Woodstown visits Haddonfield in a cross-classification battle of 5-1 teams with a brief, but intense history
By Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN (5-1) at HADDONFIELD (5-1): The two teams haven’t played often, but they do have a history and whenever they have it’s been a battle. Wolverines coach John Adams expects more of the same Friday.
The teams first got together in 2013 and met in the playoffs three straight years – all at Haddonfield – with the Haddons winning all three games. The first one was in the South Jersey Group 2 final and was scoreless at halftime before Haddonfield capitalized on several Woodstown turnovers to win 21-0. The second was a runaway, but the third was decided on a walk-off field goal.
They scrimmaged in 2019, but didn’t play again until last year when they met in Woodstown for the first time and the Wolverines won 19-0.
“We’re going to give it our best shot to do it again,” Adams said.
The teams have a lot of similarities beyond their current records. Both try to be balanced between the run and pass, and both employ enough motion and shifts to keep their opponents on their toes.
Talk about balance: Haddons quarterback Declan McCarthy has thrown for 647 yards and running back Doninic Hahn has rushed for 686 yards and nine touchdowns. Woodstown quarterback Max Webb has thrown for 407 yards, rushed for 235 and accounted for nine touchdowns. Running back Bryce Belinfanti has rushed for 858 yards and 11 scores.
Adding even more flavor to the game, two Woodstown assistants, Nate Engle and Frank Trauz, coached at Haddonfield last year.
“I know they’re going to be fired up to play against two of their old assistant coaches,” Adams said. “It’s always a good atmosphere over there and a tough game.”
Haddonfield won its first give games before losing to Camden last week. The Wolverines are coming off an emotional 27-21 overtime win over Woodbury for first place in the WJFL Diamond Division.
Month: October 2023
A true homecoming
After decades at Walnut Street Field, Salem opens its long-awaited on-campus football stadium, a modern facility touted as ‘top of the line’
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – The principal wasn’t sure he’d ever see it in his time as an administrator. Even as it was going up before his eyes, the head coach was hopeful but not sure if he’d see it this year.
But the new football stadium at Salem High School is up and running, and everyone involved in the progress can’t wait to get into it.
The Salem football team has been making memories at historic Walnut Street Field for generations, from the traditional players’ walk from campus to the great victories between the white lines, but Saturday it turns the page to a new chapter of memories with the opening of a modern on-campus stadium – just in time for Homecoming.
The Rams christen their yet-to-be-named 2,000-seat stadium with a noon game against West Deptford that has become a big game for so many reasons. To celebrate the occasion, admission to the game is free. School officials are inviting all former coaches, players and alums to attend.
The team closed decades of play at Walnut Street last week with a victory – its first of the season – and it’s eager to do the same in the first game in their new home that if they get it likely will qualify them for the Group I playoffs.
But win or lose, they’re just glad to have it open for business to give their players and fans what schools superintendent Dr. Patrick Michel called “something of their own … that reflected their talents, their gifts, their abilities, their pride.”
“Being an administrator here for 24 years and being a teacher here prior to that for two years I never thought I’d see a football stadium here,” principal John Mulhorn said. “I just didn’t think it was going to happen.”
But there it is, right behind the tennis courts and adjacent to the field hockey field.
When the school put a track on this piece of the campus’ 80 acres several years ago, the thought was there’d be a football stadium around it “sometime down the road,” but the process for making it happen was long and there were other priorities.
Besides, they had Walnut Street and team had been playing and winning there for years. But they had been leasing only the playing surface there, so when the city condemned the bleachers the Rams were forced to find another place to play.
They went into this season expecting their days at Walnut Street to be over and scheduled all their games before October either on the road or at neutral sites as workers built the new stadium. But there wound up being three “last” games at Walnut Street before the end actually came.
They were forced to find a new venue for their Camden game when a conflict arose with the original game in Wilmington. Salem city crews worked diligently during the week to get The Nut back up to code and the game moved there.
Since the field was functional again, the Rams moved their rivalry game with Penns Grove that originally was a home date back there the following week even though outside influences forced fan restrictions. They had hoped to debut the new stadium last week against Paulsboro, but bad weather interrupted the finishing touches, so they returned to Walnut Street for one last hurrah.
Workers have been racing against the clock to have the new stadium ready this week.
“We wanted to make sure we had a game this year in our stadium,” Mulhorn said. “What we weren’t going to let happen was let this senior class go through expecting to have this stadium ready for at least a couple games (and not deliver). Because of all the commitment from so many people wanted to make sure we have one game here.
“It’s not going to be perfect, but it’s one of those things that we just have to do it. It’s been a vision of so many people and so much hard work.”
The concession stand won’t be operational, but most everything else in the facility, financed through a $2.6 million bond issue, will be, especially the new scoreboard and jumbotron that has all the players excited. The playing surface will remain natural grass and there are no lights.
There are, however, play clocks in both end zones, but they won’t be functional this week as workers needed to move them to accommodate the quarterback’s line of sight.
“One of the things we wanted to make sure we did was if we’re going to have a stadium here, if we’re going to finance this project, we want to get top of the line,” Mulhorn said. “We always try to do the best for our kids, so we wanted the top-of-the-line scoreboard. We wanted a great press box. We didn’t want to say let’s build a stadium but build it half way … Our scoreboard, we wanted it to be the best in the county because that’s what our kids deserve.”
“All I’m looking for, to be honest, is to see myself on that jumbotron running into the end zone,” Rams quarterback Ramaji Bundy said.
The football team had a bird’s eye view of the project and watched with growing anticipation the stadium take shape as they practiced on the field adjacent to the site. They expect to get in it for a little game simulation Friday.
