21 and counting

Mighty Oaks open second half in big way, pull away from Sussex to close regular season with a victory; finish sixth in region standings, await playoffs

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

NEWTON – There was still six minutes left in halftime and the Salem CC basketball team was out there on the floor getting up shots. Usually, the Mighty Oaks would still be in the dressing room making plans for the second half, but this time coach Mike Green had said his peace and there was nothing more to do there.

The Mighty Oaks rolled out the ball rack and spent the rest of the break in the layup line. They were a different team in the second half because of it.

If the first five minutes of a half set the tone for the way a team will play, the Mighty Oaks couldn’t have started better. They opened the second half on an 18-2 tear to pull away from a tie game and went on to beat Sussex CC 89-64 Monday to complete the winningest regular season since the revival of the program.

“I needed to say some things and when you’re not playing up to your level nobody has much to say so it was quick,” Green explained. “You’re gonna hear what I’ve got to say, now get your butts out there and warm up.

“They were a lot tougher in the second half. The first half I think we kind of got pushed around. We just challenged them. We’re not the same team on the road that we are at home. Our next game will be on the road so if you come out like this against any of the teams in the playoffs you’re going to have a hard time getting back in the game and your season is gonna be cut short.”

With Camden’s win over Ocean Monday, the Mighty Oaks (21-7, 13-5) will finish sixth in the Region XIX Division III standings and likely be the sixth seed to face projected No. 3 CC of Philadelphia in the region tournament. They will learn their official seed, first-round opponent and the site of their opening-round game following Wednesday’s region seeding meeting.

Because the region receives two direct bids to the JUCO national tournament, the region will incorporate two separate brackets to produce two champions. Three Region XIX teams were included in the most recent Division III Top 15 and two others, including the Mighty Oaks, received votes for consideration.

“I don’t know who we’ll play, but we’ll be ready,” Green said. “I don’t know what we look like to other people. I feel like we should be a tough draw for anybody. I don’t know if the league feels that way, but it really doesn’t matter now, the games are here.

“We’ll be ready regardless who it is. I already started that. Weeks ago. All three teams we could possibly play, I’ve got them down. And for the next round. I’ve already started.”

Akeem Taylor led the Mighty Oaks with 25 points and nine rebounds. Xavier Brewington (16), Tyrese Fortune (14) and Tamir Powell (10) also scored in double figures. Jyheim Spencer grabbed 11 rebounds and A.J. Jones had six assists.

The teams played to a 33-33 tie in the first half with Taylor hitting a layup to beat the buzzer. Four minutes into the second half the Mighty Oaks had a 16-point lead.

Brewington and Taylor opened the second-half run with back-to-back 3-pointers. Fortune closed it out with eight straight points. Spencer had the other four points.

“We’re going to find somebody who’s going to play how I want them to play,” Green said. “I gave the guys who started the game another opportunity and they showed up.”

Moments after the Skylanders hit a pair of free throws to make it 51-37, Taylor answered with a putback, but limped towards the sideline with an apparent ankle injury and collapsed behind the Salem bench. He made his way to the training room, then returned to the floor about five minutes later and immediately hit a putback and one to give the Mighty Oaks a 65-48 lead.

The Salem CC women play for their Region XIX Division II playoff lives in their regular-season finale at home Tuesday night.

Salem CC	33	56-	89
Sussex	33	31-	64

PROJECTED REGION XIX SEEDS
1-Union, 2-Montgomery, 3-Philadelphia, 4-Northampton, 5-Camden, 6-Salem, 7-Brookdale, 8-Ocean, 9-Atlantic Cape, 10-RCSJ Gloucester

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 17-23

FEB. 17
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Sussex CC, 5 p.m.

FEB. 18
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Tri-County Conference Tournament
Flight A
(8) Timber Creek at (1) Gloucester Catholic
(5) GCIT at (4) Wildwood, 4 p.m.
(6) Clearview at (3) Woodstown
(7) Pennsville at (2) Washington Twp.
Flight B
(8) Cumberland at (1) Williamstown
(5) Glassboro at (4) Triton, 4 p.m.
(6) Kingsway at (3) Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
(7) Delsea at (2) Clayton, 5 p.m.
Flight C
(5) Salem at (4) Schalick, 4 p.m.
(6) Salem Tech at (3) Overbrook, 4:30 p.m.
(7) Highland at (2) Pitman
BOYS BASKETBALL
Tri-County Conference Tournament
Flight A
(8) Deptford Twp. at (1) Overbrook, 6 p.m.
(5) Delsea at (4) Pitman
(6) Woodstown at (3) Timber Creek, 5 p.m.
(7) Penns Grove at (2) Kingsway, 5 p.m.
Flight B
(8) Salem at (1) Clearview
(5) Gloucester Catholic at (4) Triton, 6 p.m.
(6) Glassboro at (3) Williamstown, 4 p.m.
(7) Highland at (2) Washington Twp.
Flight C
(5) Cumberland at (4) Schalick
(6) Pennsville at (3) Wildwood
(7) Salem Tech at (2) GCIT, 4 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Montgomery County (Pa.) CC at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

FEB. 19
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Cherry Hill West, 4 p.m.
BOYS BOWLING
South Jersey Group I Semifinals
Salem vs. Clayton at Bolero Bowl
Maple Shade at Camden Catholic

FEB. 20
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Flight A
Timber Creek-Gloucester Catholic vs. GCIT-Wildwood
Clearview-Woodstown vs. Pennsville-Washington Twp.
Flight B
Cumberland-Williamstown vs. Glassboro-Triton
Kingsway-Penns Grove vs. Delsea-Clayton
Flight C
Salem-Schalick at Deptford Twp.
Salem Tech-Overbrook vs. Highland-Pitman

