Full circle milestone

Woodstown’s Mason scores 400th dual meet win in nail biter against Penns Grove, the place it all began and the Hall of Fame coach made his mark

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — The irony was not lost on Tom Mason.

Mason, the Hall of Fame track and cross country coach who came out of retirement to help take Woodstown’s program to the next level, scored his 400th career dual meet victory Monday when the Wolverines took a 72-63 nail biter on the final day of the dual meet season from Penns Grove, the school where it all began for him a lifetime ago.

“It means a lot,” Mason said. “Never thought I’d get to it. I had a lot of success at Penns Grove and St. James through the athletes and assistant coaches. I never planned on this, but when we had the opportunity to get to 400 I was like it would be cool to do it against Penns Grove, that would make it really good.

“Losing a close meet to Glassboro, the 400 would have come against Schalick and then this meet would have been moot. But losing that close meet put us in a situation beating Schalick it’s going to come against Penns Grove and it’s gonna come here to Woodstown, this is kind of cool.”

Before the meet, the spry septuagenarian walked the grounds talking with the Penns Grove coaches, all of whom ran for him at one time during his 45-year coaching career. Former athletes representing 14 individual state championships made it to the meet. Long-time coaching colleague and rival John Maniglia came back early from a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina just to be on hand for the occasion.

“It’s historical,” said Russell Willitt, the Penns Grove discus record since 1985. “The reason I say that is when I was in high school we only got to, I think, 100 dual meet wins, so he’s surpassed Jack Ware four times. That’s amazing. I didn’t want to miss that. This 400th win is monumental for not only Woodstown and Penns Grove, but for the whole Salem County.”

And those are just the dual meet track and cross country wins. He figures the cross country segment is around 160. If you counted the county (15), conference (15), sectional (7), state (4) and 11 assorted relay championships, the number would have thinking about sticking around for 500. He said he still can’t answer the question everyone has been asking him about next year yet.

Chris Robinson, who broke Willitt’s Penn Grove shot put record, had mixed emotions, but was genuinely happy for his former coach.

“You’re happy, but at the same time it’s like ahhh you did it against Penns Grove,” Robinson said at the height of the meet. “I have two ways to it, probably just like Mr. Mason does. I know his insides are probably eating him up right about now. You want to win at your new school because you have some good quality athletes out here that he believes in and then you’re going against your old team. For everybody it’s a big accomplishment.”

**Woodstown coach Tom Mason holds the poster his athletes made to commemorate his 400th career dual meet victory Monday over Penns Grove.**

The meet, as Mason expected, was a battle. Both teams used their strengths to their advantage. Bryan Garlic (both hurdles, triple jump) and Kylee Goodson (100, 200, 400) both won three events for Penns Grove. David Farrell (800, pole vault) won two events for Woodstown. Woodstown’s Aidan Taulane won the discus (164-10), but was nosed out by Penns Grove’s JaKai Ingram (47-2) in the shot.

“I knew it was going to be a war,” Mason said. “They brought everything because they didn’t want to be the team for me to get to 400, where I wanted them to be the team I beat to get to 400.”

The Wolverines led 36-27 at the completion of the field events despite Penns Grove winning four of the seven. The Red Devils led 42-39 after the 400 hurdles and 100, but the teams traded the lead three times over the next four events. The Red Devils went 1-2 in the 200 to tie the meet at 63 before the Wolverines clinched it with Pacey Hutton, Jackson Perry and Jacob Marino going 1-2-3 in the 3200.

“I knew it was really close,” Hutton said. “Our coach came up to us and was like you need to go 1-2-3 in this. It feels really amazing. We all worked really hard this week to get him there.”

Once the meet was decided, the Wolverines presented Mason with a poster commemorating the occasion and had a set of balloon numbers spelling out “400.” Humorously, one of the zeroes slipped out of someone’s grasp as they were positioning the numbers and it drifted away into the sky before the group could assemble for the group photo.

The Woodstown girls won their meet, 93-29.

WOODSTOWN 72, PENNS GROVE 63
400 Hurdles: Bryan Garlic, Penns Grove 58.9
100: Kylee Goodson, Penns Grove 10.7
1600: Jacob Marino, Woodstown
400: Kylee Goodson, Penns Grove 48.6
110 Hurdles: Bryan Garlic, Penns Grove 15.5
800: David Farrell, Woodstown 2:04
200: Kylee Goodson, Penns Grove 22.1
3200: Pacey Hutton, Woodstown 10:43.8
4×400: Scratched
Long Jump: Will Roy, Penns Grove 21-4.25
Triple Jump: Bryan Garlic, Penns Grove 42-8.5
High Jump: Tommy White, Penns Grove 6-0
Discus: Aidan Taulane, Woodstown 164-10
Shot Put: JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove 47-2
Javelin: Noah Chiu, Woodstown 142-3
Pole Vault: David Farrell, Woodstown 10-0

Hall of Fame coach Tom Mason (C) is surrounded by former athletes is coached to 14 state championships during his tenure at Penns Grove. On Monday, Mason coached Woodstown to a dual meet win over the Red Devils for his 400th career dual meet victory.

Keeping track

Here is an update on the former Salem County high schoolers playing in college; anyone missing? send additional players to al.muskewitz@gmail.com; statistics as valid as program reporting

Baseball

PLAYER	SCHOOL	GP	BA	H	HR	RBI
Elijah Crespo, Penns Grove	RCSJ-Cumb	15	.190	4	0	4
Lucas D’Agostino, Schalick	RCSJ-Cumb	20	.262	11	1	19
Andrew Pedrick, Woodstown	Harford CC	27	.395	32	2	34
Lucas Prendergast, Woodstown	York	38	.413	59	5	26
Jarrett Pokrovsky, Schalick	Penn	35	.284	40	1	17
Terrell Robinson, Salem	Rosemont	25	.261	18	0	9
Jackson Schalick, Schalick	Frostburg	45	.358	54	6	44
Caiden Spinelli, Woodstown	Rosemont	31	.337	34	0	15
Connor Starn, Pennsville	Keystone	10	.154	2	0	2
Rocco String, Woodstown	Salem CC	28	.265	22	3	24
Chase Swain, Woodstown	LaSalle	43	.364	60	8	33
Mike Valente, Woodstown	Salem CC	8	.000	0	0	0
Brent Williams, Woodstown	G-Beacom	30	.264	29	2	21

NOTE: Chase Swain is 6 hits shy of 250 for his college career and 1 RBI shy of 150.

