The one negative result to date is now more than a month ago now, but for West Orange quarterback Daniel Lewis in addition to continuing to hone his skills while leading his team’s still-evolving offense, it has also been about learning lessons from a 13-12 loss to Ramapo in the season-opening Mountaineer Classic back on Aug. 27 at Suriano Field.
Now, with four straight wins under their collective belts, including this past Friday night’s statement-like, homestanding 34-13 thrashing of archrival East Orange Campus, the memories of the Mountaineers’ one setback to date in their 4-1 start are gaining a bit more distance in the rearview mirror.
Lewis, the talented 6-foot-1, 185-senior field general for a West Orange team (4-1) that appears more and more like a bona fide title contender this fall in North, Group 5, is thankful for his team’s ability to learn from that early-season setback which they feel never should have happened as Ramapo scored 13 fourth quarter points to erase a 12-0 deficit to win in stunning fashion.
“That Ramapo game has been in the back of our minds as we have really concentrated on finishing games a lot better this past month,” said the veteran Mountaineers QB, who has passed for 775 yards and 10 TDs with 3 Int. in the first five games this fall. “We’ve kept up the positive momentum in winning four in a row and I just try to do my job on offense while our defense has been so tough for other teams to deal with.”
For his efforts vs. EOC (2-2), which included completing 11-of-16 passes for 157 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, while also rushing 7 times for 47 yards and a TD, Lewis is the latest Parisi Fairfield/Sideline Chatter Athlete of the Week.
The well-spoken young man is a certifiable dual threat as a QB with the added ability to run the ball with much success. He has 16 carries for 246 yards and 2 TDs which trails only junior RB Tyreon Spruell (62 carries for 249 yards and 1 TD) as far as team leaders in that department so far this season.
Lewis has continued to improve each season as a 3-year high school varsity QB, including as a full-time starter as a sophomore at Orange High School in 2024 before he transferred to West Orange where he shared time at the position last fall along with senior Brandon LaBanca as the Mountaineers finished 9-3 and reached the North 1 Group 5 state playoff final where they lost a wild 56-42 decision to Passaic Tech.
Lewis threw for 767 yards and 7 TDs with 2 Int. in 2025, while the since-graduated LaBanca had 891 passing yards, 11 TDs and 3 Int.
“That was a great dynamic for our team last year when I shared time with Brandon,” added Lewis. “We kept learning from each other throughout the season, and we gave different looks to the opposing defenses which made it easier for us to scheme, and be successful when either one of us was out there.
“Now I’m very happy to be the full-time starter as a senior and I really think all the experiences I’ve had, including my sophomore year at Orange, have helped me to keep improving and be the better quarterback I feel that I am today.”
Lewis has helped lead the Mountaineers to a 48-0 victory vs. Livingston, and then a pair of significant back-to-back road wins, 19-0 at Irvington, and 13-6 at state-ranked Shabazz, before the latest triumph vs. EOC.
“Every win is big, but for me winning at Shabazz was a great feeling because I know a lot their kids and I used to play youth football in Newark for (Bulldogs coach) Nasir Gaines when he coached the Brick City Lions.
Lewis delivered a first-quarter 28-yard TD pass to Rutgers commit Sydney Padilla to get the Mountaineers off to a quick 7-0 lead at Shabazz and the entire team banded together to limit the effectiveness of the 2-time Group 2 state runner-up which still has a wealth of talent while now in Group 3 this fall.
“Against Shabazz, and In all our wins, my linemen, backs and receivers have really had my back,” continued the West Orange QB. “And, our defense has been simply outstanding!”
In the latest victory vs. EOC, which came on a windy Friday night before a large crowd back in the friendly confines of Suriano Stadium, the Mountaineers cashed in a pair of Jaguar turnovers en route to a 27-6 halftime lead.
And, unlike that season-opening night vs. Ramapo, West Orange finished strongly and cruised to its 34-13 win, its fourth in a row, and in a Super Football Conference-Freedom White contest.
“It’s just another stop on the tour” proclaimed Lewis, who accounted for three of his team’s TDs. “We’re a very powerful team, a very special team, and we know we’re going to go further than this.
“Like coach (Darnell Grant) says, this is just the beginning.”
It started out well for the Mountaineers, who took over five-and-a-half minutes to open the scoring on the first play of the second quarter. They converted three fourth downs, including one by penalty. West Orange was set to punt from the EOC 41 on 4th-and-3 when the Jaguars were flagged for an illegal substitution. Moments later, Daniel Lewis connected with Chris Smith for nine yards on 4th-and-5 from the 20. Junior Dy-Shawn Simpkins finished the drive with a 3-yard TD burst on 4th-and-2 from the 3 to make it 7-0 West Orange.
On the first play after the kickoff, West Orange recovered a Jaguar fumble and they struck immediately. Lewis found Evian Mishoe on a seam route at the 15 and the junior WR raced to the endzone for the second TD in 33 seconds and it was suddenly 14-0.
EOC would get on the board with a 17-play, 69-yard drive that took over eight minutes. Led by the running of Sean Smith, who had six carries for 38 yards on the drive, the Jaguars moved smartly down the field. A 15-yard pass from Zach Concepcion to Eric Wilkins and a 19-yard scamper by Smith moved the ball to the 20. They got a break when Jaleel Halsey recovered a fumble at the 2 to keep the drive alive, and that set up Smith’s 2-yard TD run and it was 14-6 with 2:51 left in the half.
Earlier in the half West Orange struck for two touchdowns in 33 seconds, and they would close out the half with two more scores in 20 seconds.
After taking the kickoff back to the EOC 49, a pair of completions set up West Orange at the 38.
Lewis then found senior TE Sydney Padilla wide open down the right side for a TD with 2:04 left in the half. On EOC’s next offensive play, Padilla’s strip sack forced a fumble which was picked up by senior DL Antwan Chitty Jr. for a 28-yard scoop-and-score to make it 27-6 with 1:44 remaining and the Mountaineers were well on their way.
Next up is Bloomfield, 6 p.m., Friday (Oct. 2) at Foley Field, and then after a bye week (Oct. 9-10) West Orange travels to meet Barringer at Schools Stadium in Newark on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 17, before returning home to close out the regular season schedule vs. Montclair on Friday night, Oct. 23.
“We feel that our team definitely has the talent to win a state championship,” stated Lewis. “That is the standard for this program and the goal we always take into the season.”
NOTES- Daniel receives pointers on quarterback play from his older brother, former St. Peter’s Prep, Rutgers and South Dakota QB Johnathan Lewis, who passed for 1,557 yards and 10 TDs while rushing for 992 yards and 21 more TDs for the 2016 St. Peter’s Prep Marauders coached by Rich Hansen…The Lewis boys also have a younger brother Aidan, who is a freshman lineman in the football program at Jackson Township High School…Daniel Lewis said he enjoys watching different college QBs including two current stars in Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor, who has thrown for 1,192 yards and 14 TDs in the first four games for the 4-0 SEC team, and the University of Miami’s Darian Mensah, who has the nation’s highest completion rate (88.7 %) and has generated 1,211 yards through the air for the 4-0 Hurricanes while delivering 14 TDs with no Int.’s…Daniel Lewis has run a 4.53 time in the 40-yard dash and has bench pressed 325 pounds…he said his favorite courses at West Orange High School include Principals in Engineering, noting that he hopes to study engineering or business in college and also play football at the next level.
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