BOYS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Flight A
Deptford Twp.-Overbrook vs. Delsea-Pitman
Woodstown-Timber Creek vs. Penns Grove-Kingsway
Flight B
Salem-Clearview vs. Gloucester Catholic-Triton
Glassboro-Williamstown vs. Highland-Washington Twp.
Flight C
Cumberland-Schalick at Clayton
Pennsville-Wildwood vs. Salem Tech-GCIT

FEB. 21
WRESTLING
District Tournaments
Penns Grove, Salem in District 32, RCSJ-Gloucester
Pennsville, Schalick, Woodstown in District 30, Delsea
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Genesee CC at Salem CC (2), 2 p.m.

FEB. 22
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament A, B, C Championships
BOYS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament A, B, C Championships

FEB. 23
TRACK
NJSIAA Group Championships, Bennett Center, Toms River

Power pairings

Here are the projected South Jersey Group I high school basketball tournament pairings based purely on power points standings; other factors may impact the official bracket

BOYS
No. 16 Wildwood at No. 1 Pitman
No. 9 Burlington City at No. 8 Penns Grove
No. 12 Glassboro at No. 5 Woodbury
No. 13 Paulsboro at No. 4 Audubon

No. 14 Clayton at No. 3 Haddon Twp.
No. 11 Salem at No. 6 Palmyra
No. 10 New Egypt at No. 7 Woodstown
No. 15 Maple Shade at No. 2 KIPP Cooper

GIRLS
No. 16 New Egypt at No. 1 Haddon Twp.
No. 9 Glassboro at No. 8 Penns Grove
No. 12 Cape May Tech at No. 5 Audubon
No. 13 Gateway at No. 4 Woodstown

No. 14 Riverside at No. 3 Wildwood
No. 11 Woodbury at No. 6 Pennsville
No. 10 Burlington City at No. 7 Clayton
No. 15 Pitman at No. 2 Palmyra

One last shot

The Salem CC women’s region playoff hopes rest with the season finale after road loss to Lackawanna

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SCRANTON, Pa. — If the Salem CC women’s basketball team wants to play in the region playoffs for the first time in 20 years, it will have to win its final game of the regular season. There will be no scoreboard watching, except the one in Dupont Fieldhouse. It’ll all be on them.

**Salem CC sophomore Kathryn Laurence flashes a sign to note the 100 career 3-pointers she’s hit for the Mighty Oaks.**

The Mighty Oaks lost their final road game of the regular season Saturday, 72-57 at Lackawanna. It left them one game under .500 for the season and needing to beat Division III No. 15 Montgomery County CC Tuesday in a game already steeped with Sophomore Night emotion to qualify for the Region XIX playoffs.

They last time they had a .500 or better record that would have gotten them in the playoffs was 2005-06 (14-14).

“Nothing has been easy with this team this year so why would this last game be any different?” Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “It all comes down to one game on Sophomore Day and it won’t be handed to us. We have to go get it.

“I have faith this team will do what is necessary and come away with the win in their last home game of the year.”

The Mighty Oaks got off to a slow start against the Falcons (16-6) and couldn’t recover. They shot just 3-of-16 from the floor in the first quarter and 7-of-29 in the first half and trailed by 15 at the break. Lackawanna scored 28 points in the paint and 19 points off Salem turnovers.

“We played hard and our energy was great, but our execution was poor,” Marsh said. “We missed a lot of layups.”

Two Salem CC players reached personal milestones in the game. Maggie St. Clair led the Mighty Oaks with 15 points and went over 500 points for her JUCO career. Kathryn Laurence hit two 3-pointers among her eight points to reach 100 treys for her career. She needs three points for 500.

“Very proud of Kathryn, who in my opinion is the best shooter in program history,” Marsh said. “Maggie is a dynamic scorer, so I expect her to score for us regardless of the opponent.”

LACKAWANNA 72, SALEM CC 56
SALEM CC (11-12): RayNescia King 0-0 0-0 0, Nyaijah Jackson 5-11 4-7 14, Caroline Zullo 3-10 0-0 6, Maggie St. Clair 4-22 6-7 15, Jakayla Jenkins 1-7 0-0 2, Kathryn Laurence 3-12 0-0 8, Dani Gustin 0-3 3-4 3, Akira Chambers 2-2 3-4 7, Alexa Hopkins 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 19-69 16-22 57.
LACKAWANNA (16-6): Eternity Aiken 4-5 3-4 11, Semi Young 0-4 3-4 3, Diamond Wilson 0-6 0-2 0, Sophia Suma 0-0 2-2 2, Salote Franklin 6-11 2-2 15, Desiree White 5-14 3-6 15, Jayla South 4-14 2-2 10, Saraiah Franklin 4-8 3-6 12, Kalea Ferguson 1-6 0-0 2, Anna Crocker 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 25-71 18-28 72.

Salem CC	9	13	14	21-	57
Lackawanna	17	20	11	24-	72

3-point goals: Salem CC 3-19 (Zullo 0-1, St. Clair 1-9, Jenkins 0-1, Laurence 2-8); Lackawanna 4-26 (Young 0-2, Wilson 0-5, Sal. Franklin 1-2, White 2-6, South 0-4, Sar. Franklin 1-4, Ferguson 0-3). Rebounds: Salem CC 46 (Jackson 12, Zullo 8); Lackawanna 55 (Franklin 15, Sal. Franklin 9). Fouled out: Sar. Franklin. Total fouls: Salem CC 20, Lackawanna 21.

Going for gold

Record-setting Parker, Crawford, Hadfield lead Salem County contingent at sectional meet; Woodstown’s boys second as team

By Riverview Sports News

TOMS RIVER – Salem’s Anthony Parker set a meet record and Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield and Woodstown’s Josh Crawford won two events to highlight Salem County’s showing in the South Jersey Group I track and field sectionals at The Bubble here Saturday.

Parker won the boys 55 hurdles in 7.71, break the old record of 7.72, set by Corsen Harter of Haddon Twp. in 2013. He was the fastest qualifier through the prelims (7.93).

Crawford won the boys 400 (51/03) and nipped teammate Cole Lucas at the wire to win the 800 (2:01.51). Crawford and Lucas also ran legs on the Wolverines’ runner-up 4×400 relay team that finished second to record-setting Woodbury and ran three seconds faster than the old meet record.

Hadfield won the girls 1600 (5:08.12) and 3200 (11:17.85). She also ran a leg on the Cougars’ third-place 4×400 relay team.

Woodstown finished a solid second in boys team standings behind Glassboro. Schalick and Woodstown finished 3-4 – one point apart – in the girls team standings.

SOUTH JERSEY TRACK SECTIONALS
GROUP I GIRLS
TEAM SCORES: Audubon 53, Woodbury 42, SCHALICK 38, WOODSTOWN 37, Haddon Twp. 35, Glassboro 30, Clayton 28, West Deptford 11, Camden 8, SALEM 8, Lower Cape May 7, PENNSVILLE 7, Gateway 5, PENNS GROVE 1.

EVENTS (winner and Salem County scorers)
400: 1. Leila Ortiz, Clayton, 1:00.17; 2. Jaime Deal, Woodstown, 1:00.61; 3. Gia Martellacci, Schalick, 1:02.56
1600: 1. Jordan hadfield, Schalick, 5:08.12; 4. Samantha Sterner, Woodstown, 5:42.85; 5. Abby Marino, Woodstown, 5:46.15
55 hurdles: 1. Zaryn Cooper, Woodbury, 8.71
800: 1. Riley Fayer, Audubon, 2:23.12; 5. Sarah Seiden, Woodstown, 2:30.66
55: 1. Denirah Jones, Woodbury, 7.37; 5. Gia Martellacci, Schalick, 7.67; 6. Jaime Deal, Woodstown, 7.69
3200: 1. Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 11:17.85; 3. Abby Marino, Woodstown, 12:41.77; 4. Anabel Schaal, Woodstown, 12:41.93
4×400: 1. Woodbury, 4:15.91; 3. Schalick (Gia Martellacci, Brooke Valentine, Allyson Green, Jordan Hadfield), 4:23.09; 5. Woodstown (Sarah Seiden, Kayla Ayars, Lia Covely, Jaime Deal), 4:28.46
High jump: 1. Ashley Armstrong, Glassboro, 5-2; 2. Kami Casiano, Woodstown, 5-0
Pole vault: 1. Elizabeth Butrica, Audubon, 10-0; 3. Megan Morris, Pennsville, 9-6; 6. Molly Gratz, Pennsville, 6-6
Shot put: 1. Sunsarai Moore, Glassboro, 36-11.5; 2. Ava Rodgers, Salem, 31-10.25; 4. Allyson Green, Schalick, 30-7.5; 6. Zoey Ceasar, Penns Grove, 30-0

GROUP I BOYS
TEAM SCORES: Glassboro 83.5, WOODSTOWN 40, Haddon Twp. 32, Woodbury 30, Audubon 22, Camden 22, SALEM 15.5, Clayton 15, SCHALICK 15, Buena 14, Palmyra 7, Gateway 7, PENNSVILLE 4, West Deptford 2, Pitman 1.

EVENTS (winner and Salem County scorers)
400: 1. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 51.03
55 hurdles: 1. Anthony Parker, Salem, 7.71 (meet record, old record, Corsen Harter, Haddon Twp., 7.72, 2013)
1600: 1. Ty Blackman, Glassboro, 4:35.51; 6. Jacob Marino, Woodstown, 4:42.68
55: 1. Marquis Taylor, Woodbury, 6.45; 3. David Stewart, Schalick, 6.65; 4. Colin McGlinn, Pennsville, 6.77
800: 1. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 2:01.51; 2. Cole Lucas, Woodstown, 2:01.72; 6. Karson Chew, Woodstown, 2:06.26
3200: 1. Ty Blackman, Glassboro, 10:00.31; 5. Jacob Marino, Woodstown, 10:18.60
4×400: 1. Woodbury, 3:32.09; 2. Woodstown (Cole Lucas, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Joshua Crawford), 3:32.24; 4. Salem (Anthony Parker, Gradin Buzby, Timothy Gregory, Terrance Smith), 3:39.65
High jump: 1. Amari Sabb, Glassboro, 6-0
Pole vault: 1. Jacob George, Haddon Twp., 14-6; 2. Salvatore Longo, Schalick, 11-0; T-5. Gradin Buzby, Salem, 10-0
Shot put: 1. Kyle Williams, Glassboro, 49-5.75; 6. Sheldon Goldsboro, Schalick, 42-0.5

Mat milestone

Woodstown’s Balback scores 100th career win, Hyland recognized for his 300 coaching wins; story will be updated

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – One of the first things Travis Balback did when he made the Penns Grove varsity wrestling roster four years ago was pull out a piece of paper and write three numbers on it in big, bold letters: 1-0-0.