PITCHER	SCHOOL	GP	W-L	ERA	IP	K
Evan Biddle, Salem	Frostburg	8	1-0	9.00	9.0	6
Lucas D’Agostino, Schalick	RCSJ-Cumb	9	3-2	2.56	38.2	35
Ben Foote, Woodstown	Caldwell	6	1-1	11.37	6.1	3
Jack Holladay, Woodstown	Neumann	6	0-3	11.15	15.1	12
Peyton O’Brien, Pennsville	Harford CC	7	0-0	1.74	10.1	12
Luke Pokrovsky, Schalick	Penn	12	0-1	12.89	14.2	15
Terrell Robinson, Salem	Rosemont	4	0-0	8.10	6.2	2
Caiden Spinelli, Woodstown	Rosemont	2	0-0	27.00	1.1	1
Rocco String, Woodstown	Salem CC	4	0-1	46.29	2.1	4
Mike Valente, Woodstown	Salem CC	7	2-1	6.05	19.1	11
Luke Wood, Pennsville	McDaniel	9	4-1	5.05	41	34

Softball

PLAYER	SCHOOL	GP	BA	H	HR	RBI
Emily Holladay, Woodstown	Hartwick	12	.226	7	0	3
Tulana Mingin, Woodstown	East Stroudsburg	46	.320	49	0	5
Ava Ortiz, Salem	Salem CC	14	.438	7	0	6
Savannah Palverento, Pennsville	Salem CC	42	.398	41	2	37
Lilly Peverelle, Pennsville	Salem CC	44	.478	66	6	55
Bella Rappa, Pennsville	Salem CC	35	.427	38	0	33
Cayla Sbrana, Schalick	RCSJ-Cumb	18	.279	12	0	7
Sawyer Simmons, Pennsville	Salem CC	30	.317	19	1	15

NOTE: Tulana Mingin has 36 runs and is 17-21 in stolen bases

PITCHER	SCHOOL	GP	W-L	ERA	IP	K
Savannah Palverento, Pennsville	Salem CC	16	2-0	6.16	25.0	27
Cayla Sbrana, Schalick	RCSJ-Cumb	9	2-7	10.27	45.0	16
Raegan Wilson, Salem	Salem CC	21	10-6	5.85	81.1	48

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports calendar for the week of April 27-May 2; all games start at 4 p.m. unless noted

MONDAY, APRIL 27
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Pitman
Salem at Gateway
Salem Tech at Bridgeton
Schalick vs. Woodstown, Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Salem
Pitman at Pennsville
Winslow at Penns Grove
Schalick vs. Woodstown, Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m.
BOYS GOLF
Woodstown vs. Cumberland, TBA, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Triton, Valleybrook CC, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS GOLF
Schalick vs. Clearview, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 3:45 p.m.
Wildwood at Pennsville
TRACK
Schalick at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m.
Overbrook at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Woodstown
BOYS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Washington Twp., 5:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, APRIL 28
BASEBALL
Camden Academy Charter at Salem Tech
Millville at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Bridgeton
SOFTBALL
Salem Tech at Camden Academy Charter, 3:45 p.m.
GOLF
Schalick vs. Pennsville, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Wildwood, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m.
TENNIS
West Deptford at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Clayton at Schalick
Pennsville at Penns Grove
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Timber Creek at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
BOYS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Williamstown
GIRLS LACROSSE
West Deptford at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Mercer CC at Salem CC (2), 3 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29
BASEBALL
Pennsville at Woodstown
Pitman at Penns Grove
Rancocas Valley at Schalick
Salem at Overbrook
SOFTBALL
Overbrook at Salem
Penns Grove at Pitman
Woodstown at Pennsville
BOYS GOLF
Schalick vs. Pitman, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Williamstown, Scotland Run CC, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS GOLF
Schalick vs. Cumberland, Running Deer GC, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Pennsville at Clayton, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown at Triton, 3:45 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Ocean City

THURSDAY, APRIL 30
BASEBALL
Schalick at Clearview
SOFTBALL
Salem Tech at Bridgeton
Winslow at Penns Grove
Woodstown at Washington Twp.
TRACK
Salem County Championships, Pennsville, 3:30 p.m.
TENNIS
Penns Grove at Pitman
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Camden Co. Tech, 3:45 p.m.
BOYS GOLF
Schalick vs. Overbrook, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Pennsville, Town & Country, 3:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, MAY 1
BASEBALL
Gloucester at Woodstown
Lindenwold at Salem Tech
Pennsville at Salem
SOFTBALL
Camden Tech at Schalick
Salem at Pennsville
Salem Tech at Woodbridge Academy (NJTAC(
TENNIS
Deptford at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Glassboro at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Wildwood at Penns Grove
GIRLS LACROSSE
Maple Shade at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Union at Salem CC, TBA
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Region XIX Tournament, Mercer CC
Salem CC vs. Mercer, 10 a.m.
Lackawanna vs. Delaware Tech, noon

SATURDAY, MAY 2
BASEBALL
Schalick at Timber Creek
Woodstown at Audubon, 11 a.m.
TRACK
SJTCA Meet, Delsea, 1 p.m.
SJTCA Meet, Rancocas Valley, 1 p.m.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Highland, 3:45 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Union (2), noon

Big innings, good & bad

Salem CC softball scores 18 in first, 12 in second of DH opener, 16 in nightcap inning of record sweep; baseball falls behind 10-0 vs. RCSJ-Gloucester

COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC 36-31, Raritan Valley 6-1
COLLEGE BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester 15, Salem CC 3

By Al Muskewitz and Nolan Dowell
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — The Salem CC softball program celebrated its sophomores Sunday and two of their local sophs enjoyed record-setting days.

Playing in the final home games of their junior college careers, Bella Rappa drove in 10 runs in the opener, Lilly Peverelle hit three home runs and had 13 RBIs in the doubleheader and the Mighty Oaks enjoyed three of their most prolific innings of the season as they swamped Raritan Valley 36-6 and 31-1.

