Cranford head coach Erik Rosenmeier talks to his team after a 38-28 win over Woodbridge on Oct. 15, 2021. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
In a battle of undefeated teams Friday night at Priscoe Field in Woodbridge, it was the legs of senior runningback Colin Murray that made the difference.
His three touchdowns and 205 yards on the ground helped 7th-ranked Cranford beat No. 4 Woodbridge 38-28 in the Big Central Game of the Week driven by Mark Montenero and his team at the world-famous Autoland, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Cranford remains undefeated, moving to 6-0, while Woodbridge drops to 6-1. It was the Barrons’ first regular season loss in three years; their last one came against Colonia on October 26, 2018. Their only two losses since then have been in the postseason – in the 2019 North 1 Group 4 title game to Northern Highlands, and in last year’s first pod game against Somerville.
Cranford scored the first two touchdowns of the game, and led 14-0 before Woodbridge tied it with 63 seconds left in the first half. But Cranford quarterback Shane Van Dam would run 34 yards for a score just 50-seconds later to give the Cougars a lead they would never relinquish.
VanDam finished the game with 30 yards rushing – despite being sacked five times – and was 5-of-13 through the air for 89 yards.
Murray was named the Autoland Player of the Game for his efforts, which included an amazing 57-yard touchdown run with 7:37 left to prvide the final margin.
Taking the handoff from VanDam, he hit the pile at the line of scrimmage, perhaps even backing into it. After a few seconds, when it seemed like everyone had given up on the play, Murray burst out of the pile and went untouched the last 50 yards into the end zone.
Click below to hear Dom Savino down on the field with Cranford postgame reaction: