Cushman hopes to pig out on more wins

By: Ken Weingartner
   Ryan Cushman has tasted victory.
   Last year was a cornucopias buffet of wins at which Cushman was a glutton. If victories were 1,000-calorie meals, he would have ended up looking like Ruben Studdard.
   There was a school-record seven wins as quarterback of the Monroe High football team, which was merely an appetizer. That was followed by a school-record 24 triumphs and trip to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III final as a member of the basketball squad. He topped it with 16 wins with the baseball team, finishing just two victories shy of the school record.
   All of which remains fresh in Cushman’s mind as he prepares for his senior season with the Falcons’ football team.
   "The wins stay in the mouth," Cushman said. "It’s a flow into this year. I believe we can beat seven wins. We have the winning taste."
   Not everything Cushman sampled last year was sweet, however. The Falcons were 6-2 after their eight games that counted toward playoff power points, but failed to reach the postseason on a tiebreaker with a 5-3 Colts Neck squad.
   "That’s such a sour taste," Cushman said. "All the seniors know this is our last year. We’re not going to accept anything less than the playoffs. We’re going to give it everything we’ve got. All I want now is a state championship. I’m just trying to build that mindset in my teammates; persuade everyone else that we can do it, because I know we can."
   Monroe will probably go as far as Cushman’s mouth and arm and legs can take it. Gone is record-setting running back Jarred Jimenez, and this is now Cushman’s team. This will be his third season as the starting quarterback, and he understands his role and responsibilities.
   "I’ve got to step up my game more than in the past," Cushman said. "They’re going to rely on me and my leadership is going to be the key factor. I’ve got to lead by my voice and by example."
   The Falcons, who finished 1-9 in 2004 before going 7-3 last year, won’t surprise anyone this season. It will be a much different atmosphere.
   "Last year, we were the team trying to beat all the good teams," Cushman said. "Now, teams will be coming to our place saying we’re the team to beat. Teams don’t just put a [win] on the schedule against us; they bring their ‘A’ game against us.
   "I personally think people believe last year was a fluke. It wasn’t a fluke and this year can be better than last year."
   It won’t be Cushman alone who makes this season better than 2005. Proving the doubters wrong has been a primary motivating factor in the offseason and during preseason practices for the quarterback and his teammates.
   "It’s going to take a different player each week stepping up and making it happen," Cushman said. "We’ve got to collectively do our best. We’ve got to practice hard; now is the time when it counts. Everyone is lifting, everyone did the summer workouts. We don’t want to run as much as we do, but we see in scrimmages – teams are getting tired and we’re just getting started.
   "It’s all about attitudes. The sky is the limit."
   With Cushman’s appetite for wins, that’s probably not pie-in-the-sky talk. The line at the buffet is forming.