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After a tough week one loss, West Milford faced an even greater challenge as it traveled to Wayne Hills to take on the dominant Patriots. Both teams came out strong from the beginning and played hard throughout the chilly Thursday night. A huge turnout of fans provided a great atmosphere for both teams. In the end, the Patriots improved their impressive winning streak to 54 games with a 55-7 win.
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On West Milford's first possession, the Patriots held their ground and forced the first of many punts. Shortly after, it was the Highlanders' turn to showcase their defensive side. The Patriots ground their way into West Milford territory before being held up at the goal line by defense. But on fourth and one, Mike Quinn executed a nice play fake and hit Steve Johnson for a 7-0 lead and Wayne Hills never looked back.
After a closely played first quarter, Wayne Hills showed why they haven’t lost a game in years. Strong quarterback play combined with a devastating committee of running backs kept West Milford on their toes their entire night. Key third down conversions and the occasional big play was the story for Wayne Hills tonight as they played their game and avoided turning the ball over.
Quinn would throw three more touchdown passes on the night, two going to wideout Max DeCarvalho. And explosive junior tailback Brian Dowling had another big game, scoring three touchdowns to raise his total to eight in the Patriots' first two outings.
West Milford broke their scoring drought in the fourth quarter on a TD catch by Rich DeGasperis on a perfectly thrown ball by quarterback Tom Bailey. After stepping up to the challenge and facing a powerhouse team, West Milford walked off the field with their heads held high and now look forward to facing Lakeland next Friday night.
After a nice performance on both sides of the ball, Wayne Hills coach Chris Olsen was pleased with how his team played. “I thought we came out offensively and really played well," he said. "We're starting to run the ball when we want, throw the ball when we want, and we're getting better."
A scary thought for future opponents. But the next two weeks promise to be much tougher for the Patriots, starting with a huge contest next week as they take on cross-town rival Wayne Valley Indians for only the fourth time in the schools' history. And looming a week after that is a matchup with parochial powerhouse St. Joseph. -- Anthony Mulvihill
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