Month: October 2025

Keeping hope alive

Harris nets two as Pennsville field hockey edges Overbrook to keep playoff hopes alive, Penns Grove boys soccer wins in OT to enhance position for a home playoff game, and more

THURSDAY’S SCORES
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville 2, Overbrook 1
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove 2, Maple Shade 1 (OT)
Audubon 1, Woodstown 0 (OT)
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem 6, Salem Tech 0
WJFL FOOTBALL
Atlantic Tech 33, Egg Harbor Twp. 7
Burlington Twp. 21, Cinnaminson 0
Pennsauken 40, Clearview 6
Seneca 28, Willingboro 21
Shawnee 21, Hammonton 0
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Timber Creek 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-11, 25-20)
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick 3, Woodstown 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – The Pennsville field hockey team had a lot to play for Thursday and it delivered on all counts.

The Eagles were playing in their final home game and wanted to send their seniors out on a good note. They also were playing for their playoff lives. And they were playing for their coach, Lisa Doran, a Pennsville Hall of Famer who missed the game for health reasons.

But they made good on all of it, beating a late-arriving Overbrook team 2-1. Kylie Harris scored both goals for the Eagles, slamming home the game-winner in traffic with 4:22 to play.

“They did it for a lot of reasons,” said assistant coach Cassandra Kirk, who ran the team in Doran’s absence. “They did it for the playoffs, they did it for the seniors and they did it for Coach Doran. She’s a huge missing piece right now I think the girls wanted to really step it up for her.”

“We all love Doran to bits and pieces,” Harris said. “She’s such an important person for me, in my career, so I wanted to do it for her. I wanted to do it for her, I wanted to do it for the seniors, for the underclassmen, to show them you don’t stop fighting. It was for everyone, especially for Doran, because she loves all of us to bits and pieces.”

It was a game the Eagles (7-8-1) had to have if they wanted any chance of making the playoffs. They entered the game holding the 16th and final qualifying spot in the South Jersey Group I field hockey power points standings, 0.975 points ahead of Paulsboro, idle through Saturday’s cutoff. The calculation after the win still wasn’t updated at midnight.

(As of Friday morning, the Eagles remained 16, but lost a few percentage points on their lead over Paulsboro.)

SJ GROUP i (thru Thurs.)W-L-TPOWER
15. New Egypt6-8-110.280
16. Pennsville7-8-110.042
17. Paulsboro5-9-19.121

If the Eagles hold onto the 16th spot through Saturday, they would draw projected No. 1 Shore Regional in the tournament’s opening round. They last made the playoffs in 2021, when they went in as an eighth seed and lost in the opening round.

“I do think with this win it can push us in there, or at least keep us there,” Kirk said. “We would love to keep our season going, especially for these seniors. They’ve worked super hard, so I know having an extra game will be really important to them.”

Harris has become quite adept at scoring since the Eagles moved her big stick to the front line from the top of diamond. She has scored all 13 of her goals this season since Sept. 23 and is now the Eagles’ leading scorer. The Eagles are now 4-2 this year, 10-2 during her career, in games she has scored a goal.

She gave Pennsville a 1-0 lead with a big shot with 9:40 left in the second quarter. She was able to swing both goals despite constantly being hawked by Rams’ junior Lula Bannon.

The Rams got the equalizer literally with no time left in the third quarter when Rosie Loibman scored after the Eagles failed to clear the zone on a corner that was set on the line with three seconds left in the quarter.

“That was a huge decision that we made and I really think it was pivotal for us,” Kirk said. “Kylie is amazing in circle and has great stickwork. Even during corners we thought she was the one who knows how to carry the ball and shoot, so we just figured let’s try it up there. I know that we need her in the backfield, but we also need her up front to score some goals.”

The best part is Harris is really enjoying it.

“I really like it – a lot,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Boys soccer

PENNS GROVE 2, MAPLE SHADE 1: Juan Ortiz scored a long-distance goal with less than three minutes left in the first overtime to give the Red Devils the win and possibly a first-round home game in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

The Red Devils (7-4-3) were a solid No. 7 in the SJ Group I power points standings going into the match and beat a seven-win team that was No. 13 in the standings and remained there with one more game before Saturday’s cutoff.

If the standings remain as they are, the Red Devils would host Pennsville in the opening round. They haven’t had a home playoff game since 2022, when they host the first two rounds.

I think it would validate to this town, the community and my players that we belong at the top with the other top teams,” coach Mano Massari said of the importance of getting a home playoff game. “We’d have something other than my words telling them that they belong. Something to show for it. They deserve it.”

Prince Ledbetter gave the Red Devils a 1-0 halftime lead, also from long distance. They are 4-1-2 in their last seven games.

SJ GROUP I (thru Thurs.)W-L-TPOWER
7. Penns Grove7-4-318.573
8. Glassboro7-10-115.117
9. Gateway9-5-214.743
10. Pennsville9-6-214.327

AUDUBON 1, WOODSTOWN 0: The teams went back and forth for nearly 100 minutes before the Green Wave (13-2-1) broke the ice on Aiden Stallard’s breakaway in the second overtime. The Wolverines (9-2-4) were headed to their fifth tie of the season before the golden goal.

Girls soccer

WOODSTOWN – Abigail Leuallen and Julia Hewitt Friebel each scored a pair of goals and Ava Robinson scored three assists as Salem Tech routed Salem, 6-0, to snap a four-game losing streak. Olivia Blais and Peyton Pratt scored the Chargers’ other goals.

