CEDAR GROVE- As Xavier Andujar visits any one of the fine food establishments along Pompton Avenue he knows that there is a strong likelihood that he will see one of his classmates and possibly one of his baseball or football teammates from Cedar Grove.
The Ithaca College-bound senior standout center fielder and veteran starting pitcher and outstanding football wide receiver has always valued attending the close-knit local high school while enjoying the athletic, academic and social aspects of a small-school atmosphere in a town where folks simply know their neighbors perhaps a lot more than other towns.
“Cedar Grove is a very tight-knit community and it’s been great going to a Group 1 school where everyone knows each other and the bond and chemistry are special,” said Andujar, who has been one of the key contributors to the Panthers diamond squad making yet another strong late-season run in the NJSIAA state tournament. “You see people from school around town almost every day and you know who they are.
“I believe that is the benefit in going to a Group 1 school vs. a huge Group 5 one where you may not see a lot of people you know.
“I’ve enjoyed my entire experience at Cedar Grove, and it’s been special to have the teammates and coaches I’ve had through the years here, providing great memories for me to take with me to college and to someday look back on and be able to smile about some great times we’ve had here!”
Andujar, who pitched six solid innings, had a hit and scored 2 runs in last Friday’s (May 29) 13-3 North 2, Group 1 state sectional quarterfinal victory over defending sectional champion Brearley, and has been a hot hitter of late for the Panthers, is the latest Parisi Fairfield/Sideline Chatter Athlete of the Week.
On the season, following a slow start, the 4-year varsity baseball player leads Cedar Grove (18-9 overall, 7-3 in the Super Essex Conference Colonial Division) in pitching victories with his 6-2 mound record to go along with a 3.78 ERA. He has 50 innings pitched while allowing 45 hits with 25 walks, 6 hit batsmen and 65 strikeouts.
At the plate his overall batting average is .274; however, he is hitting much better since early May, including going 2-for-3 with a run, a triple, a stolen base and 2 RBI in a 7-2 N2G1 first-round win over Glen Ridge on Wednesday, May 27, when he also provided 1 2/3 IP of scoreless 2-hit relief while striking out 2 in finishing up for the Panthers’ terrific junior starting pitcher Jack Velonas, who worked the first 5 1/3 IP.
Possessing sprinter’s speed, including 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Andujar has 24 stolen bases this season while scoring 18 runs with 5 doubles and 14 RBI.
He has displayed his base-stealing ability since his freshman season when he stole 33 bases, scored 33 runs and hit .329.
While he had been a leadoff batter, Andujar was moved to the clean-up spot as Velonas, who also plays in the outfield, slotted in nicely at the top of the order.
“It took me a little time to get used to batting cleanup, but I’ve gotten used to it and I have more opportunities to drive guys in to help the team,” he said. “Once I get on, I can still use my wheels to try and steal or take an extra base.
“Jack (Velonas) is having a great season for us and whatever coach wants me to do to help the team win is fine with me!”
Winning has been a consistent trait for Cedar Grove baseball which enters Wednesday’s N2G1 state sectional semifinal at second-seeded Whippany Park looking to make it four straight seasons with 19 victories.
“We’re hoping to get to that 20-win mark, and it’s been a good run for this group,” said sixth-year head coach Vin Cordasco. “We made the sectional final in 2023 (losing to Wood-Ridge), and had lost to Brearley in the semifinals the past two years.
“Xavier has been a bit part of all that success as a 4-year starter and terrific athlete who hits well, plays a great centerfield, is almost automatic stealing bases, and is a big boost to our pitching staff as one of the better left-handers in our conference.
“He has a good fast ball, change-up and outstanding curve ball that he can throw for strikes.
“He’s a good kid with all those character traits you look for in a terrific high school player and outstanding leader on your team!”
Andujar is definitely a dual-threat athlete as well and he plans to play both his high school sports at Ithaca after his splendid gridiron career at Cedar Grove where he was a standout wide receiver his junior and senior seasons while helping to lead the Panthers to back-to-back state sectional playoff titles and berths in the overall Group 1 final.
In a brilliant senior football season in 2025 he led Cedar Grove (10-4) with 81 receptions for 1,036 yards and had 7 touchdowns as the favorite target of senior quarterback Pierce Afalg.
As junior he had 24 receptions for 377 yards and 4 TDs for a 13-1 Panthers gridiron squad which was led by the record-setting pass-catch tandem of QB Stephen Paradiso and wide receiver Jackson Morrice (99 receptions for 1,831 yards and 21 TDs).
“Those guys were amazing players and I’m just glad I was able to do my part for really good Cedar Grove football teams,” said Andujar. “This past fall, with a dominant (37-13) win at New Providence for the sectional title, and then the incredible (24-21) win at Butler on Sebastian Kovacs’ last-second 48-yard field goal, made those seasons just so amazing, and now I’m looking forward to what’s ahead in college.”
“After speaking to (baseball) Coach (David) Valesente it was clear to me that the door is open for me to consider playing both sports in college. I will probably stick to center field, or wherever they want me to play in baseball, and it would be great to be part of the great football program there as well.”
Ithaca baseball entered recent action with a 20-15 record. The Bombers history-laden football program saw the 2025 squad finish an outstanding 8-2 last fall. One of the highlights of the upcoming 2026 season is the fact that Ithaca will be meeting its longtime rival SUNY-Cortland in the 67th Cortaca Jug Game set for Nov. 14 at Yankee Stadium.
The last time Ithaca and Cortland met at Yankees Stadium in 2022 the game drew 40,000 fans which was the second-largest crowd to ever attend a Division III college football game.
If Andujar is able to do both sports at a terrific D3 college like Ithaca it would be fitting with the fact that he is coming from a high school where multi-sport standouts are par for the course through the years as the Panthers’ Group 1 sports programs continue to thrive with both boys and girls who play 2 or 3 sports.
“Cedar Grove has been a great school for me, that’s for sure,” said Andujar. “I’ve been fortunate to enjoy four good years here, and I’ve had some really good athletes around me all the way through!”
NOTES- Andujar pitched all five innings vs. Nutley in a late-season, rain-shortened 5-4 Cedar Grove victory…He hurled a complete game with 1 walk and 10 strikeouts in a 10-3 win over Barringer on May 14….He plans on studying in a program at Ithaca College called ‘Business Pathways,’ an exploratory major that provides a strong overview of the business field before selecting a major, which he said could wind up being in Finance…Cedar Grove baseball coach Cordasco is a 2013 Cedar Grove graduate and he played on defensive line at Montclair State University. He is also the freshman football coach at West Essex.
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