The fall sports seasons have officially come to a close. In the last update, I gave an overview of Cranford’s fall sports programs and how their seasons had fared up to that point.  Since October, the Cougars have continued to excel, and many teams took part in their sports’ state tournaments.  Below is a summary of Cougar athletics in November.

Football:  

Cranford entered the state tournament with a 6-2 record and a 4-game winning streak. They hosted Summit in Round One as the Cougars looked to avenge a 21-7 loss at the hands of the Hilltoppers back in September. From the opening kickoff, it was clear that the game would be an instant classic. Summit scored on their first drive, courtesy of a 60-yard rush from Oscar Marx, only for Cranford to respond with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Velrte to Niko Aloi. Ryder Connors caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Veltre, only for Oscar Marx to catch a 73-yard pass to tie the game. Finally, Dylan Jones ran the ball in from the two-yard line to close out a wild first quarter. In the regular season, Cranford and Summit boasted two of the County’s top defenses, yet after the first quarter, Cranford led by a score of 21-14. After the wild first quarter, both defenses settled in, and the only score in the second quarter would come from Summit’s Gavin Schnall. A converted two-point try gave Summit a 22-21 lead going into the half. The score remained the same until the fourth quarter.  Summit drove the ball down to Cranford’s side of the field late in the fourth in search of a game-sealing touchdown. On 4th and inches, the offense remained on the field and was stopped for a loss, giving the Cougars the football and momentum. Tyler Veltre led the team down the field using both his arm and his legs. With under two minutes, he rushed the ball into the endzone and gave the Cougars a 27-22 lead. Summit wasn’t done yet, as they advanced the ball to the Cranford 20 and, with 30 seconds left, faced another 4th and inches. Once again, Cranford stopped the Hilltoppers and punched their ticket to the state semifinals. Cranford traveled north to face the one-seeded Old Tappan Knights in the semifinals. The Knights entered the contest with only one loss on the season. The game got off to a slow start with defenses controlling the first half. At the break, the Knights led 15-0. The lead expanded in the third quarter, becoming 22-0 after three. Yet, once again, the Cougars showed their resilience. Two late touchdowns cut the lead to eight points. However, it wasn’t meant to be as Old Tappan was able to run out the clock and secure a 22-14 victory. The Knights went on to dominate West Essex in the state finals, and Cranford was one of their toughest opponents all season. Once again the Cougars finished the season with a winning record.

Girls’ Soccer:

The girls’ soccer team entered the sectional tournament with high hopes as the four seed.  Immediately, they showed why, dominating Rahway and securing a convincing 7-0 win at Memorial Field. Despite the excitement of the win, Cranford knew that their next match wouldn’t be so easy, as they faced fifth-seeded Colonia. The team made sure to do their homework as Coach Fem described, “We’ve done our preparation. Coach Yorkanis and I watch the film. We definitely have a game plan in each and every game, especially against Colonia.” The first half saw both teams sharing opportunities. Each team had their chances, but with 18 minutes remaining, Cranford was inches away from taking a 1-0 lead. Freshman Izzy Reibarkh broke through Colonia’s defense and fired a shot that glanced off the crossbar before going out of play. For a while after this, it appeared that the half would end scoreless. But, in the final minute of play, Colonia secured a free kick just outside of Cranford’s box. Colonia’s Abigail Araujo placed the ball in the top corner of the net, and with only 20 seconds left in the first half, Colonia had a 1-0 lead. The horn sounded, and a fairly even first half saw Colonia with the lead. After a talk with the coaches, play was ready to resume for the second half, and Cranford saw themselves trailing with only 40 minutes left to save their season. Cranford immediately started the half on the right foot, and it only took four minutes for the Cougars’ Selena Rivera to find the back of the net and tie the game. Three minutes later, Rivera scored again, and Cranford had flipped the game on its head. The defense continued to play strong, not allowing Colonia’s dangerous offense to get any chances. With 20 minutes remaining, Kate Zambito gave Cranford an insurance goal, and just 2 minutes later, Rivera scored again. This secured her the hat trick and all but sealed Cranford a spot in the sectional semifinals. The victory was a triumphant one for the Cougars and shows how far they have come as a team. “Second half, we talked about having that grit and changing the momentum. Collectively, all of us played together,” Coach Y told me following the victory. Cranford was defeated in the semifinals by a dominant Chatham team who would go on to win the championship. Despite the ending, the girls’ soccer team had another great season. Coach Fem expressed his fondness for this team to me stating, “This year we’re super close. This team is really close, and really good together.” In Coach Y’s three seasons in charge, Cranford has reached the semifinals twice and has never failed to reach the quarterfinals.

