Brearley Bears Awaken from Hibernation

Posted on by Big Central Gridiron
QB Matt Sims led David Brearley to a 10-1 season and a BCC Freedom Gold title in 2022. This year’s Brearley Bears are hoping to continue to make steps back to respectability following two straight wins that ended a 15-game losing streak over portions of three seasons.

David Brearley Snaps 15 Game Skid and Then Some with Back-to-Back Wins

KENILWORTH, NJ – Break up those Bears from Kenilworth!  The Brearley Bears awaken from hibernation that spanned portions of three seasons.  David Brearley’s football team snapped a 15-game skid and then some with back-to-back wins over Highland Park and Roselle Park.  If it weren’t for the Spotswood Chargers’ continued dominance, the Big Central Conference’s Freedom Gold Division would be a free-for-all.

Before its two-game winning streak, the Brearley Bears’ last victory came on October 5, 2023, against Highland Park (50-24) at Avery Ward Field.  After losing its final two games of the 2023 season, Brearley endured a winless 0-10 season in 2024 and lost its first three contests of this season.  David Brearley suffered a tough loss to Wallington of the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference in Week 0 (20-17), and then faced its toughest opponents of the season in A.L. Johnson in Week 1 (lost 35-0) and Spotswood in Week 2 (lost 40-7).

Highlights from the action in Jonathan Dayton’s 16-6 victory over David Brearley at Avery Ward Field in Kenilworth on October 24, 2024.

Entering Week 3, the Brearley Bears had another difficult foe to tackle in Highland Park.  The Owls finished 2nd in the BCC’s Freedom Gold a year ago en route to a 6-3 record, and their best season since 2011.  The Owls opened their 2025 campaign with home victories over Dunellen (34-6) and Jonathan Dayton (26-14).  Highland Park jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and led 20-7 at the intermission before Brearley rallied from behind for the victory.

The Bears outscored the Owls by a margin of 20-6 over the final two periods, and ended the game with 27 of the last 39 points for the dramatic victory.  David Brearley’s rushing attack, which churned up 293 yards on the ground, was led by the tandem of QB Joe Squillaro and RB Matthew Resende.  Both Squillaro and Resende rushed for two touchdowns while Resende chalked up 244 yards and over 10 yards per carry.

Footage from David Brearley’s victory over Middlesex on October 13, 2022.

The winning didn’t stop there for Brearley.  On Friday night, the Bears hosted long-time rival Roselle Park in another BCC Freedom Gold clash.  The Panthers opened their season with two straight victories by a combined margin of 87-13.  Roselle Park won its season opener over Middlesex by the score of 45-13, and then rolled past South River with a 42-0 shutout at Herm Shaw Field in Week 2.  The Panthers then suffered a setback to another long-time rival in Jonathan Dayton in Week 3 (37-20).

Once again, David Brearley benefited from playing at the friendly confines of Avery Ward Field in Kenilworth.  Resende led the ground attack again with 19 carries for 131 yards, including a 57-yard TD.  Resende also collected 9 total tackles.  Monroe Passmore contributed with a kickoff return of 85 yards while Chris Miserendino added a 30-yard field goal.  David Brearley built up a 17-0 lead in the third quarter before coming away with a 10-point victory.

Highlights from David Brearley’s 34-20 victory over Manville in Week 1 of the 2022 season.

Two years ago, Belvidere snapped a 13-game losing streak that spanned a season and half, with a 19-7 victory at Metuchen on September 22, 2023.  The win sparked a turnaround that culminated with the 2024 Big Central Conference Freedom Silver Division title last October.  Opening night of the 2024 season, J.P. Stevens broke a 42-game skid that began with losses in its final two games of the 2018 season.  The Hawks defeated Bound Brook in overtime at McGowan Stadium (22-21).

Brearley’s wins leave Dunellen with the second-longest losing streak at 15 games.  Ironically, the Destroyers defeated Brearley for their last victory in the 2023 regular season finale.  Dunellen then lost to Woodstown in the opening round of the 2023 South Jersey Group 1 playoffs.  The Destroyers, like Brearley, went 0-10 in 2024 and are currently 0-4 this season. New Brunswick has the longest losing streak in the BCC at 28 games.  The Zebras’ last victory was on September 16, 2022, over Franklin (28-26). 

Highlights from the action in David Brearley’s 40-6 victory over Jonathan Dayton on October 28, 2021.

Perth Amboy has the third-longest streak in futility with 14 straight dating back to its opening night victory at J.F. Kennedy (27-9) on August 29, 2024.  David Brearley’s football program has undergone a period of transition over the past several years.  Led by long-time head coach Scott Miller, who is the school’s athletic director, the Bears enjoyed a great deal of success for the better part of 20 seasons, including a 10-1 campaign in 2022 that produced a BCC Freedom Gold title and North Jersey Section 1 Group 1 finals appearance.

David Brearley is now coached by Elliot Platt, who is the third head coach in four years at the school.  The Bears are now 2-3 overall, including a 2-1 mark in the Freedom Gold Division.  Brearley is tied for second with Jonathan Dayton behind Spotswood.  Highland Park and Roselle Park are tied for 4th at 1-2.