West Milford football poised for a breakthrough season: State of the Program

The West Milford football team is finally coming of age.

After struggling through back-to-back losing seasons with teams made up mostly of underclassmen, the Highlanders are turning the page and leaving the past in their rearview mirror.

The Passaic County school is feeling optimistic heading into the 2024 season despite turning in a combined 5-15 record the last two years. A big reason why is the number of juniors entering their third seasons as starters.

Coach Steve Maslanek is hesitant to predict the future, but the seventh-year coach is confident based on what he’s seen in the preseason.

"Back in 2022, when some of our current starters were freshmen, we knew it was going to take a few years for them to get up to speed," he said. "We’re now at that point and we’re excited for what’s ahead.”

Nine starters return on offense, including senior center Riley Treptow and junior quarterback Aydin Deane, who threw for more than 2,350 yards and 14 touchdowns the last two seasons. He lines up in the backfield with third year running back junior Chase Tyburczy (464 yards, five touchdowns).

“We’re looking to run the ball more this year than what we’ve done the last two years,” Maslanek said. “We can’t continue to throw the ball as much as we have. It’s important to establish the running game. Chase [Tyburczy] has the experience in the backfield and he’ll take some pressure off our throwing game.”

The tradition

West Milford has never won an NJSIAA sectional title or reached a sectional final. The Highlanders have 15 playoff appearances in their history.

The best season in program history came in 2003, culminating with a 10-1 record and a trip to the state semifinals before losing to Demarest. That was the last time the Highlanders won a conference title, one of two in their history.

The challenge

Though the Highlanders were classified in Group 3 the last two seasons, they teeter on the edge of being a Group 2 school due to shrinking enrollment numbers. As a result, depth continues to be a concern. It explains why a large number of juniors have started since freshmen year.

“Quite a number of underclassmen get to play here and most of our players compete on both sides,” Maslanek said. “Everyone needs to step up and give us opportunity to win. We have to replace a few guys up front and it’s going to take some time for them to gel.”

Expectations

The Highlanders have improved over the last two seasons, going from 1-9 in 2022 to 4-5 last fall. Though they failed to qualify for the NJSIAA playoffs during that span, the Highlanders are in position to exceed last season’s win total, finish above the .500 mark and qualify for the postseason.

“We’re optimistic heading into every season and our goals remain the same. The coaching staff feels good about this team. We know what we have here,” Maslanek said. “Everyone needs to execute and do their jobs. We have what it takes to be successful and there’s a lot of excitement surrounding the team.”

Schedule

Sept. 6: at Jefferson

Sept. 13: vs. Dover

Sept. 20: at Passaic Valley

Sept. 27: vs. Mahwah

Oct. 4: vs. Lakeland

Oct. 11: at Nutley

Oct. 18: vs. Sparta

Oct. 25: at Vernon

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: West Milford football poised for a breakthrough season: State of the Program