Girls tennis

WOODSTOWN — Schalick won third-set tiebreakers at third singles and first doubles to edge Woodstown 3-2 and end its season with a victory.

Third singles Macy Clow and the first doubles team of Olivia Lunemann and Sabrina Bradford won their tiebreakers after dropping their second sets. Clow, in the final match of her high school career, held off Noelle Neron, 7-5, 1-6, 10-6, to clinch the victory and Lunemann-Bradford finally outlasted Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr, 6-2, 4-6, 10-3.

Lunemann-Bradford lost both of their previous matches to the Wolverine pair in third-set tiebreakers.

Second doubles Sammi Twigg and Jasmine Hunt won the Cougars’ other point. Singles players Nathalie Neron and Alyssa Berry secured Woodstown’s points.

The win avenged a South Jersey tournament loss in which Woodstown won three of its four points in third-set tiebreakers. Clow took a third-set tiebreaker from Neron for Schalick’s only point of that match.

“Every member of our team put their heart and soul into (the) match,” Cougars coach Brandi Petrunis said on the program’s Facebook page. “Their perseverance and positive mindset shined through. We are so proud of our girls, both on and off the coach. Congratulations girls! Way to finish our season with a match we’ll never forget.”

SCHALICK 3, WOODSTOWN 2
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Miya Watkins, 6-4, 6-2
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Annmarie Podehl, 6-2, 6-0
Macy Clow (S) def. Noelle Neron, 7-5, 1-6, 10-6
Olivia Lunemann-Sebrina Bradford (S) def. Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr, 6-2, 4-6, 10-3
Sammi Twigg-Jasmine Hunt (S) def. Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Records: Schalick 10-8, Woodstown 16-6.


Wednesday roundup

Woodstown boys fourth in Tri-County XC Showcase, girls fifth; Wolverines’ Abby Marino finishes third in girls race; also includes tennis results

By Riverview Sports News

SEABROOK — The Woodstown boys by all accounts ran well in Wednesday’s Tri-County Conference Cross Country Showcase, just not well enough to overthrow the loaded field.

The Wolverines, the Salem County champions, put three runners in the top 20 and finished an expected fourth in the race at Cumberland Regional. They had the third-fastest team average in the field.

Jacob Marino led the Wolverines across the line with a 10th-place 16:35.47. Karson Chew finished 13th and David Farrell was 18th. The top 20 finishers received medals.

“I think we landed right where I expected,” Woodstown coach Steve New said. “We could have maybe done a little better, but sectionals is what matters.”

Woodstown’s girls finished fifth, with Abby Marino running third (19:41.62), the highest individual finish among all Salem County runners. Teammate Anabel Schaal was 17th.

Glassboro, with three of the top four finishers, won the boys title. Delsea won the girls crown.

Tri-County Showcase

BOYS TEAM: Glassboro 48, Highland 98, Timber Creek 115, WOODSTOWN 121, Kingsway 134, Washington Twp. 161, Delsea 180, Williamstown 207, Clearview 211, SCHALICK 236, Pitman 275, GCIT 284, SALEM TECH 341, Cumberland 371, Deptford 402, SALEM 431, PENNSVILLE 506.
GIRLS TEAM: Delsea 58, Clearview 76, Kingsway 79, Highland 122, WOODSTOWN 144, Washington Twp. 150, Williamstown 180, SCHALICK 192, Pitman 214, GCIT 232, Cumberland 297, SALEM TECH 315.
BOYS TOP 20GIRLS TOP 20
Joseph Saicic, Glassboro15:58.55Sophia Aldridge, Williamstown18:36.81
Logan Pavelik, Williamstown16:07.62Aubrey Bishop, Kingsway19:07.06
Zacchaeus Harrigan, Glassboro16:07.86Abby Marino, Woodstown19:41.62
Jaeden Wesley, Glassboro16:09.71Lyana Gutierrez, Highland20:00.09
Michael Beaver, Kingsway16:16.09Brooke Mashburn, Delsea20:16.48
Matt Littlehales, Delsea16:29.45Julia Burgio, Williamstown20:19.59
Dominic Burgio, Williamstown16:32.77Tori-Loren Powell, Highland20:25.96
Trevor Szilier, Wash Twp16:33.27Julianne Roes, Clearview20:30.13
Ryan DeVecchis, Wash Twp16:34.15Olivia Mashburn, Delsea20:33.44
Jacob Marino, Woodstown16:35.47Rhea Remaly, Clearview20:44.02
Aaron Johnson, Glassboro16:39.85Ava Buchanan, Kingsway20:48.49
Andrew Dopkin, Highland16:43.18Isabella Moran, Delsea20:50.60
Karson Chew, Woodstown16:43.72Katelyn Gallinaro, Kingsway20:59.94
Payton Veilleux, Kingsway16:44.03Ziada Nassradine, Delsea21:05.07
Liam Murphy, Highland16:45.00Julia Blanchard, Wash Twp21:08.41
Ryan Pancoast, Timber Creek17:03.70Leah Hagerman, Clearview21:13.39
Olu Fadulu, Highland17:06.01Anabel Schaal, Woodstown21:17.92
David Farrell, Woodstown17:14.85Sofia Moran, Delsea21:18.51
Logan McKeever, Kingsway17:23.38Layla Chain, Wash Twp21:25.01
Wyatt Evans, GCIT17:24.94Kate Yanek, Clearview21:39.77

Top finishers among other Salem County teams:
PENNSVILLE – Boys: (90) Logan Cowperthwait 20:11.09; Girls: (23) Sawyer Slad 21:58.38.
PENNS GROVE – Boys: (67) John Johnson 19:08.72.
SALEM – Boys: (72) Gavin Conrath 19:14.73.
SALEM TECH – Boys: (50) Levi Seals 18:24.74; Girls: (51) Paityn Harrington 24:28.63.
SCHALICK – Boys: (22) Collin Bittle 17:27.50; Girls: (21) Helen Lillia 21:41.66.

