Padilla, the rangy 6-foot-5, 240-pound two-way talent, hauled in a 28-yard TD aerial from Lewis to give West Orange a 7-0 first quarter lead at Shabazz and following a Shabazz TD on a pass from its veteran QB Kariem Costan to Power 5 recruit Nosym Brown to pull the Bulldogs to within 7-6 in the second quarter, the Mountaineers responded with points as quick-ascending sophomore kicker Noah McKinney booted a 32-yard field to give his team a 10-6 halftime lead.

“Noah has been great for us,” said Grant. “He is a seriously-talented lacrosse player and a leading scorer for that team, and he’s been a great addition for us.

“He finished off our 2-minute drill with a field goal right before the half which was big for us.”

There was no more scoring until McKinney added a 27-yard field goal to cap a fourth quarter drive and West Orange was on its way to a huge road win.”

West Orange has the type of program that is always able to reload talent and that remains the case this fall with the addition of youngsters including both starting inside linebackers in sophomores Caleb Harbin, DC Cyrus' son, and Cameron Grant, who is one of the head coach’s twin sons playing key roles in their first season of varsity ball as Caiden Grant, who already stands 6-4, 230, is the team’s starting right offensive tackle.

“They are eating me out of house and home,” their dad said with a chuckle. “But, they continue to do a great job out there for us and are two of the young kids that have really stepped up for us as we continue to grow as a team.

“We know that there are many challenges ahead beginning with this Friday night against a really good East Orange team and our kids just continue to work hard each day to keep getting better!”

AROUND ESSEX- Seton Hall Prep moved to 2-2 on the season with last Saturday’s big 24-7 homestanding victory against longtime rival Delbarton. A key play in the contest came early in the third quarter when the Pirates’ very alert sophomore DB  Jameson Studer (8 tackles and a sack) scooped up a fumble and rambled 52 yards to pay dirt to give his team a 17-7 lead and clear momentum to finish the job of knocking off the Green Wave…Cedar Grove (3-0), which dominated once again in its 33-7 road win at Hasbrouck Heights, faces an intriguing contest this Friday night in The Grove as a very talented Hoboken team (3-1), one of the leading candidates to watch in North, Group 2, in November, comes to town with a high-powered offense under first-year head coach Joe Borkowski that includes standout offensive players including prolific senior running back Devin McMillan (61 carries for 714 yards and 8 TDs)…Verona first-year head coach Matt Riccitelli earned his first victory as the Hillbillies rookie head mentor when his team achieved its first win of 2026 with a 21-10 triumph at Indian Hills. The victory came after three straight defeats vs. a tough early-season slate vs. Ramsey, Caldwell and Hoboken...Junior QB Justin Spellman passed and ran for TDs to help spearhead Irvington’s impressive 21-8 home victory vs. a talented Passaic Tech squad (2-2) this past Friday night in Camptown as Blue Knights improved to 3-1.     

This Week’s Sideline Chatter Essex County Top 10:
1-West Orange (3-1)- Mountaineers go from one big game to another
2-Seton Hall Prep (2-2)- Pirates posted important win vs. Delbarton
3-Shabazz (2-1)- Bulldogs need to find more offense at Bayonne
4-Cedar Grove (3-0)- Panthers face a dangerous Hoboken team
5-West Essex (4-0)- Knights have tough road clash vs. Weequahic
6-East Orange Campus (2-1)- Showdowns of The Oranges Friday night
7-Caldwell (3-0)- Chiefs have stern test at Mountain Lakes
8-Irvington (2-1)- Blue Knights had huge win vs. Passaic Tech
9-Weequahic (3-0)- Indians off to strong start with new coach
10-Livingston (2-2)- Lancers look for road win in Mo-Town

This Week’s Schedule Involving Essex Teams, pick to win in boldface:
Friday, Sept. 25:
Livingston at Morristown, 6:30
Hoboken at Cedar Grove, 7
East Orange Campus at West Orange, 7
West Essex at Weequahic, 7
Caldwell at Mountain Lakes, 7
Paterson Kennedy at Millburn, 7
Dover at Belleville, 7

Saturday, Sept. 26:
Shabazz at Bayonne, noon
Lincoln at Orange, 1
Hudson Catholic at West Side, 1
Central at Nutley, 1
Irvington at Columbia, 1
Pope John at Seton Hall Prep, 1
Bloomfield at Barringer, 1
Horace Mann at MKA, 1
Hackensack at Montclair, 1

Record on picks last week: 15-3; for the season: 46-16 (64%)    

Follow Steve Tober on 'X' @Chattermeister