The 36 runs in the opener broke the Mighty Oaks’ single-game scoring record, at least since reviving the program four years ago; they had scored 29 in a game twice earlier this season. The 67 runs in the doubleheader were the most they’ve scored in a twin bill since the revival as well, eclipsing the 50 they put on the Lady Lions in an April 10 sweep.

The Mighty Oaks scored 18 runs in the first inning of the opener — erasing a 2-0 deficit — and 12 more in the second; it was 30-2 before the Lady Lions had gotten to the top of their lineup. All nine players in the Salem lineup had scored a run by the time they made their first out, which was a sacrifice fly. They had a 16-run inning in the nightcap.

The collected 31 hits in the doubleheader, batting .633 as a team (31-for-49), and received 20 walks in each game. Pennsville products Rappa and Peverelle were a combined 11-for-13 with 15 runs scored, 18 RBIs and five walks.

“I told our players the most important goal for this team is just to kind of find those balances of things that we have to keep working on,” head coach Angel Rodriguez said. “If you get a good pitch, make sure you’re on time and square it up and a lot of us were able to do that. In a game like this a lot of patience has to be had and that’s another thing we have to work on. All that kind of goes into what we’ve been working on to the end of the season and it definitely prevailed today.

“It’s not really that we aren’t proud of what we’re able to put up, we look at every player’s at bats and is it something they improved on. It’s always interesting to put up some runs and then a couple times you’re like Holy cow we have no outs. It’s good to know they’re not forcing thing. In a game like today it’s very easy to try to force things and then it disrupts your at bats. Today we let the game come up us. It was good to see us not be over ambitious about what we were trying to do.”

Rappa collected all her RBIs in the first game in her first four at bats over the first two innings. She had a two-run double and three-run single in the first inning, and had a three-run single and two-run single in the second. Peverelle hit a two-run homer in the second inning and a two-run homer in the third.

“I knew that I was only going to see one good pitch, so I realized when I saw it coming I had to take advantage of it.” Rappa said.

Rodriguez even gave her a turn in the circle for the first time this season. Rappa gave up two hits and was charged with three runs, but the highlight was the four-pitch strikeout to the second batter she faced. Tiana Wilson came in behind her and had a great 1-2-3 double play to end the game.

“It felt great to go out there and do what my best friend (starter Raegan Wilson) does on a daily basis,” Rappa said. “I got one strikeout, and I was proud of that. I have to work on my release point, and stay in my lane, but it was fun.”

The Mighty Oaks turned the nightcap into a rout with 16 runs in the second inning. Peverelle had an RBI single in the first, an RBI ground out and two-run double in the second, and a grand slam in the fourth. Her 13 RBIs in the doubleheader broke the previous record, set by two-time Region Player of the Year Ella Hayes (12) against Sussex County last March.

“I just saw ball and hit ball,” Peverelle said. “Plus, I was singing to myself in the box.”

“It’s been good to see their progress,” Rodriguez said. “We always say as coaches we’re getting players in their first year and there are lot of things we have to break. A lot of bad habits, a lot of things we have to adjust. To see both of them from Year One to where they are now is incredible.

“We’re proud of what Bella was able to do Game One. I thought she came out on fire, but I think that rolled over with the last couple games she had. She had a very good Mercer Game 2 a couple games ago, so that’s good some of that’s starting to go with them game-to-game now; it’s not more of a rollercoaster.

“And Lilly’s been red-hot. She’s been doing very well, but another one who’s growth and maturity has gotten her to this level. I think that plays a huge part in what they’re able to do. It’s definitely paying off and they’re getting hot at the right time, so that was good to see too, especially with the (playoff) week we have coming up.”

Other top Game One performers included Jolee Robinson (2-for-3, six RBIs, five runs); Ava Ortiz (2-3, 3 RBIs off the bench) and Jalyn Rambally (3-5, five runs, four RBIs).

Freshman Jordyn Busch nearly pitched a shutout in the nightcap, but a wild pitch with two outs in the fifth inning ended the bid. She allowed only four hits and struck out seven. Among the hitters, Savannah Palverento went 3-for-3 with three RBIs; Megan Koski had two hits, four runs and three RBIs; and Robinson went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and three runs scored.

Raritan Valley	200	13-	6	4	5
Salem CC	(18)(12)6	0x-	36	17	0

WP: Raegan Wilson. LP: Yaneli Ruiz. 2B: Bella Rappa (S), Jocelyn Melendez (S). 3B: Jalyn Rambally (S). HR: Jayla McNeil (RV), Lilly Peverelle 2 (S).

Raritan Valley	000	01-	1	4	4
Salem CC	2(16)5	8x-	31	14	1

WP: Jordyn Busch. LP: Riley Dosch. 2B: Emme Witter (S), Jocelyn Melendez (S), Jolee Robinson (S), Lilly Peverelle (S), Savannah Palverento (S). HR: Lilly Peverelle (S).

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION II SOFTBALL	R19	ALL	GSAC
x-Mercer	18-4	37-5	14-0
x-Lackawanna	19-5	40-13
x-Delaware Tech	19-5	26-12
x-SALEM CC	14-10	28-18	12-4
Sussex	6-14	8-20	6-6
Morris	3-21	3-19	3-11
Raritan Valley	1-23	1-23	1-15

x-clinched playoff spot

SUNDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 36-31, Raritan Valley 6-1
Lackawanna 10-8, Onondaga 1-0
Delaware Tech 17-17, Morris 1-1
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Region XIX Tournament
at Mercer CC
Salem CC vs. Mercer, 10 a.m.
Lackawanna vs. Delaware Tech, noon
Winners bracket, 2 p.m.
Losers bracket, 4 p.m.

Baseball: Flat Mighty Oaks swept

CARNEYS POINT – Region-leading and third-ranked RCSJ-Gloucester jumped out front with three runs in the first inning, then put seven more on top of it in the second to send Salem CC into a spiral that ended in a 15-3 loss to sweep the three-game series and ramp up the pressure on the Mighty Oaks to make the playoffs.

“In the game of baseball regardless how the game goes you’re gonna get punched and we have to do a better job of taking that punch and punching back,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said.