Girls tennis

WEDNESDAY’S SCORES
Woodstown 5, Glassboro 0
Salem 5, Overbrook 0

SALEM 5, OVERBROOK 0
Angelina Fothergill (S) def. Sophia Burgos, 6-1, 6-2
Tahirah Davenport-White (S) def. Isabella Sepulveda, 7-5, 6-2
JaNye Hubbard (S) def. Anne Mason, 6-2, 1-6, 13-11
Heaven Jones-McCullough-Erica Brewer (S) def. Sophia Perticari-Heaven Williams, 4-6, 6-3, 10-8
Evangeline Jimenez Barreto-Phoenix Holland (S) def. Liana Grant-Williams-Emma Acevedo, 7-5, 6-6 (10-7)
Records: Salem 4-11, Overbrook 3-19.

WOODSTOWN 5, GLASSBORO 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Alana Killelea, 6-0, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Alice Dinzeo, 6-0, 6-0
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Virginia Tarasevich, 6-1, 6-0
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Sofia Dungea-Amani George, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)
Elliana Norman-Emma West (WO) def. Ijeoma Ufomba-Conception Soriano, 6-2, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 16-5, Glassboro 6-10.

Eagles clipped

Clayton stuns Pennsville girls with three goals in the final 8:30, gets game-winner with 1:12 left; Schalick’s Fisler hits 100 career points; Penns Grove’s Dowe nets four

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 5, Pitman 1
Clayton 3, Pennsville 2
Overbrook 6, Salem Tech 0
Penns Grove 6, Salem 0
BOYS SOCCER
Collingswood 1, Pennsville 0
Overbrook 3, Salem Tech 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — Eight minutes might not seem like a lot of time to the people in the stands, but for the soccer teams on the pitch it can feel like an eternity.

For the team that’s ahead in the match, the time can’t go by fast enough to get to the victory. For the team that’s behind, there’s never enough time to catch up. 

Pennsville’s girls came within nine minutes on its Senior Night Wednesday of moving closer to securing a home playoff game, but Clayton snatched that away, scoring three goals in the final 8:28 to stun the Eagles 3-2.

“Eight minutes,” Eagles coach Casey Slusher said. “The girls played hard, they really played hard. We’re coming off a game being really banged up, we had a lot of injuries and everything, and these girls really dug deep and played hard.”

Deondria Simon scored the game-winner with 1:12 to go, curling a long shot just over the outstretched reach of Pennsville keeper Tatyana Crawford and into the left side of the cage.

“Luck and some praying,” the Clippers’ 50-goal scorer said, explaining how she got such a long shot to go. “Honestly, our girls’ hard work, that’s how that ball went in. We did not give up, even when we were (down) 2-0, 15 minutes left in the second half, our girls just never gave up once.”

Nicole Lemon scored the Clippers’ first two goals. She got them on the board with 8:28 to play and notching the equalizer with 3:18 left when a Pennsville clearing attempt ricocheted off her body and into the goal.

“She just put her body on the line and it ricocheted off her head (and) went past the goalie,” said Simon, who took the initial shot into the box.

Seniors Taylor Bass and Kallie Morrison gave the Eagles (8-7) a 2-0 halftime lead and they had several other good scoring chances they just couldn’t get to go. Molly Gratz hit the left goalpost at the crossbar three minutes into the second half.

The Eagles went into the game ninth in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, three points behind No. 8 Woodstown for the final opening-round home slot, with No. 4 Clayton and Woodstown left before Saturday’s cutoff.

They remained ninth after the loss and actually closed the points gap on Woodstown, but even a win over the Wolverines Friday might not be enough for them to jump. The Eagles haven’t had a home playoff game since 2022.

Clayton (12-4), meanwhile, moved up to No. 3, just 0.31 points behind No. 2 Schalick.

“You always want a home game if you can; it’s just unfortunate for us,” Slusher said. “We have to have a lot of things fall in our favor. Not just our game, but I think other things would have to fall in our favor.”

Cali Fisler is the latest soccer player to join the Schalick 100-Point Club. She reached the milestone with a goal and an assist against Pitman. (Submitted photo)

SCHALICK 5, PITMAN 1: Cali Fisler added another milestone to her career when she surpassed 100 career points with a goal and an assist. Fisler, who set the Cougars’ all-time assist record earlier this season, scored her 28th career goal in the second half and reached the milestone point with her 48th assist on Olivia Vanacker’s final goal of the game. Quinn Berger had two goals and an assist and is now at 91 on the points list.

“Getting 100 points was definitely a huge accomplishment, not only on my part but it’s a total team effort,” Fisler said. “I couldn’t have done it without the girls I’ve been playing with my four years.

“It’s definitely not a feeling that will overcome breaking the assist record because that was something I had my mind set on for a while. However, getting 100 points is nothing short of an example of hard work, determination and excitement.”

