When your high school football team is one of the last four Group 5 teams standing in New Jersey, there is a very small gap between the fall and winter sports seasons.
For athletes in a grueling sport like football, which begins offseason workouts in the scorching summer before the first day of school, it would be understandable to take a break after your school’s deepest run ever. The Bridgewater-Raritan High School football team’s 2025 fall season particularly fits this description, as its dream season extended from the NJSIAA’s first day of practice on August 11 all the way to the Group 4 state semifinals.
That historic stretch lasted just over three months before concluding on November 21.
Courtesy of leaders like senior Stephen Pikulin, who played on both the offensive and defensive lines for Bridgewater-Raritan, the Panthers won their first-ever state sectional title after rallying to knock off Bayonne High School in the finals of the NJSIAA North New Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 Football Tournament.
As a result, Bridgewater-Raritan hoisted its program’s first trophy at John Basilone Memorial Field: the Panthers’ newly renovated, longtime home venue on top of it.
Even though Pikulin’s high school football career and the Panthers’ magical run came to an end against Passaic County Technical Institute in the Group 5 state semifinals the following week, there was no break for the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Class of 2026 senior.
Pikulin quickly traded in his football pads for a basketball, but this time around, he is not typically the one directly responsible for tossing the ball into the hoop.
He passes that opportunity – and the ball- to his Bridgewater-Raritan High School Unified Basketball teammates.
“Bringing that same championship mentality while also including everyone from top to bottom is a lot of fun,” reflected by Pikulin after Bridgewater-Raritan (6-2) tallied a 35-29 road victory at Delaware Valley Regional High School (1-4) and swept its regular-season series against the Terriers Thursday, February 5, in Frenchtown.
“It’s good to have our kids feel success and the happiness of winning, and the ability to bring that championship mentality to a really good cause is something special.”
Especially in the wholesome setting of Unified Basketball: a complete 180 from the brutal, high-contact environment of high school football, to say the least.
While an extracurricular activity, there is a strong connection between the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Unified Basketball team and the full-year, P.E. Partners course offered by the Physical Education / Health department on campus. According to both the BRHS 2025-26 and 2026-27 Program of Studies, Physical Education I, II, III, and IV are required for all students with the following exception for P.E. Partners for students in grades 11 or 12 as written: “Instead of Physical Education III or IV, students can apply to the P.E. Partners program. P.E. Partners is a collaboration between the special education and physical education departments in which students with developmental disabilities and autism are partnered up with typical students to promote socialization in an active environment.”
That partnership was showcased flawlessly by members of both the Bridgewater-Raritan and Delaware Valley Unified Basketball squads on Thursday evening.
In fact, all five of the game’s scoring plays by either team were made by a different player in the first quarter, which saw Bridgewater-Raritan end with a 6-4 lead after Kyle Cosenza, Agil Dinesh, and EJ Ramirez each got on the scoreboard.
Halfway through each period, both teams substituted out their five players on the floor with a new set of five players to give everyone a taste of the action. For Bridgewater-Raritan, this gave players like Pikulin and two of his upcoming spring baseball teammates: senior Kellan Komline and junior Nico Moore, a chance to fulfill the game’s most important objectives.
Not scoring, but managing both the Panthers’ offense and defense on the hardwood.
Even if they dribbled up and down the floor or saw a rebound fall into their hands under the rim, they always passed the ball to their teammates, regardless of whether or not they had an uncontested path to the basket. In other words, they tallied lots of assists: arguably the most important statistic in Unified basketball.
Most importantly, they made sure their teammates could experience the thrill of a packed house erupting for them when the ball fell through the rim.
For a four-year varsity baseball starter like Komline: a Babson College Baseball signee who will enter his final spring season as one of New Jersey’s best two-way players via his impactful pitching and hitting, he clearly understands what it means for his teammates to experience the thrill of reaching New Jersey’s mountaintop.
And even more, appreciating the hard work it takes to get there.
“This program has helped me so much in terms of how I view my life,” revealed after the game of Unified basketball by Komline, who has a .296 batting average and a 0.88 earned run average (ERA) over the first three years of his memorable career for Bridgewater-Raritan, and was notably one of the many catalysts behind the Panthers’ 30-3 record and sweep of the division, county, sectional, and state championships during his sophomore 2024 season.
Before he picks up his glove, bat, and ball one last time in a Panthers uniform this spring, Komline will be amongst those with similar goals for Bridgewater-Raritan High School Unified Basketball.
Winning a state championship – like he and his 2024 Bridgewater-Raritan baseball teammates were able to do, but being a leader within his community first and foremost.