Boys’ Soccer:  

Just like the girls’ team, the boys’ soccer team entered their tournament with high hopes. An impressive 11-5-2 record was good enough for a 3 seed in the North Jersey Section 2 Group 3 Tournament. Cranford lived up to their hype by dominating Carteret and winning 6-1 in the first round. Cranford went on to face Colonia in Round Two. The contest was neck and neck the whole game. Thanks to senior Kendrick Shaw, Cranford was able to end the first half level with Colonia at a score of 1-1. For the rest of the game, the defenses dominated. The second half went scoreless, and two overtimes weren’t enough to separate the teams. Penalty kicks would decide who advanced and who would end their season. Despite missing their first kick, Cranford recovered, and thanks to two huge saves from goalkeeper Jakub Braitling, Cranford secured the dramatic victory. Braitling was almost as good as a wall in the Cranford net, making 8 key saves in the contest. The total set a new season high. Cranford advanced to face South Plainfield in the sectional semifinal. South Plainfield had advanced this far thanks largely to their dominant defense. Once again, the defenses were on display as the game was scoreless at halftime. For most of the second half, Cranford looked destined to go to their second straight shootout. But, with just over 2 minutes to go, a ball was crossed into Cranford’s box, and South Plainfield’s Samir Ibrahim put the ball in Cranford’s net and sealed the game. Cranford’s incredible season had ended in heartbreaking fashion. Despite the difficult ending, Cranford has continued to show great growth under Coach Campbell.

Volleyball:  

Cranford’s Volleyball Team had a resurging season. After only 6 wins in 2023, the Cougars doubled their win total from last season. The Cougars entered the state tournament as the second seed, earning themselves a bye in the first round. For their quarterfinals matchup, Cranford hosted Hopewell Valley. Cranford started out strong, winning the first set by a tight score of 25-20. Hopewell Valley responded in the second set, winning 25-18 and forcing a winner-take-all third set. The final set was razor-thin. However, Cranford held their nerve and secured a 25-22 victory in the third set. Cranford advanced and hosted third-seeded Wall in the semifinals. The Cougars came out flying and won the first set by a commanding score of 25-10.  Cranford had a chance to win the second set and advance, but Wall was able to capture the second set by a tight score of 25-22. Once again, Cranford found themselves in a winner-take-all third set. Both teams played hard and gave their full effort, as the match went beyond 25 points. Wall narrowly won the final set 28-26, ending the Cougars’ season. The difficult ending shouldn’t take away from the great success that Cranford had on the volleyball court this season. Cranford doubled their win total from last season and found themselves only two points away from a spot in the NJSIAA Finals.

Girls’ Tennis:  

Cranford’s girls tennis team had an incredible season. The team was winless in 2022 and only tallied 4 wins in 2023. Yet this season, things couldn’t be any more different, as the team finished 10-5. If that tally wasn’t impressive enough, the team recorded an 8-1 record in conference play which was good enough for a UCC Mountain Division Championship. The highlight of the season was the 7-match win streak that the team went on which helped seal the conference title. The rise of the program has been extremely impressive, and things only look to be going up.

Field Hockey:  

The field hockey team was eliminated in the first round of the state tournament by a very talented West Essex team. West Essex competed against teams from all over the country and won the tournament. The field hockey team showed great resilience to qualify for the state tournament. Cranford found themselves at 2-7-1 after their first 10 games of the season, many being decided by two goals or fewer. With under 10 games to go in the regular season, the state tournament looked like it was going to be out of the picture. Despite the difficult start, Cranford showed great resilience and ended the regular season on a 6-1 run to qualify for the NJSIAA Tournament. The run showed the heart and determination that the team possessed. The team ended their season with 8 wins, matching their total from last season.