Phillipsburg Stateliners 

July 9, 2023 

2022: 

• 11-1 
• Lost to West Orange in the North Jersey Section 2 Group 5 finals after beating Paterson Eastside in the semifinals and Elizabeth in the quarterfinals 
• Wins included North Hunterdon, Ridge, Hillsborough, Bridgewater-Raritan, Union, and Sayreville 
• Scored 371 points for a 30.92 average 
• Allowed 133 points for an 11.08 average 

Graduation: 

• RB/DB Xavier Moore – Shippensburg 
• TE/LB Connor Hille – Franklin & Marshall 

Offense: 

• Formation: Multiple-I 
• Returning Starters: 8  

Quarterback: 

• Jett Genovese, Junior, 5-11, 195 – returning starter; passed for 1,380 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions per nj.com  

Tailback: 

• Caleb Rivera, Senior, 6-0, 190 – returning starter; rushed for 600 yards per nj.com  
• Sam Dech, Sophomore, 5-9, 185 – provides depth 
• Marv Shabi, Senior, 5-10, 180 – provides depth 

Fullback:  

• John Wargo, Senior, 5-11, 230 – returning starter 
• Omar Dominguez, Senior, 5-10, 200 – provides depth 
• Jayden Lucas, Junior, 5-9, 215 – provides depth; St. Peter’s Prep transfer 

Wide Receiver: 

• Kevin Burgess, Senior, 6-0, 170 – 3-year starter 
• Matthew Scerbo, Junior, 6-2, 185 – returning starter; 37 receptions per nj.com  
• Cam Bohal, Senior, 6-1, 175 – part of the rotation; started in 2021; started on defense 
• Felix Matos, Junior, 5-10, 185 – provides depth; Bergen Catholic transfer 

Tight End: 

• Ricky Krouse, Senior, 6-0, 210 – projected starter 

Offensive Line: 

• Colin Higgins, Senior, 6-1, 270 – returning starter at right tackle 
• Joey Ross, Senior, 5-11, 195 – returning starter at right guard 
• Ben Coury, Junior, 5-10, 210 – returning starter at center 
• Jack Regan, Senior, 5-10, 215 – projected starter at left guard; started on defense 
• Nate Smith, Senior, 6-1, 215 – projected starter at left tackle 
• Gifton Friday-Johnson, Senior, 5-10, 215 – top reserve along the line   

Defense: 

• Formation: 4-4 
• Returning Starters: 6 

Defensive Line: 

• Caleb Rivera, Senior, 6-0, 190 – returning starter at end 
• John Wargo, Senior, 5-11, 230 – returning starter at end, moving from tackle 
• Jhalil Dooley, Junior, 6-1, 225 – part of rotation at end 
• Jack Regan, Senior, 5-10, 215 – returning starter at tackle 
• Gifton Friday-Johnson, Senior, 5-10, 215 – projected starter at tackle 
• Ben Coury, Junior, 5-10, 210 – part of the rotation at tackle 

Linebacker: 

• Patrick Day, Senior, 5-9, 170 – returning starter on the outside 
• Rafaelle Velez, Senior, 5-9, 175 – projected starter on the outside 
• Sam Dech, Sophomore, 5-9, 185 – provides depth on the outside 
• Ricky Krouse, Senior, 6-0, 210 – projected starter on the inside 
• Marv Shabi, Senior, 5-10, 180 – projected starter on the inside 
• Jayden Lucas, Junior, 5-9, 215 – part of the rotation on the inside; St. Peter’s Prep transfer 

Secondary: 

• Kevin Burgess, Senior, 6-0, 170 – 3-year starter at safety 
• Cam Bohal, Senior, 6-1, 175 – 3-year starter at safety 
• Matthew Scerbo, Junior, 6-2, 185 – competing at opposite corner 
• Felix Matos, Junior, 5-10, 185 – competing at opposite corner; Bergen Catholic transfer  
• Jaquil Dooley, Sophomore, 6-0, 195 – competing at opposite corner 
• Mekhi Lovell, Senior, 6-0, 180 – competing at opposite corner 

Special Teams: 

• Senior Colin Hoey will be the kicker and senior Weston Turdo will punt 
• Scerbo, Burgess, and Bohal are the return men 

Schedule: 

• Friday, 9/1, Sayreville at home 
• Friday, 9/8, Ridge at home 
• Thursday, 9/14, at North Hunterdon 
• Sunday, 9/24, Hillsborough at Rutgers 
• Friday, 9/29, Hunterdon Central at home 
• Friday, 10/6, at Bridgewater-Raritan 
• Friday, 10/13, at Union 
• Friday, 10/20, East Brunswick at home 
• Thursday, 11/23, Easton (Pa.) at Lafayette 

Concerns: 

• Left side of offensive line is new 
• Inside Linebacker 
• Tight End 

Recruiting: 

• Burgess verballed to Central Connecticut state for baseball 
• Wargo will probably wrestle in college 
• Rivera is a D2/D3 prospect 
• Bohal will play somewhere 
• Others may play D3 
• Underclassmen: 
• Scerbo has an offer from Lafayette 
• Genovese will play at a high-academic school 

Coach’s Comments: 

“We’re reloading like every year. Our goals remain intact: beat Easton, win a state championship, and win our division. We can’t let the success from last year hinder us. We need to reload and treat it as such.” – Head Coach Frank Duffy