He put the paper away in a safe place and went back to it after each match he won, drawing a hash mark counting down the big number to zero.

One hundred wins was always a goal of his from the time he started wrestling. He took that paper with him when he transferred to Woodstown and Saturday he scratched the last tick mark off that goal with his 100th career win, an 11-8 decision over Justin Scotton at 132 in the Wolverines’ 32-31 criteria loss to Delran.

He picked up No. 101 with a 54-second pin of Brennan Albright in their 62-12 win over Haddon Heights.

“It’s been a goal since I was a kid to get 100 in high school,” Balback said. “It’s a big accomplishment … It’s something I’ve always wanted.”

He is the ninth Woodstown wrestler to reach the milestone and first since Hunter Gandy in 2021.

Another kind of 100 threatened to derail his bid to get it Saturday. Overnight he was fighting a fever that touched 101 and kept him up all night. But he was determined to go. He had never missed a match due to illness or injury and with the milestone right in front of him he wasn’t about to do that now.

“I felt pretty bad, just gassed,” he said. “Still with some sickness, but, then, you know, it’s wrestling. I was wrestling no matter what. I knew what the goal was, what the mindset was; I had to be here no matter what. It made me wrestle tougher and want it more.”

“He never misses practice,” Wolverines coach Adam Hyland said. “He came to Woodstown to wrestle. He’s a phenomenal kid. He’s a great leader the last two years for us. He’s just a great kid all the way around. Super proud he gets his name on the banner on the board here so he’ll be remembered forever.”

**Woodstown coach Adam Hyland congratulates Travis Balback Saturday after the senior scored his 100th career win.**

Wrestling up in class at 132, Balback was giving up inches and pounds to his opponent, but held his own. He led 6-2 at the end of the first period and 10-4 at the end of the second. Scotton got closed the gap to 11-8 where a takedown would’ve made things really interesting, but Balback held his ground.

He didn’t feel well the entire match and took the moments it spilled off the mat to recharge. He got a big breather in the third period when Scotton’s headgear came off and officials stopped the bout to put it back.

When it was over, Hyland was the first to walk out and shake his hand. Teammates gathered around for pictures and then it was on to the next match.

“Even when I go to the region tournament I’ve noticed there are very few kids who win 100 matches each year,” Hyland said. “It shows consistency, that you were able to be on the mat for four years every year without injury, you’re obviously good averaging 24 matches per year. It says a lot to get to 100 wins.”

Even though Balback has reached the milestone, there are no plans to retire that piece of paper.

“We’ll just keep going,” he said. “Do as much more as I can.”

Balback wasn’t the only one the Wolverines celebrated Saturday.

Before the match with Delran, school officials recognized Hyland’s 300 career coaching wins. He reached the milestone on Jan. 22 against Overbrook, becoming the third coach in school history to hit the mark (baseball’s Lee Ware, soccer’s Darren Huck). He is the winningest active coach in Salem County.

Since taking the program in 2004, Hyland’s teams have won nine region championships, seven Tri-County Conference division titles and had four wrestlers place in the state tournament.

“I’m not a big stat guy, I just kind of live in the moment, want to wrestle these matches individually every time we wrestle, but obviously to get to a certain milestone like that make me feel good,” Hyland said. “We’ve sort of built the program over the years, got to a certain level, and I’ve been really proud that we put Woodstown on the map in a lot of ways.”

**Woodstown wrestling coach Adam Hyland (C) accepts the banner commemorating his 300 career wins from Wolverines heavyweight Mateo Vinciguerra as son Greyson looks on.**

The Balback File

YEAR	TEAM	RECORD
2021-22	Penns Grove	17-8 (8 pins)
2022-23	Woodstown	27-4 (16)
2023-24	Woodstown	28-6 (20)
2024-25	Woodstown	29-4 (22)
TOTAL		101-22 (66)

WOODSTOWN 100	WINS	GRAD YEAR
Travis Layton	144	2017
Patrick Higgins	130	2015
Chad Watt	126	2017
Hunter Gandy	121	2021
Patrick McCurdy	117	2013
Nicholas Bonowski	107	2017
Jack Prendergast	104	2020
Connor Bestwick	104	2012
x-Travis Balback	101	2025
x-Mateo Vinciguerra	96	2025
x-active

WOODSTOWN TRI
DELRAN 32, WOODSTOWN 31
190: Victor Rizzo (D) maj. dec. over Chance Bayonne, 8-0
215: Michael Viereck (D) dec. Bradley Snitcher, 6-2
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Daniel Lewis, 1:04
106: Chase Dubuque (D) pinned Hunter Allen, 1:53
113: Luke Woronicak (WO) dec. Jeremy George, 6-2
120: Carson Bradway (WO) pinned Andrew Simien, 3:00
126: Christian Pereira (D) dec. Barry Coverly, SV-1 7-4
132: Travis Balback (WO) dec. Justin Scotton, 11-8
138: Gabriel McNeil (D) dec. Louie Scholl, 4-1
144: Alexander Conard (D) pinned Angel Hernandez, 0:54
150: Jackson Weller (D) pinned Thomas Lacy, 0:45
157: Brett Rowand (WO) maj. dec. Shane Palena, 15-7
165: Laitton Roberts (WO) tech fall over Finial English, 19-3 (5:15)
175: Greyson Hyland (WO) maj. dec. Matthew Viereck, 16-8
x-Delran wins on Criteria E (3-2 pins)