The loss left the Mighty Oaks 15-15 in Region 19 and 20-24 overall with five games remaining. To qualify for the playoffs teams must be .500 or better overall or in region play. The Mighty Oaks would get in by winning all five games from Mercer and Union or at least taking two of three from Union this weekend.

Of course, they would avoid a play-in game with Ocean if they take care of business and the Vikings (17-17, 14-14) lost three of their five remaining games – all against teams with significant winning records. If there is a play-in game, the Mighty Oaks would host since they swept the season series

“We’ve got to win all three against (Union),” outfielder Roman Hernandez said. “Just because their record might not be the best, we can’t act like it. Sometimes we’ve done that and let a couple games get away from us. We’ve gotta handle our business and get three games and then see how the seeding goes after that. Like coach said, we’re fighting for a playoff spot, we’re not even fighting for a seeding. We just got to handled our business and take care of all those three games and see where we go.”

“We’ve gotta win,” Holt said. “We’re looking at a possibly play-in game, 8-9, based on whatever happens with Ocean. We talk about controlling what we can control and that’s all we gotta do. We gotta control what we can control and the chips are gonna be where the chips fall.”

Roadrunners righthander Matt Hewitt held the Mighty Oaks hitless for 3 2/3 innings before Hernandez broke up the bid with his first homer in a Salem CC uniform. Hewitt went the distance, holding Salem to four hits and striking out nine.

“We knew coming in he had a hard slider, hard to hit, and he abused us with that and he also had a good changeup that I saw early in the count,” Hernandez said. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a fastball, but he gave me a high fastball and that’s my sweet spot. I just tried to get on base and pass the stick to the next person but it just happened to fly out.

“I was just trying to put a ball in play. We didn’t strike out that much first time around. We were putting the ball in play a lot, but they just had good defense, so I was trying to drive something hard in the gap and have the next guy after me drive him in.”

The Roadrunners’ big inning was helped along by three Mighty Oaks’ errors. Later in the game, Nick Izzo delivered a two-run single and Jack Mustaro hit a two-run homer.

RCSJ-Gloucester	370	023	0-	15	14	1
Salem CC	000	111	0-	3	4	5

WP: Matt Hewitt. LP: Tyler Hacker. 2B: Nick Izzo (G). HR: Jack Mustaro (G), Roman Hernandez (S)

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III BASEBALL	R19	ALL	GSAC
RCSJ-Gloucester	24-5	28-9	19-5
Brookdale	22-8	32-9-1	17-5
Middlesex	20-9	29-14	15-7
RCSJ-Cumberland	18-9	26-11-1	13-6
Northampton	16-8	25-13
Montgomery	17-11	17-11
Camden	16-11	19-15	12-10
SALEM CC	15-15	20-24	12-11
Ocean	14-14	17-17	10-11
Bergen	11-17	13-24	11-13
Atlantic Cape	4-23	4-23	2-18
Union	3-24	6-27	0-21
Delaware County	1-27	2-27

SUNDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester 15, Salem CC 3
Union at Northampton (2), ppd. to May 3
Brookdale 10, Lackawanna 9
Sussex at UConn-Avery Point (2)
Harford 7-12, Mercer 0-1
Rockland at Middlesex (2)
MONDAY’S GAMES
Middlesex at Camden
Bergen at Northampton (2)
RCSJ-Gloucester at Delaware Tech
Atlantic Cape at Delaware County
Raritan Valley at Rockland CC
RCSJ-Cumberland at Union

Salem CC Saturday

Mighty Oaks swamped by RCSJ-Gloucester in DH opener, Game 2, series finale, postponed to Sunday

COLLEGE BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester 22, Salem CC 6
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, Game 2, ppd., Sunday, 1 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Raritan Valley at Salem CC (2), ppd., Sunday, noon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – John Holt reminded the sophomores he recognized on their final home Saturday of the season there still were weeks of baseball to play and these Sophomore Day festivities he was presiding over weren’t the end of their Salem CC journey.

The Mighty Oaks appear to be in a good position to make the Region 19 playoffs, but after Saturday’s 22-6 loss to region-leading RCSJ-Gloucester they still have some work to lock it down.

The loss left them 20-23 overall and 15-14 in region play, a half-game ahead of Ocean for eighth place with Sunday’s game against the Roadrunners and next weekend’s three-game series with 12th-place Union left in the region. Ocean has five region games left, three against current 2-seed Brookdale.

Today, nine teams are in the mix for the eight spots in the playoff bracket by finishing .500 or better overall or in region play. If nine teams qualify, 8 and 9 would play for the final spot in the bracket. Salem holds the tiebreaker over Ocean.

“I know we’ve got to win the next couple games,” first baseman Tyler Hacker said. “We have to sweep Union if we want to keep the eighth seed. We have to take one from Gloucester if we want to think about moving up and not have to play them (in the opening round). I think we get in. I’m pretty sure we get in as long as we sweep Union.”

“What’s good is pretty much everyone is pretty close,” outfielder Jason LeBold said. “Gloucester’s gonna be 1, Brookdale’s gonna be 2, but 3, 4, 5, 6, even 7 is pretty close. Right now we’re (the) eight seed, but you never know; tomorrow we could bounce up to the 5. I think there’s a high chance we make it and we’re just looking forward to who we’re going to play next.”

“We’ve just got to handle our business,” Holt said.

Saturday’s scheduled doubleheader started out well for the Mighty Oaks. They scored a run in each of the first two innings to open a 2-0 lead and starting pitcher Seth McCormick kept the Roadrunners off the board.

McCormick, making his first start/appearance since April 10 after developing elbow trouble, went to the mound to see what he could do and plan his future accordingly, and for two innings he was a sharp as he’d ever been. He retired the Roadrunners in the first on one hit, striking out two, including Region 19 home run leader Nick Slogik, and put them down in order in the second without a ball leaving the infield.

“It felt good to be on the mound again,” McCormick said. “I love pitching. I love baseball. I love being out there. To be able to come out and go is like a miracle in itself. Obviously, the game didn’t go how I wanted it to, but I’m proud I got out there.”

The third-ranked Roadrunners (27-9) figured him out in the third, erupting for seven runs on six hits. In the middle of the rally they put five straight balls in play that produced runs.

