Although the winter season has just begun, Cranford’s athletic programs are off to a good start.
Boys Basketball:
Boys basketball begins their season on December 19th against Oratory. The Cougars are coming off one of their most successful seasons in well over a decade, recording a record of 21-7. The record earned Coach Trotter Coach Of The Year honors and gave the Cougars the one seed entering the state tournament. The team went on an impressive run to the semifinals before being eliminated at the hands of Millburn. Cranford’s success last season was in large part due to their spectacular play from seniors. Three of Cranford’s four top scorers were all seniors who have since graduated. This year’s senior class will likely play a large role in the team’s success. Josh Ketschke and Jack Mcguire were both top 5 in the teams scoring last season and will have a bigger role to play this year. Expectations will be high for the Cougars, but the team should be up to the challenge.
Girls Basketball:
The Girls Basketball team also began their season on December 14th, traveling to Mendham and suffering a 51-41 defeat. The team’s next matchup is December 19th, as the Cougars visit Roselle Catholic. Just like the boys team, the girls basketball team experienced tremendous success last season. Cranford appeared in the finals of the Union County Tournament as well as the state semifinals. Leading the way last season was Bella Curanivic, who is entering her senior season. Curanovic led the Cougars last season, averaging over 15 points per game. Lily Costello also played a major role in Cranford’s success. In her sophomore season, Costello averaged 7.7 points per game, impressive for her second year on the team.
Boys Hockey:
Boys hockey has had a tough start to the season. The team opened their season with a gauntlet, facing Manalapan, West Essex, Summit, and Westfield. They started 0-4 before earning their first victory 3-0 against Glen Rock. A defeat against Livingston places the Cougars at 1-5, a tough start, but with plenty of time in the season. Seniors Ryan Callahan and Christian Adamski have led the way for the Cougars so far. Adamski has 6 goals and 5 assists compared to Callahan’s 5 goals and 4 assists. In the net, freshman Evan Ramos has tallied 133 saves through the first 5 games and has an .836 save percentage.
Girls Hockey:
Entering their third season, the girls hockey team is looking to continue building and improving the program. In their inaugural season, the team went 0-6 before recording 5 wins last season. The Cougars look to continue their improvement. Cranford bursted out of the gate as they dominated Princeton winning by a commanding score of 12-2. This was followed by back-to-back losses against a solid Summit team. The team sits at 1-2, the season just beginning. Junior Emerson Murphy has been a standout for Cranford, tallying 4 goals and 2 assists through the first three games of the season. Junior Sienna Griffin has 2 goals and 1 assist, and sophomore Maren Pitts has 1 goal and 2 assists. In the net Emma Yaeger has 58 saves and boasts a very impressive .897 save percentage.
Wrestling:
One of Cranford’s most coveted programs, wrestling enters another season with sky-high expectations. After coming off of a spectacular season where the team won counties, sectionals and reached state finals, they boasted a record of 19-3. Cranford hasn’t had a losing season in over a decade, and it looks to continue the long line of successful seasons. This year the team began their season with a 3-0 win against Immaculata on December 17.
Bowling:
Cranford’s bowling team has struggled so far after an impressive 2023-2024 season. Last season the team recorded an impressive 14-4 record. To this point, the team hasn’t been so lucky, starting with a 0-3 record. The defeats have come against county opponents Elizabeth, Linden, and Rahway. Despite the poor start, the season is still young and there is plenty of time to improve and repeat last season’s success.
Boys Swimming:
Even though the boys swimming team is only two meets into the season, they already look like a force to be reckoned with. The team opened the season with a strong start, besting Union by a score of 84-49. Building on the success, the team then dominated Plainfield, winning by a convincing score of 110-35. The Union meet was practically impressive as junior Liam Soyka broke the school record in the 100-yard swim, posting a lightning fast time of 54.49 seconds. The team looks to improve and very well may be on their way to a great season.
Girls Swimming:
Both swim teams appear to be on their way to great seasons. The girls team got off to a great start as it beat Union by a score of 77-0. The girls team built on this success, further dominating Plainfield 140-12. Both swimming teams could be in store for great seasons.
