WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange High School football team gained the No. 1 seed in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 state playoffs.
The Mountaineers will host No. 8 seed Passaic in the quarterfinals on Friday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. The winner will face the winner between No. 5 seed Ridgewood and No. 4 seed Livingston.
The other quarterfinal matchups pit No. 7 seed Morristown at No. 2 seed Passaic County Tech, and No. 6 seed Bloomfield at No. 3 seed East Orange Campus.
The Mountaineers enter the playoffs on a three-game winning streak and are 7-2 overall on the season. Passaic has a 4-4 overall record. Last season, the Mountaineers lost to East Orange Campus 13-7 in the final of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 state playoffs to finish 9-3.
The Mountaineers, under head coach Darnell Grant, defeated Bloomfield 46-0 on Friday, Oct. 24, at Bloomfield’s Foley Field to clinch the Super Football Conference–Freedom Red Division for the third consecutive season.
Senior Timothy Evans rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Senior Farad Green had 85 rushing yards on seven carries.
Senior quarterback Brandon LaBanca was 6-of-6 passing for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior Ahkir Morgan had four catches for 72 yards. Senior David Moore had there catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Green scored on a 23-yard run, Moore scored on a 24-yard TD pass from LaBanca and Morgan returned a fumble 3 yards for a TD in the first quarter to make it 20-0.
In the second quarter, Moore caught a 20-yard pass from LaBanca and Evans had a 1-yard TD run to make it 33-0 at the half.
Evans ran for a 78-yard TD run in the third quarter and sophomore linebacker Daniel Baskins returned a fumble 56 yards for a TD in the fourth quarter. Junior Aaron Godinez kicked three extra points and senior Rudy Olibrice kicked one extra point.
WOHS won the division with a 5-0 divisional record. Last year, they also went 5-0. In 2023, they won the division with a 2-0 divisional mark.
West Orange (7-2)
- Aug. 30: loss, vs. Shabazz, 10-7
- Sept. 7: win, vs. Passaic County Tech, 32-29
- Sept. 12: win, at Irvington, 20-19 (OT)
- Sept. 18: win, vs. Livingston, 34-12
- Sept. 27: win, at Barringer, 39-0
- Oct. 3: loss, at Phillipsburg, 24-20
- Oct. 10: win, vs. Montclair, 46-7
- Oct. 17: win, vs. East Orange Campus, 14-13
- Oct. 24: win, at Bloomfield, 46-0
Photos Courtesy of Jerry Simon
West Orange (white jerseys) vs. Bloomfield on Oct. 24
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