Cranford wrestler finishes third in state at 157 pounds

(Continued from Page 8)

“As a freshman last year at AC, Jordan was just thrown into a bunch,” Gorman said. Chapman was the 16th seed and went 3-2, first falling in the pre-quarterfinals.

“This year, staying at 157 was a bit of a struggle for him,” Gorman said. “He has a big frame, so I would say that he’s not going to stay at 157. He could be moving up a couple of weight classes.”

Cranford had three other wrestlers compete in AC, including freshman Ryder Connors at 113 pounds, senior Lucas Esposito at 175 pounds and senior Shane Kanterman at 190 pounds. Connors went 0-1 to finish 32-9, Esposito also went 0-1 to come in at 30-10 and Kanterman was 1-2 to close at 36-8.

The last Union County state champion continues to be Christian Barber of Westfield, winning the 152pound crown his senior year in 2011. Union County has not had a state champion for 12 straight seasons, from 2012 to 2023. Since Jesse Boyden won the 215-pound title in 2008, Union County has been shut out 14 of the past 15 years.

Kanterman, who qualified for the NJSIAA Tournament three times, ended up with 102 career victories. Kanterman will play football in college at Southern Connecticut.

This was a special year for the Cranford Cougars, who went 23-4 overall and won another Union County Conference-Watchung Division title at 6-0. The Cougars also captured a record eighth straight Union County Tournament championship and at District 13 in their own gym finished with the most points of any team. Cranford was fourth in the team standings for Region 4.

Also, Cranford set a program record for a season with 23 dual wins and 217 pins or wins by fall.

Cranford has Connors and Chapman back from the NJSIAA Tournament and a total of four grapplers who

To the Editor:

I have never been put on a wall before. My service as mayor of Cranford during four terms was recently recognized on the Mayors Wall in the Cranford Municipal Building. The wall has photos of mayors starting in 1871. I served 18 years on the Cranford Township Committee between 1987 and 2011, not all consecutive terms, and four terms as mayor. We faced many issues and challenges including flood control, redevelopment, teen programs, environmental protection and keeping a balance between taxes and the local budget. As mayor, leading on those and other challenges, I hope I contributed to making a difference in a great community. There remain many challenges the community faces including:

• creating and maintaining more affordable housing without massive developments in flood zones;

• regional flood control, with upstream bypass and storage, while building greater river capacity in Cranford;

• community support for upgrades to school facilities to maintain schools as best in New Jersey;

• continued improvement of the township’s public safety efforts, focusing on the men and women who serve the community well; and

• long-term strategies to better balance local taxes and expenses.

There is nothing better than serving a community in any capacity, to make improvements or help others. I plan to continue to find new ways to make a difference.

Daniel J. Aschenbach Cranford

PUBLISHED BY: Worrall Media 1291 Stuyvesant Avenue Union NJ 07083 908-686-7700

Editorial@TheLocalSource.com

Publisher: David Worrall

Editor: Joe Ungaro

Managing Editor: David Jablonski

Advertising Manager: Joseph Farina

To the Editor:

Editor’s note: The following message is being sent on behalf of the Cranford Township Equity and Inclusivity Initiative.

We hope this correspondence finds you well. On behalf of the Cranford Township Equity and Inclusivity Initiative, we are excited to provide you with an update. As you know, the Equity and Inclusivity Initiative worked with all those who volunteered to help develop a Cranford Township Equity and Inclusivity Strategic Plan and then asked the community at-large for feedback. We received approximately 600 responses. Here are the results of that feedback:

• 86 percent strongly agree/agree that the draft Cranford Equity & Inclusivity Initiative Mission Statement is clearly stated, specific and easy to understand.

• 79 percent strongly agree/agree that the draft Cranford Equity & Inclusivity Initiative Mission Statement is wellaligned with the draft Core Values of the community.

• 78 percent strongly agree/agree that the draft Cranford Equity & Inclusivity Initiative Mission Statement is timely and relevant to the needs of all members of the Cranford community.

• 73 percent strongly agree/agree that the draft Cranford Equity & Inclusivity Initiative Mission Statement is realistic and feasible to achieve.

• 61 percent disagree/strongly disagree that the Cranford Equity & Inclusivity Initiative Mission Statement requires revision.

• 83 percent strongly agree/agree that the Cranford Equity and Inclusivity Initiative Vision indicators are clearly stated, specific, and easy to understand.

• 76 percent strongly agree/agree that the Cranford Equity and Inclusivity Initiative Vision indicators are timely and relevant to the needs of all members of our Cranford community.

• 80 percent strongly agree/agree that the Cranford Equity and Inclusivity Initiative Vision indicators align well with the draft Core Values and Mission.

• 76 percent strongly agree/agree that the Cranford Equity and Inclusivity Initiative Vision indicators are appropriate and set a high standard for our community.

• 81 percent strongly agree/agree that the Cranford Equity and Inclusivity Initiative Goals are clearly-stated, specific and well-defined.

• 73 percent strongly agree/agree that the Cranford Equity and Inclusivity Initiative Goals are timely and relevant to the needs of all members of the Cranford community.

• 78 percent strongly agree/agree that the Cranford Equity and Inclusivity Initiative Goals are well-aligned with the draft Mission and Vision.

As indicated in the results, a majority of the community members who responded support the Cranford Township Equity and Inclusivity Plan.

We will be providing additional information about programming and how to get involved in the near future. Thanks again for your continued partnership.

Be well and stay safe.