WOODSTOWN 62, HADDON HEIGHTS 12
215: Bradley Snitcher (WO) won by forfeit
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) won by forfeit
106: Hunter Allen (WO) dec. Aniello Napolitano, 8-5
113: Michael Ferraro (H) dec. Luke Woronicak, SV-1 10-7
120: Cole Denning (H) dec. Carson Bradway, 15-11
126: Travis Balback (WO) pinned Brennan Albright, 0:54
132: Barry Coverly (WO) pinned Leo Falco, 5:16
138: Louie Scholl (WO) pinned Michael Fitter, 0:47
144: Angel Hernandez (WO) won by forfeit
150: Brett Rowand (WO) tech fall over Ryan Bailey, 16-0 (2:24)
157: Thomas Lacy (WO) won by forfeit
165: Laitton Roberts (WO) pinned Jayden Bonilla, 3:59
175: Greyson Hyland pinned Jacob Gutkin, 0:36
190: Joel Martinez (H) pinned Chance Bayonne, 1:02

Notre Dame Quad

BARNEGAT 58, PENNSVILLE 15
165: Connor Green (B) dec. Juan Velasquez, 6-2
175: Gerald Miller (B) pinned Joseph Halstead
190: Connor Ayars (P) pinned Jean Marrero
215: David DeNichilo (B) won by forfeit
285: Trevor Waddington (P) dec. Cuinn Pascavage, 4-1
106: Michael Baccigalupi (B) pinned Brett Land
113: Casey Bonett (B) won by forfeit
120: Nicholas Speer (B) pinned Mekhi Dicks
126: John Giblock (B) pinned Christopher Daniels
132: Nicolas Santos (B) dec. Nathaniel Mason, 10-8
138: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Gregory Mamola
144: Trey DeMeo (B) maj. dec. Travis Hagan, 16-6
150: Aiden Pringle (B) won by forfeit
157: Jayden Nieto (B) won by forfeit

NOTRE DAME 53, PENNSVILLE 14
157: Andrew Usmiani (ND) pinned Juan Velasquez, 2:12
165: Ryan Rego (ND) won by forfeit
175: K.J. Honnig (ND) pinned Joseph Halstead, 1:52
190: Michael Mulray (ND) dec. Connor Ayars, 11-6
215: Jeffrey Merendino (ND) won by forfeit
285: Trevor Waddington (P) pinned Zach Hammerstone, 5:09
106: Andrew Castro (ND) dec. Brett Land, 9-8
113: Daniel Gonzales (ND) won by forfeit
120: Jake Mulray (ND) maj. dec. Mekhi Dicks, 10-2
126: Sebastian Molina (ND) maj. dec. Christopher Daniels, 10-2
132: Nathaniel Mason (P) maj. dec. Johnny Celli, 12-4
138: Gabe Supernavage (P) maj. dec. Luca Franzen, 12-2
144: Joey Bonko (ND) dec Travis Hagan, 7-2
150: Jayden Hunt (ND) won by forfeit

Back at it

A day after falling in the South Jersey Group I championship match, the Schalick wrestling team got back on the collective horse and swept through three opponents to complete its regular season at 27-2, the best record in the history of the program.

The Cougars took down Burlington Twp., Cherry Hill West and Maple Shade.

SCHALICK 46, BURLINGTON TWP. 29
150: Logan Kahrs (B) dec. Ayden Jenkins, 5-2
157: Nicholas Davis (B) pinned Alex Fence, 1:35
165: Riley Papiano (S) maj. dec. Erik Salazar-Hernandez, 13-1
175: Ricky Watt (S) won by forfeit
190: Jacob Davis (B) won by forfeit
215: Evan Elliott (S) pinned Kaleb Fisher, 2:21
285: Damon Harper (B) pinned Julian Reid, 0:34
106: Emma Cain (S) pinned Leo Poblete, 3:04
113: Victory Fenske (S) won by forfeit
120: Caleb Jenkins (S) pinned Karim Pride, 4:40
126: Kaiem Uthman (B) dec. Luke Silva, 18-11
132: Xavier Moy (B) tech fall over Ryan Miller, 23-7
138: Colin Bittle (S) pinned Anthony Basenjis, 1:22
144: Jacob Potts (S) pinned Jacob Palentchar, 4:15

Boys big night

Salem takes an intense win from Penns Grove; Hall, Leevy have career nights for Woodstown; Jones’ last-second FTs lifts Schalick to victory

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Salem 68, Penns Grove 50
Woodstown 78, Salem Tech 27
Schalick 46, Pennsauken Tech 45

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Under a different set of circumstances and math, this would have been a milestone night for Anthony Farmer. Instead, the Salem High basketball coach would have to be content to take the win and keep marching towards a good draw in the South Jersey playoffs.

Farmer’s Rams took down Penns Grove Thursday night 68-50 in an intense game that reminded the sellout crowd of the Salem-Penns Grove battles of old. There were five technical fouls called.

It would have been Farmer’s 100th career coaching win “on the floor,” but an NJSIAA ruling on an ineligible player in January stripped the team and him of four early-season victories leaving the coach at 96.

“That would have been special,” Farmer said. “That would have been nice.”

Once he reaches the milestone, he’ll join a unique club of basketball luminaries with 100 coaching wins, 1,000 career points in high school (St. Augustine) and 1,000 career points in college (Rutgers).

Salem sophomore guard Neziah Spence returned to his old school and torched his former team for a game-high 18 points with three assists, three steals and a blocked shot. He scored 28 points with eight 3-pointers for the Red Devils all last year as a freshman.

“That usually goes two ways,” Farmer said. “Young kid. Sophomore. Left there and went back and had a big night. Normally (they don’t), trying too hard, trying to press, trying to do too much. He really let the game come to him and had a big night. You could see how hard he was playing it really meant something to him.”

