The Big Central All-Conference football teams, honoring the league’s best offensive players for the 2024 season — plus honorable mention:
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
DEREK ANDERSON
Woodbridge
Senior
Quarterback
Not much frazzled the cool senior under center. Anderson picked up the option offense this season and led the Barrons to a 10-1 season by throwing for 1,470 yards (84-for-147 passing) with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. He added 437 rushing yards on 62 carries with four scores. The two-year starter tossed 3,244 yards with 40 touchdowns and eight picks in his career as Woodbridge went 16-5 in that span.
More: Football honors index: Links to All-Big Central Conference and All-Area awards packages
JETT GENOVESE
Quarterback
Senior
The BCC’s Offensive Player of the Year capped a brilliant career with his best season, setting a host of Stateliners records, including career passing yards and passing touchdowns. Genovese, who helped P’Burg to its ninth sectional championship, completed 106 of 173 passes for 1,827 yards and 16 touchdowns, against only five interceptions, adding 658 rushing yards and 11 more scores. Genovese also contributed 56 tackles, with 37 coming solo and four going for losses, a sack and an interception on defense.
BRENDEN PACHECO
Somerville
Senior
Quarterback
The three-year starter piloted the BCC’s third-most prolific offense to 34.6 points per game, helping the Liberty Silver and CJ3 champion Pioneers to a program-record 12 wins. Pacheco completed 119 of 205 passes for 1,742 yards and 27 touchdowns, throwing just four interceptions, and added 384 rushing yards and three more scores. He caps his career with 3,657 yards and a combined 51 scores.
JACKSON JANKOWICZ
Hillsborough
Senior
Running back
The veteran back surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the second straight season, logging 1,431 yards and 24 touchdowns on 223 carries, while catching 28 passes for 446 yards and four more scores. Jankowicz also threw a touchdown pass and returned a kick for a score, adding three interceptions in the defensive secondary. He set single-season Hillsborough rushing and total touchdown records, finishing with 4,638 career all-purpose yards, second-most in Raiders history.
CHUKWUMA ODOH
St. Thomas Aquinas
Sophomore
Running back
Odoh showed promise as a freshman and fully broke out as a sophomore with 146 carries for 1,418 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder excelled by eluding early would-be tacklers and using his speed and savviness to bounce to the outside and take off. The consistent Odoh scored in every game. He added 51 tackles as a linebacker and scored on a fumble recovery.
AIDAN STIEGLITZ
Ridge
Senior
Running back
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound back punished opposing defenses, rumbling for 1,311 yards and 22 touchdowns in his first year as the Red Devils’ primary offensive weapon. He also chipped in 28 tackles, a half sack and a forced fumble on at linebacker. He’s heading to Elon University to play baseball.
MATTHEW SCERBO JR.
Phillipsburg
Senior
Receiver
The Stateliners not only enjoyed a historic season as a team, but it was a record-breaking campaign for some of their players, including their star wideout. Scherbo set career records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns for the state’s all-time winningest program, capping his career by catching 50 passes for 1,082 yards and 11 touchdowns, adding a rushing score and a 2-point conversion.
RYAN TURNER
Ridge
Senior
Receiver
The Red Devils’ 35.2 points per game was second only to St. Thomas in the Big Central Conference and the Turner’s contributions to the cause came from all over the field. The senior rushed for 598 yards and six touchdowns, totaled 493 receiving yards and seven scores, returned a kick for a TD and recorded 29 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception at corner back.
FELIX MATOS
Phillipsburg
Senior
Athlete
The Stateliners’ impact-from-everywhere weapon, contributed out of the backfield and as a receiver for the North 2 Group 4 champs, rushing 85 times for 584 yards and 15 touchdowns, while catching 40 passes for 695 yards and five more scores. The Long Island University-bound Matos was also a part of the defense, recording 38 tackles, two forced fumbles and two interceptions out of the secondary, logging a pair of defensive TDs.
