Month: June 2023

EV completes sweep

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – No one wanted to see Monday night’s District 3 Little League Tournament game go the distance more than East Vineland manager Scott Perkins.

His team was playing to clinch the No. 1 seed in the American Division and was leading Pennsville when the umpires stopped play in the third inning because of the weather. There was no guarantee the rain would stop and a suspension was the last thing Perkins wanted.

If they had sent the teams home for the night, play would have resumed Tuesday and Perkins might not have been there. He was catching a plane at 5 o’clock in the morning for a business trip to Atlanta.

Fortunately, the rain did stop, diamond dry was spread all around and play resumed – and East Vineland went on to post a 13-1 victory in four innings.

“It all started earlier today,” Perkins said. “I’m watching the news, I’m watching the radar throughout the entire day, really just crossing my fingers because the weather over the past five days has been so unpredictable that it just leads us right into this.

“Then we see sunshine just a couple miles away and downpours coming straight down. Now, I’m nervous because then you see lightning strikes, sweat is definitely coming down because I knew I had a big thing tomorrow for work and this is where I needed to be.”

The game went through three stoppages and two abbreviated restarts for about 45 minutes in delays. If the game had gone to the next day, Perkins probably would have changed his plans.

“I probably would have canceled my trip, actually,” he said. “I love these boys, I love these coaches and I love this team. This is a once-in-a-lifetime (event). Two of the players are my own kids so I didn’t want to miss that for the world. Work will be there forever.”

Now, he doesn’t have to make that call. East Vineland is done with pool play and will now play the No. 2 seed from the National Division in the double-loss finals round at 5:45 p.m. June 30 in Elmer.

Perkins’ team was good before the delay, opening a 5-0 lead with aggressive base running and solid fielding, but was even better coming back. They scored eight runs in the two innings once play resumed. They scored five runs on pitches that had gotten away at home plate.

“This is our third game and they’ve been building momentum each time,” Perkins said. “We had momentum going into the rain, so you’re questioning whether they’re going to be in the game and focused (once play resumed), but actually they were laser-focused coming out of that because they wanted to play so bad. Because the rain started it made them want to play more.”

East Vineland starting pitcher Enzo Candelario came to play. He pitched three innings of no-hit ball and barreled a pitch up in the zone for a three-run homer in a six-run fourth inning.

The right-hander threw 43 pitches in his first tournament start, faced two batters over the minimum and got a lot of help from his defense to keep the gem alive. He walked the first two Pennsville batters he faced, but both were erased on fielder’s choices to third base. He also had a runner thrown out at first from right field.

“I had no idea I had a no-hitter,” Canderlario said. “After I sat down my coach told me no-hitter. I was happy.”

His home run gave East Vineland a 13-1 lead. It was his eighth homer of the Little League season and first of the all-star tournament. He also had an RBI double and sacrifice fly for five total RBIs.

Liam Luciano broke up the no-hitter with a sharp single up the middle off reliever Wesley Perkins leading off the fourth. He scored Pennsville’s first run of the tournament on Greyson Robbins’ two-out single to right.

“We’re better than what we’ve played, for sure, the last two games,” Pennsville manager Phil Todd said. “It hurts. We’re better than that.”

Pennsville will play its final pool game Thursday at Elmer. The approach will be to play all the 12s because it will be their final game at this level.

East Vineland  232 6 – 13 9 2
Pennsville        000 1 –   1 2 2
WP: Enzo Candelario (1-0). LP: Caleb Fontaine (0-1). HR: Enzo Candelario (EV).

District 3 LL Tournament

AMERICANWLRATIO
x-East Vineland300.3333
Millville Am.110.6667
Elmer011.0000
Pennsville022.0000
NATIONAL
x-South Vineland300.2222
Buena110.4167
Salem010.6667
South Cumberland022.5000
x-Clinched playoff spot; top two teams in each division advance to double-loss district finals

Monday’s Games
East Vineland 13, Pennsville 1
South Vineland 15, South Cumberland 0
Tuesday’s Games
Elmer at Millville American, 5:45 p.m.
Salem at Buena, 5:45 p.m.
Wednesday’s Game
South Cumberland at Salem, 5:45 p.m.
Thursday’s Game
Pennsville at Elmer, 5:45 p.m.

