Pitman hands Pennsville first loss of season, snapping its 22-match winning streak, in South Jersey Group I title match; Panthers win first sectional title in 18 years
NJSIAA SECTIONALS
South: Pitman 4, Pennsville 1
Central: New Providence 4, Highland Park 1
North Jersey I: Glen Rock 4, Pascack Hills 1
North Jersey II: Hanover Park 4, Glen Ridge 1
STATE FINAL FOUR
Mercer County Park, Thursday
Pairings TBA
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITMAN – The Pennsville girls tennis team loaded the bus when it was over and quickly put Shertel Park in their rearview mirror. No sense sticking around to watch someone else’s celebration at their expense.
“There was just way too much orange,” one was heard to say.
Top-seeded Pitman did something Tuesday no team has been able to do this season – find a way to put the Eagles away. It handed the Eagles their first loss of the season, snapping their 22-match winning streak, in a 4-1 victory for the South Jersey Group I championship.
The Panthers now travel up the turnpike to the State Final Four at Mercer County Park Thursday. Their semifinal opponent won’t be determined until Wednesday when the Final Four is reseeded. All four finalists won their sectional finals 4-1.
“I told the girls that wasn’t the best version of Pennsville, Pitman did not see the best version of Pennsville today,” Eagles coach Dan LaMont said. “I just felt we could have competed.
“We’re disappointed, we’re really disappointed. I told them I hope it hurts, I hope it stings, but you know what, you wake up tomorrow, the sun rises and we’ve got a match to play. We’re going to come back tomorrow, go out to Millville and we’re going to see what we can do.”
The Eagles knew the sectional final was going to be a tight match. Pitman was solid, athletic and driven and certain matches had to go their way to get the outcome they desired.
Pitman won matches at the critical No. 2 doubles and No. 2 singles spots to move into position to clinch their first sectional title in 18 years. That came when No. 1 singles Anna Fisicaro closed out Megan Morris, 6-2, 6-0.
“I really thought we were up 2-0 from the beginning, no disrespect to the Pennsville girls, and we needed to find one more,” Pitman coach Gene Reid said. “That was the joke on the sideline, we need Anna to win one more game. That was a great position to be in.”
The No. 2 doubles team of Abby Heil and Jess Bretz that got things started rallied from a 3-2 deficit to win the first set, then dominated the second set, losing only a handful of points. The win was especially personal for Bretz, who was a teammate of Pennsville’s Lily Edwards and Gabi Farino on the 2023 Pennsville LL Senior Softball World Series team.
“I think the biggest thing is the bragging rights,” Bretz said, “but it feels great because we’ve been working for this for three or four years now and to finally get that championship feels amazing.”
Edwards won Pennsville’s only point, taking a straight-set victory at No. 3 singles to remain undefeated on the season. The junior has won 27 matches in a row since losing to Pitman’s Colette Rollins (Tuesday’s No. 2) in last year’s tournament.
But she conceded it was a hollow victory given the results unfolding around her.
“It means a lot, but at the same time it doesn’t because I already knew what had happened on the other courts,” she said. “It’s a weird approach to it.”
Cover photo: Pennsville’s Lily Edwards returns a shot during her No. 3 singles match against Pitman Tuesday. (Photo by Brian Tortella)
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I FINALS
PITMAN 4, PENNSVILLE 1
Anna Fisicaro (Pi) def. Megan Morris, 6-2, 6-0
Colette Rollins (Pi) def. Regan Witt, 6-2, 6-2
Lily Edwards (Pe) def. Ava Mollehhauer, 6-1, 6-0
Kendall Bennett-Amanda Bradley (Pi) def. Emma Cornette-Izzy Schrenker, 6-2, 7-5
Jessica Bretz-Abigail Heil (Pi) def. Naomi Hess-Morgan Holt, 6-4, 6-1
Records: Pennsville 16-1, Pitman 19-2
Month: October 2024
Riding the wind
Teams buffeted by stiff wind, but Woodstown scores two early goals, then holds on to beat Clayton
BOYS SOCCER
Woodstown 2, Clayton 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown 1, Clayton 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CLAYTON — Erich Lipovsky stepped off Woodstown’s team bus at Haupt Field and immediately got smacked in the face by a big gust of wind. He instinctively knew what that meant.
If the Wolverines were lucky enough to have the coin toss go their way they were going to take the wind to start their morning matchup with Clayton.
The toss went their way, they went with the wind in the first half and scored two goals to fuel a 2-1 win that nudged coach Darren Huck a little closer to 300 wins.
“With the wind you don’t have to put too much pace on the ball, you just let the ball work,” junior back Bryce Ayars said. “When you’re playing without the wind it’s harder to push it down because the wind slows down the ball.
“It felt different today because I felt like our mood shifted from having the wind the first half (where) we generated some things. The second half it didn’t really go our way. I’m not saying it’s all the wind’s fault, but I think the wind was a big factor today.”
The Wolverines (10-4) like to play the game along the ground so getting an extra boost from the breeze at the start wasn’t behind the windy wisdom. It was more about what the breeze was going to do to the Clippers’ goalie punts and clearing the ball out of their defensive end, and then what they would do when they had it in the second half.
Woodstown scored both its goal with the wind at its back, but the wind didn’t influence either of the scores. Ayars and Lipovsky both scored on low bullets from in front of the net five apart in the first 15 minutes of the match.
For Ayars, it was his career-tying seventh goal of the year. For Lipovsky, it was his second and proved to be the game-winner.
“I don’t score a lot,” Lipovsky said. “I tend to move the ball forward more and then I don’t end up being in front of the net when the ball comes in, but I saw my opportunity, saw a gap in the defense, and just happened to put it in the right spot.”
“He got us what we needed today – he got us a goal,” Huck said. “He is not our top goal-scorer by any means, but he got what we needed today.”
What concerned Huck more than the wind was the Wolverines inability to finish when they had the chance – and they had plenty of chances. They took 36 shots in the match, but had only the two goals to show for it. Shots that by all accounts needed to find the back the net went wide, right into the keeper or off the cross bar. Ayars, Lipovsky and Nick DiTeodoro all had good chances in the second half.
The missed chances became even more glaring after Jonathan Rehm got the Clippers within 2-1 with a goal five minutes into the second half.
