On October 28th, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School held its annual homecoming football game. Loads of students came to watch the Raiders take on the Somerville Pioneers in the final home game of the season. Additionally, many committed students came to cheer on the sidelines during halftime, play in the marching band, and perform with color guard. The audience sported their pink Raiders homecoming tee shirts to show their spirit.
By halftime, Somerville led the game 44-22. However, the Raider spirit remained high. The Raiders cheerleading team excited the crowd with their cheer routine, and the marching band delighted the audience along with the color guard’s performance.
The halftime festivities continued with the homecoming ceremony. During this annual celebration, homecoming king and queen nominees – all seniors – were escorted onto the field by student-driven golf carts. The nominees for homecoming king were: Jack Lynch, Cooper Heisey, Shakir Philippe, Anthony DiNizo, and Karl Wirth; candidates for homecoming queen were: Daniella Cohen, Taylor Diggs, Caitlin Bourke, Maddy Bord, Paige McMorrow, and Sydney Von Oehsen.
Philippe and Diggs were crowned homecoming king and queen. All were overjoyed with the results and excitement grew for the second half of the game.
“My favorite part about homecoming is the energy the cheerleaders, the football team, and the marching band bring out and how excited everyone is for the game,” Phillipe, king and varsity cheer captain, said.
On the gridiron, despite Cooper Heisey’s 331 passing yards, Scotch Plains-Fanwood struggled to stop Somerville’s balanced ground and air attack in an 82-46 loss. The Pioneers accumulated 646 total yards and put up 11 touchdowns on the Raiders, and questionably went for two-point conversions after every TD – even with a 30-point lead at every point in the game after the first quarter.
The Raiders didn’t struggle to put up offense of their own, however. Heisey threw for four touchdowns, completed 22-of-42 attempts (7.9 yards-per-attempt) and reclaimed the state lead in passing yards (2,320) with the performance.
On the ground, Alex Oslislo ran for a career-high 192 yards. Oslislo’s performance highlighted a strong and efficient rushing afternoon for the Raiders – the team accumulated 273 yards on 34 carries.
Dwight Laylor, Justin Sanders, Isaiah Stewart each hauled in a touchdown reception for the Raiders, while Javin Scott, Charlie Levine and Oslislo rushed the ball to the end zone once apiece. Jakob Robles led the defense with a game and season-high 12 tackles.
With one week in the regular season remaining, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, in order to win a game, will have to become the first team in 33 tries to defeat state powerhouse Westfield. Next weekend, the Raiders travel to take on the Blue Devils — currently on a 32-game win streak — in the regular season finale.