Cougars find a way

Schalick rallies after losing big lead, beats Paulsboro for spot in SJ Group I finals, 200th all-time win

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Friday’s Semifinals
Schalick 33, Paulsboro 28
Glassboro 55, Riverside 8
Nov. 15 Championship
(2) Schalick at (1) Glassboro

GROUP I SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Central: Shore (10-0) at Woodstown (9-1)
South: Schalick (8-3) at Glassboro (10-0)
North Jersey I: Mountain Lakes (6-4) at Butler (10-0)
North Jersey II: New Providence (9-2) at Cedar Grove (11-0)

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – The Schalick Cougars couldn’t help feeling like another local team in green with the way their South Jersey Group I playoff game went Friday night.

The Cougars, reminiscent of the Philadelphia Eagles last week against Jacksonville, lost a 21-point second-quarter lead in the second half, but pulled it back together and eventually escaped with a 33-28 win over Paulsboro to reach the South Jersey Group I championship game.

“You always worry about complacency as a coach and I think we got a little complacent,” Cougars coach Mike Wilson said. “But we figured it out. Games are swings of momentum. They got the momentum, then we got it back and we finished on top. As an Eagles fan, I can see why you’d say that.”

It also was the 200th win in the history of the program. Thirty have come on Wilson’s watch (30-20).

The Cougars (8-3) shook off an opening interception and early 6-0 deficit to lead 27-6 in the second quarter before enduring a 15-minute stretch of what Mike Wilson called “some unfortunate stuff” that found them trailing 28-27 after three quarters.

“Anything that could go wrong went wrong,” Wilson said. “But we battled back and found a way to win. There wasn’t a light-bulb moment. We just calmed down and played football again.”

They put together the game-winning drive capped by Reggie Allen’s second touchdown of the game, a 6-yard run with less than five minutes to play.

“We just needed to take a deep breath, relax and start playing like we played earlier in the game,” Wilson said. “We just had to settle down.”

The Cougars built their lead on a 3-yard run by Kenai Simmons, a 57-yard run by Sherrod Jones, Matthew LaMazza’s fumble recovery in the end zone and Allen’s 2-yard run.

Paulsboro (8-3) brought it back to take the lead with a touchdown three seconds before halftime, a 73-yard touchdown pass, a short run after recovering a Schalick fumble and a pair of two-point conversions.

“I knew if we would just settle down and relax, do our jobs, we were fine,” Wilson said. “Our senior leadership kicked in, the kids calmed themselves down, they all looked at themselves and said hey we’ve done this before, we’re fine and that’s what they did.

“It was great as coach to see because you see the maturation of your team. A group of sophomores might panic, but these seniors have seen everything … and they did a great job tonight.”

The win earned the Cougars a trip to Glassboro next week for the sectional championship. It’s a tall task considering the top-seeded Bulldogs (10-0) have beaten their first two playoff opponents by a combined score of 119-15.

The two teams played last year in the Central Jersey final with Glassboro winning 20-0. The Bulldogs won this year’s regular-season meeting 20-10.

“Let’s go,” Wilson said. “This is our third time playing them within the last calendar year. We feel that we’re only a few plays away and we’ve just got to play good football.”

Schalick 33, Paulsboro 28

Paulsboro (8-3)	6	6	16	0-	28
Schalick (8-3)	6	21	0	6-	33

SCORING SUMMARY
P-24-yard pass (PAT failed), 1Q
S-Kenai Simmons 3 run (kick failed), 1QS-Sherrod Jones 57-run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 2Q
S-Matthew LaMazza fumble recovery in end zone (Hunter Dragotta kick), 2Q
S-Reggie Allen 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 2Q
P-NA, 2Q
P-73-yard pass (conversion), 3Q
P-Quarterback scramble (conversion), 3Q
S-Reggie Allen 6 run (PAT failed), 4Q

Cover photo of Reggie Allen by Heather Papiano

A real bellringer

Woodstown clamps down on Bedderi, blanks Wildwood to reach SJ Group I semifinals for third time in four years; Schalick also reaches semis on other side of bracket, setting the potential for an all-county final

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Friday’s Quarterfinals
Schalick 2, Pitman 0
Haddon Twp. 4, Audubon 0
Palmyra 2, Riverside 1
Woodstown 3, Wildwood 0
Tuesday’s Semifinals
(4) Haddon Twp. at (1) Schalick
(3) Palmyra at (2) Woodstown

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — The lead official blew his whistle signaling the end of another Woodstown win and the players immediately knew what they had to do.

Collectively, they raced over to their newly constructed dugout and enthusiastically rang the blue ship’s bell hanging on the supporting post, validating their 3-0 win over Wildwood Friday in the South Jersey Group I boys soccer quarterfinals.

Ringing the Bell, ala the Phillies, is becoming a new tradition with the Woodstown players.

