The thrill of football is back at the new-look Basilone  Memorial Field for the 2025 fall football season.

The Bridgewater-Raritan High School football team has opened the season with two victories in its first two games.

The Panthers are led by DJ Catalano, who returns to the team for his third season as head coach, looking to build off of a 4-7 season that saw the team reach the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA (New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association) North Jersey, Section 2 Group 5 playoffs.

The team has been able to retain over 20 seniors from last season, and has enjoyed steady contributions from juniors who have been able to make their mark so far this year.

On the field, the team has seen the most success on the offensive line, which has been rock solid to open the young season. The line is anchored by senior left tackle Justin Simpson, who committed to Division 1 FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) at Bucknell University over the summer. 

Senior Matthew Pizzelanti, affectionately known as “Po” by his teammates, has undertaken the duties as center for the second straight season at the varsity level. He is joined on his right side by another senior guard Stephen Pikulin, who has received attention from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

At left guard, sophomore JoJo Day has solidified his spot following his freshman year in which he saw rotational downs at guard, a rarity for Group 5 football. 

The right tackle position has been a committee effort so far this season, as junior Neil Luis and senior Chris Antunes have been rotating in and out through the first two games.

The offense of the Panthers is flourishing yet again under Catalano and longtime playcaller Jay Cahill, showcasing the raw talent of senior quarterback and Rutgers Lacrosse commit Declan Kurdyla, who starts the season under center for the second year in a row. Kurdyla has thrown for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns so far this season, while also rushing for 125 yards and a touchdown, establishing his dual-threat capability. 

The running game for Bridgewater-Raritan has been the focal point of the “Panther Offense”, as a deep running back room has churned out six of the Panthers’ nine touchdowns. While senior running back Denzel Amoafo returned for the 2025 season looking to follow up on his 530-yard, five-touchdown 2024 campaign, the Panthers have found an unexpected gem in junior Jahmier Black, who transferred from Immaculata High School. Black already has 197 yards on the season, while going for over 80 yards in both games so far this year. 

In addition to a strong rushing attack, the aerial assault has been equally as strong being led by Kurdyla. A trio of senior wideouts Joey Confalone, NJIT Lacrosse commit Mikey Bratus and Air Force Lacrosse commit Jack Cifuentes have been Kurdyla’s top targets this year, while Black, junior DJ Krizan and sophomore Jack Winne have also hauled in receptions from him.

The Panthers opened up the first of four consecutive home games against the Notre Dame High School Fighting Irish, a team that they lost to 40-38 last year following a blocked go-ahead field goal. This season, however, was a different story.

The Panthers drove down the field on their opening possession, and Amoafo punched it into the endzone from 3 yards out. Following two more rushing touchdowns, one a piece for Amoafo and Black, the Panthers jumped out to a 21-7 lead going into the locker room for halftime. 

The teams slowed coming out of the break, with neither team scoring in the third quarter. However, at the end of the quarter, the Panthers were driving, and scored in the opening seconds of the fourth from a Kurdyla run. 

After letting up a 14-yard strike from Fighting Irish QB Matthew Rausch (who shined in his own right, throwing for 322 yards and 3 touchdowns), Bridgewater-Raritan let their star RB duo chew the clock all the way down the field, with Jahmier Black completing their drive with a 15 yard touchdown run, and capping off a 35-20 victory. 

Riding their week zero victory, the Panthers took the turf at Basilone Field the following week against Piscataway High School, another team that they had faced the season prior. The Panthers got into a shootout with the Chiefs in 2024, prevailing 52-48 in a game that ultimately came down to the last possession. Catalano emphasized to his team following that game that the better team had not won, and that they were lucky to have left Piscataway with a win. 

Catalano prided his team on execution and fundamentals this time around, and that’s exactly how the Panthers began the game. Following the two teams trading punts, DKurdyla found Mikey Bratus over the middle for a 32-yard touchdown. 

The Chiefs answered right back, as on the first play quarterback Landon Pernell found wide receiver Bryce Payne in the flat and he ran 60 yards down the field for the score, knotting it up at 7-7. 

The Panthers went right back down the field, letting Amoafo and Black go to work on the ground before Kurdyla found Bratus again for his second touchdown pass of the game. 

Payne and the Chiefs followed up that drive with their own long, run-focused journey down the field, with Pernell hauling in another touchdown pass to tie it up again before the second quarter. 

The Panthers forced a quick three and out to open the second quarter, and senior placekicker Joe Squicciarini slotted in a field goal from 40 yards out to establish a three-point Bridgewater-Raritan lead. 

After another punt, the Panthers got the ball back and looked to be in control of the game, but a costly 53 yard pick six from Kurdyla to Sean Love gave Piscataway the lead going into the half. 

Coming out of the locker room, the Chiefs got the ball, but the Panthers forced a 3 and out. They drove 90 yards down the field, letting Jahmier Black punch it in for the touchdown from the 1 yard line. 

The Panthers held the Chiefs scoreless until the final possession of the fourth quarter, while Black ran in another touchdown and Squicciarini hit another 40 yard field goal to complete a 34-27 victory. 

This marks the first time since 2021 that the Panthers have opened the season 2-0, and look to continue the streak at home against Morris Knolls High School this Friday, September 12