he chemistry between senior quarterback Declan Kurdyla and wide receiver Mikey Bratus extends beyond Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s football field.
They are lacrosse teammates for the Panthers in the spring, and not only did the senior duo’s families grow up together. Four years ago, Declan’s older brother: Brady, was also the Panthers’ starting quarterback that fall. Back in this 2021-22 school year, Brady was also a football and lacrosse teammate of Mikey’s older brother: Matt.
Both of them were part of a Panthers football squad that was arguably one play away from a trip to that season’s state sectional championship game before notably contributing to Bridgewater-Raritan’s most recent boys’ lacrosse state title in the spring.
After another big victory over Piscataway High School on Friday night, September 5, Bridgewater-Raritan accomplished a critical feat for the first time since that school year.
Talk about life coming full circle.
Declan Kurdyla tossed a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes for Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0) to Mikey Bratus and help the Panthers keep pace with Piscataway (1-1), which also had first-quarter touchdown passes by junior quarterback Landon Pernell to senior Bryce Payne. Both defenses then settled in and made big plays, including a go-ahead pick six by senior Sean Love to give the visiting Chiefs a three-point lead at halftime.
Bridgewater-Raritan answered by scoring 17 straight points in the second half, pitching a shutout until Piscataway’s final drive, and posting a 34-27 victory at John Basilone Memorial Field in Bridgewater.
“We grew up on the same road together, and I have been playing with Mikey Bratus since I was three years old,” revealed Kurdyla after the game. “I know where he is. I can close my eyes and throw the ball to him, sometimes. We’ve just been brothers since day one, so the chemistry has always been there.”
“It’s finally showing on the field.”
Not only amongst them, but amongst veterans and newcomers alike for a program coming off of its first playoff victory since 2017 and semifinals finish in the NJSIAA North New Jersey, Section 2, Group 5, playoffs.
Especially important for a group that has experience playing in close games last season alone, when the Panthers won four games by a combined total of just 14 points, including three of these victories in come-from-behind fashion.
Piscataway was one of those three teams that was the victim of a Bridgewater-Raritan rally, and after the Panthers achieved this on the road in their 52-48 victory last season, they did it again on their newly-renovated home turf.
Friday night’s game looked to be on pace to exceed even last year’s 100 total points, especially when Bridgewater-Raritan marched 80 yards in 10 plays to strike first on the opening drive of the game. There is probably good reason the Panthers elected to receive the game’s opening kickoff, as senior Denzel Amoafo and junior Jahmier Black each collected two first-down rushes with Kurdyla under center.
“I can only just shout out our [offensive] line giving me that time back there,” credited Kurdyla of his blockers up front, which contributed to another big night on the ground for Bridgewater-Raritan.
“It opens up everything for us.”
Big plays and massive short-yardage bursts along, including a fourth-and-one conversion by Amoafo to keep Bridgewater-Raritan’s opening drive alive. On the next play, Kurdyla tossed a 36-yard strike to Bratus to put the host team s on the board first with 7:13 left in the first quarter, and senior Joe Squicciarini (2/2 FG, 4/4 XP) booted his first extra point as part of a perfect nigh.
But on Piscataway’s first play from scrimmage at its own 40-yard line, Pernell flicked a 60-yard touchdown pass to Payne, who took it to the house along the Panthers’ sideline to knot the score, 7-7, with 6:55 left in the opening quarter. The visitor from Middlesex County then responded with a three-and-out before taking over at its own 35.
Enter Bridgewater-Raritan’s defense, which promptly hopped on a fumble at the Piscataway 26-yard line on Piscataway’s first play. After then drawing a horse collar tackle penalty against Piscataway to further split the distance between Bridgewater-Raritan and the end zone, Kurdyla’s resulting 13-yard touchdown pass to Bratus with 3:57 left in the first quarter helped the home team quickly retake a 14-7 lead.
“Our connection is just unmatched, and our families have been friends forever,” echoed Bratus of his association with Kurdyla. “We’ve been doing everything together since we were born, and we’ve been playing every sport together. Over time, that connection just builds.”
“I know where he wants to throw, and he knows where I am going to be.”
Including in the end zone – twice – on a night he led the team with four catches for 87 receiving yards.
This cushion proved valuable early for Bridgewater-Raritan, whose defense forced a three-and-out and was set up to exit the field again after Piscataway called timeout facing fourth-and-two at its own 48 with 2:35 left in the first quarter. Piscataway junior Zaire Young then rumbled for a 31-yard run, which ultimately led to a seven-yard touchdown pass from Pernell to Payne with eight seconds remaining in the first quarter to tie the game, 14-14, after sophomore kicker Victor Nogueira’s successful extra point attempt.
