Shuffle the deck

Salem County teams split into two divisions in the new West Jersey Football League alignment; Woodstown, Penns Grove out of Diamond for first time in league history

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

The Diamond Division of the West Jersey Football League may look a lot different than it has in the past, but it appears just as strong as it’s ever been.

The ”SEC West” of Group I football is still no country for old men.

Two-time reigning state champion Glassboro may be gone in the latest two-year shakeup of WJFL division alignments, but there is still a lineup of heavy hitters residing there.

Glassboro, Woodbury, Woodstown and Penns Grove may be out, but Pennsville, Paulsboro, Gloucester and Overbrook are in. All six teams in the new iteration of the division were playoff teams this past season.

Schalick was 5-7, but played in the sectional title game for the third year in a row. Pennsville (5-5, Patriot) was a South Jersey Group I quarterfinalist and Salem (6-5) and Paulsboro (9-2) played in the semifinals. Incoming Gloucester (5-5, Continental) and Overbrook (6-4, Patriot) were playoff teams in Group II.

“We feel like our division will be challenging, but we must challenge ourselves to get better,” Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas said. “We are familiar with the teams in our division and we are getting back a few Salem County rivals.”

To accommodate the shuffle, Salem County’s other two football-playing teams, Woodstown (3-7) and Penns Grove (0-9), were moved into the Independence Division with Buena (3-5), Clayton (5-5), Pitman (4-6) and Woodbury (3-7). Only Woodbury in this group made the playoffs this year, and it was involved in the fight with Paulsboro late in the game.

Glassboro jumps into the Colonial Division with Cedar Creek, Delsea, Holy Spirit, Ocean City and Pleasantville. Reigning Patriot Division champion West Deptford jumps into the Constitution Division with Burlington City, Delran, Haddonfield, Seneca and Willingboro.

Teams had the right to appeal their spots. Deadline for the appeals was Dec. 3; sources said there were more than 20. Five have been granted of the 11 heard, and while there will be changes in the alignment league officials declined to identify them.

“The modifications based on appeals granted have not been completed yet,” WJFL president and Moorestown athletics director Joe McColgan said Wednesday.

The group meets again Monday. “I’m hoping we’ll have some resolution” at that time, McColgan said.

Woodstown and Penns Grove have been part of the Diamond Division since the inception of the WJFL in 2010, but it has been rare that all five Salem County teams played in the same division.

The Eagles play an annual trophy game with Penns Grove. The last time they played all four of the other Salem County teams in the same season was 2019.

“(It) would be nice if the scheduling committee added Woodstown as one of our cross-overs so we would once again play all of the Salem County schools during the regular season,” Thomas said.

WEST JERSEY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
DIAMOND: Gloucester, Overbrook, Paulsboro, Pennsville, Salem, Schalick.
INDEPENDENCE: Buena, Clayton, Penns Grove, Pitman, Woodbury, Woodstown.

Salem County WJFL History

YEAR	SCHALICK	PENNS GROVE	PENNSVILLE	SALEM	WOODSTOWN
2025	Diamond	Diamond	Patriot	Diamond	Diamond
2024	Diamond	Diamond	Patriot	Diamond	Diamond
2023	Horizon	Diamond	Royal	Diamond	Diamond
2022	Horizon	Diamond	Royal	Diamond	Diamond
2021	United	Diamond	United	Diamond	Diamond
2020	United	Diamond	United	Diamond	Diamond
2019	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond
2018	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond
2017	Classic	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond
2016	Classic	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond	Diamond
2015	Diamond	Diamond	Classic	Classic	Diamond
2014	Diamond	Diamond	Classic	Classic	Diamond
2013	Diamond	Diamond	Classic	Classic	Diamond
2012	Diamond	Diamond	Classic	Classic	Diamond
2011	Diamond	Diamond	Classic	Classic	Diamond
2010	Diamond	Diamond	Classic	Classic	Diamond

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Dec. 8-13; x-scrimmage

MONDAY, DEC. 8
BOYS BASKETBALL
x-Triton at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
x-Triton at Salem, 3:30 p.m.
x-Pennsville at Millville, 4 p.m.

