Playing through pouring rain that left both the players and fans drenched, the boys varsity football team fought hard, but ultimately fell to Montgomery 30–19 last Saturday.

Said Head Coach James DeSarno said: “We felt good going into the game. The players were ready and had a good week of preparation.”
Early in the game, senior quarterback Andrew Malacrea threw a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Sean Elliott. “Sean does a great job running his routes and finding openings. I really felt like we were on the same page out there,” said Malacrea.

Sophomore kicker Michael Moriarty then converted the extra point, giving the Blue Devils a 7–0 lead.

Near the end of the first quarter, sophomore Jack Curry rushed for a touchdown, but Moriarty missed the extra point, bringing Westfield’s lead to 13–0.
In the second quarter, Montgomery came back with two touchdowns, putting Westfield down by one. Montgomery’s quarterback Chris Chugunov, who, according to nj.com, has committed to play at West Virginia University, was instrumental in the team’s success.

Westfield fought back in the start of the second half with senior Matt Catanzaro returning a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown to bring the score to 19–14.

As the third quarter continued, however, Westfield struggled, giving up three touchdowns to Montgomery. The Blue Devils’ defense stayed strong, but its penalties gave Montgomery an advantage, and the score was 30–19 with only 6:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.

With an intercepted pass downfield, Westfield was ultimately defeated by the final score of 30–19.

Said Malacrea, “Whether it was getting stopped in the end zone or having a brief let down on defense, the game came down to a bunch of little mistakes.”
DeSarno added, “I expect our seniors to step up and be leaders on and off the field, and I expect our younger players to grow and improve as the season moves on.”
Westfield takes on SPF away tomorrow at 1 p.m.