TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—The Westwood Regional High School Cardinals football team, the No. 1 seed in North Jersey Section 1 Group 2, continued their stellar season with a commanding 36-14 win over the No. 8 seed Lakeland Regional High School Lancers.
Right from the start on Friday, Nov. 1, the Cardinals showed their dominance, running through the “Lights Out Lancers” banner and setting the tone for the game.
On just the second play from scrimmage, junior running back Steven Klein sprinted 57 yards for a touchdown, giving Westwood an early 7-0 lead. Klein struck again in the second quarter, breaking loose for a 60-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 21–7.
With 194 rushing yards on 13 carries, Klein surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season, now totaling 1,068 yards. “I have the speed, but it’s the offensive line that helps me get it done,” Klein told Pasack Press. He also led the team on defense with 12 tackles.
Senior QB Sean Morrison contributed with two rushing touchdowns: a 1-yard sneak in the first quarter and a 13-yard run in the fourth, securing the final score of 36-14. Morrison finished with 56 rushing yards on 13 carries and added 132 passing yards, completing 7 of 10 throws, including a 43-yard TD pass to senior Aiden Dugan in the second quarter. Morrison also shone on defense, making a critical fourth-quarter interception in the end zone, and went 4-for-5 on extra points.
The Cardinals improved to 8–1, marking their fifth straight win over Lakeland and their seventh consecutive victory since their early-season loss to Pascack Valley.
They advance to the semifinal round to face the No. 5 seed Malcolm X. Shabazz High School Bulldogs, who narrowly defeated James Caldwell High School 36-33 in their quarterfinal matchup.
In other quarterfinal action, the Park Ridge High School Owls (No. 7 seed, North Jersey Section 1 Group 1) ended their season with a 14-0 loss to the No. 2 seed New Milford Knights, finishing with a record of 4-4-1.