“I thought we had a couple really good opportunities where we could’ve put the third goal in and built on getting the fourth goal and we didn’t do that today and that was discouraging,” Huck said. “I thought the defense played strong like they usually do … it was just a matter offensively we’ve got to finish.
“We should have put a third goal in and built on getting a fourth goal. We need to be different on Friday. If we don’t do that, Overbrook will sneak out of there with a 1-0 win.”
Girls game
WOODSTOWN 1, CLAYTON 0: Ryann Foote broke a scoreless tie in the second half when she converted an Emma Morgan pass for the game’s only goal. It was her third goal of the game. Ellie Wygand made four saves in posting the shutout. Each of the Wolverines’ last five wins have all been by shutout; they are 5-1-1 in that stretch.
Good as gold
Weber’s golden goal PK lifts Schalick over Palmyra in battle of South Jersey Group I’s top two power teams
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — Joe Mannella has been part of a lot of big wins in his 20-plus years as Schalick’s soccer coach, but he might not have had one with as much grit as the one his Cougars pulled off Monday.
Playing a man down for nearly 55 minutes because of a first-half red card to their captain, the Cougars scored two goals short-handed and kept their opponent at bay to beat Palmyra 2-1 in overtime and take a big step towards claiming the No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group I tournament.
Schalick came into the game ranked No. 1 in the SJ-I power points standings. Palmyra was No. 2. Both teams have beaten current No. 3 Audubon. The Cougars (12-1) now hold a nearly a seven-point lead over Palmyra (9-3) and Audubon.
To make the win even sweeter, Palmyra beat the Cougars twice last year, including the South Jersey Group I final – in overtime.
This time, it was the Cougars prevailing in overtime, with junior midfielder Jaxon Weber getting the game-winner on a penalty kick 7:19 into the first extra period.
“Result wise, the way they responded to losing their captain is phenomenal,” Mannella aid. “If it were just that, then I would be completely pumped. But we keep having these episodes where we lose a little bit of our discipline and if you want to do the things we want to do, I don’t think you get away with that long term. You’re dodging bullets at that point.
“But soccer wise, today, they answered the called and showed a lot of guts. If you said Palmyra had a 1-0 lead at halftime and you’re down to 10 men what are your odds, but I felt from the way they responded you just felt that wasn’t going to make that much of a difference.”
The Cougars were thrown into the short-handed situation when senior captain Eli Cummings was red-carded for a handball trying to protect the left side of Schalick’s net with 7:35 left in the first half.
Cummings looked like he was instinctively trying to protect his face when Connor Jones’ header bounded his way, but he was carded for intentionally trying to stop a goal-scoring opportunity. The play put Cole McCamy on the spot and he put the PK past Evan Sepers to give Palmyra a 1-0 lead.
After the play the Cougars seemed more determined than ever to get after it.
“After going down 10 men in the first half I felt like it lit a fire in us,” senior midfielder Louis Sepers said. “We came out way harder in the second half, put our heads to it and worked really hard.”
“I feel like I played harder,” Weber admitted, “because he’s our captain and he backs us up on everything and I know I had to go even harder just for him.”
About the only tactical difference was the Cougars moved two strikers up and pinched in their wings.
“It’s rough, but you have to bounce back; you have to pick up your heads and you just play like a team,” sophomore Luke Price said. “You play your normal way of soccer and keep going on from that. You can’t let your head drop.”
They got the tying goal with 25:41 left in the second half when Sepers redirected a shot off his shoulder just inside the left post off a corner kick. He has scored in each of the Cougars’ last four games and three of them have been similar to the one he got Monday.
The goal got the Cougars to overtime, but they were still a man down. Weber won it on a golden goal penalty kick with 2:41 left in the first overtime. It was his third successful PK this year. He was going to shoot to his right, then tucked it into the left side of the cage.
He got the opportunity when Price was shoved by the Palmyra keeper after a scoring chance moments earlier.
“It was really nerve wracking when I saw him go and almost save it, but it went in,” Weber said. “I was going to go right. It’s that little over thinking, but you’ve got to stay confident in what you’ve already done.”
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
POWER POINTS STANDINGS
(Top 16 through Oct. 14)
| SCHOOL | W-L-T | POINTS |
| Schalick | 12-1 | 25.264 |
| Palmyra | 9-4 | 18.422 |
| Audubon | 9-3 | 18.316 |
| Haddon Twp. | 8-2-2 | 16.669 |
| Woodstown | 10-4 | 16.269 |
| Riverside | 8-5-1 | 14.502 |
| Pitman | 6-5-1 | 13.697 |
| Wildwood | 8-3-1 | 13.398 |
| Maple Shade | 7-4-1 | 12.777 |
| Glassboro | 5-5-1 | 12.317 |
| Penns Grove | 5-6 | 12.159 |
| Gateway | 5-7 | 10.198 |
| Pennsville | 8-6 | 9.214 |
| Clayton | 6-7 | 7.020 |
| Woodbury | 3-8 | 6.764 |
| Buena | 0-9-1 | 5.178 |
This week’s schedule
Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Oct. 14-19
MONDAY, OCT. 14
BOYS SOCCER
Palmyra at Schalick
Woodstown at Clayton, 11 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown at Clayton, 1 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCT. 15
GIRLS TENNIS
Salem at Penns Grove
Wildwood at Schalick, 4:15 p.m.
Group I Sectional Finals
Pennsville at Pitman, Shertel Park, 3 p.m.
Glen Ridge at Hanover Park
New Providence at Highland Park
Pascack Hills at Glen Rock
CROSS COUNTRY
TCC Batch Meet at Kingsway, 3:30 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford at Pennsville
Glassboro at Salem
St. Joe’s at Schalick
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Highland
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Cape May Tech
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 3:30 p.m.
Pitman at Salem
Woodstown at Salem Tech
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester at Schalick
Penns Grove at Paulsboro
Salem at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
Salem Tech at Woodstown
GIRLS TENNIS
Haddon Heights at Schalick
Pennsville at Millville, 3:45 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCT. 17
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Schalick
Pennsville at Bridgeton
Salem at Clayton
Woodstown at Clearview
GIRLS TENNIS
Overbrook at Woodstown
Penns Grove at Schalick
Salem at Glassboro
Group I Final Four
Mercer County Park
Semifinals, 11 a.m.
