Freshmen knowing fundamentals. These are already huge victories for a Highland Park program set back after not fielding a team during the 2020 pandemic season.
As it was, the low-enrollment school without Pop Warner in town has fought for survival at times in the last decade. This preseason, fourth-year coach Shawn Harrison notes that “we’re ahead of the game right now since we brought back experience.”
“I’m very excited about this team,” said Harrison, who starred at HP in the late 1980s. “We can do a little bit more things now that we have a seasoned quarterback coming back. We look to open up the offense a little bit. You know, it was tough last year scoring points consistently, but this year we’re definitely looking to change that.”
Also important – they have a dozen freshmen, many of who played Pop Warner in other towns. Harrison said, “We have an abundance of young kids and hopefully we can sustain that in the next few years to build a quality program in grades nine through 12.”
Highland Park came close to snagging its first win since 2016. The Owls played close games with Metuchen, Dunellen, Spotswood and Dayton until the opponents pulled ahead in the second half.
“We always ended up coming short and unfortunately we couldn’t get a win last year,” Harrison said. “We were close but we just couldn’t finish ball games. That was our Achilles heel. Looking to change that mindset. Looking to teach our kids it takes four quarters of football to win a ball game.”
That quarterback is junior Markos Hantsoulis, who began at receiver last season, but wound up under center and is now more seasoned at QB. He’ll also play defensive end after manning a safety position in 2022.
Jowuan Keyes (Sr., WR/TE/DE) is also a veteran. Other receivers include juniors Jaylin Adams (OLB) and Kaan Dolu (SS) and sophomore Konstantinos Hantsoulis (CB, cousin of Markos).
Zyaire Holland (Jr.) is back at running back and moves to OLB after starting at cornerback last fall.
Another huge plus – experienced two-way linemen. Returners include Daniel Sanchez (Sr., OT/DT), Nicholas Merino (Sr., OG/DE), Brian Mahoney (Jr., C/DT) and Chris Chenard (Jr., RG/DT). Sophomore newcomer Jared Matos (RT/LB/DE) looks to make an impact.
Cornerback Matthew Adamczyk-Zapor (So.) is back from last season and Stamatis Hantsoulis (So., DE, Konstantinos’ twin brother) also saw varsity action. Newcomers showing promise include Sharat Sabnis (Jr., CB) and freshman linebacker Michael Oliver-Kohler.
Roselle Park
Roselle Park entered last season with some exciting skilled position players, but a key question – who was going to block for them?
The Panthers had just one returning starter on the offensive and defensive lines. The unit jelled nicely during the fall and now Roselle Park features experience in all facets.
Indeed, Roselle Park had a nice bounce-back 5-6 campaign after finishing 1-8 in 2021. Another touchdown here and a stop there, and the Panthers could have pulled off their first winning season since going 7-4 in 2017. Losses included a 20-14 defeat to Dayton and falling 7-0 to Middlesex. Roselle Park also pulled out a key 26-22 win over Spotswood.
Senior Xavier Padilla returns at quarterback/defensive back and classmate Adrian Palacios (DB) broke out with a team-high 731 rushing yards (100 carries) and 11 TDs. The Panthers must replace the graduated Elijah Ignacio (RB/LB, 713 rushing yards), but seniors Dylan George (RB/DB, 263 rushing yards, 3 TDs) and Eathan Jones (RB/LB) bring experience in the backfield and on defense. Tyler Signorello (Sr., WR/DB) returns as the top receiver.
The seasoned two-way linemen are a big part of the Panthers’ optimism. They include seniors Lucas Belsky, Brian Chacon, Darren Chen and Manny Mazuelos, as well as junior Matthew Drada.
Breakout candidates include Jake Swirz (Sr., OL/DL) and seniors Alfris Garcia (OLB/RB) and David Newhart (JR., OL/DL/TE).
Spotswood
Spotswood penned one of the best turnaround stories in the Big Central last season, going 7-3 after a 1-8 record in 2021. Now, the Chargers return 14 starters and are looking to continue the upward swing with hopes of making the playoffs.
