On Friday night, fourth-ranked Bernards and South Plainfield will meet for the first time ever in a Big Central Conference crossover contest from Olcott Field in Bernards Township.
Tigers Visit No. 4 Mountaineers in BCC Crossover on Friday Night
BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, NJ – On Friday night, Big Central Gridiron will be heading up to Olcott Field to see the fourth-ranked Mountaineers take on South Plainfield in a BCC Crossover clash. Bernards is coming off a 35-14 on the road at J.P. Stevens last Friday night to finish its BCC Patriot Gold schedule undefeated and win its second straight division title outright. The Mountaineers have won at least a share of a division crown in each of its first five years of the BCC.
South Plainfield lost to Governor Livingston in a BCC United Silver clash. The Tigers are now 1-4 overall, but still in the division race behind J.F. Kennedy and Governor Livingston at 1-1. South Plainfield also plays Kennedy on the last day of the regular season on October 26th at Lou Bartha Stadium in Iselin. Bernards is 5-0 overall and has compiled an overall record of 41-7 over the past five seasons entering Friday night’s game.
Meanwhile, the Tigers are coming off a 4-6 campaign in 2023. Two seasons ago, South Plainfield completed the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1965. It was one of the biggest turnaround seasons in the Big Central Conference after the Tigers finished a combined 4-20 in 2021, 2020, and 2019. South Plainfield has played a tougher schedule this year to date by taking on the likes of New Providence, Delaware Valley, and Cranford out of division. Adding Bernards to that, the Tigers crossover opponents are a combined 14-4.
Tonight’s game will be the first time that Bernards has ever played South Plainfield. Last year, both teams played Group 2 State Champion, Westwood. The Tigers played the Cardinals at the Jim Grasso Kickoff Classic in Week 0 of the 2023 season and lost 44-12. The Mountaineers played the Cardinals in the North Jersey Group 2 Regional Championship and lost 17-0. Westwood finished the season at 13-0 and edged Rumson (21-20) for the state title.
The Tigers are looking to build some momentum and finish the season strong on a positive note. Currently ranked 22nd in the North Jersey Group 3 Supersection according to Gridiron New Jersey, South Plainfield needs to do a lot of work to qualify for the post-season. The Tigers sit behind Snyder, Carteret, Roxbury, Paramus, Dwight Morrow, and Parsippany Hills for the last seed in the region. A win over Bernards would not only help in that regard but also generate some much-needed momentum.
Meanwhile, the Mountaineers are again in the hunt for another top playoff spot in North Jersey Group 2. Bernards is presently ranked fourth behind Glen Rock, Pequannock, and Hanover Park in the North Jersey Group 2 Supersection. Also playing in that group are teams that Bernards played in the playoffs last year: Westwood (6th), Ramsey (7th), Lakeland (13th), and Sussex Tech (15th). The Mountaineers need to keep winning to maintain or improve their spot in the region.
Bernards won its first sectional championship in school history a year ago. The Mountaineers rallied from behind to defeat Lakeland in overtime (23-17) at Olcott Field in a thriller. South Plainfield has never won a sectional title since the playoff format was introduced in 1974. The Tigers last appeared in a sectional final in 2016 when it lost to Rumson-Fair Haven (27-22) at Rutgers University.
South Plainfield’s offense, which has scored 11.2 ppg, has been tilted toward the run so far this season. The Tigers’ ground game has accounted for about 75 percent of all the offensive plays and 81 percent of the offensive yards. Junior running back, Dominic Massaro, is averaging 7.5 yards per carry and accounts for 29 percent of the SP rushing attack. South Plainfield’s rushing game is distributed among 11 different players.
Senior quarterback Ryan Balent has completed just under 50 percent of his passes for 295 yards, or about 10 yards per completion. Junior running back King Hills supplements Massaro with 5.8 yards per carry and leads the Tigers in rushing touchdowns with two. Sophomore Jaydon Jones has rushed for an average of 6.8 yards per carry and a score. Classmate Micah Anderson has rushed for just under 6 yards per carry and a score. Senior Nick Irizarry has averaged 11.1 yards per rush and has a TD on the ground as well.