TUESDAY, DEC. 9
BOYS BASKETBALL
x-Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m.
x-Penns Grove at Vineland, 4 p.m.
x-Salem at Bridgeton, 4 p.m.
x-Schalick at Cumberland, 4 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
x-Bridgeton at Salem, 3:30 p.m.
x-Cumberland at Schalick, 4 p.m.
x-Highland at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem Tech vs. Gloucester at Wood Lanes, 3:45 p.m.
Salem vs. Overbrook at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 7 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Morris at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 10
BOYS BASKETBALL
x-Woodstown at Paulsboro, 4 p.m.
SWIMMING
Schalick at Camden County Tech, 4 p.m.
TRACK
Pennsville Polar Bear Meet, 3 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem Tech vs. Clayton at Bowlero, 3:45 p.m.

THURSDAY, DEC. 11
BOYS BASKETBALL
x-Cinnaminson at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
x-St. Joseph at Schalick, 4 p.m.
x-Salem Tech at Pennsauken Tech
GIRLS BASKETBALL
x-Cumberland at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
x-Schalick at Bridgeton, 4 p.m.
x-Woodstown at Lower Cape May, 4:45 p.m.
SWIMMING
Woodstown at Camden Academy Charter, 3:30 p.m.
Salem vs. Pitman at GCIT, 6 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem vs. Gloucester Catholic at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Cumberland, 5 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 12
WRESTLING
Pennsville girls in TCC Jamboree, 5 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 13
BOYS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove Showcase
Cumberland vs. West Deptford, 10:30 a.m.
Winslow vs. Deptford, 12:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Woodbury, 4:30 p.m.
Penns Grove vs. Lindenwold, 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove Showcase
Woodbury at Penns Grove, 2:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
Schalick Holiday Tournament, 9 a.m.
Salem at Vineland Tournament
Woodstown at Delaware Valley Tournament
INDOOR TRACK
Salem at Ott Center, Philadelphia
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Brookdale at Salem CC, 2 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Lackawanna at Salem CC, noon

Hall of Famer

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder and Eastern Regional grad Davis Schneider inducted into the All-Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey Hall of Fame

By Riverview Sports News

BRIDGETON — Five weeks removed from hitting a leadoff home run in Game 5 of the World Series, South Jersey native Davis Schneider can call himself a Hall of Fame.

On Saturday, the Toronto Blue Jays outfielder and Eastern Regional grad was inducted into the All-Sports Museum and Hall of Fame of Southern Jersey.

Baseball fans will remember Schneider hitting the first pitch he saw from Dodgers’ starter Blake Snell for a homer to open Game 5, a game the Blue Jays won to take a 3-2 lead in the series. It was one of many big moments in one of the most memorable World Series of all time. The Dodgers won it in seven games, taking Game 7 in 11 innings.

But, then, Schneider has a penchant for hitting memorable homers. In his first at bat in the big leagues he sent one over one of the most famous walls in baseball, the Green Monster in Fenway Park.

Schneider talked about the World Series homer, the Series and his South Jersey roots during his induction speech.

“He was awesome,” Hall board member Anthony D’Agostino said. “He was phenomenal.”

Schneider set his sights on becoming a major leaguer at a very young age. As a high schooler, he helped Eastern win the 2014 South Jersey Group IV title as well as the 2016 Diamond Classic. He hit .439 as a junior and .441 with five homers and 40 RBIs as a senior.

The Blue Jays drafted him in the 28th round out of high school and he jumped at the chance forgoing an offer to play at Rutgers. He spent six years in the minor before making his big-league debut with a bang in 2023.

In 35 games that year he hit .276 with eight homers, 20 RBIs and a 1.008 OPS. He hit .191 with 13 homers in 397 at bats in 2004 and 11 homers in 199 at bats this past season after being recalled from AAA Buffalo on June 1.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Davis Schneider addresses the crowd during his induction into the All-Sports Museum and Hall of Fame of Southern New Jersey Saturday. Top photo, Schneider receives his Hall of Fame plaque from chairman Dom Valella.

It’s customary for inductees to donate items to the Hall. Schneider left the shrine a glove, a pair of cleats and two hats, one of which he wore when the Blue Jays won the American League pennant.

The museum, laid out in a five-room white bungalow across the street from Alden Field, houses more than 15,000 artifacts, photos and films from across the sporting spectrum with some connection to the state’s eight southern-most counties. The museum is open with free admission from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday or by appointment.

