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WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP − Steve Klein and his fellow seniors are part of something that no other class at Westwood has enjoyed: three sectional titles in four years.

Klein scored the first touchdown to send the Cardinals on their way to a 32-6 victory over Ramsey in the North 1, Group 2 sectional football final on Nov. 14.

The Boston College commit ran for a 55-yard score in the opening minute and rushed for 101 yards to lead Westwood (11-1).

“I think it’s a lot of credit to the older guys,” Klein said. “My freshman year, it was a great senior class, and my sophomore year, a great senior class. You figure out what the standard is, and when you’re a freshman, you want to do it yourself. And as we progressed, we got better and better every year, and now it’s our show, our senior year, and the fact that we were able to do it, and make history, it means so much to us.”

The Cardinals forced three turnovers and senior Connor Readie returned a fumble 41 yards for a score in the first quarter to help extend the lead to 16-0.

Check out the photo gallery, then continue reading.

Sophomore quarterback Bruno Vega ran for two TDs to stretch the lead to 32-0. He scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter and a 19-yard run late in the third.

Ramsey (8-3) moved the ball on the ground and junior running back Jonathan Davis capped an eight-play, 68-yard drive by scoring on a 1-yard run in the fourth.

“We lost to a very good football team,” Ramsey coach Adam Baeira said. “They run to the ball, play hard, and their defense is excellent.”

What it means

Westwood has won eight sectional titles, including in 2023 when the team punctuated a 13-0 season by capturing the Group 2 state title in overtime. This year's group has overachieved, and its 24-8 sectional semifinal win over Caldwell avenged its lone regular-season loss.

“It’s just a representation of how hard they worked in the offseason, how hard they work in season, and they do such a great job day in and day out with their approach to every game,” Westwood coach Bobby Guy said.

Westwood will host Shabazz (10-1) in a Group 2 state semifinal on Nov. 21. Shabazz defeated Madison, 26-16, in the North 2, Group 2 sectional final.

“It’s awesome, a great feeling,” Westwood senior Ryan Sklavounos said of winning the sectional title. “This year, we worked our hardest, and to get to the point, it feels great. And I know going into the state semifinals, and the championship, we want it. We want this, and the next game for that state championship, we’ll play our hardest.”

Play of the game

Readie’s fumble return for a TD was a momentum shifter. On a second-and-2, Readie scooped up the fumble near the line of scrimmage and raced 41 yards for a score and 16-0 lead at 3:16 of the first quarter.

“I saw the ball, and I was out,” Readie said. “I saw the end zone, I was gone.”

By the numbers

Westwood had 246 total yards, featuring 220 rushing. Klein carried nine times for 101 yards, and his 55-yard score came at 11:35 and on the Cardinals’ second play from scrimmage. Klein followed his TD with a a 2-point conversion run, and the Cardinals had a quartet of 2-point conversions.

Ramsey had 224 total yards, including 131 rushing. Davis carried 22 times for 139 yards, with most of it coming in the second half.

They said it

“Defense showed up, balled out,” Klein said. “Offense, we got it going early, put us up 24-0, it gave us a really good cushion, and the scoreboard speaks for itself.”

“We came out pretty fired up from the get-go,” Guy said. "Steve Klein had a huge run on that first series, and we did a great job of getting them to turn the ball over in the first half. I really think all facets of the game, offense, defense, special teams - we got a little stagnant a couple times with some penalties – but a great team effort.”

Steve Klein and Westwood left no doubt.

On just the game’s second play from scrimmage, Klein a Boston College commit, took a handoff to the right side and broke several tackles on his way to a 55-yard touchdown

The play, which occured just 25 seconds into the contest, set the tone for top-seeded Westwood as it never looked back from that point as it rolled to a 32-6 victory over third-seeded Ramsey in the final of the NJSIAA/Xfinity North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 tournament in Washington Township.

Klein finished with 101 rushing yards on just nine carries for Westwood (11-1), which claimed its third sectional championship in the last four years.

This senior class, led by Klein has gone 43-4 during its four years.

Westwood will now host Shabazz, the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 champ next Friday in the Group 2 semifinals. For Klein and the rest of the Cardinals, it will be a chance to avenge last year’s loss to the Newark school in the N1G2 semifinals.

Klein followed the TD by running in the ensuing two-point conversion to give Westwood an 8-0 lead.

The advantage doubled with 3:16 remaining in the first quarter when Conner Readie returned a fumble 41 yards for a TD.

Readie’s scoop and score was one of three turnovers forced by a Westwood defense, which has limited its opponent to eight points or less in six games this season.

Quarterback Bruno Vega added to the Westwood lead with two rushing touchdowns as the sophomore scored from 1 yard out in the second quarter, then scrambled for a 19-yard score on a 4th-and-14 in the third.

As a team, Westwood ran 220 rushing yards on the night as it won its eighth sectional title in program history.

Ramsey, which was looking to avenge a 34-7 loss to Westwood on Oct. 17, falls to 8-3. Since that regular season meeting, Ramsey had won three consecutive games, scoring 107 points during that streak.

Ramsey got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter on Jonathan Davis’ 1-yard TD run.

Davis ran the ball 22 times for 139 yards for Ramsey, which was making its first finals appearance since 2010 and was seeking its first title since 2009.

First Quarter

Westwood -- Steve Klein, 55 run (Klein run), 11:35

Westwood -- Conner Readie, 41 fumble return (Ryan Sklavounos pass from Bruno Vega), 3:16

Second Quarter

Westwood -- Bruno Vega, 1 run (Bruno Vega run), 9:35

Third Quarter

Westwood -- Bruno Vega, 19 run (Ryan Sklavounos pass from Bruno Vega), 0:22

Fourth Quarter

Ramsey -- Jonathan Davis, 1 run (pass fail), 8:42

More N.J. High School Sports stories

A Bergen County teen’s athletic career was cut short after a locker room wall collapsed on him at his school, a fresh lawsuit claims.

