Here are the current South Jersey Group I top 16 in football, field hockey, boys soccer and girls soccer heading into the week; the cutoff date is Saturday; Salem County teams in bold
FOOTBALL
UPR
FIELD HOCKEY
PTS.
s-Glassboro (8-0)
1.4
Shore (15-0-1)
33.002
c-Burlington City (7-1)
2.2
W. Deptford (12-2)
28.964
s-Paulsboro (7-1)
2.8
Haddon Twp. (9-6)
22.695
c-Shore (5-2)
3.6
Schalick (11-6)
20.238
c-Riverside (6-2)
6.4
Gloucester (9-7)
20.181
s-Pennsville (4-4)
7.8
S. Hunterdon (12-3)
19.716
c-KIPP (5-2)
8.8
Audubon (9-5-2)
18.664
s-Salem (4-4)
8.8
Haddon Hts. (8-6-1)
18.548
c-Asbury Park (4-3)
9.8
Gateway (7-5-2)
15.033
c-Pt. Pleasant Beach (5-2)
10.2
Woodstown (7-7-1)
13.830
s-Woodbury (3-5)
11.4
Lower Cape May (6-4-1)
12.597
c-Manville (8-0)
12.0
Florence (5-7)
11.242
s-Schalick (2-6)
13.8
Pennsville (6-7-1)
10.970
s-Audubon (2-5)
14.0
New Egypt (5-8-1)
10.004
s-Clayton (4-3)
15.2
Collingswood (2-11-1)
9.884
c-Highland Park (2-5)
15.2
Bordentown (6-9)
9.821
Football teams projected out to South Section (s), Central Section (c)
BOYS SOCCER
PTS.
GIRLS SOCCER
PTS.
Schalick (11-2-2)
23.686
Gateway (13-1)
20.811
Haddon Twp. (10-5-1)
23.261
Haddon Twp. (7-9-1)
18.752
Audubon (11-2-1)
21.991
Schalick (9-5-1)
18.737
Woodstown (9-1-3)
20.905
Clayton (10-4-1)
17.256
Riverside (9-2-2)
19.096
Pitman (9-5)
17.048
Pitman (8-5-1)
18.760
Palmyra (8-5-1)
16.974
Penns Grove (6-3-3)
16.550
Woodstown (10-3-1)
16.085
Pennsville (8-5-2)
14.188
Audubon (6-8-1)
15.285
Gateway (7-5-2)
13.868
Pennsville (8-6)
12.883
Palmyra (7-5-3)
13.263
Glassboro (6-7)
10.316
Maple Shade (7-3-2)
13.057
Riverside (5-8)
9.975
Clayton (10-6)
12.411
Maple Shade (2-12-1)
9.300
Glassboro (5-10-1)
12.331
Buena (6-7-2)
9.131
Wildwood (7-6)
11.192
Wildwood (5-6-1)
8.613
New Egypt (5-11)
9.245
Woodbury (4-7-2)
7.110
Woodbury (5-7-2)
8.411
x-Penns Grove (1-12)
5.872
NOTE: Football, which follows a different qualifying formula than the other sports, will be split into South and Central sections based on top 16 and geographic northing numbers; Salem Tech is in Group 2 and currently No. 19 in field hockey, No. 19 in boys soccer; No. 17 in girls soccer; some teams may opt out of playoffs. x-Penns Grove has opted out of girls soccer playoffs.
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Oct. 20-25; the cutoff for fall sports power points is Saturday
MONDAY, OCT. 20 FIELD HOCKEY Deptford at Schalick, 4 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Woodstown, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m. Pitman at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Salem at Pennsville, 6 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Pennsville, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown at Schalick, 3:45 p.m. Salem at Pitman, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville, 4:15 p.m. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Buena at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. CROSS COUNTRY NJTAC at Salem Tech, 1 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCT. 21 FIELD HOCKEY Overbrook at Salem, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Gateway, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Absegami, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 22 FIELD HOCKEY Salem Tech at Paulsboro, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Overbrook at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Collingswood, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Salem at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Overbrook, 4 p.m. Schalick at Pitman, 4 p.m. Clayton at Pennsville, 6 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Pitman, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m. Overbrook at Salem, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Wildwood, 4 p.m. CROSS COUNTRY TCC Championship at Cumberland, 3:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCT. 23 FIELD HOCKEY Salem Tech at Burlington City, 3:45 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Schalick at Sterling, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Audubon, 7 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Gloucester City at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Salem at Wildwood, 4 p.m. Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Salem Tech at Timber Creek, 4 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Penn State-Brandywine at Salem CC, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 24 WJFL FOOTBALL Pennsville at Collingswood, 6 p.m. West Deptford at Overbrook, 6 p.m. Glassboro at Woodstown, 7 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Salem Tech at Overbrook, 3:45 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Penns Grove at Wildwood, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Gloucester City, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Woodstown at Pennsville, 3:30 p.m. Clayton at Schalick, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Cumberland at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCT. 25 WJFL FOOTBALL Schalick at Woodbury, 11 a.m. Penns Grove at Salem, noon Clayton at Paulsboro, 12:30 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Highland at Woodstown, 10 a.m. GIRLS SOCCER Woodstown at Highland, 10 a.m. Penns Grove at Salem, noon COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Lincoln (2), noon
Penns Grove needed ‘one more step’ as its bid for a first win falls short in the final minute in the red zone
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE — One play. That’s all that stood between Penns Grove and its first win of the season.
