The scoreboard at Maloney Stadium on November 3, 2023, tells the story: The Stateliners are moving on to the North 2, Group 5 final. (Photo credit: Raymond C. Patt)
John Wargo was back healthy, Phillipsburg put up a lot of points, and picked up a good win over a solid visiting team at Maloney Stadium Friday night.
Sounds like your typical Friday night, except this was the North 2, Group 5 semifinals, and the 42-28 win for the top-seeded Stateliners over 4th-seeded Westfield put P’burg in next week’s sectional final against second-seed Union City, back at Maloney.
The game was tight through one quarter, with John Wargo opening the scoring on a 14-yard touchdown run, and a Westfield 22-yard field goal made it 7-3 after one.
But the Stateliners got the next two scores – a 16-yard TD catch by Kevin Burgess and another run by Wargo from two yards out – that made it 21-10 ‘Liners at the half after Westfield added a late score to pull within eleven.
The teams alternated scores in the second half, but P’burg outscored Westfield 21-14 over the final 24 minutes.
Phillipsburg now will play Union City next Friday at home for the North 2, Group 5 title. Both teams are 9-1. The Soaring Eagles were 20-14 winners Friday night over West Orange, the team that upset the Stateliners last year in the very same sectional final, on the same field.
Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy about Friday night’s win over Westfield: