GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown 2, Vineland 2: Talia Battavio scored two goals in the second half as the teams played to a draw in the Wolverines’ final regular season game. The goals gave her 62 for her career and 149 points. Gina Murray and Sophie Wells had the assists on the goals. Ellie Wygand made 15 saves in the Woodstown goal.
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
FIELD HOCKEY
Oakcrest at Pennsville
Month: October 2024
Playoff pairings
Here are the South Jersey Group I and II playoff pairings for the boys soccer, girls soccer, field hockey, volleyball tournaments; action gets underway Monday
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
BOYS SOCCER TOURNAMENT
First-Round Pairings (Nov. 5)
(16) Cape May Tech at (1) Schalick
(9) Penns Grove at (8) Pitman
(12) Gateway at (5) Audubon
(13) Pennsville at (4) Haddon Twp.
(14) Woodbury at (3) Palmyra
(11) Glassboro at (6) Riverside
(10) Maple Shade at (7) Wildwood
(15) Clayton at (2) Woodstown
Second-Round Games (Nov. 8)
Cape May Tech-Schalick vs. Penns Grove-Pitman
Gateway-Audubon vs. Pennsville-Haddon Twp.
Woodbury-Palmyra vs. Glassboro-Riverside
Maple Shade-Wildwood vs. Clayton-Woodstown
Semifinals
Nov. 12
Championship
Nov. 15
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II
BOYS SOCCER TOURNAMENT
First-Round Games (Nov. 5)
(15) Salem Tech at (2) Haddon Heights
Quarterfinals (Nov. 8)
Salem Tech-Haddon Heights winner vs. Pleasantville-Haddonfield winner
Semifinals
Nov. 12
Championship
Nov 15
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENT
First-Round Pairings (Nov. 4)
(1) Audubon bye
(9) Clayton at (8) Gateway
(12) Pennsville at (5) Riverside
(13) Buena at (4) Haddon Twp.
(14) Wildwood at (3) Woodstown
(11) Maple Shade at (6) Palmyra
(10) Pitman at (7) Glassboro
(15) Cape May Tech at (2) Schalick
Second-Round Games (Nov. 7)
Audubon vs. Clayton-Gateway
Pennsville-Riverside vs. Buena-Haddon Twp.
Wildwood-Woodstown vs. Maple Shade-Palmyra
Pitman-Glassboro vs. Cape May Tech-Schalick
Semifinals
Nov. 11
Championship
Nov. 14
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
FIELD HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
First-Round Pairings (Nov. 4)
(16) Audubon at (1) Shore
(9) Florence at (8) Salem
(12) Lower Cape May at (5) Gloucester
(13) Haddon Twp. at (4) Haddon Heights
(14) Maple Shade at (3) West Deptford
(11) Bordentown at (6) Gateway
(10) Collingswood at (7) Woodstown
(15) South Hunterdon at (2) Schalick
Second-Round Games (Nov. 6)
Audubon-Shore vs. Florence-Salem
Lower Cape May-Gloucester vs. Haddon Twp.-Haddon Heights
Maple Shade-West Deptford vs. Bordentown-Gateway
Collingswood-Woodstown vs. South Hunterdon-Schalick
Semifinals
Nov. 11
Championship
Nov. 13
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II
VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
First-Round Games (Nov. 5)
(14) Salem Tech at (3) Seneca
Quarterfinals (Nov. 7)
Salem Tech-Seneca winner vs. Pleasantville-Barnegat winner
Semifinals
Nov. 9
Championship
Nov. 12
Tuesday sports report
Schalick completes unbeaten regular season with shutout of Millville; includes first-round SJ Group I field hockey playoff pairings
By Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — Ava Scurry and Phoebe Alward each scored a pair of goals, Lydia Gilligan recorded another shutout and Schalick completed a unbeaten regular season with a 6-0 win over Millville.
Earlier in the day, the Cougars (17-0-1) were installed as the No. 2 seed in the South Jersey Group I field hockey tournament. They will host No. 15 South Hunterdon in an opening-round game Monday.
The only blemish on their record is 2-2 tie with St. Joe (Hammonton). They are one of three teams statewide without a loss. The others are Madison (16-0, NJ-1) and Northern Highlands (16-0, NJ-3).
“I’m just happy for the girls; they’ve worked hard all season and continue to work hard every day,” Cougars coach Heather Cheesman said. “We are happy with the second seed; just taking it one game at a time.”
Scurry’s two goals increased her single-season school record to 38 and ran her career total to 58. The all-time school record is 62. She also had two assists.
Alward’s two goals gave her 23 for the season. Luci Virga (21) and Paisley Warner (4) scored Schalick’s other goals in the game.
Gilligan made four saves in her eighth shutout of the season and third straight.
CLAYTON 3, PENNSVILLE 1: Alyssa Bobbsamuel scored two goals for the Clippers. Gracie Mease scored Pennsville’s goal in the fourth quarter.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
FIELD HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
First-Round Pairings (Nov. 4)
(16) Audubon at (1) Shore
(9) Florence at (8) Salem
(12) Lower Cape May at (5) Gloucester
(13) Haddon Twp. at (4) Haddon Heights
(14) Maple Shade at (3) West Deptford
(11) Bordentown at (6) Gateway
(10) Collingswood at (7) Woodstown
(15) South Hunterdon at (2) Schalick
Keeper turned scorer
Sepers comes out of the goal and snags one of two Schalick hat tricks in final regular-season home game
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Evan Sepers has been Schalick’s regular goalkeeper for the past two seasons. It’s been his job to keep the other team from scoring – and he’s done a pretty good job of it. But in all that time he hasn’t forgotten how to score himself.
Cougars coach Joe Mannella gave his junior keeper a chance to play in the field again in the team’s final regular-season home game Monday and Sepers responded with three goals in a 7-0 rout of Salem Tech.
“It was fun,” Sepers said. “I haven’t been a field player since my freshman year and scoring three in a game today was reminiscent of my freshman year.”
Indeed. Sepers came to the Cougars as a forward and scored four goals as a freshman; twice they were the Cougars’ only goal of the match. But the next year Mannella need a keeper for a young team and Sepers athleticism and willingness to meet the challenge made him the choice.
He proved to be a strong last line of of a strong defense, posting nine shutouts – six in a row at one point late in the season – for a team that overcame its inexperience to play for the South Jersey Group I title. This year he has seven shutouts and the team is expected to be installed as the No. 1 seed in the upcoming South Jersey Group I tournament.
“He is a field player, (he) just played in goal last year because it was our best option,” Mannella said. “It was nice to see him get on the field and score some goals.”
Sepers, whose cousins Anthony and Louis Sepers have combined for 17 goals this season, scored twice in the first half and once in the second.
Wearing an extra jersey he grabbed from the bin to take the field (No. 17), he wasted no time getting on the board, volleying a pass from Braydon Matkowsky into the top corner three minutes into the match. He tapped in a bouncing ball later to give the Cougars a 3-0 halftime lead and completed the hat trick with the final goal of the match.
The goalie wasn’t the only player with three goals in the match. Freshman Connor Jackson notched his first career hat trick. Reyli Reyes scored the Cougars’ first goal in the opening 90 seconds.
When Sepers moved back to goalie last season, “I just figured I’d be in goal for the rest of my high school soccer career,” he said.
He asked Mannella about moving up on Senior Night to give backup goalie Lucas D’Agostino, a senior, a chance to shine on his night. The two split the game in goal.
He played striker the whole game Monday, but with the playoffs looming he’ll probably be back in his usual position stopping opponents’ shots for the foreseeable future. And he’s “great with that.”
But for one day at least he was pretty good at putting the ball in the net, too.
Cover photo: Here’s a screen shot from a submitted video of Evan Sepers completing his hat trick against Salem Tech. The full video can be found on the Riverview Sports News Facebook page.
This week’s schedule
The first round of the NJSIAA football playoffs highlights the schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Oct. 28-Nov. 2
MONDAY
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Penns Grove
Salem Tech at Schalick
GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Salem
Pennsville at Wildwood
Schalick at Salem Tech
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Highland
TUESDAY
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Pennsville
Glassboro at Woodstown
Millville at Schalick
GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Salem Tech
WEDNESDAY
FIELD HOCKEY
Oakcrest at Pennsville
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
GIRLS SOCCER
Vineland at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Penn State Brandywine at Salem CC, 5:45 p.m.
FRIDAY
FOOTBALL
South Jersey Group I playoffs
Point Pleasant Beach at Glassboro
Audubon at Schalick
Central Jersey Group I playoffs
KIPP Cooper Norcross at Woodstown
Pennsville at Burlington City
Woodbury at Middlesex
New Egypt at Shore
BOYS SOCCER
Schalick at Cumberland
SATURDAY
FOOTBALL
South Jersey Group I playoffs
Riverside at Haddon Twp.
