CRANFORD — Cranford High School’s football team moved through September undefeated, reaching 4-0 for the first time in five years.
The Cougars realize that October will be just as daunting as making a key first down on third-and-five.
“Our schedule is fair,” Cranford head coach Erik Rosenmeier said. “It’s also extremely challenging.”
Up next, who the Cougars are preparing for now, is a Montgomery High School squad that is coming off an impressive 38-35 home triumph against a 3-1 Somerville High School squad.
“Montgomery made some offensive adjustments against a good team and came away with a big win,” Rosenmeier said.
Montgomery produced a season-high 38 points, after scoring only 35 points combined in its first three games.
October continues for the 4-0 Cougars with consecutive road games against South Plainfield High School, presently 3-2, and Carteret High School, 2-3, and then wraps with a home game against Hillside High School, which is 5-0 and has outscored the opposition 176-17 so far, with two shutouts.
“Every week seems like a major hurdle to climb,” said Rosenmeier, who is the longest tenured coach in Union County, at the helm of the Cougars since 2005.
The latest was a 14-7 triumph at Rahway High School on Friday night, Sept. 25, with the host Indians falling just short of scoring a game-tying touchdown. There was also some debate on how much time was left, following the game’s final play.
“It was a frantic finish for both teams,” Rosenmeier said. “To Rahway’s credit, they did a great job of moving the ball against us through the air on that last possession.”
Cranford managed touchdown runs of 27 yards and five yards by senior running back Gabe Worrell in the first and third quarters, followed by extra-point kicks from senior Joell Quintana.
A 16-yard pass from senior quarterback Jaquan Robinson to senior receiver Anthony Robertson followed by the point-after kick from junior Jaiden Martinez pulled Rahway to within 14-7 for the only points scored in the fourth quarter.
Cranford Cougars = 4-0, 2-0 United Gold Division
Friday, Sept. 4: Cranford 31, Bernards 24 – at Bernards
Thursday, Sept. 10: Cranford 40, Scotch Plains–Fanwood 14 – at Cranford
Friday, Sept. 18: Cranford 29, Summit 0 – at Cranford
Friday, Sept. 25: Cranford 14, Rahway 7 – at Rahway
Friday, Oct. 2: Montgomery, 7 p.m. Montgomery is 3-2.
Friday, Oct. 9: at South Plainfield, 6 p.m. South Plainfield is 3-2.
Friday, Oct. 16: at Carteret, 7 p.m. Carteret is 2-3.
Friday, Oct. 23: Hillside, 7 p.m. Hillside is 5-0.
“This was another Cranford-Rahway game that came right down to the end, a hard-fought game where both teams didn’t quit,” Rosenmeier said. “There was a lot of old school to it.”
Cranford defeated Rahway for the fifth straight season going back to 2022. Rahway’s last win against Cranford was in 2019.
The last three games were extremely close, with Cranford winning by two points last year and by a single point two years ago.
“They were lighting up the scoreboard, so we focused on trying to stop their run game,” said Rosenmeier, who prepared for a Rahway team that was averaging more than 30 points in its 4-0 start. “I felt we were best equipped to do that.”
Cranford limited Rahway to a little more than 80 yards on the ground and 80 in the air.
“We held them to one first down in the first half,” Rosenmeier said.
Cranford is 2-0 in the Big Central Conference’s United Gold Division. The Cougars will attempt to win the division outright when they play at Carteret on Friday, Oct. 16.
Rahway, now 4-1 overall, is 2-0 in the Liberty Gold Division, with league games remaining at Plainfield High School on Friday, Oct. 9, and at Colonia High School on Friday, Oct. 16.
The Indians are next at home vs. South Brunswick High School on Thursday, Oct. 1, and will wrap their regular season at home vs. Edison High School on Friday, Oct. 23.
Rahway has made the playoffs every year during head coach Brian Russo’s tenure, which began in 2015.
The Indians seek to make the grade once again this season out of North, Group 4.
Cranford has made the playoffs every year since 2011 with Rosenmeier, after going 6-0 in consolation games his first six seasons in charge from 2005 to 2010.
The Cougars seek to qualify again out of North, Group 3. They are the only Union County school situated in that section.
Cranford is also the last Union County school to capture a sectional state championship, winning North 2, Group 3 for the third time in the playoff era in 2021, the year before the NJSIAA advanced its playoff system to include group semifinals and finals.
Cranford’s wins against Rahway the past five years have enhanced its playoff qualifying.
“We’ve just had good fortune,” Rosenmeier said. “We just as likely could have been on the other side.
“There’s never a surprise with Rahway and who they are. They have good players, show up and are very physical.”
Cranford is 4-0 for the first time since its last state championship team of 2021 and seeks to go 5-0 for the first time since that same season five years ago.
“I’m happy with the start, but happier that our kids are practicing better now,” Rosenmeier said. “That was my biggest criticism, that we weren’t practicing well when the season started. That has changed for the better.”
Cranford vs. Rahway since 2019
2026: Cranford 14, Rahway 7 – at Rahway
2025: Cranford 43, Rahway 41 – at Cranford
2024: Cranford 14, Rahway 13 – at Rahway
2023: Cranford 25, Rahway 6 – at Cranford
2022: Cranford 35, Rahway 0 – at Rahway
2021: Did not play
2020: Did not play
2019: Rahway 46, Cranford 14 – at Rahway
Photo by JR Parachini