Championship Match, 1 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Pitman, 6:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 18
FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Lawrence, 6:30 p.m.
Collingswood at Camden Catholic
Glassboro at Schalick
Paulsboro at West Deptford
FIELD HOCKEY
Egg Harbor Twp. at Woodstown
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem Tech
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
Schalick at Glassboro
Woodstown at Overbrook
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem Tech
Gloucester Catholic at Salem
Pennsville at Penns Grove
Overbrook at Woodstown
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Salem, 3:45 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pitman
Schalick at Glassboro
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Triton
SATURDAY, OCT. 19
FOOTBALL
Penns Grove at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Audubon at Overbrook, 11 a.m.
Woodstown at Salem, noon
GIRLS SOCCER
Cherry Hill West at Schalick
How quickly things turn
Saturday football: Pennsville’s loss at Paulsboro turns on three big miscues in second half; Woodstown hits 6-0 for first time since 2013, but facing adversity
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PAULSBORO – Pennsville came out for the second half Saturday brimming with confidence. After a flat first half and long halftime, they were convinced things were going to be different.
And they did start fast, getting two long touchdown bursts from Rylan Hardy to take their first lead of the game. Sure, it was only a two-point lead, but momentum was building on their side. Even their sideline sounded louder after the first score tied the game.
But then things went south. In a hurry. Like a Jenga tower when the wrong block gets pulled.
The Eagles gave up a big play and a touchdown on the next possession to lose the lead and then made three huge mistakes over the next five minutes of game clock they couldn’t recover from and lost to Paulsboro 36-24.
They gave up a 48-yard run to Sawyer Cabanas on the first play after Hardy’s 65-yard touchdown run and Robbie McDade’s conversion pass to Malik Rehmer gave the Eagles a 16-14 lead with 4:39 left in the third quarter. That eventually led to Aundre Hill’s second touchdown of the quarter to put the Red Raiders back on top.
But it got worse. It was still only a six-point game, but the Eagles mishandled a bouncing ball on the ensuing kickoff and Paulsboro recovered. They made the Red Raiders work for it, but Jahsir Johnson tossed a 2-yard TD pass to Jeremiah Carr on fourth-and-goal to stretch the lead.
On the next possession Hardy had a for-sure 47-yard touchdown run, but it was called back by a holding penalty. The Eagles started going backwards after that and then on fourth down they snapped a ball over the punter’s head for a 23-yard loss.
Paulsboro took over in the red zone and Cabanas eventually scored on a 1-yard run.
“You can call it bad luck, but you’ve got to make your own luck also in football, and we just didn’t do some things right today,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “It kind of started compounding and we weren’t able to settle down and get control of the game again. We just kept making mistakes one on top of the other and that’s what happens.
“It’s frustrating but at the same time we put ourselves in that position by not playing well in the first half.”
The first half was kind of a snoozefest with very little action, but that changed in the second half. The teams traded touchdowns on the first four possessions and then it broke on the mishandled kickoff.
The play happened on the far side of the field and Healy didn’t get a clear look at it so he deferred comment except to chalk it up to cascade of mistakes that was to come.
“We’ve got to coach that up better,” Healy said.
The loss spoiled a big game from Hardy. The junior running back came to life in the second half and picked up 127 of his 145 yards rushing in the third quarter with runs of 28, 29 and 65 yards. And he was denied another 47 yards in the fourth.
Paulsboro, meanwhile, spread the wealth. KyAire Harvey rushed for 113 yards in the first half, including a 64-yard touchdown for the only points of the half. He finished with 193 yards rushing. Cabanas had 73 yards and Hill had 70.
The Eagles did salvage a bit of pride when they drove 45 and scored on Robbie McDade’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Malik Rehmer with just under a minute to play.
“I was glad to us playing there til the end,” Healy said. “Defensively we were still trying to get after kids. It’s frustrating all around, but it’s always good to see kids are still trying to move the ball and do what they’re supposed to do. You’re still to coach ‘em the whole time even when it’s in a situation like that.”
Paulsboro 36, Pennsville 24
| PENN | PAUL | |
| 8 | 1st Downs | 12 |
| 22-161 | Rushing | 40-343 |
| 6-11-0 | Passes | 5-8-0 |
| 67 | Passing | 29 |
| 2-1 | Fum-Lost | 2-1 |
| 3-28.7 | Punts | 1-25.0 |
| 7-45 | Penalties | 7-50 |
| Pennsville (3-4) | 0 | 0 | 16 | 8- | 24 |
| Paulsboro (5-2) | 8 | 0 | 14 | 14- | 36 |
SCORING SUMMARY
PB-KyAire Harvey 64 run (Jeremiah Carr pass from Jahsir Johnson), 6:36 1Q
PV-Rylan Hardy 29 run (Malik Rehmer pass from Robbie McDade), 7:18 3Q
PB-Aundre Hill 30 run (pass failed), 5:36 3Q
PV-Rylan Hardy 65 run (Malik Rehmer pass from Robbie McDade), 4:30 3Q
PB-Aundre Hill 9 run (Jeremiah Carr pass from Jahsir Johnson), 1:10 3Q
PB-Jeremiah Carr 2 pass from Jahsir Johnson), 10:21 4Q
PB-Sawyer Cabanas 1 run (kick failed), 4:14 4Q
PV-Malik Rehmer 9 pass from Robbie McDade (Robbie McDade run), 58.1 4Q
Wolverines win, but face adversity
HADDON HEIGHTS – Throughout his first season as Woodstown’s head coach, Frank Trautz has preferred to focus on the progress of his players and their team above any buzz their season-opening winning streak is creating.
The Wolverines won again Saturday, beating Haddon Heights 17-8 to reach 6-0 for the first time since 2013, but they’re about to face the first real challenge to that all-for-one mindset they’ve embraced.
Senior quarterback Jack Holladay suffered an upper body injury in the collarbone/shoulder area late in the second quarter and didn’t play the second half. The extent of his injury won’t be known until further evaluation Monday.
The Wolverines are currently tied with Glassboro for the WJFL Diamond Division lead and are the No. 1 team in the latest South Jersey Group I power points standings, meaning they would be a No. 1 South or Central Jersey seed for the third year in a row if the playoffs started today.