The Red Devils trailed Woodbury by a point with time running out facing fourth-and-15 from the 16. With no reliable kicker on hand, they had to go for it, but the rocket screen they called fell incomplete and they walked away with a 9-8 loss.
Had they pulled it off, the Red Devils (0-8) would carry a lot different mindset into the presumptive final game of coach Marc Maccarone’s second season. Now, they’ll have to beat rival Salem next Saturday to avoid their first winless season in generations.
“We were real close and it sucks that we just needed one more step,” senior running back Jameel Horace said. “Just one more step. If we had that one more step we’d have been perfect.”
The Red Devils rallied from 9-0 to have a chance. Terrell Thomas scored on a 14-yard run and Horace added the two-point conversion to make it 9-8 with 9:47 to play and two timeouts in their pocket.
They had two possessions to get the winning points. The first ended with a five-yard punt, but the defense held the Herd back.
They started the potential winning drive from their 20 with 4:06 to play. Horace got a big chunk of what they needed with a 61-yard burst on the second snap to reach the 11. The senior had 113 of the Red Devils’ 185 rushing yards.
“I thought that was going to bring us back,” Horace said of the longest run of his career. “I thought that was going to be the one.”
But once the Red Devils got into the red zone they didn’t execute.
They netted only one yard on the next two snaps separated by their final time out. Their third-down play lost a yard and then they couldn’t get the next play off in time and were hit with a delay penalty that moved the fourth-down play back to the 16.
They had one snap to either score the go-ahead touchdown or get to the 1 to keep the drive alive. Maccarone would have considered a field goal if they had been closer, but without a reliable kicker they had to go for it.
Quarterback Brayden Lattig threw a hurried pass to Jerry Wooten cutting into the middle that was either too hard or too quick and went off Wooten’s outstretched right hand with 34.7 remaining to end the Red Devils’ chances.
“It was like a quick inside pass,” Lattig said. “The rusher came from my right side so I had to hurry up and throw the ball. It was just a rushed pass, in my opinion.
“We definitely had a chance. We could have won the game with a touchdown, but things happen.”
Woodbury (3-4) took a 7-0 lead into halftime thanks to Niko Jimenez’ 6-yard pass to Elijah Young and Mark Martin’s extra point with 3:28 left in the second quarter. Young caught five passes for 77 yards.
The eventual margin of victory came with 4:14 left in the third quarter when Thomas took a deep handoff in the end zone and was immediately met by a Thundering Herd for a safety.
The Herd mishandled the free kick and Messiah Allah recovered for Penns Grove, sending the Red Devils on the way to their touchdown. Horace ran it inside the 10 on the first snap, but the play was called back by penalty. Allah caught a 23-yard pass a couple snaps later and a personal foul helped get the ball into the red zone.
Thomas, a legend in the youth leagues, scored his second touchdown of the season from 14 yards out. He rushed for 69 yards on a career-high 14 carries.
“I had to step up,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been playing a little bit low to my standards, so I felt like I had to step my game up. It came out today and I scored for my team. I tried to fight to the whistle but came up short in the long run.”
The defense did its part to keep the Red Devils in the game. They held the Herd to minus-17 yards rushing and 73 yards net overall. They gave up minus-17 yards net offense and no first downs in the second half.
Penns Grove receiver Jerry Wooten (3) reaches for the fourth-down pass the Red Devils hoped would keep their final drive alive or find the end zone for the winning touchdown.
Woodbury 9, Penns Grove 8
WOOD (9)
PG (8)
6
1st Downs
9
27-(-17)
Rushing
34-189
8-19-0
Passing
1-4-1
90
Passing yds.
