HILLSIDE, NJ — With this being the final weekend of regular season play, those teams that are playoff bound will be seeking to strengthen their United Power Rankings (UPR) positioning.
Two of those teams from Union County include Hillside and Cranford high schools.
On its Senior Night, Cranford is scheduled to host Hillside on Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m., at Cranford’s Memorial Field. Both teams have won three straight to get to five wins and clinch another winning season.
Cranford, at 5-2, had a streak of 13 straight winning seasons, 2010-2022, snapped last year when it finished 4-5. The Cougars have now posted winning records in 14 of their last 15 seasons.
Hillside, at 5-3, now has a streak of eight straight winning seasons, which began in 2017.
Since 2016, when Barris Grant became head coach, Hillside has won the most games of any Union County school with 67 victories. Cranford, guided by head coach Erik Rosenmeier since 2005, is second with 61 triumphs.
This week, at No. 11 among the field in South, Group 2, a Hillside win against Cranford could put the Comets at home for a first-round playoff game in either Central Jersey, Group 2 or South Jersey, Group 2 for Saturday, Nov. 2.
Cranford is at No. 9 in the field of North, Group 3. A Cougar win against the Comets could put Cranford at home for a first-round playoff game in either North 2, Group 3 or North 1, Group 3 for Friday, Nov. 1.
Hillside was in North, Group 3 the past two seasons before the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association put the Comets back in South, Group 2 this year.
Hillside and Cranford will be clashing for the first time since 2018, a Hillside victory at Hillside that year. Cranford last defeated Hillside in 2017, which was the last time Hillside traveled to Cranford.
Cranford senior quarterback Tyler Veltre scored late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run to lift the Cougars past visiting Colonia High School, 18-13, on Friday night, Oct. 18.
Hillside senior quarterback Zion Risher threw four touchdown passes to lead the host Comets to a 40-14 win against Voorhees High School on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 19.
“We’ll try to put up the same points against Cranford. We know they run a cover zero,” Risher said. “We know they are going to be a lot tougher. It will be a great challenge.”
“I’m super proud of what Zion has done,” Grant said. “He really gets us in a zone. His timing has worked with our play action stuff.”
Hillside has won four of five since getting two transfers in. The only loss in that span was to undefeated Somerville High School (8-0), which also won at Cranford in Cranford’s season-opener.
“Back in South, Group 2, it’s almost like 2017 all over again when we were put in Central Jersey, Group 2 for the first time,” Grant said. “We now have to get familiar with teams from the south again.”
Hillside is in the playoffs for the seventh time in a row, every year since 2017 and not counting the shortened pandemic season of 2020 where there were no playoffs.
In that span, Grant has guided Hillside to three sectional state championships, one regional title and the program’s only 12-0 season which occurred in 2019.
“What we’ve done, credit my coaching staff,” said Grant, who is a 1997 Irvington High School graduate.
Grant’s defensive coordinator the whole time has been Irvington 2007 grad Thomas Weaver.
“He’s the mastermind of our defense, with great schemes,” Grant said of Weaver’s guidance.
Hillside reached the end zone on four of its five possessions in the first half vs. Voorhees, mixing the run with the pass. Risher was given the proxy to air it out a bit more.
“That’s what we’re building toward now that our team is complete,” Grant said.
Rosenmeier has one of the best defensive coordinators in the state in Joe Hubert. Both were at John Zappulla Field Saturday to eye their next opponent.
“We had to fight hard, right down to the last second against Colonia,” Rosenmeier said. “It turned out that we made a couple more plays. We turned them away three times in the red zone and two of those times inside the five.”
Cranford has made the playoffs every year since 2011, a streak that is now up to 13 straight times. In the same manner as the Comets, the Cougars have also won three sectional state championships in their span and have produced the program’s only 12-0 mark, which came in 2015.
“It’s a privilege that has to be earned,” Rosenmeier said of his Cougars qualifying for the playoffs again. “Our kids this year know how hard it is to get in. You have to get in and then you have a chance to win.”
Big Central Conference Crossover
Voorhees (3-5) 00 00 07 07 – 14
Hillside (5-3) 06 21 13 00 – 40
First Quarter
Hillside: Quaron Robinson 23 pass from Zion Risher, kick failed (H 6-0)
7 plays, 60 yards, 3:50 used
Second Quarter
Hillside: Jamir Hall 6 pass from Zion Risher, Eveno Casseus kick (H 13-0)
11 plays, 60 yards, 5:24 used
A big solo sack by Jorge Rodriguez for a 10-yard loss set up the above score.
Hillside: Mitchell Jenkins 5 run, Zion Risher runs, (H 21-0)
6 plays, 50 yards, 1:30 used
Hillside: Kamari Robinson 5 pass from Zion Risher, kick failed (H 27-0)
4 plays, 37 yards, 1:25 used
Comets capitalized on a turnover, an interception by Travis Miles.
Third Quarter
Hillside: Travis Miles 18 pass from Zion Risher, Eveno Casseus kick (H 34-0)
8 plays, 69 yards, 4:09 used
Voorhees: Toby Dorr 25 pass from Sam Meekings, Riccardo Melis kick (H 34-7)
Hillside: Kamari Robinson 60 run, kick failed (H 40-7)
Fourth Quarter
Voorhees: Toby Dorr 34 pass from Sam Meekings, Riccardo Melis kick (H 40-14)
Union County schools that are playoff bound and their united power rankings (UPR) this week. The top 16 teams in each group section qualify
North, Group 1: New Providence 6.
North, Group 3: Cranford 9, Summit 10.
North, Group 4: Westfield 10, Rahway 12.
North, Group 5: Elizabeth 3, Plainfield 13, Linden 14.
South, Group 2: Arthur L. Johnson 7, Hillside 11.
Big Central Conference division winners so far
American Gold – St. Joseph, Metuchen (4-0)
American Silver – Ridge (4-0)
Liberty Gold – Woodbridge (4-0)
Patriot Gold – Bernards (3-0)
Patriot Silver – Arthur L. Johnson (3-0)
Union County most wins since 2016
Hillside 67
Cranford 61
Westfield 57
Summit 54
Union 51
David Brearley 50
New Providence 49
Barris Grant record at Hillside
2016: (4-6) – did not make playoffs
2017: (9-3) – Central Jersey, Group 2 champs
2018: (11-1) – Central Jersey, Group 2 champs
2019: (12-0) – South Jersey, Group 2 champs; South, Group 2 regional champs
2020: (4-2) – pandemic season / no playoffs
2021: (7-3) – Central Jersey, Group 2 semifinalist
2022: (9-2) – North 1, Group 3 finalist
2023: (6-3) – North 1, Group 3 quarterfinalist
2024 so far: (5-3)
Total: 67-23 (.744)
Photos by JR Parachini