Football Game Preview: Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders vs. Cranford Cougars

Scotch Plains-Fanwood is 0-7 against Cranford since October of 2016 but things could change on Friday. The Raiders will face off against the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Scotch Plains-Fanwood has given up an average of 26.2 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

On Friday, Scotch Plains-Fanwood lost to Kennedy Memorial at home by a 33-14 margin. While the Raiders had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Mustangs 14-0.

Meanwhile, Cranford posted their closest victory since October 4, 2024 on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Rahway, sneaking past 43-41. The win almost wasn't to be: the Cougars were down 27-12 in the second quarter.

Cranford has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 3-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 30.5 points over those games. As for Scotch Plains-Fanwood, they now have a losing record of 2-3.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood was dealt a bruising 45-13 loss at the hands of Cranford when the teams last played back in October of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Raiders were down 31-0.