Bridgewater-Raritan High School

DJ Catalano, Bridgewater-Raritan High School's head football coach, may have a solution on how to knock out a schedule that features a lineup card of rugged heavyweights.

“Experience will go a long way, especially with our schedule,”’ Coach Catalano declared as he will launch his third season this fall as head skipper at Bridgewater-Raritan.

He went as far to claim this about Bridgewater-Raritan’s daunting calendar.

“It is the hardest public school schedule in all of New Jersey.” Coach Catalano stated. “I believe it is.”

Coach Catalano will call on a veteran unit to challenge this schedule when the lights get flicked on for the season opener on Friday, August 29, at refurbished Basilone Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

The first of many ornery foes for the season will be Notre Dame High School, a regular participant to the NJSIAA non-public school playoffs each fall. The school from Lawrence Township will be the first guest to be treated to the sparkling new improvements at Basilone Field.

A new turf surface that is decorated with the newly created high school Panther logo, bleachers on both sides of the field that have been upgraded to produce a much safer and more accessible structure and a refurbished track are among the improved attractions to Basilone Field.

Baslione Field’s fresh makeover will be on stage early and often---the first four games of the 2025 season will be played at the venerable site in Bridgewater.

Each of the six total home games will be played on a Friday and will start at the earlier time of 6 p.m.---the Panthers had begun games at 7 p.m. in past years.

Piscataway High School pays a call on September 5, Morris Knolls High School comes from Deneville on September 12 and rival Hunterdon Central Regional High School will stop by on September 19.

The schedule does not get any easier on the road.

Bridgewater-Raritan plays at Ridge High School on September 26, before it returns home to meet Elizabeth High School on October 3. The next stop is at Hillsborough High School on October 10, followed by a home affair with old-time nemesis Westfield High School on October 17 and then the regular-season concludes with a trip west to Phillipsburg High School, a perennial state power on October 24.

Coach Catalano cited that “about 20 returning players” will be the core of his veteran team. A good chunk played on last year’s 4-7 team that advanced to the second round of the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 state playoffs.

The leadership will start under center in two-year starter Declan Kurdyla. The senior comes off a season in which he passed for just under 1,800 yards and connected on 20 touchdowns. His main targets will be senior receiver Mikey Bratus, who hauled in 28 passes for almost 350 yards and four TDs in 2024, and junior receivers Evan Woodring and DJ Krizan. Sophomore Tyler O’Hare will line up at tight end.

Kurdyla can pitch the ball to senior halfback Denzel Amoafo, who gained 500-plus yards and five rushing TDs last fall, and juniors Jonathan Okolo and Jahmier Black. Kurdyla, a highly acclaimed lacrosse player who will compete in that sport at Rutgers University next year, is a threat to keep, too. He ran for almost 400 yards last season.

Offering protection up front is an experienced and gifted group, which is guided by senior left tackle Justin Simpson, a tenacious 6-2, 315-pounder who is a three-year starter. He is heading to Bucknell University.

Senior right tackle Christian Antunes ( 6-3, 220), senior right guard Stephen Pikulin (5-8, 185), sophomore left guard Joseph Day (6-3, 290) and senior center Matt Pizzelanti (6-2, 294) round out this skilled front line.

Digging in on the defensive line are Pikulin at nose tackle and Antunes and senior Miles Tofte (5-10, 165) inside with junior Jamielle Jones (6-0, 190) on the edge.

O’Hare and senior Joey Confalone (5-8, 145) will see duty plugging up at middle linebacker and Black and junior Nick Crovelli (5-6, 150) are the outside backers.

The secondary will be stationed by Woodring and Krizan at safety and Bratus, Amoafo and junior James Locrotondo at corners. Reliable placekicker/punter Joe Squicciarini is back for his senior year.

The players are brimming with confidence.

“We feel like we will have a good season, we worked all summer and are excited,” Amoafo said at a recent practice. “We can put up the points and we can stop teams. We are confident.”

The coach agreed.

“We have seen a lot of development over the last few years and we are finally seeing the work become a fruition,” Coach Catalano said. “We now expect to win.”

Here is the 2025 Bridgewater-Raritan High School football roster.