“The second time through the lineup our guys started to get a better look at a very good righthander and we were able to get some guys on base and drive them in,” Gloucester coach Rob Valli said.

The Mighty Oaks built their lead on a bad throw trying to catch Cliff Wysinger stealing third in the first and and Colin McLaughlin’s RBI infield out in the second. They cut their deficit to 9-5 in the fourth on an RBI single by Wysinger and a two-run single by Jason LeBold. They got their final run in the sixth on Roman Hernandez’ RBI single.

The nightcap of the doubleheader was postponed to 1 p.m. Sunday with extended rain due in the area to potentially disrupt play mid-game. Valli didn’t mind the decision.

“I really didn’t want to play in the rain,” he said. “Historically I’ve had bad experiences in the rain with players. This time of year always it scares you to play in the rain … when you don’t have to.”

The Mighty Oaks are scheduled to start Hacker (1-1, 7.71), their Game 3 starter the last three series, on the mound. Gloucester will counter with Kevin Ruff (2-0, 9.53).

RCSJ-Gloucester	007	229	2-	22	15	5
Salem CC	110	301	0-	6	8	5

WP: Brevin Bezick (3-1). LP: Seth McCormick (3-4). 2B: Nick Izzo (G), Jayden Rosado (G), J.J. Pankowski (S).

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III BASEBALL	R19	ALL	GSAC
RCSJ-Gloucester	23-5	27-9	18-5
Brookdale	22-8	32-9-1	17-5
Middlesex	20-9	29-14	15-7
RCSJ-Cumberland	18-9	26-11-1	13-6
Northampton	16-8	25-13
Montgomery	17-11	17-11
Camden	16-11	19-15	12-10
SALEM CC	15-14	20-23	12-10
Ocean	14-14	17-17	10-11
Bergen	11-17	13-24	11-13
Atlantic Cape	4-23	4-23	2-18
Union	3-24	6-27	0-21
Delaware County	1-27	2-27

SATURDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester 22, Salem CC 6
RCSJ-Cumberland at Union, ppd.
Bergen at Northampton, ppd.
SUNDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 1 p.m.
Union at Northampton (2)
Lackawanna at Brookdale (2)
Sussex at UConn-Avery Point (2)
Harford at Mercer (2)
Rockland at Middlesex (2)

Better than being there

Salem’s track team used to just enjoy the experience of the big meets, Saturday they challenged and won a medal at Penn Relays; plus other scores and highlights from Saturday’s Salem County sports calendar

BASEBALL
Vineland 3, Schalick 2
TRACK
Penn Relays

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PHILADELPHIA – Before this year, the athletes in the Salem High track program may have been content with just being on the starting line of a big meet, but they’ve been to enough of them now that the novelty of just being there has worn off and the time has come to compete.

And compete they did Saturday in the biggest meet for many of them to date.

The Rams’ boys 4×400 relay team made some school history when they finished third in the South Jersey Small School race at the Penn Relays, winning the school’s first Penn Relays medal in coach David Hunt’s tenure.

The group of Grady Buzby, Jerry Seals, Xavier McGriff and Tim Gregory ran a 3:28.96, finishing third behind Camden (3:21.59) and Deptford (3:21.71). The top five teams win medals. Their time was two seconds slower than the school record they set last week at the Woodbury Relays, but it was just as meaningful considering the venue and the circumstances.

“It’s super significant,” Hunt said. “We’ve been trying to get into these bigger races, we get there and sometimes we don’t always meet our expectations, so to be able to go out and put up those numbers consistently and being able to compete on that stage is a big deal. Woodbury is a big deal, but running the Penn Relays at Franklin Field is a little different.

“I emphasized to them you get to a point everything can’t be about the experience; you’re going to these to compete, not to just be there; anyone can sign up. That’s why we’re doing in. When we go to these meets we need to compete when we’re there, not go to participate, and there’s a big difference.”

“We’ve understood that this season,” Buzby said. “Other years it’s been more like (wishfully) ‘we can make it to states, we can medal at sectionals.’ But now the stakes are higher. We can medal at Penn Relays, we can medal at states, we can go to nationals — another step up – and that’s definitely something we were looking at today. Something to keep in mind.”

All four of the Rams ran 52-second legs. Buzby got them started with a 52.08 out of the gate. Seals followed in 52.28. McGriff ran 51.16 and Gregory brought it home in 52.46.

Seniors Buzby and McGriff were running on the Penn track for the first time. The Rams have a six-man interchangeable rotation for the relay and set the order depending on who’s available and how many events they’ve entered. Buzby didn’t run the race at Woodbury because he was just coming off the 800, but was inserted in the opening leg Saturday specifically for his ability to establish and maintain position in the event’s waterfall start.

“The reason I ran the first leg is because I won’t tolerate being bullied,” he said. “At UPenn it’s special because if you look at the races they have an outrageous number of kids on the track and you have to hold your position in a waterfall start. You don’t get a lane. I take up space and I don’t let anybody bully me.”

McGriff, inspired by watching Olympian Quincy Wilson run a 44.56 split in his 4×4, put on a closing dash in his leg. He took the baton in fourth place, then made a big push to get the Rams into third for Gregory’s final leg.

“The backstretch got me a little bit,” McGriff said. “Once I saw Audubon in front of me, in my head I was like I got him, I’ve got to get him around the curve to get us in a spot, so I picked up the pace and ran past him. I just felt good about that.”

The group didn’t realize they were getting medals for their finish until they saw Hunt around the medals table on their way out. That’s when the real celebration began.

“When we got them he told us we were the first to ever get on in a long time,” McGriff said. “We just got real happy. We were cheering and stuff. We were so happy.”

Schalick’s 4×400 relay team ran in the High School Boys division. The team of Steve Chomo, Jacob Carter, Chase Riley and David Stewart ran 3:32.58 and finished seventh in their race.

Baseball

VINELAND 3, SCHALICK 2: Nathaya Perez hit a bases-loaded single into center field with one out in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Don Menzoni from third for the Fighting Clan’s walk-off win.

The Cougars, back on the field after their senior trip, tied the game with two runs in the sixth. Bo Schalick scored the first run on a passed ball and Cole Hartley tied it with a two-out RBI single.

