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Blue Devils Shut Out Raiders In Fierce Grid Rivalry, 31-0
GETTING A NINE-YARD GAIN...Blue Devil junior split end Sebastian Magherini, No. 11, makes a nine-yard reception in the game against the Raiders in Scotch Plains on September 22. Magherini had five receptions for 52 yards. David B. Corbin more photos at goleader.com Ballyhoo Sports
Sports
By DAVID B. CORBIN Westfield 10 7 7 7 31 Sc Pl-Fanwood 0 0 0 0 0 on
September 28, 2023
Blue Devils Shut Out Raiders In Fierce Grid Rivalry, 31-0

Adrenalin was at a peak when the Westfield High School Blue Devils marched into Scotch Plains to square off with the SPF Raiders on September 22. With the inspired running of senior running back Josh Caramango and the pinpoint accuracy of senior quarterback Max Cho, along with some devastating defensive plays, the 2-2 Blue Devils shut out the Raiders, 31-0.

‘MANGO’ 158 YDS, TD; CHO 209 PASS, 3 TD, FERRERO TD

Adrenalin was at a peak when the Westfield High School Blue Devils marched into Scotch Plains to square off with the SPF Raiders on September 22. With the inspired running of senior running back Josh Caramango and the pinpoint accuracy of senior quarterback Max Cho, along with some devastating defensive plays, the 2-2 Blue Devils shut out the Raiders, 31-0.

Cho spread the wealth among several receivers and completed 16 of 25 passes for 209 yards, including three touchdowns. Junior Enzo Ferrero had five receptions for 94 yards, including a 50-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Junior Sebastian Magherini also had five receptions and totaled 52 yards. Junior tight end Colin Coyle had two receptions for 25 yards. Sophomore Luke Spaide had two receptions for 17 yards and Caramango had two receptions for 21 yards.

“Every receiver on the field I can trust to make a play. The trust is there so I know when I throw the ball, they can catch it,” Cho explained.

Caramango not only received great blocking from his front line but refused to be taken down easily as he gobbled up 158 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown, on 18 carries. He actually had 100 yards in the first half. It was his second 100+ rushing game in a row. Cho carried twice for six yards and on their last series of the game, Spaide was given four carries and Ferrero carried once.

“The blocking was amazing. I knew going into this week that they (Raiders) would let up a lot of outside runs, so if I went inside and saw no blocking, I knew I could cut outside and get the yards,” Caramango explained.

The Raiders stuck almost entirely to a running game and finished with 210 yard rushing on 33 carries. The most productive was junior running back TJ Rasberry, who carried 11 times for 121 yards. Junior quarterbackAnthony Romano carried 15 times for 51 yards. Senior Noah Ricca carried twice for 18 yards. John Boyle had an 11-yard carry, sophomore Callum Fynes carried three times for eight yards and Jake Fezza had a one-yard carry.

Romano completed three of 10 passes for 27 yards, which included an interception by senior defensive back Steve Csorba and another by sophomore linebacker Joe DiMattina. Sophomore wide receiver Jacob Handy had an 11-yard reception and Fynes had two for 16 yards.

After the kickoff, from the Westfield 30, Cho engineered a 10-play, 70yard scoring drive, which ended when Caramango broke tackles and sprinted 17 yards for the touchdown with 7:47 left in the first quarter. Cho completed five of six passes on the drive.

With a combined throw-for-a-loss by Blue Devils Zac Wragg, Co-captain Chris Rossetti and Dave Moreland, along with an influential blockade by co-captains/defensive linemen Max Romano and Julian Montez, the Raiders went nowhere on their first series. Westfield capitalized a bit and settled for a 28-yard field goal from Nicholas Lukis with 3:57 on the clock Sputtering Raider wheels gave Westfield possession again and after a five-yard penalty that placed the ball at the 36, the Blue Devils took nine plays to strike gold when Cho hit Magherini in the end zone for eight yards to make the score 17-0 with 10:51 left in the half. Caramango had a 29-yard run on the drive.

Before halftime, Wragg added a seven-yard sack that stalled a Raider drive and Csorba recorded his interception.

The Blue Devils’ offense got back into action again midway through the third quarter when on the third play of the series, Ferrero grabbed Cho’s pass and zigzagged his way 50 yards for the touchdown with 6:10 on the clock.

“It was a post. Cho saw the window. I took it past the safety. He made a terrible angle. I got past him, took it to the end zone and that’s how it went,” Ferrero recalled.

The Raiders attempted to answer when Rasberry broke free for a 52yard gain to the Westfield 18 but DeMattina’s interception at the 13 quickly squashed the drive. Cho and the Blue Devils answered loudly with an eight-play drive, which included four receptions, when Magherini hauled in a four-yard pass for a touchdown with 8:38 remaining in the game to elevate the lead to 31-0.

“It’s nice that we got a lot of touchdowns and it’s even nicer against Scotch Plains,” Ferrero said. “Next town rival! Can’t ask for anything more. 31-0!”

“It’s the standard here. We haven’t really lost to them in a while. 30-0 last year, 31-0 this year,” Cho said.

The Blue Devil defense saw to it that the Raiders would not penetrate their goal when Lincoln Meyers recovered a fumble with 12 seconds left in the game.

“You can’t ask for a better performance from the defense. Zero points! We could have been scoreless the second half and still win. That’s just special,” Cho said.

“I am really thankful for how the defense played. They bailed us out from our mistakes,” Caramango said.

“In the first half, we came out slow. We had a lot of mistakes on but in the second half, the defense stepped up, pitched a shutout and the offense just kept gong,” Ferrero added.

Next on the schedule would be a trip to face St. Joseph (Metuchen) this Saturday at 1 p.m.

“We definitely had a high right now. We are hoping to keep the victory train going. The shutout today keeps our defense confident,” Caramango concluded.

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