Holladay was in his first year as the Wolverines’ starter, stepping into the role following the graduation of his four-year starter cousin, Max Webb. In the first five games of the season he completed 17 of 35 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns. He was 3-for-3 for 53 yards, including a 42-yard pass to Garrett Leyman shortly before getting hurt.
“I think you know what I’m going to say about (the winning streak) – we’ll enjoy the win, let’s get ready for next week,” Trautz said. “We’re just a complete team. We can do it in a lot of different ways. The kids just pick each other up and it doesn’t matter really who’s doing it. We find a way to get it done.”
With Holladay on the sidelines, the Wolverines turned to backup quarterback Lucas Fulmer to run the offense in the second half. The junior has been the Wolverines’ JV quarterback and his appearance in the second half was his first varsity action.
“In my opinion in sports that’s one of the toughest spots to go in as a backup quarterback,” Trautz said. “He handled the offense well. He got us in and out of the huddle, controlled everything. I was very proud of the way he handled himself out there today.”
Of course, the playbook shrunk “a lot” with Fulmer in the game and the second half became more about “grind it out and get the win any way necessary,.”
“Football is all about facing adversity,” running back Bryce Belinfanti told Brian Tortella of South Jersey Glory Days after the game. “That’s what we had to do is face adversity. It’s a football game and at the end of the day we still had to go out and win the second half.”
The Wolverines were leading 10-0 at the time Holladay got hurt. Belinfanti capped their first possession with a 2-yard touchdown run and Jake Ware kicked a 25-yard second-quarter field goal. Belinfanti rushed for 98 yards in the game.
It stayed that way until the final minute of the game when Bobby Donahue scored from two yards out. The Garnets returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to avoid the shutout.
“That was huge to get that extra touchdown there at the end,” Trautz said.
If Holladay can’t go next Saturday at Salem Trautz has “complete faith” in Fulmer stepping up and doing the job. The 2013 team whose start this year’s team matched started 11-0.
“These guys play for one another and they pick each other up,” Trautz said. “I have no doubt if Jack can’t go next week then these guys will be ready to go.”
Woodstown 17, Haddon Heights 8
| WOOD | HH | |
| 8 | 1st Downs | 7 |
| 43-138 | Rushing | 25-35 |
| 3-3-0 | Passes | 5-8-1 |
| 53 | Passing | 11 |
| 4-20 | Penalties | NA |
| Woodstown (6-0) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7- | 7 |
| Haddon Heights (1-5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8- | 8 |
SCORING SUMMARY
WO-Bryce Belinfanti 2 run (Jake Ware kick)
WO-Jake Ware 25 FG
WO-Bobby Donahue 2 run (Jake Ware kick)
HH-Camaj Matthews 75 kickoff return (Damier Outterbridge-Ali pass from Amare Ridley)
WJFL Standings
| DIAMOND DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Woodstown (1) | 3-0 | 6-0 |
| Glassboro (4) | 3-0 | 6-0 |
| Schalick (6) | 2-1 | 5-2 |
| Woodbury (11) | 1-2 | 2-4 |
| Penns Grove (20) | 0-3 | 1-6 |
| Salem (23) | 0-3 | 0-7 |
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power ranking through Oct. 12
THURSDAY’S GAME
Glassboro 40, Cinnaminson 10
Delran 38, Penns Grove 8
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 28, Gloucester City 21
West Deptford 58, Salem 19
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Willingboro 43, Woodbury 30
Woodstown 17, Haddon Heights 8
| PATRIOT DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Camden Catholic (NPB-3) | 4-0 | 6-0 |
| Paulsboro (5) | 4-1 | 5-2 |
| West Deptford (G2-13) | 3-1 | 4-3 |
| Pennsville (12) | 2-3 | 3-4 |
| Audubon (13) | 1-3 | 2-3 |
| Collingswood (G2-16) | 1-3 | 3-4 |
| Overbrook (G2-25) | 0-4 | 2-4-1 |
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power rankings through Oct. 7 (G2-Group 2, NPB-Non Public B)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Audubon 7, Collingswood 0
West Deptford 58, Salem 19
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Camden Catholic 41, Overbrook 6
Paulsboro 36, Pennsville 24
Eagles soar against Salem
West Deptford puts up season-high 58 points, collects nearly 400 yards of offense as Emel gets big win against his alma mater
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WEST DEPTFORD — Coaches try to tell their players that every game carries the same weight, whether it’s a long-time rivalry or some random team in the middle of the schedule, but you know there are some games that are just bigger than others.
On the emotional scale, the games that get West Deptford coach John Emel’s heart racing a little more are, no matter where he’s coaching, the ones he gets to face Salem.
NEXT: Paulsboro, Oct. 18, 7 p.m.
He played there as a high schooler and cut his coaching teeth there before getting his first head coaching job at Penns Grove. On Friday night, for the 13th time as a head coach, he got on that emotional rollercoaster again and this time it was happy reunion as his team rolled over the Rams 58-19.
“I’m a graduate of Salem, my brother’s a graduate of Salem; we bled Salem Blue while we were players and all through college,” Emel said. “Once I went to Penns Grove that was always the most emotional game.
“To tell you the truth, I was a lot more nervous, not necessarily to play Salem, but to play (Rams) coach (Kemp) Carr. Have tremendous respect for him. Coached with him for eight years. Battled against him when he was an assistant coach, but this is the first time we went against each other as head coaches. He’s got passion. He was an assistant coach when I was a player at Salem. We were in the same huddle for eight years trying to get guys ready at Penns Grove.
“Playing him and playing Salem, all those things mean something, so you want to perform well. I know I was ready to go and I feel like I coached a pretty good game on offense.”
Indeed. The Eagles (4-3) scored their most points in a game this season – the most since putting 70 on Sterling in 2022 – and amassed nearly 400 yards of offense. They scored all seven times they possessed the ball and answered the Rams’ first touchdown by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.
But Emel wasn’t the only person on the West Deptford sideline to whom the game meant something special.
Senior running back Bryce Wright went 1-2 against the Rams when he played for Emel at Penns Grove and Friday was his last chance to even the score. He responded by rushing for 122 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, in a different uniform, he went for 118 yards and a touchdown against the Rams.
“Me being down in the rivalry 2-1 just made me go out there and give it my all,” Wright said. “It’s my last year I get to play my rival so I had to go 100 percent. I definitely think I ran harder this game. A lot of the kids on the other side of the ball I know them personally, so roughing up on them is like childhood days.