“We’ve been doing cowbells for a long time here at Woodstown, especially for boys soccer,” Wolverines coach Darren Huck said. “When the parents decided they were going to give our program these nice dugouts, they said they had a surprise.

“They had it up for the Senior Game. It’s our tradition now where I’ll select one player to ring the ball at the end when we get done talking there.”

That honor Friday went to Grant Prater, whose parents, ironically, supplied the bell for the celebration. He was more than happy to participate.

“We wanted to have a celebration like every time we scored,” Prater said. “My freshman year we started the cowbells here, I think, and every time we’d score we’d ring it, so we wanted to have one on the new dugouts and we’re bringing a big, big one, like one of the ones you have to pull down, between the manager’s table and the dugout. The big one’s going to be loud.”

Prater scored the first goal of the game 12:35 into the match when he redirected an Adrian Ibarra corner kick past Wildwood keeper Broc Denke.

But perhaps more important to the cause was the way he played all 80 minutes anchoring the defense in marking Warriors’ senior scoring machine NuNu Bedderi.

Prater and the defense shadowed Bedderi everywhere he went, limited him to a handful of touches and kept the 36-goal scorer off the scoreboard. The Warriors had scored 82 goals this season, but this was the first time they had been shut out. Bedderi had scored in 15 of their first 19 games, 13 with multiple goals.

He didn’t get his first touch Friday until midway through the first half. And when the Algerian import did manage to break through, Woodstown keeper Ben Stengel was right there to turn him away.

“I tried to keep myself in front of him, just denying him the ball every time, so they couldn’t even get it to him and then Dante (Holmes) was behind him,” Prater said. “We were kind of like keeping him sandwiched and it kind of worked.”

“For the last couple practices he knew he was going to be the guy who was going to have to shadow him, shut him down, deny him, whatever we needed to do in whatever situation was occurring on the field,” Huck said. “We had a game plan and we executed it, I think, really, really well. Everybody knew their responsibilities, they knew where we needed to be and what we wanted to do and it worked today.”

Ibarra gave the Wolverines a 2-0 lead later in the half on a penalty kick — the 49th goal of his career — and had another corner kick that produced Holmes’ second career goal with 10 minutes to play. Holmes’ two goals have come in each of the playoff games.

Holmes scored on a header inside the right post right after Denke came out following a collision with Ibarra in the box. The starting keeper returned to the goal right after the play.

“This is the first time I’ve been able to go up for corners; I’ve only started doing that half the season,” he said. “I did see that they changed goalies because of the injury, but it didn’t change how I was going to go after it. My only thing was just go at the ball, try to head it at the net and hope it goes in.”

Woodstown (16-4) now hosts Palmyra (12-7) in the semifinals Tuesday. It’s the Wolverines’ third trip to the sectional semifinals in the last four years and sixth since 2010.

“We’ve been consistent as far as winning for many, many years now, but as far as advancing further we’ve done that the last couple years,” Huck said. “Our goal this year is to go further than we did last year. You always want to do better than the year before.

“We’ve got one more game to go to get us into that situation, but part of my responsibility as a coach is to make sure we’re focused not so much on next Friday (the South Jersey championship game possibly against Schalick), but on this coming Tuesday. Friday will happen if we take care of Tuesday.”

NOTES: The win was Woodstown’s seventh in a row and ninth in their last 10 games. The shutout was their seventh … With his next goal Ibarra will become the fourth player in Woodstown boys history with 50 career goals. He’s already fifth in the all-time points list … Huck and Schalick coach Joe Mannella have been invited to coach in the South Jersey Coaches Association All-Star Game Nov. 26 at Rutgers-Camden. The Tri-County Conference All-Star Game is the day before.

SCHALICK 2, PITMAN 0: After a scoreless first half, the Cougars got goals from Oscar Hernandez and Luke Price. Evan Sepers made five saves in recording the Cougars’ second straight playoff shutout and fifth in their last six wins.

Their semifinal matchup with Haddon Twp. is a rematch of last year’s semifinals (won by Schalick 1-0) and gives the Cougars a chance to avenge their 1-0 opening-round loss in the Coaches Cup, their only loss in their last 15 games..

Cover photo: Woodstown’s Grant Prater earned the right to ring the ball for his play in the Wolverines’ 3-0 playoff victory over Wildwood Friday.

Wearing ’em down

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.”

**Woodstown’s Alex Torres (6) bursts through a big hole in the line for one of his three touchdowns against Pennsville. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)**

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’s Bump Carter (71) is in hot pursuit of Pennsville quarterback Robbie McDade. Carter sacked McDade for a big loss late in the fourth quarter. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)**

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

Woodstown falls in PKs

Wygand comes up big in goal to send game into overtime, but Wolverines just didn’t have enough to get through the shootout

SJ GROUP I GIRLS SOCCER
Thursday’s Quarterfinals
Audubon 4, Gateway 1
Haddon Twp. 6, Riverside 0
Palmyra 1, Woodstown 0 (3-2 SO)
Glassboro 1, Schalick 0 (5-4 SO)
Monday’s Semifinals
(4) Haddon Twp. at (1) Audubon
(7) Glassboro at (6) Palmyra

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — If he weren’t so busy moving the pieces and making decisions, Woodstown girls soccer coach Kieran Keyser probably would have enjoyed just watching Thursday’s South Jersey Group I playoff quarterfinal.

Both teams played with intensity. Both teams had good chances only to be turned back by a couple hot goalkeepers. There was high drama, overtime and a shootout. In the end, Palmyra made one more PK in the shootout and stunned the third-seeded Wolverines 1-0. The Panthers won the shootout 3-2.

“It was a great, great high school soccer game,” Keyser said. “I almost wish I could’ve watched it and didn’t have to make any decisions. It was a great, great game.”

Even before the shootout, the game had what Keyser called “one of the most dramatic finishes before the shootout I’ve ever seen in a high school soccer game.”

With Woodstown boys coach Darren Huck counting down the final 10 seconds of a scoreless game, a ball took a crazy bounce in the box and hit a Woodstown defender in the hand for a penalty kick with no time left on the lock.

But keeper Ellie Wygand stood her ground. She stopped Mikayla Mangano’s shot to extend the Wolverines’ season and send the game to overtime.

“The shot was low and to her right and she made the save with her right hand and curved it around the post,” Keyser said. “Incredible. It was truly incredible.”

The two met in the shootout and Wygand, a junior, stoned her again.

“I said to Ellie going into PKs she’s going to be on the line, read her body language again,” Keyser said. “Generally PK takers like to go to same side. See If she steps up the same. Watch. You read her perfectly the first time and then the girl did exact same thing and Ellie saved it again.”

Wygand made 14 saves in the game. She made her 100th save of the season during the game and the final save on Mangano in the shootout was the 200th of her career.

Palmyra took the lead in the shootout by hitting its first attempt. Woodstown missed its first two. The Wolverines hit their next two – by left-footed Delia Hahn and Lizzy Daly – but the Panthers answered both to maintain their lead.

Emma Perry took Woodstown’s final shot and was turned away.

“It’s just an unfair way to end it; it’s unfortunate,” Keyser said. “There’s nothing I can say to my girls that are going to make them (feel beter). It’s so unfortunate.

“I told (Perry) we wouldn’t be in that position without her this whole season. If we didn’t have Emma’s skill and everything she’s brought to this team, we’re not in this position. It’s just unfortunate it had to come down to that.”

The crossbar certainly wasn’t the Wolverines’ friend, either. They hit in in the first four minutes of the match and once in each of the two 10-minute overtimes.

Palmyra (16-4) will now host Glassboro in one of the SJ Group I semifinals Monday. Glassboro upset top-seeded Schalick in a PK shootout after a scoreless regulation and overtime. Woodstown’s season ends at 13-5-2.

A Sunny day

It was for Glassboro, at least; Bulldogs end Schalick’s season in PK shootout to advance in South Jersey Group I girls soccer playoffs

SJ GROUP I GIRLS SOCCER
Thursday’s Quarterfinals
Audubon 4, Gateway 1
Haddon Twp. 6, Riverside 0
Palmyra 1, Woodstown 0 (3-2 SO)
Glassboro 1, Schalick 0 (5-4 SO)
Monday’s Semifinals
(4) Haddon Twp. at (1) Audubon
(7) Glassboro at (6) Palmyra

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Tears flowed from both sides of the center line here Thursday afternoon, but they were coming from different places.

Glassboro coach Scott Rogers was fighting back tears as he tried to describe the pride in his undermanned team’s 1-0 shootout win over second-seeded host Schalick in the SJ Group 1 girls soccer quarterfinals. The Bulldogs won the shootout 5-4.

The Schalick players, meanwhile, were understandably distraught that a game they had dominated got away in the most intense of ways and ended an otherwise inspirational season fraught with injuries that sometimes made it challenging to field a starting 11.

“I really am trying not to cry,” Rogers said after his first PK shootout in 14 years of coaching. “It’s the old adage: It’s hard to beat a team three times. I told our girls we had nothing to lose, as a seventh-seed, sneaking in as the seventh seed by one-thousanths of a point (to get on this side of the bracket … You can hear how nuts they are (celebrating in the dugout). This is a huge boost to the program.”

The Bulldogs (10-5-3) now travel to sixth-seeded Palmyra (16-4), which knocked off Woodstown in a PK shootout a little ways up the road.

While all 12 available players on the Bulldogs’ roster contributed to the win, the difference in the match clearly was the play of Glassboro keeper Sunny Moore. The junior repeatedly turned back the Cougars in regulation and overtime, then stoned them three straight times in the sudden death wave of penalty kicks before Emma Schoch ripped the game-winner past Schalick sophomore goalie Eve Berger on the ninth round.

“Sunny played out of her head today,” Rogers said. “With her in the back for us, it makes you sleep a little easier. “

The Cougars’ best chance to score on her came in the first half when Liv Vanacker banged a shot off the crossbar with 8:35 left in the first half and Abby Willoughby did the same with the rebound. Moore stoned Vanacker and Willoughby on semi-breakaways midway through the second half. And they had numerous other chances throughout regulation and overtime that just became another save.

“I don’t even know how many shots we had, but that was probably one of our better games creating opportunities,” Schalick coach Will Kemp said. “(But) when you have the best goalkeeper in the state playing, it’s really difficult to get anything by her.

“Sunny is unbelievable. Any other goalkeeper, we score. The funnest part is putting the ball in the back of the net; the hardest part is getting it past Sunny.”

Glassboro goalkeeper Sunny Moore lunges for a Schalick shot that eventually hits the cross bar in the first half of their playoff game Thursday. On the cover, Moore stops Schalick’s final penalty kick before Glassboro knocked in the game winner.

Schalick, which had beaten Glassboro the last 18 times they played and twice this season, took a 2-0 lead in the Round of 5 PKs when Quinn Berger and Emily Miller beat Moore off the line. But the Bulldogs hit their last three attempts to force the sudden-death round, with Moore coming out of the goal to go one-on-one with her opposite number to extend the shootout.

“I knew coming into this game I had to play my heart out, this had to be my best game of the season,” Moore said. “That’s just what I put my mind to. I just tried my best. I tried to anticipate shots more than I would in a regular game. In the shootout it was the same mindset, this had to be my best game, I had to show up and show out. We had to get this.

“(Falling behind 2-0) I didn’t try to think about it too much, I just tried to clear my head because I knew that’s what I needed. I knew if I stayed frustrated the game would go their way. It was kind of a reset in my head. All these parents were yelling the entire game so it’s like I have to prove these people wrong.”

Cali Fisler gave the Cougars the lead in the sudden-death round, but Amina Brown matched it on Glassboro’s turn. Both teams missed their next two attempts – Eve Berger turned away Marianna Dempster and Marissa Pasquarello, and Moore denied Quinn Berger and Abby Willoughby.

In the ultimately decisive ninth round, Miller shot towards the right post but Moore guessed correctly, dove towards the post and knocked the ball away. With the chance to win the match, Schoch, who scored on her Round-of-5 attempt, hit a bullet to the left side of the goal. Berger dove that way and got a hand on the shot, but it still got through just inside the post to end the marathon.

“II was just trying to save it for the team,” Berger said. “I got a whole hand on it. I think I was angled wrong. It hit hard. I wasn’t on a good angle, I don’t think.”

It was a bittersweet ending to the Cougars’ season. At one point in the season they had seven players on the injured list, accumulating more than 70 missed game. They played a couple weeks without their regular goalie. Still, they managed to put together a season that ended two wins shy of their sectional final run the year before.

“The girls were great this year,” Kemp said. “Even though with all the injuries, playing with 11 players multiple times, underclassmen stepping up, girls who never played organized soccer before stepping up, it just shows how tough this team currently is. I’m excited for the future for them. For them to overcome as much as they did this past season, I’m nothing but proud of them.”

**Glassboro’s Sienna Wedderburn (11) makes a sliding tackle to knock the ball away from Schalick’s Liv Vanacker during Thursday’s playoff game.**

First loss, last loss

Collingswood hands Schalick field hockey first loss of the season in the South Jersey Group I quarterfinals

SJ GROUP I PLAYOFFS
Wednesday’s Quarterfinals
Shore 11, Salem 0
Haddon Heights 4, Gloucester 0
West Deptford 9, Bordentown 0
Collingswood 3, Schalick 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Among the keys to Schalick’s unprecedented field hockey success this season were a high-powered offense and a penchant for doing all the little things.

But both were missing Wednesday and the Cougars suffered their first loss of the season, 3-1 to 10th-seeded Collingswood in the South Jersey Group I quarterfinals.

“It was a tough one,” Schalick coach Heather Cheesman said. “I just think we didn’t do the little things. We were sloppy, not getting by, getting lots of cards, just little details. The little things hurt us.

“They weren’t doing them well, either, but they did them better than us. … They did what they had to do today to beat us.”

The Panthers (10-10) did what no team has been able to do to the Cougars this season – keep them out of the cage and, of course, beat them.

The Cougars (18-1-1) had scored 117 goals in their first 19 games and had outscored their last five opponents 43-1. They were held to fewer than three goals only three times all year and never fewer than two. None of their top goal scorers – Ava Scurry (40 goals), Phoebe Alward (29) or Luci Virga (22) – lit the lamp Wednesday.

