NEWARK, NJ — The East Orange Campus High School football team lost to West Essex, 35-7, Saturday, Oct. 21, at Newark Schools Stadium. The EOCHS Jaguars fell to 1-7 this season.
It was “Cut Off Saturday” and all of the high school football teams across the state have playoff fever. For most of the 400 different teams across all seven groups, it will be the top 16 seeds who will place in the playoffs. The non-publics will have an extra week to state their case, since most of them played top-tiered teams across the state, and in some cases nationally or internationally. To make it even more confusing, teams that don’t make the playoffs will have the opportunity to play a crossover game or in the Regional Invitational Tournament that will have the teams claim only a subsequent consolation regional title.
For those that have a Thanksgiving game, they will play that game, as well as the playoffs, should they make it that far. So, in the grand scheme of things, teams have the ability to play as many as 14 games before the season is done. Or for a better way of saying things in the ‘old school’ manner – win or go home.
The Jaguars unfortunately failed to make the North Jersey, Group 5 playoffs. Teams in the top 16 in the United Power Rankings earned playoff berths.
West Essex earned the No. 4 seed in North 2, Group 3 and will host No. 5 seed Cranford in the quarterfinals.
Before the game got started, both schools honored a player from each squad for the USA Football’s Heart of a Giant Award, presented by the Hospital for Special Surgery and the New York Giants. For East Orange, it was senior Corey Woolridge, along with head coach John Jacob and Athletic Director Michael Baldwin, while for West Essex, it was senior Elden Gashi with head coach Chris Benacquista and Athletic Director Anthony Minnella. These two seniors will be honored later this year at a banquet given by the New York Giants.
The game would get off to a quick start, with the Jaguars taking the opening kickoff. But it would be all Knights, as they began to flex their muscle once they held East Orange Campus to a three-and-out on its first series. The Knights, led by quarterback Sam Long, running backs Riley Ruane, Jordan Simeone and Ryan Lasher, and wide receiver Anthony Drago, would make quick work of their first possession, going 51 yards in seven plays, with Ruane splashing in for the first touchdown of the day, taking the early 7-0 lead with 6:42 remaining in the first quarter. But that would be the tone of the game, as this would prove to be the formula that the Knights would follow each time, forcing the Jaguars to punt or turn the ball over on downs.
East Orange QB Kyree Fisher would have a rough outing for the second week in a row, going 5-for-20 passing with one touchdown and one interception for the day. West Essex’s balanced attack would garner four more unanswered scores that would keep the Jaguars out of the end zone, even when the Jaguars were in scoring position on two different occasions, each time stalling out deep in the Knights territory. The second West Essex touchdown was by Simeone, who slid into the front door untouched with 4:51 left in the first quarter. The 14-0 lead capped a two-play aerial assault from Long to Drago that went 57 yards to set up Simeone’s score. West Essex would master the short yardage touchdown, when they sent Lasher for a 2-yard score to cap a six-play, 61-yard march that put the game at 21-0 to end the first quarter.
Much like the first quarter, West Essex kept the pressure on the Jaguars, keeping a tight grip on the passing lanes and not letting East Orange’s dangerous rushing attack get any traction.
The Knights’ final two touchdowns of the day would come in the form of Long sneaking in from a yard out that capped a seven-play, 79-yard sustained drive with 11:02 left in the first half. And finally, there was a 10-yard pitch-and-catch that capped a five-play, 23-yard sprint with 18 ticks left on the clock to close out the first half. This would come after East Orange fumbled and had a pass intercepted to keep it scoreless in the first half for the second week in a row.
East Orange would start the second half on defense and was able to come up with some big stops in order to get the ball back. But the clock was not on their side, as they were forced to turn the ball over each time they had it in their possession. Fisher would finally hit paydirt when he found WR Alex Hanks with time running out late in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout. Jacob told his squad that they were officially out of the playoff hunt with this loss. “The good news is that we will be playing a game to be determined once we finalized the particulars,” Jacob said. He went on to say that should they win this game, they will have the opportunity to play another game until their game against Barringer on Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile, Benacquista was happy with the outcome of the game, saying he knew that East Orange’s explosiveness would be tough to deal with and it was better to keep the pressure on them. He also said, “I am happy for Anthony Drago. He was truly an impactful player today. Everyone was focused on him to open things up for us, but whenever he was able to get the ball, he certainly made the most of it.”
East Orange and Barringer Old Guard Dinner is set
The East Orange and Barringer Old Guard annual pre-Thanksgiving Dinner will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at The Galloping Hill, located at 1085 Galloping Hill Road, in Union. To purchase tickets, call 908-307-6287 or 646-379-9474.
Photos Courtesy of Kerry E. Porter
East Orange Campus vs. West Essex, East Orange Homecoming (Saturday, Oct. 21)
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