Football: Westfield Opens Season at Home Friday vs. Scotch Plains-Fanwood

The Westfield boys football team opens their regular season at home versus rival Scotch Plains-Fanwood at 1 p.m. on Friday. The Blue Devils, coming off a 4-6 record last season, will face the Raiders for the first time since a 31-0 road victory in 2023. Westfield won the home meeting in 2022, 30-0.

Third-year head coach Matt Andzel will have top player Jordan Walsh returning for his senior season as a three-year starting running back with 1,000 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns last year. The Blue Devils generated 128 total points with a 15.8 average last season.

Three key players return on both the offensive and defensive lines: senior Gianlucca Ciucci, senior Luke Romano, and junior Wesley Thomas. Sophomore Jimmy Catalano and junior Max Hymans are competing for the quarterback position.

Junior linebacker/running back Matt Seward (83 tackles, four sacks, six tackles for loss, three kick blocks) and senior cornerback/wide receiver Justin Boufarah (30 tackles, three tackles for loss) anchor the team's defense. The defense allowed 217 points with a 21.7 average last year.

Westfield ended their 2025 season with a 32-10 road loss at Montgomery in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 playoffs on October 31. Head coach Andzel stated, "We are young in many areas. If we can mature quickly, we can be a dangerous team."

Next up for the Blue Devils is a visit to St. Thomas Aquinas at 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 4.

This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy against official sources.

Produced with AI assistance and reviewed against source records.