Westfield Football Defeats Union, Continues Dominance

Westfield High School head football coach Jim DeSarno knew the Blue Devils were on a roll coming into its highly-touted game against unbeaten Union.

But even the coach was surprised at the game’s final score:

Westfield 35, Union 14.

The Blue Devils’ victory over Union Friday night at Cooke Memorial Field in Union Township lifts their record to 6-2 and it’s also their fifth straight victory as the team looks towards the state playoffs. Union is now 7-1.

“I couldn’t envision this,” DeSarno said of the final margin. “We’re not an explosive offense and we have weapons but we have to run the ball. I don’t know how to call plays to get 80-yard touchdown passes.”

The team relied on a solid running game and stout defense that contained Union’s star senior running back Isaiah McLean, who came into the game averaging over 200 rushing yards a game, to just 48 yards on 18 carries. Every time McLean got the ball, a Westfield defender, be it Joe Ondi, Willie Johnson or Andrew Murray, were there to meet him head-on.

“We knew what we had to do and it was to stop number 21,” said Ondi about containing McLean. “We can stop any running team in the state honestly.”

On the flip side, Ondi ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Andrew Murray, who has given the opposition fits in the Wildcat formation, ran for 54 yards and two touchdowns. In a game where they dominated an impressive Union team, junior quarterback Daniel Kerr didn’t even have to attempt a pass in the second half and finished the game with seven completions for 82 yards and one touchdown.

“Offensive line had a great push and it’s just reading the holes and running hard,” Ondi said about his running effort.

Westfield led 21-7 at halftime and put the game away with two touchdowns in the third quarter. And just two players, Ondi and Murray, touched the ball on the two series.

On its first scoring drive in the quarter, Ondi ran the ball on all six plays of the series that started at Union’s 25-yard line. He capped it with a two-yard touchdown run. Jonathan Gribbin’s extra point made it 28-7.

The drive was set up by Westfield’s Brian Henry’s interception off a pass by Union quarterback James Daniels, who threw three interceptions in the game.

“Our defense has played great the entire season,” Westfield defensive end Willie Johnson said. "We've allowed just three touchdowns the past five games. That's hard to do."

It was Murray’s turn to take control on the next scoring drive as the versatile running back ran the ball seven times, including a 30-yard jaunt that got the ball down to Union’s 14-yard line. Five plays later, Murray squeezed in from one yard out for Westfield’s final touchdown of the game.

“We knew we had to run the ball to win the game,” DeSarno said of the third quarter.

With the game tied 7-7 in the first half, Westfield got a lucky bounce that was a microcosm of how the game went for the Blue Devils.

On a second-and-10 play from the Union 45-yard line, Kerr dropped back and threw a pass that bounced off the hands of Union cornerback Elijah Lee and landed in the waiting hands of Westfield’s Patrick Gray. Four plays later, Murray scored from one yard out to put the Blue Devils up 14-7 after Gribbin’s extra point.  

“Sometimes, the ball bounces your way,” DeSarno said of Gray’s catch.

Westfield’s defensive line pressure forced Daniels into a mistake on the next possession. On a third-and-6 play from its own 22-yard line, Westfield’s Aiden Scanlon stepped in front of the intended receiver, easily collected the interception and brought the ball back to Union’s 22-yard line.

On the ensuing drive, it took Westfield just five plays to score the touchdown, which came courtesy of Ondi’s 3-yard run. On the scoring run, he dragged several Union defenders into the end zone. Gribbin’s extra point made it 21-7.