NJSIAA Group 3 Final Preview: Stars Shine for Brick Memorial, Old Tappan

NJSIAA Group III Championship

Sunday, June 14, 2026

At Rutgers University

10 a.m.

Brick Memorial vs. Old Tappan

 

Teams at a Glance

Brick Memorial (25-7)

Head Coach: Evan Rizzitello
Group Championships: None
Group Final Appearances: None

Road to the Final

First Round: Senior catcher Joe McGlynn and senior shortstop Tyler Garbooshian each hit a double and a home run, with McGlynn going 4-for-4 and Garbooshian driving in four to lead the Mustangs to an 11-1, round-one win over No. 14 seed and crosstown rival Brick in five innings. Junior Michael Figner also socked a solo home run and classmate Zach Pirnik pitched a five-inning complete game for his seventh win of the season.

Quarterfinals: Garbooshian led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run and later added a two-run homer in Brick Memorial’s second 11-1 rout, this time in six innings over No. 6 Hopewell Valley. Garbooshian finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and senior Dan Golembiewski also blasted a first-inning solo home run for his 11th bomb of the season. Figner continued his hot start to the tournament by going 3-for-4 with two doubles. Meanwhile, senior left-hander Brody Moore pitched a six-inning two-hitter with nine strikeouts and one walk in the win.

Semifinals: For the second straight game, Garbooshian led off the first inning with a solo home run and Pirik kept the dangerous lineup of No. 2 Colts Neck enough to lead the Mustangs to a 3-2 semifinal win. Pirnik allowed one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts over six innings and Moore finished off the game with an eight-pitch seventh. Senior Gavin McCue also delivered an RBI single for Brick Memorial and sophomore Matt McGlynn was 2-for-3 in the win.

Sectional Final: Moore pitched a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and no walks against one of the best offenses in the state over the past two years and the Mustangs avenged their 2025 sectional-final loss by taking down defending champion and top seed Northern Burlington, 7-0. Senior second baseman Trevor Kish opened the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the third and Brick Memorial added four more runs in the inning, with Moore singling home a run and sophomore third baseman Matt McGlynn plating three with a bases-clearing double with two out. Moore added another RBI single in the fourth and although his streak of four straight games with a home run ended, Garbooshian reached base in all four of his plate appearances.

Group Semifinal: Down its final strike, Brick Memorial pulled out a stunning, 2-1, win over South Jersey champion Delsea on a game-tying RBI single by Garbooshian and a game-winning single by Moore in back-to-back at-bats in the bottom of the seventh. Junior Will Montanye started the rally with a one-out single, followed by a steal of second base with two out and Garbooshian at the plate. Garbooshian plated Montanye with a hard-ground-ball single to the left side, stole second base on the first pitch of Moore’s at-bat, then scored on Moore’s single through the right side. Pirink overcame strep throat and a high pitch count through three innings to pitch a complete game and earn his ninth victory. McCue went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and threw out a runner at home plate to end the top of the seventh inning. Garbooshian once again reached base in all four of his plate appearances, finishing 2-for-2 with a double and two walks.

Projected Lineup (2026 Stats)

Tyler Garbooshian, Sr., SS (.511, 46 H, 11 2B, 6 HR, 50 R, 34 RBI, 28 SB)

Brody Moore, Sr., P (.427, 46 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 23 R, 32 RBI, 12 SB)

Dan Golembiewski, Sr., 1B (.388, 38 H, 8 2B, 11 HR, 41 R, 45 RBI, 13 SB)

Joe McGlynn, Sr., C (.319, 30 H, 7 2B, 3 HR, 4 R, 22 RBI)

Matt McGlynn, So., 3B (.386, 34 H, 7 2B, 32 R, 17 RBI, 17 SB)

Michael Figner, Jr., RF (.222, 18 H, 7 2B, 1 HR, 9 R, 15 RBI, 1 SB)

Trevor Kish, Sr., 2B (.279, 24 H, 3 2B, 3 HR, 21 R, 24 RBI, 7 SB)

Will Montanye, Jr., DH (.208, 5 H, 8 R, 2 RBI, 3 SB)

Gavin McCue, Sr., LF (.224, 15 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 16 R, 8 RBI, 5 SB)

DH for: Cayden Concepcion, Jr., CF

 

Projected Starting Pitcher (2026 Stats)

Brody Moore, Sr., LHP (8-0, 1 Save, 64 IP, 40 H, 15 BB, 97 SO, 1.12 ERA)

 

Relief Pitchers (2026 Stats)

Zach Pirnik, Jr., LHP (9-3, 1 Save, 74 IP, 64 H, 23 BB, 71 SO)

Will Montanye, Jr., RHP (1-1, 2 Saves, 25 IP, 35 H, 13 BB, 22 SO, 5.32 ERA)