“Last night (Emel) was like yeah, bud, you know it’s personal for us. Man, we’ve got to go out here and get a big one, four hard quarters of football, and that’s what we gave him.”
NEXT: Woodstown, Oct. 19, noon
The game was entertaining for a while. The Eagles jumped out to a 15-0 first-quarter lead, but the Rams didn’t fold.
One of the biggest faults of the Rams all season had been their ability to move the ball between the 30s but not being able to finish. They went about their business Friday alternating quarterbacks Troy Carey and Quimere Bergen on virtually every snap with an occasional direct snap to Pop Jackson as a change of pace.
“It’s a rhythm thing,” Carr said. “Both of the guys have their talents and their skills so we wanted to try to use them.”
The Rams got into the red zone three times in the first half and Carey got them in the end zone twice. Jackson pushed in from the 2 and Carey threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Kaden Robinson.
“It felt good (getting into the end zone),” Carey said. “Guys were working together, we played together as a team. Everything was working well.”
But the Eagles answered both times – once on an 88-yard kickoff return by Zamir Davis and once on Brady Cobb’s TD pass to Michael Joseph with 29 seconds left in the half.
It was the time the Rams didn’t get in from the red zone, however, that had Carr upset. Jamaal Shockley raced 72 yards with the kickoff after Joseph’s score to set the Rams up at the West Deptford 5. On what amounted to the final play of the half, freshman Isiah Santiago dropped Carey’s pass in the front left corner of the end zone.
The halftime horn sounded shortly after the ball hit the ground, but Carr contended – and his sideline replays confirmed — there should have been time on the clock. That would have been enough to take another shot at the end zone or give Andrew May a shot at a field goal. Instead, they went into the break down 30-13.
“We didn’t get in when we should have gotten in,” Carr said. “You’ve got to score there and that’s the point. I don’t want to talk about us getting it in. I want to talk about we didn’t get it in and we should’ve gotten it in and we had the ball with 1.9 seconds on the clock and they said the time expired. That’s what makes me mad.”
The Rams had high expectations for the second half, but those were quickly dashed when Kaden Robinson mishandled the second half kickoff and Bergen fumbled in the next series while absorbing a 13-yard loss. The Eagles recovered both miscues and converted both times for a 44-13 lead.
“We’ve got to do those things better,” Carr said. “We do those things better and we’re in a different situation. Everybody can see we can play football … It’s like I’ve said: You can’t build a house from the ceiling down. You’ve got to build from the foundation. We saw some good things and we’ll take the good things that we did.”
West Deptford 58, Salem 19
| SAL | WD | |
| 9 | 1st Downs | 19 |
| 24-72 | Rushing | 43-312 |
| 4-9-0 | Passes | 4-7-0 |
| 49 | Passing | 67 |
| 1-1 | Fum-Lost | 0-0 |
| 0 | Punts | 0 |
| 4-24 | Penalties | 3-25 |
| Salem (0-7) | 15 | 15 | 20 | 8- | 58 |
| West Deptford (4-3) | 0 | 13 | 6 | 0- | 19 |
SCORING SUMMARY
WD-Cole Paszkiewicz 41 run (Brady Cobb kick), 9:15 1Q
WD-Bryce Wright 13 run (Zamir Davis run), 2:31 1Q
S-Pop Jackson 2 run (Andrew May kick), 10:17 2Q
WD-Zamir Davis 88 kickoff return (Brady Cobb kick), 10:03 2Q
S-Kaden Robinson 17 pass from Troy Carey (kick blocked), 5:20 2Q
WD-Michael Joseph 10 pass from Brady Cobb (Bryce Wright run), 28.9 2Q
WD-Bryce Wright 6 run (pass failed), 9:10 3Q
WD-Zamir Davis 4 run (Michael Joseph pass from Brady Cobb), 6:05 3Q
WD-Bryce Wright 26 run (kick failed), 8.8 3Q
S-Pop Jackson 84 kickoff return (kick failed), 0:00 3Q
WD-Logan Rivell 2 run (Bryce Wynn run), 1:11 4Q
| WJFL DIAMOND DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Woodstown (1) | 3-0 | 5-0 |
| Glassboro (5) | 3-0 | 6-0 |
| Schalick (2) | 2-1 | 5-2 |
| Woodbury (14) | 1-2 | 2-3 |
| Penns Grove (20) | 0-3 | 1-6 |
| Salem (22) | 0-3 | 0-7 |
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power ranking through Oct. 7
THURSDAY’S GAME
Glassboro 40, Cinnaminson 10
Delran 38, Penns Grove 8
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 28, Gloucester City 21
West Deptford 58, Salem 19
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Willingboro at Woodbury, 11 a.m.
Woodstown at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.
| WJFL PATRIOT DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Camden Catholic (NPB-3) | 3-0 | 5-0 |
| Paulsboro (6) | 3-1 | 4-2 |
| West Deptford (G2-15) | 3-1 | 4-3 |
| Pennsville (10) | 2-2 | 3-3 |
| Audubon (17) | 1-3 | 2-3 |
| Collingswood (G2-13) | 1-3 | 3-4 |
| Overbrook (G2-23) | 0-3 | 2-3-1 |
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power rankings through Oct. 7 (G2-Group 2, NPB-Non Public B)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Audubon 7, Collingswood 0
West Deptford 58, Salem 19
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Camden Catholic at Overbrook, 11 a.m.
Pennsville at Paulsboro, noon
Schalick wins thriller
Senior transfer receiver Mills grabs game-winning touchdown pass with less than 30 seconds left to lift the Cougars past Gloucester
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
GLOUCESTER — Schalick coach Mike Wilson opened up the playbook a little Friday night and found Zaeshawn Mills inside.
Mills, a senior transfer from Cumberland in only his second year playing high school football, made three big catches for the Cougars, two for touchdowns, including the game-winner with 26 seconds left to beat Gloucester, 28-21.
“The bottom line, and we’ve been talking about it for a couple weeks, for the offense to take it to the next level we’ve got to be able to throw the ball,” Wilson said. “It just makes us much more difficult to defend. Zaeshawn had a great game.”
