Bernards will be vying for its second straight sectional championship when it hosts Shabazz of Newark in the 2024 NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1 Group 2 Championship on Friday night at Olcott Field in Bernardsville. Bernards defeated Lakeland (23-17) in overtime last year to win the 2023 NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2 Group 1 title.
Mountaineers Host Bulldogs in North 1 Group 2 Championship
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ—On Friday night, Big Central Gridiron will be taking another trip to Bernardsville. This time, BCG will be paying a visit to Olcott Field for the 2024 NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1 Group 2 Championship between second-seeded Bernards and fifth-seeded Shabazz of Newark. The Mountaineers are looking to win their second straight sectional championship.
Game Specifics
| Date | Opponent | Time/Score | Location | Media |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 15 Nov |  Shabazz |
NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1 Group 2 Championship L 14-28 |
Olcott Field | D1 Media Pro |
Game Venue – Olcott Field at Bernards High School
| Venue | Address | Map (Click for larger view.) |
|---|---|---|
| Olcott Field | 25 Olcott Avenue Bernardsville, NJ 07924 |
Watch Livestream at:
Follow BCG on Twitter at:
How They Got Here
| Round |  | |
| First Round | Defeated Rutherford (35-33) | Defeated Caldwell (36-33) |
| Semifinals | Defeated Pequannock (17-0) | Defeated Westwood (14-6) |
BCG Tale of the Tape – Shabazz @ Bernards
| School | | |
| Mascot | Mountaineers | Bulldogs |
| Conference | Big Central Conference – Patriot Gold Division | Super Football Conference – National White Division |
| Head Coach | Jon Simoneau (17th Year) | Naz Oliver (2nd Year) |
| Record | 11-0 | 8-2 |
| Conference Record | 8-0 | 6-2 |
| Division Record | 3-0 | 3-1 – Plays Weequahic on Thanksgiving |
| Place in Division | Won BCC Patriot Gold | Currently 3rd in SFC National White |
| Section | North Group 2 | North Group 2 |
| Rank in Section | 4th | 9th |
| Bracket | North Jersey Section 1 Group 2 | North Jersey Section 1 Group 2 |
| Seed in North 1 Group 2 | 2nd | 5th |
| Points Per Game | 28.9 | 37.7 |
| Points Allowed Per Game | 10.5 | 10.3 |
| Shutouts | 3 | 3 |
| Point Differential | 18.4 | 27.4 |
| Largest Margin of Victory | 29 points (Defeated Monmouth Regional 35-6 on 8/29/2024) | 53 points (Defeated Kinnelon 53-0 on 10/18/2024) |
| Yards Rushing Per Game | 147.5 | 175.7 |
| Yards Passing Per Game | 169.9 | 121.6 |
| Total Yards Per Game | 317.5 | 297.3 |
| Run/Pass Ratio | 65% Run / 35% Pass | 72% Run / 28% Pass |
| Strength Index | 75.17 | 77.26 |
| Power Points | 15 | 12 |
| OSI | 53.48 | 49.24 |
| UPR | 4.2 | 8.8 |
| W-L Record in one-score games | 3-0 | 2-0 |
| Common Opponents | None | None |
NOTE: Bernards and Shabazz have not played a common opponent this year. However, Shabazz played and defeated divisional rival Snyder of Jersey City (32-8) on October 4th. Snyder also played Hillside in Week 0 at the Mountaineer Classic in West Orange and lost 42-20. Bernards then beat Hillside a week later at Olcott Field (30-14).