23
1-1
Fumbles-lost
3-2
6-33.3
Punts-avg
3-24.3
7-70
Penalties
10-90
Woodbury (3-4)
0
7
2
0-
9
Penns Grove (0-8)
0
0
0
8-
8
SCORING SUMMARY WO-Elijah Young 6 pass from Niko Jimenez (Mark Martin kick), 3:28 3Q WO-Safety, Terrell Thomas tackled in end zone, 4:14 3Q PG-Terrell Thomas 14 run (Jameel Horace run), 9:47 3Q
WJFL Standings
DIAMOND
ALL
DIV
Glassboro
8-0
4-0
Salem
4-4
3-1
Schalick
2-6
2-2
Woodbury
3-4
2-2
Woodstown
2-6
1-3
Penns Grove
0-8
0-4
PATRIOT
ALL
DIV
West Deptford
7-1
5-0
Paulsboro
7-1
5-1
Overbrook
6-2
3-2
Pennsville
4-4
2-3
Collingswood
5-3
2-3
Audubon
2-5
1-4
Camden Catholic
0-8
0-5
FRIDAY’S GAMES Glassboro 35, Schalick 7 Pennsville 44, Lawrence 6 Salem 47, Woodstown 0 Collingswood 28, Camden Catholic 24
SATURDAY’S GAMES West Deptford 14, Paulsboro 0 Overbrook 48, Audubon 18 Woodbury 9, Penns Grove 8
Salem, Carey take it out on Woodstown after losing to the Wolverines last year and their Homecoming Game last week; Pennsville unloads on Lawrence to enhance its playoff hopes; Schalick falls to Glassboro; includes WJFL standings
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — For Troy Carey, this one was personal.
Carey had a monster game against Woodstown last year, passing for an eye-popping 279 yards, but Salem lost to the other quarterback’s big game.
Salem’s Troy Carey proudly wears the Game MVP chain he won for the second time this season.
Friday night, the senior got a little payback on a lot of counts, rushing for 125 yards and two touchdowns and making some big plays on defense as the Rams crushed the Wolverines on their Homecoming and Senior Night, 47-0, a week after losing their own Homecoming game.
It was Salem’s first win in the rivalry since the 2020 season finale, its first at Woodstown since 2019 and its first at Clint Ware Field in the regular season since Thanksgiving 2017. There was talk on the sidelines Woodstown hadn’t lost at Homecoming in years.
“I was definitely hungry because last week was a tough game, I didn’t get any carries last week, but this week was definitely personal, for sure,” Carey said. “We lost our Homecoming (to West Deptford), so we had an opportunity to upset somebody else’s, so it was definitely big. It was personal this week, for sure.”
Carey was part of a balanced offense and a dominating defense. He, Cashmir Parsley and Isiah Santiago all scored a pair of touchdowns. Santiago, normally a receiver, played in the backfield for the first time and rushed for 71 yards. Parsley rushed for 68 yards and quarterback Desmund Thomas had 141 total yards and threw for a score on the final play of a 21-point first quarter.
The defense held Woodstown to minus-14 yards of net rushing and 45 yards total. It was the second opponent in three weeks the Rams held to negative rushing yards.
“I thought the defense played really well,” Rams coach Kemp Carr said. “Offense is for being cute and defense is for winning championship. The guys understood the call. For the most part there was good communication throughout. I heard a lot of pointing, a lot of talking, and that’s what it takes every game.”
Carey has played so many positions in his Salem career it’s hard to pigeon-hole him as any specific type player. You might call him a Swiss Army Knife. Carr just calls him “unicorn.”
He went for 34 yards the first time he touched the ball — on the first snap of the game — and scored on a 19-yard run two plays later. He had a 23-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the third quarter.
“He’s a unicorn, whatever we need him to do he’s willing to do and you can’t ask for anything more than that,” Carr said. “He plays wing, he plays quarterback, he plays running back, he plays Mike linebacker, defense and down line. When you have a unicorn like that you try to use him in the best place you can, but we have multiple of those guys.”
It was another tough night for the Wolverines (2-6), who fell out of the top 16 of the South Jersey Group I power points standings for the first time ever this week and are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
They were held to less than 50 yards of net offense and had four turnovers, three of which Salem (4-4) converted into touchdowns. They did have a big play on their first drive when freshman quarterback Frankie Hoerst connected on a 63-yard bomb to Sincere Cook-Reese, but the sophomore receiver was stopped short of the end zone and they ended up not scoring, missing a 26-yard field goal attempt.
There was a scary moment in the game involving the quarterback later in the quarter. Hoerst lay still on the 30-yard line after getting crushed by the Salem rush and losing a fumble. The game was delayed nearly 15 minutes while trainers and medical staff treated him for an apparent neck injury.
They stabilized his head and neck area before lifting him on a backboard to an awaiting stretcher. Woodstown coach Frank Trautz reported Hoerst was moving and talking as he was being treated. He did not have an update on the player’s condition immediately after the game.
It was just another in a series of injuries that have befallen the Wolverines this season. At one point this year they had nine starters out because of injury. As it was, they had fewer than a half-dozen of their opening day starters on the field against the Rams.
“It’s unfortunate you have a season (like that),” Trautz said. “You keep telling yourself we’ve made it through and we get some guys back and we can’t seem to stay healthy. It’s part of this game, unfortunately.
“We’re not making excuses here. We’re very confident in the guys we have playing, but it’s no doubt it takes a toll on you. As ironic it sounds I do think it’s still going to help us in the long run here with a lot of these kids who were forced to play different positions this year before stepping into roles they were not expected to play in.”
