As the sun set over the field at Union High School, the Westfield Blue Devils and Union Farmers took to the field. Union started the game, playing faster and more physical than Westfield and continued for the entirety of the game. Union struck on their first drive and did not let go, beating the Blue Devils 28-17.
After scoring on their opening drive, the Farmers scored again in the second quarter to go up 14-0. With just under six minutes until halftime, Union forced another Westfield punt. The punt bounced off the Union player, and Westfield recovered. The Blue Devils took advantage of this opportunity, and senior kicker Blake Manson drilled a field goal to cut the Union lead to 3-14 at the half.
Senior linebacker Vincent Corso said that fight is the identity of this team. “We went down early, but coming into the locker room, our guys always rally back in that second half,” Corso said. “One thing we can hang our hats on is that we don’t give up and we keep fighting.”
Westfield came out of the locker room with life. The defense forced a three-and-out after a tackle for loss and a sack. The offense drove down the field, finishing it off with a 14-yard touchdown run by senior running back Shaquann McKenith. Union blocked the extra point attempt, but Westfield cut the lead to one possession. After Union answered with an 80-yard score, Westfield responded as junior quarterback Max Hymans found junior Jake Paster for a 75-yard touchdown. The Blue Devils had a successful two-point conversion to pull within 17-21. The Farmers scored another touchdown in the third quarter, extending their lead to 17-28, which was the final score.
Head coach Matthew Andzel said, “Max Hymans had a great game, kind of a breakout. He had a lot of passing yards. He took a couple big shots and kept playing through it. That’s not an easy thing to do.” Hymans finished with a season-high 222 passing yards on the night.
Andzel said the difference came down to physicality, not talent. “We got manhandled at times,” Andzel said. “Athletically we were close, but it was more of them just being more physical than us. We didn’t really match the physicality in the first half. That was the issue.”
Senior co-captain Gianluca Ciucci said, “[Offensive] skill players were doing amazing; they’re balling out and doing their best. The O-line as a group had some ups and downs, but we need to improve. We have to finish our blocks.”
“On special teams, we forced two turnovers. On defense, we were getting a lot of third and long stops, and we couldn’t capitalize on all of them, but I think it’s something we can build on moving forward” said Corso.
“We’re 1-3, and this is when people start doubting themselves. We’ve just got to move forward. It’s simple: on the turf, on the canvas, you either stay down or you get up. That’s going to be the focus” said Andzel.
Next Saturday, Westfield will host Bridgewater-Raritan, who are currently 3-1 and coming off a 7-3 win against Ridge.
