Westwood 34 River Dell 7
After a slow start, Westwood got moving in the middle of the second quarter and kept going to beat River Dell, 34-7.
After a scoreless first quarter, Westwood struck when Dario Mathurin scooped up a low snap that River Dell quarterback Jake Sconza could not handle and went 12 yards for a touchdown. A little over two minutes later, Robby Carcich went 39 yards on the jet sweep for a touchdown, making it 14-0, with four minutes left in the half. Carcich is normally the quarterback, but split out as Jack Dugan was in the wildcat. It should be noted that Dugan was the quarterback three years ago on the freshman team.
River Dell looked as if it was going to make it a game in the third quarter when it came out with the ball and scored on a Sconza to Andrew Spano pass of 10 yards. But Westwood came right back on a drive where Carcich left his mark with a couple of big runs. The drive was capped off with a 5-yard touchdown run by Colby Laughton. With a minute left in the quarter, Dugan crashed in from three yards out to make it 28-7. The score was set up by a 22-yard run by Laughton on the previous play.
The Cardinals closed out the scoring on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Carcich to Aidan Carranza.
It was two different Westwood teams tonight. There was the team that came out flat in the first quarter-and-a-half and there was the team that put 34 points up in the final thirty minutes.
The prime mover for the Cardinals is Carcich.
His play both running and passing led Westwood. When River Dell got within a touchdown, he took the wheel and made sure the Golden Hawks would not get any closer than that margin. He has very good speed, making plays average players would not make. He also has a good support system in Laughton and Dugan, while the rest of the team was able to control the latter part of the game. One player to look out for is Mathurin, a sophomore defensive end who showed athleticism with the ability to get to the ball, especially on the pass rush.
They have a very good team with the ability to go deep into the playoffs, but they must play the way they did from the mid-second quarter on. They will be expected to beat Mahwah next week before traveling to Ramsey to play a tough squad and it could be a battle of unbeaten teams, provided Ramsey beats Bergenfield on Saturday and 3-0 Ridgefield Park next week.
This is not your typical River Dell team. There are some good players, especially WR/DB Max Froonjian and Spano at running back. Froonjian is River Dell’s best player and Spano was very tough running the ball, never giving up. However, they have two losses and two very tough games coming up with Ramapo and Old Tappan, while games against Demarest, Paramus, and Pascack Valley may become very interesting. It will not be easy for the Golden Hawks, but they have a tremendous coach in DJ Nimphius and a coaching staff that includes Mike Miello this year. Don’t ever underestimate that!