“Let’s go,” said senior captain Jack Martin as the Blue Devils stormed into the locker room after defeating North Brunswick 21-13. After Westfield fell short in their past two games, the energy felt by every player on the team contributed to a much needed win.
The start of Westfield’s game started off a bit shaky. After two fumbles in the first quarter and being shut down by the North Brunswick defense, Westfield needed to pick things up. It was clear that something had to be adjusted. Head coach Matt Andzel said, ” We had to stop making turnovers and trust what we were doing.”
While trailing 7-0, senior Colin Coyle was able to secure two great catches to put the offense in scoring position and get the offense rolling. Adding on to Coyle’s success, sophomore Jordan Walsh was then able to tie the game up after he ran the ball in for a touchdown. Coyle said, “It feels good. I just relied on my quarterback to give me the ball and I can do the rest. I was happy to be able to help the team.”
After getting on the scoreboard, Westfield was able to ramp up pressure on North Brunswick on the defensive side of the ball. Senior Nick Russo brought Westfield to the five-yard line after making a momentum-swinging interception.
Other key defensive plays came from juniors Jake Zemsky and Conner Whelan as they each recorded a sack in the third quarter. Zemsky had a whopping three sacks on the day. The Blue Devils kept North Brunswick scoreless in the second half. Senior linebacker, Owen Williams said, “It was all about doing our jobs, making plays, and putting ourselves in the right spot. This is what happens when we do that.”
Walsh, typically a receiver, took on the role of playing quarterback for Westfield. Despite the sudden change in position mid-season, the sophomore was able to adapt and get two touchdown runs of his own, while making several impressive passes for big gains. “It was definitely different. I played it [quarterback] growing up but I haven’t gotten a lot of reps. We worked on it all week and I was able to come out here and do the job,” said Walsh.
One of his most notable plays came late in the third quarter, where he perfectly placed a ball deep to senior Sebby Magherini for an outstanding diving catch. Coyle was then able to run it in for the Blue Devils go-ahead touchdown.
With the win today, Westfield became 3-3 on the season. The Blue Devils are back in action at home next Saturday against Bridgewater-Raritan, looking to keep their momentum going.