TERRELL MITCHELL
Somerville
Senior
Athlete
The three-year starter, who recently switched his college commitment from Wake Forest to Rutgers, capped his brilliant Somerville career with another huge campaign for the Central 3 champs, rushing 178 times for 1,406 yards and 18 touchdowns, catching 22 passes for 186 yards and five scores, and recording eight 2-point conversions. Mitchell also retuned a kick and a punt for touchdowns.
BRODY NUGENT
Old Bridge
Junior
Athlete
The elusive and slippery Nugent provided an exciting presence at quarterback for the Knights, using his scrambling skills to get away and create plays. He rushed for 1,017 yards on 145 carries with 16 touchdowns in nine games. He also threw for 953 yards (68-for-145 passing) with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. He added a 74-yard punt return for a score.
JOEY BOTTOGLIA
Hillsborough
Senior
Offensive line
The “MVP of the offensive line,” head coach Kevin Carty Jr. said, Bottoglia anchored a unit that produced 29.5 points per game and over 2,100 rushing yards for the season, as the Raiders advanced to their second straight sectional semifinals and hit the seven-win mark for the second straight season.
JUAN CARLOS MENA
Woodbridge
Senior
Offensive line
Mena played with a torn ACL, but delivered on the line from his guard spot. The Barrons rushed for 1,945 yards on 305 carries (6.38 yards per carry), while having 3,415 yards of total offense. The veteran 6-3, 315-pounder had a big hand in those results and Woodbridge’s undefeated regular season.
NATE SCHNEIDER
Ridge
Senior
Offensive line
The Red Devils’ featured the conference’s second-most prolific offense, notching 35.2 points per game, and Schneider led an offensive line stacked with talent that helped Ridge to 2,680 rushing yards, over 1,000 yards through the air, and 49 touchdowns. The senior also helped out with 54 tackles and 3.5 sacks at linebacker.
JACK SCHROEDER
Bridgewater-Raritan
Senior
Offensive line
The Panthers offense featured a host of weapons, led by quarterback Declan Kurdyla, and it was Schroeder who was the force up front that helped BR produce some big point totals as the program made the playoffs for the 10th straight time and captured its first postseason win since 2017.
ELIJAH THOMAS
St. Thomas Aquinas
Senior
Offensive line
The Trojans scored a Big Central-best 42 points per game, while rushing for over 3,000 yards and passing for 1,753 yards. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound tackle was a huge reason for that offensive success, providing a presence on the line and paving way for the skilled position players as a three-year starter for STA.
ALEXIE MOREIRA
Phillipsburg
Junior
Kicker
The junior had plenty of opportunities to kick for the high-powered Stateliners, connecting on 57 of 59 extra-point attempts to lead the conference. He also made the most of his field-goal chances, burying 3 of 4 tries, including a 46-yarder as time expired to lift Phillipsburg to a two-point win in the North 2 Group 4 final.
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Arique Fleming, Elizabeth, So.
QB: Dom Parenti, Middlesex, Sr.
QB: Justin Scaramuzzo, St. Joseph, Jr.
RB: Matteo Tramutola, Voorhees, Jr.
RB: EJ Brown, Plainfield, Sr.
RB: Shaun Jackson, Sayreville, Jr.
WR: Brandon Bradsher, Perth Amboy, Sr.
WR: Nick DiEsso, Bridgewater-Raritan, Sr.
WR: Eric Klemmer, Delaware Valley, Sr.
ATH: Robert Gallagher, A.L. Johnson, Sr.
ATH: Ja’Kir Thomas, Carteret, Sr.
OL: Sam Henry, Summit, Sr.
OL: Jack Martin, Westfield, Sr.
OL: Bryan Palamar, Elizabeth, Jr.
OL: Dylan Randis, Gov Livingston, Sr.
OL: Mike Scotti, Cranford, Sr.
K: Joe Squicciarini, Bridgewater-Raritan, Jr.
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Dylan Chiera, Colonia, Jr.
