Salem’s Weathers reaps the benefits of his training, PRs by six inches in winning the Deptford Relays high jump his first time out this season
SATURDAY SCORES
BASEBALL
Haddon Heights 3, Woodstown 1
SOFTBALL
Ron Vinick Tournament, Millville
St. Joseph Acad. 6, Pennsville 1
Absegami 1, Pennsville 0
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown 21, Washington Twp. 3
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Mercer 8, Salem CC 0, 6 inns.
Mercer 8, Salem CC 0, 5 inns.
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
DEPTFORD — Donovan Weathers’ coaches thought the Salem senior would PR in his first outdoor meet of the season, but the way he knocked it out of the water just blew them away.
Weathers won the boys high jump in the Deptford Relays Saturday, clearing the bar at 6-feet, 4-inches. His previous best was 5-10, but the way he’s been working in the run up to the meet that was a piece of cake and it was a just matter of how high he could take it.
“We were surprised he went 6-4, but not that he PR’d,” Rams coach David Hunt said. “We were confidently hopeful he would jump over six feet today, just because of all the jump work he’s put in.”
The jump work is a new element in his training. In the past, Hunt explained, the jumpers were getting the guidance in their specialties but didn’t necessarily have the drills to augment the instruction. Now they have someone working with them as a position coach in the guise of Hunt’s wife Rachel and Weathers has been working on his drills and technique.
“They’re getting coached hard,” Hunt said. “I’m not going to sugar-coat it, he tried to dodge a little bit of that hard work before, but now he’s running drills and doing all that … I think he sees it’s my senior year, I’ve got to invest in that and go out the right way. His ultimate goal is to be a state champion and go to nationals.”
The bespectacled 6-2 senior, a forward on Salem’s basketball team, beat four other jumpers stymied at 6-2, including Glassboro sophomore Moses Robles, who had already won the long jump and triple jump.
There were dramatic moments along the road to the win. To stay alive in the competition, Weathers needed to clear 6-0 on his third attempt. Robles entered the competition at 6-2 and needed all three attempts to clear that mark. Then all four of Weathers’ challengers XXX’d out at 6-4. Weathers nailed it on his first attempt with room to spare.
He tried 6-6 and missed all three attempts. He probably would have gotten it if he wasn’t sprinting back and forth to the triple jump pit to update Hunt on his progress.
“It’s a combination of the practice and his work ethic,” Rachel Hunt said explaining Weathers’ success. “I think he’s just dedicating himself to his craft as a senior. I think he saw the competition at indoor – he didn’t jump for indoor – and that’s driven him to push a little bit harder. He’s not just about going out there and jumping the bar. He’s really dedicated himself to doing the drills, completing the practice and, honestly, just showing up as a good motivator for the young guys.”
Among other top performances by Salem County athletes
— Schalick’s David Stewart finished second in the boys 400 hurdles (56.51) and second in the boys long jump (21-3.25). He grabbed second in the long jump on his final attempt.
— Penns Grove (3:29.87) and Salem (3:32.67) finished 3-4 in the boys 4×400 relay
— Schalick’s Ethan McLean was third in the boys discus (134-9)– Penns Grove’s Bryan Garlic was second in the boys triple jump (44-3) and fourth in the 400 hurdles (56.84)
— Pennsville’s Aubrey Manorowitz was T-2 in the girls high jump (4-10) with Sandy Henry of Washington Twp. Manorowitz, Henry, event winner Amirah Murphy of Bridgeton and Addison Chiodi of Gloucester City all cleared 4-10, but Murphy made it on her second attempt while the other three took three. All four XXX’d out at 5-0.
The top three finishers in each event are awarded medals.
DEPTFORD RELAYS
(Event winners, Salem County top 6 finishers)
BOYS
400 hurdles: 1. Kareem Brown, Deptford 54.44; 2. David Stewart, Schalick 56.51; 4. Bryan Garlic, Penns Grove 56.84
800 SMR: 1. Pleasantville 1:33.56
4000 DMR: 1. Vineland 11:05.74
4×100: 1. Deptford 41.93; 4. Penns Grove (Reed, Roy, White, Goodson), 43.46
400 SHR: 1. Deptford 1:00.91
4×800: 1. Deptford 8:01.75
4×200: 1. Deptford 1:27.52
1600 SMR: 1. Gloucester City 3:36.12; 5. Schalick (Chomo, Stewart, Rhynie, Carter) 3:45.23
4×400: 1. Shabazz 3:22.74; 3. Penns Grove (Garlic, White, Allah, Goodson) 3:29.87; 4. Salem (Buzby, Seals, Bergen, Gregory) 3:32.67
Discus: 1. Jack Day, Seneca 137-6; 3. Ethan McLean, Schalick 134-9; 6. Jack Benfer, Schalick 121-10
High jump: Donovan Weathers, Salem 6-4; 6. Tommy White, Penns Grove 6-0
Long jump: 1. Moses Robles, Glassboro 22-1; 2. David Stewart, Schalick 21-3.25; 4. William Roy, Penns Grove 21-1.5
Pole vault: 1. Mason Henry, Deptford 13-6; 4. Caleb Jenkins, Schalick 11-6
