Woodbridge's AJ Bosch voted Borden's Baller of the Year
In baseball, AJ Bosch looks to get on base anyway possible as Woodbridge’s leadoff hitter, whether it’s by a hit or walk, then uses his blazing speed to generate runs.
You know, the pesky player who always has his uniform dirty.
He brings that table-setter mentality to football. The junior will catch passes, long and short. He’ll bolt for first downs as a running back or save a touchdown as a safety on defense. If opponents double-team him, well, that’s fine too because his teammates can then succeed.
Whatever helps.
“It didn’t matter to me,” Bosch said. “Like however I get the ball, it doesn’t really matter. I just had that attitude like you don’t want to leave the field. This is the sport I love. You never want to step off the field and take a break. You just want to keep going, like play the full 48 minutes.”
It’s that kind of spirit that also makes him an ideal Borden’s Baller selection.
MyCentralJersey.com football analyst Marcus Borden, the former longtime coach at East Brunswick, has seen a lot of football. He’s a Hall of Fame member of both the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and the New Jersey Football Coaches Association.
He created the “Borden’s Baller” awards eight years ago to honor a player from each of the 24 football playing schools in Middlesex County for his or her success on and off the field.
Readers could then vote for their choice in an online poll to decide the “Borden’s Baller of the Year."
Bosch won by getting an impressive 35,000 votes, or 34 percent of the over 104,000 cast. He certainly met Borden’s criteria of:
♦ Performance: an athlete who has played at a high level throughout the season
♦ Leadership: a player who epitomizes the adage, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”
♦ Camaraderie: a teammate who can be relied upon as a positive influence under any situation
♦ Intangibles: someone who thrives in crunch time, represents his program and school well, is coachable and has what he calls, “ganas,” heart or an intense desire
In fact, Bosch impressed Borden in his opening varsity game as a sophomore in 2021 as the Barrons defeated Winslow 26-14.
Borden noted that Bosch “made an impact early as a sophomore at the Battle at the Beach versus Winslow Twp when he caught a simple hitch route and raced to the end zone untouched! He would set the stage letting everyone know he can be a game changer.”
Game Changer is an appropriate moniker for Bosch.
This season, Woodbridge coach Joe LaSala used Bosch more in the backfield in addition to his receiving duties to complement dual-threat quarterback Antonio Rosato.
Bosch, whose full name is Alexander Bosch V, had 40 catches for 655 yards and eight touchdowns and added 455 rushing yards on 80 carries with seven touchdowns.
He added 65 tackles and two interceptions as a safety on defense. Bosch wasn’t kidding about playing the full 48 minutes. He blazed for 204 yards and a TD on nine kickoff returns and chipped in 150 yards on seven punt returns, while adding a 2-point conversion score.
Bosch, who has a 3.96 GPA, took more of a leadership role on a young team and provided energy in practice. Bosch did his part in helping to keep the Barrons afloat after a 1-4 start, which included two close losses to playoff-bound teams in Cranford and Colonia.
“We could have easily packed it in, but we decided not to and tried to make a push for the playoffs,” Bosch said.
Woodbridge won three out of their last four games to clinch a postseason berth – no small achievement.
“I mean, we’re young and I give coach credit for the time and preparation he put into every week,” Bosch said. “And our teammates, we battled everyday both in practice and preparing for every week. We fought through adversity and we made the playoffs. We never put our heads down.
“… We wanted to keep playing football, like the sport that we love. So in order to do that, we had to grind out the season in practice and get ready for the games. We came out with the dubs and we made it to the playoffs.”
Bosch’s father, Alexander Bosch IV, played football, baseball and basketball at J.F. Kennedy. Bosch discovered in elementary school he was the fast one on the playground and in the 100-meter dash.
He’s continued to work on his speed and change of direction to be that Game Changer, as well as well as improving his catching technique.
So, does he have a preference between catching or running with the ball?
“I like it both to be honest,” Bosch said. “I just like being on the field. Like playing with my teammates. Just giving the team good vibes. I even like making our home crowd happy. So that’s what basically it’s all about."
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Woodbridge's AJ Bosch voted Borden's Baller of the Year