Jack Moriarty, So., RHP (2-0, 1 Save, 13.1 IP, 5 H, 9 BB, 17 SO, 0.52 ERA)

James Martin, Sr., LHP (2-3, 16.1 IP, 17 H, 15 BB, 14 SO, 3.86) ERA

Michael Figner, Sr., RHP (1-0, 10.2 IP, 13 H, 7 BB, 10 SO, 3.28 ERA)

 

Old Tappan (25-4)

Head Coach: Tim Byron
Group Championships: 1 (2008)
Group Final Appearances: 1 (2008)

Road to the Final

First Round: Senior catcher Anthony Onnembo went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI and senior right-hander Selden Kolkebeck pitched a one-hit shutout over five innings to pace Old Tappan to an 11-0 win over No. 16 Randolph.

Quarterfinals: Junior Derek Antigua went 2-for-2 with an RBI Kolkebeck and senior A.J. Aiello each drove in a run as the Golden Knights rallied from a 3-1 deficit with three runs in the late innings to secure a 4-3 win over No. 8 Northern Highlands. Sophomore Gerard Fernino pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win.

Semifinals: Kolkebeck returned to the mound and pitched a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts to lead Old Tappan to a 7-1 win over No. 5 Nutley. The Columbia commit walked one and allowed one unearned run in the top of the third inning. Nutley held the 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fifth, when the Golden Knights erupted for all seven of their runs. Junior second baseman Caden Yoon hit a bases-clearing triple and Joey Crescitelli delivered a two-run single while going 3-for-4 in the game. Onnembo and senior Mateo Skific each went 2-for-3 with an RBI as well.

Sectional Final: After late offense carried Old Tappan to wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the Golden Knights came out swinging against No. 2 Ramapo in the sectional final, scoring seven runs in the first three innings – including four in the first – before holding on for a 9-4 win that clinched the program its first sectional title since 2009. Onnembo continued his torrid hitting during the tournament by going 3-for-4 with three RBI while senior shortstop Max Garcia was 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and two runs scored. Junior David Brennan pitched into the seventh inning and Fernino came on to record the final two outs to set off the trophy celebration in Old Tappan.

Group Semifinal: Onnembo and Kolkebeck played the hero roles one more time in a 2-0 Old Tappan win over North Jersey Section 2 champion Cranford. Kolkebeck followed up his sectional semifinal no-hitter with a two-hit shutout that featured 10 more strikeouts and Onnembo broke a scoreless deadlock with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth that proved to be the game-winner.

 

Projected Lineup (2026 Stats)

Joey Crescitelli, Sr., CF

Max Garcia, Sr., SS

Selden Kolkebeck, Sr., P

Anthony Onnembo, Sr., C (.533, 48 H, 5 2B, 5 3B, 7 HR, 10 R, 40 RBI)

Isaiah Rodriguez, Jr., 3B

A.J. Aiello, Sr., RF

Caden Yoon, Jr., 2B

Mateo Skific, Sr., 1B

Derek Antigua, Jr., LF

 

Projected Starting Pitcher (2026 Stats)

Selden Kolkebeck, Sr., RHP (11-0, 71 IP, 31 H, 14 BB, 116 SO, 0.79 ERA)

 

Relief Pitchers (2026 Stats)

David Brennan, Jr., RHP (7-1, 48.1 IP, 2.89 ERA)

Gerard Fernino, So., LHP (4-1, 26.1 IP, 3.72 ERA

Chris Cho, Sr., RHP (0-1, 14 IP, 5.00 ERA)

 

Dynamic Duos: Brick Memorial

The NJSIAA Group championships are set up for the best players on the best teams to shine and Brick Memorial’s two scorching hot standouts will have a chance to lead their team to its first ever state championship Saturday on the campus of Rutgers University.

Seniors Tyler Garbooshian and Brody Moore have played at a high level from the start of the season but have both been particularly locked-in during the NJSIAA Playoffs. Garbooshian enters Sunday’s championship game vs. Old Tappan having reached base safely in four straight plate appearances, which came after Garbooshian had homered four times during the first three rounds of the playoffs – including lead-off homers in both the sectional quarterfinals vs. Hopewell Valley and the semifinals at Colts Neck. Garbooshian is 9-for-15 with two doubles, four home runs, nine runs scored, nine RBI and four stolen bases during the Mustangs’ five-game run to the tournament.

Fittingly, Garbooshian’s high school career will end at the same field he will call home next season, when Garbooshian will suit up for Rutgers.

“Me and my dad were talking about that,” said Garbooshian, who verbally committed to Rutgers as a freshman. “To get to end my high school career there and then start a new journey there – I have been thinking about that the whole time, once I knew the last game was at Rutgers. I want to get out there and win, though. That would make it better.”

