West Morris Central football grinds out win over Warren Hills

West Morris Central 35, Warren Hills 7 – Rapid Recap

West Morris Central's power running game proved too much for Warren Hills on a spectacular night for football in front of an enthusiastic and impressive crowd at Warren Hills School District Stadium.

The Blue Streaks started off as well as possible, forcing a three-and-out on the Wolfpack's first possession and then hitting a 66-yard "double pass" TD pass. Senior QB John Korczukowski tossed a backward pass to sophomore Cohl Stevens split out on the left. Stevens then fired a strike to junior receiver Mekhi Garrett all alone down the field for a 66-yard score.

That plat electrified the large Blue Streak crowd, but it was the last really big moment for the hosts.

"We just made too many mistakes against a really good team," Warren Hills head coach Marcus Gurdineer said.

West Morris Central (3-1) then took over the game with its powerhouse grinder of an offense and an aggressive, physical defense, The Blue Streaks (2-2) could occasionally move the ball but had consistent difficulty getting the Wolfpack offense off the field.

Turning point: After that lightning strike to open the game by the Turning point: After that lightning strike to open the game by the Blue Streaks, West Morris ripped off three straight touchdown drives, the latter two almost exclusively on the ground, to take a 21-7 lead.

But the big play on the first scoring drive was a 59-yard pass from quarterback Stephen Braccioforte to Zavad Marsa (his first catch of the season) on a post route to set up the Wolfpack's first score. That explosion play really switched the momentum that the Blue Streaks had enjoyed from their long TD score.

Top performers: West Morris Central fullback Peter Miragliotta pounded out 106 yards and a touchdown. Wolfpack quarterback Stephen Braccioforte ran for two touchdowns and threw for 100 yards on just three completions.

For Warren Hills, senior Dylan Duerring had 60 yards rushing.

What it means: The Blue Streaks get a lesson from a playoff-proven team on what's necessary to play at a postseason level – West Morris Central's physical power and ability to control the line of scrimmage, especially on offense, dominated the game. Warren Hills falls to 2-2 and will visit Mendham next week. The Wolfpack will host Randolph.