School officials had training on the PA, scoreboard and jumbotron Thursday with Mulhorn making the first official announcement over the sound system.
Even the former players now on the coaching staff are jealous.
“I was jealous that I couldn’t play on it rather than coach,” said Dione Alston, who immediately preceded record-breaking running back Jonathan Taylor in the Rams’ backfield during his playing days. “It’s going to be super exciting for the them. They have the field right in their backyard now, the jumbotron, seats about 9,000. It’s very exciting. The kids are super excited. We’ve got to keep them focused on the actual game and not just playing in the stadium.”
While school officials admit part of them will miss good ol’ Walnut Street Field and wouldn’t completely rule out ever going back to play there for old time’s sake, with the new stadium up and running there are no immediate plans to return.
“You never say never, “ Mulhorn said, “but our plan is this is where we’re going to play our football games.”
“The kids will miss Walnut and that’s sad,” head coach Danny Mendoza said. “but I also think they’re understanding it’s a closed chapter to a new chapter that’s a little bit more exciting. That’s what you do this for, for the little stories and victories within itself. For us, it’d just be icing on the cake to be able to close (one stadium) and open (another) with a win.”
Schalick sweep
Cougars sweep boys and girls titles in Salem County XC Meet; Hadfield blows away girls field, Fuerneisen wins boys race for first time
AROUND THE COUNTY
WEDNESDAY’S SCORES
FIELD HOCKEY
Highland Regional 1, Pennsville 0
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook 7, Salem 0
Penns Grove 5, Salem Tech 0
Pitman 1, Pennsville 0
Schalick 6, Clayton 0
Woodstown 5, Wildwood 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook 3, Salem 1
Penns Grove at Salem Tech
Pitman 1, Pennsville 0
Schalick 5, Clayton 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Wildwood 0
Woodstown 5, West Deptford 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Missy Pine never ceases to be amazed at what she sees every time Jordan Hadfield steps on the cross country course.
A soccer player for most of high school career with some track experience in the spring, Hadfield decided to run cross country this fall and has really taken off. Like best girls runner in the state any classification taken off.
The Schalick junior was especially impressive Wednesday, blowing away the Salem County Meet record while winning the girls race in 18 minutes, 26 seconds on an absolutely perfect day to run on her home course. Amazingly, it came four days – four days – after she broke 19 for the first time at the South Jersey Open.
It was clean sweep for the Cougars. Charles Fuerneisen won the boys race for the first time in a personal best 16:58 and both Schalick teams ran away with team titles.
Hadfield was so dominant, she was more than three and a half minutes ahead of race runner-up Sarah Seiden of Salem Tech.
“She amazes every time that she goes out there,” Pine, the Schalick girls coach, said. “She just wants to better herself and better herself and better herself. I think she’s starting to realize what it takes to push herself and get a little bit better each time and she’s starting to be proud of the runs she puts forward even though I’m proud of her every week.
“It’s really difficult to come out and dominate the way that Jordan has this year. Cross country is a much more difficult sport than I think anybody anticipates or expects, and for her to dominate the way that she has it’s been amazing and inspiring to her teammates and the coaching staff as well.”
It isn’t always as easy as Hadfield sometimes make it – she does have “really bad races” – but there are times even she’s amazed with the immediate success she’s had. She admitted she was with Wednesday’s run.
“Today I was going for the school record,” she said. “I was really just trying to get into the 18s. I’m glad I finally did Saturday and today was just another step closer. It means more (to win) being at home, winning in front of everyone we go to school with. It means a lot.”
Fuerneisen has been chasing the county championship for three years, inching closer each year until finally grabbing the brass ring Wednesday. He was 10th as a sophomore and held on for a second-place finish last year.
“There was a lot of pressure to do it, even carrying over from last season, so to actually do it, I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “As long as the first two numbers were 16 I was going to be happy.”
It was a tight race early. Calling it “a perfect run” and saying it was the best he’s ever felt during a race, he got out to a fast first mile and as the pack came out of the woods he started to pull away. The last half of the race it was him against the clock and he won by a comfortable 44 seconds over Woodstown runner-up Karson Chew.
“Charles was hungry for it,” Cougars boys coach Justin Franzwa said. “I think this has been one he’s circled on his calendar for a while.”
In the team races, the Schalick boys had four of the seven medalists, going 1-3-5-7 – all under 19 minutes – and placed all five counters in the top 12. The Cougars finished second last year on their course.
“The whole team had a really good day; they’ve been working so hard,” Franzwa said. “As a team effort, we knew it all depended on how fast could Charles get out and how hard he could pull the rest of us. Credit to the other coaches. There were kids we could go against, that we could chase after, that really brought them along.”
The girls finished 1-3, had three in the top seven and placed all five counters in the top 10. Elizabeth Petrunis was third.
Salem County XC Championship
BOYS TEAM SCORES: Schalick 28, Salem Tech 68, Woodstown 73, Pennsville 83, Salem 108, Penns Grove 161.
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Schalick 27, Woodstown 55, Salem Tech 56.
| BOYS TOP 10 | GIRLS TOP 10 | ||
| Charles Fuerneisen, Sch | 16:58 | Jordan Hadfield, Sch | 18:26 |
| Karson Chew, Wood | 17:42 | Sarah Seiden, Tech | 21:59 |
| Matthew Tozer, Sch | 17:54 | Elizabeth Petrunis, Sch | 22:19 |
| Jacob Marino, Wood | 18:21 | Kayla Ayars, Wood | 23:13 |
| Sal Longo, Sch | 18:26 | Savannah Johnson, Tech | 23:49 |
| Gary Schwegen, Pv | 18:37 | Makayla Butz, Pv | 24:12 |
| Wyatt Juczak, Sch | 18:51 | Aubree McKishen, Sch | 24:36 |
| David Farrell, Wood | 19:04 | Sammy Sterner, Wood | 24:43 |
| Colton DiRenzo, Tech | 19:13 | Jordan Goode, Sch | 24:50 |
| Dominic Militti, Tech | 19:14 | Ava Melnick, Sch | 25:21 |
Cover photo: Schalick’s Charles Fuerneisen (left) and Jordan Hadfield celebrate their respective wins in the Salem County Cross Country Championships.