Triple jump: 1. Moses Robles, Glassboro 45-11.5; 2. Bryan Garlic, Penns Grove 44-3
Javelin: 1. Kaden Roane, Deptford 170-0; 6. Gary Simonini, Schalick 149-0
Shot put: 1. Humberto Cuellar, Eastern 53-7.5; 4. JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove 47-7.5
GIRLS
400 hurdles: 1. Natalie Dumas, Eastern 59.66
800 SMR: 1. Kingsway 1:47.61
4000 DMR: 1. Williamstown 12:37.62
4×100: 1. Winslow 47.32; 6. Salem (Massengill, Tucker, Williams, Parsons-Smith) 50.84
400 SHR: 1. Winslow 59.60
4×800: 1. Eastern 10:07.99
4×200: 1. Winslow 1:41.11
1600 SMR: 1. Winslow 4:04.46
4×400: 1. Winslow 3:57.19
High jump: 1. Amirah Murphy, Bridgeton 4-10; 2. Aubrey Manorowitz, Pennsville 4-10
Javelin: 1. Brynn Greenwood, Williamstown 106-2
Long jump: 1. Brianna Growalt, Atlantic Tech 17-10
Pole vault: 1. Brynn Greenwood, Williamstown 10-6
Shot put: 1. Hannah Nuhfer, Delsea 44-1.5
Triple jump: 1. Trinity Brapoh, Willingboro 35-0.75
Discus: 1. Hannah Nuhfer, Delsea 170-9; 4. Tatiyonna Crawford, Pennsville 109-3
Baseball
WOODSTOWN — Haddon Heights played small ball to produce three runs in the third inning and three pitchers held Woodstown to a run and struck out 10 on the way to a 3-1 victory Saturday morning.
The Garnets parlayed two bunt singles, a sacrifice, an intentional walk and two hit batsmen into their three runs. The hardest hit ball of the inning was CJ Lovelidge’s line single to right that brought home the first run.
The Wolverines got one of the runs back in the third on Chase Harding’s bases-loaded walk. They had the tying runs in scoring position with one out in the seventh, but couldn’t get them home.
Drew Sutton had three of Woodstown’s six hits, going 3-for-3.
| Haddon Heights | 030 | 000 | 0- | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Woodstown | 001 | 000 | 0- | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Softball
MILLVILLE — Pennsville scored a run in the first inning of its first game in the 41st annual Ron Vinick Tournament, but couldn’t push one across the rest of the day and lost to St. Joseph 6-1 and Absegami 1-0.
Kylie Harris’ sacrifice fly for the first out brought Lily Edwards home in the first to tie the St. Joe game, but after that the Eagles managed just five more hits. They did opened the sixth with a Harris single and Avery Watson’s double, but St. Joe reliever Elaina Portalatin struck out the next three batters to end the game.
The Eagles’ second game was a true pitchers’ duel. Pennsville’s Kelsey Cook scattered five hits and struck out two. Absegami’s Meghan Johansen allowed three hits, struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter.
The game’s only run was scored in the fifth on a passed ball with two outs. The Eagles put two runners in scoring position with one out in the fifth, but Johansen got the next two batters on a strikeout and ground out to end the threat. They put the tying run in scoring position with two outs in the sixth, but couldn’t bring it home before the game clock expired.
Girls lacrosse
WOODSTOWN — Delaney Walker scored six goals and five other players scored multiple goals as Woodstown routed Washington Twp., 21-3.
Angelina Lindenmuth and Arianna Hyman each scored four goals, while Isabella Lindenmuth, Emma Morgan and Emma Perry all had two apiece.
The 21 goals were the most the Wolverines have scored in a game since a 23-10 win over Haddon Heights in April 2022.
Walker, who scored 86 goals last season, is now 22 goals shy of 200 for her career. Morgan needs one more for 100.
College softball
REGION XIX SCORES
Mercer 8-8, Salem CC 0-0
Brookdale 7-4, RCSJ-Gloucester 2-13
Northampton 14-15, Middlesex 7-10
RCSJ-Cumberland at Camden
Bergen 7-9, Ocean 4-11
Delaware Tech 5-4, Lackawanna 4-5
Raritan Valley at Morris
MERCER 8-0, SALEM CC 0-0: The second-place Vikings held the Mighty Oaks off the scoreboard in the doubleheaand to two hits in each game.
Game One was close until the Vikings walked it off with five runs in the sixth inning before anyone got out.
SCC starter Raegan Wilson kept Mercer off the board for three innings, facing one batter over the minimum, but the Vikings broke the scoreless tie with two runs on three alternating singles in the fourth and added another in the fifth. The Vikings sent eight batters to the plate in the sixth with the final two runs scoring on passed balls.
The Mighty Oaks were hitless until Lilly Peverelle’s leadoff single in the fourth. Megan Koski had their other hit, a leadoff single in the fifth.
The Vikings jumped out early in the nightcap, scoring three in the first on a steal of home, reigning GASC Player of the Week Karisa Krawiec’s solo homer and Ammonie Wertz’ RBI triple.
They add two in the third and reached the run-rule threshold with three more in the fourth.
The Mighty Oaks managed only three bases runners against Mercer pitcher Ashley Haywood. Kasen Ervin and Emme Witter had Salem’s two hits and Peverelle drew a walk.
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