Halfway into the third quarter, up by 17 on their own 49-yard line, Westfield quarterback Max Cho took the snap. He scanned the field and found an open Enzo Ferrero to the left. Ferrero stepped to his right and found a hole in the Scotch Plains-Fanwood defense. He broke free, shed a tackle and glided through the open turf in front of him all the way into the endzone to extend Westfield’s hefty lead.
The Blue Devils had high expectations for the result of this matchup, having defeated their next-door neighbors last season 30-0. Coming off last week’s 23-21 win over Elizabeth with notable difficulties on the defensive side of the ball, coaches and players were looking to see improvements. No such difficulties were found against their rivals as the Westfield defense became a fortress guarding their endzone. “We set up our offense pretty well, and it’s always good to hold your opponents to zero points,” said senior defensive back Steven Csorba, who tallied an interception in the first half.
The orange sunset over the trees to the left of the SPF bench provided a truly spectacular backdrop for the rivalry matchup. From the opening kickoff, the atmosphere was electric on both sides of the stands, with undeniably palpable tension. The Blue Devil squad was treated to some extra motivation by their opponents as prior to the game a large white flag was waving over the Scotch Plains student section, bearing the words “Westfield Sucks!” However, karma would get the best of the SPF faithful, as the opening drive of the game resulted in Josh Caramagno barrelling his way into the endzone for a 17-yard touchdown rush, putting Westfield on the board 7-0. Of course, the Westfield crowd responded to the opposition’s flag with their classic line: “What’s a Raider?”
The Westfield defense proceeded to force a three-and-out against SPF, which would become a familiar sight throughout the match. Westfield went on to tally a field goal to go up 10-0. With 10:51 left in the first half of the ballgame, Cho found junior Sebastian Magherini for a touchdown, putting Westfield well ahead of the Raiders 17-0. “The coaching staff did a great job setting me up and Cho put the ball there and all I had to do was catch it. I give all props to the coaching staff, the [offensive] line, and Cho,” Magherini said. The two sides would exchange punts until the final drive of the first half, where SPF looked to tally a much needed first score to carry momentum in the second half. However, no momentum would be found, as while trying to attempt a long pass deep into Westfield territory, Csorba majestically leapt into the air, snagging the ball with seven seconds remaining in the half.
The Westfield air attack and defense became warriors on the field, with every player performing exceptionally. SPF looked as though they would come out firing in the second half with an 11-yard run to begin the drive, but the offensive came to an end with a punt as the ball was snapped over the quarterback’s head, resulting in an impossible third and eighteen hurdle that the Raiders could not jump over. The consequence of that blunder: a 51-yard Westfield touchdown.
Down 24-0, the Raiders were desperate for even a single score. Having just conceded another touchdown, they had to muster up courage. Taking possession, they quickly got a first down, moving to their 31-yard line. The only fluster of the day for the Westfield defense, SPF broke off a 52 yard rush to take it into the red zone for the first time. The Blue Devils defense did not let up, as they proceeded to stuff the running back at the line of scrimmage on back-to-back plays. On third -and-10, the quarterback scrambled out of the pocket, being chased by the quick Westfield defensive line. He rifled the ball to the end zone, where it was soon in the grip of sophomore Joseph DiMattina, continuing the stifling defensive performance from the Blue Devils.
“I liked the speed in which we played and we went from letting up a lot of points in our first three games to having a great defense and pitching a shutout,” said head coach Jim DeSarno.
Cho, in command of the offense, proceeded to demonstrate why he was one of the best players on the field for Westfield against their rivals, as he led the Blue Devils down the field with a 10-yard pass for a first down, then followed it up with an 18-yard hurl. At the SPF 4-yard line, he lofted the ball to Magherini for his third passing touchdown of the night. “I couldn’t ask for a better team to do it against. A lot of trash talking online, from us and them, so it’s good to back it up,” Cho said.
With a 31-point lead, it remained that way for the rest of the game, as the two teams would keep the ball on the ground for a majority of their last drives, running the clock down to the final moments. In the dying seconds, however, Westfield proved why they are superior, as they would force and recover a fumble by the Raiders to finish the game in possession of the ball. Multiple flags flew as a result of a shoving match between opposing players.
The defense finished the night with a spectacular performance, notching two interceptions, a forced fumble, multiple three-and-outs, and pitching a goose egg on the scoreboard. “When you’re doing this as long as I have, you’re happy for the win and happy for the kids,” said DeSarno.
The Blue Devils look to follow up this performance with another showing away at St. Joseph (Metuchen) next Friday, 7 p.m. Magherini said, “We have to practice hard because they’re a good team, but we’ll definitely be bringing it next week.”
