Changes in offensive strategy plus a very aggressive defensive attitude worked out very well for the Westfield High School football Blue Devils when they hosted the North Brunswick Raiders at Gary Kehler Stadium in Westfield on October 10. Sophomore quarterback Jordan Walsh, along with senior running back Blake Rudow, came up with an effective 1-2 punch offensively, while the defense sacked NB Raider quarterback Tom Koroma four times, forced him out of bounds for a three-yard loss and stopped him for just oneyard gains on several occasions in a 21-13 Westfield victory.
Walsh’s ability to quickly hit the holes set up by his offensive line complemented Rudow’s tough running game. Walsh carried for 105 yards, which included respective touchdown runs of nine yards and four yards. Rudow blasted through the holes also and totaled 116 yards.
“Growing up forever I was always a quarterback and that’s all we would do. We would run the option. I would be moving and that’s it, so it’s in my past and I am happy to use it at the varsity level,” Walsh explained.
Good blocking up front was a definite plus also. “We got some big boys up there and it’s great. I would kind of like seeing over them a little better. It’s great they are up there and I run behind them because I know they got my back. I put my head down and run as hard as I can.”
“The Wildcat! It gives Jordan a chance to run with it and he sure did. He loves that and he showed us today,” Blue Devil Head Coach Matt Andzel said. “It’s a tricky offense to pick up, so it caught them off guard.”
They also added another element at the right time when senior tight end Colin Coyle blasted into the end zone from one yard out in the third quarter.
With the absence of senior wide receiver Enzo Ferrero, who is expected to be out several games, Walsh chose Coyle as his primary receiver and it worked out like a charm. He threw four short passes to Coyle, who would crunch into the tacklers and drag them until he made respective gains of 13 yards, 12 yards, seven yards and 19 yards for a total of 51 yards.
“He (Walsh) came in. It’s his first week playing quarterback. It’s obviously his first win as a quarterback, so he did a great job. He was able to get the ball to me and I was able to do the rest,” Coyle explained.
But Walsh did not forget the dangerous wide receiver Sebastian Magherini, whom he threw a 33-yard strike that set up Coyle’s key oneyard touchdown bash.
Blue Devil defensive linemen Jake Zemsky, Lincoln Meyers, Connor Whelan and co-captains Zac Wragg and Jack Martin caused much distress to Koroma and running backs Jahir Dawud, Xavier Hallum and Brian Gomez. Koroma, who carried the ball the ball more than 65 percent of the time, gained less than 80 yards. Dawud totaled 44 yards but did have respective touchdown runs of 12 yards and two yards. Gomez had 18 yards and Hallum had nine yards.
Zemsky was involved in three sacks, forced Koroma out of bounds for a three yard loss, nearly got a fourth sack and added a few more tackles.
On missing his fourth attempt at a sack, Zemsky recalled, “I was pretty upset about that. I fell going for the ankles but we got the win. That’s all that matters.”
Meyers was involved in two of the sacks, along with Whelan and Wragg, who were also limiting the running game to very little yardage.
Zemsky also pointed out, “Coyle got in on one. The focus this week was to win in the front. That’s what we did and it worked.”
Coach Andzel added, “They did a good job today. Bringing that Number 1 (Koroma) down is no easy task but they were getting after them. We did our best to try to stop them the most part of the day.”
Koroma completed just three of eight passes for 30 yards, which included an interception by defensive back Nick Russo, who returned it from the 40yard line to the four-yard line, which would set up the Blue Devils’ second touchdown. Meyer,Whelan and Russo also managed to bat down some of Koromo’s passes. Martin blocked a point after attempt and Russo recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter that would seal the victory.
Wheels were spinning by both offenses until the NB Raiders recovered a Blue Devil fumble at the Westfield 45. Although the Blue Devil defense made it quite difficult, North Brunswick finally scored on the 11th play when Dawud scooted around the right side line for a 12yard touchdown with 9:54 left in the second quarter. The point after was successful.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Blue Devils got the ball at the 20-yard line and used a combination of nine running plays and four passes to score when Walsh received great blocking from the left side of his line and dashed nine yards for the touchdown with 4:35 left in the half. Niko Lukis kicked the first of his three points after to knot the score. During that drive, Coyle had receptions of 13 yards, 12 yards and seven yards.
The Raiders had very little luck on their next possession when linebacker Joe DiMattia and Whelan threw Dawud for a two-yard loss, Whelan batted down a pass then Russo intercepted Koroma’s pass at the 40 near the right sideline and sprinted to the four. On the second play, Walsh slanted left for the four-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead with 3:02 on the clock.
North Brunswick was about to answer, however, when Nyeen Houston returned the kickoff from the 10-yard line all the way to the Westfield eight. After three short gains, Dawud scored on a two-yard bash with just 25 seconds left in the half. Martin blocked the point after as the Blue Devils carried a 14-13 lead into the locker room.
The sack attacks on Koroma continued in the third quarter. Zemsky threw Koroma for an eight-yard loss on their first series then Whelan, Wragg and Coyle crunched him for a six-yard loss on their second series. In between, the Blue Devils started their second series at their own 31 and used four running plays to get to the Raider 34. Walsh reached into his bag of tricks and spotted Magherini sprinting down the left sideline. Walsh fired a long shot and Magherini made a diving snag to place the ball at the one where Coyle bashed in for the touchdown with 2:58 left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter with the exception of a 19-yard reception by Coyle, the Blue Devils stuck to the ground chewing up time on the clock. After a punt to the North Brunswick 20, the Raiders managed to move the ball to the Westfield 31 but Russo would recover a fumble at the 22.
The 3-3 Blue Devils continued to stick to a running game and got the ball down to the Raider four-yard line. From there, all that was needed was for Walsh to take a couple of knees to secure the victory.
