Westwood 29 Lakeland 28
November 6, 2026
Westwood beat Lakeland in the North Jersey Section 1 Group 2 semifinals, 29-28, when Bruno Vega scored a touchdown and completed a two-point conversion pass to Tyler Hanson with 42 seconds left. They will advance to the sectional final next week, when they will host Caldwell.
First Quarter: Westwood opened with two first-down passes to Ed Rasmussen, but the drive stalled and the Cardinals punted.
Lakeland went on a 16-play, 9-minute, 70-yard drive that bridged the two quarters. It started with a 10-yard pass from Hunter Struble to Edward Pasznik. The only longer plays were 11- and 12-yard completions to Ryan Sabric. But the Lancers settled for a 27-yard field goal attempt, and Pasznik’s kick was wide left.
Second Quarter: Westwood’s drive began with an 18-yard run from Vega through the middle, followed by a 42-yard run by Hanson to the 20-yard line. The Cardinals faced 4th-and-5 from the 15, and Vega found Hanson for 10 yards and a 1st-and-goal from the 5. Two plays later, Rasmussen scored on a 3-yard run to make it 7-0: Rasmussen initially went inside, but cut to the right and into the end zone.
After an exchange of punts, Lakeland threatened with two Struble runs of 12 and 14 yards, and a 19-yard pass to Pasznik to the 22. The Westwood defense stiffened, and the Lancers turned it over on downs with 31 seconds left.
Third Quarter: Chase Severs returned the second-half kickoff to the Westwood 49. Struble found Ryan Farris over the middle for 26 yards and a beautiful catch. Three plays later, Struble ran 14 yards through the middle for a touchdown, and the game was tied, 7-7.
Gavin Flynn returned the kickoff through the middle to the Westwood 44. Vega gained 11 yards on the first play and threw a 27-yard touchdown to Hanson between two defenders, and Hanson fell over the goal line.
Chase Severs returned the ensuing kickoff to Lakeland 48, and Struble completed consecutive 7-yard passes to Sabric and Aidan Stoker. But Lakeland turned it over on downs.
A Westwood punt gave Lakeland the ball on their 23, and Beck Harrington ripped off runs of 9 and 4 yards. Struble connected with Stoker on the flea flicker for 28 yards to the Westwood 36. The two connected again for a 13-yard touchdown on the fourth quarter’s first play to tie the game at 14-14.
Fourth Quarter: After Vega ran for a first down, Rasmussen was halted for no gain, but a facemask penalty on Lakeland brought the ball to the Lakeland 33. Vega ran for 20 yards, and three plays later, he ran for 8, setting up 4th-and-2 from the 5. He gained 3 yards, followed by a 2-yard Rasmussen touchdown run to put the Cardinals up, 21-14, with 5:48 left.
Lakeland had the ball, and a 10-yard pass to Pasznik advanced to their 30. A facemask penalty by Westwood on the next play brought the ball to the Lakeland 48. Struble ran 26 yards to the 11 for a first down. Stoker had a tough, 9-yard run battling tacklers and scored on the next play to tie the game at 21-21.
Lakeland went in front for the first time when Severs intercepted and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. It was 28-21 with 2:24 left.
Vega found Hanson downfield for a 43-yard pass to the 21-yard line. A 10-yard pass to Hanson gave them a first down on the 11 and stopped the clock at 1:07. Vega ran for 7 yards and scored on the next play when he got the ball past the right pylon with 42 seconds left. The Cardinals went for two, and Vega moved to the right, turned, and completed a pass to an open Hanson in the end zone to take a 29-28 lead.
Nick Klein intercepted Lakeland’s last-ditch attempt as time expired.
Comments: Westwood came out on top by going for two. It’s easy to criticize a coach who does this, but I never do that because there is no guarantee in overtime or kicking an extra point. Vega was the catalyst: rushing for 104 and a touchdown on 19 carries, while going 13-26-193 yards and a touchdown. Hanson was his accomplice, catching 9 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals answered the bell when they fell behind with 2:24 left, but they found a way.
Lakeland was good, led by Struble, who was 24-33-227 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 96 yards and a touchdown. Westwood made one more play than they did.