Playing for something
In a couple riverview rivalries this week, Pennsville-Penns Grove and Schalick-Cumberland both have historic trophies for the winners to claim
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
Friday’s games
Schalick at Cumberland, 6 p.m.
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Haddonfield, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s game
West Deptford at Salem, noon
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
Mike Healy has never beaten Penns Grove in his tenure as Pennsville’s head football coach. In some circles that lack of success in a storied rivalry might get a coach a change of address. Strangely, even if he pulls it off this week he knows he’s going to get the Boot.
The same holds for Penns Grove coach John Emel. Even if his team wins the game under the temporary lights at home Friday night, he’ll get the Boot as well.
Relax. Nobody’s getting fired. The two schools, 8 miles apart, are just playing for The Boot – the trophy that has gone to the winner of this riverview rivalry for years. It’s such a prized possession, winning coaches have used it as the centerpiece next the turkey on their Thanksgiving table back when the game was played on that day.
“It’s a huge deal,” Healy said. “Our towns border each other. The kids all know each other, do social media and all that stuff, and play against each other. For me, you want to win the rival game, it’s big as a coach, but for the players it means more, the bragging rights and just the ability to pump your chest a little bit and have that for the year.
“It’s a feeling we haven’t had in a while, so it’s something that means a lot to the town. It was a Thanksgiving Day game. Thanksgiving Day games mean a lot in New Jersey. We don’t have them anymore, but still that rivalry is there.”
The trophy awaiting the winner is named in honor of Norm “Wildman” Willey, the three-time Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro defensive lineman of the ’50s who taught PE and drivers ed at Pennsville for 30 years. He still holds the NFL record for sacks in a game – 17 against the New York Giants – at a time before sacks were an officially recognized league stat. He passed away in 2011.
The reason it’s called The Boot is because one of Willey’s football cleats is part of the trophy.
“Nowadays it’s pretty cool for the kids to play for a trophy,” Emel said. “It’s a pretty cool trophy. Adds something to the game.
“To be honest, we don’t spend much time talking about it outside of the one week a year we play Pennsville, but … it’s something we’re excited to currently have and we’re going to play this week with the goal to keep it. I’ve been in this program long enough where we’ve watched the other side walk off with it (and) it’s not a fun feeling.”
Pennsville is trying to get The Boot back. The Eagles haven’t won it since 2016 and the games have been quite one-sided, too. Penns Grove leads the series 36-27-4 and is 10-4 since 2010.
Both teams are on a roll and have their sights on a playoff berth. Both have won three of their last four and are looking to win their third straight.
The Eagles (4-2) haven’t won three in a row since 2016. Their four wins already are the most in a season since 2017 (4-6) and getting the Boot would guarantee them their first winning regular season since 2016.
The Red Devils (3-4) have steadily eliminated their turnovers in recent weeks and are working on a string of six straight shutout quarters. They haven’t won three in row since 2020. They’ve already matched their win total from last year and keeping the Boot gives them a chance to guarantee a winning regular season when they play for the Diamond Division title against Woodstown next week.
“It’s hard not to be a little more excited for this game than other games,” Healy said. “There’s always the competitive side, but any time it’s a rival, especially when you haven’t been successful against them and just feeling we have a good shot this year, it’s hard not to be a little more juiced up for it.
“That being said we still have to make sure we’re doing what we’re doing. We can’t just rely on adrenaline out there. I felt like today we were more focused at practice. You really don’t have to do anything to get your kids excited when it comes to this week.”
This one’s personal
SCHALICK (7-0) at CUMBERLAND (3-4): Mike Wilson has played and coached in a lot of rivalry games in his day, but the one his undefeated Schalick Cougars play this week is about as intense as they come.
They don’t call this one “The Neighborhood Game” for nothing. The schools are 6 miles apart. The players know each other, they’ve played with and against each other for years. The coaches and administrators overlap. Current Schalick athletics director Doug Volovar’s last game as Cumberland’s head football coach was in this game in 2002, so he has seen it from both sides.
The Gloucester City game might be the Cougars’ longest-standing football rivalry, but this one is personal.
“It definitely has that kind of taste to it,” Wilson said. “I’ve been on staffs where the people in town only care about one game; this game has that same type of level. Whether both teams are 7-0, 0-7 or whatever it doesn’t matter.
“This one checks all the boxes. It used to be Schalick and Cumberland’s Super Bowl when Thanksgiving kind of ended your season. I still think it’s a mid-year Super Bowl. It’s a big deal. These kids are going to come out ready to play and you’re going to see the best effort on both sides.”
There is a trophy, the Hars-Lake Memorial Trophy, established last year and named in the memories of longtime Cumberland coach Tom Lake, who oversaw the most successful stretch in Colts history, and former Schalick history teacher Mike Hars, who served as an assistant coach at both schools. Each team names an MVP when it’s over.
For the record, Schalick holds a 14-8 lead in the series, which began in 1977 with the first varsity football games in both schools’ history and then broke until 2002 when the Colts joined the Tri-County Conference. Cumberland won last year’s game in Pittsgrove 21-16 in front of about 1,200 people, snapping Schalick’s six-game winning streak under the weight of more turnovers in one game than the Cougars had to that point all season.
