Cranford Cougar Spotlight: 100 Hits, 100 Goals, and Coach of the Year

CRANFORD, NJ - With Cranford High School’s spring sports hitting their stride, Cranford players and coaches have started breaking records and reaching milestones.

Maddy DeLong, a fourth-year starter on the Cranford varsity softball team, tallied her 100th hit as part of a three-hit effort against Westfield on April 9. DeLong has a .341 career batting average and has hit .389 through just 18 at-bats so far this year. The game against rival Westfield was a hard-fought 8-inning battle (high school softball is typically seven) with multiple lead changes, including Cranford taking the penultimate lead in the top of the eighth, scoring two runs to lead 12-10. However, with Cranford’s pitching greatly strained by the extra inning, Westfield was unfortunately able to score three runs and win the game. In spite of their loss, Cranford softball will look to add a win when they take on Governor Livingston on April 16.

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Shea Matheson, a senior on the Cranford girls' lacrosse team, scored her 100th goal in the team’s 12-8 win against Montville on April 9. Matheson, who has six goals in the five games so far, has averaged nearly two goals per game in her career, giving her one of the higher career averages in Cranford’s class of 2024. The win against Montville gave Cranford their third win in a row to start the season, before two losses gave them a 3-2 record. Next, Cranford girls lacrosse will face off against Montclair Kimberley on April 16.

Sean Trotter, head coach of the Cranford boys varsity basketball team and former CHS student, was recently announced Union County Coach of the Year for his efforts in bringing Cranford to a 21-7 record, a great contrast from their 5-19 record the year prior. Trotter has been coaching the team since 2018, and he has done nothing but improve the entire program, from the younger grades to the graduating seniors. Often coaching fall and summer basketball camps that feature CHS basketball players, alumni, and even New Jersey college basketball players, Trotter is fully invested in ensuring Cranford basketball will be successful for years to come, a goal that he believes can be fully realized in the coming years. Despite losing the team’s leading scorer, Nick Amitie, basketball fans should remain confident that Trotter will be able to lead yet another team deep into the postseason and prove Cranford basketball is a team to watch.

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