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Brearley's ninth-year head coach Scott Miller is always an intent sideline presence as he keeps doing solid job guiding Bears. (Photo by Jake Cooper) Experienced 'D' At Forefront KENILWORTH – While the Bears are inexperienced at quarterback and running back, they do have seven returning starters on defense, which is not a bad thing at all for a Group 1 school – or any school for that matter. To say the defense is ahead of the offense as the scrimmage season continues would most likely be accurate. “All of our skill kids are brand new,” ninth-year head coach Scott Miller said. “They got some varsity experience from last year, but very little. “Defensively, all of our guys up front and two of our linebackers return, so our front seven is not doing too bad.” To say Miller and his coaching staff have found a way to win year after year and graduation class after graduation class would be an understatement. In Miller’s first eight seasons at the helm, he has guided Brearley to the state playoffs every year and enters his ninth season with an outstanding 70-16 (.814) record. His 8-7 playoff mark includes two state championship game appearances and the school’s first North 2, Group 1 title since 1991, which was achieved in 2006. That year Brearley became the first Union County team to go 12-0. Miller has the best record of any coach in Union County the last eight years, while Brearley finished with the best record of any Union County team for the decade of the 2000s at 79-27 (.745). Last year’s squad qualified for the Central Jersey, Group 1 playoffs, but entered with a two-game losing streak after falling at Roselle and at Dayton in Union. However, the Bears bounced back to win at South River in the quarterfinals, earning a semifinal contest at eventual champion Asbury Park. Brearley was put back into North 2, Group 1 for this year, along with fellow Union County schools New Providence, Dayton and Roselle Park. Just how fast Brearley begins to click offensively will have a lot to do with the maturity of senior quarterback Joe Calello. “Right now it’s too early to tell,” Miller said. “On the JV level last year he was able to run with the ball well. “He’s pretty quick and elusive. For a senior starting at quarterback for the first time it’s tough. We hope he won’t make the major mistakes and play within himself.” Returning starters on the offensive line out to give Calello as much protection as they can include senior tackle Bob Loneker, senior guard Greg Rice, senior guard Dillon Geoghegan, senior tight end Kevin Silvestrini and junior tight end Anthony Tancs. “Behind them we hope to move the ball a little bit,” Miller said. On defense, returning linemen include Silvestrini and Loneker at end and junior Mike Christian and Rice at tackle. Tancs in the middle and Geoghegan on the outside return at linebacker, while Albano returns in the secondary at cornerback. Michael Watson, a senior who is listed as a starter at cornerback, played some varsity last year before suffering a knee injury prior to the Roselle game. “We’ve had to shuffle guys around because of inexperience in the secondary,” Miller said. “Basically, we’re looking to get better every day we go out there. Of 4-5 things we see that we have to correct we’ll pick one and try to get better at it.” Brearley had its first scrimmage at Pingry Tuesday, which was a team it defeated at home in the regular season last year. The Bears are scheduled to host Carteret Saturday, Aug. 28 at 11 a.m. in their second scrimmage. Brearley’s game-scrimmage is set for Sept. 3 at home at 7 p.m. vs. Middlesex County foe Iselin Kennedy. “In the scrimmages we’re always looking to see what we’ve got,” Miller said. “We focus on ourselves and having to get better as a team.” Brearley’s first three games are against Group 1 foes, but then four of its next six are against Group 2 schools. “This year – by far – is the most difficult schedule we’ve been dealt since I’ve been here,” Miller said. Miller explained that a big reason why the Bears are playing four Group 2 schools is because of Brearley’s success in the past. Brearley’s four Group 2 opponents include Johnson, Roselle, Hillside and Summit. Johnson and Summit made the state playoffs last year, with Summit going 12-0 and capturing North 2, Group 2 for the first time since 1994. Summit’s JV and freshman teams both went 9-0 last year as well. One good thing about the Summit game for Brearley is that it will not count toward the Bears trying to qualify for the North 2, Group 1 playoffs since its Brearley’s ninth game. Only the first eight games are counted. Like last year, the Bears will be playing nine consecutive weekends before either playing a state playoff game or a sectional consolation contest. Brearley and New Providence have both made the playoffs the last eight years, which is tied for the longest streak among Union County schools. Brearley and New Providence are joined in this year’s Mid-State 39 Conference’s East C Division by Roselle, Bound Brook, Roselle Park and Dayton. Everyone will play everyone within the division this year. In last year’s Mid-State 39 Conference’s Union Division, the teams included Dayton, Roselle, New Providence, Brearley and Roselle Park and not everyone played everyone. Dayton won the division with a 3-0 record, beating Roselle Park, New Providence for the first time since the mid-1980s and Brearley for the first time since 1999. Dayton finished 8-2 overall and reached the North 2, Group 1 playoffs for the first time. “The teams within our own division are getting better,” Miller said. “ Dayton showed that last year and will be good again this year. New Providence is always good. Roselle showed improvement and with its new coach (Lou Grasso Jr.) will be better.” NOTES: Two assistants that have been with Miller since the beginning, include Rob Canterman, who coaches the offensive and defensive linemen; and Justin Petino, who coaches the running backs and defensive backs. Miller and Canterman played at Brearley and are both 1987 Brearley Regional graduates. Canterman played in college at Northeastern. Petino is a Dayton Regional graduate. Brearley boys’ basketball coach Jim Grady has been on the coaching staff for five years now and works with the wide receivers and defensive backs. New coaches this year include 2005 graduate Vinnie Russo, who is working with the quarterbacks and linebackers. Russo quarterbacked Brearley to its first playoff win in 13 years, which was a 45-26 home win over Middlesex in the 2004 CJ, G1 quarterfinals. Rich Suchanski, who took over as the girls’ basketball coach last winter, is working with the running backs and defensive backs. Dennis Lonergan had coached with Miller from the first season in 2002 until last year. Jimmy Young, now in his third season as an assistant at Rahway, was with Miller through the 2006 state championship season. He is a 1989 Union graduate who went on to star at Purdue.