**Davis Schneider displays the items he donated to the All-Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey after being inducted into its Hall of Fame. (Photo by whitemarshphoto)**

Salem CC Saturday

No. 2 Mighty Oaks stay undefeated, women remain winless

By Riverview Sports News

PARAMUS – Team after team this season have threatened Salem CC’s status as one of the nation’s undefeated men’s basketball teams and time after time the Mighty Oaks have stood up to the challenge.

Bergen CC was the latest take a run at Salem, but after tying the game twice early in the second half, the second-ranked Mighty Oaks went back up by 12 and stayed comfortably ahead the rest of the night en route to a 90-78 win that ran their record to 11-0.

The Bulldogs had the game tied at 48 five minutes into the second half and at 52 with 13:45 to play, but the Mighty Oaks hit a 3-pointer and dropped in a layup off a steal and pulled away.

“We are getting teams’ best shots,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said.

Jarrell Little had another big game offensively, leading the Mighty Oaks with 29 points and hitting five 3-pointers. In the four games this week, Saturday to Saturday, Little scored 112 points and hit 20 3-pointers. He is averaging 20.9 ppg for the season.

Wright had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Saaid Lee had 13 points and Qua Smith had 11 points.

“Jarrell is the hot hand right now and our guys are doing a great job of finding (him) while still being offensive threats,” Green said.

Salem CC (11-0)	44	46-	90
Bergen (5-6)	38	40-	78

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III	R19	ALL	GSAC
Union (4)	8-0	9-0	6-0
SALEM CC (2)	6-0	11-0	5-0
Northampton (5)	6-0	10-0
Montgomery (11)	4-0	5-1
Brookdale	8-2	8-4	4-2
Camden	6-3	6-3	4-2
Ocean	6-3	6-3	3-2
RCSJ-Cumberland	4-3	5-3	4-1
Thaddeus Stevens	2-2	4-5
Bergen	4-6	5-6	2-4
RCSJ-Gloucester	3-5	3-6	1-3
Sussex	2-6	3-7	1-5
Atlantic Cape	2-6	2-6	1-6
Passaic	2-6	2-7	2-6
Harrisburg Area	1-4	1-9
Philadelphia	1-7	3-7
Delaware County	1-8	2-8
Luzerne	0-5	2-6

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 90, Bergen 78
RCSJ-Gloucester 85, Mercer 80 (OT)
Union 89, Sussex 51
Montgomery 95, Luzerne 66
Ocean 99, Harrisburg Area 77
Bucks at Thaddeus Stevens
Delaware County 61, Williamson Trades 59
Brookdale 73, Camden 70
RCSJ-Cumberland 83, Passaic 78
Monroe at Morris
Lackawanna 82, Middlesex 73
TUESDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC
Bergen at Camden
Sussex at Brookdale
Atlantic Cape at RCSJ-Cumberland
Middlesex at Raritan Valley
Westchester at Morris
Luzerne at Delaware County
Mercer at Lackawanna
Thaddeus Stevens at Northampton

Women’s game

BRANCHBURG — The Salem CC women held their own in the first half, but Raritan Valley came out after the break and hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter and five in the second half to send the Mighty Oaks to another loss, 65-45.

Tanijya Shaw kept Salem (0-7) in the game in the first half with 14 of her 25 points, but the Mighty Oaks gave up too many points and too many 3s in the third quarter. Maria Eguizabal Ruales broke out in the third quarter with two 3-pointers and 12 points and the Lions outscored Salem 25-13 to pull away.

The Mighty Oaks will look to get their first win and then some next week with three home games against teams with a combined record of 2-17.

SALEM CC (0-7): RayNescia King 1 2-4 4, Tanijya Shaw 8 7-10 25, Kasey Oliver 1 0-0 2, Jayda Hunter 4 0-0 8, Janice Cardona 0 1-3 1, Dani Gustin 1 0-0 2, Paula Wilson 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 10-17 56.
RARITAN VALLEY (3-5): Julia Sole Pons 2 8-10 12, Maria Eguizabal Ruales 8 0-0 20, Paula Aguilera Ortega 3 2-2 8, Elizabeth May 4 0-0 11, Saionni Patrick 0 0-0 0, Aviva Palms 0 1-2 1, Jayla McNeil 2 0-1 4, Telma Comba 3 3-5 9. Totals 22 14-20 65.