Manville at Paulsboro
CROSS COUNTRY
Sectionals at Dream Park
Playoff projections
Saturday was the cutoff date for boys soccer, girls soccer and field hockey. Here are the projected South Jersey Group I playoff pairings in each sport based off the current power points standings:
BOYS SOCCER
(R1 Nov. 5; R2 Nov. 8-9)
Cape May Tech (3-15-1) at Schalick (15-2)
Penns Grove (7-9) at Pitman (8-7-1)
Gateway (9-8) at Audubon (12-4-1)
Pensville (10-8) at Haddon Twp. (10-5-2)
Woodbury (6-11) at Palmyra (9-6)
Glassboro (5-10-1) at Riverside (11-5-1)
Maple Shade (9-6-1) at Wildwood (13-3-1)
Clayton (6-10) at Woodstown (14-4)
GIRLS SOCCER
(R1 Nov. 4; R2 Nov. 7)
Woodbury (2-13-1) at Audubon (15-4)
Clayton (10-6-1) at Gateway (11-4)
Pennsville (6-11) at Riverside (11-6)
Buena (8-8) at Haddon Twp. (9-6-2)
Wildwood (5-11) at Woodstown (12-4-1)
Maple Shade (5-9-1) at Palmyra (12-4)
Pitman (8-8-1) at Glassboro (8-4-3)
Penns Grove (2-12-1) at Schalick (12-5)
FIELD HOCKEY
(R1 Nov. 4; R2 Nov. 6)
Pennsville (5-8-2) at Shore (19-1)
Florence (6-9-1) at Salem (8-5-1)
Lower Cape May (6-6-2) at Gloucester (12-5)
Haddon Twp. (4-12) at Haddon Heights (9-6-2)
Maple Shade (8-9) at West Deptford (12-3-2)
Bordentown (7-9) at Gateway (12-4)
Collingswood (6-9) at Woodstown (9-7-1)
South Hunterdon (9-11) at Schalick (16-0-1)
Playoff bound or missed cut?
Penns Grove remains optimistic about Group I playoff berth after shutting out Salem, awaits official calculations (UPDATE: Late update has Red Devils on the outside)
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE — In college basketball, if a team on the bubble hits a buzzer-beater to win the opening game in its conference tournament they used to call it a $250,000 shot because that’s about what a first-round NCAA Tournament game was said to be worth.
Tre Brown delivered the high school football equivalent to Penns Grove Saturday — minus the monetary incentive, of course — in their regular-season game that they hope won’t be their final game of the year.
Brown’s 25-yard scoop and score in the second quarter was the defining play in the Red Devils’ 27-0 win over Salem that for all intents sent them to the South/Central Jersey Group I playoffs.
At least that’s the way the players felt about it as they left Jim Devonshire Field. In the post-game huddle they talked about playing “a red team or a green team” they had faced previously this season in next week’s opening round. Glassboro is expected to be the No. 1 seed in South Jersey.
“We have a shot; I think we made it,” sophomore running back KaRon Ceaser said.
First-year Penns Grove coach Marc Maccarone wouldn’t speculate on the Red Devils’ fate after the game because the formula for determining the qualifiers is so different than it was when he previously coached.
All of the projections have them landing a spot between 13 and 16 in the UPR ratings based largely on their strength of schedule. One numbers crunch has them landing at No. 15 and winning a tiebreaker over KIPP for the spot and playing Shore Regional in the first round of the Central Jersey bracket.
They went into game No. 16 in the official UPR ratings the state uses to determine the seedings and No. 17 in an unofficial Central Jersey Sports Radio ranking updated Friday night that’s proven to be just as accurate as the official standing. Saturday is the cutoff for calculations and presumptive pairings usually begin appearing in various media as the day wears on.
“Obviously, getting the win was definitely something we needed,” Maccarone said. “We’re down here trying to build a program and if the opportunity for us to get in the playoffs is there you can kind of put your record to bed because everyone is 0-0 going to the playoffs … and it’s not unheard of for a low seed to knock off a top seed. If we’re let into the playoffs, anything can happen.”
(UPDATE: In the 6:45 p.m. Saturday update on Gridiron NJ, the official state UPR source, Penns Grove missed the cut at 17. Projected Group I pairings from the official site are below:)
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 1 TOP 16: Glassboro, Woodstown, Shore, Paulsboro, Schalick, Burlington City, Middlesex, Riverside, Haddon Twp., Pennsville, Woodbury, Manville, Audubon, KIPP Cooper Norcross, New Egypt, Point Pleasant Beach
SOUTH JERSEY
Point Pleasant Beach at Glassboro
Riverside at Haddon Twp. (Sat.)
