At every West Essex sporting event, student athletes display both a fiercely competitive spirit as well as a respectful sense of sportsmanship toward their opponents. However, that competitive spirit is turned up a notch whenever West Essex plays our rival school, James Caldwell. These games often draw bigger crowds to the stands and always seem to mean more. But how deep does the rivalry go?
It makes sense for James Caldwell High School to be our rivals, as they are not only a neighboring school district, but our schools are also similar sizes and both have high quality extracurricular programs that are well-funded. As the two high schools have expanded academically and athletically over the years, it seems the tension between them has only grown.
“In my memory, there has always been a bit of a rivalry with Caldwell, and we always wanted to beat them,” librarian and class of 1979 alumni Todd Barnes said. “But in the decades since then, the overall emphasis on sports has become bigger, and I think that has made the rivalry more prevalent now than it was then.”
As West Essex culture has leaned more heavily into sports over the decades, long-lasting rivalries have been a great way to increase school spirit. Spectators who don’t feel the need to show up to a regular season game may be brought to the stands to cheer on their team when the game is against Caldwell. School spirit reaches its ultimate peak on a Friday in the fall, when West Essex’s football team plays Caldwell’s. Students who usually spend their evenings elsewhere can be found in the stands at Travis Field, dressed on theme alongside their classmates. In the 2024 season, the Football Knights beat Caldwell in a tremendous victory that meant more to the players than their games against any other teams.
“Beating Caldwell this year meant a lot to the seniors, especially after losing to them the past couple of years,” senior captain Mikey Cerisano said. “I think I can speak for everyone that the thrill and adrenaline rush of beating them in overtime is a feeling we’ll never forget. It felt great to not just win the game for us but for our whole community.”
In contrast to the competitiveness between West Essex and Caldwell football, the joint hockey program actually unites our two schools. The hockey team’s jerseys sport both school’s logos, and students who may be enemies during the fall or spring transform into teammates for the winter. Instead of rooting against each other, the players act like any other teammate would, having each other’s backs and cheering one another on.
“Playing with kids from Caldwell shows me that rivals can be brought together, because on the ice, we all just want to win,” senior captain Connor Maniscalco said. “During the season, we treat each other like family and help each other improve. But when spring sports come around, we compete hard against each other, and that makes it fun and competitive.”
The hockey program is proof of how much sportsmanship and camaraderie West Essex and Caldwell students bring to sports. No matter how intense the competition between the two teams may get, athletes from both schools know how to leave those emotions on the field. The rivalry, while a prevalent part of the athletic programs at both high schools, is all in good fun. High school sports make for some of the best memories, and students at West Essex and Caldwell are lucky to have such strong programs that help them grow as people and athletes.
