Summit Edges West Essex, 31-28
On A Game-Deciding Field Goal

SUMMIT - The kid with the long name did it again.

Cooper Smoragiewicz, a Summit sophomore who wears No. 33, made his left foot be the difference once more.

For the second straight football Saturday afternoon at Tatlock Field,

Smoragiewicz kicked a game-winning field goal, this time on the game's final play.

Smoragiewicz's 34-yard field goal, the only field goal of the game, as time expired lifted second-seeded Summit past third-seeded West Essex 31-28 in the Saturday, Nov. 8 North 2, Group 3 semifinal played in Union County.

In last week's quarterfinal played at Summit it was a 19-yard field goal by Smoragiewicz with 7.6 seconds remaining that pushed the Hilltoppers past seventh-seeded Warren Hills 24-21.

"The one today was much more difficult," a jubilant Smoragiewicz said moments after Summit's fourth straight triumph.

Summit, which improved to 9-2, defeated West Essex for the first time since Oct. 14, 2002 when both schools were in the Hills Division of the Iron Hills Conference. Since that last win over the Knights, Summit was 0-7-1 vs. West Essex, including playoff defeats in 2003 and 2023.

Summit advanced to its first sectional final in seven years. The Hilltoppers last won North 2, Group 3 in 2018 at home over Rahway.

This time the Hilltoppers will be on the road for a sectional final for the first time, not a neutral site, as they will next play at top-seeded West Morris (11-0) Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Long Valley. West Morris has won nine of its 11 games by double digits and has one shutout. Its closest game was a 28-27 triumph at home over Warren Hills back on Sept. 19.

West Morris last won a sectional title in 2023 when the Wolfpack captured the North 1, Group 3 title for its 10th sectional state championship in the playoff era.

Summit has won nine sectional state championships in the playoff era, including North 2, Group 3 five times in 1976, 1980, 2012, 2013 and 2018.

Summit's last game vs. West Morris was a 56-31 loss at West Morris in 2021 in a North 1, Group 3 first-round clash in Long Valley.

So far this year Summit is 3-0 vs. schools that start with the letter W. Summit won at 7-0 Woodbridge 10-7 and in the playoffs has defeated Warren Hills 24-21 and West Essex 31-28, all three wins where the difference was a field goal kicked by Smoragiewicz.

Summit's last road game came against an undefeated team: Woodbridge. Its next road game is against an undefeated team, West Morris at 11-0, and is against a school that starts with the letter W.

"I really can't speak to any of that stuff," Summit head coach Kevin Kostibos said. "I only know that we will have our hands full preparing for another really good team in West Morris."

West Essex saw its 2025 season come to a conclusion at 6-4 under first-year head coach Dan Fulton. The Knights reached the North 2, Group 3 final last year, falling to Old Tappan. In 2023, West Essex won a state sectional title and advanced to the overall Group 3 state final where it lost to Delsea at Rutgers Stadium.

After West Essex tied Saturday’s game at 28-28 to overcome a third Summit lead - the Hilltoppers led 7-0, 21-14 and 28-21 - Summit had five minutes left to try take the lead for a fourth time and also not let West Essex have an opportunity to answer again.

Here's how the 11-play, game-winning drive was orchestrated:
On first-and-10 from its own 20 Matt McKeever threw incomplete. Then Alex Schwark, who led all ball-carriers with three rushing touchdowns, gained a yard.

Then McKeever scrambled and threw a ball up for grabs with a player from each team jumping high to get it. It first appeared that West Essex defender Rocco Pontrella had the interception until it was ruled that Summit receiver Will Holmes came down with final possession.

That was just one of many huge plays in the game that if it went the other way the outcome might have been different.

Now at its own 48, McKeever was stopped for a two-yard loss and then Summit was pushed further back with a five-yard, delay-of-game penalty. McKeever then hit Holmes again for a six-yard gain.

On third-and-11 from the Summit 47, McKeever broke contain and gained exactly 11 yards for another Summit first down to the West Essex 42.

Schwark was then stopped for no gain. Although Schwark had long touchdown runs of 57 and 37 yards there were several key moments in the game where the West Essex defense rose to the occasion and stopped Schwark to prevent Summit's offense from continuing.

On second down, West Essex defensive back Michael Corbo broke up a McKeever pass intended to be completed on the right side.

Now faced with third-and-10 at the West Essex 42 with just 46 seconds remaining, McKeever threw to the left side this time. West Essex was called for pass interference on a contact play where the West Essex defender hit the Summit receiver when the ball was in the air. It was the second time that Summit benefitted from a pass interference call and this one was huge.