Ramsey High School student and two-sport varsity athlete Jackson Yakata was left with life-altering injuries after a wall in the boys’ locker room collapsed on him on Tuesday, March 18, according to the complaint filed by the Lynch Law Firm on behalf of Yakata and his mother, Amanda Fisher.

The suit names the Borough of Ramsey, the Ramsey Board of Education, and multiple construction and architectural firms as defendants. Daily Voice reached out to Ramsey's borough administrator and the school board. Ramsey BOE President Laura Behrmann told Daily Voice that the Board does not comment on pending litigation.

Yakata, a standout on both the football and wrestling teams, was in the boys’ locker room when the wall collapsed on top of him, causing him to sustain a ruptured anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments (ACL, PCL), a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL), dislocation with extensive edema, and more that required the teen to undergo a series of complex surgeries.

The suit alleges the wall, built during a 2021 renovation project by C.R. Construction , was improperly constructed without required reinforcing materials such as . The structure’s instability, according to the complaint, created a “dangerous condition” that school and borough officials “either knew or should have known” about. The suit alleges the contractors failed to follow safety standards and construction plans when erecting the wall between Nov. 16 and Nov. 30, 2021.

The number listed online for C.R. Construction was not in service when Daily Voice called Friday morning, Nov. 7.

Yakata's medical team said he will never be able to play competitive football or wrestle again, his lawyers said in a release.

“Due to the gross negligence of these parties, a young man’s athletic dreams have been shattered; his high school experience will never be the same,” said his attorney Arthur Lynch. “This tragic event was entirely avoidable if not for these careless actions of many.”

The principal and founder of Solutions Architecture, Frank Messineo, who was also named in the lawsuit, said he was unable to comment due to ongoing litigation.

Yakata and Fisher are seeking unspecified damages for what they describe as “serious, grievous, and permanent injuries” requiring ongoing medical care and rehabilitation.

See Attachment

A New Jersey teen’s varsity sports career abruptly ended when a locker room wall at Ramsey High School collapsed on him.

Now, he and his mother are suing the district and several contractors, claiming “negligent construction” caused his “life-altering injuries.”

In March 2025, Jackson Yakata, 16, was in the boys’ locker room at Ramsey High School when a large dividing wall came crashing down on him.

Yakata was a standout two-sport varsity athlete on the Bergen County school’s football and wrestling teams, his family’s attorney said.

After the incident, he suffered severe damage to his right knee, including torn ligaments and a dislocation. The teen underwent several complex surgeries, and doctors later told him he should never again compete in football or wrestling.

On Tuesday Nov. 4, the teen and his mother filed a lawsuit against the Borough of Ramsey and its Board of Education, as well as Solutions Architecture Corp. and C.R. Construction Co.

The complaint alleges negligence on the part of the district and contractors led to the wall collapse that caused the teen’s injuries.

The Ramsey school district did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Solutions Architecture and C.R. Construction also did not reply to messages seeking comment.

In 2019, the Ramsey Board of Education hired Verona-based Solutions Architecture to do renovations at the high school, with C.R. Construction serving as the general contractor, according to court documents.

Both companies failed to properly inspect the work and allowed the use of substandard materials, leaving the wall in an unsafe condition, the lawsuit claims.

When the locker room wall was built in 2021, it was supposed to be reinforced with steel rebar and other safety supports. However, the lawsuit claims those reinforcements were never installed.

Yakata’s injuries have permanently altered his high school experience, said Arthur Lynch of the Lynch Law Firm, which represents him and his mother.

“Due to the gross negligence of these parties, a young man’s athletic dreams have been shattered,” Lynch said in a statement. “As parents and guardians, we put our trust in our communities and school systems to protect and safeguard our children. This tragic event was entirely avoidable if not for these careless actions of many.”

The family is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages for the physical, emotional and financial toll of the injury, including long-term medical care and loss of earnings.

Jonathan Davis ran for a career-high 171 yards, and a touchdown on 20 carries as third-seeded Ramsey defeated second-seeded Glen Rock, 41-7, in the NJSIAA/Xfinity North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 semifinals in Glen Rock.

Ramsey (8-2) scored 41 unanswered points in the win, starting with Davis’ 6-yard TD reception from Justus Favata, which tied the game at 7-7 with 3:25 left in the second quarter.

Favata put Ramsey ahead for a good with a 1-yard TD run with 21 seconds left in the half. Then, in the third quarter, Favata broke the game open for Ramsey with a 6-yard TD run followed by a 39-yard TD pass to Roberto Cotes to make it 28-7.

Davis (3 yards) and Brandon Kemp (6 yards) added fourth quarter rushing scores.

Favata completed 16-of-20 passes for 151 yards in the win, Ramsey’s third in a row. Cotes caught nine passes for 96 yards and Davis added five receptions for 40 yards.

Jack Muraca had nine tackles and two sacks to lead a Ramsey defense that forced three turnovers. Trevor Broking and Mason Gonzalez each recovered fubles and Brady Veenstra had an interception.

Ramsey will travel to face longtime rival and top-seeded Westwood in the final. Westwood has won the last four meetings between the two, the most recent, a 34-7 decision on Oct. 17.

Ramsey, which is seeking its first sectional title since 2009, is in the final for the first time since 2010.

Glen Rock (7-3) took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Brendan Burkhardt threw a 25-yard TD pass to Tyler Brassil.

Burkhardt, also ran for 43 yards in defeat for Glen Rock, which was looking to make a second consecutive finals appearance.