Nobody has won back-to-back since the Cougars won in 2018 and 2019. The Colts’ last won back-to-back games in 2007 and 2008.
The Cougars should be especially amped to play. They’ll be back on the field for the first time since Sept. 22 after getting two forfeit victories that earned the top spot in the South Jersey Group I UPR ratings and a second straight Horizon Division crown. They stand to pick up a lot of ratings points if they can knock off a Group III team with three wins.
“Looking at the big picture our ultimate goal is to secure home field advantage in the playoffs,” Wilson said. “That adds an extra layer in this game for us.”
Cover photo: The Hars-Lake Memorial Trophy (right) and the Norm Willey Boot, the trophies awarded the winner in the Schalick-Cumberland and Pennsville-Penns Grove games.
CURRENT SJ-I UPR
(Updated Oct. 8)
(Top 16 qualify for playoffs)
1. Schalick (7-0) 2.6
2. Woodstown (5-1) 4.2
3. Glassboro (3-3) 4.4
4. South Hunterdon (6-1) 5.2
5. Florence (5-0) 5.8
6. Shore (4-2) 6.0
7. Middlesex (5-1) 8.4
8. Woodbury (3-3) 8.4
9. Audubon (3-2) 9.0
10. Penns Grove (3-4) 9.4
11. Keyport (6-1) 10.6
12. Riverside (5-1) 11.0
13. Burlington City (5-2) 12.8
14. Clayton (3-3) 12.8
15. Pennsville (4-2) 13.6
16. Dunellen (4-2) 16.6
17. Salem (1-6) 17.0
18. Manville (2-5) 19.0
19. Maple Shade (2-5) 20.8
20. Asbury Park (0-5) 21.4
Starting fast
Tuesday’s roundup: Woodstown field hockey parlays quick start into victory over Salem, Schalick tennis advances to SJ Group I semifinals, and more
TUESDAY’S SALEM COUNTY SCORES
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 3, Pennsville 0
Woodstown 2, Salem 0
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville 3, Overbrook 2
Woodstown 5, Penns Grove 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Salem 5, Gloucester Catholic 0
NJSIAA South Jersey Group I Tournament
Quarterfinals
Haddon Twp. 3, Pennsville 2
Gateway 3, Woodstown 2
Schalick 5, Audubon 0
VOLLEYBALL
Washington Twp. 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-4, 25-7)
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – For the longest time this season the Woodstown field hockey team was pretty much a second-half team. The Wolverines were doing most of their scoring in the second half of games and while it was producing wins, it was becoming somewhat of a concern as the games became more intense and more important.
Now, the Wolverines are getting off to quicker starts and it couldn’t be coming at a better time.
They scored a little more than three minutes into Tuesday’s game with Salem and carried that momentum to a 2-0 victory. It was as if their victory over Delsea Friday, their first win over the Crusaders in 11 years, flipped a switch.
“Since our big win against Delsea we started just coming on from the get-go,” Woodstown coach Bryanna Roberts said. “Even this game they came out and scored right away, so it just showed me they’re out there to play and ready to go, which was a huge piece.
“It was super exciting just to get that (first goal) because coming into a game like this we’re all super anxious and you never know how the girls are going to come out. They came out ready to play. By scoring that first goal it just kind of showed they were ready to come out here and get another win under their belt.”
In their first seven games of the season the Wolverines (9-2) scored 20 of their 32 goals in the second half and went 6-1. They started leveling the ledger in a lop-sided win over Deptford, but over the last three games they have scored three of their four goals in the first half and two of them in the first quarter.
They scored both of their goals against Delsea in the first half and have now scored 21 goals in the first half and 24 in the second.
Their first goal against the Rams (8-3) started and ended with Kayla Brown, who always seems to be around when a goal gets scored. The senior forward got the play started with a corner. Megan Donelson blasted a shot from just inside the 16 that Salem keeper Dominique Lewis stopped, but Brown was right on Lewis’ pads and flicked the rebound home with 3:11 gone. It was her seventh goal of the season.
The Wolverines scored just as quickly to open the second half. Tulana Mingin punched in an insurance goal 3:15 into the third quarter.
“It just really sets the tone for the rest of the game for us,” Brown said of scoring quickly. “It was always a little discouraging when we would go through by the second half without a goal yet. We had to change that. We want to start off strong and end strong, and since that Delsea game it’s been going really well for us.”
The win, with its accompanying power points, vaulted the Wolverines into second place in the South Jersey Group I standings with a big match coming up against current No. 3 Schalick at home Friday.
SCHALICK 3, PENNSVILLE 0: Phoebe Alward scored her 12th goal of the season, Luciana Virga notched her seventh and Caylen Taylor her eighth. Lydia Gilligan posted her sixth shutout.
Girls soccer
WOODSTOWN 5, PENNS GROVE 0: Emma Perry scored her team-leading sixth goal, Alyssa Baber scored the first of her career and Taylor Sparks scored her first of the season after converting to center back for the good of the team. Blair Baldi and Calista Hunt scored the Wolverines’ other goals.
“Taylor stepped up in a big way for us to fill the role as a defender,” Woodstown coach Kieran Keyser said.
PENNSVILLE 3, OVERBROOK 2: Karsen Cooksey and Anikka Macalino scored second-half goals as the Eagles rallied from a 2-1 halftime deficit. Riley Bowman scored Pennsville’s first goal and assisted on Macalino’s game-winner. The Eagles (4-7-2) are 4-2-1 in their last seven games.
