SBHS Football Head Coach Ibrahim Halsey will be leaving the program after two years and a combined 7-12 record. It was an up-and-down few years for the former Roselle coach as the first year he went 3-6 and the second year he went 4-6 (South Brunswick took part in a consolation game in the latter year, which is why they played that extra game). However, it did not start that way.
Halsey arrived a month after the previous coach, Joe George, departed for Woodbridge, leaving behind a legacy of three state championships in his time at SB. Halsey immediately got his priorities straight. He was here to win, and it started that way. In the first game, South Brunswick won 30-13 over Robbinsville to open the season 1-0. Then in the following week, South Brunswick beat cross-county rivals North Brunswick for the first time in seven years, in a 30-21 down-to-the-wire thriller. Then on September 12, 2024, South Brunswick beat Monroe 28-21 to rise to 3-0 on the season, their best start since 2014.
However, in their next few games, things began to go downhill. After taking the opening kickoff back for a touchdown in their Week 4 game vs Old Bridge, they did not score a single point afterward and proceeded to lose 21-6. Moving through the season, the injury bug really started to affect the roster as they lost key senior players such as D’Andre Jones, Tino Anderson, Chisom Asonye, Bretton Lynch and Junior Peyton Lynch among many others. This would affect them in their next few games, as in their Week 5 and 6 matchups, they were outscored 58-0 and took losses to Piscataway 25-0 and Watchung Hills 33-0, respectively. South Brunswick then took two more consecutive losses to Union, 34-7 and Edison, 46-14. South Brunswick was the heavy favorite in their final Home game and homecoming game against East Brunswick as they had not lost to them since 2021, but South Brunswick lost to East Brunswick 24-14.
Heading into Halsey’s second year, it was clear that a lot needed to be done, as after starting 3-0, South Brunswick lost six straight to end the previous season 3-6. It was clear South Brunswick needed to put in a lot of work in the offseason. So they did. The players were in the weight room 3 days a week, packing on muscle, weight, and strength. One player, Cody Eigenbauer (the author of this article), improved his bench by 70 pounds, squat by 130 pounds, and deadlift by 90 pounds. Multiple players were able to reach the 1000-pound club. During these offseason workouts, players also worked on speed, flexibility, and conditioning, which led us into Halsey’s second and final year.
Friday, August 29, 2025, was the opening game at our home field Valhalla versus Robbinsville. South Brunswick played a great offensive game. Senior Quarterback Daniel Duffie threw 176 yards passing and had 95 of the 309 yards South Brunswick had rushing. However, Robbinsville QB Gavin Yablonowitz threw 383 yards and 5 touchdown passes, and South Brunswick lost in overtime 41-34 to fall to 0-1 to open the season. The next week, South Brunswick beat North Brunswick for the second straight year, 10-0. However, in the next week, tragedy struck as Quarterback Daniel Duffie partially tore his ACL in the first quarter against Monroe. In his place came Brendan Shearstone with his first starting action. Brendan, however, did not let the moment faze him. He played a great game with 161 passing yards and 3 total touchdowns, including one on the ground, setting up South Brunswick with a 31-17 victory to put them at 2-1.
The following week, South Brunswick went up against a really good team: Old Bridge, who would go on to play in the sectional title game against the eventual Group 5 state champions Washington Township. South Brunswick would end up losing to Old Bridge 45-7. The next game, Senior night against Piscataway, would be another tough one as South Brunswick lost 28-0. A costly decision not to kick late in the 4th quarter ended up costing South Brunswick in their week 6 game vs Watchung Hills. Then, on October 10th, against Union, a potential game-winning kick was blocked and returned for a touchdown, leading South Brunswick to drop their 4th game in a row and fall to 2-5. To make matters worse, star linebacker Jeremy Brown was injured on a routine run play. Things would begin to turn around for South Brunswick, however, as they beat Edison off a game-winning interception by Senior defensive back, and first team all-conference, Peyton Lynch. South Brunswick later extended its two-game winning streak against East Brunswick. South Brunswick had over 200 yards of rushing and put up their highest point total of the season at 43.
South Brunswick’s final game was against 0-9 Lenape. Although they were 0-9, Lenape had played some tough teams, such as future Group 5 State champion Washington Township. So on October 30, 2025, they faced off in the Seniors for both teams’ last game, and South Brunswick unfortunately lost 27-14.
Overall, this was a disappointing season for South Brunswick after all the work they put in during the offseason, only going 4-6 with heartbreaking losses to Union and Robbinsville. However, South Brunswick had their sights set on a new goal: winning the state title in the 2026-2027 season. They have immediately begun working towards that goal, beginning with morning workouts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Everything was going swimmingly for the wannabe State Champs; however, in a mid-March meeting, it was announced that Halsey will be leaving South Brunswick. This left a huge impact on many of the players.
In an interview with The Viking Vibe, rising senior Oscar “The Big O” Duran reveals the impact Halsey left on him:
Cody: “ How do you feel about Halsey leaving?”
Oscar: “The way that he left, it was sad. I don’t know, I wish that I could finish my high school career with him because a similar thing happened my freshman year, where our old coach, Coach George, left and the seniors had to go through a new coach senior year”
C: “Is any part of you sad seeing as this will be our 3rd head coach in 4 years?”
O: “Yeah, it is because when you have a coach, you build a bond with that Coach and now you have to build that with the new coach”
C: “What does the team need to do to be successful this year?”
O: “We just gotta stick together, work together. We might have a different scheme, but at the end of the day, it’s the players playing, not the coaches”
C: “What are your hopes for this season, both individually and teamwide?”
O: “Teamwide: I want us to make a playoff run end on a winning streak, have fun, and finish my high school career on a good note. Individually: I want to lead the team in rushing, and I want to be first team all division and first team all conference. I also want to go to the North and South team, a collection of the best players in the state, all public school”
C: “How did you feel about Halsey’s run?”
O: “I think his run was good. It is hard to start with no coaching staff. We were headed in the right direction. He gave us good plays, but we just did not produce as a unit.”
As of the time of this publication South Brunswick has not found a new coach yet however, rest assured that our Athletic Director is hard at work. Go Vikes!