With backup quarterbacks Mason Middlemiss and Lucas Fulmer among those already sidelined, the Wolverines turned to “Q” for the “A” at the position. Noah Chiu, pronounced like the letter Q, plays a hard-nosed style of ball and did what he could despite being under constant pressure.
“Noah is as tough as they come,” Trautz said. “He’s one of those kids that every coach would take 100 of. He’d run through a brick wall for you. He’ll do everything you ask of him. Very tough. We asked a lot of him tonight and he didn’t flinch.”
Woodstown coach Frank Trautz (R) gives some instructions to Noah Chiu before sending the junior in at quarterback in the second quarter Friday night against Salem.
Salem 47, Woodstown 0
SAL (47)
WOOD (0)
11
1st Downs
2
31-321
Rushing
19-(-14)
5-7-0
Passing
2-9-1
88
Passing yds
59
2-0
Fumbles-lost
3-3
3-32.0
Punts-avg
4-29.5
12-101
Penalties
2-7
Salem (4-4)
21
6
13
7-
47
Woodstown (2-6)
0
0
0
0-
0
SCORING SUMMARY S-Troy Carey 19 run (kick failed), 10:36 1Q S-Cashmir Parsley 2 run (Johnathan Bower kick), 1:07 1Q S-Kaden Robinson 30 pass from Desmund Thomas (Antwuan Rogers pass from Desmund Thomas), 0:00 1Q S-Cashmir Parsley 4 run (run failed), 4:40 2Q S-Isiah Santiago 10 run (run failed), 6:42 3Q S-Troy Carey 23 run (Johnathan Bower kick), 0:38 3Q S-Isiah Santiago 4 run (Johnathan Bower kick)
Pennsville 44, Lawrence 6
PENNSVILLE — The homestanding Eagles played one of their most complete games of the season, dominating their Mercer County visitors on both sides of the ball on Senior Night.
Rylan Hardy scored three touchdowns, Robbie McDade scored two and Adrian Alleyne scored once. Perry Meranti had three two-point conversions.
The Eagles led 16-0 in the first quarter and 30-6 at halftime.
“We had everything clicking,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said. “You know how we’ve talked about getting to play all four quarters? We did that.”
Glassboro 35, Schalick 7
GLASSBORO — Schalick gave Glassboro all it could handle for the better part of three quarters, but then the Bulldogs remembered who they were.
The Cougars held their own with the defending state champions through the first half and into the third quarter, but Xavier Sabb got loose for two late fourth-quarter touchdowns to close out a 35-7 victory.
Schalick had the Homecoming crowd worried for a while. Glassboro scored first, but the Bulldogs answered with an 82-yard drive after a Jase Volovar interception capped by Gary Simonini’s 30-yard TD pass to Sherrod Jones.
The Bulldogs scored again, and the Cougars nearly got the tying touchdown right before halftime. David Stewart set them up with an interception and they got to the 2 with four seconds left but couldn’t punch it in.
They ran three plays, missed a receiver in the end zone on second down and were stopped on third down. They lined up for a field goal, but it was blocked, so instead of going into the halftime trailing 14-10 they remained down by a touchdown, but not feeling as hurt as the Bulldogs.
“We were right there all through the first half,” Cougars coach Kevin Leamy said. “We had a game plan that the kids executed great and frustrated them on offense. Kids made plays.
“Everything was going good in the first half. We played well in the second half, too, but you give them enough opportunities, those kids are going to make plays.”
The events of the first half must not have sat well with the Bulldogs (8-0) because they didn’t come out for the second half until there were 30 seconds left in the break.
It was a 20-7 game going into the final four minutes of the fourth quarter, but Xavier Sabb, who hadn’t caught a pass to that point, scored twice to put the game out of reach.
“I don’t think it was anything special,” Leamy said of the approach. “I think it was just a mentality that we came into the game with that we were going to force them to earn everything they get. Pressure them, force them to continue to make plays. Force them to run the ball.
“They run the ball really well, but they refuse to commit to it. They’re always going to revert back to throwing the ball because they have those three kids out there that they can get the ball to. I think we knew that going in and were going to say we dare you to run the ball, we’re going to try everything we have to take away that pass.”
