A dormant rivalry broke from hibernation on Saturday afternoon, third-seeded Westfield and sixth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan clashing in the state tournament for the first time since 2019.
The Blue Devils, after a wobbly start that included two Trey Brown interceptions and a Bridgewater-Raritan touchdown that set the Westfield sideline ablaze, recovered to pummel their erstwhile rivals, 28-7, and advance to the North 1, Group 5 semifinals.
Head coach Jim DeSarno, who piloted Westfield to state-championship victories over Bridgewater-Raritan in 2015, 2016 and 2017, thought one thing when the matchup came out: “Here we go again.”
“This is bigger than our team,” senior quarterback and co-captain Trey Brown said. “This was for the players in the past.”
A scratchy first quarter gave way to a crucial second quarter in which Westfield seized control. Dylan Wragg punched in from the 2-yard line midway through the quarter to even the score.
The Blue Devils regained possession late in the quarter, drove to the 1-yard line, and called a timeout with four seconds remaining in the half. Brown took the snap, snuggled the ball in his arms, and thrust his massive frame forward. A lonely Bridgewater-Raritan defender stepped forward to meet him, the doomed challenger in a gladiator fight with only one possible outcome: a touchdown.
The Blue Devils led 14-7 at the break and never relinquished control. After the opening touchdown, the Westfield defense stifled the Panthers at every turn.
“Everyone did their jobs,” junior Max Romano said. “We had a great scheme the whole week.”
The Blue Devil fireworks exploded in the second half. Brown picked up a couple blocks early in the third quarter, skirted a few defenders, and raced 70 yards for a touchdown.
He credited the offensive line. “We couldn’t have done it without the line,” he said. Senior running back Dylan Wragg concurred. The line “absolutely played out of their minds,” he said.
And late in the third quarter, there, again, was the line, providing excellent protection to give Brown time to throw. From the Panther 27-yard line, Brown lofted a pass toward the end zone and senior wide receiver Peter Meixner. The ball, underthrown, shuddered as it moved through the air. Two defenders bore down on Meixner.
No matter. Meixner leaped, turned, and plucked the ball from a defender’s back. He had no right to catch it. He had no right even to get his hands on it. But that he did, scoring the final touchdown in the 28-7 romp.
“We were actually practicing those types of plays all week,” Brown said. “I just throw it up, and it’s a 1v1.”
Simple.
“I went up and got it,” Meixner said.
The glittering touchdown pass stood as the one bright spot in a dreary day for Westfield’s passing game. Brown tallied three interceptions. But the running game? Well, that was a different story.
“We thought that [running the ball up the middle] was something we could exploit, and we did,” DeSarno said. “And then we were able to get some nice outside runs, too.”
DeSarno praised Brown’s running and his resilience. There were plenty of both on display. And next week might require some more: The Blue Devils will travel to Union City on Friday night to take on the second-seeded Soaring Eagles, who just disemboweled Union, 62-20.
Union City’s Roosevelt Stadium sits atop its school. It is, quite literally, a stadium in the sky. Escaping with a win will be a tall task. “Don’t like heights too much,” DeSarno said.
