Blue Devils Capture ShopRite Cup

Westfield High School's athletic teams did a lot this past school year. But this year proved more than simply productive.

The Blue Devils won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association's ShopRite Cup for the first time in the cup's seven-year history. The Blue Devils won the award for Group IV schools. Points are rewarded for how teams do in post-season play. The farther a team goes, the more points it delivers for its school.

Westfield won first-place points for girl's tennis, boys cross country, girls swimming and boy's tennis. The girls were runners-up in soccer and the football team earned points for making it to the North 2 Group IV semifinals.  The Blue Devils also earned six points for having no disqualifications in the winter and spring seasons. Westfield earned 59 points, three more than runners-up Jackson.

"We're just very proud,'' said longtime athletic director Ed Tranchina, who will retire a week from Friday. "We came in second a couple of times. It's just a great effort by all our kids and coaches. In Westfield we do it in the classroom and in the field. We prove you can do it both ways.''

Longtime soccer and tennis coach George Kapner praised the stability of the school and the input and support from the community as parts of the building blocks that went into the achievement.

"It's a little bit of everything,'' said Kapner. "It's very, very cool.''

He added that children throughout the town look forward to contributing to the school's athletic success.

"In Westfield, playing for the high school team is one of the goals of a kid when they're 12 or 14,'' Kapner said.

Kapner and Tranchina grew up in Long Island and went to schools a few minutes from each other – Kapner at Valley Stream South and Tranchina at Elmont. The two met up at Westfield.

"The talent in that building (Westfield High) runs so deep,'' said Kapner, the boy's soccer and tennis coach. "I'm as proud of this place today as I did 35 years ago. I count myself incredibly lucky and blessed to have come here.''

Kapner said the stability of the school's administration is another reason.

"I have had three athletic directors in 35 years,'' said Kapner, referring to John Lay, Gary Kehler and Tranchina. "I have had three principals and four supervisors in the math department. That's stability.''