After both teams came up empty in their next drives, a 28-yard catch by Bridgewater-Raritan senior Joey Confalone set up an eventual 40-yard field goal by Squicciarini with 3:49 left in the first half. With Bridgewater-Raritan leading 17-14, both teams traded turnovers, including an interception by Panthers sophomore Jack Winne.Piscataway then grabbed possession right back before failing to convert a 41-yard, game-tying field goal attempt.
With Bridgewater-Raritan poised to go into the locker room in front, the visiting team quickly flipped that script.
With 21 seconds left in the first half, Love managed to snatch an interception, which he returned for a touchdown to give Piscataway its first lead of 20-17 at halftime.
The Chiefs also received the second-half kickoff after Bridgewater-Raritan elected to receive the opening kickoff of the game. On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, junior Devin Labega caught a 70-yard pass from Pernell to set up first-and-goal from the 10 for Piscataway.
But Bridgewater-Raritan has responded many times in this situation under the direction of third-year skipper DJ Catalano.
In fact, he constantly prepares them for scenarios like this.
“We’ve been in that situation so many times, and we put them in that situation on purpose in practice,” explained Catalano of how his team staged their successful rally. “Credit to my coaches. We went over some of the adjustments that we wanted to do, and then it was just very calm and methodical. No one was panicking, and that just comes with maturity. That’s the great thing about high school football. I’ve seen these guys since they were freshmen.
“Now to see them as seniors, it’s the coolest thing in the world to see where they were and where they are now.”
Thanks to a valuable assist by Bridgewater-Raritan’s roaring home crowd, the Chiefs were then pushed backwards due to back-to-back false starts. On the next snap, Bridgewater-Raritan senior Nick Stark intercepted a high throw in the center of the end zone with 9:55 left in the third quarter.
After that, it was all Bridgewater-Raritan, which tallied an 11-play, 90-yard, go-ahead scoring drive capped off by Black’s one-yard rush: his first of back-to-back touchdowns, to give the Panthers a 24-20 lead with 5:24 left in the third quarter. Bridgewater-Raritan’s defense forced a three-and-out before Black then led the Panthers down the field, including via a hurdle over the entire Piscataway defense on a 17-yard rush to end the third quarter with the home team set up to go up by two scores.
With 10:37 remaining, Black did just that on a two-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal, and Bridgewater-Raritan extended its lead to 31-20.
“For anybody who wants to come on our team, if you come out with a good work ethic, we’ll take you,” praised Kurdyla of Black, who had another big night in his second game for Bridgewater-Raritan. “Jahmier Black was an absolute animal all summer.”
“He came here every day ready to work, and it shows on the field.”
Bridgewater-Raritan continued to keep Piscataway off of the scoreboard while time slowly started to swing in the Panthers’ favor. After Bridgewater-Raritan forced Piscataway to use all three of its timeouts, Squicciarini’s second 40-yard field goal with 3:13 to go made it a 34-20 lead for Bridgewater-Raritan.
Although Pernell eventually scored on a 13-yard keeper run with 1:26 to go, the resulting onside kick was recovered by Stark to fittingly seal Bridgewater-Raritan’s exciting victory.
“We know how to finish games, and I’m really proud of them,” said Catalano, whose team is off to a 2-0 start for the first time under his leadership. “Being a defensive guy, we had some picks and turnovers, but the one thing I was really proud of our guys about was [Piscataway’s] last drive where they scored. All we cared about was time. We didn’t care if they scored, but we cared about keeping them in bounds. That was something that we were willing to give up as long as it was eating time. [Pernell] is a quarterback that runs, and I think we did a really good job of squeezing and condensing.”
“Our situational awareness and maturity on that drive was through the roof.”
Unscathed to begin its grueling schedule, Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0) will now try to remain perfect at least three games into its season for the first time 2016, when the Panthers won their first 11 games before falling to Westfield High School in their second of three straight state sectional finals against the Blue Devils from 2015-17.
Next up for the Panthers is Morris Knolls High School (1-1), which will visit Basilone Field on Friday, Septmeber 12, for a 6 p.m. matchup. Bridgewater-Raritan will seek to avenge its 34-14 defeat to Morris knolls in Denville last year.
The Panthers will then launch play in the Big Central Conference American Silver Division: arguably one of their conference’s top divisions, when Hunterdon Central Regional High School comes to town Friday, September 20, to cap off four straight home games to begin the 2025 season for Bridgewater-Raritan.
Hunterdon Central Regional High School was the lone division rival defeated by the Panthers last season, as Bridgewater-Raritan will eventually try to avenge losses to Phillipsburg High School, Hillsborough High School, and reigning division champion Ridge High School this season.
“We have a great group of guys,” concluded Kurdyla. “[Coach Catalano] always says that leaders are going to drive the culture, especially our senior leaders. No matter who it is, we’re just very tight-knit, and the chemistry is there. We said going into our senior year: who else would we want to play with other than our brothers?”
“I think we could have a very good season this year.”