Playoffs? That's Where The Cougars Are Hoping To Land This Season

Will this be the year that the Cranford football team finally gets back
to the state playoffs?

The Cougars knocked on the door once again last year, but just fell
short of qualifying in Central Jersey, Group 2. Head coach Erik Rosenmeier, in his seventh season at the helm, feels he has a squad – should it stay healthy – that can make it in North 2, Group 3. Cranford last made the playoffs in 2004, the year before Rosenmeier took over. The lone Cougar playoff victory came in 2003.

Cranford began last season with injuries to several key players, but
overcame them to start 4-1, with the only loss coming to a North Plainfield team that was undefeated at the time. However, injuries to other key performers set Cranford back the rest of the way.

The Cougars scrambled, moved players to other positions and did the
best they could, still finishing with a winning record of 6-4. However, Cranford – after starting very strong – fell short of their goal of making the state playoffs for the first time in six years.

“We were competitive in every game for the first time since my first
year (2005), but – unfortunately – it didn’t work out,” said Rosenmeier, referring to the fact that Cranford fell short of making the grade in Central Jersey, Group 2.

Cranford lost to teams that went perfect in the regular season and
only lost their first playoff game – North Plainfield and Summit both going 9-1 – fell to a Rahway squad that went 6-5, but came within one touchdown of reaching the North 2, Group 3 final and also lost a one-point overtime game on the road to a Delaware Valley unit that finished with a rare 8-2 record in a non-playoff season as the Terriers did not have enough power points at 6-2 to qualify for one of the eight berths in CJ, G2.

With a 4-1 record and hosting a Rahway team it was favored to beat,
Cranford was edged 21-20 at Memorial Field.

“We had some missed opportunities in that game and Rahway took
that victory away from us, so give them credit,” Rosenmeier said.

In its eighth and final game that counted toward playoff qualification,
Cranford traveled to Tatlock Field to take on a Summit team that was 7-0, on a 19-game winning streak and had defeated the Cougars 49-7 in Cranford the year before.

Cranford led the Hilltoppers 13-0 before the home team came back to
edge the Cougars 17-13.

“One area we need to perform better in is special teams, in all aspects,
including kicking, kickoff returns and kickoff coverage,” Rosenmeier said.

“We fell short in that department last year, which played a big part in
all of our losses.”

Cranford’s spread offense is being run by first-year quarterback
Reggie Green, a junior who was the quarterback of the freshmen team two years ago and a slotback varsity performer in 2010. He will benefit from being able to hand off to seniors Chris Witwick and Adham McGuire, who are healthy after being injured two years ago and last year.

Witwick, his injury turning out to be a torn ligament, was part of a
group that began last season not able to perform. The others included senior Kasim Lewis, broken fibula, and junior J.P. Christiano, broken ankle.

Rosenmeier explained that they came back just in time for senior
backs Justin Van Ostenbridge, concussion, and Sean Trotter, shoulder, to be out. Van Ostenbridge did not return, while Trotter did, but was only able to see limited time offensively.

“Van Ostenbridge never came back from a concussion vs. North
Plainfield, while Trotter played hurt against North Plainfield, sat out Scotch Plains, then came back after that, but played hurt and not on defense after our opening game vs. Johnson,” Rosenmeier said.

Rosenmeier went on to further explain that Trotter, who is now a
student at the University of Maryland, played defense after the opening game vs. Johnson, which was vs. Voorhees. Trotter was hurt halfway through the Voorhees game and did not play on defense the rest of the season.

Offensively, Trotter was as consistent a player as there was in Union
County and dynamic at times. Rosenmeier said the 5-8, 150-pound three-sport standout scored nine touchdowns, rushed for 600 yards and gained an additional 500 receiving yards.

Trotter and Joe Papandrea, Cranford’s quarterback last year,
represented Cranford well in July’s Snapple Bowl, with Union County
beating Middlesex County for the first time since 2005.

