JOSH ROSENFELD, FOR THE STAR-LEDGER

After closing last season by winning three of its last four games, Linden brought a sense of urgency and a revised mantra into this season: take it to the next level.

After rallying for all of its points in the fourth quarter last Friday to stun Rahway, 21-12, Linden appears to be on its way. Linden will be seeking its first 2-0 start since 2006 tomorrow when it hosts Scotch Plains-Fanwood, a 26-24 winner last Saturday over Cranford.

"The kids believe and this just confirmed it," Linden coach Deon Candia said of last week's come-from-behind victory. "Our kids are buying into the fact that they can play with everybody."

While a three-game winning streak at the end of last season turned Linden's campaign around, Candia feels it was his team's effort in a season-ending overtime loss to a Top-20 caliber Union team that set the tone for his team in the off-season.

"Our season was pretty much over but that was a high-caliber team and I wanted us to fight, I just wanted to see us compete," Candia said. "That Union game got our team to believe that if you prepare you can beat some teams you're not supposed to beat. We had one of the best off-seasons we've had around here in a long time."

While the added incentive of playing Rahway, a neighboring town it hadn't met since 1998, may have been a factor in Linden's performance, Candia felt it was a secondary stimulus.

"It was great motivation because it was Rahway but it was us believing that we could finish a team and we could last," Candia said. "It wasn't really about them, it was about us."

One of the most impressive aspects of Linden's performance is that it has yet to compete in a scrimmage or game with third-year starter Trell Myers at quarterback. Myers suffered a high-ankle sprain in the opening series while on defense in Linden's first scrimmage, but will share duties with Jaurice Jones tomorrow as Candia eases him into the lineup. William Ingram and Kevin Rodriguez lead a balanced Linden running attack that could wear down Scotch Plains' inexperienced defense.

Scotch Plains has been without one of its mainstays as well in wideout/defensive back Doran Nelson, who got banged up in the final scrimmage against Elizabeth. His status for tomorrow is unknown.

But Scotch Plains figures to be competitive against a stacked schedule this year behind the play of quarterback Gary Binkiewicz, who ran for two touchdowns and amassed 236 yards in total offense in Saturday's victory over Cranford.

Linden will need to contain Binkiewicz, if it is to continue its journey to the next level.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood (1-0) at Linden (1-0): (Tomorrow) Two-way veteran tackle Mitch McNamara leads a Scotch Plains defensive front that will be tested by Linden's balanced offense. If Kranston Green and Shareem Jenkins and Linden's vaunted linebacking unit can shut down Scotch Plains running game, it will force the visitors to pass into a ball-hawking secondary.
Linden, 26-14.