CRANFORD, NJ — Out to bounce back from its first season finishing at less than .500 since 2009, the Cougars have a number of returning starters back in addition to players who saw extensive action in 2023.
After a 4-2 start last year the Cougars closed with an uncharacteristic three-game losing streak, the final loss a 13-0 decision at eventual champion West Essex High School in the first round of the North 2, Group 3 playoffs.
While a streak of 13 consecutive (2010-2022) winning seasons came to an end, Cranford High School did extend its streak of consecutive years of making the playoffs to 12 – 2011-2019, no playoffs in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021-2023.
Leading the multiple spread offense once again under center will be senior quarterback Tyler Veltre (6-1, 190).
Running backs include seniors Amari Petgrave (6-1, 215) and Dylan Jones (5-10, 180) who both started several times as juniors, junior Joseph Acinapura (6-2, 190), junior Sam Slayton (5-10, 175) and sophomore Gabe Worrell (6-1, 195), who head coach Erik Rosenmeier said has been very impressive in the pre-season.
At wide receiver are senior returning starters Luciano Fiorenza (6-2, 175) and Niko Aloi (6-2, 175), junior Quinn Smith (5-11), junior Jake Teixeira (6-0, 190) and senior Jake Zarzecki (5-9, 165).
Slot players include senior Ryan Gregersen (5-9, 170), a projected starter, senior Brandon DiPaolo (5-9, 165), junior Ryder Connors (5-9, 165) and junior Michael Tripodi (5-9, 175).
At tight end or H-back will be seniors Justin Hoeffler (6-1, 220), Arthur Hrycak (6-4, 235) and Yousf Elashry (6-2, 235). All three saw heavy minutes as juniors.
Protecting Veltre on the offensive line will be returning starter Max Brown (6-2, 250) at center, projected starter at guard senior Mike Scotti (6-2, 250), projected starter at guard senior Louis Kruk (6-1, 265), junior guard Lucas Ruela (5-11, 280), junior tackle Austin Hooey (6-5, 260), senior tackle Hunter Quinn (6-0, 225), junior tackle Andre Pereira (6-4, 235), senior tackle Jake Ulicki (5-9, 215) and junior tackle Joseph Petino (6-4, 260).
Returning starters in Cranford’s 3-3 defense feature Scotti at nose guard and Hrycak and Petgrave at ends, Hoeffler at mike linebacker and Jones at safety and Aloi at cornerback.
Other defensive linemen include Elashry and Pereira, both at end.
Acinapura will start at stack linebacker, senior Kevin Gormley (5-10, 170) will start somewhere on defense according to Rosenmeier, while seniors Lucas Gutierrez (6-1, 175) and Ryan Coon (5-10, 190) are competing for time at linebacker.
Also in the secondary are Worrell and Smith, Connors and Zarzecki at cornerback and at safety Gregersen, DiPaolo and juniors Vincent Silva (5-10, 170) and Sam Slayton (5-10, 175).
Jones is the punter and senior Cristiano Ambrosio will handle the kicking duties.
Hoeffler and Petgrave have Division 1 interest and should have offers. Scotti has several 1-AA schools looking at him.
Hrycak has Ivy League, Patriot League and high academic Division 3 schools interested in his services. Aloi, Jones and Fiorenza will play in college, according to Rosenmeier.
Longest tenured coach in Union County
Rosenmeier, a 1983 Arthur L. Johnson High School graduate who went on to excel at Colgate University and who then played briefly for the Buffalo Bills during the strike games of the 1987 NFL season, has been at the helm of the Cougars now since 2005.
This is Rosenmeier’s 20th season. He continues to be the longest tenured coach in Union County.
Chris Hull, a 1984 Cranford graduate, got things started at Cranford, with Hull leading the Cougars to the playoffs the final three years of his six-season stint before he moved on to become the head coach at Morristown High School. Cranford had only made the playoffs once before Hull led the Cougars there in 2002, 2003 and 2004 – that was back in 1975.
Although Cranford did not make the playoffs during Rosenmeier’s first six seasons, from 2005 to 2010, strides were made. Not only did Cranford get back to the playoffs the next year in 2011, but the Cougars went on to capture the North 2, Group 3 crown that season with a record of 10-1 for the program’s first state championship in the playoff era.
Cranford reached the North 2, Group 3 final again in 2014, finishing 11-1, and won it again in 2015 at 12-0 and 2021 at 11-0 before falling in a regional championship game to finish 11-1.
Rosenmeier’s record at Cranford for his first 19 seasons is 129-65 (.665). So, essentially for two decades now, Rosenmeier has guided the Cranford Cougars to wins every two games out of three.
Rosenmeier has also led Cranford to all four of the state championship games the Cougars have played in and all three of their playoff state championships, all three coming in North 2, Group 3.
A weight room upgrade and the emphasis on his players also succeeding at other sports are two reasons for the numbers being what they are now and the success that follows on a yearly basis.
Winning seasons total 15, there has been just one season where the Cougars finished .500 and there have only been three seasons where they closed less than .500 during Rosenmeier’s guidance. Rosenmeier put together a staff to deal with the number of players, where to position them the best and how to navigate through a schedule to give the Cougars the best chance at season’s end of excelling should they qualify for the playoffs.
At 77-28, Cranford had the second-best record among Union County schools in the decade of the 2010s (2010-2019), which included three state championship game appearances and two state titles.
While last year’s record won no Academy awards, there’s every reason to believe that it was the exception and not the norm at one of the top football programs right now in the state of New Jersey.
Cranford Cougars 2024
• Friday, Sept. 6, Somerville, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 13, Carteret, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 20, at South Plainfield, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 28, at Summit, 1 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 4, at Rahway, 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct 10, at Scotch Plains–Fanwood, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 18, Colonia, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 25, Hillside, 7 p.m.
Head coach: Erik Rosenmeier, 20th season
BCC division: United Gold
Section: North, Group 3
Photos by JR Parachini