“We were aware of their scorers,” Panthers coach Valerie Dayton said. “I’m going to be honest, we don’t get fancy. We don’t do or change up a whole lot because I find our kids are comfortable doing what they do best. We just kind of talk them through what they could expect and if they made some adjustments on their own, they played smart.

“We don’t have the greatest record. We don’t have a record like they do. But we play in an extremely tough conference, we schedule tough out of conference and we hope that it pays off down the road. I think they really experienced some of the best teams in South Jersey, so even though we didn’t always come out on the winning end, we learned some lessons and it paid off today.”

The Panthers came into Salem County twice this week and snagged playoff wins. They edged Woodstown on Monday 1-0. They are the lowest seeded team and their 10 losses the most of all remaining teams in in the any classification in South Jersey. They visit third-seeded West Deptford in the semifinals Monday. It’s their sixth straight trip to the semis.

“It was all from hard work all season,” Panthers senior Peyton Ryan said.

Schalick actually had the lead. Lena Virga converted a pass from her sister Luci for the first goal of the game with 8:27 left in the second quarter. The Panthers tied it on Sophia Mazur’s goal 1:35 before halftime and it stayed 1-1 until the Panthers scored twice in the fourth quarter.

Hazel Howkins broke the tie with 13:39 left on a penalty shot after Ryan got knocked down in the circle. With a flick of the wrist, Howkins sent her shot just past Cougar keeper Lydia Gilligan’s outstretched left hand. It was only the second time the Cougars had trailed all season.

“At first I was really nervous but I usually know where to place it because I practice them a lot since I’m the designated stroker,” she said. “I usually go to the right and just hope for the best … and try and be strong and send it hard.”

It was uncertain how much of the goal Howkins actually saw. She took a piece of sour candy in the left eye during some roughhousing with a teammate during the school day and said after the game things still looked a little hazy.

“It was a lot puffier earlier,” she said.

Collingswood continued to dominate the play and got some breathing room on Ryan’s power play goal with 3:28 left. It came off a third straight corner following the penalty.

“For us it’s hard to play a man down,” Cheesman said. “Because we do a lot of man-to-man marking, a man down is leaving somebody open. Any time the play is uneven it’s tough.”

The Cougars picked up their play in the final five minutes, but just couldn’t get one in the cage.

“I’m sad for them, but if they played this game like they played the last five minutes I think things would have turned out a lot different,” Cheesman said. “They just had a hard time putting it together today.”

SHORE 11, SALEM 0: The top-seeded Blue Devils (22-2) had their way with the Rams (9-6-1). Marielle Montenegro, Scarlett Watson, Marin Stefanelli and Gabby O’Brien all scored a pair of goals. Shore has outscored its first two tournament opponents 21-0.

Cover photo: Collingswood’s Hazel Howkins flicks a penalty shot past Schalick goalie Lydia Gilligan in the fourth quarter of their South Jersey Group I field hockey playoff game Wednesday. The shot broke a 1-1 tie.

Emotional openers

Penns Grove heartbroken after Pitman scores game-winner in final minute; top seeds Schalick, Woodstown win handily; Pennsville shut out

SJ GROUP I BOYS SOCCER
Tuesday’s First-Round Games
Schalick 7, Cape May Tech 0
Pitman 2, Penns Grove 1
Audubon 5, Gateway 1
Haddon Twp. 6, Pennsville 0
Palmyra 7, Woodbury 1
Riverside 4, Glassboro 2
Wildwood 5, Maple Shade 0
Woodstown 7, Clayton 1
Friday’s Quarterfinals
(8) Pitman at (1) Schalick
(5) Audubon at (4) Haddon Twp.
(6) Riverside at (3) Palmyra
(7) Wildwood at (2) Woodstown

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITMAN – The nature of playoff sports is such that one minute you’re planning for an extended stay and the next your whole world comes tumbling down.

The way Tuesday’s South Jersey Group 1 playoff game was playing out, Penns Grove boys soccer coach Mano Massari was prepared for overtime and even had his penalty kicks shootout strategy lined up should it come to that.

It all looked like it was going that way. Then Pitman punched in a goal off a corner kick in the final minute of regulation and all those plans came crashing to the ground.

Jaiden Ammons nudged a corner kick from Jake Bowen-Aswin through a crowd in the box and past Penns Grove keeper Dwayne Guzman to give the Panthers a 2-1 win. Inside the final minute was the best estimate on the time of the game-winner since Alcyon Park has no working scoreboard clock.

“79th minute” is the way it read in the scorebook.

Whether it was one minute, one second or one hour, it was as crushing a defeat as Massari has endured in his soccer career as a player or a coach.

“It was 100 percent the toughest loss of our season,” he said. “It’s crushing. It’s crushing to watch my guys drop to the ground and cry. It’s tough. A lot of these guys, this is all they’ve got.