PENNS GROVE 6, SALEM 0: Arianna Dowe scored four goals. They were the most goals in a game by a Red Devils player since A’Mani Taylor pumped in five against the Rams in 7-6 loss in 2022.

OVERBROOK 6, SALEM 0: The Rams (9-8) scored five goals in the first half.

Boys games

COLLINGSWOOD 1, PENNSVILLE 0: The Eagles’ bid to get a home playoff game took a hit when Steve Carrillo dropped a volley from outside the box into the bottom corner in the second half and they couldn’t get the equalizer. The loss left the TCC Classic Division champions No. 10 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings with one game to play before the cutoff (at 5-11-1 G2 Gloucester Friday).

Successful start-up

Salem Tech blanks Absegami to assure a winning regular season, still in the running for a playoff berth

FIELD HOCKEY
Salem Tech 2, Absegami 0
Gateway 3, Pennsville 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville 3, Schalick 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

GALLOWAY – Every first-year athletic program has a set of benchmarks it aspires to meet for a successful start.

They’re pretty easy early in the year – first game, home opener, first win. As the year goes on, they tend to become a little more complicated – winning season, playoff berth, things like that.

Salem Tech’s first-year field hockey program reached a pretty big milestone Tuesday. The Chargers blanked Absegami 2-0 to guarantee a winning regular-season record. They’re now 8-3 with three regular-season games remaining – all on the road.

They have beaten all three of the remaining teams on their regular-season schedule, two by shutout.

“Having a winning record in our first season means a lot,” coach Maureen Lewis said. “To see all their hard work pay off with wins is really rewarding. It shows what’s possible when a team plays together and has fun.”

The Chargers got goals from Hazel Eachus and Jessilyn Chambers and another shutout from Caroline Tighe. Chambers got the assist on Eachus’ team-leading seventh goal of the season with 3:10 left in the second quarter and then scored her fifth goal 4:16 into the third quarter. 

The shutout was Tighe’s seventh of the season. After giving up 12 goals in their first four games of the season, Tighe has surrendered only two since.

“We started off a little slow, but once the girls settled in, they found their groove and played really well,” Lewis said. “They moved the ball nicely down the field and communicated well. We are proud of how they adjusted.”

The school started field hockey this year as part of an athletics expansion that includes baseball and softball in the spring. The new teams play as a Tri-County Conference independent until the next conference scheduling cycle, but are eligible for the playoffs.

At 8-3, the Chargers are No. 18 in the South Jersey Group 2 power points standings, less than one point out of the 16th and final qualifying spot for the tournament. All three of their remaining games come before Saturday’s cutoff.

They have the highest winning percentage of any SJ Group 2 team outside of the top five, playing a schedule designed to promote success. They’ve won six of their last seven.

“Being a first-year team it’s hard to say exactly where we’ll end up, but I couldn’t be prouder of the effort and growth we’ve shown,” Lewis said. “If we make the playoffs, that would be great. It would be a nice bonus to an already successful season.

“But no matter what, this is just the beginning. These girls have set the foundation for something special.”

GATEWAY 3, PENNSVILLE 0: Emma Mason had a goal and two assists as the Gators scored three times in the second quarter. Isabella Egenoff and Lucy Matthews had the other goals.

GIRLS TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 3, SCHALICK 2
Lily Edwards (P) def. Miya Watkins, 6-2, 6-1
Annmarie Podehl (S) def. Isabell Schrenker, 6-4, 6-4
Morgan Holt (P) def. Macy Clow, 6-3, 6-0
Naomi Hess-Graillyn Weber (P) def. Olivia Lunemann-Sebrina Bradford, 6-2, 7-5
Sammi Twigg-Jasmine Hunt (S) def. Emma Hankin-Yerlian Charon, 6-1, 6-2
Records: Pennsville 13-7, Schalick 9-8. 

Salem starts No. 5

Salem CC pulls in at No. 5 in the NJCAA Division III preseason basketball poll. The top five are the order in which they finished at last year’s national tournament. Five, potentially six, teams in the poll are on the Mighty Oaks’ schedule (first-place votes in parenthesis)

TEAMPOINTS
Mohawk Valley (9)105
Herkimer98
Dallas College-Richland91
Minnesota State C&T84
SALEM CC77
Sandhills70
Riverland63
Northern Essex56
Union (NJ)49
Dutchess42
Genesee27
Northampton17
Dallas-Mountain View13
Dallas-Eastfield8
Montgomery (Pa.)5
Also receiving votes: Brookdale, Joliet Junior, Dallas-NorthLake, Hostos, Camden, Bunker Hill, Ridgewater, Quincy, Monroe-Bronx, Fulton-Montgomery.

Monday sports report

Here are the scores from Monday’s Salem County sports calendar

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 6, Penns Grove 0: Quinn Berger had two goals and two assists as the Cougars completed their third straight unbeaten season in the TCC Diamond Division. Berger scored the first and third goals of the game and assisted on Schalick’s two second-half goals.
Pitman 6, Salem 0: Emery Sharpnack scored three goals and assisted on another for the Panthers.
Woodstown at Pennsville
Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 9, Deptford 0: Nine different players scored for the Cougars. Lena Virga and Ava Scurry each had a goal and two assists.
Gloucester Catholic 3, Salem 0: Freshman Alana Bellan scored two second-quarter goals.
Overbrook at Woodstown
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech 2, Buena 0: Tiara Bazemore had 12 aces and seven assists to lead the Chargers. The set scores were 25-8, 25-13.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, Schalick 0
Pitman 5, Salem 0
Pennsville 5, Overbrook 0

WOODSTOWN 5, SCHALICK 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Miya Watkins, 3-6, 7-5, 10-6
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Annmarie Podehl, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Macy Clow, 6-4, 7-5
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Olivia Lunemann-Sebrina Bradford, 6-4, 3-6, 11-9
Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Sammi Twigg-Jasmine Hunt, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Woodstown 15-5, Schalick 8-7.