Glassboro 35, Schalick 7
Schalick (2-6)
7
0
0
0-
7
Glassboro (8-0)
14
0
7
14-
35
SCORING SUMMARY G-Amari Sabb 42 pass from Jack O’Connell (Sal Esgro kick) S-Sherrod Jones 30 pass from Gary Simonini (Hunter Dragotta kick) G-JoJo DeLecce 22 run (Sal Esgro kick) G-Amari Sabb 3 run (Sal Esgro kick) G-Xavier Sabb 22 pass from Jack O’Connell (pass failed) G-Xavier Sabb 25 pass from Jack O’Connell (Mekhi Parker run)
WJFL Standings
DIAMOND
ALL
DIV
Glassboro
8-0
4-0
Salem
4-4
3-1
Schalick
2-6
2-2
Woodbury
2-4
1-2
Woodstown
2-6
1-3
Penns Grove
0-7
0-3
PATRIOT
ALL
DIV
Paulsboro
7-0
5-0
West Deptford
6-1
4-0
Overbrook
5-2
2-2
Pennsville
4-4
2-3
Collingswood
5-3
2-3
Audubon
2-4
1-3
Camden Catholic
0-8
0-5
FRIDAY’S GAMES Glassboro 35, Schalick 7 Pennsville 44, Lawrence 6 Salem 47, Woodstown 0 Collingswood 28, Camden Catholic 24
SATURDAY’S GAMES West Deptford at Paulsboro, 11 a.m. Overbrook at Audubon, 11 Woodbury at Penns Grove, noon
Here are Friday night’s scores in the West Jersey Football League, includes Thursday’s scores and Saturday’s games; Salem County scores in bold
FRIDAY’S SCORES Absegami 47, Middle Township 14 Bishop Eustace 25, Wildwood 14 Bordentown 31, Florence 7 Bridgeton 28, Atlantic Tech 0 Burlington City 42, Maple Shade 0 Cedar Creek 49, Timber Creek 14 Cinnaminson 42, Moorestown 7 Collingswood 28, Camden Catholic 24 Delsea 13, Williamstown 7 Eastern 47, Clearview 6 Ewing 63, WW-Plainsboro South 0 Gateway 40, Mastery Camden 20 Glassboro 35, Schalick 7 Holy Spirit 48, Ocean City 0 Hightstown 39, Allentown 6 KIPP 20, Holy Cross 12 Lower Cape May 13, Cumberland 7 Pennsauken 25, Cherry Hill West 7 Pennsville 44, Lawrence 6 Salem 47, Woodstown 0 Seneca 27, Paul VI 14 Shawnee 38, Camden Eastside 14 Sterling 20, Lindenwold 0 St. Joseph (Hamm.) 23, Oakcrest 20 Trenton 27, Princeton 14 Triton 27, Egg Harbor Township 0 Vineland 20, Highland 17 Washington Twp. 39, Kingsway 36 Willingboro 47, Pleasantville 22 Winslow 41, Mainland 6
SATURDAY’S GAMES Atlantic City at Hammonton, 11 a.m. Buena at Palmyra, 11 Camden at Lenape, 11 Hopewell Valley at Steinert, 11 Ocean Twp. at Colts Neck, 11 Overbrook at Audubon, 11 West Deptford at Paulsboro, 11 Delran at Haddon Heights, noon Rancocas Valley at St. Augustine, noon Woodbury at Penns Grove, noon Northern Burlington at Burlington Twp., 1:30 p.m. Riverside at Pemberton, 2 Robbinsville at Hamilton West, 2 Nottingham at Notre Dame, 6
Salem CC board takes another step toward starting football, extends consultant’s contract a month, buys time to digest data, close gaps
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The Salem Community College board of trustees heard the most extensive proposal on the athletic department’s plan to bring football to the campus in 2026 Thursday night and although sentiment generally appears favorable the policymakers weren’t quite ready to green light the program.
The board heard a comprehensive 90-minute presentation from athletics director Bob Hughes on the viability of bringing the sport to the college for the first time. The body wasn’t expected to approve the measure at this meeting, but it did keep the door open by extending the contract of consultant Jay Accorsi through Nov. 30 to bring into focus some remaining open questions.
Salem CC athletics director Bob Hughes proudly displays the football proposal he distributed to the college’s board of trustees Thursday night.
“I wasn’t going to push for a decision at this point in time because I don’t feel we were ready to make a recommendation to the level that we wanted,” Salem CC president Mike Gorman said. “I would not push them to reach a premature conclusion. I will ask them to reach a conclusion, but I wouldn’t have forced the issue that we need to know tonight. I don’t think that would have been in their best interest.”
He anticipates taking the question to a vote Nov. 20 “as long as a couple of things fall into place between now and then.”
The extension gives the board’s members time to digest all the data in the 75-page report Hughes presented before it can consider signing off on such a large investment. Research indicates it will cost between $350,000 and $400,000 in initial start-up costs with about one-tenth of that needed by January if the Mighty Oaks plan to play in the fall of 2026.
The November target will allow the new program, if approved, to start hiring coaches, recruiting players, buying equipment and getting the word out.
“The timeline will not wait for us,” Hughes said.
“My biggest concern right now is making sure we do our full due diligence,” board vice chair Jason Supernavage said. “This is a much bigger risk and investment than this college has ever seen when it comes to athletics, at least during my tenure here. This is one of those things I would not want to get wrong just because the emotional side of it looks like it’s something we want to have.