“This team, they’re family. My guys go through a lot outside of school and they deal with a lot. When I tell you this team really is a family, I mean it, man. It’s heartbreaking to watch them go through that.”

Massari described the game as an “absolute all-out war.” The ninth-seeded Red Devils (8-10) grabbed a 1-0 lead on freshman Juan Ortiz’ fifth goal of the season in the 49th minute. Bowen-Ashwin tied it for the Panthers (10-8-1) nine minutes later.

It stayed that with until the final minute of regulation.

The decisive kick came from Penns Grove’s left defensive corner. Bowen-Ashwin sent the ball into the box. Guzman came off the line and took a swipe at it with his left arm, but Ammons was crashing the goal and deflected it back into the net. It was similar to an overtime goal he scored at Pennsville in September.

“I really wasn’t expecting it to land on my head,” Ammons told Brian Tortella of SJGloryDays. “I just closed my eyes and prayed for the best. Somehow, it landed on my head and it went in.”

“I have a little team, they’re not the biggest guys in the world,” Massari said. “I have two guys above 5-8, 5-9 and they (Pitman) made a play in the box and they buried it. … It just wasn’t in our cards today I guess.”

With the win, Pitman moves on to play at top-seeded Schalick in the quarterfinals Friday.

SCHALICK 7, CAPE MAY TECH 0: The Cougars wasted no time getting on the scoreboard and it touched off a six-goal barrage in the first half that carried the bracket’s top seed to an easy first-round victory over the 16.

Luke Price stole the ball just outside of his 18, took it the length of the field and beat the keeper only 25 seconds into the match. He scored twice more in the final 10 minutes of the half to complete his second hat trick of the season.

“Coming off a tough win versus Cumberland we needed to walk the next team off the field no matter the rank,” Price said. “As coach said in our pre-game, ‘Energy from the start, everyone,’ so I knew we needed to get off to a great start.

“(The first goal) brings me back to my freshman year scoring a 31-second goal. It’s great to score that first goal quick.”

But the Cougars didn’t stop there. Mike Nelson made it 2-0 on a header off an Anthony Sepers cross, followed by goals from Oscar Hernandez and Reyli Reyes. J.T. Fleming scored in the second half.

“We tried to focus on being sharp and executing today and really from the first minutes of the game they were fairly locked in,” Cougars coach Joe Mannella said. “As good of an effort as you can expect first round.

“I was worried about guys doing some things they couldn’t get away with in a different game. But everybody played well, executed and stuck to what we do and we did it well. It was really all we could have hoped for today.”

The Cougars (18-2) now host eighth-seeded Pitman in Friday’s quarterfinals.

WOODSTOWN 7, CLAYTON 1: Adrian Ibarra and Bryce Ayars gave Woodstown a comfortable 2-0 halftime lead, but the Wolverines erupted for five goals in the second half to completely take control of the game.

Ibarra, Ayden Ellis, Ben Lippincott, Sid Leevy and freshman Josh Olbrich notched the goals in the second half. For Ibarra, his two goals left him with 48 for his career.

“Obviously we became more efficient with our shooting, with our percentages, but we were moving better without the ball,” Wolverines coach Darren Huck explained of the second-half uprising. “We were crashing the net more and really getting lots of movement and bodies inside the 18.

“In the first half we were getting some quality looks, but we were getting a little bit wide here and there and we weren’t creating enough confusion in the final third. We definitely did that in the second half.”

And the better movement created some luck. Ellis’ goal came after he beat the goalie, hit the back post and the rebound richocheted off the keeper’s back and into the goal.

Leevy’s goal was a brilliant 19-yard free kick around the defensive wall just inside the post to answer the Clippers’ goal. Olbrich’s goal came on a penalty kick and made him the 291st player in school history to score a varsity goal.

It was a legacy goal of sorts. Olbrich’s father, brother and sister are all enshrined on the recently unveiled Woodstown Soccer Wall of Fame.

“We had good balance today,” Huck said.

The second-seeded Wolverines (15-4) now host Wildwood in Friday’s quarterfinals.

SJ GROUP 2 BOYS SOCCER
Haddon Heights 7, Salem Tech 0

VOLLEYBALL
SJ GROUP 2 VOLLEYBALL
Seneca 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-2, 25-11)

Diamond dazzlers

Regular-season champion and overall South Jersey Group I No. 1 seed Glassboro dominated the WJFL Diamond Division all-star team as selected by the coaches Monday night. The Bulldogs had 11 of the 28 first-team selections, including quarterback and all three receivers.

Salem County teams pulled down 13 first-team spots, including both specialists. Division runner-up Woodstown led the way with six selections. Schalick had five and Penns Grove two.

Here are the coaches choices for the WJFL Diamond Division all-star team. All the division teams will become official after an athletics directors vote later.

