Cranford sophomore Joey Riccio grabs an interception against Rahway at Madden Field in a Big Central Conference game on September 25, 2026. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
When an offense can find balance, it’s a beautiful thing.
When they can keep that balance with one of their top runningbacks out with an injury since September like Gabe Worrell has been, well that’s extra special.
That’s the scenario facing Cranford Friday night when the second-seeded Cougars host third-seed Shabazz for the North 1, Group 3 semifinals and a 7 pm kickoff.
Shabazz is a Group 2-size school that made it to the state final last year, only to lose to Camden. But they are playing up in Group 3 this year based on the NJSIAA’s competitive balance and success formula, which moves teams up when their school is open enrollment (Shabazz can draw from all of Newark) and they advance past a certain point in the playoffs.
Of course, the move to Group 3 didn’t affect the Bulldogs’ regular season schedule. They are 8-1, with their lone loss coming to West Orange, 13-6, back on September 18th. Otherwise, they have five shutouts, including over Passaic Tech in Week One, 13-0. And the Bulldogs just beat defending North 2, Group 5 champion Bridgewater-Raritan in the opening round last week.
Cranford has had a solid season, too, also 8-1. They play a number of Group 4 schools, and beat them all, including Summit 29-0, Rahway 14-7 on the road, Montgomery 13-12 at home, and at Carteret, 24-12.
Senior quarterback Aidan Capizzi has thrown for 1,340 yards and 11 touchdowns, while junior runningback Logan Murray has shouldered the load on the ground, with 152 carries for 863 yards and seven scores.
The lone blemish on the resume was a Cutoff Weekend 14-3 home loss to Hillside. But sometimes, getting that loss out of the way before the playoffs can help a team refocus. And the Cougars did, as they beat seven-seed Matawan last week, 34-27.
And Cranford can get after it on defense as well. The unit this year has 22 sacks and 65 tackles for loss, along with eight forced fumbles and seven interceptions. They’ve pitched a pair of shutouts for their part, but also didn’t allow a single team to score more than 14 points on them for seven straight weeks, between a 31-24 season-opening win at Bernards, and last Friday’s victory over Matawan.
Click below to hear Cranford head coach Erik Rosenmeir talk about the Cougars’ sectional semifinal playoff game against Shabazz with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
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