State of the Program: Cresskill/Emerson football becomes North Jersey's newest co-op
Kevin Quinn could see the writing on the wall.
The Cresskill football coach said low numbers at the Group 1 school forced him to choose between two options. Either move down to NJIC Union Division or team up with a second school.
The Cougars preferred the latter option and found a logical answer only 15 minutes away. Emerson was looking for a fallback plan after a proposed merger with Park Ridge was denied.
The fourth co-op in North Jersey football was born.
"Once the kids are on the field playing, they all have that common goal to win and succeed," Quinn said.
Cresskill is the lead school and will keep the Cougars nickname and slide up to Group 2 level.
The Cougars plan to have one game and one scrimmage this season at Emerson. The location for summer practices and lifts have alternated between the two schools. The roster will likely be in the mid-to-upper 30s.
So far, Quinn said the move has been pretty seamless. During the spring, the Cougars held team bonding events where players could get to know each other over lunch and games in the gym.
Emerson coach Nick Calandrino and one of his assistants were brought on staff to ease the transition. Calandrino runs the wrestling program at Cresskill and told Quinn how much the two student bodies have in common.
"Everybody has been on the same page and works real well," Quinn said. "Nowadays, a lot of these kids know each other through social media. How I describe it to people is Cresskill has a good group of kids and Emerson has a good group of kids. Now we have one big group of kids."
READ MORE: Cresskill and Emerson plan to join forces for high school football
The tradition
As fate would have it, Cresskill and Emerson both started their football programs in the 1963 season.
Cresskill (5-4) has been one of the most consistent public schools in North Jersey. The Cougars have five sectional titles, four unbeaten seasons and a .650 winning percentage as a single entity. They finished with a winning record in 16 of the last 20 seasons.
Emerson picked up one sectional title in the modern playoff era (1983). The Cavos went 1-6 a year ago in the Union Division.
The challenge
Cresskill/Emerson needs to figure out how to weave two teams and two towns into one successful family.
Quinn expects some bumps along the way, but likes having some of the depth and competition for spots that were missing in the past. One of the selling points on each end was being able to field two levels of football.
To foster a sense of unity, the Cougars have taken some inspiration from coach Greg Gruzdis at Waldwick/Midland Park.
"When they play, they are just Warriors," Quinn said. "It's Warrior football over there. They don't care what town you're from. I like that. We've adopted that a little bit. It's Cougar football right now."
Expectations
The Cougars will have a camp battle at quarterback and running back with a vacancy at both spots. Star wideout Ryan Berkowitz (732 receiving yards) is one of the top playmakers in the NJIC and could take some snaps at times.
Quinn believes size will be an advantage up front, as well as the senior leadership from defensive back Charlie Diamond and linemen Glory Moon and Minsung Kang.
On paper, the returning Cougars appear to have a slightly easier draw after moving from the Patriot Division (.609 combined win percentage) to the Liberty (.422) this season.
"I don't think there's any easy games anywhere," Quinn said. "It's still going to be a tough schedule. I love the way the NJIC does our schedules where late in the year you're going to play similar-type teams."
STATE OF THE PROGRAM: Inside look at every HS football team in North Jersey
2023 schedule
Aug. 31: vs. New Milford
Sept. 8: at Garfield
Sept. 14: vs. Lyndhurst
Sept. 22: at Secaucus
Sept. 29: at Waldwick/Midland Park
Week 6: NJIC game TBD (home)
Week 7: NJIC game TBD (home)
Week 8: NJIC game TBD (away)
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Cresskill/Emerson NJ football becomes North Jersey's newest co-op