Mills scored the first touchdown of the game on a 30-yard pass from Kenai Simmons and the final touchdown of the game on a 9-yarder from Simmons. He also made a leaping 37-yard catch to get the Cougars in the red zone on the winning drive.
“I’d say that’s my biggest catch,” Mills said of his game-winner. “I knew the ball was coming to me because my quarterback looked me in the eye and he was like, be ready, make it count. He told me to make it count. I came off the line, got in position, the ball was right in my hands.”
Simmons was 8-for-12 for 133 yards passing. Mills caught three balls for 78 yards.
Mills played lot of football in his youth, but he took time off after the COVID pandemic. He returned to the game last year as a junior at Cumberland — he even caught one of his eight passes in the game against Schalick — and then transferred to the Cougars for his senior year.
As a senior transfer he was required to sit the first three games of the season, but he’s assimilated well into the team’s culture.
“He’s a good addition to our locker room,” Wilson said.
Mills caught eight passes for 127 yards last year for Cumberland. He had caught only one pass for the Cougars prior to Friday night’s breakout.
“I want to thank my coaches for putting me in that position and my quarterback for trusting me,” Mills said. “That felt good.”
The game was a back-and-forth affair with each team answering the other’s touchdown. The lead changed hands four times before the Lions tied it at 21 with less than three minutes to play.
The Cougars started the winning drive from their own 37 with 2:50 to play with two time outs. They ran three straight running plays to get near midfield, then Simmons threw his big ball to a leaping Mills with a minute left. Reggie Allen picked up 6 on the next play to get it inside the 10 and then Simmons found Mills over the middle for the game-winner.
“We knew that at the very least we could get a field goal to win the game,” Wilson said. “We started moving the ball, we get the big chunk play to Mills and then we’re like, all right, we’ll take a shot in the end zone and if we don’t get it we’ll kick the field goal. We’ve got a kid with a great foot (Hunter Dragotta). Then we threw the slant to Mills and won the game that way.
“The real neat thing with this team is every week we have enough depth, enough kids, where this week it’s Mills, next week it could be somebody else. We’re more than just one person, which is really nice to coach and could be really nice down the stretch. Who knows who it’s going to be next week. I think it’s going to be one of those years, which I’m OK with.”
The Cougars (5-2), the No. 2 team in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, have won four in a row.
Cover photo: A screen grab from DW Broadcasting’s live stream shows Schalick receiver Zaeshawn Mills’ making the game-winning catch against Gloucester.
Schalick 28, Gloucester 21
| SCHAL (28) | GLOU (21) | |
| 16 | 1st Downs | 11 |
| 36-147 | Rushing | 31-24 |
| 7-13-1 | C-A-I | 6-9-0 |
| 130 | Passing | 161 |
| 0-0 | Fum-lost | 2-2 |
| 4-38 | Penalties | 4-39 |
| Schalick (5-2) | 6 | 7 | 0 | 15- | 28 |
| Gloucester (2-4) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7- | 21 |
SCORING SUMMARY
S-Zaeshawn Mills 30 pass from Kenai Simmons (kick failed)
G-Mason Widman 6 run (Ashton Wall kick)
S-Kenai Simmons 5 run (Hunter Dragotta kick)
G-Kevin Boulden 1 run (Ashton Wall kick)
S-Kenai Simmons 7 run (Nyzier Wonder pass from Levi Feeney-Childers)
G-Trevin Buchardt 2 run (Ashton Wall kick)
S-Zaeshawn Mills 9 pass from Kenai Simmons (Hunter Dragotta kick)
| WJFL DIAMOND DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Woodstown (1) | 3-0 | 5-0 |
| Glassboro (5) | 3-0 | 6-0 |
| Schalick (2) | 2-1 | 5-2 |
| Woodbury (14) | 1-2 | 2-3 |
| Penns Grove (20) | 0-3 | 1-6 |
| Salem (22) | 0-3 | 0-7 |
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power ranking through Oct. 7
THURSDAY’S GAME
Glassboro 40, Cinnaminson 10
Delran 38, Penns Grove 8
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 28, Gloucester City 21
West Deptford 58, Salem 19
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Willingboro at Woodbury, 11 a.m.
Woodstown at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.
Thursday sports report
Here are scores and highlights from Thursday’s high school action involving teams from Salem County
BOYS SOCCER
Schalick 2, Woodstown 0: Louis Sepers and Brad Foster scored the goals and keeper Ben Stengel made seven saves for the Cougars’ first shutout in the series since 2021. “This was the first time this group has shut them out, which is something we wanted to do,” Schalick coach Joe Mannella said.
Pennsville 3, Salem 0: Griffin Hern and Shane Puckett scored goals three minutes apart in the first half for the Eagles (8-6) and Evan Pessoa extended the lead seven minutes into the second. The victory matches the Eagles’ single-season high in coach Derek Foglein’s tenure; they were 8-10 in 2022.
Penns Grove 2, Glassboro 1: Edward Swank scored with nine minutes left in the second half to break a 1-1 tie. It was his second game-winner of the season. The Red Devils lost a 2-1 game to the Bulldogs earlier this year and lost a pair of 1-0 games to them last season. Goalie Dwayne Guzman made three big saves in the final 15 minutes to keep the game tied or preserve the lead.
Wildwood 6, Salem Tech 1: NuNu Bedderi scored three goals for the Warriors, playing their first game since losing to Schalick 3-2 in Cougars coach Joe Mannella’s 300th career win Oct. 2. Sophomore Christian VanTonder scored his first career goal for the Chargers in the first half.
SJ GROUP I POWER POINTS STANDINGS (Top 16 thru Oct. 10): Schalick (10-1), Audubon (9-2), Palmyra (9-3), Haddon Twp. (7-2-2), Woodstown (9-4), Riverside (7-4-1), Pitman (6-5-1), Wildwood (8-3), Maple Shade (7-4-1), Glassboro (5-5-1), Penns Grove (5-6), Gateway (5-7), Pennsville (8-6), Clayton (6-6), Woodbury (3-7), Buena (0-9-1).
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 3, Woodstown 1: Quinn Berger scored twice and Olivia Vanacker scored once as the Cougars (9-2) won their fourth in a row and completed a season sweep of the Wolverines.
Pennsville 3, Overbrook 2: Riley Bowman had a goal and two assists as the Eagles opened a 3-0 lead and held on to avenge a loss to the Rams earlier in the season. Bowman assisted on goals by Kallie Morrison and Taylor Bass in the first half.