Photo: The East Vineland LL All-Stars escort Enzo Candelario (orange brim) to the dugout after celebrating his three-run homer in the fourth inning Monday night.

District 3 Senior Softball

DISTRICT 3WLRATIO
Elmer100.285
Pennsville000.000
Franklin Twp.010.428
Top 2 teams advance to district finals at Pennsville, June 29 (30, if necessary); district champion advances to sectionals at Pennsville, July 2

Monday’s Game
Elmer 3, Franklin Twp. 2
Tuesday’s Game
Pennsville at Franklin Twp., 5:45 p.m.
Wednesday’s Game
Elmer at Pennsville, 5:45 p.m.

Elmer rally falls short

ELMER – The Elmer Little League 12U All-Stars put together a sixth-inning rally but just came up short and dropped their District 3 Tournament opener to East Vineland 6-5 Sunday.

Playing on its home field as the visitors, Elmer jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but East Vineland used a five-spot in the fourth to take a 6-2 lead. Elmer scored three in the sixth to get within 6-5 but fell one run short.

Pennsville hosts East Vineland Monday night. East Vineland can clinch a spot in the district championship tournament with a victory.

Elmer 200 003 – 5 7 2
E. Vineland 001 50x – 6 7 0

District 3 LL Tournament

AMERICANWLRATIO
East Vineland200.4167
Millville Am.110.6667
Elmer011.0000
Pennsville011.8333
NATIONAL
South Vineland200.3333
Buena110.4167
Salem010.6667
South Cumberland012.5000
Top two teams in each division advance to double-loss championship tournament.

Sunday’s Game
East Vineland 6, Elmer 5
Monday’s Games
East Vineland at Pennsville, 5:45 p.m.
South Vineland at South Cumberland, 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday’s Games
Elmer at Millville American, 5:45 p.m.
Salem at Buena, 5:45 p.m.
Wednesday’s Game
South Cumberland at Salem, 5:45 p.m.
Thursday’s Game
Pennsville at Elmer, 5:45 p.m.

Game of inches

Penns Grove jumps out early in title game, but Woodbury rallies to win; 4 Salem County teams compete

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

VOORHEES — Coaches will tell you all the time it’s not about winning and losing in these off-season 7-on-7 passing tournaments, just about getting better.

Still, you couldn’t help feel this one stung Penns Grove a little.

The Red Devils lost to Woodbury in the finals of the Adam Taliaferro Foundation Larry Ginsburg 7-on-7 Classic Saturday 21-12 in a championship game they were within inches of putting away.

They opened a 12-0 lead on the defending Group 1 state champions and appeared to take an 18-point lead when freshman Ka’Ron Ceaser raced into the end zone to complete a long pass play from Romello Erickson.

But although it looked from many angles and both sidelines Ceaser had scored, he was ruled down at the 1 on a touch by Woodbury linebacker Jasir Hawkins.

Caesar thought he was in. Penns Grove coach John Emel thought Ceaser got in — and so did Woodbury coach Anthony Reagan, leaving him to believe his Thundering Herd had a big mountain to climb with little time to do it.

But that’s where the game turned.

With the touchdown denied, on the next play Herd linebacker and tournament MVP Kahsir Nesmith intercepted Erickson in the end zone.

Now, not only did the Red Devils not have an 18-0 lead with a chance to add more, Woodbury cut the deficit to 12-3 and had the ball, which it promptly turned into a touchdown and two-point conversion to make it a one-point game.

“We’re up 12-0 and they call him down on the one-inch line in a touch league; very close,” Emel said. “The game’s over if it’s 18-, 19-nothing. Instead of 18-, 19- or 20-nothing it’s 12-3 and they have the the ball. Winning and losing, what do they say, a game of inches, there’s a good example.

“We had the game won, but I told (his team) in the huddle and I’ll tell them again, we’ll see them a couple more times. We’ve got them in the regular season and we’ll see them in the playoffs. They’re the defending state champs. To be the man you’ve got to beat the man. We’ll see them again.”

The Herd stopped Penns Grove on the possession after their touchdown to take the lead and then extended it on the following offensive possession with a touchdown from Marquis Taylor. A defensive stop on the final possession capped the 21 consecutive points and brought the final margin.

Ceaser thought he was “definitely in” on the play. He admitted feeling a touch, but it was after he was in the end zone. Reagan had to say it had him worried, which made the comeback all the more satisfying.