PENNSVILLE 5, OVERBROOK 0
Lily Edwards (P) def. Sophia Burgos, 6-0, 6-0
Isabell Schlenker (P) def. Isabella Sepulveda, 6-2, 6-0
Morgan Holt (P) def. Anna Mason, 6-1, 6-0
Naomi Hess-Graillyn Weber (P) def. Sophia Perticari-Charlotte Gall, 6-0, 6-0
Emma Hankin-Yerlian Charon (P) def. Heaven Williams-Liana Grant-Williams, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 12-7, Overbrook 3-17.

Eagles land their title

Pennsville swamps Salem 7-1 to clinch its first boys soccer division title in 32 years and fourth all-time; set sights on a home playoff game

BOYS SOCCER
Woodstown 1, Pitman 1
Schalick 4, Penns Grove 0
Pennsville 7, Salem 1
Gloucester Catholic 6, Salem Tech 4

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – It isn’t often Pennsville coach Derek Foglein dresses up in a suit coat and tie for a soccer game, so it had to be a pretty special occasion for him to put on the ritz Monday night.

Usually, he reserves the sartorial splendor for the Foglein Bowl, the annual game between the Eagles and whatever team Foglein’s brother is coaching at the time. Well, the Foglein Bowl is on hold for the time being, so there had to be something else afoot.

Does the prospect of winning your first division championship in 32 years count?

The Eagles don’t have many soccer banners in the gym rafters, but they earned the right to raise another one in an historic Senior Night when they routed Salem 7-1 under the lights of Lou D’Angelo Stadium to win their first Tri-County Classic Division championship since 1993 and just the fourth all-time.

“Today in the circle before we started warmups I said I put on a shirt and tie for two reasons,” Foglein said. “No. 1, to look good for the seniors and No. 2 because we need to be professionals and we need to go to work. They went to work.

“Our seniors got a lot of joy and we get a lot of joy as a team because we did something that hasn’t been done in a long, long time and it feels really good. It was just a really positive night for soccer in Pennsville.”

Pennsville captains Coen Rinnier and Steve Fatcher hold the jersey that depicts the four division titles the Eagles have won over the years. They clinched their first in 32 years Monday night.

It had been so long, Foglein wasn’t even born the last time they did it. Assistant coach Joe Mecholsky was a senior on the 1991 team that won it before that.

Luckily, the players didn’t mess up the coach’s outfit, sparing him the traditional water bucket salute as they celebrated the title.

“I asked him in school today because he was looking all spiffy is is the full tuxedo and tie and dress shoes coming out for the game tonight,” senior stopper Steve Fatcher said. “He says we’ll see. So he pulls up and says I have two reasons to be going fancy, Senior Night and to win the division for the first time in 32 years. It got us real hyped up. It was what we needed, especially after the rough week we had.”

The Eagles cut their run to the title close. They were on the cusp of clinching after beating Wildwood 1-0, but the celebration kept getting delayed as they lost to Clayton and then tied Gloucester Catholic. Luckily, all they had to do was get past the winless Rams to claim the crown.

“I will say that that was not the way we intended to finish the season,” Foglein said. “This was a night-and-day performance from what I’d seen from them over the last two games and the performance that we needed to go after Collingswood on Wednesday, because that’s going to be an enormous game to determine if we get a home playoff game or not.”

They haven’t had a home game in the playoffs since the 2020 semifinals and haven’t had a first-round home game since 2017. They haven’t won a tournament game since 2014.

All four field-position seniors scored goals for the Eagles – and in the first 15 minutes of the match. Their fifth senior, goalkeeper Coen Rinnier, came within a penalty kick near the end of the 60-minute game of recording the shutout.

Trevor Hann got them on the board with his second career goal and first since 2023 on a breakaway in the seventh minute. Sophomore J.P. Laughrey made it 2-0 two minutes later, followed in quick succession by seniors Edwin Castaneda-Sanchez, (his career first), Fatcher and Danny Bunay Coronel.

“It’s felt amazing,” Hann said. “Scoring on my Senior Night, winning the division title for the first time in more than 30 years, I feel amazing. I never felt like this before. It feels amazing.”

Freshman Anthony Michaca made it 6-0 before halftime and set the stage for a 60-minute finish. Guy Quintanilha got the Rams inside the mercy threshold with a PK 3:49 before the deadline, but freshman Jhonny Medina made it a six-goal game again with his first career goal in the 59th minute .

Sixty seconds later, the celebration began.

“Coach Foglein wasn’t even born when that (last) happened,” Rinnier said. “Coach Joe was one of the last to do it. We’ve had him just cheering us on the whole way. He still remembers his whole team when he won and I think it’s going to be the same thing for us. He talks about how special it is and we’re going to see how special it is.”

