West Essex 19 West Morris 14
October 17, 2026
The West Essex defense made the game-winning stop with 28 seconds left, when West Morris had a fourth-and-1 on the 11-yard line to win, 19-16.
First Quarter: After a fake punt pass was incomplete for West Morris, West Essex had a big opportunity with first down on the 27 for the Knights. But a 44-yard field goal attempt failed.
A West Essex punt put West Morris on their 15. Two Deacon Frayne runs brought the ball to the 2-yard line: 7 and 76 yards. Brody Mansolino scored on the next play to put the Wolfpack ahead, 8-0.
West Essex answered with a 10-play, 65-yard drive. Four plays brought them to the West Morris 29. A 19-yard pass from Ben Cirignano to Nick Dungo, Jr. gave them a first-and-goal on the 6-yard line. The two hooked up again three plays later to make it 8-7.
Second Quarter: The next three drives ended with punts, giving West Essex the ball on their 35. A pass to Luke Kesack brought the ball to their 47. This was followed by a pass to Kesack to the left sideline, who passed downfield to Michael Lozito, who ran to the 2. Cirignano scored on the following play, and the 2-point attempt failed, making it 13-8 with five minutes left.
Third Quarter: West Morris’s first drive began on the West Essex 23 after Brendan Dwyer returned a punt. Matt Zisa found a wide-open Alex Svoboda behind the defense for a 21-yard score, and the Wolfpack led, 16-13.
West Essex had the ball, and Cirignano connected with Rocco Pontrella for 30 yards to the West Morris 35. He found Pontrella for 5 yards on the next play, and a 15-yard penalty on West Morris advanced the ball to the 15 and a first down. Two incomplete passes and a 9-yard run by Cirignano made it fourth down on the 6. Cirignano ran again, but lost two yards.
The Wolfpack took over, and two Frayne runs brought the ball to the 17. Mansolino ran left and fumbled, with West Essex recovering on the 16.
The Knights drove for a first-and-goal on the 6. Cirignano then ran for 2 yards, followed by an incomplete pass, and it was third-and-goal. Cirignano found Ayden Green on a swing pass for a touchdown, retaking the lead. The extra point was blocked, making it 19-16.
Fourth Quarter: West Morris punted, with the ball rolling to the 4-yard line before it was downed.
Cirignano ran 29 yards to the 37 to get out of the end zone’s shadow. Two plays later, Cirignano ran again for 30 yards to the 30-yard line. Lozito ran for 9 yards on first down, and it looked good. Lozito lost a yard on the next play, followed by a pass to Kesack, who was tackled by Svoboda for a 3-yard loss. They lined up for the field goal when Dungo went around the play for a handoff that was stopped for a 2-yard loss. West Morris had the ball on the 27 with 4:43 remaining.
Three running plays forced a fourth-and-1 on 36. The Wolfpack went for it, and Frayne gained 4 yards to the 40. Gavin Wohlers gained 17 yards from the wildcat, bringing it to the West Essex 43. Frayne ran 9 yards to make it third-and-1, where he gained 3 yards for a first down. An 11-yard run by Frayne moved the ball to the 20. Two Frayne runs gained 8 yards, making it 3rd-and-2, and he gained a yard on the next play for a fourth-and-1 on the 11 with 28 seconds remaining. They went to Frayne again, who was stopped short of the first-down marker, giving the ball to West Essex.
Comments: The defense came up big for West Essex. In addition to the game-winning stop, the third-quarter fumble recovery on the 16-yard line set up the winning score. They also forced seven punts on eleven drives. On offense, Cirignano filled in and managed the game, going 16-of-29 for 116 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 90 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
West Morris had their chance at the end and went with their best weapon, Frayne, who rushed for 162 yards on 24 carries. They outgained West Essex, by my estimate, 255-to-206. Their defense stopped West Essex in the red zone, but fumbled on the following drive, which led to the game-winning touchdown.
This was a battle between two evenly matched teams. Including the playoffs, these two have met seven times, with four decided by four or less. Don’t be surprised if they meet again in the playoffs.