“It’s not that I’m anti the concept of adding. I think it’s a great idea, but before I feel comfortable putting support behind it I think there’s a lot of logistics the board should feel obligated to find out because this number is going to be so large I wouldn’t want to get it wrong. This is a big boy. This is not monopoly money. This is one of those I’d like to see specifics and not generalities.”
Hughes called football “the next logical step and natural progression” in the college’s growth. Starting the program could bring an additional 100 students immediately to campus. When the school brought back sports in 2018, it saw an increase of 140 students, only about half of whom were athletes.
“For me, it lines up with our mission and I wouldn’t be talking to you if I didn’t think it did,” Hughes said. “If I didn’t believe that this serves our mission I wouldn’t be so full-throated behind it.
“I believe strongly that this can bring a campus together and I want to see what that looks like here. This is a moment that we have an opportunity to do something that people probably 10 years ago didn’t think was possible. For us it’s a chance to say we have this possibility, that we have a purpose here and we’re ready to partake in the next step.”
Salem CC athletics director Bob Hughes explains to the board of trustees the merits of starting a football program at the school. The top photo is an artist’s rendition of a Mighty Oaks football helmet.
The most immediate question is securing a practice site. The Mighty Oaks will start talking with the National Junior College Athletic Association next week about declaring the sport and hope to hold a spring practice with 20 to 40 players, but they need a place to hold it. The preferred space is the Carneys Point Rec Complex, which currently serves as the home for the Mighty Oaks’ baseball team, but there are logistical issues with the township to consider.
Other venues being considered are the nearby YMCA fields and the Walnut Street Field in Salem City that was once the game-day home of Salem High School. The Carneys Point Complex is appealing because it would allow the Mighty Oaks to unify all their teams in one location.
“If we can’t get a commitment on the site all bets are off,” Gorman said.
Games are expected to be played in local high school stadiums, starting with Pennsville and Penns Grove. Officials expect a short schedule of at least six to eight games the first year.
Accorsi told the board the climate is right for a junior college football program to flourish in New Jersey and Salem is the “right fit” to get the ball rolling.
Gorman said he’s never had a negative reaction from anyone in the public arena when he’s brought up the idea of football at Salem. The votes are believed to be there from the board to approve it. Typically the board has supported the president’s recommendation when it finds a proposal is well researched.
There is only one two-year school in New Jersey that currently offers football – Sussex County CC – and the conditions under which it started the program are said to be “vastly different” than the reason Salem is considering it.
Sussex did it to save jobs within the college. Salem is doing it to bring more students on campus. When the Mighty Oaks revived their athletics program in 2018, student enrollment increased by 140, and less than half of those new students were athletes.
The addition of football could open the door for other activities for students, Hughes told the board. He finds the prospect of the first Homecoming football Saturday at Salem CC particularly exciting.
The athletic department already has been fielding calls from prospective football players once word started getting out the school was moving towards the sport.
“There is no way I could get 100 students tomorrow in another way,” Gorman said. “There’s just no other pathways that would bring us 100 students that rapidly.”
Administrators at other JUCOs in the state are watching and selfishly hoping the Mighty Oaks can make a go of it. The thinking there is if Salem can do it, so can they.
Jay Accorsi, the former Rowan head coach serving as the consultant on Salem CC’s exploration of football, tells the college’s board why the time is right for JUCO football to flourish in New Jersey and how the Mighty Oaks are the ‘right fit’ to get the ball rolling.
Woodstown, Schalick battle to scoreless tie to remain tied for division lead; Pennsville also plays to a draw in its quest for a division crown
BOYS SOCCER Pennsville 1, Gloucester Catholic 1 Penns Grove 4, Overbrook 1 Wildwood 7, Salem 1 Schalick 0, Woodstown 0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Rivals Woodstown and Schalick played for the upper hand in the TCC Diamond Division, as they always seem to do, but they came out of this one the same way they went into it: Tied for the lead after playing to a scoreless draw.
The game may have been scoreless, but it was an aficionado’s dream.
“It’s a game that those who don’t care for soccer and part of it is because there’s no scoring and there’s no action, this would be that game they would want to use for evidence,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “But if you were there you would have seen it was a good game.”
Another false assumption would be thinking the Wolverines were playing for the tie because they moved leading scorer Bryce Ayars back into a more defensive center mid position. Huck refuted the notion, saying they played the same formation they had the last three games, but had to drop Ayars back because Jake Lewis remained out after getting hurt in the Penns Grove match and that move gave them the best chance to win the game.
“We weren’t playing for the tie, we weren’t,” Huck said. “I looked at some of my options and each one I said who’s going to give us the best opportunity to stay in the game and Bryce was the best, the most logical, choice. When I presented it to my coaching staff every one of them came back and said this is the right call.
“It wasn’t about putting Bryce there to keep a tie. It was about putting Bryce there to keep us in the game to give us a chance to win the game. I wasn’t moving Bryce back there with a healthy team. What I was looking for was someone else step up and score a goal.”
