Warriors Seek First Win in Home Opener

Warriors Football Head Coach Marc Crisafi is excited about Friday night's home opener. But more than that, the Watchung Hills Regional High School football coach is excited about just having his team play another game.

"A home opener is always exciting, but when you're playing, a game is a game," said Crisafi, whose team has lost two one-touchdown decisions on the road to open the season. "You just go out and play. You don't pay attention to all the things that are going on around you. Our kids are of the same mindset."

Now in his second season at the helm, Crisafi has seen the mindset he'd like to see in his team develop.

"Someone commented at practice (Wednesday) how we have fun at practice and we do," he noted. "But it is not at the expense of focusing or execution. It's an atmosphere that we are trying to build, a family atmosphere, one where the kids are rooting for each other."

It's an atmosphere that began to take hold at the end of last year when the Warriors lost all nine of their regular season games before beating Barringer in the state consolation game.

"Last year, toward the end of the year, even though we didn't have a win, nobody wanted practice to end," Crisafi said. "You would never guess that we were having such a good time based on our record. But we enjoy each other's company. I enjoy their company and they enjoy being around the coaches. It's good stuff."

This season, the Warriors were hoping to take those intangibles and combine it with their abundant amount of returning talent to get off to a good start. Though they've played well in both losses--losing 20-14 to North Hunterdon and 21-14 to Union--they have yet to record that first victory.

"We planned on keeping that one-game winning streak alive but that has not happened," Crisafi noted. "We started playing better toward the end of last year and that has carried over to this year."

A big reason for that is that many of the players on this year's junior-dominated team saw significant time as sophomores last year. On offense, that includes quarterback Tommy Giaimo, who has passed for the Warriors' two touchdowns in each of their first two games, and running back Anthony Prus, who rushed for 113 yards in the loss to Union. It also includes receiver-linebacker Frank Urso, who has caught a touchdown pass in each of the first two games and also led the Warriors in tackles against Union.

"A lot of them started off playing one way last year," Crisafi noted. "And then little by little, they started to play on both sides of the ball. They played because we put the best guys on the field, but the experience has helped them this year.

"It's a strong junior group top to bottom, not just talent-wise, but character-wise. I enjoy being around them, as I enjoy being around all the players."

In Westfield, WHRHS will face a team which has won its first two games, including a 22-7 win over Bridgewater-Raritan last week. In that game, James O'Rourke rushed for 135 yards and also returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

"I've known the Westfield program since I was in high school," said Crisafi, who played for rival Union High. "They've always had a sound program; they execute well and they are coached well."

Crisafi is hoping people start saying the same about his team. And a win in Friday's home opener would go a long way toward that goal.