“It showed the guys’ grit,” Reagan said. “That’s one of the things we talk about (as) the Woodbury way, always welcome competition. Early on, we were up on Woodstown in pool play and they came back to win. We talked about when you have a chance to get ahead of somebody you’ve got to learn how to finish.

“That’s the first time we really got behind and had to claw back and come back on top. The biggest thing it showed there was their grit.”

Penns Grove won its bracket in a three-team tiebreaker with Timber Creek and Eastern “by playing good defense” and then beat Woodstown in overtime in the semifinals to reach the tournament finals for the first time. Woodbury made the semifinals as the wildcard and won a close one over Oakcrest to reach the finals.

The Red Devils held two of their pool opponents to fewer than 10 points and gave up 37 total. They beat Collingswood in their opener 10-7, lost to Eastern 24-17 when they couldn’t convert in the final minute and beat Timber Creek 7-6 with a goal-line stand.

“You want to learn how to win close games right now when it doesn’t count officially,” Emel said. “Nobody remembers your 7-on-7 record, nobody wins a scrimmage, it’s about getting better.

“That’s every big game I’ve ever seen. You watch the NFL, every game comes down to a team needing a score or a stop. We were able to get a stop there (against Timber Creek) and when the offense needed to get a score in the previous game and didn’t get it, we lost. That’s what this is about, getting experience.”

Pennsville coach Mike Healy (L) and Woodstown’s John Adams talk football during a break in the action Saturday.

Woodstown won its bracket with a three-game sweep that included come-from-behind wins over Schalick (13-10) and Woodbury (11-10) and a battle with Nottingham (22-16).

They led Penns Grove in the semifinals 12-2 and 15-5 with five minutes left before the Red Devils rallied with two defensive stops and a touchdown by Omarion Pierce. The Wolverines built their lead on Max Webb’s touchdown pass to Carter Orlandini and interceptions by Alex Torres, Anthony Mordell and Orlandini.

Penns Grove scored first in overtime on Bryce Wright’s touchdown catch and the Red Devils denied three straight passes when they went out on defense.

“We were just out here today; we don’t practice for 7-on-7,” Wolverines coach John Adams said. “We had about three practices and weight room sessions so far this year, so we just look at it as a day to come out, have fun, let the kids run around. It’s kind of whoever can make it can make it and we had some young guys today who may have had their first ever experience in 7-on-7.

“I said to them just now going 3-0 in pool play and making the semifinals is something we haven’t done since they started this tournament. We’ve always seemed to be 2-1 and that team outside of the semifinals and I said for some of you guys who have never played 7-on-7 before coming in and being able to go 3-0 and get to the semifinals is pretty good and something to build off of for our practices.”

Schalick coach Mike Wilson (dark shirt) watches his team during its first game in Saturday’s tournament.

Schalick is one of those teams that doesn’t focus on wins and losses in these 7-on-7s, just getting better. Their final game loss to Woodbury (29-0) notwithstanding, the Cougars are convinced they got better.

They opened the day with a close loss to Woodstown (13-10) after building an early 10-2 lead and then beat Nottingham (20-11).

“We wanted to compete today, we’re finding our way to win and that’s part of the process,” Cougars coach Mike Wilson said. “We had to learn to win. That’s why we do this.”

Pennsville didn’t win a game in pool play, but the Eagles got better the longer they played. They lost their opener to Oakcrest 28-2, fell to Paulsboro 30-22 and then earned a 16-16 tie with Kingsway in their final game, turning back a potential game-winning extra point to preserve the result. There was no overtime.

“I’m proud of what we did, but I would’ve loved another chance to win the game,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said. 

The Eagles just finished their first week of summer workouts, so they’re a work in progress. They brought only three senior skill-position players to the tournament and only had about eight pass plays in their offense.

“Our first game we played terrible, we just didn’t play with an aggressive strategy; we were a little unsure of ourselves,” Healy said. “But the second and third game we played with some more attitude and aggressiveness and we kind of got a roll going offensively and defensively, kids started stepping up and just played a lot better overall. We can take a lot of positives from the way we finished today.”