“Our last year’s seniors did a really good job of setting the foundation,” third-year coach Chris Meagher said. “They were a big part of what we did, but now I think we got to the point that I don’t think our kids are satisfied going 7-3 not making the playoffs. I think they want to take it a step further, so you could see the level of practices and the expectations have been turned up a notch a little bit.”
You can’t blame Spotswood fans for having optimism with experienced players sprinkled throughout the lineup. Meagher notes they have senior leadership and “a good toughness to our group.”
Trey Lazar moved to quarterback from receiver for the final six games last season after an injury to senior starter Evan Baureko. Lazar delivered with 703 passing yards and 550 rushing yards and accounted for 15 total touchdowns. Now, he’ll begin under center and will also man a cornerback position.
A trio of experienced big guys will protect him in three-year starter Matt Savarese (Sr., OG/NG) and two-year starters in Mahad El-Amin (Sr., OT/DE) and John Wallace (Jr., OT/DE).
On defense, the linebacking corps lead the way with five returning starters. Three seniors Quin Esser (TE), James Curnal (WR) and Steven Mastrolonardo (TE) are in the middle. Two safeties from last season move to outside linebacker in the new 3-5-3 system in senior Noah Rodriguez (also the kicker) and sophomore Sebastian Saracino (RB), the team’s second-leading tackler as a freshman. Meagher said, “We’re excited to see those five guys together and see them as a unit.”
Stephen Henits (Jr., WR/CB) also brings experience at both sides of the ball.
The Chargers have a potential timeshare at running back to replace the graduated Anthony Christian (732 yards) with quick and speedy junior John Lubin, and Saracino, a tough runner. Other players looking for breakout seasons include seniors Nagee Lewis (WR/CB), A.J. Baile (C/MLB) and Kyle Chigas (OG/NT) and juniors Vinny Young (WR/S) and Douglas Tumundo (OG/NT).
BCC FREEDOM GOLD AT A GLANCE
BREARLY BEARS
Head coach: Allen Phillips, first season
Assistants: Mat Pitarresi (WR/DB), Nick Padron (OL/LB), Tyler Dacosta (OL/DL).
State classification: North Group 1
League: Big Central Conference Freedom Gold Division
Colors: Blue and gold
Offensive formation: Multiple spread
Defensive formation: 4-3
2022 results (10-1 overall, 4-0 in BCC Freedom Gold, division champ)
Manville, W 34-20
Spotswood, 36-0
Roselle Park, W 46-26
Dayton, W 26-0
South Hunterdon, W 14-0
Highland Park, W 32-0
Middlesex, W 44-6
Dunellen, W by forfeit
North Arlington, W 50-16 in first round of playoffs
Kinnelon, W 45-14 in sectional semifinals
Mountain Lakes, L 16-6 in North 2 Group 1 final
2023 schedule
9/1-Manville, 6 p.m.
9/9-Spotswood, 6 p.m.
9/15-at Roselle Park, 6 p.m.
9/22-Dayton, 6 p.m.
9/29-at South Hunterdon, 7 p.m.
10/7-Highland Park, 6 p.m.
10/13-Middlesex, 6 p.m.
10/21-at Dunellen, 6 p.m.
DAYTON BULLDOGS
Head coach: Nick Iannacone, second season
State classification: South Group 2
League: Big Central Conference Freedom Gold Division
Colors: Blue and orange
2022 results (4-5 overall, 2-2 in BCC Freedom Gold)
Dunellen, W 14-8
Roselle Park, W 20-14
Manville, L 46-7
Brearley, L 26-0
Highland Park, W 35-13
Spotswood, L 25-7
South Hunterdon, L 40-7
Metuchen, W 27-13
Roselle L 35-0 in South 2 invitational
2023 schedule
9/1-at Dunellen, 7 p.m.
9/8-Roselle Park, 7 p.m.
9/14-at Manville, 7 p.m.
9/22-at Brearley, 6 p.m.
9/29-Highland Park, 7 p.m.