The Cougars, meanwhile, were prepared to play their rivals the way they played in the first meeting, with Ayars up top. The change was a “clear indication,” to Schalick coach Joe Mannella at least, “that you’re going to try to score on a free kick or a counterattack … and they stuck with it the whole time.”
Mannella acknowledged it was frustrating at times and tested the Cougars patience. They created enough chances, he said, they just didn’t score.
Schalick outshot their rivals 14-5, but Woodstown keeper Trey Markward made 11 saves. Schalick keeper Evan Sepers was credited with four saves and wasn’t overly tested, but he did hold his breath in overtime when Ben Lippincott’s shot from just outside the box just missed the post.
The tie left the teams atop the division standings with 15 points — Woodstown at 6-0-3 and Schalick at 7-1-1. They can finish as co-champions in the division with wins Monday (even though Woodstown is 1-0-1 in the season series), and that wouldn’t be a bad thing in Huck’s mind.
Schalick remained No. 1 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, with a slight lead over Haddon Twp. Woodstown fell to No. 4, just behind Audubon. Schalick and Woodstown came into the week 1-2.
“I look at it as sharing a division championship with a team like Schalick, who routinely, year in and year out, is a division champion, a South Jersey finalist, a state Group I contender, I look at that as an honor and an accomplishment to be in there with them in the same sentence,” Huck said. “I really, honestly feel that way.
“Schalick has been a thorn in our side for a long time. I wouldn’t want it any other way. If given a choice, I wouldn’t want to be in any other division where it’s easy. I take a lot of pride in going ‘us and Schalick, co-champs,’ well deserved by both teams.”
NOTES: The three ties are the most Woodstown has had in a season since 2022 (5-10-3) and with Monday’s draw at Penns Grove it marks the first time the Wolverines have had back-to-back ties since 2016 (Triton, Schalick) … It was Woodstown’s first scoreless tie since 2019 (Glassboro) and Schalick’s first since 2022 (Palmyra) … Schalick hosts Penns Grove Monday, Woodstown hosts Pitman.
Penns Grove 4, Overbrook 1: Prince Ledbetter scored twice and assisted on Michael Schultz’ first career goal in the second half as the Red Devils (6-3-3) extended their unbeaten streak to five games. Erdem Yardim scored their other goal. Pennsville 1, Gloucester Catholic 1: Not really the result the Eagles were looking for, but they still can clinch their first division title in 32 years with a win over Salem Monday. Right back Brett Land scored the tying goal in the first half, four minutes after the Rams scored, off a long Stevie Fatcher throw-in that hit the crossbar and came straight to him. Wildwood 7, Salem 1: Michael Blanda had two goals and an assist for the Warriors, who moved within a half-game of Pennsville in the Classic Division race.
Girls roundup: Schalick edges Woodstown to win sixth straight soccer division title; includes tennis and field hockey
GIRLS SOCCER Schalick 2, Woodstown 1 Clayton 6, Salem Tech 0 Overbrook 5, Penns Grove 2 Glassboro 2, Pennsville 0 Wildwood 6, Salem 0
By Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – You know you’ve got something special going on when you don’t know what it feels like to finish second.
The Schalick girls soccer team under coach Will Kemp doesn’t know second place.
The Cougars clinched at least a share of their sixth straight TCC Diamond Division title and fourth under Kemp Thursday in a 2-1 victory over rival Woodstown. They can win it outright with a win at Penns Grove Monday or a Woodstown loss at Pennsville.
Since the conference declares co-champions in event of a tie at the top, that means Kemp’s entire class rotation of players – freshmen through seniors – have known nothing but division championships. That’s a closet full of championship jackets.
“It’s the culture,” Kemp said. “It’s a special thing for us to continue to win the division year after year, but it just shows you the standard that has been set in the past and that continues to be inside the actual program itself.
“It’s special for the ladies to win this. When you’re now a senior, such as Cali (Fisler) and Abigail (Willoughby), for them to win it four years in a row it’s just something special. It’s almost starting to become the lone standard when you play at Schalick soccer to win the division.”
The Cougars (9-5-1) have lost only one division game in Kemp’s four years at the helm – to Woodstown in his first year. They’re unbeaten in their last 32 regular-season division games (31-0-1). The teams played to a 1-1 draw earlier this season.
Despite the close score, the Cougars dominated the game, playing most of it in their attacking end. Olivia Vanacker scored in the 34th minute to open the scoring and Karlie Bakley scored in the first 30 seconds of the second half to give them a 2-0 lead.
Kyleigh Cutler, in her first game back from a recovery break, assisted on both Schalick goals.
“Kyleigh Cutler came in a changed the whole dynamic of our team,” Kemp said. “Adding her back to the squad, she’s a very important piece to us.”
Gina Murray made it a one-goal game in the 55th minute when she hit a great shot past keeper Eve Berger after the Cougars failed to clear a free kick.
