There was a sense of excitement throughout the Blue Devil air as the stands at Gary Kehler Stadium filled up for the team’s home opener. Many students, already exhausted from the first week of school, were optimistic about the matchup against Union on Saturday despite last week’s grueling loss to Watchung Hills.
The rowdy Blue Devil crowd didn’t have to wait long as senior running back Dylan Wragg punched in a touchdown early in the first quarter as the Blue Devils jumped out to an early 7-0 lead.
Senior captain and quarterback Trey Brown played a significant role in the win. He carried the ball over 21 times which slowed down Union’s defense and powered Westfield’s offense forward.
Throughout the game, Westfield’s passing game was almost nonexistent. Brown had only 45 passing yards on 8 attempts. Union’s pass rush was too much for Westfield’s offensive line to handle, similar to last week’s loss.
Later in the first quarter, Union struck back with a touchdown of its own to tie the game at 7-7 with some key passing plays on the drive by quarterback Omalley King. Since Westfield’s passing game was down, Union’s quarterback Omalley King decided to fill that gap. This only made Westfield’s fierce defense furious.
Despite big plays from the Westfield defense led by senior co-captains Owen Shakal and Brandon Love, Union built off its momentum and extended the lead to 14-7 on a 52-yard run by sophomore Renick Dorilas.
Going into halftime trailing by a touchdown, it was imperative for the Blue Devils to come out of the locker room and set the tone for the second half. That is exactly what they did with Wragg and Brown taking complete control of the offense. Halfway through the third quarter, Brown ran in his first touchdown of the day and knotted the score at 14-14.
Tensions were high on the field as Westfield made play after play defensively and Union refused to lose to a team they “smacked” only almost a year ago. After trading possessions with punts, the Westfield defense caused the Farmers to turn the ball over with an incomplete pass with only seconds left in the 3rd quarter.
With a fresh slate and a whole new 12 minutes left to play, the energy the Blue Devils brought was unmatched. On a key 4th and 3 from Union’s 11-yard line, head coach Jim DeSarno called for a quarterback sneak. Fighting for the first down, the offensive line gave Brown a huge push and the ball crossed the goal line for the go-ahead touchdown.
After the Blue Devil offense was stopped short on 2nd down, the pressure was on. Halfway through the third with the score still tied, a touchdown was much needed for Westfield’s win-hungry team.
Brown took that pressure personally and fought through the barbaric defensive line the Farmers presented and stumbled into the end zone with 7:47 left in the 4th quarter. In a heroic surge towards the end zone, the offensive line pushed Brown forward and he landed into the endzone.
It was a scene straight out of a movie. The crowd roared and the Blue Devil sideline jumped with excitement. A huge defensive stop was needed to seal the game.
Although Junior linebacker Chris Rosetti suffered a minor injury late in the 4th, the Westfield defense remained locked in. Senior defensive linemen Sergio Cabrera and Brandon Love each had a key sack, forcing Union to punt on Union’s last possession of the game.
Milking the clock and playing conservatively, Union was unable to force the Blue Devils to punt as Wragg and Brown each rushed for key first downs. Once Union used all of its timeouts, Brown and the Blue Devils lined up in victory formation. The Blue Devils tasted sweet revenge as they defeated Union 21-14.
The win was important for a Westfield team coming off a tough loss to Watchung Hills. Senior Bella Panora said before the game, “I’m hoping for a bounce-back win.”
Wragg had an unforgettable game, ending with 151 rushing yards.
Wragg described the big run he had in the 2nd quarter which set up Brown for his first touchdown. Wragg said, “I just hit the hole and the lineman did a very good job blocking the linebackers. I saw a lot of space with the safety in front of me and I juked him out. It was a big moment for us.”
When asked about his big sack to seal the victory, Love said, “It feels really good to get a sack with Sergio Cabrera. The hard work from all summer paid off and we got the win we deserved.”
Westfield hopes to build off its win as it faces Elizabeth on Friday at Williams Field.