Key Players – Bernards
- QB Nolan Walsh
- RB Patrick Carlisle
- RB Logan Stevens
- RB/MLB Terrence Hanratty
- RB/LB Luke Bubnowski
- WR/CB Sean Arcelay
- WR/SS Jack Morra
- WR/CB Max Austin
- WR/DB Brandon Shafer
- WR/OLB Teagun Hartnett
- FB/MLB Aidan Gribben
- D/FS Max Caldwell
- NG/DT David Silva
- DE/OLB Thomas Diemar
- DE/OLB Daniel Ferguson
- K Noah Ochab
- P Ari Rosen
Key Players – Shabazz
- QB Romelo Tables
- QB Karriem Coston
- RB Jalen Cline
- RB/LB Zaiden McDonald
- RB Yahzeed Sharif
- WR/DB Daveion Porter
- WR/DB Omari Gaines
- WR Ian Adrien
- RB/LB Asaad Reynolds
- LB/RB Shamar Myers
- LB/DB Zykir Best
- OL/DL Devonta Harris
- TE/DL Adekunbi Adetayo
- DL/OL David Ukuwere
Additional Facts – Bernards
Over the past two seasons, Bernards has chalked up a 23-1 overall record. The only loss during that stretch was a 17-0 defeat at the hands of Westwood in the 2023 NJSIAA North Jersey Group 2 Regional Championship almost a year ago to the day. The Mountaineers won their 3rd straight BCC Patriot Gold crown, and have had a share of five BCC Division titles.
The Mountaineers defeated Lakeland Regional of Wanaque in Sussex County (23-17) in overtime for the North Jersey Section 2 Group 2 title a year ago. Bernards was the 2nd seed in that tournament and Lakeland was the fifth seed that knocked off defending state champion, Caldwell in the sectional semis.
Head Coach Jon Simoneau is a graduate of J.F. Kennedy of Iselin in Woodbridge Township. Offensive coordinator, Dave Carmon played football and basketball for the Mustangs before graduating in 2002. Ryan McCollough was a teammate of Carmon’s in football and basketball at JFK and also played baseball before graduating in 2002. All three were coached by current St. Thomas Aquinas AD, Jerry Smith.
Additional Facts – Shabazz
The Bulldogs are to North 1 Group 2 in 2024 what Lakeland was to North 2 Group 2 in 2023. Fifth-seeded Shabazz knocked off annual Group 2 title contender and fourth-seeded Caldwell in the opening round (36-33). Then, the Bulldogs traveled up to Washington Township in Bergen County and defeated last year’s Group 2 State Champion and this year’s N1 Group 2 top seed, Westwood (14-6) in the semis.
Shabazz, originally known as Newark South Side, competes in the National White Division of the Super Football Conference. Currently, the Bulldogs are 3-1 in the SFC National White and still has one division game remaining.
A win over arch-rival Weequahic in the Soul Bowl on Thanksgiving Day will put the Bulldogs in a three-way tie for first place with Snyder of Jersey City and Immaculata of Somerville. Shabazz defeated Snyder but lost to Immaculata. The Spartans were upset by Snyder though.
Head Coach Naz Oliver took over two years ago for current Roselle head coach, Tyrone Turner. Before Turner took the head coaching job at Shabazz, Darnell Grant, who now coaches at West Orange was at the helm. Grant’s brother Barris is the head coach at Hillside. The Bulldogs are looking to win their first sectional title since 2017.
BCG’s Prediction
Both of these teams have very tough defenses. Bernards is ranked among the top five in scoring defense in the Big Central Conference. Shabazz has had a tradition of solid defense. The Bulldogs have a lot of speed and athleticism while Bernards is more balanced offensively and has a solid kicking game.
Each team is titled more toward the run on offense, but Shabazz goes to the ground more exclusively at nearly three-quarters of the time versus two-thirds for Bernards. The match-up to watch will be the Mountaineers’ offense with junior QB Nolan Walsh versus Shabazz’s defense, which limited Westwood to just two field goals and the Cardinals’ 1,000-yard rusher, Steve Klein to just 56 yards last week.
This game could come down to special teams where Bernards looks to have an advantage with placekicker Noah Ochab and punter Ari Rosen. Ochab has converted 30 of 31 extra point attempts and 5 of 10 field goal attempts. Ochab’s longest-made field goal this year is 48 yards.
Prediction: Bernards wins 17-14.
