Jersey Blitz, S2, Ep16: Putting a bow on a remarkable 2025 football season cover art

Jersey Blitz, S2, Ep16: Putting a bow on a remarkable 2025 football season

Jersey Blitz, S2, Ep16: Putting a bow on a remarkable 2025 football season

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 In the final episode of Season 2 of the Jersey Blitz, our NJ.com reporters Bill Evans, Donovan Hugel, Mike Kinney, Kevin Minnick, Ryan Patti and Joe Zedalis break down what they learned most during the 2025 New Jersey high school football season. They also touch on one player that impressed them the most this season, and we end the episode with each reporter saying what they are looking forward to most heading into next season. 0:00: The staff give their biggest takeaways from the 2025 season, beginning with the success South Jersey had. 2:00: Even with all the success of the public schools this season, there's still a massive gap between public schools and Non-Public schools. 5:42: The Shore Conference had some tough luck this season after having a ton of success in previous years. However, other programs like Holmdel, Wall, Toms River East, Neptune, Point Pleasant Boro, and Southern had successful seasons. 8:24: Meanwhile, even though Shabazz lost in the Group 2 final for the second straight season, Shabazz is here to stay. First-year head coach Nasir Gaines is finding his way as a high school coach, and Shabazz will only get better moving forward. 11:36: A dedicated rivalry week in New Jersey would add so much value if the state has one moving forward. 14:15: South Jersey had a year to remember, especially in the state finals as the region won five state finals. 17:18: Our reporters break down which one player stood out the most to them this season, beginning with Washington Township quarterback Cole Aquino, who played with so much poise this year, helping his team win a Group 5 title. 19:38: Steve Klein's impact at Westwood as a two-way player was remarkable as he didn't even had 200 touches on offense and never came off the field for a team that won a sectional title. 21:56: Jack Cannon was the Shore Conference's top player this season, but Shore Regional's Cole Torres had a massive impact for a Group 1 program. 23:47: Andrew Avent at Rahway rushed for almost 2,000 yards this season, and he stood out in a crowded field in the Big Central Conference. 25:47: Sophomore Tahj Gray from St. Joseph (Mont.) established himself as arguably the best sophomore in the state as he helped the Green Knights to the Non-Public A title and the state's No. 1 ranking. 28:03: Cedar Creek's Frenchmon Bethea will go down as one of the top players in program history, and he got better as the season went on and made some huge plays down the stretch as Cedar Creek won the Group 3 title. 30:35: Our reporters then say what they are looking forward to most heading into the 2026 season, beginning with South Jersey showing that this year was not a fluke after sweeping the public school titles. 32:48: How do the Non-Public schools shake out? Bergen, Bosco, SJR and SPP all return a ton of talent in Non-Public A, while DePaul and Paramus Catholic will be the top teams in Non-Public B. 34:59: After a "down year" in the Shore Conference, there's plenty of talent coming back across the board. 38:30: Quarterback development in the Big Central Conference is going to be a huge storyline heading into next season. A lot of talent is coming back. 41:44 Some small public schools in the SFC had dream seasons. How do they build on that going into next season while having to replace key contributors? 43:44: The Battle of the Beach continues to grow and get bigger, and next year will be no different. And Glassboro will face a tougher regular-season slate as the WJFL resets its divisions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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