Two other times this year it went the other way for Rams players facing their former schools. Darrelle Johnson went scoreless in six minutes against Millville at the Boardwalk Classic and Tymear Lecator was under the weather when the Rams played Winslow earlier this week and had just four points.

Spence wasn’t the only Ram to have a big game against the Red Devils. Antwuan Rogers had 14 points and 15 rebounds; Johnson had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists; and Deshaan Williams had six points and 10 boards.

“We played really well; I thought it was an overall team effort,” Farmer said. “Everybody just maximized their potential and played their role to the best of their ability and when we do that we’re tough. We got a little something from everybody. It was fun to watch and good to see.”

Karon Ceaser and Jameel Horace led Penns Grove with 14 points apiece.

SALEM 68, PENNS GROVE 50
SALEM (11-12): Donovan Weathers 1 0-0 2, Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 4, Neziah Spence 6 3-6 18, Tymear Lecator 1 0-2 3, Deshaan Williams 3 0-2 6, Darrelle Johnson 5 2-2 12, Antwaun Rogets 7 1-1 15, Joe Tunis 3 0-0 6, Azhone Burden 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 6-13 68.
PENNS GROVE (11-11): B.J. Robbins 1 4-6 7, Roman Gipson 2 1-2 6, Karon Ceaser 6 0-0 14, Antoine Robinson 1 2-2 4, Jameel Horace 6 2-2 14, Haneef Frisby 1 0-0 2, Luis Colon 0 0-0 0, Will Roy 1 1-1 3, Carson Pearsall 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 10-13 50.

Salem	7	17	19	25-	68
Penns Grove	11	9	12	18-	50

3-point goals: Salem 4 (Spence 3, Lecator); Penns Grove 4 (Robbins, Gipson, Ceaser 2). Technical fouls: Robbins, Ceaser, Lecator 2, Johnson. Fouled out: Robinson, Lecator. Total fouls: Salem 16, Penns Grove 19.

WOODSTOWN 78, SALEM TECH 27: M.J. Hall and Sid Leevy both had career nights as the Wolverines won their second straight and kept the Chargers winless. Hall hit career-high numbers for the second game in a row, this time going for 31 points. Leevy doubled his season production with a career-high 12 points.

“M.J. played great, Sid played great, too; I gave him the (MVP) chain,” Wolverines coach Ramon Roots said. “Sid has been a senior who didn’t play that much this year, but helped his teammates get better every day and never complained about minutes or hard work.

“He’s a great team-first guy. He doesn’t say too much but comes to partake ready to work every day. I rewarded him tonight. He played the whole game.”

The Wolverines’ 14 wins for first-year coach Roots this season are the most in a Woodstown boys season since a 23-5 year in 2019-20.

SALEM TECH (0-20): Larry Pompper 4 0-0 9, Chase Pompper 3 0-0 6, Ayden Myers 1 1-2 3, Joseph Hayes 1 4-6 7, Logan Pace 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 5-8 27.
WOODSTOWN (14-8): Trey Markward 1 0-0 2, John Hood-McGinley 2 0-0 4, Garrett Leyman 1 1-1 3, Sid Leevi 5 1-4 12, Rocco String 7 0-0 15, Andrew White 1 0-0 2, Josh King 1 0-0 2, M.J. Hall 11 6-7 31, Jalen Markward 2 3-3 7. Totals 31 11-14 78.

Salem Tech	2	4	11	10-	27
Woodstown	23	19	17	19-	78

3-point goals: Salem Tech 2 (L. Pompper, Hayes); Woodstown 5 (Leevy, String, Hall 3).

SCHALICK 46, PENNSAUKEN TECH 45: Sherrod Jones was fouled on a putback as time expired and made both free throws to give the Cougars the victory.

Jones picked up his fourth foul in the first half and sat until Jamari Whitley fouled out in the fourth quarter. The Cougars drew up a play to get Reggie Allen the last shot. The senior got a good look at it, but missed, but Jones followed it and was fouled.

The free throws he made to win it were his only points of the game. Allen led all scorers with 18 points. Nylan Sutton had 17.

SCHALICK (7-17): Reggie Allen 6 6-7 18, Nylan Sutton 7 3-6 17, Jamari Whitley 1 0-0 2, Sherrod Jones 0 2-3 2, Jase Volovar 0 0-0 0, Kenneth Bartee 2 1-1 5, Zaeshawn Mills 0 0-0 0, Justin Iacona 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 12-17 46.
PENNSAUKEN TECH (12-12): Tyrone Baker 2 3-4 9, Omar Spencer 6 5-7 17, Chris Graham 1 2-2 4, Xavier Melendez 0 0-0 0, James Stout 3 0-0 8, N. Zayas 3 1-2 7, Malachi Kiyaga 0 0-0 0, Felix Santos 0 0-0 0, Alex Davis-Reyes 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 11-15 45.

Schalick	17	13	9	7-	46
Pennsauken Tech	6	14	16	9-	45

3-point goals: Pennsauken Tech 2 (Stout 2). Technical fouls: Baker. Fouled out: Whitley. Total fouls: Schalick 16, Pennsauken Tech 16.

Record night

Girls roundup: Schalick freshman sets school record for boys or girls with 54 points against LEAP; Woodstown, Pennsville also post runaway wins

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 80, LEAP 12
Woodstown 53, Salem Tech 18
Pennsville 55, Pitman 22

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CENTERTON – At the beginning of the school year Schalick girls basketball coach John Whalen heard stories from the P.E. teachers about this freshman who looked in gym class like she could be some kind of player.