Tie that doesn’t bind

Woodstown battles Pitman to 1-1 tie, but needed a win to share division title with Schalick; draw was the Wolverines’ fourth of the season and third in a row

BOYS SOCCER
Woodstown 1, Pitman 1
Schalick 4, Penns Grove 0
Pennsville 7, Salem 1
Gloucester Catholic 6, Salem Tech 4

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The message to the Woodstown soccer team as it was about to start the second overtime was pretty straightforward: “We cannot tie and we cannot lose.”

The Wolverines just couldn’t get what they needed.

Most teams might accept a tie with a rival as a positive result, but the 1-1 draw the Wolverines got against Pitman Monday was neither the one they wanted nor needed.

It felt like a loss. With Schalick beating Penns Grove 15 miles down the road, Woodstown needed to beat the Panthers to grab a share of their first Tri-County Diamond Division title since 2014.

Instead, the tie – their fourth of the season and third in a row — left the Wolverines (9-1-4) one point behind the Cougars in the final division standings despite posting a winning record against them (1-0-1) during the season. They also had four ties in 2016.

“I feel like it feels more like a loss to this group of guys,” backliner Tommy Tucci said. “We came off the really good game against Schalick, keeping them to zero, and then came out here today really excited to hopefully get the win to keep the division. I think (the tie) feels more like a loss today.”

Both teams had chances, but both goalies and defenses turned them away. The Panthers finally broke through with 4:09 left in the half when Jonas Trum sent Trevor Leach down the right side and Leach shot it across into his left side of the net.

Landon Gugliemo got the equalizer with 9:11 left in regulation when Bryce Ayars’ shot went towards the left post and Gugliemo came crashing it and rifled back into the right side. But the Wolverines needed more.

While the Wolverines were clearly focused on their game at hand, they had an eye on the events 15 miles down the road and Schalick kept the pressure on from afar.

The Cougars grabbed a 1-0 halftime lead on the strength of Anthony Sepers’ penalty kick, then poured in three goals in the second half that left no doubt what the Wolverines had to do.

Steve Chomo headed home a cross from Mike Nelson to give Schalick a 2-0 lead, he assisted on Connor Jackson’s goal that made it 3-0, then closed the scoring later in the half. Evan Sepers made three saves in goal to record his eighth shutout of the season. The division title was Schalick’s third straight.

Both Pitman and Woodstown had good chances to win their game in the second overtime. With six minutes to go, Ayars got the ball in the box, stepped over a defender to create some separation but the keeper blocked his shot and the Panthers cleared the ensuing corner kick.

Three minutes later, Trum got past a defender down the right side and got in alone on the keeper, but Trey Markward stoned him to keep it tied. Both keepers, Markward and Pitman’s Joey Zubert, were credited with 13 saves.

“I just felt confident in myself and felt confident that God would give me the ability to make the save,” Markward said. “I kind of yelled way too loud basically at Him, then I apologized to Him.”

The match ended with the ball at Ayars’ feet in the Panthers’ box, but the double team on him kept him from controlling it and getting a shot.

“We came up a little short,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “I know the way we play we’re going to keep games close and we did it today. We had the formation we wanted, we had we thought the guys in place to be successful. We just needed that one goal, that one more goal.” 

There was a lot on the line for the Wolverines. Besides the division title, the teams were battling for the Orange Cup and it also was Woodstown’s Senior Day. The tie allowed the Wolverines to retain the Cup, having won last year’s designated game, but they no doubt would have preferred the bigger prize. Both Schalick and Woodstown had 15 standings points coming into the day.

“It’s terrible, not only for us, but for our seniors, too,” junior Nick DiTeodoro said. “This was their last chance. We all tried, we really wanted it. Even in the huddle, at halftime, before overtime, we were like this is our last time, this is our one chance. Coming up short just hurts.”

NOTES: It was the sixth tie in the history of the Orange Cup … The Wolverines had four ties in 2016 (6-12-4) … The teams considered an unofficial penalty kick shootout to decide the Cup (it would’ve still gone down as a tie), but dwindling daylight and the Senior Day program prevented it from happening … To show there were no hard feelings over the hard-fought result, Huck noticed the Pitman team still in the parking lot waiting on their bus to return and called them over to share in the Senior Day smorgasbord. “We got to share a little bit of a moment,” Huck said. “It was a little emotional.”

TCC Diamond Division

TEAMALLDIV
Schalick12-2-28-1-1
Woodstown9-1-46-0-4
Pitman8-5-26-3-1
Penns Grove6-4-34-4-2
Overbrook7-8-01-8-0
Glassboro5-10-10-9-0

Run like the wind

Passaic Tech sweeps boys, girls titles in state tech school cross country championships

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — The Passaic Tech cross country team is finally at full strength and has been taking it out on race trails across North Jersey ever since.

Bulldogs coach Shadi Taha knew he had “something special” brewing this year, but it took a while before he was finally able to turn it loose.

The season started slow with several runners on the mend, including junior ace Mike DeCarlo, but the group he expected to have has been together now for about three weeks and they haven’t been beaten yet.

The Bulldogs made it four races in a row Monday when they won the NJTAC tech schools’ state championship in dominating fashion at windy Salem Tech.

Passaic won the girls team title too, giving the Bulldogs their first sweep since 2015, the last time available records show the girls won it.

DeCarlo won the boys race in 16:43.03. Sussex Tech’s Micah Delelio won the girls race in 19:56.88 after finishing second each of the last two years to Morris Tech’s Maya VanHorn.Passaic and GCIT finished 1-2 in both team races.