Manville at Paulsboro (Sat.)
Audubon at Schalick
CENTRAL JERSEY
KIPP Cooper Norcross at Woodstown
Pennsville at Burlington City
Woodbury at Middlesex
New Egypt at Shore
Oh, there was pressure to get in. The Red Devils had to beat the Rams in order to gain the requisite minimum of two wins to qualify; lose and they wouldn’t have even been in the conversation and Salem could celebrate avoiding its first winless season since 2012.
The Red Devils (2-7) would have made things easier on themselves had they not blown a nine-point third-quarter lead against Woodbury last week or held on to several games that went sideways late.
“The pressure was there, it was there,” Ceaser said. “We felt pressure because we felt like this season could have gone a lot better, a lot better. We feel like we could be a team that could compete for the championship.
“In every game we lost we beat ourselves. Turnovers, missed tackles, penalties. We’re just cleaning everything up to get into the playoffs.”
Brown’s scoop and score came in the second quarter with the Red Devils already leading 7-0. It was his first career touchdown.
“That was nice,” he said. “It was a great play from my teammates who blew the play up and all that. I saw the ball on the floor, just picked it up and ran it in.
“It was really important, it boosted the team’s morale and all that, but just that play alone did not get us in the playoffs. It was all the plays the whole game, but that play was really important.”
“That scoop and score, that’s what really put us over the top and let us know we’ve got to go get this,” sophomore lineman Ray Brown said.
In addition to Brown’s score, the Red Devils got three touchdowns from Ceaser. The sophomore scored on runs of 6 and 27 yards and caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Melo Erickson. He rushed for 151 yards in the game, leaving him 139 yards shy of a second straight 1,000-yard season.
Ceaser’s first touchdown capped a 65-yard drive that took up nearly the first eight minutes of the game. He carried it eight times in the 11-play drive.
“It’s good that you’re starting to finally see the fruits of all the hard work,” Maccarone said. “Changing an offense from last year to this year, being able to start to see really the last three weeks offensive production starting to come. The scoreboard wasn’t necessarily indicative of it, but the offense has been taking strides the last four weeks, so it was good to kind of see it come to blossom.”
Penns Grove 27, Salem 0
| SALEM | PG | |
| 1 | 1st Downs | 16 |
| 13-11 | Rushing | 43-273 |
| 8-13-1 | C-A-I | 3-9-0 |
| 38 | Passing | 29 |
| 2-2 | Fum-lost | 1-1 |
| 3-37.3 | Punts | 0-0 |
| 5-50 | Penalties | 9-50 |
| Salem | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0- | 0 |
| Penns Grove | 6 | 14 | 0 | 7- | 27 |
SCORING SUMMARY
PG-KaRon Ceaser 4 run (kick failed), 4:10 1Q
PG-Tre Brown 25 yard fumble return (pass failed), 8:41 2Q
PG-KaRon Ceaser 27 run (Knowledge Young pass from Melo Erickson), 3:08 2Q
PG-KaRon Ceaser 6 pass from Melo Erickson (Tre Brown kick), 10:12 4Q
WJFL Standings
| DIAMOND DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Glassboro | 5-0 | 8-0 |
| Woodstown | 4-1 | 7-1 |
| Schalick | 3-2 | 6-3 |
| Woodbury | 2-3 | 3-5 |
| Penns Grove | 1-4 | 2-7 |
| Salem | 0-5 | 0-9 |
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Glassboro 20, Woodstown 7
Schalick 27, Woodbury 16
SATURDAY’S GAME
Penns Grove 27, Salem 0
Finding another way
Blocked punt and end zone recovery propels Schalick to win over Woodbury, Cougars await their seeding in South/Central Jersey Group I playoffs
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – The Schalick football team was looking for something to happen. The Cougars were weren’t as sharp as they could’ve been in the first half and needed something to shake them awake.
Two of their most seasoned veterans answered the call.
Kenai Simmons broke in to block a punt and linebacker Riley Papiano fell on it in the end zone for the touchdown that propelled the Cougars to a 27-16 win over Woodbury to clinch third place in their first season in the demanding WJFL Diamond Division.
The Cougars (6-3) were trailing 15-13 in the third quarter when they had the Herd backed up against the end zone. Simmons broke in to block the punt and Papiano fell on the rebound for his first career touchdown.