When he got Nevaeh Robinson in a scrimmage for the first time he saw what they were talking about. And Thursday night, he saw the player he’d been waiting for.

Robinson had one of the best scoring nights in Salem County history. She went for 54 points, breaking the all-time school record for points in a game – boys or girls – during the Cougars’ 80-12 rout of LEAP Academy.

“I think it’s good for me as a freshman, a blessing,” she said. “I didn’t even realize I had a lot of points until halftime. They were telling me we’re going to get you rolling to try to get the record.”

The Schalick school record for girls was 49 points by Tia Furbush in a 60-49 win over Overbrook in February 2021. The all-time school record was 52 points by Paul Gause, the county’s all-time leading scorer with more than 3,000 career points.

“It’s definitely a great feat and the best part about it is the team kind of pushed for it at halftime,” Whalen said. “That made it a little extra special for me as a coach and her as a player.

“We haven’t really seen scoring like that since probably when we won the conference and we’re just hoping that can kind of allow her to take that next step in scoring and leading this team to where we need to go.”

Robinson’s previous career high was 18, which she hit twice (against Overbrook and Camden Tech). She had scored 153 points in her first 20 games.

She had 22 points in the first half against the winless Lions – half the Cougars’ team total – behind six 3-pointers. Her 32 with a running clock were all but four of her team’s points in the second half and came largely on fast-break layups in a conscience effort to get her the record.

“The first half, we just played basketball, honestly, and she hit shots early and it kind of put the idea in our mind,” Whaley said. “Then we got to halftime and as a whole we decided to kind of go for this record.

“Being that (the two records) were so close, if we’re going to go for it, we’re going to go for it. I think the goal was to get the girls record, but the overall record was right there in the back of the mind as well.”

SCHALICK 80, LEAP 12
LEAP (0-16): Harlam Taylor 4, Mahogany Gardner 8. Only players reported.
SCHALICK (5-16): Cali Fisler 0 3-4 3, Ava Scurry 4 0-1 9, Willow Davis 2 0-0 5, Navaeh Robinson 24 0-2 54, Olivia Lunemann 1 0-0 2, Carly Vicente 2 0-0 4, Victoria Basic 1 1-2 3, Emma O’Neill 0 0-0 0, Olivia Vanacker 0 0-0 0. Totals 34 4-9 80.

LEAP	4	0	0	8-	12
Schalick	28	16	21	15-	80

3-point goals: Schalick 8 (Scurry, Davis, Robinson 6).

WOODSTOWN 53, SALEM TECH 18: Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson inched closer to becoming the Woodstown girls program’s all-time leading scorers and 10 different Wolverines hit the scoring column.

Battavio and Donelson each scored 11 points; you can find their career totals in the Salem County 1,000-point scorers list elsewhere on the website. Lauren Hengel had eight points, Kyia Leyman six and six other players had at least one basket. Demajae White led the Chargers with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

WOODSTOWN (16-5): Talia Battavio 5 0-0 11, Megan Donelson 4 0-0 11, Lauren Hengel 3 0-0 8, Kyia Leyman 3 0-0 6, Emma Perry 1 0-0 2, Ryann Foote 1 1-1 3, Kendall Young 2 0-0 4, Jala Thomas 1 0-0 2, Ava White 1 0-0 2, Brynley Egret 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 1-1 53.
SALEM TECH (2-18): Kaylin Beardsley 2 0-0 5, Hannah Dewitt 0 0-0 0, Demajae White 5 0-0 10, Rylee Doerr 0 0-0 0, Tiara Bazemore 1 0-0 3, Amora Elaine 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 0-0 18.

Woodstown	17	9	17	10-	53
Salem Tech	2	5	7	4-	18

3-point goals: Woodstown 6 (Battavio, Donelson 3, Hengel 2); Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley, Bazemore).

PENNSVILLE 55, PITMAN 22: Taylor Bass has been scoring of late as if she wants to join Pennsville’s list of 1,000-point scorers before this season is over, too.

The junior has watched teammates Nora Ausland and Marley Wood reach the milestone earlier this season and she moved 23 points closer to it tonight. She has now has 820 career points.

It was her third 20-point effort in her last six games. She is averaging 21.3 over that span.

PENNSVILLE (17-7): Taylor Bass 8 6-8 23, Marley Wood 4 1-1 10, Nora Ausland 4 0-0 10, Izzy Saulin 2 4-5 8, Sofia Belitsas 1 0-0 2, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2, Ashlyn Fredo 0 0-0 0, Calli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Kylie Weist 0 0-0 0, Tatianna DePina 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 11-14 55.
PITMAN (5-15): Colette Rollins 1 0-0 2, Kendall Bennett 0 0-0 0, Audrey Duffield 0 0-0 0, Bella Pramov 0 0-0 0, Jessica Bretz 5 0-0 13, Lauren Streck 0 0-0 0, Jane Conroe-Grobman 0 0-0 0, Jocelyn O’Brien 3 1-2 7. Totals 9 1-3 22.

Pennsville	10	20	17	8-	55
Pitman	3	7	2	10-	22

3-point goals: Pennsville 4 (Bass, Wood, Ausland 2); Pitman 3 (Bretz 3).

Uphill climb

Shorthanded Schalick falls short in challenging powerhouse Paulsboro in South Jersey Group I wrestling finals

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PAULSBORO – When you’re already the underdog and facing a program that practically owns the championship trophy, it helps to have all your weapons.