With Witwick and McGuire both 100 percent healthy now, Green has
two legitimate senior runners to give the ball to, in addition to fellow junior slotbacks Marvin Lewis and Bobby Bruns. Witwick started as a sophomore, but only played a little bit last year because of his injury. He saw some time against Scotch Plains.

“Chris gives us speed and is a smart football player,” Rosenmeier
said. “He was good enough to start as a sophomore and coming off an
injury – in his mind – he has some makeup work to do. He knows he can be successful.

“He’s one of the best football players in his class and now he’s going
to get the opportunity to show how good he really can be.”

McGuire also started as a sophomore. He hurt his knee in Cranford’s
first game two years ago, which was a Saturday night 26-24 setback to Scotch Plains. It was also the first game played at Memorial Field with the new field turf. The lights even went out in the fourth quarter, with the game having to be stopped and started again when the lights came back on.

“He missed the rest of that season and then didn’t play football again
until this year,” Rosenmeier said. “His knee wasn’t good enough for last year.”

Rosenmeier said that McGuire ran track this past spring season, which
was his first athletics since the football season of 2009.

“He has a little football rust, but he’s also looking to make up for lost
time,” Rosenmeier said. “Chris and Adham are two guys that can hurt you out on the edge.”

Green, who also starts in the secondary, has his share of athletic
ability and will now be displaying it under center.

“Reggie (6-3, 195) is a big athlete and can hurt people with his arms
and legs,” Rosenmeier said. “He’s very versatile. People will have to look out for him.

“The plan last year was to utilize him some at quarterback, but we had
injuries that forced us not to be able to do that.”

Cranford’s multiple defense is sparked by the outstanding play of
senior linebacker Michael Klimek.

“Michael has started since he was a sophomore and he’s been
one of our best defensive players the last two seasons,” Rosenmeier
said. “Wherever we need to put him he plays. We move him around and he moves well for a guy that’s 205. He’s very physical. He has a nose for the football and is very aggressive when he gets to it.”

Klimek is one of seven returning players on defense that started
at least eight varsity games last year. The others include lineman Chris Folinusz, linebackers Christiano and fellow senior Anthony DaSilva and, in the secondary, Green and seniors Walter James and Eric Gargiulo.

“We have a lot of experience on defense, especially in our back
seven,” Rosenmeier said. “Our secondary is very good. We feel that will be one of our strengths in the early part of the season.”

When Rosenmeier took over in 2005, Cranford was in Central Jersey,
Group 2. Then the Cougars moved back to North 2, Group 3 in 2006.
Then Cranford was put back in Central Jersey, Group 2 for the 2007,
2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons. Now Cranford is back in North 2, Group 3. Rahway was put back in that section last year and this year was moved back to Central Jersey, Group 2. Rahway almost made the final in North 2, Group 3 last year, which was viewed as a section not as strong as Central Jersey, Group 2 was.

The enrollment figures of both Cranford and Rahway keep on
fluctuating to the point where both schools know that they can move up or down in group size in any given year.

“I know that we’re always a cusp team, right on the border of a 2 or 3,
but I have no feelings at all about it,” Rosenmeier said. “Would it have been beneficial for us to have been in North 2, Group 3 last year"

Perhaps.

“This year that might not be the case.”

Only seven teams qualified in North 2, Group 3 last year, while you
had the situation where Delaware Valley did not make it in CJ, G2 with its 6-2 record at the cutoff.

“I really don’t have strong feelings for it either way,” Rosenmeier
said. “We can only do what we can do with the games that we have. The goal every year is to make the playoffs, no matter what section we are in.”

NOTES: Cranford has qualified for the state playoffs four times,
all in different sections. The Cougars made the grade in North 2, Group 4 in 1975 and North 2, Group 3 in 2002. Cranford then qualified in North 2, Group 2 in 2003 and Central Jersey, Group 2 in 2004.
Cranford is one of only four Union County schools that has not won
a state championship in the playoff era, which goes back to 1974. The other three are Dayton, Governor Livingston and Plainfield.