Salem CC	9	14	13	9-	45
Raritan Valley	14	11	25	15-	65

3-point goals: Salem CC 3 (Shaw 2, Wilson); Raritan Valley 7 (Eguizabal Ruales 4, May 3). Total fouls: Salem 15, Raritan Valley 16

Region XIX Women’s Standings

DIVISION II	R19	ALL	GSAC
Union (4)	6-0	12-0	5-0
Harcum (8)	4-0	9-1
Mercer (RV)	4-1	8-2	2-0
Essex	3-1	6-2	3-1
Lackawanna	2-2	2-6
Delaware Tech	1-2	2-8
Raritan Valley	1-3	3-5	1-2
Middlesex	1-4	5-8	0-3
Morris	0-3	0-3	0-2
SALEM CC	0-5	0-7	0-3

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Raritan Valley 65, Salem CC 45
Passaic 95, RCSJ-Cumberland 26
Mercer 104, RCSJ-Gloucester 64
Union 1, Morris 0, forfeit
Brookdale 69, Camden 56
Middlesex 74, Lackawanna 59
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Morris at Salem CC
Bergen at Camden
Middlesex at Raritan Valley
Ocean at Northampton
Harcum at Essex
Atlantic Cape at RCSJ-Cumberland
Sussex at Brookdale
Passaic at Montgomery
Philadelphia at RCSJ-Gloucester
Mercer at Lackawanna
Union at Delaware Tech

Q is the answer

Smith comes off the bench to spark 10-0 closing run that lifts No. 2 Salem CC over Thaddeus Stevens for tenth win of season

THURSDAY BASKETBALL
Salem CC 89, Thaddeus Stevens 79

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – As a role player, Qua Smith doesn’t get the kind of minutes in a Salem CC box score the way the starters do, but he knows when he does get time he has to be ready for it. Head coach Mike Green expects it.

The 6-4 freshman from Philadelphia only got nine minutes in the Mighty Oaks’ 89-79 win over Thaddeus Stevens Thursday night, but it’s what he did in the final two that made all the difference in keeping his team undefeated.

His defense and athleticism sparked second-ranked Salem’s 10-0 closing run after the Bulldogs tied the game at 79. He scored only three points, but it was a three-point play with 1:20 left that gave the Mighty Oaks a five-point lead, and after that came up with a rebound, two assists and a big steal to keep the Bulldogs from threatening again.

“I just make sure when I get in to grab rebounds and do whatever my coach tells me to do,” Smith said. “The mindset is just compete. No matter how many minutes you get, give 100 percent, the whole time.

“You’ve just to stay calm and stay confident. It doesn’t matter how many minutes you get, you’ve just got to go there and do what you have to do for the team. It’s a team thing. It’s not about yourself. That’s how we got the win today.”

It was just a couple weeks ago Green gave his reserves some extended minutes in a blowout win and lamented their play demonstrated they didn’t “appreciate” the opportunity. Smith was locked in when he went into a much tighter game this time.

The Mighty Oaks never trailed in the game and led by as many 16 in the second half. But the Bulldogs (4-5) started hitting the shots they were missing in the first half and eventually tied it at 79 on leading scorer Kneco Hill’s 3-pointer with 2:12 to play. The battle-tested Mighty Oaks weren’t worried.

“You just had to stay calm,” Nasseem Wright said. “Calm men always win through adversity like that. It was just staying calm, staying poised and finishing the game up.”

That’s just about when Smith reentered the game. No sooner had he checked in then Jerrell Little blocked a shot, collected the loose ball and fed Smith for a three-point play at the other end to make it a five-point game with 1:20 left.

From there to the end, Smith had a defensive rebound, made a steal that Little converted into a layup and assisted on Little’s final bucket of the game.

“He turned the game,” Green said. “There are times when he’s locked in and we got lucky it was the last two minutes tonight. We’ve just got to do a better job getting him locked in more often.

“If Quade’air’s locked in he’ll play a lot more minutes for us. It’s hard to keep him locked in. You’ve got classes on Monday and Wednesday, you play Tuesday and Thursday, and he just was sick so we haven’t played him since the Essex game (Nov. 22). We’ve got to get him locked him,. Same with Jaiayre (Wright). Once we get them locked in they give us another push and we needed that push tonight. Jayaire did it early and Qua did it late.”

“Qua always changes the game for us with his athleticism and rebounding at the end,” Little said. “Our coach always says there’s no garbage minutes on our team because everybody needs to come to play all the time. We need every single person on our team from first to last on the bench. He came in a changed the game.”