Adam Taliaferro Foundation
Larry Ginsburg 7-x-7 Classic

BRACKET IW-LBRACKET IIW-LBRACKET IIIW-L
Penns Grove2-1Woodstown3-0Oakcrest3-0
Timber Creek2-1Woodbury2-1Kingsway-x1-1
Eastern2-1Schalick1-2Paulsboro1-2
Collingswood0-3Nottingham0-3Pennsville-x0-2
x-Pennsville, Kingsway played to a 16-16 tie.

SEMIFINALS
Penns Grove 21, Woodstown 15 (OT)
Woodbury 11, Oakcrest 9
CHAMPIONSHIP
Woodbury 21, Penns Grove 12
Penns Grove quarterback Romello Erickson throws a pass in the Red Devils’ 7-on-7 semifinal game against Woodstown Saturday. Top photo: PG coach John Emel accepts the tournament’s runner-up trophy.

Red Devils rising

Penns Grove football: Red Devils have impact freshman, an all-name All-American and a budding entrepreneur on the roster

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – The game is coming at Ka’Ron Caesar fast. Really fast. But he’s confident in his abilities and ready to take it head on.

Last year around this time the Penns Grove freshman was getting ready to play another season of youth football. This week he was out on the field with the high school varsity preparing to play a big role in the Red Devils’ run for a West Jersey Football League Diamond Division title.

It’s not unusual for a freshman to play, but you have to go back a ways to find one at the positions Caesar will play – running back, wide receiver, corner and safety – having this big an impact this early. 

He’s already ticketed to be the Red Devils’ first opening day freshman skill position starter since Aaron Hayward in 2005. Hayward starred for the Red Devils for four years, then took his talent to Rutgers.

“He’s that high up on the board,” PG coach John Emel said. “We’ve had freshmen start by the end of the year, but we’ve never had a freshman this high on the depth chart. That’s a credit to where he’s at and the work he’s put in. 

“I think he’s a D-I scholarship player. He’s on that pace at a high level. A lot of times when you’re a freshman going somewhere you’re at the bottom because the other guys have been there more, but he’s been there as much as anybody. He’s prepared his way. He’s ready to go. I have no doubt.

“And he has six more weeks to train. He’ll be really ready by August, believe me.”

The freshman isn’t nervous about making the jump at all. He would watch the Red Devils play and remembers thinking “I can hang with them.”

“It’s not really like pressure,” he said. “I love this sport and I know what I can do. I’m ready.”

He showed it last week at a 7-on-7 camp where Emel said confidently the youngster had one of the top performances of the day with several catches and interceptions.

“If you ask me why I think he’s ahead of the curve it’s because a lot of guys will come in and aren’t as physically ready, but he’s physically ready,” Emel said. “He’s fast, put work in the weight room and he’s getting stronger. On top of that, he’s a good football player.

“A lot of guys come in and they have the football stuff down but they don’t have the speed and physicality. To me, he’s physically ahead of other freshmen you have come in and that’s what’s given him an opportunity to go right in.”

Caesar isn’t the only player who has benefitted from his time in the Red Devils’ expanded weight room. Designed by Emel with the support of athletics director Anwar Golden, the room more than doubled in size from a cramped 1,500 square feet to a cavernous 3,500 with a full array of apparatus and weights. It was completed in September.

Freshman Ka’Ron Caesar (L), Bryce Wright (C) and Knowledge Young are all expected to play big roles for Penns Grove this football season.

Knowledge is power

If there’s one thing sportswriters have a lot of at this time of year it’s time on their hands. And that’s the fuel to create all kinds of clever offerings.

A lot of them has to do with the quirky things one can discover putting together the rosters of the high school football teams for the season ahead.

One of the more popular pursuits when time is aplenty is coming up with an all-name team, a compilation of the most intriguing names in the game.

Penns Grove has a player who definitely qualifies as a first-round all-name pick, a veritable all-name All-American – Knowledge Young.

His full name is equally unique – “the longest one in America” one of his teammates said overhearing the interview: Knowledge Born Reality Young.

Now if that’s not a name for the ages. And just when you thought the name game couldn’t get any better, his siblings have names just as interesting – Messiah, Savior and Precise.

People ask the Red Devils’ junior receiver/safety “all the time” the origin of his name. It’s actually a family legacy and rooted in, well, the book of knowledge.

“My name came from my dad; he actually has the same name as me,” Young said. “It’s his studies. He gets most of our names from that. All of our names come from his studies. He likes to be in books a lot.”

