Quarterback Max Cho rolled out under pressure on fourth-and-six with just over one minute left in the first half. With Elizabeth defenders bearing down on him, he sailed a pass over their heads, right in front of the sparsely-populated away bleachers to Sebastian Magherini for a 15-yard gain and a first down at the Minutemen 7-yard line. The next snap, Cho ran an option play, taking it himself and running through defenders into the endzone to put Westfield up 17-7 after the successful extra point, giving the team a cushioned lead late in the second quarter.
Westfield was able to come away with their first win of the season in the close 23-21 match. The Blue Devils’ offensive drives seemed unstoppable, making third and fourth down conversions and consistent gains throughout the game. However, on the defensive end, letting up big plays that allowed Elizabeth to keep their drives alive and stay in the game was a constant struggle in the first half.
Immediately after Cho’s touchdown, an Elizabeth kickoff return to the Westfield 45-yard line set the Minutemen quarterback up to throw a 24-yard pass under pressure. An 18-yard and a 3-yard pass later and Elizabeth found themselves in the endzone. The drive was less than a minute long, and it was now a one-score game going into the half, Westfield leading 17-14.
Though leading for the entirety of play, Westfield let Elizabeth stay close behind, surviving off of large gains. Nonetheless, Westfield knew that slow and steady wins the race; their dominant run game kept their offense moving forward unwaveringly. Head coach Jim DeSarno said, “The guys did such a great job up front that the run just kind of took over.”
Westfield deferred to start the game, challenging the Minutemen to strike first. Shortly after, they stopped Elizabeth in their tracks early on a three-and-out drive and the Blue Devils’ offense took to the field for the first time.
Keeping a solid mix of pass and run in their game plan to start out, Cho delivered a 17-yard pass to junior receiver Enzo Ferrero in their first series. This was followed later in the drive by a 14-yard completion on fourth-and-9 to junior tight end Colin Coyle to put the Blue Devils 2 yards away from the goal line. Three games into the season, Cho has found that he can trust his receivers to make game-changing plays like this. “I can always rely on my big man Coyle,” he said. “And I can just throw one up to [Magherini] like I did on that fourth down.” Senior running back Josh Caramagno then punched it in on a run up the middle for his first of two scores, putting Westfield on the scoreboard for the first time midway through the first quarter.
By the end of the game, Caramagno racked up 127 rushing yards on top of his two touchdowns. He said his consistent success in the game came from his offensive line: “They came in clutch when they needed to. And the great coaching calls… everything came together.”
This first drive was promising after Westfield came off of a devastating loss against Union in which they only put up one touchdown. They looked to revitalize their season against Elizabeth, a team they beat 38-20 in their only meeting last season.
The Blue Devils’ offense would get another chance shortly later, when senior Steven Csorba leapt up to intercept a long, sailing Elizabeth pass attempt on fourth-and-12 from their 28-yard line, returning back to the line of scrimmage. However, Westfield would not capitalize on the chance their defense gave them and punted the ball after gaining only one first down with less than a minute left in the first quarter.
Almost as if they knew the offense was eager for another chance, Westfield’s defense quickly took possession back with another Elizabeth turnover from a botched handoff that put the football on the ground. Through the chaos that ensued, senior captain Chris Rossetti was able to get under the pile and claim the ball for the Blue Devils in enemy territory.
Electrified by their defense’s success and shouts from the stands, Westfield’s offense entered play once again on Elizabeth’s 37-yard line at the start of the second quarter.
Many plays and two fourth-down conversions later, Westfield found themselves on fourth down once again, this time only 3 yards away from the endzone. This time, however, they elected to kick a field goal. Junior Nicholas Lukis booted the pitch shot in to put the Blue Devils up 10-0 midway through the second quarter.
The Minutemen’s offense, tired of being shutout, came back onto the field with a vengeance. A 16-yard scramble by their freshman quarterback was immediately followed by a 34-yard pass. Talented but a shade reckless, he proved a threat to Westfield’s defense on the ground and in the air.
These plays put them deep in Westfield territory, and a few snaps later, a 3-yard pass put them in the endzone. Westfield still led 10-7 with just over three minutes left in the half. This drive would usher in the aforementioned quick exchange of scores just before halftime.
Coming into the third quarter, Westfield took a completely ground-and-pound approach to their offense. After receiving the second-half kickoff, they drove down the field rushing the ball nine times and only passing twice. The drive ended with Caramagno’s second touchdown of the outing, putting Westfield up 23-14 after a failed extra point. Leading at halftime, Coach DeSarno looked to keep the ball on the ground to run the clock out, and he was pleased with Caramagno’s performance in the backfield. “I was really happy with the way we blocked, and Josh really ran hard,” said DeSarno. The run game was working and “we rode that the whole second half,” he said.
The next Elizabeth drive was a hard watch for fans and players alike as Rossetti, the anchor and veteran of the linebacker line, went down after a play with four minutes left in the third quarter. He came out of the game and would not return. “He’s one of our brothers,” said senior captain Max Romano. “But the guys behind me stepped up and we had a good time.” They did step up. Romano would go on to block an Elizabeth field goal attempt, breaking through the line and getting a hand on it. Stopping this score would prove to be the difference in a game decided by only 2 points.
Coach DeSarno noted that the team’s struggles come mostly from the defense, but that side of the ball stepped up for Westfield in the second half, making clutch plays and only allowing one score.
This score would come on a drive that started on the Minutemen’s own 3-yard line, pinned inside the 10 by a fantastic punt from Lukis and sent back to the 3 as a result of a penalty on the return team. Elizabeth drove steadily down, seemingly only stopped by their own mistakes: three false starts on three consecutive downs. The drive ended in a 3-yard touchdown run, putting the score at 23-21 with two-and-a-half minutes left in the game.
After Westfield recovered the attempted onside kick, a few runs by Caramagno put them in position to kneel the game away for their first win of the season, making the Blue Devils 1-2.
This win was particularly special for Cho, his first as the starting varsity quarterback after sitting as backup for the last two years.
Next Friday, Westfield takes on rival Scotch Plains away under the lights at 7 p.m. “We’re coming for them,” said Cho. The team is looking to duplicate last year’s 30-0 win.
