Cedar Grove, Verona enter Game of the Week with momentum and rivalry spirit

The series started with three wins in a row for Cedar Grove.

Not that the Verona rivalry game is going away any time soon, but Cedar Grove is looking for its chance to cap another three-game win streak Saturday in the NJ.com/Star-Ledger Game of the Week.

The two neighboring towns in Essex County are set to meet for the 46th time Saturday, and Cedar Grove senior John Guaimano is expecting "everyone to know where to be at 12" when his team travels two miles down the road to take on Verona.

"The rivalry is crazy," Guaimano said. "The history is so rich. There have been so many years where the biggest game of the year is Verona. It's special to play in because everybody is waiting for this game. We know kids on that team. We've been playing against them since we were 6 or 7 years old. It's crazy to think it has come to senior year and nothing has changed."

LIVE VIDEO: Watch games all season, on any device with High School Sports Live

Maybe nothing has changed in terms of the rivalry, but there were certainly a lot of changes recently on both sidelines.

Verona coach Kevin Batty took over at his alma mater this summer and made sure his team had an eye on the future and not the past. Last season, Verona got off to a 1-4 start and veteran coach Lou Racioppe was replaced midseason after a harassment, bullying and intimidation case was reported and investigated by the district.

With an eye on the future, Verona won its first three games this season before losing two in a row to Shabazz and Weequahic. Still, Verona bounced back last week with a 42-19 victory over a Hoboken.

That's where things get interesting.

Cedar Grove earned a 22-19 victory over Shabazz last Friday to end the Newark school's 17-game win streak but dropped a 39-21 loss to Hoboken on Sept. 28.

Good luck picking this game based on this season's mixed bag of results. Verona enters with a 4-2 record while Cedar Grove is 5-1. For both teams, all that matters Saturday is getting the win and adding to the rivalry's history.

"This a great game and a great rivalry," said senior two-way tackle Joe Tanti. "We'll talk a little smack to each other before the game to get hyped up. It's just a fun game to play. We look forward to it every year."

Cedar Grove can still win the National White division title in the Super Football Conference with a win Saturday and a win against undefeated Weequahic in its regular-season finale. Verona is likely eliminated from contention with two divisional losses.

Still, both teams are in good positions to be high seeds in their respective playoff brackets. Verona will navigate the postseason in North, Group 2 while Cedar Grove is a contender in North, Group 1. Their specific playoff paths will not be determined until the NJSIAA seeding meeting on Oct. 28.

Cedar Grove quarterback Michael Lever said his team is in championship contention because of the hard work he and his teammates put in over the summer.

"We were out here every day, even when we didn't have practice we were getting guys out here working hard," Lever said.

Lever is leading the way for a Cedar Grove offense that is averaging 36.5 points per game. Lever, a 6-0, 175-pound senior, was one of NJ.com's Players of the Week after racking up a head-turning 561 yards of offense and six touchdowns in a 69-67 win over Hanover Park.

He has built plenty of chemistry with Guaimano, who is second in the state with 769 receiving yards, 43 catches and 10 touchdowns.

Guaimano and Lever are two key senior leaders for a class that features 17 players.

"Our seniors are very close," said senior two-way lineman Sam Cosmillo. "We've been playing together since third grade and basically have the same group of kids for about 10 years now."

That same group of Cedar Grove seniors have had its share of run-ins with a Verona senior class led by Nick Riggio, Matt Aldiero, Matt Frungillo and Adam Weiss.

Offensively, Riggio has led the way by rushing for 751 yards and eight touchdowns. Riggio has five 100-yard performances and doubles as a linebacker.

It will be Verona's ground-and-pound offense against Cedar Grove's point-happy spread attack.

Who will prevail in the Game of the Week?

"Everybody knows about this game," Guiamano said. "Everybody knows where to be at 12 o'clock on Saturday."

Pat Lanni covers teams from Hudson, Essex and Passaic Counties in the SFC and NJIC. He may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatLanniHS. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.