Evan Glaspey and Even Sepers both had a pair of hits for the Cougars.

Laying the foundation

Their numbers may be few, but the players participating in Salem CC’s first spring football practice are committed to the vision and setting the base for the larger group coming in August

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Ben Secouler thought he was done – with football and all that it represented for his future. He tried to make a go of it at a small college in Vermont but it just wasn’t happening for him. Twice he went, twice he came home. The school had a beautiful campus, the academics he wanted and, of course, football. What it didn’t have was proximity to his South Jersey home and he returned to settle into a life as a working man taking on-line college courses wondering what might have been.

Then one day he was scrolling through his social media and came across an item that has the potential to change his life. He saw Salem Community College was starting a junior college football program, the first of its kind for miles around. Suddenly, the fire to play again was rekindled. He was going to be back in the game.

“I saw this and I just had to grab it up,” said Secouler, who last played in 2022 as a senior at Cherry Hill West. “And I was very grateful for it, too, because I thought I was done. I thought I was just being a working man going to school. It gives me another opportunity to play, to do what I love, and also get an education. That’s a big goal of mine. I want to be the first in my family to get a degree. It’s definitely a blessing. It kind of just fell into my lap, so I had to take the opportunity.”

Aiden Alexander thought he was done, too. He went to Kutztown, his only real opportunity after a productive high school career at Kingsway, for the fall 2024 semester, where he redshirted, but he never really felt comfortable and transferred to RCSJ-Gloucester to focus on his academics. He reached out to D-IIIs like Rowan and Montclair for a shot, but got no response. When he saw his high school coach post an item about Salem’s start-up, he jumped at the chance and now has recovered the confidence he lost in his previous experience.

“I know I’ve still got talent,” the defensive back said. “My goal is to go D-I and try to make it to the NFL. My coach posted something on Twitter about Salem starting a new football program. It’s 15 minutes away from me; that’s a God-given shot right there. Why not? I thought it was over until I got an opportunity here. I feel like it’s a God-given opportunity, a second chance to get to the next level.”

Stories like Secouler and Alexander were typical among the six players working out for the hour or so that represented the mid-point of the Mighty Oaks’ inaugural spring practice and will be throughout the 80 or so that will join them in August.

They are exactly the type player retired Rowan head coach Jay Accorsi had in mind when he pitched the idea of having football to president Mike Gorman in the spring, bringing the sport to campus not as some Last Chance University but as a second chance for the many players of the region, some two years or more removed from the game, who fell through the cracks but still had the desire and ability to play. Not only would they get a second chance to play the game they still loved, but also a college education they may have given up on because the game passed them by.

“All of them have a very interesting story and interesting path, and that’s kind of going to be what the program is,” Accorsi said, “trying to help young men figure out what they’re going to do not only academically and socially, but athletically and football wise and help in their journey. They all have a different story that’s pretty unique and interesting. That’s what I’m excited about. I’m excited about all the others who are going to join us that have all those interesting situations as well.”

Sean Ferebee last played in a real football game in 2021, his junior year at West Deptford. He didn’t play his senior high school season after transferring back to Williamstown and had no college ball thereafter. He’s just been working and training and hoping for an opportunity. Because it’s been so long that coaches have had eyes on him, he knows he has to work 10 times harder than the players around him to prove himself, but he’s hoping to show it’s never too late.

“That’s why I’m back here,” he said. “I missed it a lot. Every time football came around I always missed it the most, but when this opportunity came around I felt like it would have been good for a fresh start. To be honest I used to trick myself into thinking it was too late and then I got out of my own head, saw this opportunity and decided to take it and give it 100 percent.”

“I’ve got a chip on my shoulder being as though I didn’t get to play my senior season (in high school). A lot of people doubted me, but I’m here to make a name for myself.”

Brian Pritchett hasn’t been away from it as long as Ferebee – the 2023 high school season was the last year he took snaps – but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. He tried to hook on with Sussex CC, the other junior college in New Jersey offering football, and Lackawanna, and sent feelers to other JUCOs around the country, but found no success.

He kept the faith that something would come along and kept training for when it did, and when Salem CC popped up, he pounced.

“I missed it a lot,” he said. “Every time I went to work it’s the first thing on my mind; I want to play football. I was working night shift and the only thing on my mind was football. I’d rather be in college in a dorm getting my rest for practice in the morning instead of being their working at night.

“This is amazing. I feel like if we do pretty good this will bring a lot of opportunity, a lot of players from Jersey, to come here instead of having to leave.”

That’s what Jermar Jones had to do to play at a level he thought best fit his ability. The West Deptford safety played at Chestnut Hill in 2023, but he was so aggressive in the weight-restricted sprint program they put him at defensive end. He just “didn’t feel like I was supposed to be a part of that” and sought something more. The next year he tried to catch on with D-II Savannah State without success, but he learned something about the process along the way.

“I found out that football can become real political, especially with the NIL and transfer portal, so I just wanted to find somewhere where I would just be able to play the game of football and actually love it for the game of football and not for no money, not for anything outside that can distract me away from the main focus and that was to get better each day I decide to play football.”

And that’s what he sees in his chance with the Mighty Oaks.

“It’s definitely a second chance, not just for me but for JUCO football in Jersey,” he said. “We haven’t had a lot of shine here on the whole JUCO scene in New Jersey so I think this brings a lot of eyes to the guys who don’t get enough attention, especially the guys who go under shown … I feel like this is our time to get those guys an opportunity to showcase our talents and get a second chance at this. High school was the first, but this is now the opportunity we’re given again by God and by the football gods to be able to play the game we love.”

**Salem CC assistant coach Chris Crowley explains a drill to the players participating in the Mighty Oaks’ inaugural spring practice.**

M.J. Hall was a two-sport athlete at Woodstown. He had offers to play basketball out of high school and even thought about going into the military, but still had a yearn to play football. When Accorsi told him he needed a player like Hall in the slot, the idea of a local player playing for the hometown college started to have a lot of appeal. He even talked with the basketball staff about playing both sports, but said basketball would have to wait until after football.

He absolutely gets what having a football program at Salem means in the big picture.