Pitman 6, Salem 0: Teagan Canna scored the first two goals of the match and the Panthers pulled away. Emery Sharpnack had a goal and two assists.
Glassboro 3, Penns Grove 0: Alana Figueroa, Marianna Dempster and Tamia Smith scored for the Bulldogs in the first half.
Wildwood 3, Salem Tech 2: The Warriors scored two goals in the second half to win. Goals by Ava Robinson and Julia Hewitt Friebel staked the Chargers to a 2-1 halftime lead.
SJ GROUP I POWER POINTS STANDINGS (Top 16 thru Oct. 10): Audubon (11-1), Schalick (9-2), Haddon Twp. (7-4-1), Riverside (9-4), Palmyra (10-2), Gateway (9-2), Woodstown (7-4-1), Clayton (7-3-1), Glassboro (6-3-2), Pitman (8-5), Maple Shade (3-7), Buena (6-6), Pennsville (4-9), Penns Grove (1-9-1), Wildwood (3-9), Cape May Tech (1-11).
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 4, Mainland 3: The Cougars jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead and held on to remain undefeated (13-0). Luci Virga, Ava Marynowicz and Ava Scurry all scored in the first half. Caylen Taylor scored with 1:58 left in the third quarter after Mainland cut it to 3-2. It was the Cougars’ third one-goal win of the streak and sixth decided by two goals or less.
Gateway 5, Pennsville 0: Bella Fini scored a hat trick for the Gators (10-2).
Maple Shade 4, Salem 0: Sophia Weisler and Rachel Loomis each scored twice for the Wildcats. The Rams are winless in their last four with only one goal after starting the season 4-0.
SJ GROUP I POWER POINTS STANDINGS (Top 16 thru Oct. 10): Shore (14-1), Schalick (13-0), West Deptford (9-3), Haddon Heights (6-5-1), Gateway (10-2), Gloucester (8-5), Woodstown (8-3), Collingswood (5-5), Bordentown (5-6), Florence (5-7-1), Haddon Twp. (4-8), Salem (4-3-1), South Hunterdon (8-5), Lower Cape May (5-6-2), Audubon (6-4), Pennsville (4-7-1).
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech 2, Gloucester Catholic 1: The Chargers won a tight third set to follow their first win of the season with their second in a row, 25-16, 23-25, 25-23. It’s the first time since 2021 they have won back-to-back matches.
Cori Farnkoph had 13 kills and eight aces. Tiara Bazemore had four kills, 13 assists and eight aces. Alan’s James had five kills and eight assists.
Bears stand tall
QB Sacca accounts for four first-half touchdowns and Delran goes on to rout Penns Grove 38-8; Red Devils avoid shutout in fourth quarter
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – Delran coach Colin Hewko couldn’t help feeling like a stranger in a strange land and he was sure his players felt the same way.
The Bears were playing a Penns Grove team they’d never faced before, on the road in a stadium they’d never played in before, on a Thursday night in the middle of the season they’d never played on before.
| DEL | PG | |
| 15 | 1st Downs | 8 |
| 28-116 | Rushing | 22-63 |
| 12-16-1 | C-A-I | 7-13-2 |
| 192 | Passing | 81 |
| 0-0 | Fum-Lost | 1-1 |
| 0-0 | Punts | 3-20.0 |
| 3-25 | Penalties | 6-38 |
The best way to combat all that, Hewko told his players, was just focus on being themselves, staying in the moment and doing something that would make them comfortable.
They didn’t wait. On the third play of the game, Bears quarterback Vinny Sacca hit sophomore Jayden Alford with a pass over the middle. The play looked like it was going to get a modest gain, then suddenly Alford rolled off the bodies of his would-be tacklers, regained his footing and raced 50 yards to the end zone.
The Bears went on to score three more times in the first half and eventually hand Penns Grove its fifth straight loss, 38-8.
“That set the tone,” Sacca said.
Hewko said he only called the play to get some space to make the next down a little more manageable. But, he pointed out, when you do the little things right like Alford did, sometimes they turn into big plays.
“I just kept my feet moving and made a great play,” Alford said. “Our coach does a great job telling us to keep our feet moving until you’re down and just dominate. Don’t stop.
“He alligator rolled me and I rolled over his back, then once I was up it was all open because everybody else just gave up on the play and thought I was down. That’s one thing our coach tells us, never give up on the play, always give 100 each play. Once he rolled off me, he thought I was down. He gave up and I didn’t and that’s what it comes down to.”
The play caught everyone by surprise. Hewko, who was dealing with a drone issue on the sideline, didn’t see it until they showed him the replay on the I-pad. Sacca didn’t know what was happening even while it was happening.
“I was surprised because I thought he initially got tackled and I looked at the sticks to see if he got the first down,” the quarterback said. “Then I looked back over at him and he’s still running and people are cheering. I’m thinking what’s going on. It was a great play.”
Sacca connected on his first seven passes in three first-quarter touchdown drives and accounted for four scores total in the first half. He threw touchdown passes to Alford and Justin Mary in the first quarter and ran for a pair of 1-yard scores as the Bears (6-1) opened a 28-0 halftime lead.
The Bears scored on their first three possessions and four of five in the first half. And the one they missed was turned away by Karon Ceaser’s interception in the end zone. Sacca completed 12 of 16 passes for 192 yards in the game. He also rushed for 34 yards.
Alford’s big play was his only reception of the night. Mary caught four passes — all in the first half — for 86 yards.
“I’d say it was a better (start than usual), but my teammates really make it easy for me,” Sacca said. “I knew it was a pretty good start. I just wanted to keep it going. We’ve got a special team here and we’re looking for special things.”
The Delran defense held Penns Grove (1-6) to 83 yards through the first three quarters.
The Red Devils’ offense came to life in the fourth quarter. Knowledge Young caught a 17-yard pass from Melo Erickson for the Red Devils’ touchdown with 2:34 to play. Erickson completed three passes in the 53-yard drive for 40 yards. The Red Devils had three plays of 10 yards or better in the drive.
Cover photo: Delran quarterback Vinny Sacca (9) looks towards the bench for a play during Thursday night’s game at Penns Grove.