Don’t get the idea Knowledge is just another name on the Penns Grove roster. He’s an impact player, a returning all-conference pick capable of making something happen every time he touches the ball.

He caught 27 passes for a team-leading 337 yards and two touchdowns last season, had 600 all-purpose yards and made 48 tackles – fifth on the team and tops among DBs – with a fumble recovery and an interception.

“He’s got a good name because he’s a smart kid,” Red Devils coach John Emel said. “A good name like Knowledge, you’ve got to do well in school and have your head on straight.”

“You’ve got to hold up to it,” Knowledge agreed. “I prioritize school. You have to be a student first over an athlete, so I always have to keep my grades up. Four-point-oh. Gotta keep straight A’s.”

He’ll be in action Saturday when Penns Grove plays in the Coach Larry Ginsburg 7-on-7 Classic at Eastern High School. The Red Devils are one of four Salem County teams in the field.

The Iceman cometh

It didn’t take long for Jameel Clark to find a summer job after school let out.

He created one.

CLARK

Two weeks ago, the Penns Grove freshman wide receiver/defensive back started a water ice business – PG Ice – with his cousin Julian King out of their house on Penn Street. He saw it as an enterprise to bring something positive to the neighborhood, create some jobs and put a little spending money in his pocket.

“Our main thing is to bring more positivity to the community,” he said. “When I first moved here (from Southwest Philadelphia), I never saw any kids outside and when I did they were just going into the house or going to the store. There really was nothing fun to do.”

They’re not just a couple guys moving some water ice out of the house like some sidewalk lemonade stand. Clark says they have activities outside for the kids and they have a business license. 

Right now the business is working with about seven flavors they get from a distributor in Philadelphia, but in time they’d like to double the menu. Clark admitted he was nervous about launching at first because he was uncertain how the business would be received in his small town, but then he remembered what his grandmother told him – “Don’t ever be scared to try” – and he quickly warmed to the idea.

Their water ice has hit the spot. The icemen already have reordered three times to keep up with demand. Mango and strawberry lemonade seem to be the most popular flavors.

There’s a lot of competition in the water ice business, but these entrepreneurs aren’t frozen by the challenge of the establishment.

“We did say that,” Clark said. “We were going to be the next Rita’s.”

Red Devils coach John Emel only learned about his player’s business a couple days ago and has yet to sample their wares. But he’s all for his players embracing the entrepreneurial spirit. 

“I want them work,” he said. “That’s why we try to do workouts in the morning so they can work and we can give them off on the weekend so they can make some money because there’s so much they have to take care of on their own.”

A big cup of water ice sure is a nice treat to have after a hot day of August practice. He just might make some available. He isn’t sure if he’ll charge.

After all, he is a business man.

Coach Ginsburg 7×7

Four of Salem County five high school football teams will be in action Saturday in the Adam Taliaferro Foundation’s Coach Larry Ginsburg 7×7 Classic at Eastern High School. Woodstown and Schalick are in the same bracket and play the first game at 10 a.m.

Here is the schedule:

BRACKET I: Timber Creek, Eastern, Gloucester Catholic, Penns Grove
BRACKET II: Schalick, Woodstown, Nottingham, Woodbury
BRACKET III: Oakcrest, Pennsville, Kingsway, Paulsboro, Collingswood

Bracket I (Field 1A)
Timber Creek vs. Eastern, 10 a.m.
Gloucester Cath. vs. Penns Grove, 10:30
Gloucester Cath. vs. Timber Creek, 11:30 a.m.
Eastern vs. Penns Grove, noon
Timber Creek vs. Penns Grove, 1 p.m.
Eastern vs. Gloucester Cath., 1:30 

Bracket II (Field 1B)
Schalick vs. Woodstown, 10 a.m.
Nottingham vs. Woodbury, 10:30
Schalick vs. Nottingham, 11:30
Woodstown vs. Woodbury, noon
Schalick vs. Woodbury, 1 p.m.
Nottingham vs. Woodstown, 1:30

Bracket III (Field 2A)
Collingswood vs. Oakcrest, 10 a.m.
Kingsway vs. Collingswood, 11:00
Kingsway vs. Pennsville, noon
Kingsway vs. Oakcrest, 1 p.m.
Collingswood vs. Pennsville, 1:45 

Bracket III (Field 2B)
Paulsboro vs. Kingsway, 10 a.m.
Paulsboro vs. Oakcrest, 11:00
Paulsboro vs. Collingswood, noon
Paulsboro vs. Pennsville, 1 p.m.

