Three years ago, the Westfield flag football team had its first ever official varsity game and has continued to be a dominant force ever since. The program was started by former athletic director Sandy Mamary. Now, this program is led by head coach Matt Andzel and assistant coaches Nick Callelo, Donald Dayon, Sara Liptack and Don Cassette, who all look to encourage women in football.
On April 1, the Blue Devils faced Linden with an astounding victory of 26-0. Andzel said, “They executed the plays that we have, and we just ran a pretty vanilla offense and scored points. We were against a first year program and we are in our third year, and that showed today.” Clearly, experience and dedication are key to performing better in each game.
This experience stems from constant practice and preparation. “We practice every single day. A lot of us play other sports, but every day at five, we are still in the back of EIS. We’re practicing, doing a ton of five-pulling drills. We’re always trying to catch the ball and get better. We take this really seriously,” said senior co-captain Emma Sullivan.
The first half consisted of impressive touchdowns from junior Mia Saco and junior Lea Passarelli, earning Westfield a 13-0 lead at the half. With the combination of offensive power and a strong defense, the Blue Devils were able to shut down any opportunity Linden looked to have. Passarelli’s highlight of the game was both “the team’s chemistry” and her “two touchdowns.”
Sullivan and co-captain Priscilla Dayon worked together on both the offensive and defensive end of the field to help feed into the team’s momentum. Dayon said, “We worked together and fed off each other’s energy. If someone had a big tackle, we were all cheering for each other and had each other back.”
The second half consisted of incredible touchdowns by Passarelli and sophomore Mia O’Reilly, leading Westfield to victory with a score of 26-0.
Sullivan said, “I thought it was really good that some of the younger girls got to get in at the end. That’s the only way they’re gonna learn and get experience.” It is apparent that the team chemistry fed into the victory and helped build the Blue Devils’ confidence.
Despite the victory, Andzel is already looking ahead to the team’s next game on April 14 against Roselle, “Today, they did excellent and made very few mistakes. Looking forward, after 24 hours, you flush it, and then you get ready for Roselle.”