QB: Declan Kurdyla, Bridgewater-Raritan, Jr.
QB: Brandon Puryear, Roselle, Sr.
RB: Fiheem Howell Jr., J.F. Kennedy, Jr.
RB: Dom Massaro, South Plainfield, Jr.
RB: Na’quavere Thomas, Manville, Sr.
WR: Nygel Hill, Colonia, Sr.
WR: Jack Morra, Bernards, Sr.
WR: Nahjae Smith, Elizabeth, So.
ATH: Edward Cooper, South Hunterdon, Sr.
TE: Chimmy Ozokpor, Hillsborough, Sr.
OL: Bryce Bouchard, Sayreville, Sr.
OL: Ben Coury, Phillipsburg, Sr.
OL: Lucas Knagenhjelm, Voorhees, Sr.
OL: Miles Muldrow, Franklin, Jr.
OL: Luke Testa, North Hunterdon, Sr.
K: Gavin Pereira, Spotswood, Jr.
HONORABLE MENTION
A.L. JOHNSON: Ryan George
BELVIDERE: Elijah White
BERNARDS: Logan Stevens
BOUND BROOK: Andy Perpignan
BREARLEY: Carter Stein
BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN: Justin Simpson
CARTERET: Yari Miranda
COLONIA: Nic Straile
CRANFORD: Justin Hoeffler
DAYTON: John John DeSarno
DELAWARE VALLEY: Justin Kollmer
DUNELLEN: Luke Pettersen
EAST BRUNSWICK: Felix Munoz
EDISON: Justin Boslet
ELIZABETH: Antoine Blount
FRANKLIN: Francis Flores
GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON: Lucciano Santamaria
HIGHLAND PARK: Kosta Hantsoulis
HILLSBOROUGH: Ryan Seamon
HILLSIDE: Jorge Rodriguez
HUNTERDON CENTRAL: Quinton Fisher
J.F. KENNEDY: Grant Lorentzen
J.P. STEVENS: Lamar Raiford
LINDEN: Tyrone Hinton
MANVILLE: Evan Canica
METUCHEN: Evan Toth
MIDDLESEX: Jax Jarvis
MONROE: Brandon Macaluso
MONTGOMERY: Brandon Rector
NEW BRUNSWICK: Chase Maurrasse
NEW PROVIDENCE: Jameson Moore
NORTH BRUNSWICK: Tommy Koroma
NORTH HUNTERDON: Nicholas Ramici
NORTH PLAINFIELD: Aaron Potts
OLD BRIDGE: Jaden Griffith
PERTH AMBOY: Laivon Balthazar
PHILLIPSBURG: Luke Hywel
PISCATAWAY: Riley Wingate
PLAINFIELD: Chantz Fitz
RAHWAY: Kevin Taylor
RIDGE: Joseph Dachnowicz
ROSELLE: Damari Julius
ROSELLE PARK: Matthew Drada
SAYREVILLE: Adrian Ciesla
SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD: Jayden Richards
SOMERVILLE: Matt Chubenko
SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Dason Boateng
SOUTH HUNTERDON: Thomas Breuer
SOUTH PLAINFIELD: Dylan Oller
SOUTH RIVER: Michael Marchesi
SPOTSWOOD: Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage
ST. JOSEPH-METUCHEN: Jacob Pappas
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS: Roman Blanks
SUMMIT: Cole Sabol
UNION: Dallas Tullis
VOORHEES: Kyle Borgh
WATCHUNG HILLS: Jack Martin
WESTFIELD: Enzo Ferrero
WOODBRIDGE: Jahmir Beal
Simeon Pincus has been covering New Jersey sports since 1997. He can be reached at SPincus@GannettNJ.com. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus
Andy Mendlowitz can be reached at AMendlowitz@GannettNJ.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Mendlowitz
Josh Rosenfeld and Harry Frezza also contributed to putting these honors together.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Football: All-Big Central Conference offense, honorable mention