Bracket I winner vs. Bracket II winner, 2:30 p.m. (Field 1A)
Championship game: I-II winner vs. Bracket III winner, 3:30 p.m. (Field 1A)

County football schedules

Here is the 2023 football schedule for the Salem County high schools

Aug. 25
Burlington City at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
Gloucester City at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Salem vs. Executive Education Academy at Lafayette College, 7 p.m.

Aug. 31
Pleasantville at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
Pennsville at Lindenwold, 6 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Woodstown, 7 p.m.

Sept. 1
Pitman at Schalick, 7 p.m.

Sept. 2
Salem vs. Camden, noon, site TBD

Sept. 8
Woodstown at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
Salem at Pleasantville, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Wildwood, 6 p.m.
Lower Cape May Regional at Pennsville, 7 p.m.

Sept. 9
Penns Grove at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.

Sept. 15
Gateway at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Riverside at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 7 p.m.

Sept. 16
Salem at Penns Grove, noon

Sept. 22
Glassboro at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 7 p.m.

Sept. 23
Penns Grove at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.

Rumble on the Raritan
SHI Stadium at Rutgers, Piscataway
Salem vs. Cedar Creek, 3 p.m.

Sept. 29
Pennsville at Cumberland Regional, 6 p.m.
Lindenwold at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Salem at Woodstown, 7 p.m.

Sept. 30
Paulsboro at Penns Grove, noon

Oct. 6
Overbrook at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 7 p.m.
Schalick at Bishop Eustace, 7 p.m.
Woodbury at Woodstown, 7 p.m.

Oct. 7
Paulsboro at Salem, noon

Oct. 13
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Schalick at Cumberland, 7 p.m.
Woodstown at Haddonfield, 7 p.m.

Oct. 14
West Deptford at Salem, noon

Oct. 20
Gloucester Catholic at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 7 p.m.

Oct. 21
Salem at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 11 a.m.

Oct. 27-28
NJSIAA Playoffs

Nov. 3-4
NJSIAA Playoffs

Nov. 10-11
NJSIAA Sectional Finals

Nov. 17-19
NJSIAA Semifinals

Dec. 1-3
NJSIAA State Championship Games

Tough start

UPDATED
Pennsville LL has work to do after dropping District 3 Tournament opener

DISTRICT 3 LITTLE LEAGUE
Thursday’s Games
American Pool
Millville American 11, Pennsville 0, 5 inns.
East Vineland at Elmer, ppd. to Saturday
National Pool
Buena 15, South Cumberland 0
South Vineland 4, Salem 3, 8 inns.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

MILLVILLE – The Pennsville Little League All-Stars still believe they have what it takes to get to the District 3 playoffs. It’s just going to take a little more work to get there.

Pennsville lost its rain-delayed tournament opener Thursday 11-0 in five innings at Millville American, leaving little room for error going forward. The top two teams in their division advance to the playoffs, meaning the local Little Leaguers must win the two pool games they have remaining.

“We have a lot of talented kids, so I think we can go win two games and then play to go to the playoffs,” Pennsville manager Phil Todd said. “I didn’t think we brought our A-game (tonight) and they brought theirs. That McCafferty kid is a stud. Wasn’t expecting that.”

Millville pitcher Luke McCafferty pitched a complete-game two-hit shutout on 77 pitches. Both hits he allowed (to John Swiderski and JoJo Mannino) were bad hop rockets past an infielder’s ear in the fourth inning. He struck out 12 and all 15 of his outs stayed in the infield.

“Today was a very good game because I did very well and usually that doesn’t happen against very good teams,” the pitcher said.

Millville’s hitters, meanwhile, roughed up three Pennsville pitchers for eight hits –six from the top three spots in the lineup – and capitalized on five errors.

Pennsville did threaten in the fourth. They loaded the bases with one out, bringing the tying run to the plate, prompting a mound visit from manager Will McCafferty, the pitcher’s dad. Whatever he said did the trick. Luke fanned the next two batters on six pitches to end the inning and the threat.

“(I just told him) settle down, throw some strikes, you’ve got a defense behind you, just get some outs, one run isn’t going to kill us, so we’ll get some outs and go to work,” Will said.

