Soccer All-Stars Take the Stage One More Time

Editor's Note: This story was reported on and written by Cranford High School boy's soccer coach Mike Curci.

After long and successful careers, two of Cranford High School's best soccer players capped off an outstanding run with an appearance in the 2009 SCANJ Senior Showcase, played at St. John Vianney High School in Holmdel on Sunday.

The event, presented by the Soccer Coaches Association of New Jersey, featured senior athletes from all sections of the state, with Cranford forward Patrick Hartnett and goalkeeper Scott Boyer making their presence felt in the North's 4-1 victory over the Central All-stars.

Hartnett, who finished the 2009 season with a county-leading 27 goals, tallied the first goal of the game when he finished a beautiful shot to the lower left corner after receiving a pass on the right flank. Hartnett was not only honored to be selected to play, but was even more impressed by the competition he faced.

"It was a lot of fun. It topped off my season," said Hartnett. "27 goals, added one today in the all-star game. Good stuff. There were a lot of good players out there. I think we actually have the best players in the state in North II, with Scotch Plains, Cranford and Millburn, we were pretty solid."

Boyer, meanwhile, was stellar in net, saving several point blank opportunities during his first half stint. Central put quite a bit of pressure on the outstanding keeper, but he looked every bit as good as he did this past season when he registered 17 shutouts in 25 games.

"It was a lot of fun, it was a big pleasure to be able to play in this," said Boyer. "It was very good competition."

Boyer and Hartnett helped lead the Cougars to their best finish in school history, closing with a mark of 22-1-2, while capturing their first-ever Union County Tournament Championship in the events 44-year history. The Cougars not only broke the school-record for victories, reaching as high as fourth in the state rankings, but also earned their third consecutive conference championship to put alongside the UCT trophy.

"It was so much fun. I'm going to miss all the guys on the team," said Hartnett. "We've been together since we've been 7 or 8 years old. Winning the county championship meant everything to me. All the hard work we've been doing for four years, that made it all worth it. It's the only thing we all wanted, it was our top goal, and we achieved it".

"My career was awesome," said Boyer. "52 wins, the program was fun, I did whatever I could to get better, I worked hard, and it paid off."

Both players were selected first-team to the coaches All-County team while also receiving coaches All-State recognition. They will be recognized at the 41^st annual SCANJ all-state banquet on Sunday January 3 at Pines Manor in Edison.