Woodstown tabs Trautz

Wolverines expected to elevate quarterbacks coach to head coach at Thursday, school board to hear of Campbell’s resignation and Wildermuth’s retirement

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – There will be a lot of athletics related activity at the Woodstown-Pilesgrove school district board meeting Thursday.

From the comings dept., in-house candidate Frank Trautz will be put forward for approval as the Wolverines’ new football coach, succeeding John Adams, who stepped down at the end of the season to focus on his family.

From the goings dept., the board will hear the resignation of boys basketball coach Phil Campbell and retirement at the end of the school year of softball coach Dave Wildermuth.

Attempts to reach Woodstown athletics director Joe Ursino Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Trautz, a Haddon Twp. grad who played football and baseball at Moravian, has been a longtime assistant in football, basketball and baseball at Haddonfield, Lindenwold and Willingboro.

“All I can say is I’m excited about the potential opportunity,” Trautz said.

A teacher in the Woodstown Middle School, Trautz was the Wolverines’ quarterbacks coach this past season, helping guide Max Webb through his senior year and develop Webb’s cousin, Jack Holladay, for the future. He also was Campbell’s basketball assistant and the junior varsity boys basketball coach.

Campbell stepped away from the basketball program for personal reasons and preferred not to comment further. His teams were 21-26, 11-13 this past season after starting the year 4-0.

Campbell took the program after Wildermuth stepped away to focus on his softball team. The last two years, the softball team went a combined 35-12 and lost one-run games to Audubon in the South Jersey Group I semifinals each year. This year’s team is expected to be one of the best in South Jersey.

With Trautz’ expected approval, all three Salem County head football coaching vacancies will be filled this week. Matt Maccarone was approved as the new Penns Grove coach Monday and former Penns Grove and Winslow coach Kemp Carr, a Salem native, is expected to be approved as the new Salem coach Wednesday.