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‘These guys paved the way’: Old Bridge football season ends with return to sectional final

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‘These guys paved the way’: Old Bridge football season ends with return to sectional final


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NOTE: This article will be updated with more information and quotes. Please check back later.

WASHINGTON TWP. –  As the Washington Township football players celebrated following their 38-7 win in the NJSIAA Central Group 5 final, the Old Bridge side met in an unhappy huddle in the far end zone on Friday, Nov. 14.

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Knights head coach Matt Donaghue beckoned the 20 or so seniors to stand up at the front of the semicircle.

“You know what these guys did for the program,” he said, scanning the whole team and coaches. “These guys paved the way.”

He had everyone give a round of applause.

It was a fitting salute as the Knights reached a football sectional final for just the third time in program history to go along with their 2001 and 2015 appearances.

As the big underdogs against a juggernaut, Old Bridge likely needed some breaks, fortunate bounces and some intangible karma to go its way.

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The third-seeded Knights (10-2) showed life at times – and made it interesting – but Washington Township (12-0) proved too much to repeat as sectional champions.

Top-seeded Washington Township (12-0) will play in next week’s Group 5 semifinals against Kingsway, which beat Atlantic City 38-21 in the South Group final.

Old Bridge trailed 17-7 with under two minutes left in the third quarter and seemed to have some momentum but a Washington Township blitz broke it open. The Minutemen scored three touchdowns in the final 1:49 of the third to open a 38-7 advantage.

It went: Andrew Osbron 5-yard touchdown run. Isaac Parra 40-yard interception return for a score. A Parker Reese interception off a tip from his own teammate followed by Colin Beeler spurting up the middle for a 42-yard run into the end zone on the final play of the quarter.

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Just like that, any rally dreams died for the Old Bridge fans.

Osborn added touchdown runs of 5 and 29 yards for the powerhouse Gloucester County school. Washington Township has a program record of 469 points this season and won every game by double digits save for a 39-36 win over Kingsway.

Old Bridge, too, had a memorial campaign. The Knights advanced with two thrillers, a 38-31 win over sixth-seeded Freehold Township in the quarterfinals and a 28-27 semifinal win over second-seeded Sayreville.

Down 17-0 at halftime, Old Bridge scored on a 23-yard pass from Brody Nugent to Michael Chiarella, who made a nice catch in the end zone. Michael Firetto’s extra point cut it to 17-7 with 4:10 left in the third quarter

The Knights just couldn’t break through despite quality play. Old Bridge got two turnovers, Zach Florio came up with a sack to force a Kingsway punt and the offense twice drove to Washington’s 12-yard line but was stopped on downs.

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 In the end, it was Washington Township that celebrated with a trophy presentation with its fans.

As Donaghue ended his brief post-game remarks, he proclaimed, “Hold your heads up. Family.”



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Tulip Day Washington draws buzz as sign-up site goes down

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Tulip Day Washington draws buzz as sign-up site goes down


Coming up this month, spring’s most colorful new event: Tulip Day Washington. 

What we know:

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On March 15, 2026, Tulip Day Washington will transform DC’s National Mall into a vibrant tulip-picking garden beautiful views of U.S. Capitol 

This one-day event will take place from 11:15 AM – 4:15 PM, offering a floral showcase of approximately 150,000 tulips; visitors are invited to pick their choice of 10 tulips for free upon arrival.  

Dig deeper:

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The registration site for Tulip Day is currently down, showing users “This site is currently unavailable. If you’re the owner of this website, please contact your hosting provider to get this resolved.” 

Users on social media say the event may be sold out. 

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Check tulipday.eu for updates.  

The backstory:

The event is organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands and Royal Anthos, a Dutch trade association, in honor of America’s 250th birthday. The display of tulips will be in the shape of the number 250. 

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The bulbs come from the Netherlands, but are being grown in Virginia and New Jersey. 

These won’t be the first tulips on the National Mall, however. The Floral Library, also known as the Tulip Library, features 93 beds of flowers near the Tidal Basin. The Floral Library was established in 1969, and is maintained by the National Park Services. These flowers, though, are to be enjoyed only – not to be picked. 

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PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

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PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball


The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2026 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more.

Long Beach State dropped a 9-7 decision against Washington State on Sunday afternoon, closing out a busy weekend on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.

The visiting Cougars took the lead for good in the eighth inning when Long Beach Poly grad Ryan Skjonsby delivered a game-winning two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded. Skjonsby was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and three RBIs for Washington State in their road victory.

For the Dirtbags, catcher Damon Valdez scored twice and had a key two-run single in the sixth to help lead a Long Beach comeback. Trevor Goldenetz had a pair of hits at the top of the order, including an RBI triple. Camden Gasser walked twice and singled, improving his on-base percentage to .574 on the season.

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Long Beach State (4-7) will be back in action at home on Tuesday with an exhibition match against Waseda University from Japan. The Dirtbags will then visit San Diego State on Wednesday and open Big West play at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.





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Week Ahead in Washington: March 1

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Week Ahead in Washington: March 1


WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Operation “Epic Fury” — the weekend military operations carried out by the U.S. and Israel against targets in Iran — tops the agenda for Congress as lawmakers return to Washington.

Sunday, President Donald Trump said the new leadership in Iran wants to talk to the Trump Administration.

Democrats in both chambers called for Congress to return as soon as possible for classified briefings on Iran, followed by a move to vote on the War Powers Act. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war on another country.

Congress’ return to Washington was originally delayed due to the start of the 2026 midterm elections cycle.

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Tuesday, voters in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas head to the polls for primary elections.

North Carolina and Texas are drawing significant attention, as both states are facing congressional redistricting and competitive primary races for Senate seats.

In Texas, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) is facing primary challenges from state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. On the Democratic side, Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing state Rep. James Talarico.

In North Carolina, candidates are vying to replacing retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R) . They include former Governor Roy Cooper (D) and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley.

Also this week, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is laid to rest. He will be honored Wednesday in Washington before a final memorial service Saturday. Jackson died Feb. 17.

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