Raiders Come Out on Top in Final Football Game

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School football team did something Saturday afternoon it hadn’t done since way back on Sept. 12 — the Raiders won a game.

“Boy,’’ said head coach Steve Ciccotelli, whose team beat Cranford 26-24 for its other win. “We really, really needed that.’’

Senior quarterback Gary Binkiewicz – who returned after missing several games with a high ankle sprain – threw for three touchowns, two to junior Marcus Rivera and the other to Mike Marsan. Binkiewicz also scored on a 1-yard keeper. Rivera also returned an interception for another score.

The Raiders finished the season with a 48-6 rout of Belleville, to finish their season 2-8.

Junior Marcus Rivera returned an interception for a score and caught two of senior quarterback Gary Binkiewicz’ passes for two more scores. Junior Quintin Blackwell rushed for more than 200 yards and had two touchdowns. Binkiewicz also scored on a keeper. Blackwell rushed for more than 200 yards for the second straight game.

Belleville, which still has a Thanksgiving Day game with Nutley, is 3-6. 

“Basically I think it was pretty good to end the season, we started off great against Cranford, but we played a brutal schedule and we played a lot of great teams, at the end of the year we did win,’’ said senior Javin Hawkins. “The juniors who will be seniors — that was a good way to start their senior year. That’s all that really matters. I’ll always remember that game.

The strength of the teams schedules might have showed — Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s 10 opponents are a combined 57-22 with four of those opponents —Immaculata, Phillipsburg, Westfield and Summit — still in the state playoffs.

“If we blocked like we did Saturday in other games, I think we would have been a lot more closer," Hawkins said. "We might have stolen a couple or at least given other teams games. We did very well.’’