Little led the Mighty Oaks with 27 points .Wright came within one assist of a triple double, finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Point guard Saaid Lee had 16 points in 37 minutes.

SALEM CC 89, THADDEUS STEVENS 79
THADDEUS STEVENS (4-5): William Fowlkes 2-9 3-3 7, Levon Brown 3-10 2-2 8, Kneco Hill 9-20 6-6 27, Isaiah Diggs 5-9 0-1 10, Tyree Banks 4-7 0-0 11, Luis Torres 0-2 1-2 1, Willie Hashamy 4-8 0-0 8, Anthony Henson 1-3 0-0 2, Jesse Smith 1-4 0-0 3, Travis Turner 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 30-74 12-14 79.
SALEM CC (10-0): Jarrell Little 11-22 2-3 27, Saaid Lee 6-9 1-2 16, Zyaire Gibson 1-8 1-2 3, Nasseem Wright 9-13 3-8 21, Stefan Phillips 3-4 0-0 7, Jahseir Sayles 2-4 0-0 5, Jaiayre Wright 1-3 2-2 4, Quadeair Smith 1-1 1-3 3, Idris Rines 1-5 1-2 3. Totals 35-69 11-22 89.

Thaddeus Stevens	32	47-	79
Salem CC	41	48-	89

3-point goals: Thaddeus Stevens 7-19 (Fowlkes 0-2, Hill 3-8, Banks 3-5, Henson 0-1, Smith 1-3); Salem CC 8-28 (Little 3-9, Lee 3-4, Gibson 0-7, N. Wright 0-1, Phillips 1-1, Sayles 1-2, Rines 0-4). Rebounds: Thaddeus Stevens 38 (Brown 8, Diggs 7); Salem CC 41 (N. Wright 11, J. Wright 6). Technical fouls: Thaddeus Stevens bench, Salem CC coach Green. Total fouls: Thaddeus Stevens 17, Salem CC 15.

Salem CC’s Nasseem Wright came within one assist of a triple-double Thursday night against Thaddeus Stevens. He had 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. The top photo is Qua Smith at the foul line. (Salem CC photos)

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III	R19	ALL	GSAC
Union (4)	7-0	7-0	5-0
SALEM CC (2)	6-0	10-0	5-0
Northampton (5)	6-0	10-0
Montgomery (11)	3-0	4-1
Brookdale	7-2	7-4	3-2
Camden	6-2	6-2	4-1
Ocean	5-3	5-3	3-2
RCSJ-Cumberland	4-3	4-3	3-1
Thaddeus Stevens	2-2	4-5
Bergen	4-6	5-6	2-4
RCSJ-Gloucester	3-5	3-6	1-3
Sussex	2-5	2-6	1-4
Harrisburg Area	1-3	1-8
Atlantic Cape	2-6	2-6	1-6
Passaic	2-6	2-6	2-5
Philadelphia	1-7	3-7
Delaware County	1-8	1-8
Luzerne	0-4	2-5

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 89, Thaddeus Stevens 79
Union 66, Essex 64
Camden 61, Atlantic Cape 55
Philadelphia 64, Delaware County 59
RCSJ-Cumberland 82, Luzerne 77
Raritan Valley 74, Morris 72
Northampton 83, Harrisburg Area 74
Brookdale 79, Bergen 71
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Baltimore City at Harcum
Eastern JV at RCSJ-Gloucester
Mercer vs. Manor
Philadelphia at Lancaster Bible JV
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem at Bergen
RCSJ-Gloucester vs. Mercer/Manor
Mercer vs. RCSJ-Gloucester/Eastern JV
Union at Sussex
Luzerne at Montgomery
Ocean at Harrisburg Area
Bucks at Thaddeus Stevens
Williamson Trades at Delaware County
Brookdale at Camden
RCSJ-Cumberland at Passaic
Monroe at Morris
Middlesex at Lackawanna

Region XIX Standings

WOMENS DIVISION II	R19	ALL	GSAC
Union (4)	5-0	11-0	4-0
Harcum (8)	4-0	8-1
Mercer (RV)	4-1	7-2	2-0
Essex	3-1	6-2	3-1
Lackawanna	2-2	2-5
Delaware Tech	1-2	2-8
Morris	0-2	0-2	0-1
Raritan Valley	0-3	2-5	0-2
Middlesex	0-4	4-8	0-3
SALEM CC	0-4	0-6	0-2