The Bulldogs’ boys, the defending race champs, put the first three runners across the line — DeCarlo, Jayell Pallero and Victor Mielnik — all five of their counters in the top nine and seven in the first 13. The girls had two runners in the top five and then places 10, 11 and 12. 

DeCarlo didn’t get out as fast as he expected into a stiff wind, but he led wire to wire for his third win. He won by more than 30 seconds.

“It wasn’t my best performance today, but I feel like I bounced back from last year,” he said.

Delelio wasn’t the pacesetter coming out of the gate in her race, but she took the lead as the field made its way through the woods and kept it the rest of the way. She was nearly 45 seconds ahead of GCIT runner-up Jordan Moczydlowski.

Sussex Tech’s Micah Dalelio approaches the finish line to win the NJTAC girls cross country race. (Top photo) Passaic’s Mike DeCarlo (R), Jayell Pallero (L) and Victor Mielnik walk back to team tent together after finishing 1-2-3 in the boys race.

NJTAC Championships

BOYS TEAM SCORES: Passaic Tech 23, GCIT 57, Morris Tech 116, Medford Tech 144, Salem Tech 150, Sussex Tech 179, Camden Vo-Tech 189, Bergen Tech 200, Westhampton Tech 256, Warren Tech 265, Cape May Tech 272, Pennsauken Tech 348, West Caldwell Tech 375, East Brunswick Magnet 410.
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Passaic Tech 38, GCIT 57, Morris Tech 60, Warren Tech 128, Sussex Tech 130, Camden Vo-Tech 166, West Caldwell Tech 188, Medford Tech 210, Salem Tech 219, East Brunswick Magnet 239.
BOYS TOP 10GIRLS TOP 10
Mike DeCarlo, Passaic16:43.03Micah Dalelio, Sussex19:56.68
Jayell Pallero, Passaic17:15.35Jordan Moczydlowski, GCIT20:39.12
Victor Mielnik, Passaic17:23.44Erisa Ciocoiu, Passaic21:17.92
Wyatt Evans, GCIT17:33.80Cameron Fuerte, Morris22:06.41
Chris Davis, Medford17:37.36Michell Taipe, Passaic22:12.26
Matt McQueen, Sussex17:55.07Siddhee Pathak, Morris22:13.78
D Snyder-Shellito, GCIT18:05.70Isabel Guerra, GCIT22:28.17
Bryson Coke, Passaic18:12.10Olivia Davis, Warren22:31.71
Joaquin Vila, Passaic18:12.75Kirstyn McHale, Cape May22:47.83
Ryan Ejjalili, GCIT18:20.63Elena Urriola, Passaic22:58.67

SALEM TECH BOYS COUNTERS: (21) Anthony Morano, 19:09.65; (28) Jean-Pierre Pozo, 19:43.90; (29) Levi Seals, 19:45.41; (35) Chase Pompper, 20:18.06; (37) Larry Pompper, 20:34.12.
SALEM TECH GIRLS COUNTERS: (27) Paityn Harrington, 25:35.35; (33) Abigail Vanaman, 27:10.23; (49) Gabrielle Lemke, 32:54.07; (54) Julia Richards, 34:43.57; (56) Carmen Mott, 35:11.45

Passaic’s Mike DeCarlo comes to the tape after leading the NJTAC race wire-to-wire.

‘It’s a miracle’

Pennsville’s Cooksey back on soccer field after year-long medical ordeal that led to a ‘season of loss’

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – From now on, every time Karsen Cooksey looks at the calendar the first day of August will forever be known as her “Day of Victory.”

It may be just another day on other calendars, but it should be a national holiday in the Cooksey household for that was the day the Pennsville soccer player left her temporary North Carolina home for good, released from a 12-month medical ordeal that threatened to prematurely end her high school sports career and change her life forever.

Cooksey suffered a debilitating knee injury during a pre-training camp exercise at the start of her sophomore year – right before Casey Slusher’s first preseason practice as the Eagles’ new head coach – but the complications that followed her surgery moved her life into a desperate search for answers and ultimately what she refers to as a “season of loss.”

The surgery went wrong and left the family searching for a miracle. That arrived in the form of four months of Olympic-level therapy at a clinic in Cary, N.C., 6 1/2 hours and 400 miles away from home and friends.

Sure, she lost her sophomore soccer season, but she also missed out getting ready for her oldest sister’s wedding with the girls because of an appointment with the surgeon, the prom and hanging out with her friends, and all the other things that come with being an active teen.

Pretty scary stuff for a 15-year-old who aspired to follow her cousin as a 100-goal scorer for the Eagles, but through a world-renowned doctor and support from her family, teammates and community she avoided a third surgery, got well and is happily back on the field playing the sport she loves.

“It’s a miracle,” says Karsen’s mom Michelle, who doesn’t use the term lightly as Children’s Ministries Coordinator for Lifehouse Church in Townsend, Del.

A miracle is defined as an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs and it certainly applies as the Cookseys were definitely at a financial and emotional wits end as they fretted over their youngest daughter’s circumstances.

‘Knew’ something was wrong

It all started in a summer team camp before the start of official varsity practice when Karsen, the Eagles’ top goal-scorer as a freshman, hyperextended her knee during a simple passing drill. It was the same knee she initially hurt in a basketball game at Clayton that February.

She spent five weeks doing rehab before her doctor decided on surgery. The first surgery was performed in Delaware Oct. 23, an arthroscopic procedure designed to repair the injury, and it didn’t take long for the family to realize something was wrong.

