Somerville will be playing in its first-ever state semifinal. The Pioneers won their first sectional championship since 2017, and its 9th overall. The Ville will be hosting a Mainland Regional team that won the 2023 Group 4 State Championship and is making its third straight state semifinal appearance.
Pioneers Looking to Punch a Ticket to the State Finals
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ—On Friday night, Somerville will play in its first-ever state semifinal/regional championship game. The top-seeded Pioneers are looking to punch a ticket to the state finals when they host Mainland Regional in the 2024 NJSIAA South Jersey Group 3 State Semifinal. Somerville along with Phillipsburg have joined the short list of 7 BCC schools to reach this point in the post-season.
Game Specifics
| Date | Opponent | Time/Score | Location | Media |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 22 Nov |  Mainland Regional |
NJSIAA South Jersey Group 3 L 35-36 |
Brooks Field | NJ.com |
Game Venue – Brooks Field
| Venue | Address | Map (Click for larger view.) |
|---|---|---|
| Brooks Field | 222 Davenport Street Somerville, NJ 08876 |
Watch Livestream at: NJ.com
Listen Live at: Central Jersey Sports Radio
Follow on Twitter at: @bcnjgridiron
How They Got Here?
| Round |  | |
| First Round | Defeated Absegami (40-0) | Defeated Barnegat (49-14) |
| Semifinals | Defeated Ocean City (30-14) | Defeated Holmdel (48-13) |
| Sectional Championship | Defeated Delsea (24-6) | Defeated Seneca (42-14) |
BCG Tale of the Tape – Mainland Regional @ Somerville
| School | | |
| Mascot | Pioneers | Mustangs |
| Conference | Big Central Conference – Liberty Silver Division | West Jersey Football League – American Division |
| Head Coach | Matt Bloom (2nd Year) | Chuck Smith (9th Year) |
| Career Record | 20-8 | 60-37 |
| Record | 12-0 | 9-3 |
| Conference Record | 9-0 | 7-3 |
| Division Record | 4-0 | 1-3 |
| Place in Division | Won BCC Liberty Silver | Finished 4th in WJFL American |
| Region | South Group 3 | South Group 3 |
| Rank in Region | 1st | 3rd |
| Section | Central Jersey Group 3 | South Jersey Group 3 |
| Seed in Section | 1st | 2nd |
| Points Per Game | 34.6 | 29.0 |
| Points Allowed Per Game | 8.2 | 15.6 |
| Shutouts | 3 | 3 |
| Point Differential | 26.4 | 13.4 |
| Largest Margin of Victory | 49 points (Defeated North Hunterdon 56-7 on 10/10/2024) | 42 points (Defeated Egg Harbor Township 42-0 on 10/10/2024) |
| Yards Rushing Per Game | 207.2 | 110.7 |
| Yards Passing Per Game | 126.0 | 159.9 |
| Total Yards Per Game | 333.2 | 270.6 |
| Run/Pass Ratio | 66% Run / 34% Pass | 56% Run / 44% Pass |
| Strength Index | 91.59 | 88.73 |
| Power Points | 17 | 12.67 |
| OSI | 66.50 | 61.11 |
| UPR | 1 | 2.8 |
| W-L Record in one-score games | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| W-L Record vs. Playoff Teams | 10-0 | 7-3 |
| Common Opponents | Defeated Ocean City (30-14) and Delsea (24-6) | Defeated Ocean City (14-0) and Delsea (21-14 in OT) |
Key Players – Somerville
- QB Brenden Pacheco
- RB/SB Terrell Mitchell
- RB/WR/MLB Justin Bowen
- WR/SB Josh Rodriguez
- WR/CB Brady Scheier
- WR/SS Leonardo Altomari
- WR/DB Dushawn Dorsey
- WR/CB Aidan Bush
- WR/OLB Kieran McKenna
- TE/OLB Jamile Adoboe
- MLB/RB Maximus Nuzzi
- G/C/DT Giovanni Ippolito
- MLB/G Sean O’Neill
- MLB/TE Sam Muse
- T/OLB/DE Tyler Van Doren
- K/CB/WR Spencer Carran
- P Danek Cirafesi
Key Players – Mainland Regional
- QB/DB John Franchini
- RB/LB Rocco DeBiaso
- RB Lucas DeBiaso
- RB/LB Chase Hoag
- WR/DB Jake Blum
- WR/DB Andrew Gillman
- WR/DB Dylan Granzow
- WR/LB Liam Kennedy
- TE/LB Colt Russo
- DL/OL Dan DeFeo
- DB/WR Khaleeb Foster
- DE/OL Matt Muits
- K/P Nate Kashey
Additional Facts – Somerville
For the first time in 7 years, the Pioneers are sectional champions. By defeating 7th-seeded Delsea last Friday night, Somerville claimed the Central Jersey Group 3 crown. The Pioneers won their 9th sectional title in 15 final appearances. It wasn’t easy though. Somerville was limited to under 30 points for the first time since its 22-0 shutout win over Hillside on September 28th.
The Pioneers were limited to just 169 yards rushing and 92 yards passing. Both were lower than Somerville’s averages for the season in both departments. Nevertheless, the Pioneers found a way behind RB Terrell Mitchell, who rushed 21 times for 130 yards and a TD. Senior QB Brenden Pacheco completed 57 percent of his passes including two for TDs.
