At Cranford football game, a town grieves for victims of alleged teen killer Vincent P. Battiloro

At 6:45 p.m. Friday, the Cranford High football team sprinted onto Memorial Field, and the marching band played at full blast.

As the Cougars and their visiting opponent, the Rahway Indians, settled on their respective sidelines, the public address announcer asked all in attendance to rise and share in a moment of silence as VFW Post 335’s color guard halted its march.

“Tonight we pause to honor and remember two of our own: Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, beloved members of our school community whose lives were tragically cut short,” the announcer said. “Their presence touched many. And their loss is deeply felt by all who knew them in their community. Let’s take this moment to reflect, to grieve and to stand together in their memory.”

For 13 seconds, all was still in a community shattered by the deaths of the senior girls, who were struck by a car that police say was traveling 70 miles per hour in what family members have called a targeted attack on Burnside Avenue Monday evening. Earlier Friday, Niotis’s funeral was held at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Union.

Vincent P. Battiloro, 17, of Garwood, has been charged with two counts of first degree murder.

As silence fell, players bowed their heads and closed their eyes; tears streamed down spectators’ cheeks. The girls’ faces were featured on donation buckets that greeted all who entered through the gates, as well as at the concessions stand. Per tradition, seniors stood in the front of the student section.

“I knew Maria and Isabella personally,” said Cranford senior Andre Pereira, who wrote his late classmates’ names on the tape around his right wrist. “I just wanted them in my presence, with me spiritually.”

At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Pereira, who wears No. 74, played offensive tackle, defensive end and placekicker for the Cougars. He contributed in all three phases as the Cougars rallied from a 27-12 deficit in the first half to draw even on an 80-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Then, the Cougars secured his onside kick with less than two minutes left in regulation before winning, 43-41, on a 37-yard field goal kicked by Pereira as time expired.

“Listen, I’m not a hyperbole guy — and I know a few of you are going to have to look that one up — but that is as good a win as we’ve ever had,” said Cranford coach Erik Rosenmeier, who is in his 21st season at the school, as he addressed the team kneeling before him in the end zone after they threw their helmets in the air and ran all over in celebration. “As good a win as we’ve ever had! How about Thunder Foot?”

Pereira’s kick punctuated a difficult five days, signs of which were evident everywhere Friday evening. Uniformed Cranford police and Union County sheriff’s officers maintained a presence by the field, in the bleachers and at the concessions stand. Parents purchased arm’s lengths of 50-50 raffle tickets with the half that typically goes to the Cranford High Boosters Club earmarked for the Niotis and Salas families. In all, $1,300 was collected.

“I actually passed by the street memorial today with my 11-year-old daughter and offered a prayer,” said Omar Paz, a Cranford resident who stood beneath the scoreboard. “We mourned and I told her to appreciate life as much as she can. Any second you can lose it through no fault of your own. This week, you sense it’s not the way it used to be. Cranford’s never been known for anything like this. Normally, I let her come here and there is a sense of security and community that you have; now I’m here to watch them.”

The community has rallied all week. GoFundMe pages were started and meal train schedules were arranged. Children opened lemonade stands to raise funds. Teachers read brief statements the day after, then tried to normalize the students’ days.

“But there is nothing normal about this,” said the mother of a senior as she watched the game from the stands Friday night.

Across town, on Burnside Avenue, where the attack occurred, a memorial has grown each day behind police lines. On a telephone pole are three pink letters – RIP – as well as a pair of pink running shoes dangling above photos of the girls, 96 burning candles, balloons and stuffed animals.

“Some of the kids don’t know how to process it, especially the younger ones,” said Karyn Delmour, the co-president of the booster club. ”They have not been exposed to this kind of loss before. Everyone’s coming together. We’re just doing our part.”

After the game, boys and girls walked to Calabria Pizzeria nearby. Others rode their bicycles home in the darkness. Mourners of all ages ventured to the crash scene, where candles were burning and a copy of “To Bless the Space Between Us” rested next to a box of tissues and flower bouquets.

Maintenance workers had turned off the scoreboard at the field at 10:30 p.m., but reminders remained of what was lost. Down the block from where the girls were killed, a digital sign kept blinking the same police notice past midnight:

Serious

Crash

9/29 at 5:30 p.m.

Call

272-2222

With Info