BCG Game Preview – Scotch Plains-Fanwood @ Cranford – September 10, 2026

CRANFORD, NJ – Week 2 action gets underway on Thursday night around the Big Central Conference.  One of the 11 games on the schedule today will be at Memorial Field in Cranford, where the Cougars will be hosting Scotch Plains-Fanwood in a BCC United Gold Division clash. Kickoff is at 7:00 PM.

Both teams enter Thursday night’s contest from different perspectives.  Cranford opened the season with a 31-24 victory over Bernards on the road, while Scotch Plains-Fanwood was defeated by Linden 34-6.  The Raiders began the year with promise with only a 33-28 loss against neighborhood rival, Westfield.

A year ago, Cranford finished 4-6 overall and qualified for the playoffs.  The Cougars suffered a down season relative to recent standards, but with the likes of Gabe Worrell and Logan Murray back, the expectations are high for a very successful campaign in 2026.  Meanwhile, Scotch Plains-Fanwood endured another down season with a 2-7 record as it continued to try and rebuild.

In the first year of Big Central Gridiron, the Raiders turned in a solid 2020 campaign for then head coach, Austin Holman.  Despite the shortened season, Scotch Plains-Fanwood went 5-2 overall, including a 35-7 win over Colonia on Thanksgiving Eve to conclude the season.  The following year, the Raiders finished 5-6, including a season opening loss to Cedar Creek in the Battle at the Beach.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s fortunes may be on the upswing though.  The Raiders have a solid sophomore class led by 6’2”, 180 pound wide receiver Joey Reeves, who caught 11 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman at the varsity level in 2025.  Reeves is the crown jewel, but there are also other promising players coming up too.  Last year’s freshman team defeated J.F. Kennedy 56-0, and gave Summit a battle in the season finale.

Meanwhile, the Cougars have a veteran squad returning for the 2026 season.  In addition to Worrell and Murray, Cranford QB Aiden Capizzi leads the offense and its backfield.  WR/CB John Fiore, Luke Owens, Jake Friedman, and Jared Acinapura are among those returning from a year ago for the Cougars.  Last year, Cranford played a very tough schedule that included the likes of Bernards, Somerville, Summit, Rahway, Colonia, Hillside, and Roxbury (in the playoffs).

Cranford has won the last 12 meetings between the two schools by a combined margin of 403-149.  The last time Scotch Plains-Fanwood defeated the Cougars was in the 2009 season opener at Memorial Field in Cranford by the score of 26-24.  The closest that the Raiders have come to defeating Cranford since then was in 2017 when they lost 43-42 at Perry Tyson Field.

In the victory over Bernards last week, Capizzi showed a great deal of improvement over a year ago by completing 16 of 22 passes for 167 yards and 2 TDs.  Worrell led the ground attack with 13 carries for 149 yards for an average of 11.5 yards per rush, and a touchdown.  Junior wideout, Adam Bentrewicz was the leading receiver with four receptions for 63 yards, or 15.8 yards per catch.  Acinapura anchored the defense with 9 total tackles.

Another talented sophomore, running back Avery Snow was one of the few bright spots for Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the loss to Linden a week ago.  Snow rushed three times for 53 yards and scored the Raiders’ only touchdown in the contest.   Meanwhile, in the season opening loss to Westfield, QB Marcus Schomberg led the way in a losing cause by completing 12 of 18 passes for 119 yards.  Snow also played well with 11 carries for 115 yards or nearly 10.5 yards per rush, and two touchdowns.  Reeves caught three passes for 44 yards.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood gave up 22 points in the opening quarter in its loss to Linden in Week 1.  The Raiders have been outscored by margin of 21 points per game in their last 12 meetings versus the Cougars.  In order for the Raiders to have a shot, they will need to keep the game close and not let Cranford get off to a good start.  The Cougars have plenty of weapons with Capizzi, Worrell, Murray, Fiore, and Bentrewicz.  So, SPF will have their hands full on defense.

Cranford is a solid favorite here.  Playing at home, where they are quite tough to beat.  The Cougars record in games covered by Big Central Gridiron is 5-2, including a 35-14 victory over South Plainfield a year ago.  This will be the first time BCG has seen Scotch Plains-Fanwood play since the 2021 season.  The Raiders are 1-1 in games covered by BCG.  With Capizzi, Worrell, and Murray on offense as well as an always stingy defense, Cranford will be tough to beat here. You will be able to watch the game on Cranford TV-35 as well as NFHS.

BCG’s Pick:  Cranford wins, 28-14.