Pedro Barreto Reis (10) of Harrison hoists the trophy after winning the Hudson County boys soccer final between Harrison and Kearny at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. (Mile Djordjiovski / For NJ.com)
Co-founder Adrienne J. Romero contributed to this reporting.
Several teams have been making noise throughout Hudson County and beyond. Read all about it in this week’s sports news roundup.
Head Out To Hudson County College Basketball Games This Season
Basketball season is back to the courts and if you missed their home openers, you still have plenty of time to catch the action.
You can find schedules for Saint Peter’s University, Kean Jersey City and Hudson County Community College (HCCC) here:
- Kean Jersey City – Men’s and women’s
- Saint Peter’s University – Men’s and women’s
- HCCC – Men’s and women’s
Harrison Wins Girls Soccer Title After Over Three Decades
Two weeks ago, the Harrison Blue Tide girl’s soccer team clinched the NJIC Patriot Division title after a 6-0 win over Woodridge. This was Harrison’s first division title since 1991.
The Blue Tide (18-2) finished the regular season with a five-game winning streak. They closed out their season with four consecutive clean sheets and scored 33 goals in their final five games and only conceded two goals in those five games:
- A 5-2 win against Leonia/Palisades Park
- A 6-0 win against Ferris
- A 6-0 win against Woodridge/Wallington
- A 10-0 win against Weehawken
- A 6-0 win against Memorial
“They understood it was something special and that it’s been a really long time since the program brought the school back a trophy,” said Head Coach Bryan Jablonsky.
“Winning the division was always the first goal mentioned when we discussed over the summer what we wanted to achieve this season. Given how close we got last year, it was an achievement that was a top priority of ours.”
The Blue Tide will look to march on with their season and play in the NJSIAA North Jersey semi-finals this Wednesday against West Morris.
Harrison Beats Long Time Rivals To Win Hudson County Boys Soccer Championship
The Harrison Blue Tide (14-1-1) have won its first county championship since 2013.
They secured the Championship title by getting their first win over neighboring rivals, Kearny since 2018. The Kearny Kardinals (11-4-1) last won in 2022.
In the 19th minute, Musa Bah launched a nearly 30-yard shot into the top-right corner of the Kearny goal.
This secured the 2-0 win for Harrison in front of more than 3,000 fans at Sports Illustrated Stadium for the Hudson County Tournament final.
“I was scared to shoot the ball (from there), but I did this for my mama, who stayed in Africa,” Bah stated after the match, according to The Observer. “I’m so happy. I thank God for everything and we worked so hard for this.”
“… He’s dribbling in, he’s blowing by people and he’s scoring when the goalie pulls himself out of the net,” Harrison Head Coach Mike Rusek said. “You don’t really see him take too many shots from the outside. So I was actually surprised that he’s the one that hit that, but I’ll take it.”
In the opening minutes of the second half, Harrison was dominating possession. In the 50th minute, Barreto gained possession in the middle of the 18-yard box and kicked out to Jhowy Picon, who placed the ball perfectly inside the far post.
“This (title) means a lot,” Barreto said.
“Harrison hasn’t lifted this trophy in so long, over 10 years, and I’m so proud of Harrison and how much work we put in. I’m so proud of the boys and myself. This rivalry means everything to this town and every time we play them, we’re going to back down. So yeah, this means a lot.”
Harrison and Kearny have won 10 out of a possible 17 county titles combined since Hudson County adopted a true county tournament format in 2009. Both programs are two of the most decorated in the history of New Jersey with more than 40 combined state championships and well more than 1,000 wins.
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Secaucus Girls Volleyball Takes Home Hudson County Chip
Last week, the Secaucus Patriots bested the Union City Soaring Eagles in two games with scores of 25-21 and 25-14, earning their fourth straight county title, which makes their 30th in program history.
“Congratulations to our players and coaches on another outstanding accomplishment…,” Secaucus High School wrote in a post.
“The tradition continues, and the legacy grows stronger every year!”
On Friday, the Patriots fell short in the NJSIAA tournament to Bogota 0-3.
Kearny Sisters Claim Tennis County Titles
Juliet and Caroline Olson both came out on top in their respective matches: the Hudson County First Singles and Hudson County Second Singles.
Juliet won Kearny’s First Singles title since Zuzanna Lisek in 2017.
“I went over there and I knew that Caroline had all the tools and what it took to win that match,” Juliet said, according to The Observer. “I just told her when it was a switchover, ‘Caroline, you’re not hitting your shots. You just have to trust in yourself and play your game and don’t play down.’ And she started doing that and forgot all about the first set and she started getting game after game and gained her confidence back and that’s all she needed to do.”
Juliet and Caroline helped lead the Kearny Kardinals to a 13-4 season.
Hudson County Community College Announces New Associate Athletic Director
Hudson County Community College (HCCC) has announced Shawn Bragg, M.S., EP-C, CPT as the school’s first-ever Associate Athletics Director.
Bragg joins HCCC Director of Athletics Jonathan Sisk. Bragg’s duties include:
- Assisting with all of the College’s athletic programs and activities
- Promoting a school culture that prioritizes academic achievement and integrity
- Monitoring student-athletes’ academic progress and coordinating academic support programming for those students
- Participating in regional, state and national organizations to market and promote the College’s Athletics activities and achievements
“Shawn is a natural leader who enjoys collaborating with students, colleagues, and community partners to provide resources for our student-athletes and I look forward to working with him for years to come,” Sisk said.
Bragg began his career in college athletics while earning his B.S. in Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Kean University. He holds a M.S. degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from East Stroudsburg University, and he is an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist.
Bragg was previously at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont where he was the Director of Athletics Internal Operations from 2024. Before that, he was Associate Director of Athletics for Operations and Compliance and served briefly as Interim Director of Athletics at St. Elizabeth University. He was also Assistant General Manager for Student Recreation Center/Operations and Aquatics Supervisor at Division I Rider University.
Know any local sports news we should include? Email Stella Accettola at [email protected]!