Girls tennis
GATEWAY 3, WOODSTOWN 2: The Gators won pro set tiebreakers at No. 1 and No. 3 to sweep singles and upset third-seeded Woodstown in the South Jersey Group I girls tennis tournament, handing the Wolverines (12-1) their first loss of the season.
Morgan McNally rallied from dropping the first set to win 6-0, 10-4 at No. 1, while Allison Eckstein bounced back from dropping the second set to win her pro set 10-5. The Wolverines swept the doubles matches.
In the other tournament matches involving Salem County teams, Schalick swept Audubon, 5-0; and Pennsville took top-seeded Haddon Twp. to the wire before falling 3-2.
Schalick’s Nos. 2 and 3 singles, Grace O’Neill and Allyson Green, won their matches without dropping a game. Lily Edwards and the No. 1 doubles team of Emma Cornette and Fanta Kone scored Pennsville’s points.
Schalick now hosts No. 6 Gateway in the sectional semifinals. The Cougars (16-2) have won seven in a row, six of them by 5-0 sweeps.
Clearing the air
Monday roundup: Salem field hockey team opens up after loss to Gloucester, Woodstown boys soccer bounces back with draw with Gateway, and more
MONDAY’S SCORES
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester City 4, Salem 1
Schalick 2, Our Lady of Mercy 1
BOYS SOCCER
Gateway 2, Woodstown 2
Paulsboro at Salem
Washington Twp. 7, Schalick 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Washington Twp. 3, Schalick 2
Woodstown at Audubon
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick 5, Haddon Heights 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – The Salem field hockey team has gotten off to a rousing start, but it’s heading into the home stretch of the regular season (and presumably the playoffs) and after a hiccup Monday afternoon it felt a meeting was necessary.
After the Rams fell to Gloucester City 4-1 in the Monday matinee, the team gathered behind the auxiliary bleachers behind the bench. It was discussion first-year coach Shanna Scott called “productive” lasting through the first 10 minutes of the junior varsity game to set in motion the wheels going forward.
“Things like this, I’ll use myself as an example, I like when I’m challenged and I face trials because how I respond to that reveals a lot what’s in my heart,” said Scott, who leans on her faith for direction in such things. “I like that we went through this and it was challenging, it was hard, and we kind of had a little bit of a breakdown as a team, but that exposed a lot of things within our team, so in order for those things to be exposed we have to go through it.
“It’s uncomfortable, but in order to grow in those things that’s what we need to do to push through it. I think it revealed a lot about us and a lot of things we need to work on “
Scott gave the players their space and everyone had a chance to have their say. She’s had similar meetings when called to convene them.
“They deserve to be heard, their opinions are valid, if something is happening and they’re hurt I want them to know about it,” she said. “You want to pick each other up because if you spiral, then you’re going to crumble, you’re going to fall.”
It was only the second loss of the season for the Rams (8-2), but they gave up almost as many goals in the match as they had all season. They outscored their previous nine opponents 48-5 and their only other loss was a 1-0 overtime affair with Schalick.
They entered the game seventh in South Jersey Group I power points, one point behind Gloucester. They remained seventh after it ended, while the Lions rose into a tie for third with Woodstown. The Rams play Woodstown Tuesday and if they beat Gloucester Catholic next Monday they’ll clinch the Classic Division title and sweep their division for the first time since 2016.
In Monday’s game they had opportunities, but couldn’t capitalize on them. Through three quarters they had 11 penalty corners to Cumberland’s 3, but trailed 3-1.
The Rams tied the game on leading scorer Morgan VanDover’s 10th goal of the season from just inside the top of the arc with 9:31 left in the third quarter, then gave up three straight goals. Lauren Parry’s second goal of the game 67 seconds after VanDover’s score put the Lions (9-1) ahead for good. Kaelyn Zearfoss and Ryleigh Hunter banged home insurance goals.
“We’ve been struggling a little bit playing as a team so today was definitely big for us,” Lions head coach Alyssa McFerran said. “To come together and put four goals in the cage is awesome.”
Zearfoss has scored at least one goal in every Cumberland game this season; McFerran, also a first-year head coach, called her a “feisty” player who works hard.
Parry’s goals were her first since Sept. 15. Her first goal came 71 seconds after Rams keeper Dominique Lewis began serving a two-minute penalty for being improperly equipped (missing mouthguard).
“She’s a starter for us and sometimes she does struggle on the left post, which is a hard position to play,” McFerran said. “Two goals today was good for her. She definitely needed it.”
“I hadn’t scored in a while, so it felt pretty good to put it in and get out of that funk a little bit,” Parry said. “I hadn’t been able to receive the ball as much as usual, I’ve been having issues with that, so it was good to have those goals right off the pass.”
SCHALICK 2, OLMA 1: Ava Scurry and Sophia Longo each scored a first-half goal for the Cougars (8-4).
Cover photo: Salem’s Morgan VanDover winds up for the shot that produced the Rams’ game-tying goal in the third quarter against Gloucester City Monday.
Gloucester 4, Salem 1
| Gloucester (9-1) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 – | 4 |
| Salem (8-2) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 – | 1 |
Goals – G: Lauren Parry (4), 8: 39 1Q; S: Morgan VanDover (10), 9:31 3Q; G: Lauren Parry (5), 2:05 3Q; G: Kaelyn Zearfoss (16), 2:05 3Q; G: Ryleigh Hunter (4), 5:17 4Q. Penalty corners: Gloucester 7, Salem 12. Shots on goal: Gloucester 13, Salem 7. Goalie saves: Gloucester 6, Salem 9.
