River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Football Team displays resilient effort in ‘Bird Bowl’ loss to Westwood

The River Dell Golden Hawks (1-1), fresh off a 27-7 victory over Matawan in the 2026 regular-season opener, fought valiantly against the Westwood Cardinals (1-1) but fell 28-18 in the 46th edition of the ‘Bird Bowl’ at Westwood Regional High School. Westwood retained the bird cage trophy for a fifth consecutive year.

River Dell senior linebacker Luke Van Dam said of the defeat, “We were fighting the whole way through, and our guys gave their best throughout the game. Some moments boosted us, but Westwood had more than we did.”

“Coach (DJ) Nimphius always says the game is dictated by the first four minutes and the last four minutes of the half.”

After a rough first quarter, with the Westwood defense recording a sack and an interception, River Dell answered on the Cardinals' first offensive possession. The drive stalled when Luke Van Dam tackled Westwood quarterback Bruno Vega short of the first down marker, forcing a turnover on downs.

“Just being able to make that stop helps boost our offense, and our defense picked them up as well, shutting Westwood’s offense down to get our offense back on the field,” Luke Van Dam explained.

“Our defensive coach (Eric Morgan) drew up the blitz perfectly, and he gave me the best opportunity to get to the quarterback. I just had to execute, and my teammates were surrounding me. It’s just a great feeling, and the student section got loud.” “We don’t play in front of crowds like that, and I definitely got the chills in the beginning of the game.”

Westwood forced the Golden Hawks into a quick three-and-out and struck quickly, as Bruno Vega launched a 42-yard touchdown pass down the middle of the seam to wide receiver Nick Klein with less than five minutes remaining.

River Dell rebounded on the ensuing offensive series, sparked by a magnificent kickoff return by Eric Raimondi to the Cardinals' 47-yard line.

The Golden Hawks then pounded the ball on the ground, and the offensive line did a tremendous job opening holes at the line of scrimmage on six straight running plays.

River Dell benefited from a facemask penalty against the Westwood defense, which advanced the ball deeper.

On second down at the 15-yard line, quarterback Brooks Esler took the snap in shotgun formation, then dropped back briefly in the pocket and lofted a pass to wide receiver Iain Rossig, who leaped into the air to make the spectacular catch and spun around into the end zone for the score that tied the game up at 7-7 with a minute and a half remaining.

Early in the second quarter, the Cardinals reclaimed the lead when Bruno Vega showcased his arm strength and delivered a 34-yard touchdown strike in stride to wide receiver Tyler Hanson.

The Golden Hawks special team’s unit continued to excel as the kickoff returner sped to the Westwood 47-yard line.

River Dell relied on its bread-and-butter running attack eight times in a row, with Iain Rossig, Jackson Lee and Brooks Esler carving up yardage. Meanwhile, the offensive line demonstrated brute strength, pushing Cardinal’s defenders out of the way.

Iain Rossig finished the drive in grand style, taking the ball from Brooks Esler on the jet sweep. Rossig turned the corner on the right side of the line, powered toward the goal line and dove in for the 10-yard touchdown, putting the Golden Hawks back in front 14-13 with eight and a half minutes to go.

Westwood got the ball back at its own 32-yard line, then steadily moved it upfield and into River Dell territory. Facing a fourth down at the 28-yard line, the Golden Hawks defense stepped up as Luke Van Dam blew past the Cardinals offensive lineman and sacked Bruno Vega, forcing a turnover on downs.

River Dell, looking to increase its lead, marched down the field as Brooks Esler found a rhythm in the passing game, completing back-to-back passes to Iain Rossig and Nick Cordts.

The Golden Hawks offense continued to flourish on the ground with Jackson Lee and Brooks Esler, and Esler later completed a pass to Jayden Kim for a first down.

A false start penalty set the River Dell offense back slightly, but Brooks Esler then tried to squeeze a pass into tight coverage. The play caused a collision, the ball popped into the air, and Westwood defensive back Nick Klein intercepted it.

The Cardinals had the ball at their own 11, but a critical pass interference call against the Golden Hawks defense pushed the ball up field. Bruno Vega then completed two passes to wide receiver Tyler Hanson, and the duo connected again on a 42-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds left.

Westwood went for the two-point conversion and converted as Bruno Vega took the snap and passed to his favorite target, Tyler Hanson, in the left corner of the end zone. The Cardinals led 21-14 at halftime.

“That was a big moment, and if we go into halftime with that one-point lead, it’s a whole different game,” Luke Van Dam noted. “Coach (DJ) Nimphius said he explained to our secondary in the locker room what we can do better and said we got a new half and a zero-zero ballgame, and to play our game. But they came out on top.”

The Cardinals received the second-half kickoff and put together an impressive 14-play drive that chewed up more than seven minutes. Bruno Vega capped it by throwing a 12-yard pass to Ed Rasmussen in the right corner of the end zone, extending the Westwood lead to 28-14.

The Golden Hawks tried to right the ship on their first offensive series of the third quarter and started with excellent field position at their own 43-yard line.

River Dell kept the drive alive with a key fourth-down conversion at the Cardinals' 45-yard line. The Golden Hawks faced another crucial fourth down, but the drive stalled on an incomplete pass with 41 seconds remaining.

In the fourth quarter, River Dell refused to go away quietly and capitalized on a Westwood punt deep in its own end zone. The series ended with a high snap and the ball rolling into the end zone for a safety with eight minutes left.

The Golden Hawks had another chance at the Cardinals' 39-yard line and drove to the five, but an incomplete pass on fourth down ended any hopes of cutting the deficit.

River Dell’s defense forced a quick three-and-out, and another poor snap sent the ball over the punter’s head and into the end zone, cutting the margin to 28-18 with two and a half minutes remaining.

The Golden Hawks' special team’s unit gave a burst of momentum as Jaedin Raguindin used his speed and agility to return the ball on the safety kick to the Cardinals' 35-yard line.

River Dell looked ready to punch the ball into the end zone, but the Westwood defense rose to the occasion after the Golden Hawks reached the 18-yard line and forced four straight incomplete passes.

“We always tried to push through at the end of the game, but those last couple of offensive drives we should have punched in,” Luke Van Dam stated. “Coach Nimphius emphasized how many times we were inside the 10 and the multiple chances we had to get into the end zone.”

River Dell will look to get back on the winning track in the home opener and, more importantly, the ‘Rumble For The Rail’ trophy game against Pascack Valley(1-1) on Thursday, September 10th, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey. Last season, the Golden Hawks snapped a four-year drought in a dramatic 14-13 win at home.

“Home field is always important, and I enjoy playing on our field. It’s just a whole different vibe,” Luke Van Dam said. “The energy our student section brings, parents and teachers, and we know our field better than any other team.”

“I’m confident in our guys and know we can get it done; it depends on how we bounce back from this loss.” “If we’re going to roll over or come out with anger and a little bit of love and play for your brothers.”

“I remember two years ago Mason (Nagle) holding up the Midland Ave. trophy in front of our student section and on the field. I’m a sophomore, and I’m just watching and playing that in my head, imagining scenarios when we win, and we’re going to get that rail and hold that trophy up. I get chills thinking about it.”