“it means a lot because where I’m from, you’re not really looked at in Woodstown,” he said. “To be here and play at the next level, it’s a good opportunity. Everybody’s dream is to be DI and go to like Alabama or something like that, but JUCO, D-3, D=2, D-1l, you still made it. You can always go from here up higher. It’s just all about opportunity and how you present yourself.

“I feel like this program was needed because out of south jersey we don’t go to like big schools. For us to have an opportunity here and be able to build a brotherhood and get on the same page with Coach Accorsi it’s going to be fun. It’s a blessing and hopefully we can take off this year and be better next year.”

Of course, it all starts with practice. What is serving as the team’s first spring practice for the six or eight players who show up every session is more or less an hour or so of stretching and drill work with Accorsi and his assistants Joe Dougherty, Chris Crowley and Damon Troy. There aren’t enough players available to scrimmage, so the work is mostly individual, but those out there every day are committed to the vision and are building a core for when the larger group arrives in the summer.

The group already has established a tradition uniquely their own, developing a M-I-G-H-T-Y-O-A-K-S jumping jacks routine to start and finish every practice, which Accorsi called “really cool.” After Saturday morning’s Open House in Davidow Hall for prospective players, the Base Eight plans to head out to the bowling alley in Woodstown for some more group bonding.

“They represent the foundation of the program because they’re the ones who are going to help us teach all the new players how to stretch, how to practice, how to do things.,” Accorsi said. “When we start in August with 80, 85, 90, whatever it is, this is going to be that core group that’s going to help us train the new players who come because they are not new players.

“They are the first to ever practice as a Salem Community College football player, the first of the Mighty Oaks football players.”

**Salem CC football players (from left) Ben Secouler, Sean Ferebee, Jermar Jones and Aidan Alexander throw around a football warming up before the start of spring practice.**

Friday sports report

Salem CC falls at RCSJ-Gloucester; Hyatt spins Penns Grove’s first shutout since 2019, Salem Tech walks one off in extras

BASEBALL
Buena 26, Salem 1
Salem Tech 8, Cape May Tech 7
Penns Grove 13, Winslow 0
SOFTBALL
Lower Cape May 14, Salem 10
COLLEGE BASEBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester 12, Salem CC 2

By Riverview Sports News

SEWELL – Region 19 home run leader Nick Slogik hit a pair of three-run homers and Bryson Kirby scattered eight hits as league-leading No. 3 RCSJ-Gloucester run-ruled Salem CC 12-2 Friday.

Slogik hit his first homer off Mighty Oaks starter Pat Seitzinger in the first inning and the second one off Louie Rivera in the fifth. He now has 18 on the season.

The first blast was part of a four-run inning that erased Tyler Hacker’s solo homer in the top of the inning. The Roadrunners (26-9) added two in the third and three in the fourth before Slogik’s second homer put the game in run-rule territory, 12-1.

The home was the only hit Rivera allowed in his 2 2/3 innings of relief. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out two.

Hacker went 3-for-3 for the Mighty Oaks (20-22). Aiden Nestor had two hits.

The Mighty Oaks scored a run in the seventh on Cliff Wysinger’s RBI single.

Kirby struck out 10 and walked one in his seven-inning complete game.

The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader at the Carneys Point Rec Complex 11 a.m. Saturday. It will be the Mighty Oaks’ Sophomore Day.

Baseball

SALEM TECH 8, CAPE MAY TECH 7: Lucas Clement was awarded home on a throwing error created by his aggressive base running with one out in the bottom of the eighth to help the Chargers complete a challenging week 3-0.

Clement singled and stole second with Cole Sacks at the plate. The attempt to get him at second went into the outfield and he had already reached third when the relay from the outfield went out of play.

The Chargers (7-3) trailed at one point in the game 7-4, but tied it in the sixth on Clement’s bases-loaded walk and a two-run game-tying single by Sacks. They had the winning run at second in the seventh with one out, but couldn’t get it home.

Clement had three hits and three RBIs to lead the Chargers’ offense. Sacks had two hits and two RBIs and Chase Pompper had two hits.

The Chargers beat Pilgrim Academy, Clayton and Cape May Tech to match their longest winning streak of the season.

“They’re learning how to win,” Chargers coach John Helsel said. “It was just a great team effort. I can’t be happier. We won them all. It was tough – our catcher got hurt, we had to shuffle guys around, we were running out of pitching – but we did it and we came back.”

PENNS GROVE 13, WINSLOW 0: Dylan Hyatt spun Penns Grove’s first shutout since 2019, a one-hit, 12-strikeout effort that helped the Red Devils (3-7) snap a two-game losing streak.

It was their first shutout since Austin Smith blanked Wildwood (14-0) on April 8, 2019 (115 games, 20 wins)

“It’s the best we’ve seen him,” Red Devils coach Chuck Weigel said. “He brought everything today.”

The only Hyatt allowed was a two-out single in the top of the first. He then retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced, 12 by strikeout. The only baserunner in that stretch reached on a misread infield fly in the fourth.

He threw 58 pitches in the five-inning game, 48 for strikes. He had 13 first-pitch strikes to the 18 batters he faced and had only two two-ball counts.

“He was locating his fastball and mixing a curve to keep them off balanced all afternoon,” assistant coach Joe Mecholsky said.

Bristol Scott had a two-run single in the first to get the Red Devils going and Josh Widen had two hits and two RBIs.

BUENA 26, SALEM 1: The Chiefs (9-3) scored 11 runs in each of the first two innings and their two pitchers limited the Rams to two hits and struck out eight.

Richie Wilson hit a two-run homer in the second 11-run inning and had three RBIs in the game. Ricky Bessix had four RBIs and Gio Crescitelli drove in three.

The Rams (0-8) scored their run in the fifth when Josthen Jimenez hit a leadoff triple and rode home on a ground out.

Softball

LOWER CAPE MAY 14, SALEM 10: The Tigers jumped out to a 14-0 lead after two innings, then held on as the Rams steadily climbed back into the game.

The Rams got back in it with a six-run fourth inning highlighted by aggressive base running and plate discipline. They scored the runs on a two steals of home, a passed ball, an error, a bases-loaded walk and bases-loaded hit batsman. They added single runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

Khloe Bubier had two hits for the Rams and Avah Brown had two RBIs. Akayla Nichols reached base four times.

