Old Bridge Knights  

June 28, 2024

2023: 

• 4-6 
• Beat Livingston in the Group 5 consolations 
• Wins included Monroe, East Brunswick, and New Brunswick 
• Losses were to North Brunswick, Piscataway, Woodbridge, Somerville, South Brunswick, and Bridgewater-Raritan 
• Scored 236 points for a 23.6 average 
• Allowed 274 points for a 27.4 average 

Graduation: 

• OL/DL Ryan Kuhl – Widener (Pa.) 
• K/P Josh Endaz – Kean 
• TE CJ Fortunes – Montclair State for lacrosse 

Offense: 

• Formation: Power Spread 
• Returning Starters: 7 

Quarterback: 

• Brody Nugent, Junior, 5-11, 175 – returning starter; passed for 1,217 yards and 11 touchdowns, while rushing for 814 yards and 7 touchdowns per nj.com  
• Brody Hunt, Senior, 6-0, 195 – in the mix  

Running Back: 

• Jeremiah Dixon, Junior, 5-9, 185 – competing and will get carries 
• Jayden Endaz, Junior, 5-9, 185 – competing and will get carries; started on defense  
• Chase Rizzo, Sophomore, 5-10, 170 – competing and will get carries 

Wide Receiver: 

• Jaden Griffith, Senior, 5-9, 165 – returning starter; 18 receptions for 419 yards and 6 touchdowns per nj.com 
• Xavier Diaz, Junior, 5-7, 150 – returning starter with two starts in 2022; 18 receptions for 303 yards per nj.com 
• Michael Kvas, Junior, 6-4, 180 – returning starter 
• Chase Rizzo, Sophomore, 5-10, 170 – may be part of the rotation if he is not playing running back 
• John Sorrano, Senior, 6-1, 160 – part of the rotation 
• Cameron Olivencia, Sophomore, 6-0, 155 – part of the rotation 

Tight End/H-Back (situational): 

• Zahmir Evans, Senior, 6-0, 205 – will play at h-back 
• Brody Hunt, Senior, 6-0, 195 – will play h-back if he is not playing quarterback 
• Michael Kvas, Junior, 6-4, 180 – may play tight end in addition to his wide receiver duties 
• Nick Shine, Junior, 6-1, 205 – will play tight end 

Offensive Line: 

• Noah Balbuena, Senior, 6-4, 280 – 3-year starter at right tackle 
• Tramel Forson, Senior, 6-4, 260 – returning starter at right guard 
• Noble Heron, Junior, 5-10, 265 – returning starter at center or left guard; started at left tackle 
• Christian Madison, Junior, 6-1, 290 – projected starter at center or guard 
• Connor Long, Sophomore, 6-7, 315 – projected starter at left tackle 
• Michael Karanievski, Sophomore, 6-0, 235 – competing on the interior 

Defense: 

• Formation: 3-4 
• Returning Starters: 9 

Defensive Line: 

• Zahmir Evans, Senior, 6-0, 205 – returning starter at end 
• Michael Kvas, Junior, 6-4, 180 – returning starter at end 
• Zach Florio, Junior, 5-9, 225 – returning starter at tackle 
• Jereme Mercado, Senior, 6-0, 205 – competing and part of the rotation at tackle and end  
• Tramel Forson, Senior, 6-4, 260 – competing and part of the rotation at tackle and end 
• Noah Balbuena, Senior, 6-4, 280 – competing and part of the rotation at tackle and end 
• Connor Long, Sophomore, 6-7, 315 – competing and part of the rotation at tackle 
• Noble Heron, Junior, 5-10, 265 – competing and part of the rotation at tackle 

Linebacker: 

• Tasye Walker, Senior, 6-0, 195 – returning starter 
• Tommy Kasoff, Junior, 5-9, 180 – returning starter on the inside 
• Justin Valinotti, Junior, 5-9, 185 – missed 2023 with an injury 

Secondary: 

• Jayden Endaz, Junior, 5-9, 185 – returning starter at strong safety 
• Chris Benford, Junior, 5-11, 200 – projected starter at strong safety 
• Aidan Reynoso, Senior, 5-8, 165 – returning starter at free safety 
• Noah Rios, Junior, 6-2, 160 – returning starter at cornerback 
• Munvy Francois, Senior, 5-11, 185 – returning starter at cornerback 
• Xavier Diaz, Junior, 5-7, 150 – part of the rotation at cornerback and safety 

Special Teams:  

• The kicker is a competition among senior Lucas Michael, junior Michael Finetto, and sophomore Tomas Santos, while the punter is undecided 
• Griffith, Rizzo, and Diaz are the return men 

Schedule: 

• Friday, 8/30, Woodbridge at home 
• Friday, 9/6, Edison at home 
• Friday, 9/13, Piscataway at home 
• Friday, 9/20, at South Brunswick 
• Friday, 9/27, East Brunswick at home 
• Saturday, 10/5, at Morristown 
• Thursday, 10/10, at Monroe  
• Friday, 10/18, Hunterdon Central at home 
• Friday, 10/25, at Colonia 

Concerns: 

• Who wins the competition for the open positions? 

Recruiting: 

• Balbuena and Forson are receiving low 1-AA/D2 interest 
• Evans is receiving D2 attention 
• Francois will play somewhere 
• The rest are D3 prospects 
• Underclassmen: 
• Kvas and Nugent are good prospects from the junior class 
• Long will be recruited by the Power-4 schools 

Coach’s Comments: 

“We were very young last year, with many sophomores starting and some juniors. We will have a year of experience this year and the kids hit the weight room hard in the offseason. Players were thrown to the fire last year; some were ready and some were not, but we gained experience.” – Head Coach Matt Donaghue