NJ football: West Morris kicks off new era with win over rival Mendham
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP — A new era of West Morris football began on Friday night.
The Wolfpack officially moved on from an impactful senior class that delivered the first two consecutive championship seasons in program history. Hiccups were certainly felt, but West Morris' scoreboard showed success in a 21-10 home victory over rival Mendham to begin the season.
Things started quickly for the Wolfpack. They returned the opening kickoff of the game for a touchdown to grab a 7-0 lead just seconds into the game. In the second quarter, Mendham got on the scoreboard when John Gogerty struck a 30-yard field goal for a 7-3 halftime score. In the second half, West Morris got into the end zone on offense for the first time as Jack DeFusco finished the drive with a touchdown run for a 14-3 lead through three quarters.
West Morris expanded the lead in the fourth quarter on a Bryce Cammarata touchdown grab for a 21-3 advantage. Mendham finally found the end zone, scoring in the final minutes on an 11-yard touchdown grab by Declan Higgins.
West Morris head coach Kevin Hennelly was pleased with the initial efforts of a much different looking team, starting front and center with senior quarterback Jacob Morris. Morris made his first career varsity start on Friday.
"He had a good first start," Hennelly said. "I thought he controlled the offense and he threw the ball away when he couldn't throw the ball where we want him to go. He's a senior and this was his first start, but this is his team and I thought he did a good job.
What it means
West Morris began its quest for a third consecutive sectional title with a home victory, even if it wasn't pretty at times. First-game jitters led to mistakes for both teams, as well as plenty of cramps and injuries during a warm and wet August night.
"It's good to play your sister school to start off the regular season," Hennelly said. "It wasn't an easy night for us. For next week, we will emphasize being better hydrated up until probably 15 minutes before our next game."
By the numbers
Friday marked the 34th time in the history of this rivalry between sister schools, with West Morris holding a 26-7-1 advantage. Aside from a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021, the two schools have met at least once every year since 2009.
The Wolfpack have now won eight straight meetings, the longest streak for either side in the series. Mendham has not defeated West Morris since the two teams met in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals back in 2013.
"It's a good healthy rivalry," Hennelly said. "That's a well-coached team that has size and is physical. They give us everything we can handle and I thought we matched that from them."
Key play
Much like last season, the West Morris victory came on the backs of key fourth down attempts by both teams. In one instance, the Wolfpack went for it on fourth down while in the Mendham red zone with a 14-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. Instead of opting for a short field goal try and attempting to have a two touchdown advantage, the Wolfpack lined up for a short run but used play action to give quarterback Jacob Morris time to find tight end Bryce Cammarata in the end zone.
Cammarata reached out and snatched the ball out of the air for the touchdown, which put West Morris up 21-3 with 10:35 to go.
Game balls
The biggest question mark facing West Morris entering the season was the overhaul of the offensive line after four of last year's starters graduated. In addition to a restructured backfield, the five men on the front line for the Wolfpack were faced with its first test as a unit on Friday and succeeded. Not only were there holes open for running backs to dash through, but quarterback Jacob Morris was kept upright in his first varsity start.
"It was outstanding," junior running back Peter Miragliotta said regarding the offensive line. "They made holes for us running backs and protected our quarterback and let him throw the ball. Overall, I'm very happy with their efforts."
They said it
"There were a lot of unknowns going into the game. With Friday night lights, you don't know how they're going to react. There was uncertainty but the kids we needed to step up and take over the leadership did a great job." - West Morris head coach Kevin Hennelly.
"We had leadership step in. Juniors and seniors showed why they are in leadership roles tonight. That's what we need to do to try and live up to the classes before us." - West Morris running back Peter Miragliotta.
What's next
West Morris (1-0) hosts Montville (1-0) at home on Friday.
Mendham (0-1) hosts Robbinsville (0-1) in its home opener on Friday.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: West Morris football starts new era with win over Mendham
