West Orange Shuts Out Livingston to Punch Ticket to Sectional Finals

photo & coverage by: Antonio Morales

West Orange delivered a statement performance under the lights Friday night, blanking Livingston 21–0 to advance to the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 championship. Behind a smothering defense and big-play execution, the Mountaineers showed why they’ve been one of North Jersey’s most complete teams this postseason.

The game’s early moments belonged to defense. Both teams traded field position through much of the first quarter until Livingston mounted a promising drive deep into West Orange territory early in the second. With the Lancers threatening to take the lead in the red zone, sophomore Ahkir Morgan made what proved to be the turning point — jumping a route for a clutch interception that silenced the visiting crowd.

Moments later, the Mountaineers capitalized. Quarterback Brandon LaBanca found Morgan on a 19-yard touchdown strike to give West Orange the lead, igniting the home sideline. Morgan continued to pick up yards on the following drives setting up the Mountaineers to capitalize. "One thing that I saw early in the game was how Livingston would roll a safety in a box leaving the corners 1 on 1 making it easy to read what they were in, allowing for my coach to call go balls against them and all I had to do was catch them".

The momentum carried through the rest of the half, as LaBanca connected with Sydney Padilla for another score — this time a 7-yard pass — before converting a two-point try to make it 14–0 heading into halftime.

Padilla wasn’t done. The senior standout, who played both ways, dominated in the trenches all night. He recorded two sacks on defense and added a second touchdown reception in the third quarter, extending the Mountaineers’ lead to 21–0 and putting the game out of reach.

After the win, Padilla credited both preparation and toughness for the team’s performance:

“It was a big win for us. I felt great contributing on both sides — I just try to make plays regardless of what side I’m on to put my team in a better position to win,” Padilla said. “The game plan to stop their run game was to hit the running back any chance you got, and I felt like we did a good job with that even though he broke a couple plays.”

The West Orange defense was relentless, holding Livingston scoreless and allowing almost no traction in the ground against the states rushing leader. Every time the Lancers looked to build momentum, the Mountaineers’ front seven answered with pressure and discipline.

With the win, West Orange (9–2) advances to the sectional final, carrying a surge of confidence and a defense that hasn’t allowed a touchdown in back-to-back playoff games. For a program that’s prided itself on physicality and perseverance, Friday night’s performance was another chapter in what’s shaping up to be a special postseason run.