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC at Bucks, cancelled
Harcum 86, Lackawanna 29
Union 76, Monroe 66
Montgomery 83, Ocean 40
Atlantic Cape 63, Camden 36
Brookdale 66, Bergen 50
Northampton 64, Sussex 22
Johnson County 99, Raritan Valley 48
CCBC Catonsville 61, Essex 59
FRIDAY’S GAME
Baltimore City at Harcum
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC at Raritan Valley
RCSJ-Cumberland at Passaic
Mercer at RCSJ-Gloucester
Union at Morris
Brookdale at Camden
Middlesex at Lackawanna

Rogers an Owl

Salem’s Rogers makes it official, signs into Temple football’s largest class ever; will report in January to take part in spring practice

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Kemp Carr has had a lot of hard-working players in his long tenure as a high school football coach, but the list is short of those who have worked as hard as Antwuan Rogers has to get to where the Salem senior found himself Wednesday.

When he was coming up Rogers played like a kid. He’d give what he thought was winning effort on a play, but didn’t always see it all the way through. There also was a measure of maturing away from the field that needed to take place.

Then, the winter after his freshman season he sat in the front row and watched his senior teammates signed to play college football and decided that was something he’d like to do. It was right there he knew there was work to be done.

Fast forward to Wednesday. One by one coaches, teachers, family and teammates rose to speak about the Salem senior after he signed to play college football at Temple and to a person the prevailing comment – with pride – was “he’s come a long way” to achieve his longtime dream.

It has been a long road – “real, real long,” Rogers said – a lot longer than the stretch of country road Carr has the Rams run in the summer for heart and conditioning, although Rogers will tell you that hill is a lot harder. It was on that road, where Rogers threw up in the oppressive heat and went back for more, Carr knew his senior sackmaster had was going to do whatever it took to get to the next level.

“Everybody faces struggles, battles,” Rogers said, “but it’s all about perseverance. The best football players face the most adversity.

“I think about that every day. Just looking back at my freshman year, I get amazed. If you look at my film (now) you see I run to the ball every play; eighth grade, freshman year, I didn’t play like that. I’d quit before the whistle blew. I’ve grown so much as a player.”

In signing with the Owls, Rogers becomes the Rams’ first major Division I football signee since record-breaking and future NFL All-Pro Jonathan Taylor signed with Wisconsin in 2017 and the first Salem athlete to graduate early to pursue their sport. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder, one of four edge rushers in Owls coach K.C. Keeler’s first high school signing class, will enroll in January – one of 21 early enrollees — and be on campus to participate in spring practice.

In Rogers, the Owls are getting a fierce pass rusher who recorded 23 sacks this past season, setting the single-season school record with a beastly single-game record eight against KIPP in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs. He had 98 total tackles.

He led a defense that held six opponents to a touchdown or less. Behind that defense, the Rams went from 0-9 in Carr’s first season to 6-5 and won their first playoff game since 2022.

“He has the mindset that he tries to win everything, every rep, every wind sprint, everything, and that’s what pulls over to what you see in the game,” Carr said. “You notice he never came off the field. He was on every special team, offense, defense, that’s because he had a stamina to do so.

“How do you get that stamina, how do you build that? You build it in practice. You build it in the offseason. The kid is just relentless. His motor never stops. They ran toss on the opposite side of him and he was chasing down the ball. Some things are not teachable. Effort is one of them. He’s always given that gallant effort.”

Carr called the difference between Rogers from when he first saw him on film to what he has become “night and day.”

And it’s been an inspiration to his teammates who were on hand to help celebrate the occasion.

“His freshman year he came in and didn’t really play, he was undersized and not that strong,” recalled senior Willie Chatum, who’s known his linemate since second grade. “He took the off-season of his freshman year serious, got bigger, got stronger, got faster, then his sophomore year, junior year he went all out and worked hard every single day.

“It made me want to work really harder. When we were working out together he was working so hard it made me want to work even harder. He was making me want to go do it, gave me motivation. I felt like I was doing something to get better.”

Senior receiver William Dunn has known Rogers since they were cutting up as 3-year-olds and has been with newest Owl “every step of the way.” He, too was “motivated” watching his carpool partner sign on the dotted line.

“It makes me not want to give up on my football dreams,” Dunn said. “I want to take it to the next level, whether it’s JUCO, Division III, somewhere else. I still want to make it D-One. I’ve got hope. He gave me hope. He gave me a little spark.”