CRANFORD’S SPREAD OFFENSE:

LT Michael Klimek, senior, (6-1, 205)

LG Robert O’Shaughnessy, sophomore, (6-0, 265)

LG Chris Folinusz, junior, (6-2, 215)

C Matt Weiss, junior, (6-2, 240)

RG T.J. Nichols, senior, (6-0, 220)

RT Matt Russo, junior, (6-2, 205)

RT Kurt Rutmayer, senior, (6-3, 205)

QB Reggie Green, junior, (6-3, 195)

QB Sean McGovern, senior, (6-2, 180)

DB J.P. Christiano, senior, (5-10, 175)

DB Jimmy Dwyer, junior, (5-9, 175)

SB Marvin Lewis, junior, (5-10, 170)

SB Chris Witwick, senior, (5-9, 165)

SB Adham McGuire, senior, (5-10, 175)

SB Bobby Bruns, junior, (5-9, 175)

WR Ryan Williamson, junior, (6-2, 175)

WR Eric Gargiulo, senior, (6-0, 170)

WR Jeremy Wise, senior, (5-9, 165)

PK Eric Gargiulo, senior, (6-0, 170)

PK Ryan Williamson, junior, (6-2, 175)

CRANFORD’S MULTIPLE DEFENSE:

E Robert Kessler, junior, (5-10, 185)

E Matt Russo, junior, (6-2, 205)

E Kurt Rutmayer, senior, (6-3, 205)

T Chris Folinusz, junior, (6-2, 215)

T Ryan Farrell, junior, (6-1, 270)

T Matt Weiss, junior, (6-2, 240)

LB Michael Klimek, senior, (6-1, 205)

DB J.P. Christiano, senior, (5-10, 175)

LB Nick Diaz, junior, (5-9, 180)

LB Anthony DaSilva, senior, (6-1, 205)

LB Joe Vicci, junior, (5-10, 170)

S Walter James, senior, (5-9, 165)

S Marvin Lewis, junior, (5-10, 170)

S Chris Witwick, senior, (5-9, 165)

S Adham McGuire, senior, (5-10, 175)

CB Reggie Green, junior, (6-3, 195)

CB Eric Gargiulo, senior, (6-0, 170)

CB Sean McGovern, senior, (6-2, 180)

CB Ryan Williamson, junior, (6-2, 175)

CRANFORD COUGARS

Head coach: Erik Rosenmeier, since 2005.
A 1983 Johnson Regional graduate.
Seventh season: 30-30 (.500)
Conference: Mid-State 39
Division: East B
Section: North 2, Group 3
Cranford’s last playoff season: 2004

2010: (6-4 and 3-2 in East B Division-tied for 2nd)
Memorial Field: Field Turf.
Erik Rosenmeier was previously an assistant
at Johnson and Scotch Plains, both under
present Scotch Plains head coach Steve Ciccotelli.

CRANFORD COUGARS 2011
Sept. 9 Johnson, 7 p.m.
Sept. 16 Voorhees, 7 p.m.
Sept. 23 at North Plainfield, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 at Scotch Plains, 1 p.m.
Oct. 6 Gov. Livingston, 7 p.m.
Oct. 15 at Rahway, 1 p.m.
Oct. 22 at Hillside, 1 p.m.
Oct. 28 Summit, 7 p.m.
Nov. 4 Delaware Valley, 7 p.m.
Head coach: Erik Rosenmeier, seventh season

2010 CRANFORD COUGARS (6-4)
(A) Cranford 43, Johnson 20
(A) Cranford 35, Voorhees 6
(H) North Plainfield 28, Cranford 14
(H) Cranford 21, Scotch Plains 14
(A) Cranford 42, Gov. Livingston 26
(H) Rahway 21, Cranford 20
(H) Cranford 23, Hillside 20
(A) Summit 17, Cranford 13
(A) Delaware Valley 36, Cranford 35 (OT)
(H) Cranford 14, Red Bank 3
Head coach: Erik Rosenmeier
Section: Central Jersey, Group 2
Record: 6-4
Mid-State 39-East B Division: 3-2
Home: 3-2
Away: 3-2
Points for: 260
Points against: 191
Shutouts: 0
Overtime: 0-0