Delran 38, Penns Grove 8
| Delran (6-1) | 21 | 7 | 3 | 7- | 38 |
| Penns Grove (1-6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8- | 8 |
SCORING SUMMARY
D-Jayden Alford 50 pass from Vinny Sacca (Shane Palena kick), 10:26 1Q
D-Vinny Sacca 1 run (Shane Palena kick), 5:50 1Q
D-Justin Mary 14 pass from Vinny Sacca (Shane Palena kick), 13.3 1Q
D-Vinny Sacca 1 run (Shane Palena kick), 05.0 2Q
D-Shane Palena 22 FG, 4:11 3Q
D-Zahir Cobbins 1 run )Shane Palena kick), 9:45 4Q
PG-Knowledge Young 17 pass from Melo Erickson (Melson Erickson run), 2:34 4Q
| WJFL DIAMOND DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Woodstown (1) | 3-0 | 5-0 |
| Glassboro (5) | 3-0 | 6-0 |
| Schalick (2) | 2-1 | 4-2 |
| Woodbury (14) | 1-2 | 2-3 |
| Penns Grove (20) | 0-3 | 1-6 |
| Salem (22) | 0-3 | 0-6 |
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power ranking through Oct. 8
THURSDAY’S GAME
Glassboro 40, Cinnaminson 10
Delran 38, Penns Grove 8
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Schalick at Gloucester City, 6 p.m.
Salem at West Deptford, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Willingboro at Woodbury, 11 a.m.
Woodstown at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.
Eagles have the look
Second doubles clinches another playoff win as Pennsville tennis (15-0) edges Haddon Twp. for spot in sectional final
GIRLS TENNIS
South Jersey Group I semifinals
Pennsville 3, Haddon Twp. 2
Pitman 4, Gateway 1
Championship match
Tuesday
Pennsville at Pitman, 3 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Dan LaMont gathered his Pennsville girls tennis team together before sending the players out for their biggest match of the year Thursday and he could tell there was something different about them.
The Eagles just had a certain look about them that somehow elevates the confidence their coach already had in them.
Then they took that look to the court and took down Haddon Twp. 3-2 in the South Jersey Group I semifinals.
The win sends them to play top-seeded Pitman Tuesday at Shertel Park in their first non-COVID sectional final since 2015, which also was the last time they won a sectional title.
“They had a certain look in their eye today,” LaMont said. “It was just a little bit more focused. They were just a little bit more understanding of what we were here for. I could just tell in our huddle it was a little bit different … so I’ve got to get that same look on Tuesday.”
For the second round in a row, the second-seeded Eagles (15-0) got the clinching point from the newly minted second doubles team of Morgan Holt and Naomi Hess. They won in straight sets, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3. They clinched the Eagles’ quarterfinal win over Schalick on Tuesday and are now 3-0 since being paired together.
The Eagles also got a point at No. 3 singles (Lily Edwards, 6-2, 6-2) and No. 1 doubles (Emma Cornette and Izzy Schrenker, 6-3. 6-2).
There were only two matches on the court at the end. Holt and Hess were up a set in their second doubles match. Regan Witt was down a set in her second singles match, but rallying in the second set to force a super tiebreaker. The race was on to see which match was going to decide it.
If Witt’s opponent held on, the match would be tied and it definitely would have come down to the new doubles team. If the doubles team won, the match would be clinched and the singles match was a pride point for the final margin.
Holt and Hess had a 5-2 lead in the first set of their match but Haddon Twp.’s Lily Steele and Olivia Fleming rallied to force a tiebreaker. The Eagles’ pair fell behind in the tiebreaker 6-4, then fought back to win five of the next six points to win the set.
“It was definitely scary,” said Holt, using her favorite word to describe the intensity. “It’s always scary. We just knew if we worked hard we had it. The first set was stressful because it didn’t need to happen – we should have had that – but winning it was really nice.”
And it put them in the best possible frame of mind for the second set, which they won easily, serving out the match at 5-3.
“Their composure is impressive,” LaMont said. “They’re handling it well. I think that’s going to serve them well as we go through.”
And while the outcome of the match was decided, Witt didn’t go out without a fight. She won the second set to force a super tiebreaker and had that tied early 3-3. Witt has been in either set or match tiebreakers in four of her last six matches and won three of them.
“Regan played tough out there,” LaMont said. “She’s grindy.”
Pennsville’s 15-0 start — it’s actually a 21-match winning streak going back to last year — matches the mid-season streak by the 2011 team that beat Pitman in the sectional final and went on to win the Group I state title. Their last loss was to Haddon Twp. 3-2 in last year’s sectional quarterfinals.
Just as LaMont saw something different in his team Thursday, he recognized something special about this team a few years back.
“I saw this team a couple years ago when I had the seniors as freshmen and I actually thought we could make a run,” LaMont said. “I’m not surprised (where they are). We put a lot of time in.
“We’re not the best tennis players. We’re not the most athletic team. But they just do some really good things.”
PENNSVILLE 3, HADDON TWP. 2
Ellie Smith (HT) def. Megan Morris, 6-1, 6-1
Kiersten Callahan (HT) def. Regan Witt, 6-3, 4-6, 10-4
Lily Edwards (P) def. Tessa Dybus, 6-2, 6-3
Emma Cornette-Izzy Schrenker (P) def. Sydney Troncone-Ani Pierwola, 6-3, 6-2
Naomi Hess-Morgan Holt (P) def. Lily Steele-Olivia Fleming, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3
Records: Pennsville 15-0, Haddon Twp. 13-7.
Here are Thursday’s other sectional semifinals
Central Jersey Group I
Highland Park 3, Hoboken 2
New Providence 5, Metuchen 0
North Jersey Group 1 Section 1
Glen Rock 4, Cresskill 1
Pascack Hills 5, Pequannock 0
North Jersey Group 1 Section 2
Hanover Park 4, Verona 1
Glen Ridge 3, Madison 2
Sectional Finals
Tuesday
Pennsville (15-0) at Pitman (17-2), 3 p.m.
Glen Ridge (8-11) at Hanover Park (12-0)
New Providence (5-7) at Highland Park (8-4)
Pascack Hills (10-5) at Glen Rock (16-1)
State Finals
Mercer County Park, Oct. 17
Semifinals, 11 a.m.
Finals, 1 p.m.
Riverview Sports News 