Football: West Essex, behind Phillips’ big night, takes down West Morris in N2G3

For each of the last three years, West Essex and West Morris have battled in the state tournament. Twice did those games go to the Wolfpack, and once to the Essex County school.
The Black Knights were a notch or two better in this latest edition on Friday night.
Effectively running the football all night and being able to control the clock as a result, second-seeded West Essex knocked off third-seeded West Morris, 28-14, in the NJSIAA Section 2, Group 3 semifinals in North Caldwell.
Now 8-2, West Essex will aim for its second straight sectional title when it travels to Old Tappan for a rematch of the season opener next weekend. The Black Knights fell by 19-7 count in that one.
West Morris – three-time defending sectional champions who took down West Essex in the final in 2021 and 2022 before falling to the Black Knights in the Group 3 semifinals last year – finished its season at 8-3.
“It’s really about the type of week we had at practice. Our scout team had us ready,” said West Essex coach Chris Benacquista. “Our guys had to rise to the occasion tonight and they did. West Morris is a great program, we know that. It wasn’t easy but we got it done.”
The widely accepted adage that the last four and first four minutes opposite halftime mattered in this one proved very true.
With 2:05 to go in the first half, West Essex senior captain Brady Phillips plunged in from the one-yard line, capping a 12-play, 52-yard drive to put West Essex ahead 21-7. The Black Knights had seized momentum and reeled off 21 in a row at that point.
But West Morris executed its two-minute offense well, including a 43-yard reception pulled in by Zavad Marsa that moved the ball to the West Essex 10.
A crazy turn of events would ensue that played a pivotal part in this game next.
West Morris was tackled in bounds on 3rd-and-Goal from the 10 with about 16 seconds left, but in a chaotic scramble situation with those seconds melting away, the Wolfpack made a huge mistake and wound up spiking the ball on 4th & Goal from the 1 with two seconds left in the half, keeping the two score Black Knights lead at the half.
The Wolfpack would break through again on their first drive of the second half, when Peter Miragliotta punched in from the four in the final minute of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 21-14.
“I think it was an even game to an extent, but we made mistakes tonight and they made more big plays than we did,” said West Morris coach Kevin Hennelly. “A few times their quarterback got out of a sack and put the ball on the money so credit him. Our seniors had a great run though. It’s a shame they won’t get back to the finals.”
With 10:11 left, Phillips scored again, this time from the 1, and delivered the knockout blow when he recovered a fumble with West Morris driving on the 12 with 2:36 left.
“We know what they are, what they do, and we were ready this time. None of this would have been possible without the line dominating on both sides. Everything else comes easy when you get the push up front like they did,” said Phillips.
That was not exactly the case at the beginning of the game, though, as West Morris running back Brady Bentrewicz took a handoff around right end and ran 77 yards untouched to the house for a score.
Two possessions later, a 13-yard run by Vincent Giaquinto for a score leveled things up for West Essex at 7-7. Just before the end of the quarter, the winners took the lead when all-around standout Anthony Drago took a pitch and the rest was spectacular.
Running as if he were punishing the ground, Drago broke three tackles to emphatically race 50 yards to the house to give the Black Knights a 14-7 edge.
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