Starting 0-2, the WHS football team needed to bounce back in a big way to have a successful season and that is exactly what they accomplished. A win against Elizabeth with a score of 23-21 and a statement win over rival Scotch Plains-Fanwood 31-0 gave the team a much needed spark to their season. “We started off rocky against Watchung Hills and rocky against Union, but I think we caught our feet. [Against] Elizabeth [we] started hitting our stride,” said senior Max Romano.
Entering their final regular season game of the year, the Blue Devils matched up against Hillsborough. Coming in as the underdogs, they needed make a strong showing to enter the North 2, Group 4 sectional tournament with a 4-4 record. The defense did exactly that, shutting out the Hillsborough offense, leading to a 17-0 victory.
The first round matchup for the Blue Devils was Clifton, a matchup that had never occurred in Blue Devils football history. A close game was expected, but Westfield dominated the first quarter, leading 23-0. A 36-0 final gave Westfield back-to-back stifling defensive performances.
Unfortunately, the season came to an end in the next round against Phillipsburg, losing 42-24. However, the season is nothing to frown upon for Westfield. Multiple standouts appeared in the lineup for the Blue Devils. At running back, senior Josh Caramagno had his best season, rushing for five touchdowns and 721 yards on 166 attempts.
Though losing Caramagno next year, underclassmen have been putting in the work at practice to make next season just as successful as this year. “We had a really small group this year and some people will look at it as a bad thing, but I look at it as a good thing,” said Caramagno. “Because we’re such a small group, we worked really hard at practice. We all got a bunch of reps in practice, I feel we all individually got a lot better.”
Also on the offensive side of the ball, senior quarterback Max Cho threw for 1,918 yards and 20 touchdowns, while only throwing three interceptions. He also performed on the ground, with five rushing touchdowns and 238 rushing yards. The receiving core will remain intact for next season, as juniors Sebastian Magherini and Enzo Ferrero will be returning as the main weapons of the aerial attack, as well as junior tight end Colin Coyle.
Plenty of lineup spots need to be filled heading into next season, but that is not the main improvement needed for next year. “We need to get stronger,” head coach Jim DeSarno commented. “Weight room. Weight room. Weight room.”
Finishing out the season, the Blue Devils defeated Plainfield 28-9 in their annual Thanksgiving matchup, ending the year on a win and plenty of excitement for next season.