Cover photo: Woodstown’s Garrett Leyman (10) and Bryce Belinfanti (3) both made the Diamond Division First-Team, Belinfanti as a running back and Leyman as a defensive back.

First-Team Offense

POS	PLAYER, SCHOOL	GRADE
OL	Jayce Grays, Glassboro	11
OL	Amon Wright, Glassboro	10
OL	T.J. Hymer, Schalick	12
OL	Braiden Gould, Woodstown	12
OL	Camille Carter, Woodbury	12
QB	Kris Foster, Glassboro	10
RB	Kenny Smith, Glassboro	12
RB	Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown	12
WR	Amari Sabb, Glassboro	11
WR	Xavier Sabb, Glassboro	10
WR	Mekhi Parker, Glassboro	9
ATH	Kenai Simmons, Schalick	12
ATH	KaRon Ceaser, Penns Grove	10
K	Jake Ware, Woodstown	12

HONORABLE MENTION: RB Reggie Allen, Schalick; OL Kyle Williams, Glassboro; OL Raymond Brown, Penns Grove; QB Tim Holmes, Woodbury; OL Corbin Walz, Woodstown.

First-Team Defense

POS	PLAYER, SCHOOL	GRADE
DL	Brandon Simmons, Glassboro	11
DL	Jordan Gravener, Glassboro	12
DL	Amir Carter, Woodbury	12
DL	Walter (Bump) Carter, Woodstown	12
LB	Tasheem Butler, Glassboro	10
LB	Roneem Thomas, Schalick	12
LB	Jason Soloman, Woodbury	12
LB	Bobby Donahue, Woodstown	12
DB	Knowledge Young, Penns Grove	12
DB	Dylan Sheehan, Schalick	11
DB	Marquis Taylor, Woodbury	12
DB	Garrett Leyman, Woodstown	12
ATH	Dayshawn Day, Glassboro	12
P	Hunter Dragotta, Schalick	11

HONORABLE MENTION: DE Rocco String, Woodstown; LB Riley Papiano, Schalick; DL Tyler Bright, Glassboro; LB Tre Brown, Penns Grove; DB Elijah Young, Woodbury; DL Junior Serrano, Glassboro.

Off and running

Woodstown wakes up in second half to pull away in South Jersey Group I girls soccer playoff opener, Schalick posts runaway victory, Pennsville drops close one

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS
Monday’s First-Round Games
Gateway 3, Clayton 2 (SO 5-4)
Riverside 2, Pennsville 1
Haddon Twp. 8, Buena 0
Woodstown 6, Wildwood 0
Palmyra 5, Maple Shade 0
Glassboro 3, Pitman 2 (OT)
Schalick 9, Cape May Tech 0
Thursday’s Quarterfinals
(8) Gateway at (1) Audubon
(5) Riverside at (4) Haddon Twp.
(6) Palmyra at (3) Woodstown
(7) Glassboro at (2) Schalick

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Kieran Keyser isn’t the type of coach to yell and scream on the sidelines, but this time warranted getting a little loud.

Keyser’s third-seeded Woodstown girls soccer team was locked in a scoreless tie at halftime of their South Jersey Group I playoff opener with Wildwood, a team it had beaten by seven goals early in the season. The Wolverines were having the best of the play and had a couple good scoring chances, but just couldn’t finish the ball.

Keyser had his say at the break and it was obvious the Wolverines got the message. Talia Battavio found the back of the net in the first five minutes of the second half and the Wolverines went on to score six goals in a 6-0 win.

The Wolverines (13-4-2), unbeaten in their last seven games and 10-1-2 in their last 13, now host Palmyra (15-4) in the quarterfinals Thursday.

“I had to light a fire under them,” Keyser said. “We’ve never had a game where we’ve been outhustled and outworked; we were for 40 minutes.

“Maybe because we beat them 8-1 in the second game of the season I think our girls thought this is an easy win. We had moments of greatness in the first half, don’t get me wrong, but we couldn’t convert. We came out flat.”

Battavio scored twice in the second half, giving her 17 for the season and 64 for her career – one shy of fourth on the Wolverines’ all-time scoring list. Gina Murray, Blair Baldi, Bailey Arnold-Peters and Emma Morgan had the other goals.

“They answered the call,” Keyser said. “I said we need to do this and they started doing it. I was proud of them. It should’ve been an easy win for us and in the end it was but at halftime there was a lot of tension in the air. We figured it out.”

SCHALICK 9, CAPE MAY TECH 0: Quinn Berger scored the first of her two goals in the opening minute of the game and it opened the door to an eight-goal first half and the second-seeded Cougars’ 11th straight opening-round win.

“It’s always good to get the morale going, especially going into the playoffs,” Schalick coach Will Kemp said. “The girls stepped up big time today. It was the type of match we needed to get through.”