BREARLEY’S MULTIPLE-I OFFENSE: G Greg Rice, senior, (5-10, 205) G Dillon Geoghegan, senior, (5-10, 190) C Fernando Luna, junior, (5-9, 170) T Bob Loneker, senior, (5-10, 205) T Mike Christian, junior, (5-10, 265) TE Kevin Silvestrini, senior, (5-10, 170) TE Anthony Tancs, junior, (5-10, 205) WR Vin Albano, senior, (5-8, 155) WR Bryan Andrade, senior, (5-9, 190) WR Jhonny Batista, sophomore, (5-10, 155) QB Joe Calello, senior, (5-6, 160) TB Anthony Rice, sophomore, (5-5, 135) TB Michael Watson, senior, (5-7, 160) TB Nick Lospinoso, junior, (5-8, 160) FB Andrew Scarillo, sophomore, (5-8, 160) PK-P Kevin Silvestrini, senior, (5-10, 170)
BREARLEY’S 4-3 DEFENSE: E Kevin Silvestrini, senior, (5-10, 170) E Bob Loneker, senior, (5-10, 205) T Mike Christian, junior, (5-10, 265) T Greg Rice, senior, (5-10, 205) T Renan Durate, sophomore, (6-0, 190) MLB Anthony Tancs, junior, (5-10, 205) OLB Dillon Geoghegan, senior, (5-10, 190) OLB Andrew Scarillo, sophomore, (5-8, 160) CB Vin Albano, senior, (5-8, 155) CB Michael Watson, senior, (5-7, 160) CB Bryan Andrade, senior, (5-9, 190) S Anthony Rice, sophomore, (5-5, 135) S Joe Calello, senior, (5-6, 160) S Jhonny Batista, sophomore, (5-10, 155)
BREARLEY BEARS Head coach: Scott Miller, since 2002. Ninth season: 70-16 (.814) Conference: Mid-State 39 Division: East C Section: North 2, Group 1 Brearley’s last sectional title: 2006 2009: (7-4) Bears in the 2000s: county-best 79-27 (.745) Ward Field in Kenilworth: Grass. Scott Miller is a 1987 Brearley Regional graduate who has guided the Bears to state playoff appearances his first eight seasons at the helm. He was an assistant at Johnson before taking over at Brearley.
BREARLEY BEARS 2010 Sept. 10 at Bound Brook, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 Roselle Park, 7 p.m. Sept. 25 vs. Dayton at Union, 1 p.m. Oct. 1 Johnson, 7 p.m. Oct. 8 New Providence, 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at Manville, 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at Roselle, 1 p.m. Oct. 29 Hillside, 7 p.m. Nov. 5 Summit, 7 p.m. Head coach: Scott Miller, ninth season
2009 BREARLEY BEARS (7-4) (H) Brearley 12, New Providence 0 (H) Brearley 13, Pingry 9 (A) Governor Livingston 17, Brearley 7 (H) Brearley 19, South Hunterdon 14 (A) Brearley 28, Roselle Park 12 (H) Brearley 40, Bernards 21 (A) Brearley 34, North Warren 0 (A) Roselle 28, Brearley 22 (A) Dayton 28, Brearley 12 - at Union (A) Brearley 26, South River 15 (A) Asbury Park 28, Brearley 6 Head coach: Scott Miller Section: Central Jersey, Group 1 Record: 7-4 Home: 4-0 Away: 3-4 Points for: 219 Points against: 171 Shutouts: 2 Overtime : 0-0
BREARLEY BEARS RECORD FOR THE DECADE OF THE 2000s: (79-27, .745) Best in Union County – most wins and highest winning percentage. 2009 - (7-4), reached Central Jersey, Group 1 semifinals 2008 - (9-1), reached North 2, Group 1 semifinals 2007 - (8-2), reached North 2, Group 1 quarterfinals 2006 - (12-0), NORTH 2, GROUP 1 CHAMPIONS First 12-0 team in Union County history. 2005 - (10-2), reached Central Jersey, Group 1 final 2004 - (9-2), reached Central Jersey, Group 1 semifinals 2003 - (6-4), reached Central Jersey, Group 1 quarterfinals 2002 - (9-1), reached North 2, Group 1 quarterfinals 2001 - (5-5) 2000 - (4-6) Made state playoffs (8 times): 2002-2009. Championship game appearances (2): 2005-lost. 2006-won. Present head coach: Scott Miller, ninth year. Head coaches the past decade (2): Dave Curtin 2000, 2001. Scott Miller 2002-2009.
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