The win was the Cougars’ fifth in a row since moving into the second phase of their season on Senior Night, Oct. 2. In Kemp’s tenure, they are 30-9-1 after Oct. 1.
“The main timeline I always give my players is six weeks, from preseason all the way into the sixth week,” Kemp said. “That’s when everything starts to roll for them and they start to understand the consistency inside their style of play, the effort that’s needed and, of course, being able to showcase their talents.
“Before the six weeks, lot of mistakes happen, we’re still trying to figure some things out, players are still getting their fitness in, but after six weeks that’s when you start to see exactly what type of team that we are.”
Glassboro 2, Pennsville 0: Amina Brown and Alyssa Mattox scored goals for the Bulldogs. Clayton 6, Salem Tech 0: Nicole Lemon scored two goals in the second half for the Clippers.
FIELD HOCKEY Schalick 9, Overbrook 0: The Cougars (11-6) got all their goals from seniors on Senior Night, including two each from Caylen Taylor, Ava Scurry, Lena Virga and Phoebe Alward, to win their third straight and clinch the TCC Diamond Division crown. For Alward, it was her 50th career goal. Natalie May scored their other goal. The shutout was their seventh of the season. GCIT 4, Woodstown 1: Lexi Taylor scored the Wolverines’ goal in the third quarter.
GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville 5, Salem 0 Woodstown 5, Wildwood 0 Glassboro at Schalick
Harris continues her torrid goal-scoring streak in Pennsville’s Senior Day field hockey win, Highland ends Salem Tech streak in OT; plus tennis, volleyball
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Kylie Harris continued her torrid goal-scoring streak Wednesday, scoring three more goals in the Eagles’ dominant 5-1 Senior Day victory over Clayton.
Harris has scored eight goals in the last three games – all wins – with two hat tricks. She had scored only two goals this season and nine in her career prior to the move.
The Eagles were 3-6-1 before Hall of Fame coach Lisa Doran moved Harris and her powerful swing from the top of the defensive diamond to forward, and now they’re at .500. Kendall Hoyt and Elizabeth Fleming scored the Eagles’ other goals Wednesday.
“I do really like being on the front line; it’s a lot of fun,” Harris said. “We just wanted to move people around to see what worked and they told me I would be playing center forward one day and they just kept telling me to stay up there.
“We have been doing great with passing and our strong defense has been super strong, but my favorite thing so far about being up top is being able to be with all the girls after someone scores and get to give them all high fives and laugh after a goal with my best friends. It’s just as awesome feeling.”
Highland 3, Salem Tech 2: Kiersten Heverly scored her third goal of the game – at the 4:50 mark of overtime – to end the Chargers’ five-game shutout winning streak. Hayden Crispin and Peyton Mayhew scored in the final five minutes of the second quarter to give the Chargers a 2-1 halftime lead. Jessilyn Chambers assisted on both goals.
WILDWOOD 5, PENNS GROVE 0 Cydnee Kilian (WI) def. Ada Lopez, 6-0, 6-0 Estella Robinson (WI) Kavita Pulchard, 6-0, 6-0 Antoinette Cooper (WI) def. Yanet Cruz, 6-0, 6-0 Emma Contreras-Selin Ogden (WI) won by forfeit Jess Alamein-Charlotte Baetz (WI) won by forfeit Records: Wildwood 7-8, Penns Grove 0-11.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Triton 2, Salem Tech 0: Abigail Dalbey had four kills, nine service points and seven aces for Triton. The set scores were 25-18, 25-16.
Here are the scores and highlights from Tuesday’s Salem County sports action
FIELD HOCKEY Salem Tech 3, Clayton 0: Jessilyn Chambers, Hazel Eachus and Olivia Lydon scored second-half goals in the Chargers’ fifth straight win. All five wins have been by shutout with Caroline Tighe in the cage. Peyton Mayhew assisted on two of the goals. Pennsville 3, Deptford 2: Kylie Harris scored two more goals and Gracie Mease scored once for the Eagles (5-6-1). Harris has scored five goals in her last two games. Salem at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER Woodstown 6, Penns Grove 0: Lia Covely scored two goals, while Emma Perry, Hailey Kucharczuk, Kyrsten Dussault and Elizabeth Daly scored once in the Wolverines’ fifth straight win. Ellie Wygand and Mazie Mazzoni combined for their seventh shutout The Wolverines visit Schalick for the Diamond Division title Thursday. Schalick 2, Glassboro 0: Olivia Vanacker and Quinn Berger scored in the first half and goalie Eve Berger made them stand up. The Cougars take a four-game winning streak into their showdown with Woodstown and have shut out three of their last four. Wildwood 2, Salem Tech 0: Addison Troiano and Nyara Alves scored second-half goals for the Warriors. Pennsville 3, Overbrook 2: Taylor Bass scored her third goal of the game with 3:25 left in overtime to lift the Eagles (8-5), who bettered last year’s win total with the victory. Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 6 p.m.
Riverview Sports News 