Balent has two key targets in the passing game. Senior James Adams leads South Plainfield in receiving yards and averages 15.4 yards per catch. Massaro leads the team in receptions with 12 and averages just over 7 yards per reception. Adams and Massaro also contribute on special teams. Adams has returned three kickoffs for an average of 25 yards per return while Massaro has one punt return for 8 yards.
On defense, the Tigers, which have yielded 22.0 ppg, are led by Dylan Oller with 61 total tackles including 34 solos, 5.5 for loss, and a sack. Hoops standout, A.J. Perales, who also stars at tight-end on offense, ranks 2nd in total tackles with 37 including two sacks. Senior Lorenzo Fuscoletti has 33 total tackles including three for loss. Kaden Deakyne shares the team-high in sacks with Perales while collecting 31 total tackles including 4.5 for loss. Massaro has the team’s only interception while Irizarry has the Tigers’ only forced fumble, which was recovered by Kenny Young. Freshman Julian Hernandez handles the kicking duties and has converted all 5 of his extra-point attempts.
On the other side of the field, Bernards, which averages 28 ppg, has a more balanced offense. Although the play selection is more tilted toward the run with 69 percent of the plays run on the ground, the Mountaineers have compiled 45.6 of its total yardage via its passing attack. Sophomore signal-caller, Noah Walsh has taken the majority of passing attempts and has completed 62 percent of his passes for 578 yards, and 7 TDs. Walsh has averaged 18.6 yards per completion and has distributed his passes well. He has completed a pass to 11 different receivers and a TD strike to three.
Walsh’s leading target is senior wideout Jack Morra. Morra has caught 7 receptions for an average of about 34.4 yards per catch and has 4 TDs. Fellow senior Max Austin has hauled in 6 catches for 85 yards and 2 TDs. Austin, who also leads the team in interceptions with two and returned both for TDs, is averaging over 14 yards per reception. Junior RB Logan Stevens also has 6 receptions including one for a score, and has averaged 17 yards per catch. Stevens also averages 8.4 yards per rush and has a TD on the ground as well.
Sophomore Patrick Carlisle has handled the bulk of the load in the Bernards rushing attack in 2024. Carlisle accounts for nearly 48 percent of the Mountaineers’ carries, just over 60 percent of the rushing yardage, and 80 percent of the rushing TDs with 8. Carlisle has been averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Junior Noah Ochab provides a solid kicking game for the Mountaineers by making 2 of his 4 FG attempts including one from 48 yards. Ochab has also converted 10 of 11 of his PATs. Sophomore Daniel Nagy-Lewis has contributed to the kicking game as well by making all six of his extra points.
Senior linebacker Terrence Hanratty anchors the Bernards’ defense with 35 total tackles including four for loss and two sacks as well as two fumble recoveries. Senior defensive lineman, David Silva has chipped in with 26 total tackles. Junior linebacker, Thomas Dieter has 23 total tackles including a team- high 7.5 for loss and 3 sacks. Bernards has yielded an average of 9.4 points per game. Logan Stevens, Sean Arcelay, and Max Caldwell handle the return game. Stevens leads the team with a 30.7 yards per kickoff return average while Arcelay averages 6.6 yards per punt return to lead the team.
Both of these teams have played Delaware Valley earlier this year. South Plainfield was shut out at home by the Terriers (21-0) in Week 1 while Bernards traveled to Frenchtown and shut out the Terriers 7-0 in Week 2. The Mountaineers are a much more balanced team offensively and have continued to play well despite losses to graduation. Bernards has the edge defensively as well with one shutout and another win with only one TD allowed. The Mountaineers also have a solid kicking game to boot. The Tigers have their work cut out for them on the road in Northern Somerset County.
Prediction: Bernards wins 28-7.
