Sitting out Week Zero, since they have their annual Thanksgiving Day game with Easton, Phillipsburg – like everyone else who waits to play – got an extra week of practice.

Whether it helped, or this is just what the Stateliners are, could be debated. But the result can’t be: a 28-0 win for No. 1 Phillipsburg in its opener over Westfield at Gary Kehler Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Senior runningback Sam Dech – who was the leading rusher on last year’s North 2, Group 4 title team with 790 yards and nine scores – reached one-third of that total Saturday afternoon, scoring three times.

The first came with 33 seconds to go in the first half capping a long drive to give P’burg a 7-0 lead. He got another from 54 yards out with 2:32 to play in the third, and his last one with 11:05 to play, a 95-yard run up the middle to the opposite end zone.

Tyler Wargo finished off the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run.

Dech finished 219 yards on 18 carries in the victory, which puts Phillipsburg at 1-0 heading into the second of back-to-back road games, next Friday at Hunterdon Central.

Westfield will travel to Williams field in Elizabeth next Friday for a battle of 1-1 teams.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Phillipsburg senior runningback Sam Dech with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Sam Dech: