History On The Line: Bridgewater-Raritan HS Seeks To Win 1st Ever State Sectional Football Championship

BRIDGEWATER, NJ ? On Friday, Bridgewater-Raritan High School will seek to win its first-ever NJSIAA state sectional football playoff championship.

The Panthers (8-3) are set to face the Bayonne High School Bees (8-3) in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 state sectional playoff title game at Bridgewater-Raritan's newly refurbished Baslione Memorial Field.

Kickoff is set for Friday at 6 p.m. at Baslione Memorial Field. For tickets to the game visit events.hometownticketing.com/boxoffice/njsiaa/L2VtYmVkL2V2ZW50LzE4MjM=.

Bayonne, winner of seven straight and sharing the same 8-3 record with Bridgewater-Raritan, has won both of its state playoff games outside of Hudson County on the road.

Bayonne opened the state playoffs with a 44-13 victory over third-seeded Elizabeth High School on Oct. 31. Bayonne then upset second-seeded Piscataway High School, 27-13, in the semifinals on Nov. 8.

Two of Bayonne?s three defeats this season came against teams that Bridgewater-Raritan has beaten.

Bayonne fell to Morris Knolls High School, 21-14, on August 29 and to Union City High School, 27-14, on Sept. 12.

Bridgewater-Raritan defeated Morris Knolls, 27-21, on September 12, and knocked off Union City, 22-7, in the state playoff semifinals on Nov. 7.

Securing the luxury of playing on its home turf for a state sectional playoff championship was the focus all season for Bridgewater-Raritan.

"It is a huge advantage for us to play at home," Bridgewater-Raritan Coach DJ Catalano said from the Baslione Memorial Fieldhouse on Tuesday, while he was preparing his game plan for the title game. "We worked hard all season to set it up for us to have the home field throughout the playoffs."

In order to place the first state sectional playoff championship hardware into the Bridgewater-Raritan High School trophy case, Catalano's crew must put the brakes on Bayonne?s dangerous running back, Chance Fischer.

"He was fantastic against Piscataway," said Catalano, who, along with his staff, scouted that semifinal playoff game on Saturday afternoon, the day after the Panthers? victory over Union City. "He is an exceptional runner."

Catalano will also call on his study defenders to corral Bayonne quarterback Nico Sampson Jr. and receiver Jerome Hayes Jr., the son of Bayonne's head coach, Jerome Hayes.

"The QB can scramble, and Hayes moves around a lot from wide out to tight end. They are explosive," Catalano warned.

The winner from all four of the public schools? five-group (1-5) state sectional playoff championship games this weekend, Nov. 14 to 15, will advance to the five public school state playoff semifinals the weekend of Nov. 21 to 22.

The five public school group championships and two non-public championship games will be staged from Nov. 28 through Dec. 3.

State sectional football championships have been claimed over the years in Bridgewater-Raritan.
Bridgewater-Raritan High School East was declared a state sectional football champion by the NJSIAA four times (1969, 1970, 1971 and 1974) before it competed in the since-created state playoff system. Bridgewater-Raritan East won its only state sectional playoff title in 1989.

However, there have been no state sectional football playoff banners to hang since Bridgewater-Raritan East merged with Bridgewater-Raritan High School West in 1991, resulting in the present-day Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

Catalano and his troops realize what is at stake on Friday evening.

"We can cement this in the history of the school by winning the game."

? Submitted by BRRSD