Vineland's Collin Graiff provides a big kick that could land team in postseason

PENNSAUKEN – The Golden Leg might have just booted the Vineland High School football team into the postseason.

Senior Collin Graiff had been waiting for the opportunity to kick a decisive field goal to win a game. That chance came Friday night and he drilled a 32-yarder late in the fourth quarter that proved to be the lone points in a 3-0 shocker at heavily favored Pennsauken.

More: Football 2023: Check out all our content for the South Jersey high school season

Vineland first-year coach Jose Guzman said the victory, the team's third of the season, should be enough to punch the Fighting Clan's ticket to the upcoming NJSIAA tournament. The 16-team field for the South and Central Jersey Group 5 playoffs will be official this weekend.

“I can’t say enough about these kids,” Guzman said. “They held it together when it counted, especially in the fourth quarter when we needed it the most.”

Graiff was one of the biggest performers in the final quarter.

While he had been a standout kicker for Vineland for four years, Graiff had never been sent out with a victory hanging on his right leg.

“I was wondering when I was going to get this opportunity,” said Graiff, who has converted five field goals in his career, including four this season.

“I know all the hours I’ve put into this job. I know I’ve messed up some in the past, but every week I’m grinding in practice, trying to grind that form down and be perfect. Or as close to it as I can.”

With just under five minutes to play in regulation, Guzman didn’t think twice about sending out Graiff for the pressure kick.

“I will put the trigger with Collin Graiff at any time,” the head coach said. “I call him the Golden Leg for a reason. He pursues his craft and when he lets go of that ball with his foot, 99.9 percent of the time it’s going through the uprights.”

Graiff said he wasn’t thinking about anything but his technique leading up to one of the biggest kicks in Vineland history. He said you have to have ice in your veins to handle the pressure.

“I’ve learned that over time,” said Graiff, who has a career-best 40-yarder against Millville on Thanksgiving last season.. “I just focus on my technique and do what I do best.”

Graiff has delivered plenty off the field, too.

A standout student, Graiff is a member of the school’s National Honor Society and the Junior ROTC program. He also volunteers time to do work in the community.

“As good as a kicker as Collin is, he’s an even better person off the field,” Guzman said.

Graiff said he’d like to continue to kick footballs in college next year and would like to study athletic science.

Vineland's defense helped postseason push

Coming on the heels of a 38-0 shutout of Egg Harbor Township, Vineland’s defense silenced another opponent, keeping Pennsauken (5-3) off the scoreboard. Pennsauken had averaged 21.8 points per game over its first seven games.

Vineland’s lone takeaway was a fumble scooped up by senior linebacker Ryant Maven, who returned the football deep into Pennsauken territory, setting the stage for Graiff’s game-winning kick.

All three of Vineland’s wins have been by shutout this season.

Long, winding road for Guzman

It’s been a long, strange four months for Guzman, but the road has continued to rise up to meet him.

After initially getting passed over for a promotion in the summer, the Vineland Board of Education listened to several past and present Vineland football players expressing their support of Guzman.

The BOE reconsidered the choice for head coach and, two weeks later, approved Guzman as the 18^th head coach in VHS history in June.

Now, he has the Fighting Clan in position for a possible trip back to the postseason.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” Guzman said. “I love my kids and they give that love back to me every day.

“Guys that came before me, (John) Pierantozzi, (Ed) Belfi, (Dan) Russo, they set an unbelievable foundation and I’m just trying to keep it going to the moon. It’s just like a dream.”

Guzman was also quick to credit his assistant coaches, calling the group “the best coaching staff on the planet.”

He called defensive coordinator Clifton Smith and defensive assistant coach Ryan Shelton, “Batman and Robin," saying, “They are masters at their craft.”

Odds and ends

Pennsauken senior Zhair “The Reverend” Miller performed a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem before the game.

Friday night in Pennsauken brought out the stars as Philadelphia Eagle Haason Reddick and former Pennsauken standout Todd McNair were in attendance.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Vineland makes one last postseason push with Collin Graiff's big kick