“It just helped me focus and keep my cool and not mess up,” Luke said. “I wasn’t thinking straight and I just needed my head screwed on.”

Millville took control of the game with four runs in the third inning on its second look at Pennsville starter Vincent Grether. They batted around in the fifth to break it open. All five of Pennsville’s errors came in the two big innings.

“The crazy part is all those kids normally make those plays,” Todd said. “Ninety-nine out of 100 times those kids make those plays and then literally the one out of 100 where they don’t all happen in the same inning.”

Millville Am  004 07 – 11 8 1
Pennsville    000 00 –  0  2  5
WP: Luke McCafferty (1-0). LP: Vincent Grether (0-1).

AMERICANWLRATIO
Millville Am.100.000
East Vineland000.000
Elmer000.000
Pennsville011.833
NATIONAL
Buena100.000
South Vineland100.500
Salem010.667
South Cumberland012.500

Friday’s Games
East Vineland at Millville Am.
Buena at South Vineland
Monday’s Games
East Vineland at Pennsville
South Vineland at South Cumberland

Top two teams in each division advance to double-loss elimination tournament. District winner advances to Section 4 tournament at Haddonfield, July 14-19. District 3 winner plays District 16 (Wildwood area) winner in first game, July 14, 8 p.m. Districts 13, 14 and 15 also participating.

Millville’s Luke McCafferty steps on the plate behind Pennsville catcher Jaiden Wilson with the first run of Thursday’s District 3 Tournament game.

No doubt this time

Tri-Cape stars win Softball Carpenter Cup they didn’t get to finish a year ago

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PHILADELPHIA – As strong as they looked on their first day of last year’s softball Carpenter Cup, the world will never know if the Tri-Cape All-Stars were strong enough to have won it all. 

This year there was no doubt.

The scrappy Tri-Cape Stars won their second Carpenter Cup title in 10 years Wednesday beating Jersey Shore in the title game 2-1 at FDR Park with a run in the bottom of the seventh. They went 5-0-1 in the event.

Pennsville coach Beth Jackson, one of five coaches on the Tri-Cape staff, felt they had a strong team last year. They went 3-0 the first day, but were sidelined for the playoff round by COVID protocols and never got a chance to seal the deal.

This year they went 5-0-1 in the tournament and won the championship game on Emma Douglas’ walk-off RBI single with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

“That was very awesome,” Jackson said. “I didn’t think about it until the girl who runs it came up and was like, ‘Making up for last year’ or something like that. I didn’t even think about that, like it wasn’t even a thought with what had happened last year.

“It’s great to kind of redeem it. It’s always nice to win, but just seeing all the different kids together. Some of them you hear their names but you don’t actually get to see them play, they play against each other all year long and now they’re playing together to win and they do, it’s always so awesome.”

The players were aware of what happened last year. They didn’t mind picking up the gauntlet.

(They) talked about the COVID situation and how it was really unfortunate last year because they obviously did really good and had beat the team that won it all,” Woodstown infielder Tulana Mingin said. “So I guess this year when we finally got the opportunity to play the whole thing, it was just really important to show we were really good.”

This year’s championship team had some serious Salem County flavor. There were three players – Mingin, Pennsville’s Bella Farina and Schalick’s Taylor Sparks – and two coaches – Jackson and Schalick’s Rick Higinbotham. All made major contributions.

Mingin was a really tough out on Day One, batted .550 for the tournament with 20 runs and a 1.225 OPS and played a key role in the championship-winning rally. Sparks batted .313 and was flawless in the field. Farina batted .333.

The champs opened Wednesday’s bracket round with a 7-0 combined shutout by Liz Martin (Cedar Creek) and Ava Fisher (St. Joe’s of Hammonton) over Olympic Colonial, then came from behind to beat Mercer County 5-3 in the semifinals and then took out Jersey Shore.

They fell behind in the title game, too, but tied it in the fifth. Buena’s Cami Johnson and Mingin got the seventh-inning rally started with back-to-back singles, then Our Lady of Mercy’s Douglas lined a ball over the infield to bring Johnson home with the winning run. 

“I knew we had to score a run that inning,” Mingin said. “I knew if we didn’t score we’d have to go to the international tiebreaker, so I was just determined to get on base. Once I got on I knew we had a really good shot because Emma was hyped up and I knew she could score us.”