Schalick was “shocking the world” getting to the sectional final for the first time in school history Thursday. But the Cougars didn’t go in with all their bullets and as hard as they tried to make a stand they fell to Paulsboro in the South Jersey Group I championship match 56-17.

It was the Red Raiders’ 45th sectional wrestling title.

“A lot of things had to happen our way,” Schalick coach Joe Frassenei said. “Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. I’m happy we scored 17 points.”

The Cougars (24-2) set a school record for wins in getting to the finals, but they went into the match without three 20-win wrestlers. They already knew they’d be without 165 Eric Sulik – he broke his nose in last week’s Pennsauken match — but the absences of E’Shion Underwood (120) and Koen Martin (144) were a more recent development they declined to talk about.

It caused Frassenei to get creative with his lineup, tinkering with it all the way up to match time. He already had second-year wrestler and JV undefeated Dezy Purnell in at 165, but dropped Caleb Jenkins from 113 into the leadoff match at 120 right before the call to the mat and plugged Jacob Potts in a 144. All three were pinned.

“We couldn’t make any moves,” Frassenei said. “We had to go strength on strength and their strength was a little bit better.

“Like at 150, I probably would have bumped around, created more opportunities for us, but when you don’t have the checkers to play with, you don’t have the checkers to play with.”

Athena Eberl even volunteered to wrestle at 120 to give the Cougars some flexibility, but if she weighed in at 120 she wouldn’t be able to compete in her regular weight class in the girls regionals, where she is expected to be a contender.

“We have that kind of team,” Frassenei said. “They just want to step up and fill the gap. That’s the kind of kids these are. They are willing to step in.”

**Ryan Miller sets up his pin at 132 to score Schalick’s first points of the match. (Photo by Heather Papiano)**

The Cougars got behind early and couldn’t get catch up. Paulsboro won the first two bouts with a pin and tech fall to go out 11-0.

Ryan Miller got the Cougars on the board with a second-period pin a 132, but Paulsboro won the next five bouts to stand on the verge of clinching. One of the key results in the run was Kyaire Harvey’s 12-6 decision over Ayden Jenkins at 150. It was a tight bout throughout, but Harvey scored a takedown with 15 seconds left in the third period followed by a near fall to win.

Schalick now had no margin for error. Ricky Watt and Evan Elliot kept the Cougars alive. Watt remained undefeated on the season with a tech fall at 175 and Elliott followed with a pin at 190.

“It’s always winnable so, I went out there (and) I did my best,” Elliott said. “I did everything I needed to do. It was tough going out there knowing it was going to be hard to win but I trusted my teammates and whatever happens happens.”

“I just wanted to try to bring the score back as much as I could,” Watt said. “If I could go out there and get a pin, that’s what I wanted to do. That’s all you really can do is go out and do your part. You can’t really control what your teammates do, you just want to go out and do as much as you can to help your team.”

Their wins, however, just delayed the inevitable. Frank Damminger scored an 8-5 decision over Gerardo Felipe at 215 to clinch the match. The Red Raiders also won at 285 to extend the lead and Schalick forfeited the last two weight classes.

The Cougars were disappointed they couldn’t go farther, but 157 Riley Papiano probably had the best perspective of the night. He said it might have been a loss on the scoreboard, but it was a win in the history of the school and its wrestling program.

“We’re tenth graders, the majority of this team is ninth and tenth graders, we had 10 guys in ninth and tenth grade who started for us,” Frassenei said. “We’re young. We don’t have seven seniors like they do. Audubon (who they beat in the semis) has seven or eight. We plan on being back.”

Schalick’s 175 Ricky Watt locks down on Paulsboro’s Malachi Harris on his way to a tech fall to remain undefeated. Watt was one of the three Schalick winners in the match. (Photo by Heather Papiano)

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I CHAMPIONSHIP
PAULSBORO 56, SCHALICK 17
120: Antonio Chila (P) pinned Caleb Jenkins, 1:51
126: Aundre Hill (P) tech fall over Luke Silva, 19-3 (4:39)
132: Ryan Miller (S) pinned Lucas Gazzola, 3:31
138: Julian Sosa (P) dec. Colin Bittle, 14-7
144: Ben Price (P) pinned Jacob Potts, 3:25
150: Kyare Harvey (P) dec. Ayden Jenkins, 12-6
157: Sawyer Cabanas (P) pinned Riley Papiano, 3:03
165: Deano Lucas (P) pinned Dezyon Purnell, 4:52
175: Ricky Watt (S) tech fall over Malachi Harris, 18-3 (3:39)
190: Evan Elliott (S) pinned Evan Holloway, 2:21
215: Frank Damminger (P) dec. Gerardo Felipe, 8-5
285: Jared Hazel (P) pinned Julian Reid, 0:26
106: Will Cruz (P) won by forfeit
113: Hayden Holmes (P) won by forfeit

GROUP I SECTIONAL FINALS
South: Paulsboro 56, Schalick 17
Central: Delaware Valley 65, Manville 9
North I: New Milford 38, Kittatinny 31
North II: Hanover Park 52, Hasbrouck Heights 23
STATE SEMIFINALS
Friday
New Milford (16-1) at Delaware Valley (17-3)
Paulsboro (15-7) at Hanover Park (16-6)
CHAMPIONSHIP
At Rutgers, Sunday, noon

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP FINALS
Group I: Paulsboro 56, Schalick 17
Group II: Middle Twp. 34, Lower Cape May 33
Group III: Delsea 69, Lacey 6
Group IV: Toms River South 40, Toms River East 28
Group V: Southern 51, Washington Twp. 18