Boys soccer
WOODSTOWN 2, GATEWAY 2: The Wolverines were looking to bounce back from a loss to rival Schalick on an emotional Saturday. They were down several starters and didn’t get a win, but coach Darren Huck was encouraged by the things he saw.
Jacob Garrett scored the game-tying goal on a penalty kick 12 minutes into the second half and the two seven-win teams battled even the rest of the chilly morning matinee.
For the second straight game the Wolverines (7-2-1) held leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but couldn’t close the deal although they had several strong chances to break the tie, including a sharp header by Jack Morris is overtime Gators keeper Alex Horwitz just got over to clear.
“Today I would say I got resiliency, I think that’s the word,” Huck said. “These guys were resilient, they came back. I’ve been around the game for quite a long time now and I’ve seen other schools, other teams, where they’ll come off a big win or a really tough loss and they’re still not the same the next game. I was happy to see what we had today.”
Blake Bialecki opened the scoring three minutes into the match, but Gateway’s Colin Hojnowski got the equalizer a minute later. Adrian Ibarra gave the Wolverines a 2-1 lead with an assist from Bialecki four minutes before halftime.
The penalty kick came on a somewhat soft foul in the back of the box, but Garrett, one of South Jersey’s most prolific scorers, was true on his kick for his 13th goal of the season. Before the half ended, though, Ibarra and Bialecki both had good chances to score.
“That (penalty kick) didn’t stop them from continuing the fight and work hard and play hard,” Huck said. “Yeah, we were down three or four starters today and we showed a lot.
“That was important for me to see as a coach because you can say what you want and they may be hearing you but are they really listening and today they were listening and they responded well.”
Woodstown 2, Gateway 2
| Gateway (7-5-1) | 1 | 1 | 0 – | 2 |
| Woodstown (7-2-1) | 2 | 0 | 0 – | 2 |
Goals – W: Blake Bialecki (3), 3′; G: Colin Hojnowski (3), 4′; W: Adrian Ibarra (16), 36′; G: Jacob Garrett (13), 52′. Shots on goal: Gateway 12, Woodstown 14. Goalie saves: Gateway 10, Woodstown 10.
Girls tennis
SCHALICK 5, HADDON HEIGHTS 0: The Cougars (15-2) won all five matches in straight sets to score their sixth win in a row. They’ve lost only two individual matches during the winning streak and 16 all season.
This week’s schedule
Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Oct. 9-14; to submit corrections or alterations email al.muskewitz@gmail.com
Oct. 9
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester City at Salem, noon
Our Lady of Mercy at Schalick, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Gateway at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
Paulsboro at Salem, 4 p.m.
Washington Twp. at Schalick, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Washington Twp., 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Audubon, 7 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Haddon Heights, 4 p.m.
Oct. 10
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m.
NJSIAA South Jersey Group I Tournament
Quarterfinals
Pennsville at Haddon Twp.
Pitman at Middle Twp.
Gateway at Woodstown
Audubon at Schalick
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Washington Twp., 4 p.m.
Oct. 11
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Highland Regional, 6 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 7 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 5 p.m.
Schalick at Clayton, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at West Deptford, 4 p.m.
CROSS COUNTY
Salem County Championship at Schalick, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 12
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Highland Regional, 4 p.m.
Oct. 13
FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Schalick at Cumberland, 7 p.m.
Woodstown at Haddonfield, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Gloucester Co. Tech, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Audubon at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Clayton at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Camden Academy, 4 p.m.
Oct. 14
FOOTBALL
West Deptford at Salem, noon
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester City at Woodstown, 1 p.m.
Cover photo of Woodstown’s Anthony Ford Dale looking for running room against Woodbury by Ellen Sickler.
Hats off to Sepers
Schalick sophomore posts hat trick to lift Cougars over Woodstown, all four of his goals this season have come against the Wolverines
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Anthony Sepers didn’t know much about Schalick’s soccer rivalry with Woodstown when he transferred into the school this summer. As the new kid he just wanted to do something to make new friends.
That was after he scored the game-winning goal when the teams played in their season opener.
They may give him a parade now.
The sophomore right wing scored a natural hat trick that spanned each half to lead the Cougars past their rivals 6-2 Saturday and spoil the Wolverines’ Alumni Night under the lights in the football stadium.
“It was just wanting it. Everyone’s here. It was a big game,” Sepers said. “This is my first year at the school so I didn’t really know the rivalry was that big. The first day of school we played them and everyone was talking about it so I just thought I had to come out here and do something, score a goal, and thought I’d make these people like me.”
Sepers has scored only four goals since joining the Cougars and all four have come against the Wolverines. He had the game-winning goal in both games as his first goal – with 2:37 left in the first half – gave them a 3-2 lead.
His first goal came after Woodstown’s Adrian Ibarra and Cole Lucas swapped goals with Michael Nelson and Luke Price. He took a cross from Nolan O’Toole near the left post, hit the post with his initial shot and then banged home the rebound.
His first goal in the second half came after he played a long throw-in off his chest and tucked it inside the left post. He completed the hat trick three minutes later in a similar manner.
“We had a guy here tonight, an alumnus, who always seemed to score in these games against Woodstown,” Cougars coach Joe Mannella said. “Some guys do that. Some teams they just find a way to do good things against and if that’s something, (Sepers will) do it, but I think he’ll score a lot of goals before it’s said and done.”
The player he referenced was Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland freshman Jesse McFarland. Ironically, McFarland also scored a hat trick earlier in the day in his team’s win over County College of Morris.
The win was one of the gutsiest for the young Cougars (8-3). They already were down two starters and fell behind 1-0 and 2-1, but they didn’t get discouraged and rose up to win the fifth time in their last six games. The loss snapped Woodstown’s seven-game winning streak since that Opening Day loss to the Cougars.