Carr hopes that’s what every one of his players took away from Wednesday’s program and he left them with a simple two-word message.

“Who’s next?”

Ready to sign

Salem sack master Rogers ready to embrace life-changing experience as he prepares to sign with Temple

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – The phone buzzed in Antwuan Rogers’ pocket during Tuesday’s mid-morning rush. On the other end of the line was his Temple recruiting contact Malachi Timberlake, just checking in again with the Salem senior, but this time to make sure everything was still on track for Wednesday’s red-letter day.

“‘Are you ready,’” Rogers said, recalling the conversation. “’Your life changes tomorrow.’”

Indeed. First thing Wednesday morning Rogers will sign with Temple to play Division I football. He’ll enroll in January and participate in spring practice to get a jump on his freshman college season. And he plans to come back to walk with his graduating class in May.

It’s a day he’s dreamed about since he was a ninth-grader sitting in the auditorium watching his senior teammates do exactly what he will be celebrating Wednesday afternoon in front of friends, family and teammates. He was too young to understand the enormity of the day when Salem’s record-setting future NFL All-Pro Jonathan Taylor signed with Wisconsin in 2017, but the implications of what he’s about to do really hit home that day as a freshman.

“When I saw that I was like I can’t wait to do that,” he said. “They all knew where they were going to college, just about everything they worked for was happening for them and I just felt happy to see it. It made me realize I had to work harder to get there.”

And that’s what he did.

He said the summer between his sophomore and junior year was “the hardest I ever worked in my life.” Early-morning workouts, nap, practice, work out again. Whatever it took.

It paid off in what he called a “good” junior season for a winless Salem team and it got him invited to the All-American Game in Texas that winter – just a few months after K.C. Keeler was named the Temple head coach — an experience he said “opened me up as a person.”

He’d never been outside the Delaware Valley area before and the flight to Texas was his first ever, but the moment he stepped on the plane it hit him that “this is what football can do, it can change my life like this.”

And then he impressed in the workouts and the game.

“At first even though I was nervous around all these people who were tops in the country and have all these offers and you go in with the butterflies like any other game, but I held my own,” he remembered. “I did my thing with the top guys. I was like I could be considered a top guy.”

In Rogers, the Owls are getting a fierce 6-foot-5 pass rusher who made his bones terrorizing opposing quarterbacks this season. He recorded 23 sacks, breaking the single-season school record that had been his goal with a beastly single-game record eight against KIPP in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs. He finished the year with 98 tackles and 28 career sacks

Although he had interest from two other major programs, the Owls were always high on his list. He went to “a lot” of Temple games growing up, knew a lot of their players and when he finally went there on a visit it all felt so familial.

Timberlake was calling Tuesday morning just to make sure it still felt that way. He’s ready.

“It’s the day that’s everything I worked for,” Rogers said. “Sometimes you get unmotivated, you see a lot of guys getting offers around you and you don’t have any, (but) you just keep your head down and keep working.”

Bio-frozen out

No. 4 Union women overwhelm Salem CC, remain undefeated while Mighty Oaks remain winless

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — The game was only four minutes old and his team was in the middle of a 20-0 run that gave it control of the game, but UCNJ women’s coach Jaleel Taylor was seeing something he didn’t like.

During a 30-second time out he barked to the trainer to “rub some BioFreeze” on his players’ arms to get them talking because he knew that would get them going.

There wasn’t enough time during the timeout to get the gel distributed, but the mere suggestion was enough for the fourth-ranked Owls to change their approach. They came out of the pause and continued to pour it on, eventually routing winless Salem CC 98-32.

“It was a fear factor, that’s simply what it is,” Taylor said. “Just to get our girls to talking.

“We’ve been trying to get them to talk since the beginning of preseason. They love each other off the court. They love each other in the classroom. But on the court we’ve got to become a better communicating team, because we know if we’ve got communication we can be better on both ends of the court, so the BioFreeze is like a funny scare tactic to them.”

Even without the icy-hot, the Owls (10-0) were pretty good on both ends of the floor Monday. They forced the Mighty Oaks (0-6) into 38 turnovers – 26 off steals – off which they scored a whopping 55 points. There were only nine possessions in the first three quarters they failed to convert a turnover into points while building a 85-24 lead.