“I hit their tight end and I sat there and saw the blocked punt,” Papiano said. “I was looking for the ball everything and it kind of landed at my feet and I just dove on it. My eyes got real wide when I saw it and I just dove on it. I was hoping (getting a touchdown) would happen. I didn’t think it would be off a blocked punt, but I’d take anything.
“I felt like it not only was a game-changer points wise and you could see it in our defense’s faces, but I think it was a game-changer morale-wise for the entire team. You could tell after that recovery all their faces lit up. They all knew at that point we could start winning this game.”
Simmons also accounted for two touchdowns on offense, both of which gave his team a lead. He threw a 48-yard pass to Nylan Sutton to put his team up 7-3 and had an 11-yard run in the second quarter to give them a 13-9 halftime lead.
Simmons was 4-of-9 for 117 yards passing and rushed for 46 yards on 13 carriers. Reggie Allen was their leading rusher with 62 yards on 11 carries.
The Cougars carried the lead they gained with the blocked punt into the fourth quarter . They held the Herd to a three-and-out, then put together a time-consuming drive with Roneem Thomas scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run to give them some breathing room.
“We played sloppy the first half and we came out the second half and did the job,” Cougars coach Mike Wilson said. “I thought our kids played hard and we found a way to win tonight. We physically wore them down as the game went on.
“We took control after the blocked punt. The percentages tell you (if) you block a punt you win 80 percent of the time.”
The Cougars now await their fate in the South Jersey Group I super regional bracket after Saturday’s games. The official UPR ratings that are used for the seedings weren’t updated after Friday’s game, but Central Jersey Sports Radio’s unofficial projection has them fifth overall or the third seed in South Jersey.
They were undefeated going into the playoffs last year, but in many ways they believe they’re better positioned going into the post-season with three more losses than they were a year ago. The three teams they lost to this season are a combined 24-1.
“I like where we’re at,” Wilson said. “We’re getting better every week. We’re peaking at the right time and I think our seniors are on a mission right now. They have done everything else. They want to go 1-0 every week.
“I think we’ve been battle-tested. We’ve played playoff teams all year and I think the harder schedule is going to help us.”
Finish with flourish
Woodstown tennis seniors produce memorable finish to their careers with dramatic win over Pennsville; includes all of Friday’s Salem County sports action
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 3, Pennsville 2
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – The seniors on the Woodstown girls tennis team knew they had reached the end of the line and they wanted to do something memorable before riding off into the sunset. They sure went out with a flourish.
Three of the Wolverines’ seniors won matches that involved some sort of tiebreaker and their fortitude fueled a 3-2 win over Pennsville that handed the Eagles only their second loss of the season and clinched a share of the Tri-County Diamond Division title.
“I was very proud with how the girls performed today,” Wolverines coach Jesse Stemberger said. “The seniors were a little emotional beforehand knowing this was their last match, but they wanted to have a memorable ending to their careers and season and they were able to achieve that.”
The Wolverines (16-5) clinched the match at No. 1 doubles when senior Julianna Lindenmuth and junior Alyssa Berry took down Emma Cornette and Izzy Schrenker 7-6 (7-3), 7-5.
Before that, senior Camille Osborn won the final match of her high school career over Regan Witt 6-4, 7-6 (12-10) at No. 2 singles and senior Leah Waterman teamed with junior Nathalie Neron to win a 10-4 super tiebreaker after dropping the first set to Naomi Hess and Morgan Holt, 3-6.
Osborn had lost two of her three previous super tiebreakers this season, with one of the losses coming to Witt on Oct. 1. Lindenmuth (with Berry) had been 1-1 in set tiebreakers this season. It was Waterman’s first super tiebreaker of the season.
The Wolverines finished the season with a five-match winning streak and were 7-1 after being eliminated by Haddon Twp. in the South Jersey Group I quarterfinals.
Pennsville (20-2) got its points from first singles Megan Morris and third singles Lily Edwards. Edwards finished the season undefeated (21-0) and has won 32 consecutive matches going back to last season.
WOODSTOWN 3, PENNSVILLE 2
Megan Morris (P) def. Gabby Kurpis 6-1, 6-2
Camille Osborn (Wo) def. Regan Witt, 6-4, 7-6 (12-10)
Lily Edwards (P) def. Aubrie Rennie, 6-1, 6-0
Julianna Lindenmuth-Alyssa Berry (Wo) def. Emma Cornette-Izzy Schrenker, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5
Nathalie Neron-Leah Waterman (Wo) def. Naomi Hess-Morgan Holt, 3-6, 6-3, 10-4
Records: Woodstown 16-5, Pennsville 20-2.