10/6-Spotswood, 7 p.m.
10/13-South Hunterdon, 7 p.m.
10/21-Metuchen, 2 p.m.
HIGHLAND PARK OWLS
Head coach: Shawn Harrison, fourth season (0-27)
Assistants: Corey Carter (OC); Kam Little (DC); Chris Bray (OL/special teams); volunteer assistants: Joe Policastro; Caleb Starus
State classification: South Group 1
League: Big Central Conference Freedom Gold Division
Colors: Maroon and white
Offensive formation: multiple, spread offense
Defensive formation: 4-3
2022 results (0-9 overall, 0-4 in BCC Freedom Gold)
Metuchen, L 40-6
Tenafly, L 42-6
Dunellen, L 29-14
Spotswood, L 28-6
Roselle Park, L 42-13
Dayton, L 35-13
Brearley, L 32-0
Manville, L 63-14
Newark Central, L 44-6
2023 schedule
9/1-at Tenafly, 7 p.m.
9/8-Dunellen, 7 p.m.
9/16-at Spotswood, 1 p.m.
9/22-Roselle Park, 7 p.m.
9/29-at Dayton, 7 p.m.
10/5-at Brearley, 6 p.m.
10/13-Manville, 7 p.m.
10/20-Newark Central, 7 p.m.
ROSELLE PARK PANTHERS
Head coach: Gregory Dunkerton, fourth season (8-18)
Assistants: Sean Matthews (OL/DL), Ryan Rooney (WR/LB), Steve Margolin (RB/DB), Connor Gabriel (RB/LB)
State classification: North Group 1
League: Big Central Conference Freedom Gold Division
Colors: Red and White
Offensive formation: Wing T
Defensive formation: 4-4
2022 results (5-6 overall, 2-2 in BCC Freedom Gold)
South Hunterdon, L 42-8
Dayton, L 20-14
Brearley, L 46-26
Highland Park, W 42-13
Spotswood, W 26-22
Middlesex, L 7-0
Dunellen, W 28-14
Newark Collegiate, W 41-12
Secaucus, W 29-21
Glen Ridge, L 35-20
Roselle, L 44-2
2023 schedule
9/1-South Hunterdon, 6 p.m.
9/8-at Dayton, 7 p.m.
9/15-Brearley, 6 p.m.
9/22-at Highland Park, 7 p.m.
9/29-Spotswood, 6 p.m.
10/6-at Middlesex, 7 p.m.
10/13-Dunellen, 6 p.m.
10/19-at Newark Academy, 7 p.m.
11-23-Roselle, 10 a.m.
SPOTSWOOD CHARGERS
Head coach: Chris Meagher, third season (8-11)
Assistants: Micah Arnold (DC), Joe Mecca (OL/DL), Greg Prott (OL/DL), Matt Steinfeld (RB/D/ Special teams Coordinator), Mike Zyskowski (WR/OLB), Dennis Bellantoni (volunteer assistant)
State classification: South Group 2
League: Big Central Conference Freedom Gold Division
Colors: Blue and gold
Offensive formation: Power spread
Defensive formation: 3-5-3
2022 results (7-3 overall, 2-2 in BCC Freedom Gold)
Bishop Eustace, W 28-14
Belvidere, W 21-18
Brearley, L 36-0
Highland Park, W 28-6
South River, W 28-21
Roselle Park, L 26-22
Dayton, W 25-7
AL Johnson, L 44-0
J.P. Stevens, W 18-7
Metuchen, W 20-0
2023 schedule
8/25-at Bordentown, 6:30 p.m.
9/1-at Belvidere, 7 p.m.
9/9-Brearley, 1 p.m.
9/16-Highland Park, 1 p.m.
9/23-at South River, 1 p.m.
9/29-at Roselle Park, 6 p.m.
10/6-at Dayton, 6 p.m.
10/14-A.L. Johnson, 1 p.m.
10/21-J.P. Stevens, 1 p.m.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Football preview: Big Central Conference Freedom Gold Division