“Giving back and helping them out makes me so happy, because they are just great kids and they all deserve it,” Komline said. “The teamwork aspect makes me stay centered in how I compete in baseball, because we’re all working hard, and we’re all doing this together for Unified. A bunch of different people scored today. That definitely helps recenter me for baseball and keeps me fresh.”
“Getting to come practice and play with these kids is one of my favorite times of the day, and I love it.”
Delaware Valley took its first lead of the evening, 8-6, after tallying back-to-back buckets by different players in the second minute of the second quarter, before Dinesh then knotted the score for Bridgewater-Raritan with 5:25 left in the first half. This launched a burst of 10 straight points to end the half for the Panthers, who tallied three consecutive field goals by Cosenza before Anirv Mathena sent the visitors into the break with a 16-8 lead they never relinquished.
Bridgewater-Raritan’s four field goals in the third quarter were delivered by three different players: two by Dinesh, and one each by Cosenza and Yadyra Jimenez. Dinesh then caught fire to the tune of four of the Panthers’ six field goals in the fourth quarter, which also included a two-point shot from Sofia Green and a three-pointer from Anurag Trivedi to punctuate the Panthers’ regular-season sweep of Delaware Valley.
“We got off to a little bit of a slow start, but after a while, a lot of the skills we have been working on in practice have been paying off,” assessed Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Cynthia Wong of the 2025-26 season and her squad’s victory at Delaware Valley. “Especially Anurag Trivedi’s three-pointer – he’s been working on that for a while.”
“It was a great team effort.”
Most importantly, whether a player on the hometown Terriers or the visiting Panthers scored, everyone in attendance cheered loudly – even those on both sidelines and at the scorer’s table centered between them. This was especially true for the spectators in the audience, which included what appeared to be members of multiple other Delaware Valley Terriers Athletics squads that stopped by in support prior to attending their own practices.
Next up for Bridgewater-Raritan (6-2) will be Senior Night for the graduating members of the Class of 2026, which will be celebrated prior to the Panthers’ home game against Voorhees High School (2-5) taking place at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, February 10, at Vaughn Stapleton Gymnasium in Bridgewater. The Panthers will then travel to Voorhees for a 3:45 p.m. for a rematch two days later Thursday, February 12, in Glen Gardner.
Bridgewater-Raritan will then travel to Hillsborough High School (3-4) at 3:45 p.m. Thursday, February 19, in Hillsborough to round out the regular season.
“We’re all pushing every day and taking it week by week,” previewed Komline of his team’s next steps. “Whether it’s practice or games, we’re all working hard and having as much fun as possible. We all know the common goal.”
“We want to get to Rutgers, but we’re going to work as hard as possible to make that come true.”
The Panthers were eliminated by now two-time reigning NJSIAA Unified Basketball Group A state champion Hunterdon Central Regional High School, 27-24, in last season’s state semifinals: one trip short of a state finals berth a short drive away from Bridgewater-Raritan’s campus. However, the Panthers notably snapped the Red Devils’ 12-game winning streak dating back to last season’s state championship run when Bridgewater-Raritan picked up a 34-28 victory over Hunterdon Central on January 27 in Bridgewater.
While the postseason schedule is yet to be determined, one date is certainly circled on the Panthers’ calendar.
Sunday, March 15.
That third Sunday of March will be the date of the Unified Basketball Group A state championship game, which will be contested at Jersey Mike’s Arena on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway along with the Group 1 and Group 3 boys’ and girls’ state championship games.
“It would be an awesome thing to make, because our Partners and athletes have been incredible,” Wong shared of the opportunity to punch a ticket to the Unified Basketball state finals.
“They all deserve the chance to especially play at a big-time place like Jersey Mike’s Arena.”
Bridgewater-Raritan’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams are also both projected to qualify for their respective state playoff brackets one week prior to the cutoff, and both of these Panthers’ squads will launch their bids to win Group 4 state championships Tuesday, February 24.
The Unified Basketball Group B state finals, in addition to the Group 2 and Group 4 boys’ and girls’ state finals, will take place at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Saturday, March 14.
“We want the same thing, but we just want to take it that one step further, so we get back to practice every day after school,” concluded Pikulin.
“They know it, we all know it, but we’re trying to do that while having the most fun we possibly can.”
The 2025-26 Bridgewater-Raritan High School Unified basketball team roster is as follows:
Brady Baxter
Jasmine Chen
Joey Confalone
Kyle Cosenza
Bobby DeCarlo
Agil Dinesh
Evan Farley
Sofia Green
Shane Higgins
Yadyra Jimenez
Kellan Komline
Declan Kurdyla
Anirv Mathena
Nico Moore
Paige Pacifico
Stephen Pikulin
EJ Ramirez
Vivian Seymour
Anurag Trivedi
Arjun Yalamanchili