And when they weren’t rolling in layups off the turnovers, they were hitting from the outside. The Owls hit a season-best 9-of-23 from 3-point range, 6-of-12 in the first half.

“I think the break helped,” Taylor said. “We were coming off a very hectic November. We played nine games in November (all on the road) and we had three days off for break. I think those three days for them just to go home, relax, not even think about basketball, they came back rejuvenated and worked really well. The girls got their feet back under them.”

The Mighty Oaks didn’t make a field goal in the first quarter (0-for-7) and hit only one — Paula Wilson’s 3-pointer — in the final eight minutes of the second quarter. Union scored 38 points in the half off turnovers.

“In watching film against Union, they get a majority of their points off turnovers and runouts and in the first half that’s exactly what they did,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said. “They’re ranked nationally, they’re a really good team … but you just don’t to play to those strengths.

“I wanted to slow it down a little bit, make them work for shots because they’re typically not a great shooting team (but) they shot really well today. You’ve got to give them some credit, they’re a good team for a reason, but there are some things we need to work on.”

It was a little better in the second half. The Mighty Oaks gave up 18 fewer points in the second half than the first, cut their turnovers from 24 to 14 and gave up only two second-chance points.

“The one thing I really liked about my team is we never quit,” Marsh said. “Down 50, 60 points we kept fighting hard, so that’s something we can build upon. In a game like this you’ve got to find things that you can build upon, that you’re proud of, and I’m proud that they never stopped working hard.”

ACORNS: Because its gym is undergoing renovations, Union will play all of its games this season on the road. That means the women’s team will travel 4,548 round trip bus/van miles during the regular season. “That’s a lot of miles,” Taylor said. The Owls’ mens team is in the same boat … In five games since the revival of Salem’s program, the average margin in the series has been 60 points

UNION 98, SALEM CC 32
UNION (10-0): Jasmin Mckay 7-10 5-5 19, Zakiyyah Lindsey 6-14 5-6 20, Jada Rodgers 1-3 2-2 4, Darrian Jackson 2-5 0-0 5, Zanaya Parsons 6-6 0-0 12, Aaliyah Littles 3-9 1-1 7, Gracie Cruz 2-6 0-0 4, Gianna Papineau 5-9 0-0 12, Emani Resto 2-5 0-0 4, Maria Paula Urena Rojas 3-9 0-0 9, Brianna Patterson 0-3 0-0 0, Asia Kirkpatrick 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 38-82 13-14 98.
SALEM CC (0-6): RayNescia King 0-10 1-2 1, Tanijya Shaw 3-15 5-8 11, Kasey Oliver 2-3 1-4 5, Dani Gustin 0-2 3-6 3, Jayda Hunter 0-5 3-4 3, Justine Cardona 1-5 2-3 4, Americana Hunter 0-2 0-0 0, Paula Wilson 2-6 0-0 5. Totals 8-48 15-27 32.

Union	32	26	27	13-	98
Salem CC	7	8	9	8-	32

3-point goals: Union 9-23 (Mckay 0-1, Lindsey 3-4, Rodgers 0-1, Jackson 1-2, Cruz 0-1, Papineau 2-3, Urena Rojas 3-8, Patterson 0-3); Salem CC 1-15 (King 0-3, Shaw 0-3, Hunter 0-2, Cardona 0-2, Hunter 0-1, Wilson 1-4). Rebounds: Union 46 (Mckay 7, Resto 7); Salem CC 35 (Shaw 9, Hunter 8). Total fouls: Union 21, Salem CC 13.

Region XIX Standings

WOMENS DIVISION II	R19	ALL	GSAC
Union (4)	5-0	10-0	4-0
Harcum (8)	3-0	7-1
Mercer (RV)	3-1	6-2	2-0
Essex	2-1	5-1	2-1
Lackawanna	2-1	2-4
Delaware Tech	1-1	2-7
Morris	0-2	0-2	0-1
Middlesex	0-3	4-7	0-2
Raritan Valley	0-3	2-4	0-2
SALEM CC	0-4	0-6	0-2

Number in parenthesis is Division II national ranking.

MONDAY’S GAMES
Union 98, Salem 32
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Middlesex at Essex
Raritan Valley at Lackawanna
Mercer at Delaware Tech
Northampton at Camden
Harcum at Morris
Sussex at Passaic
Ocean at Atlantic Cape
RCSJ-Gloucester at Bergen
Brookdale at Delaware County