Once Johnson crossed the plate with the winning run, it took a brief moment to register. The coaches in the dugout knew and were all motioning the players to go out and celebrate. They did, striking a ‘T’ pose that has become their trademark.

T for Tri-Cape. T for table-setters. T for The Champs.

The team will be recognized at the Phillies’ July 18 game against Milwaukee.

Updated June 22

Little League wash out

Pennsville’s District 3 LL tourney opener pushed back to Thursday

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

MILLVILLE – Phil Todd is confident his Pennsville Little League all-stars are strong enough to get to the playoff round of the District 3 tournament. After Wednesday, it’s just going to take them a little longer to get there.

The local Little Leaguers were “super comfortable and ready to play” their tournament opener at Millville American Wednesday night, but their road to Williamsport was delayed at least a day when the game was postponed by the weather. In fact, all three District 3 games scheduled for Wednesday were postponed.

The teams will try again Thursday at the Millville American LL field, but Todd isn’t that convinced the weather will cooperate then, either. He already was at the field and most of the players had just started heading down Route 49 when officials called the game.

“We were super comfortable and ready to play, that’s for sure,” the Pennsville manager said. “We were expecting a tough fought game that could go either way. There are some talented kids over there and they’re very well-coached.”

The postponement has impacted the Pennsville pitching plan, but Todd said “I’ have a lot of kids who throw strikes.”

The manager had planned to go with right-handers Vincent Grether and Liam Luciano Wednesday night and come back with them in Game 3 against Elmer. He may go back to the same rotation if they play Thursday, or go with his right-hander Caleb Fontaine and if they get pushed to the weekend save Grether for Game 3.

“We have to kind of process what’s happening, if we’re going to play for sure or not tomorrow or the weekend, and then try to throw a game plan together,” Todd said. “We’re not only thinking about this game, we’re thinking about third game and then, ultimately, playoffs if we get there.”

‘It was a good first day’

By Al Muskewitz 
Riverview Sports News 

SALEM — Danny Mendoza opened the doors of the Salem football program — his Salem football program — to his players for the first time Tuesday with no expectations of what he might see.

But even with that he admitted he was pleased with the number of players who came through the door. 

Mendoza was approved as the Rams’ new football coach last Wednesday. After an introductory meeting with his players the next day and a weekend to soak it all in, a group of 30 players went through their paces in the work-in-progress that is the Rams’ new weight room.

There’s a hope of another dozen or so joining the ranks in the coming days, but what he saw from the attitude and effort of those in the room the first day was enough to excite the new coach.

“It was a good first day,” Mendoza said. “Coming in new with them – the coaching change, the variables of what we lost and what we gained – I just hoping for a good turnout. I was hoping we’d have three-quarters of a team here, which we did. 

“When I saw those guys come in, the majority on time – which is 15 minutes early for us – ready to go, ready to learn … that was a positive result for Day One. You want to hear kids talking about what they’re doing, kids competing with each other. Seeing that today was probably the most positive thing to me. I’m excited to see what’s coming.”

The Rams are expected to have some rebuilding to do. Beyond the seniors that graduated, six players have transferred to other programs in the transition. Mendoza doesn’t have time to worry about that. You play with what you have.

“There will be a new leading receiver, there will be a new leading rusher, there will be a new leading passer, a new leading tackler,” he said. “So, these guys have to look at it more as an opportunity to put their names on the map.”

There’s a lot of new coming to Mendoza’s program, including a big new premium right outside the back door. Work continues on the Rams’ first on-campus football stadium, a 1,500-seat facility replete with a Jumbotron, to replace the historic Walnut Street Park venue they really had to leave.

The natural-turf stadium is expected to be done this year, in time for the Rams to play the first of their two home games, Oct. 7 against Paulsboro.

It’s all part of a plan the ‘Jersey-born and Florida-bred’ head coach has to “take the grittiness and toughness of Jersey and … put a little bit of Florida flavor and flash on top” of it.

While Tuesday’s first day is a start, perhaps the most important day is Day Two.

“That’s what we’ve got to see,” Mendoza said. “How many guys are going to come back tomorrow.?You hope to get the same number or more, and if we do get that then we’re moving in the right direction.”

Salem football coach Danny Mendoza holds the new style of Rams’ helmet.