BOYS SOCCER
HADDON TWP. 1, SCHALICK 0: Andres Santiago scored a first-half goal and keeper Collin Feeley made it stand with 15 saves in the net as the Hawks snapped the Cougars’ 10-match winning streak in the opening round of the South Jersey Coaches Cup. It was only the Cougars’ second loss of the season and they remain No. 1 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings.
Haddon Twp. was the No. 4 team in the SJ Group I power points standings, meaning it would be on Schalick’s side of the bracket if the pairings were finalized today. Woodstown is the solid No. 2, Penns Grove is No. 9 and Pennsville No. 13. The cutoff day for the standings is Saturday.
OVERBROOK 4, PENNSVILLE 0: The Eagles moved up the match with the hopes of enhancing their playoff position before the cutoff, but Overbrook kept them off the board. Four separate players lit the lamp for the Rams.
WILDWOOD CATHOLIC 7, SALEM TECH 1: Teddy Woolery and Charlie Flickinger both scored a hat trick as the Crusaders snapped the Chargers’ school-record three-game winning streak. Graham Fields scored the Chargers’ goal in the second half.
FIELD HOCKEY
SALEM 3, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 0: Audrey Boggs broke a scoreless tie with a third-quarter goal and assisted on the Rams’ other two second-half goals by Kashira Patterson and Julliana Love. Ava Rogers made five saves in posting the shutout.
Heading into Saturday’s cutoff, Salem is No. 10 in the South Jersey Group I standings. Unbeaten Schalick is 2, Woodstown 6 and Pennsville 17.
VOLLEYBALL
SALEM TECH 2, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1: The Chargers rallied from dropping the first set to score their third win of the season. The set scores were 16-25, 25-13, 25-12. Tori Farnkoph had eight kills and 10 aces to lead the way. Tiara Bazemore had six kills and eight assists, Shelby Liber had seven aces and Alan’s James had six assists.
Trending upward
Pennsville carries a winning record into its first playoff game since 2019 after routing Collingswood in its Senior Night regular-season finale
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – While it may be a day or two before the Pennsville football team receives formal confirmation of its place in this year’s South Jersey Group I playoffs, the players at least can wait knowing they’re trending in the right direction.
The Eagles, projected to land its third playoff berth under coach Mike Healy and first since 2019, won its second straight game Friday, 47-14 over Collingswood. The win also gave them their first winning regular season since 2016 – the last time they won a first-round playoff game.
“Winning today was huge,” Healy said. “We finished the regular season with a winning record for the first time in a while. Last year was a winning record after the consolation tournament. There have been a lot of big accomplishments for the kids, especially to be able to take ownership for what they’ve done this year.
“Every year we talk about kind of leaving a legacy. Last year’s group got it back to a winning record. Now, this year’s team was to get us back in the playoffs. That was really our goal this year, to get back in the playoffs and see what we can do from there.”
The Eagles are projected anywhere from a 9 to 11 overall seed. The cutoff date for consideration is Saturday. Last year the Eagles missed making the field by one spot. This year they didn’t want to leave any doubt and after winning their final two regular-season game by a combined score of 82-22 probably won’t.
“We kept preaching how we played these last two weeks was what we were going to carry over to the playoffs,” Healy said. “Finally we’re operating at a much higher level all across the board than we have all year. Everybody is playing our best football now.”
The Eagles spread the wealth Friday, partly in order to get some of their seniors the ball on this Senior Night.
Quarterback Robbie McDade threw touchdown passes to Malik Rehmer and Luke Wood, Rehmer also scored on a 28-yard run, Rylan Hardy had a pair of 5-yard TD runs and Danny Knight scored on a 76-yard kickoff return.
WJFL Standings
| PATRIOT DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Camden Catholic (NPB-3) | 6-0 | 8-0 |
| Paulsboro (4) | 5-1 | 7-2 |
| West Deptford (G2-14) | 4-2 | 5-4 |
| Pennsville (10) | 3-3 | 5-4 |
| Audubon (16) | 1-5 | 2-5 |
| Collingswood (G2-18) | 1-5 | 3-6 |
| Overbrook (G2-23) | 1-5 | 3-5-1 |
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power rankings through Oct. 19 (G2-Group 2, NPB-Non Public B)
THURSDAY’S GAME
Paulsboro 30, Clayton 7
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Pennsville 47, Collingswood 14
West Deptford 35, Overbrook 12
Camden Catholic 1, Audubon 0 (forfeit)
Riverview Sports News 