“It certainly wasn’t easy,” Mannella said. “It was (all about) how our guys are gonna respond when it gets like that, because it’s an intense atmosphere and now you’re behind twice. They showed me a lot tonight.
“The occasion wasn’t too big for them. When you’re trying to build a championship team games like this kind of show you what you’re made of a little bit, especially in that mental character portion of it. Can you still play your game when it’s under pressure. That was a pressure-filled first half and to come out of that first half (up) 3-2 was huge.”
The win also moved the Cougars a half-game ahead of Glassboro for first place in the Diamond Division, tied in the loss column. The teams play at Schalick Friday.
“You control your own destiny at that point,” Mannella said. “Hopefully, they get a little taste of what this could be and run with it.”
NOTES: Schalick and Glassboro are both 5-1 in the division, Woodstown is 4-1 … O’Toole scored Schalick’s final goal … You’ll have to go back past 2010 to find the last time a team scored six or more goals in the rivalry … Woodstown recognized its Tri-County Conference championship teams of 1984, 1989, 1999 and 2009 at halftime. Current Wolverines head coach Darren Huck played on the 1989 team.
Schalick 6, Woodstown 2
| Schalick (8-3) | 3 | 3 – | 6 |
| Woodstown (7-2) | 2 | 0 – | 2 |
Goals:
W – Adrian Ibarra, 15 (Kaleb Gerace), 3:21
S – Michael Nelson, 3 (Lucas Sepers), 6:04
W – Cole Lucas, 2 (Blake Bialecki), 27:17
S – Luke Price, 7 (unassisted), 32:28
S – Anthony Sepers, 2 (Michael Nelson), 27:23
S – Anthony Sepers, 3 (unassisted), 60:08
S – Anthony Sepers, 4 (Michael Nelson), 63:35
S – Nolan O’Toole, 2 (Oscar Hernandez-Guzman), 74:18
Cards: Elijah Cummings, Schalick (Y), 34:16; Grant Prater, Woodstown (Y), 54:53
Salem scores big win
Rams beat Paulsboro to get first win of the season in final game on historic Walnut Street Field, debut on-campus stadium next week
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM — The Salem Rams ignored all the negativity that had been building as the losses mounted during the season and scored a win that was historic on so many fronts.
The Rams closed out historic Walnut Street Field in style on an otherwise dreary Saturday afternoon, beating Paulsboro 28-8 for their first win of the season in the final high school game at Walnut Street where they have played for generations.
It also was the first win for coach Danny Mendoza as their head coach.
“What a way to end it here,” Mendoza said. “We needed a win bad, they needed a win bad; we came out victorious. We made a couple adjustments in the week. What they had to understand is if we limit the negativity, if we limit the distractions and play as a team, the sky is the limit.
“It’s been like that all year. We’ve been so close, we were there, we just haven’t put four quarters together. We finally put four quarters together of team football and a lot of young guys got to show what they could do today. The future of Salem football is so bright.”
Next week they move to their bright new on-campus stadium. School officials had hoped the team could be in it this week but recent rainy weather created construction delays so they put it off to next week’s Homecoming. There also was an issue with not being able to get electricity to crucial areas in the facility until Wednesday of next week.
“We know what Walnut Street has been; they’ve been playing football here forever,” Mendoza said. “All the great guys who have played here, just to honor them with the last game here is just a special and magical thing. We’re happy we’re able to honor this field and honor the community and put ourselves in the win column.”
The Rams went into the season expecting their days at Walnut Street were done and scheduled all their games before October for the road or neutral sites, but there were two other “last games at Walnut” before the end actually came.
They were forced to find a new venue for their Camden game when a conflict arose with the game in Wilmington and city officials worked diligently during the week to get the facility ready for them. It worked so well they moved their originally scheduled rivalry game with Penns Grove back to there even with fan restrictions. Now there is no tomorrow for the field as far as the Rams are concerned.
“It’s the last time I’m ever going to play on this field as a high school player and we went out with a W,” Pop Jackson said. “We’ve had a lot of last times, but this is actually the last time. I might get emotional.”
“I’ve been playing here all my life, ever since I was 5,” Ramaji Bundy said. “To actually play the last game on Walnut and then come out with a win, it feels good.”
Paulsboro remains winless and is 0-6 for the first time since 1970.
The stars came out for the Rams (1-6). Jackson burst on the scene as an offensive threat when the Rams played at Rutgers, rushing for 249 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries and he had the same kind of impact Saturday. He rushed for 190 yards on 30 carries and a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to Bundy 15 seconds before halftime to put the Rams up for good.
“We kind of got back to the original plan of what we were going to do,” Mendoza said. “Pop Jackson is probably one of the most special backs to ever come out of here. If he keeps this up, you can start mentioning him with the great backs who have come out of here. His size, his speed, his balance, his grit, you can’t ask for a better running back than that. They don’t make them like that anymore.”
It took a couple weeks to Jackson to emerge, he said, because he was trying to develop across the board.
“It was getting my coach to trust me with the ball and proving everyone wrong with them saying we’re gonna lose every week,” Jackson said. “I just used that as motivation to do good in a game.”
Jared Pew gave them 41 hard yards and two touchdowns. He scored the touchdown that got the Rams started and the one that sealed the deal.
“The first win of the season obviously means a lot to me, but I’ve been playing here since I started football, so it means a lot,” Pew said. “Especially ending it off on a win and sending it where it needs to be. It was good to set off on a win and bigger and better things.”