Four different players scored for Somerville. Mitchell and Josh Rodriguez each rushed for scores while Adian Bush and Max Nuzzi each caught a TD pass for the winners. Looking through Somerville’s records and statistics over the past five seasons in the Big Central Conference, one could notice a significant change offensively from 2023 to 2024.
Somerville Pioneers – Run/Pass Ratio
- 2023: 59% Pass / 41% Run
- 2024: 66% Run / 34 % Pass
A year ago, the Pioneers finished at 5-5 overall. Somerville’s run-to-pass ratio was more centered around the pass. The Pioneers threw 59 percent of the time for an average of 211.5 yards per game while only rushing for 83.3 yards per contest. This season, Somerville flipped the script by going just about two to one towards the run in terms of its play selection.
Somerville Pioneers – Yardage 2023 vs. 2024
| Year | Yards Rushing | Yards Passing | Total Yards | YRPG | YPPG | TYPG |
| 2023 | 833 | 2115 | 2948 | 83.3 | 211.5 | 294.8 |
| 2024 | 2486 | 1512 | 3998 | 207.2 | 126.0 | 333.2 |
The results were significant. Somerville’s ground game has churned up nearly two and a half times more yardage per contest. The Pioneers are scoring 10.5 more points per game while yielding a little less than half of what they gave up per game a year ago. Somerville’s defense has had three shutouts versus none in 2023.
Somerville Pioneers – Scoring 2023 vs. 2024
| Year | PF | PA | PD | PPG | PAPG | PDPG | Shutouts |
| 2023 | 241 | 168 | 73 | 24.1 | 16.8 | 7.3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 415 | 98 | 317 | 34.6 | 8.2 | 26.4 | 3 |
Most importantly, Somerville has won more than twice as many games while losing none. The Pioneers are enjoying one of their best seasons ever including its first sectional title since 2017 and first-ever appearance in a state semifinal/regional final.
Additional Facts – Mainland Regional
Based right off of Route 9 in Linwood, New Jersey, the Mainland Mustangs are the South Jersey Group 3 sectional champs after handily defeating Seneca in the Championship Game last Friday night. Mainland Regional won the Group 4 State Championship last year by defeating Millville (35-13) in the 2023 South Jersey Group 4 final. The Mustangs then defeated Winslow (41-7) in the South Jersey Group 4 state semifinal and Ramapo (56-0) for the state crown and finished undefeated at 14-0.
This season, Mainland moved up in the West Jersey Football League. The Mustangs changed addresses from the WJFL’s United Division to the American Division. Mainland now was playing the likes of Winslow and Millville during the regular season as well as St. Augustine of Richland. The Hermits knocked off Delbarton in the opening round of the Non-Public A State Tournament last Saturday in Morris County.
Winslow and Millville have continued their dominance in Group 4 this season. Millville won in CJ Group 4 while Winslow won in South Group 4. Mainland finished 4th in the WJFL American behind Winslow, St. Augustine, and Millville. The Mustangs were 1-3 in divisional play this season, but are undefeated against everyone else. Mainland Regional is coached by Chuck Smith, who is in his 9th season at the helm with a career record of 60-37 at the school.
Smith started his tenure at Mainland Regional with back-to-back 1-9 seasons in 2016 and 2017. Since those first two seasons, Smith has gone 58-19 including a 33-5 mark over the past three seasons. The Mustangs are much more balanced offensively than Delsea was, and even more than Somerville is. Entering the contest, Mainland’s run/pass ratio is 56% run vs 44% pass.
Mainland has played two of Somerville’s previous state tourney opponents during the regular season. On October 4th, the Mustangs shut out Ocean City (14-0) at home and then defeated Delsea on the road in overtime (21-14) on October 25th. Mainland Regional has won 9 sectional titles in 11 finals appearances. The Mustangs, who also won the 2022 CJ Group 4 crown are making their third straight state semifinal/regional final appearance.
BCG’s Prediction
Somerville has another tough contest ahead of it. Once teams get to this time of year, they should expect nothing less. The cream has risen to the top. The Pioneers defeated both common opponents in Ocean City (30-14) and Delsea (24-6) en route to its latest sectional crown.
Besides playing two common opponents, both the Pioneers and the Mustangs have recorded three shutouts, and have played up this season. Although Somerville moved down from the BCC American Gold to the BCC Liberty Silver, it still played bigger schools. The Pioneers were the only Group 3 school in the division with Montgomery, North Hunterdon, Rahway, and Watchung Hills coming from Group 4.
Mainland enters the contest averaging 29 points per game on offense while giving up about half of that on defense per contest. These numbers are significantly down from last year’s Group 4 state championship team (43 ppg on defense and 7 ppg on defense), but still quite formidable. However, Somerville’s change in play selection this season has benefited its quarterback and defense since they are much fresher right now than most teams are.
Somerville’s defense will have to find a way to stop Mainlands triplets of QB John Franchini, RB Rocco DeBiaso, and WR Jake Blum. Franchini has thrown for 19 TDs while DeBiaso has rushed for 13 scores, and Blum has caught 13 of Franchini’s TD passes while rushing for another. Mainland’s more balanced attack could provide more challenges for the Pioneers.
The weather could play a factor in this game. The first significant storm in over three months came through the Garden State and brought over an inch and a half of rain to Central Jersey. Winds have picked up in response to the development of a coastal low. There will be a mix of rain and snow throughout the day on Friday and is likely to linger until kickoff and beyond. Winds are forecast to gust as high as 25 mph in the afternoon, but slacken by tonight.
Prediction: Somerville wins 24-14.
