West Orange HS football team poised for another big year

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WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange High School football team has been one of the best in the state under sixth-year head coach Darnell Grant.

In 2022, the Mountaineers advanced to their first-ever state sectional championship, defeating top-seeded Phillipsburg, 28-7, in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 state sectional final, before losing to a strong Passaic County Tech team in the North Jersey, Group 5 regional final/Group 5 state semifinal to finish 8-4. It was the first year that the state playoffs played down to the public state group finals.

Last year, the Mountaineers had another strong run, but fell to Union City in the North 2, Group 5 sectional semifinal to finish 5-5.

This year’s Mountaineers are poised to continue their dominant run. Grant noted there are 31 seniors on the roster, including many returnees.

“We have a lot of experience, a lot of guys who can make big plays for us, so I’m excited to see what they can do,” said Grant on Friday, Aug. 16.

The Mountaineers return senior 6-foot-2, 210-pound quarterback Charlie LaMorte. Unquestionably, his main target will be 6-foot-4 senior wide receiver Terrell Wilfong, considered one of the best players in the state and a University of Syracuse commit.

“Terrell is a dynamic player, explosive and can score at any point in the game,” said Grant, who has a stellar 33-18 record in his five seasons as the WOHS head coach. “He is a threat in the red zone.”

Senior running Iyan Gainer and senior receiver David Moore also are key returning players.

The offensive line returns senior left guard Eric Sanabria, senior left tackle Jason James and senior right guard Jahid Salaam.

Defensively, West Orange brings back three-year starting linebacker Chris Barrino. Senior defensive end Darius Brown also is expected to make a big impact.

The Mountaineers recognize that their opponents can’t wait to play them.

They relish the challenge.

“I tell my guys, “We are everybody’s big game. We’re circled on everybody’s schedule.’ They look to us as the team to beat, a team to make or break their season,” Grant said. “Every week, we have to bring our ‘A’ game. (But) that’s okay, we like it that way.”

The key for the Mountaineers is to stay healthy. Last season, they missed several key players to injury down the stretch. Grant noted he was forced to use JV linemen in the playoff loss to Union City. Wilfong also missed that game due to an injury. West Orange will host its inaugural Mountaineer Football Classic, Thursday to Saturday, Aug. 29-31, to kick off the season. Jefferson will face Verona on Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.

The next day, Hillside, under Grant’s brother, Barris Grant, will face Snyder at 3:30 p.m., followed by West Orange against Orange at 7:30 p.m.

On the final day, Newark West Side will face Columbia at 3:30 p.m. and Newark East Side will face Plainfield at 7:30 p.m.

Schedule