CRANFORD, NJ — Although Cranford won its first playoff game by 30 points, head coach Erik Rosenmeier challenged his defensive line to perform better against the run.
So when it came time for Pascack Valley runners to try to penetrate Cranford’s first line of defense, they found no room at all to move forward.
In other words, the visiting Panthers were stuffed time and time again. Cranford’s defense stepped its game up and set the tone for a long evening of football for its Bergen County counterpart.
Of its first eight rushing attempts, Pascack Valley went for minus yardage on six of them and zero on the other two. The Panthers had minus 12 yards of total offense after their first three possessions and did not enter positive yardage until the next time they had the ball.
Cranford limited Pascack Valley to just 3 yards rushing on 18 carries in the first half and only 66 total yards by intermission.
It was complete dominance, as Pascack Valley running backs were halted for negative or very little yardage on most carries.
“We watched game films with a critical eye,” Rosenmeier said. “We had to improve on technique and effort. In the playoffs, you don’t have time to have a bad game.”
Offensively, Cranford could not be stopped. The Cougars scored touchdowns on six of their eight first-half possessions, with senior quarterback Shane Van Dam scoring the first one and passing for two others to senior receivers Jack Conley and Will Gallagher. Standout senior running back Colin Murray broke two long touchdown runs, and senior running back Lucca Limeira scored on a 1-yard run after breaking a long run of 52 yards himself.
Murray now has 29 touchdowns on the season.
Cranford rushed for 261 yards on 19 carries in the first half, while Van Dam completed four of nine passes for 81 yards, including his two touchdown passes.
“We knew what Pascack Valley was capable of, so it was important for us to be ready to go right away,” Cranford senior offensive lineman Matt Fries said. “Blocking means a lot to us, the offensive linemen, and we concentrated on opening the holes.”
It all added up to a convincing 42-7 win for the Cougars over fourth-seeded Pascack Valley in the North 2, Group 3, semifinal at Memorial Field on Friday, Nov. 12.
In the first half alone, Murray carried the ball nine times for 210 yards and his two scores. Limeira had 59 yards rushing on six carries and his score.
Top-seeded Cranford (10-0) will host second-seeded Sparta (8-3) for the North 2, Group 3, state championship game on Friday, Nov. 19. Sparta won at home over third-seeded River Dell 42-0 in the other semifinal on Friday, Nov. 12.
Cranford has scored 98 points in its first two playoff victories, including last week’s 56-26 home triumph against eighth-seeded Demarest.
The Cougars will be playing in their fourth state championship game since 2011. Cranford won the North 2, Group 3, finals in 2011 and 2015 and lost in 2014.
Cranford is 10-0 for the third time in program history. The last time was in 2015, en route to a 12-0 final record that included the program’s second state championship, when the Cougars won North 2, Group 3, for the second time in five seasons.
Pascack Valley saw a fine season conclude at 7-4.
On the first play of the game following Cranford’s opening squib kick, Cranford senior defensive back Angelo Fiorenza brought down Pascack Valley senior quarterback Ethan Silcher from behind for a solo tackle, netting a 5-yard loss.
Cranford senior linebacker Jake Lies brought down Panther senior running back Nick Messina for a 2-yard loss the second time Pascack Valley had possession. On the very next play, senior linebacker Chris Blevins sacked Silcher for a 9-yard loss.
Fiorenza and Blevins combined to bring down Silcher for a 3-yard loss when Pascack Valley had a third-and-3 at its own 45 late in the first quarter.
An interception by Godwin set up Cranford’s fourth touchdown, which was a 19-yard pass Van Dam threw to Gallagher. On first-and-10 from the Pascack Valley 19, Van Dam dropped back and let go of what turned out to be a perfect throw to Gallagher over his shoulders, as Gallagher reeled it in ahead of single coverage and right before he was to step in the left corner of the end zone.
Cranford junior defensive back Ryan Lynskey came up with an interception on the final play of the first half that was deep in Cougar territory, preventing the Panthers from scoring right before halftime.
Senior defensive back Bryce Medard had Cranford’s third and final interception inside the game’s final minute.
Cranford did not turn the ball over at all. The Cougars also recovered a fumble in the first half, with senior Dan Abrahamsen falling on the ball after a Cranford kickoff bounced off a Pascack Valley player.
With Cranford ahead 42-0 starting the third quarter, the mercy rule running clock ran the entire second half. Pascack Valley got on the scoreboard in the third quarter, when wide receiver Nick Savariego raced down the left sideline for a 40-yard touchdown run.
Photos by JR Parachini