Salem snaps 13-game losing streak with dominating 31-8 win over Woodbury, hands Carr his first win as its coach
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM — As a coach, Kemp Carr wasn’t so much focused on how long it’s been since he’s tasted victory on the football field. He was more concerned with its impact on more recent history.
Carr’s Salem football team got its first win of the season and snapped a 13-game losing streak that preceded him as its coach Saturday with a dominating 31-8 win over Woodbury.
It was the Rams’ first victory since Oct. 24, 2023, when they beat West Deptford 38-14 under then head coach Danny Mendoza. They had two-game losing streaks on either side of last year’s 0-9.
“It’s like it was a cycle and today we broke the cycle,” senior receiver Kaden Robinson said.
“We came here with the mentality we’ve got to win,” lineman Abdur Jenkins added. “We’re tired of losing.”
For Kemp the drought has been a lot longer — eight years, to be exact, Nov. 9, 2017, when he was coaching at Winslow. Of course, he was out of coaching in private business for seven years before taking the Salem gig last year.
Because it had been so long and it was his first win with the Rams, Salem athletics director Darryl Roberts tossed Carr the game ball. Then, in keeping with his “it’s not about me” mindset, the coach flipped the ball to Jenkins and praised the offensive line for its play in the game.
“It’s never about me,” he said from his office that used to be the team’s weight room when he played here. “I had my time. Those (memory) books over there, I’ve got like five of those books. They’re old. The papers are turning brown. It’s never about me, it’s about how can I move these kids forward and how can I make them get as close to understanding how to be a man. We’re team driven.
“We try to come in and work as hard as we can to win the day and the day we happened to win today. Not just a win on the scoreboard, but a good win for an emotional feeling. We got that good taste in our mouth. Everybody’s gonna sleep a little better. We responded the way this coaching staff is looking for those guys to respond.”
Even with four starters out for internal reasons, the Rams (1-2) dominated Woodbury in every phase.
The offense didn’t bleep this time, Carr’s description of it after they anemically lost to Cinnaminson last week 3-0. They racked up 363 yards of offense against the winless Herd (0-3) and scored five touchdowns in a game for the first time since their last win.
Desmund Thomas looked like a different quarterback than he had in the first two games, completing 12-of-19 passes for 217 yards and long touchdowns to Robinson and William Dunn. The ball to Dunn was particularly majestic, dropping it in over the receiver’s shoulder in stride behind the defense for a 78-yard bomb. Thomas also had a 5-yard touchdown run.
“I played my own game,” said Thomas, a Salem kid who was playing in Georgia when the Rams’ losing streak began. “Just being me, being who I am. That’s exactly what it was. I’m still listening (to the coaches), but it’s just feeling to be me.”
The Rams scored on their first possession, just like they did in their season-opening loss to Pleasantville and last year’s loss to Cinnaminson, but the difference between those games and Saturday was the offense kept scoring and the defense gave up nothing.
They led 18-0 at halftime. They already had almost 200 yards of offense, Thomas was 10-of-17 passing and the defense held the Herd to just one first down and minus-3 yards of net offense.
“I was extremely impressed,” Robinson said. “They played the way I know that they can play … Back in our groove.”
“I liked how we played the first half of football,” Carr said. “If we could play that first half like that I think we could play against anybody.”
Even in the fourth quarter they were stepping on the accelerator. Senior Troy Carey, the former quarterback, got his first turn at running back and rushed for 65 yards and the Rams’ last touchdown in the quarter.
The defense, meanwhile, was physical and relentless. They held the Herd to minus-49 yards net rushing by keeping quarterback Noel Huertas on the run all day, had at least nine sacks and by the middle of the third quarter had the Woodbury offensive line back-peddling with extended arms.
Of course there were some things that needed to be cleaned up. Like the senseless major penalties that cost them the shutout or took the Herd out of a third-and-51 hole deep in their own territory, but overall the positives of the day far outweighed the shortcomings.
“We just hadn’t put it together; today we put it together,” Carr said. “I’m glad we broke the ice. Who knows where this goes from here.”
Photo: Salem AD Darryl Roberts tosses the game ball to football coach Kemp Carr after earning his first win as coach, and Carr promptly tossed it to a lineman in recognition of the line’s contribution to the win.
Salem 31, Woodbury 8
| WOOD (8) | SAL (31) | |
| 7 | 1st Downs | 17 |
| 17-(-49) | Rushing | 32-146 |
| 10-28-2 | Passing (C-A-I) | 12-19-0 |
| 86 | Passing yds | 217 |
| 1-0 | Fumbles-lost | 1-0 |
| 5-21.2 | Punts-avg | 1-31.0 |
| 11-78 | Penalties-yds | 15-155 |
| Woodbury (0-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8- | 8 |
| Salem (1-2) | 6 | 12 | 6 | 7- | 31 |
SCORING SUMMARY
S-Torryn Ransome 4 run (pass failed), 6:03 1Q
S-Kaden Robinson 44 pass from Desmund Thomas (pass failed), 4:03 2Q
S-Desmund Thomas 5 run (pass failed), 0:33 2Q
S-William Dunn 78 pass from Desmund Thomas (pass failed), 5:47 3Q
S-Troy Carey 7 run (Izaiah Santiago kick), 6:19 4Q
WO-Eli Young 13 pass from Noel Huertas (Thomas Lewis pass from Noel Huertas), 3:05 4Q
WJFL Standings
| DIAMOND DIVISION | ALL | DIV |
| Glassboro | 3-0 | 1-0 |
| Schalick | 1-2 | 1-0 |
| Salem | 1-2 | 1-0 |
| Woodbury | 0-3 | 0-1 |
| Woodstown | 1-2 | 0-1 |
| Penns Grove | 0-3 | 0-1 |
| PATRIOT DIVISION | ALL | DIV |
| West Deptford | 3-0 | 2-0 |
| Paulsboro | 3-0 | 2-0 |
| Collingswood | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| Overbrook | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| Audubon | 0-2 | 0-1 |
| Camden Catholic | 0-3 | 0-1 |
| Pennsville | 0-3 | 0-2 |
Thursday’s Games
Glassboro 63, Penns Grove 0
West Deptford 48, Collingswood 0
Friday’s Games
Overbrook 22, Pennsville 21
Schalick 33, Woodstown 37
Paulsboro 38, Camden Catholic 20
Saturday’s Games
Salem 31, Woodbury 8
Bordentown 34, Audubon 14
Other Saturday WJFL Games
Allentown 22, Nottingham 6
Burlington City 60, Pemberton 34
Cedar Creek 45, Atlantic City 34
Rancocas Valley 21, Camden Eastside 6
Steinert 34, Hightstown 14
Ewing at Princeton
Trenton at Hamilton West
Riverview Sports News 