Track: Penn Relays

Schalick and Salem ran in the same heat of Friday’s boys 4×100 at the Penn Relays and finished neck and neck.

The Cougars finished fifth in the heat and 40th overall. The team of Amauri Conyers, Jacob Carter, Kenny Bartee and David Stewart ran 44.119.

Salem was sixth in the heat and finished 51st overall. The team of Jelani Beverly, Jameek Clayton, Rashar Stevenson and Quimere Bergen ran a PR 44.348.

Central Bucks East won the heat at 43.37 and qualified ninth overall.

Mighty Oaks sweep

Here are scores and details from Thursday’s Salem County sports calendar

SOFTBALL
LEAP 21, Penns Grove 11
BOYS GOLF
Pitman 172, Salem Tech 247
Sterling 161, Woodstown 167
TENNIS
Haddon Heights 5, Schalick 0
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC 3-8, Brookdale 8-3

By Riverview Sports News

LINCROFT — The Salem CC softball team outdueled Brookdale’s top pitcher in Game 1 and then jumped out quickly in Game 2 to sweep the Jersey Blues 3-0 and 8-3 in its last tough tuneup before the Region 19 playoffs.

The Mighty Oaks will be the No. 4 seed in the playoffs and wrap up the regular season this weekend against Raritan Valley. a team they outscored 51-2 in a doubleheader two weeks ago.

Raegan Wilson and Jordyn Busch combined on a two-hit shutout and outdueled Brookdale ace Jules Hart in the circle in the opener. Wilson pitched the first five innings, giving up two singles and walking none, while Busch notched a six-out save. Hart gave up just three hits and struck out nine, leaving her one shy of 300 for her career.

The Mighty Oaks scored two runs in the first inning when the Blues misplayed a ball hit by Emme Witter. J.J. Aguirre drove in a run in the third.

They erupted for 13 hits in the nightcap and jumped out to a 7-0 lead after batting in the fourth inning. Lilly Peverelle continued her hot hand at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and homer.

“She said I think I can hit a home run,” assistant coach Chris Watson said. “I said, ‘Lilly, the wind’s blowing in, just hit a line drive.’ She said OK, then put the first pitch over the left field wall.”

It was her fifth homer of the year and helped raise her team-leading batting average to .470. In her last 14 games she is hitting .460 with 23 RBIs.

Witter also had three hits in the nightcap. Megan Koski and J.J. Aguirre both had two hits. Busch pitched the first 5 2/3 innings to get the win, with Savannah Palverento picking up the final four outs without allowing a hit.

Track

The girls 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams from Salem and Schalick ran at the Penn Relays Thursday.

Salem’s girls 4×100 (Raniyah Parsons-Smith, Amaia Massengil, Aniyah Williams, Dynastie Tucker) ran 49.89 and the 4×400 team (Massengil, Williams, Brooklynn Jackson, Tucker) ran 4:25.90 in the South Jersey Small race.

The Rams’ boys 4×100 team runs Friday and their South Jersey Small 4×400 team goes Saturday.

Schalick’s 4×100 team (Karlie Bakley, Willow Davis, Brooke Valentine, Jaelynn Jarmon) ran a 54.45 The 4×400 team (Bakley, Lucy Virga, Jarmon, Valentine) ran a 4:28.23.

The Cougars’ boys 4×100 relay team runs Friday and their 4×400 relay goes Saturday.

Golf

STERLING 161, WOODSTOWN 167: Sterling’s Ethan Weitzel and Colin Bove both shot 3-over-par 38 to share medalist honors at Town & Country. Jack Bucksar (39) posted Woodstown’s low round. The Wolverines also counted 40s from Logan Jones and Chris Porreca.

PITMAN 172, SALEM TECH 247: Micah Frost played his final five holes at Sakima CC in 1-over-par and parred at the last to pull into a tie with teammate Jake Bowen-Ashwin for medalist honors. Freshmen Daniel Atanasio and Thomas Conto had the Chargers’ low rounds (59).

Tennis

HADDON HEIGHTS 5, SCHALICK 0
Owen Peakes (H) def. Gabe McFeeley, 6-0, 6-0
Jackson Zalkind (H) def. Reece Loatman, 6-1, 6-2
Gavin Ewing (H) def. Tyr Brattlie, 6-1, 6-2
Nibal AlKhatib El Baayni Abou-Andrew D’Amelio (H) def. Cooper Halperin-Jack Genievich, 6-1, 6-4
Joe Foster-Cameron Wilson (H) def. Angelo Boston-Gavin McGrath, 7-5, 7-5
Records: Haddon Heights 5-5, Schalick 4-6

Football Open House

Salem CC to hold informational Open House for interested players Saturday

CARNEYS POINT – With interest growing at an accelerated rate and the difficulty some players may have getting to campus during the week, the Salem CC football program will hold its second informational Open House for prospective players and interested members of the community Saturday in the college’s Davidow Hall.

The event is free and no pre-registration is required. Check-in will open at 9:30 a.m., with the program to begin at 10 a.m. in the theater. There will be an opportunity to ask questions of the coaches and players, who are currently in the middle of their inaugural spring practice, after the formal presentation.

The Mighty Oaks will play their inaugural season this fall.

The program conducted a quickly arranged Open House in February shortly after the program’s formal launch and it drew more than 40 participants. As interest has grown over the following months, as evidenced by the overwhelming number of inquiries that have come into the football office, team officials expect a larger turn out Saturday.

“I was surprised back on Presidents Day how many people showed up and the interest; I was really shocked,” head coach Jay Accorsi said. “I imagine this is going to be a bigger event, too.

“This seems to be the time a lot of players are deciding I’m not going to go to a four-year school, maybe now I want to play (again), things like that. Now seems to be that window for the JUCO players to start to seriously look and see if that’s what they want to do.”

Accorsi hinted they may hold another Open House in late May or June.

Top photo: Salem CC football coach Jay Accorsi explains a drill to (from left) Aiden Alexander (5), Jermar Jones (5) and Brian Pritchett (3) during Wednesday’s spring practice session.