Moore’s offensive contribution has also been considerable this season, with the senior centerfielder matching Garbooshian with 46 hits on the year while hitting .427. He is tied with sophomore third baseman Matt McGlynn for second on the team with five RBI during the state tournament. More than that, though, Moore has made his mark on the mound, where he is 2-0 with one run allowed on four hits and one walk while striking out 19 over 14 innings. In addition to wins over Hopewell Valley and Northern Burlington, Moore also saved Brick Memorial’s 3-2 win at Colts Neck in the Central Group III semifinals by pitching a perfect seventh inning.

It was fitting that Garbooshian and Moore saved Brick Memorial’s season with the tying and winning hits, respectively, in the Group III semifinal win over Delsea, although those heroics don’t happen without key contributions from the bottom of the order, as well as a brave outing from junior left-hander Zach Pirnik. Brick Memorial’s back-end of the lineup has been the x-factor for the Mustangs throughout the season and during the state tournament, that group – junior Michael Figner, senior Trevor Kish, junior Will Montanye and senior Gavin McCue – has delivered in the highest-pressure games.

Old Tappan’s Counter

Old Tappan has its own dominant duo to counter Garbooshian and Moore on Sunday. Columbia commit Selden Kolkebeck is 11-0 in 11 starts on the mound this season and during the NJSIAA Tournament, he has been almost untouchable. Kolkebeck is 3-0 with three hits and two walks in 19 innings, during which he has struck out 28 and not allowed an earned run. His second start of the state tournament was a no-hitter and back on May 5 vs. Northern Highlands, Kolkebeck racked up 17 strikeouts in a 6-3 Golden Knights win.

Kolkebeck’s battery mate, senior catcher Anthony Onnembo, has been Old Tappan’s heart all season long, especially during the NJSIAA Tournament. He is 8-for-16 with two home runs and nine RBI during the playoffs, with his most recent swing a tie-breaking two-run homer in the sixth inning of his team’s 2-0 win over Cranford in the Group II semifinal.

Inspiration is not limited to Onnembo’s play on the field. Onnembo played his first three varsity seasons while undergoing treatment for a rare form of Lymphoma and played his senior season in remission. The senior catcher notched his 100th career hit this season and is hitting better than .500 heading into the state final, just two hits shy of 50 for the season.

Prediction

With Moore and Kolkebeck on the mound, runs figure to be scare in the Group III championship game. Not only have both pitchers been dominant, but both have been efficient. Kolkebeck has twice pitched seven-inning complete games on 79 pitches and the only one of his 10 starts that did not end in a complete game was a five-inning outing with 14 strikeouts in a 12-3 win over Nutley on April 4.

Moore did not make it to the seventh inning in any of his first four starts this season, but since his final start of May, five of his seven starts have been complete games and he has not needed 100 pitches to finish any of them. He did need 83 pitches to complete four innings at Red Bank Catholic on May 20, but he was also very effective in that 4-0 Mustangs win: nine strikeouts and one walk in four shutout frames.

The two offense have had nearly identical tournaments, with Brick Memorial putting up 34 runs and Old Tappan producing 33 during its run. Both pitchers will face a heat check as they try to complete undefeated seasons and if both pitchers match zeroes long enough, both teams have full pitching staffs at the ready.

Brick Memorial has the edge in its second pitching option thanks to Pirnik, but it is going to take quite an effort to get Kolkebeck out of the game. If the Mustangs can do that, it may mean they have already scored enough runs to make a winner of Moore. The Brick Memorial ace is three strikeouts from 100 this season and if he can rack up a season-high 14 strikeouts, he will finish No. 1 in the Shore Conference in punchouts.

As great as Moore and Brick Memorial have been, Kolkebeck has been on another level. His season is reminiscent of what Luca Dalatri did at Christian Brothers Academy when he set the all-time wins record at the Shore Conference with three straight undefeated seasons on the mound to close out his high school career. Kolkebeck is also physically similar to Dalatri, from his imposing stature on the mound, his arm angle, his repertoire and his command.

Not many teams even had a shot to beat Dalatri and that has been true of Kolkebeck this season. Every now and again, though, a team can catch up to the fastball and put enough pressure on the ace to make it interesting. Both lineups can do that and after facing a funky left-hander in Delsea’s Kyle Harrison, the Mustangs could have a more comfortable time against a pitcher who lives in the strike zone.

On Monday, Brick Memorial showed it can hang in the game and win late and this match-up seems as though it will require a similar level of mental durability. Kolkebeck finishes undefeated, but he does not finish the game on the mound.

The Pick: Brick Memorial, 3-2 (9 Innings)