By Josh Baker
Correspondent
WEST ORANGE, NJ – On Thursday night, Sept. 28, the West Orange High School varsity football team defeated the Bloomfield HS Bengals, 34-18, despite receiving a vast number of penalties. Following last year’s 21-13 loss against Bloomfield, West Orange coach Jim Matsakis planned to utilize the running game more than the passing.
“They’re going to bait us into throwing, but we have to establish the run,” Matsakis said before the game. “They beat us for the first time in five years last year.”
The victory did not start off easily. Three minutes into the game, Bloomfield recovered a backwards pass by senior quarterback Vincent DeSantis and ran it in from the 27 for a touchdown, but missed the extra point, taking a 6-0 lead. West Orange would get hit hard again when DeSantis threw an interception that was run back to the 21. WO kept Bloomfield at bay for the rest of the quarter.
Four minutes into the second quarter, WO defensive back L’trell Bradley intercepted a pass on third down and ran it back to the Bloomfield 48. WO got on the board when sophomore kicker Bryan Reitberger sent the ball between the uprights for a field goal. With 3:24 left in the half, DeSantis threw a 42-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-6, taking a 10-6 lead.
Bradley recorded his second interception of the game a minute later.
“L’trell Bradley’s second interception proved that we were much better defensively than Bloomfield was offensively,” Coach Matsakis said after the game.
WO would kick a 25-yard field goal to close out the half.
Late in the third quarter, Bloomfield would run the ball in from the 4 to score its second touchdown of the game, but failed to tie it up after the Mountaineers blocked the extra point.
In the fourth quarter, WO senior slotback CJ Wilson would run the ball 62 yards into the end zone, giving the Mountaineers a 20-12 lead they would never relinquish. Towards the end of the game, Bloomfield would score a 1-yard touchdown, but failed on a potentially game-tying two-point conversion. Two minutes later, Wilson would run the ball again for a 32-yard touchdown, giving WO a 27-18 lead. An interception by free safety Jordan White at the 40 lead to the final WO touchdown by Wilson, sealing Bloomfield’s fate and giving West Orange its second straight win.
“After Jordan White made the big catch on our sideline, I knew the game was over because Jordan would not allow us to fail,” Matsakis said.
The Mountaineers’ next game is Friday, Oct. 6 against the Morristown Colonials at home at 7 p.m.
West Orange (2-2)
Sept. 8, Loss, at Union City, 15-13
Sept. 15, Loss, Irvington, 28-7
Sept. 23, Won, at Columbia, 43-13
Sept. 28, Won, Bloomfield, 34-18
Oct. 6, Morristown, 7 p.m.
Oct. 13, at Barringer, 7 p.m.
Oct. 20, Montclair, 7 p.m.
Oct. 27, Livingston, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 4, at East Orange Campus, 1 p.m.
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