Woodstown keeps the ball on the ground, runs past Pennsville to reach Central Jersey Group I finals
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP I
Friday’s Semifinals
Woodstown 21, Pennsville 6
Shore 17, Woodbury 7
Nov. 15 Championship
(2) Shore at (1) Woodstown
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Back in the day when Woodstown football was at its best, the Wolverines would run over, run around and run through opponents to get where they wanted to go. Sometimes it’s good to go back to the past to find the way forward.
The Wolverines went back to their roots Friday night, just pounding play after play on the ground and that strategy carried them past county rival Pennsville 21-6 in the Central Jersey Group I semifinals.
They wound up with 213 yards on 39 time-consuming carries and now will host unbeaten Shore Regional for the sectional championship next week.
“Running has been part of Woodstown football for a very long time – it’s been run, run, run,” running back Alex Torres said. “Then we’ve had amazing quarterbacks come through here and we’ve been in the pass game. They couldn’t stop the run, so we just kept running and we were putting the ball down their throat.”
“It was just working,” quarterback Garrett Leyman said. “We knew we could pound the ball down their throats. We got some long drives in and capitalized.”
Their longest drive of the night actually sealed the game. They put together a 10-minute, 16-play, 90-yard drive that started in the third quarter and ended in the fourth and was capped by Torres’ third short-yardage touchdown of the game. There were 15 running plays in the drive.
The Wolverines threw only four passes in the game. Pennsville coach Mike Healy figured to see a lot of run from them, but nothing quite like that.
“I expected them to be very run heavy; I didn’t think it was going to be that much, but they were having success,” he said. “There was one drive in the third into fourth quarter they just kept getting yards. We knew they could run the ball, we knew they’re tough up front. We still feel like we’re tough up front, too, there were just a couple things kind of went their way.”
The Wolverines (9-1) showed right off the bat they meant business when it came to running the football. Torres took the first snap of the game for 26 yards. In fact, the first play of each of their first six possessions in the first half went for 26, 10, 2 (touchdown), 5, 20 (a pass) and 52 yards.
“We want to establish the run and we want to run the ball,” Woodstown coach Frank Trautz said. “And if we’re able to do that and feel like we’re getting what we need to get to, then that’s going to be the plan; we’ll stick with it.”
“I’ve got to give props to our line,” Leyman said. “They were out there grinding. It was a hard-fought win for them, too.”
Once again the Wolverines got big games from their next men up – Torres and Leyman.
Torres, drawing the start at running back ahead of Bryce Belinfanti for the second week in a row, rushed for 111 yards on a career-high 23 carries and scored all three Woodstown touchdowns on short-yardage runs (2, 3, 2). It was his second straight 100-yard game and third of his career.
The Wolverines continue to go slow with the ankle Belinfanti rolled in the Glassboro game. The senior was back in the game Friday, but got most of his time against the Eagles on defense. He did get one carry — late in the third quarter – and picked up a first down with it. He still needs 10 yards for his second straight 1,000-yard season rushing.
“I just knew I couldn’t let my team down,” said Torres, who had 152 yards rushing in the playoff opener against KIPP. “I knew that I worked all summer for this and as soon as they brought me up I knew it was my time to show what I can do and I definitely did. As soon as they said my name I knew I had to put everything out there for my team.”
Leyman, meanwhile, continues to hold the reins at quarterback and he rushed for 100 yards on 14 carries. Most of his yards came on a 52-yard burst that set up Torres’ second touchdown.
It was reminiscent of his days as a running quarterback as an eighth grader, the last time he played the position before being thrust into the role at Salem (with great success) following the shoulder injury to starter Jack Holladay in the Haddon Heights game Oct. 12.
“It definitely reminded me of eighth grade,” he said. “I feel like that’s my strong suit, my running game. I know I just had to do it.”
The Wolverines are hopeful of a full return for both injured players – Belinfanti, Trautz said, is “almost 100 percent,” almost to the point the Wolverines could have used him on offense Friday they needed to, and Holladay is “getting closer” – but they’re also confident they can continue to succeed with these next men up as the go deeper into the playoffs.
“One hundred percent,” Trautz said. “These aren’t backup players who are playing. These are guys who have played a million varsity game for us. If we need to, we’re ready to roll with them and we’re very confident in what they can do.”
“It just shows how dominant we can be,” Leyman said. “We have guys all over the place who can step in and play when their number is called.”
Pennsville came out ready to go. The Eagles put together a five and a half minute, nine-play, 86-yard drive on their first possession with Robbie McDade hooking up with Malik Rehmer on a 53-yard pass play for the game’s first score. But the Eagles missed the extra point.
They held the lead until a muffed punt later in the quarter set up Woodstown at 2. Torres scored his first touchdown on the next snap and Jake Ware’s extra point gave the Wolverines the lead for good.
Woodstown 21, Pennsville 6
| PVILLE | WOOD | |
| 6 | 1st Downs | 11 |
| 17-75 | Rushing | 39-213 |
| 6-14-1 | C-A-I | 2-4-0 |
| 77 | Passing | 41 |
| 2-2 | Fum-lost | 2-0 |
| 4-28.5 | Punts | 5-31.6 |
| 1-5 | Penalties | 5-35 |
| Pennsville | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0- | 6 |
| Woodstown | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7- | 21 |
SCORING SUMMARY
P-Malik Rehmer 53 pass from Robbie McDade (kick failed), 3:29 1Q
WO-Alex Torres 2 run (Jake Ware kick), 1:11 1Q
WO-Alex Torres 3 run (Jake Ware kick), 1:03 2Q
WO-Alex Torres 2 run (Jake Ware kick), 7:18 4Q
Playoff head-to-head
Here are the records of Salem County teams in head-to-head playoff matchups since 2003.
| TEAM | PG | SAL | PVL | WOO | SCH | TOTAL |
| Penns Grove | — | 2-1 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 3-0 | 6-3 |
| Salem | 1-2 | — | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 4-3 |
| Pennsville | 1-0 | 0-1 | — | 1-2 | NA | 2-3 |
| Woodstown | 1-1 | 0-1 | 2-1 | — | 1-0 | 4-3 |
| Schalick | 0-3 | 1-1 | NA | 0-1 | — | 1-5 |
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