Abby Willoughby scored three goals, giving her 22 for the season, Olivia Devoe scored twice and Cali Fisler and Liv Vanacker each had one. Willoughby and Vanacker each had two assists.

“The girls handled business, definitely,” Kemp said. “They know where we are in the season. Their intensity was great. Their ability to kind of control the game on their own, they stepped into that really big this time. They were really together today.”

The Cougars (13-5) now host Glassboro (9-5-3) in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

RIVERSIDE 2, PENNSVILLE 1: Natalie Tkacs scored a goal in the first half Larissa Santos DaSilva scored what proved to be the game-winner off a pass from Tkacs in the second half.

Jumping with joy

Boggs’ golden goal gives Salem thrilling opening-round playoff victory, Schalick routs South Hunterdon, Woodstown upset in one-goal game

SJ GROUP I FIELD HOCKEY PLAYOFFS
Monday’s First-Round Games
Shore 10, Audubon 1
Salem 1, Florence 0 (OT)
Gloucester 4, Lower Cape May 0
Haddon Heights 1, Haddon Twp. 0
West Deptford 5, Maple Shade 0
Bordentown 4, Gateway 2
Collingswood 1, Woodstown 0
Schalick 11, South Hunterdon 0
Wednesday’s Quarterfinals
(8) Salem at (1) Shore
(5) Gloucester winner at (4) Haddon Heights
(11) Bordentown at (3) West Deptford
(10) Collingswood at (2) Schalick

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – As soon as her shot settled into the back of the cage ending an intense afternoon of playoff field hockey, Audrey Boggs knew exactly what to do.

Julliana Love sent Boggs on a semi-breakaway late in the first overtime and the Salem junior beat keeper Mackenzie Cucinotta to an open right corner to give the Rams a 1-0 victory over Florence in Monday’s opening round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

In a move as choreographed as the goal itself, Boggs then raced over to a group of teammates huddling just outside the 25 and together they did a “Celebration Spin-Around.”

“It’s from the game Wii Sports Bowling and we all thought it would be really funny if we did that,” Boggs said. “When all of us came together were like we’ve got to do this, and we did it. “

The goal came with 3:50 left in the first 7-v-7 overtime. It broke the ice in a game that was typically of an 8-9 matchup in the bracket and looked destined for a shootout with both defenses and keepers turning away good scoring chances from the start. Salem had 16 shots on goal, Florence had 11 corners.

“Whenever I turn them back it always feels good on my part knowing I didn’t let a goal in and it helps my teammates not to let them down,” Rams goalie Ava Rodgers said.

It was Boggs’ fifth goal of the season, but her first since Rams coach Shanna Scott started sliding her forward to give the offense a late-season boost.

“That was the most exciting one, definitely,” Boggs said. “This was the best one for sure, a special one.”

It was Salem’s first win in the opening round of the playoffs since 2021 (Pitman) and second since 2015. The Rams (9-5-1) lost first-round games each of the last two years.

They now travel to top-seeded Shore (21-2) for Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

“The girls worked very hard for this game, they’ve worked very hard this season.,” Scott said. “I’m just so impressed with how well they’ve played this season and how far that they’ve come, because we lost our entire team last year (9 of 11 starters) and they really stepped up.”

**Salem goal scorer Audrey Boggs (5) joins her teammates in a Celebration Spin-Around after they beat Florence in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I field hockey playoffs.**

SCHALICK 11, SOUTH HUNTERDON 0: It took the unbeaten second-seeded Cougars a little while to get going, but once they got in gear they turned the afternoon into the easy victory everyone expected.

Their 11 goals were a season high. It was their fifth straight win and fourth straight shutout. They’ve won their last five games by a combined score of 43-1.

“It didn’t start out easy; they didn’t score any, but they were down in our end right out of the gate,” Schalick coach Heather Cheesman said. “It took a good five minutes for the girls to finally wake up and then things started rolling.

“We didn’t know what we were walking into with them. They came out a little bit flat. South Hunterdon was bringing it and the girls were like we need to step it up and they did.”

Ava Scurry had two goals and a career-high five assists, giving her 41 goals and 20 assists on the season, reaching 100 scoring points for the season (102) and giving the Cougars their second 20-20 scorer of the year.

Phoebe Alward, the founding member of the 20-20 Club, and Caylen Taylor both had hat tricks, and Luci Virga had a goal and three assists.

“They were deadly in their offensive circle,” Cheesman said. “As soon as they got down there, it was goal after goal after goal and they were working so good together. Some of the goals were really, really pretty. It looked good once they got rolling.”

The Cougars (18-0-1) now host Collingswood, a 1-0 upset winner of Woodstown, in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

COLLINGSWOOD 1, WOODSTOWN 0: Peyton Ryan scored the game’s only goal off a corner at the 5:15 mark of the third quarter on an assist from Cecilia Clark.