“People usually get up and start walking after meniscus (surgery), but the pain was like crazy,” Karsen said. “I couldn’t put my toes on the ground. A week went by and it was awful. 

“I couldn’t do the normal things like straighten it, move it, put pressure on it. It was just all messed up.”

Four days after the operation she was back in the hospital. X-rays and ultrasounds were inconclusive, but an MRI revealed something disturbing. The pictures the family saw showed a nerve attached to the repaired meniscus. 

A second surgery was performed in Delaware Dec. 3 to “decompress the nerve.” All seemed well two days after the operation, but a few days later Karsen’s leg began shaking and then shaking violently and she was back in the hospital for another week. She was in a wheelchair from December to February, but at least she was home for Christmas and didn’t miss the Eagles winning the Super Bowl – on her birthday.

To complicate matters, all the medicine she was taking in an effort to quiet the nerve was starting to attack her system. There was talk of removing organs. She was back in the hospital in March. 

“So many things were going wrong, I guess we just didn’t even really know,” Karsen said.

The family started looking for other options, among them a trip to Baltimore for a second opinion at Johns Hopkins. 

“I had a lot of people throwing a lot of things our way and they were some big, big, big scary things and I never had a peace about any of them,” Michelle said. “I was just like, ‘Lord, please close doors that we should not walk through and open ones that are for us.’”

Finally, eldest sister Taylor, a medical professional, found Dr. David Pascal in part through a series of social media videos and testimonials from the world-class athletes he has treated in the past.

He could fix this, not through surgery or drugs but his technique of “quantum neurology.” But it would require the family pulling up stakes and moving to North Carolina.

According to his bio on the Institute website, Pascal, a chiropractor, specializes in severe neurologic injury, focusing on identifying the root causes of health issues and developing personalized treatment plans that promise long-term healing. He has treated track Olympians, world-class gymnasts, pro golfers and pro volleyball players.

On March 11, Michelle’s birthday, they were driving back from the hospital when the call came from the Pascal Health Institute that they’d see her. “The best birthday present ever,” Michelle said.

They left for North Carolina April 21.

Pennsville junior Karsen Cooksey positions her defense in advance of a corner kick in a recent match against Schalick.

Outpouring of support

The treatment wasn’t cheap and not covered by insurance, but the family had a lot of help to make ends meet. Dad Kirk quickly sold the family boat, a retirement gift to himself after a long career in local law enforcement, to get the financial ball rolling. It sold two hours after the listing drew multiple buyers. “Right then and there we knew something was headed in the right direction,” Kirk said.

Friends quietly set up a GoFundMe page that raised more than $41,000 in two days. Trinity United Methodist Church in Pennsville offered to take care of the apartment the family would have to live in while Karsen was undergoing treatment.

“It was one miracle after another that my little mind still can’t even fathom,” Michelle said.

The treatments were twice-a-day, two hours a day. It was an exhausting schedule, but there were some diversions.

Their apartment was next to the WakeMed Soccer Park, home of the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League. Karsen visited often and received encouragement from several players from the Courage and Orlando Pride during her treatment and recovery, and remains friends with several of them. She went to watch the Pride play in Washington, D.C., Saturday.

One of the milestone days was July 8, the day they took her crutches away. But she still had three more weeks of therapy. 

She was released from the Institute Aug. 1, the Day of Victory, and came back home with the doctor’s caution of maybe returning to the field next year. But all her fears were finally behind her and she was looking forward to future.

“I think I was probably more worried about walking again than whether I’d play soccer,” Karsen said. “I think if I never found Dr. Pascal I’d probably still be in a wheelchair.”

She returned to normal activities almost as soon as she got home, and that included lightly practicing with her Pennsville teammates.

Karsen Cooksey shows off game-used soccer gear signed by players of the NWSL North Carolina Courage who befriended the Pennsville junior while she was undergoing medical treatment nearby last spring.

Back in the game

The year before Cooksey got hurt, she was the Eagles’ leading scorer with 14 goals. The team scored only 30 goals in the year she missed – 13 of them in two games – and no one scored more than nine. This year, they are 8-6 and go into this week looking to solidify the program’s first winning season in 2022 and a prime position in the South Jersey Group I tournament

She was back in the game for the first time in 23 months on Sept. 29 as the last-minute starting goalie in a predictively low-impact game against Buena and even made two saves in an easy shutout. She was back at it the next day against Salem Tech and, after texting her reluctant mom during the game for permission to play in the field, scored the team’s fifth goal in a 9-0 rout.

It was her first goal since she scored a hat trick Oct. 23, 2023 – against Salem Tech – but it meant so much more than any goal she’s ever scored in her life.

“I was excited,” Karsen said.

“That one goal this year means more to us than the 100 because it’s victory,” Michelle said. “The 100 aren’t important because the one means she’s walking. The 100 doesn’t mean anything if there’s not true victory behind it, and that one is victory. 

“It means there’s no wheelchair. It means we’ve persevered, we’ve had joy. That one is the win.”

Mom admitted the ordeal had them all reorienting their perspective on sports, but Karsen is thinking about her future. She probably won’t play basketball again, but is thinking about playing softball. She was a catcher, but that constant crouching puts a strain, so that’s probably out; plus, the Eagles have a pretty good one already. They did graduate two outfielders, so there’s an opening.

That’s really all she needs.

Karsen Cooksey shows off her signed N.C. Courage jersey.