Junior Mando Johnson had his coming out party in New Jersey. The 6-4, 230-pound junior transferred in from Florida a month ago to get out of a tough situation and, in just his third game eligible with the Rams, showed why he is one of the top 100 rush ends in the country and has 18 Division I offers.
He was simply a terror on defense Saturday with several tackles for loss, at least two sacks, a near fumble recovery and also produced some had-to-have gains and a pair of hard-running conversions when they gave him a chance to run the ball.
“He is one of the most talented players I’ve ever been able to coach these past few years,” said Mendoza, who had Johnson at Wellington, Fla. “The sky’s the limit for him. You’ll probably see that kid playing on Sunday one day.”
For now, Johnson is just trying to fit in and do what he can.
“I’m trying to win with the family,” he said. “I’m at a new program now. I’m just trying build a connection, get to the playoffs, do good in the playoffs and try to see if we can get that third ‘ship.”
Salem 28, Paulsboro 8
| PAULS (8) | SALEM (28) | |
| 7 | 1st Downs | 11 |
| 21-30 | Rushing | 55-204 |
| 5-17-1 | Passes | 5-7-0 |
| 42 | Passing | 72 |
| 2-1 | Fum-lost | 1-1 |
| 4-29.0 | Punts-avg | 1-20.5 |
| 4-31 | Penalties | 8-62 |
| Paulsboro (0-6) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 – | 8 |
| Salem (1-6) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 16 – | 28 |
Scoring plays:
S – Jared Pew 2 run (run failed), 10:21 1Q
P – Eithand Clark 35 pass from Roman Onorato (Sharif Green run), 6:49 2Q
S – Ramaji Bundy 3 pass from Pop Jackson (run failed), 0:15 2Q
S – Pop Jackson 38 run (Mando Johnson run), 11:51 4Q
S – Jared Pew (Mando Johnson run), 4:21 4Q
Pennsville payback ‘a great feeling’
Eagles beat a third team that got them a year ago, now have four wins in a season for the first time since 2017, looking for a playoff spot
WJFL ROYAL DIVISION SCORES
Cumberland 26, Gateway 20
Lower Cape May 46, Pitman 22
Pennsville 42, Overbrook 18
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Mike Healy won’t call it a revenge tour, but his Pennsville football team has had a good amount of success this year getting back at the teams that got them last year.
The Eagles got payback for the third time this season Friday night, swamping Overbrook 42-18 in a manner similar to what the Rams did to them a year ago. They got payback on Gateway and Cumberland earlier this year.
OVERBROOK 18
NEXT: at Penns Grove,
Friday, 7 p.m.
Battle for the Boot
“It gives the kids so much more confidence throughout the season as they’re seeing we’re not the same team and they’re playing more confidently,” Healy said. “They believe more in what we’re doing as coaches because obviously they want to see results of what we’re teaching them. We got embarrassed by some of these teams last year and coming back and beating them is a great feeling.”
When you go 1-8, there are a lot of chances for revenge. The latest payback victory gives them four wins on the season, which hasn’t happened since 2017 when they went 4-6. They didn’t win their fourth game that year until the eighth game. They haven’t won back-to-back games since the start of the 2020 season.
“A big thing we preach to the kids is get respect back,” Healy continued. “We want people to respect Pennsville football when they see a Pennsville football shirt or when they hear about Pennsville football. We want them to know we’re a tough team to play and we’re not pushovers. We’re going to give you four quarters and we’re going to play hard all four quarters. We might not come out on top all the time, but we’re a team that people need to be ready for.”
The Eagles got Overbrook’s attention. They jumped out to a 21-0 lead and after the Rams brought it back midway through the third quarter they pulled back out with the help of a series of takeaways.
“We had a bit of a lull there and we need to get that fixed, but we were able to come back on top,” Healy said.
Quarterback Robbie McDade, running back Sky Eppes and Malik Rehmer all scored a pair of touchdowns for the Eagles. One of Rehmer’s scores was a 16-yard pick-six.
McDade completed 10 of 16 passes for 132 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 76 yards and two scores. Rehmer caught six balls for 107 yards. Sky Eppes rushed for 110 yards and two scores.
This win should go a long way towards getting the Eagles into playoff consideration. They came into the week two-tenths of a point out of the top 16 playoff qualifiers and stand to pick up a lot of points by beating a middle of the pack Group II team with three wins.
“I do think this should get us in, “ Healy said. “This was a huge win for us. I’d be shocked that we’re still stuck at 17.”
Every team the Eagles play the rest of the year will give them a chance for more payback. Next Friday they’re at rival Penns Grove under the portable lights in the Battle for the Boot. Healy will be looking to get the boot for the first time in his career.
“It’s something we really want,” he said. “When we broke it down after the game tonight it was ‘Win the Boot.’ It’s a big thing that matters.”
Pennsville 42, Overbrook 18
| Overbrook (3-3) | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 – | 18 |
| Pennsville (4-2) | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 – | 42 |
Scoring plays:
P – Robbie McDade 8 run (Jackson Leino kick), 7:01 1Q
P – Malik Rehmer 48 pass from Robbie McDade (Jackson Leino kick), 11:47 2Q
P – Sky Eppes 3 run (Jackson Leino kick), 7:53 2Q
O – DeAngello Conquest 4 run (pass failed), 3:39 2Q
O – DeAngello Conquest 1 run (pass failed), 6:19 3Q
P – Malik Rehmer 16 interception return (Jackson Leino kick), 0:31 3Q
P – Robbie McDade 10 run (Jackson Leino kick), 9:31 4Q
O – Jalen Aiken 88 pass from DeAngello Conquest (pass failed), 8:03 4Q
P – Sky Eppes 2 run (Jackson Leino kick), 2:42 4Q
Riverview Sports News 