Now the Hilltoppers had the ball on the West Essex 27. Charlie Garvey caught a pass for seven yards to the 20 and then Schwark gained three yards to the 17 for Summit's final first down.

Then Kostibos told the ref nearest him that he wanted to call his final timeout with one second left.

Then just when Smoragiewicz was about to attempt the game-winning field goal Fulton called the final West Essex timeout to try to ice Smoragiewicz.

The teams then lined up again and Smoragiewicz's kick was more than solid for what it needed to be.

"This was just an awesome game and a lot of fun to be part of," Smoragiewicz said. "We practiced field goals from 40 yards and beyond all week."

Smoragiewicz is four-for-five on field goal attempts this season, with the 34-yarder he kicked against West Essex his longest.

"I stare right at the goal post, looking at it directly to put it as straight in front of me as it can be," Smoragiewicz said.

"We wanted to get the ball in the middle of the field for him," Kostibos said. "Cooper has a great leg."

 Before Smoragiewicz kicks the ball, the execution has to be there. It was snapper Gavin Forte, a senior, getting the ball to holder Cole Cowden, a junior, for him to put it down properly for kicker Smoragiewicz, a sophomore.

"What those kids did there is such a skill that is overlooked," Kostibos said.
Schwark carried the ball 11 times for 107 yards and his three touchdowns.

"On my first touchdown they didn't get me at the line and I kept on going," Schwark said. "On the second one I saw an opening inside and just went through. There were also times when they stopped me.

"These are the toughest games and the most fun. They are the most rewarding."

To say Summit had its hands full trying to contain West Essex senior quarterback Jake Long was probably the understatement of the afternoon.

Long rushed and passed for two touchdowns, in on all four West Essex scores. Long rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns and completed eight-of-15 passes for 112 yards and his two touchdown passes while not throwing an interception.    

"Jake is a battler, a warrior, a gladiator," Fulton said.

It was Long leading the way with his ability to run through holes up the middle and then also get outside east and west that pushed West Essex to its only lead of 14-7 before the second quarter commenced.

"I felt we left too many points on the field," Fulton said. "We also had a couple of missed tackles. Those are things we will work on to get better at."
"We just made one more play," Smoragiewicz said.

Summit came back from 14-0 down to Warren Hills and 14-7 down to West Essex, so the Hilltoppers have also showed comeback ability in these North 2, Group 3 playoffs. It will be much more difficult to do so on the road against an undefeated West Morris team.

West Morris has only lost twice at home since 2020 and both of those times by just one point.

NORTH 2, GROUP 3 SEMIFINAL AT TATLOCK FIELD
3-West Essex (6-4)             14            00            00            14 - 28
2-Summit (9-2)                   07            07            07            10 - 31

FIRST QUARTER:
Summit - Alex Schwark 57 run, Cooper Smoragiewicz kick (S 7-0)
3 plays, 80 yards, 1:45 used
West Essex - Jake Long 5 run, Robert Warmington kick (7-7)
4 plays, 14 yards, 1:54 used
West Essex capitalized on a turnover, a fumble recovery on a Summit punt return.
West Essex - Max Osur 32 pass from Jake Long, Robert Warmington kick (WE 14-7)
3 plays, 43 yards, 1:36 used

SECOND QUARTER:
Summit - Alex Schwark 1 run, Cooper Smoragiewicz kick (14-14)
5 plays, 41 yards, 1:41 used

THIRD QUARTER:
Summit - Cooper Smoragiewicz 3 run, Cooper Smoragiewicz kick (S 21-14)
5 plays, 64 yards, 2:56 used

FOURTH QUARTER:
West Essex - Michael Lozito 18 pass from Jake Long, Robert Warmington kick (21-21)
7 plays, 51 yards, 2:40 used
This possession came right after West Essex stopped Summit on 4th-and-1 at the West Essex 48.
Summit - Alex Schwark 37 run, Cooper Smoragiewicz kick (S 28-21)
4 plays, 70 yards, 1:39 used
This touchdown came one play after a West Essex interception was nullified by a West Essex holding penalty in the secondary.
West Essex - Jake Long 9 run, Robert Warmington kick (28-28)
6 plays, 46 yards, 2:50 used
Long scored on 4th-and-7 from the Summit 9 with 5:04 remaining.
Summit - FG Smoragiewicz 34 (S 31-28)
11 plays, from own 20 to West Essex 17, 5:04 used