Month: August 2026

The numbers game

Salem CC players get their football jerseys, numbers Monday

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – The line into the storage room in the fieldhouse stretched all the way back to the lobby. One by one, the players on the Salem Community College football team emerged with a crisp white jersey with their number for the Mighty Oaks’ inaugural season ahead.

And then the games began.

The basketball court looked like the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as players who didn’t get a desired number sought to make a deal. There was more wheeling and dealing going on than at an NFL general managers meeting.

“I think we’re up to four and I think there’s still negotiating going on,” defensive coordinator Joe Dougherty said. “I don’t think we’re in a situation where a star tailback comes over and gives somebody a Mercedes for his number.”

There were at least two trades confirmed by Riverview Sports News. A couple three-way deals were said to be proposed, but were likely to be shot down by management.

Sam Rowley swapped the 54 he was assigned for the 99 defensive linemate Kaden Hood of Kingsway got. And Winslow cornerback Erik Worley traded his 4 for the 3 that went to Woodstown receiver M.J. Hall. Both were amicable trades, made without incentives.

“I wanted something different,” said Rowley, who played at Salem and Haddon Heights. “I wore 54 in high school, but I wanted 99 because I saw that jersey in my high school but I couldn’t wear it because my coach wouldn’t allow it, so I just wanted to wear it now because it was available.”

“I originally wanted 59, but I couldn’t get that,” Hood said. “I had 99 in Little League, but the jersey (here) was a little too big for me, so we agreed to a trade. This one fits me better; that one was a 3X. It’s a good number for me right now.”

That’s not to say there wasn’t another trade coming. He still hoped to lock down the 59.

Kaden Hood (L) and Sam Rowley negotiate a jersey swap after receiving their Salem CC football numbers Monday. (Top photo) Mark Moore (C) is assigned No. 21 for the Mighty Oaks’ inaugural season.

Worley had a more permanent reason for seeking the 3. It was his number in high school and he wanted it to match the number he’s had tattooed on his wrist the last two years.

“That’s my lucky number,” he said.

The jersey swapping was part of the football program’s first media day, an occasion to take the official inaugural team photo and individual shots more than anything. The players submitted their three preferences for numbers. The original six players that went through the spring were locks to get their choice and given green jerseys for the photo to distinguish their position as trailblazers and the rest were accommodated as much as possible.

“With a full roster of guys the numbers are limited,” offensive coordinator Chris Crowley said. “Everybody wants to wear single digits, it’s just not reality when you come to a big program. We have no single digit numbers of like 5-star guys coming in promised No. 9. We don’t have that right now.”

Numbers 0 and 1 are most coveted by players but a lot of programs won’t give them out. The Mighty Oaks assigned both numbers.

The 1 went to running back Brian Pritchett of Bridgeton. He looked too big to fit into a jersey that typically goes to a small player, but he maintained it would be no problem pulling it over his broad shoulders. A couple players approached him about a straight-up trade, but he wasn’t budging.

“I wore No. 1 in high school my senior year,” the 5-10, 230-pound Pritchett said. “I thought it was going to be 5 (his practice jersey) or 7 or something. I can fit in it. I know I can fit in it.”

Vinnie Ringo, a transfer from Lamar University, sought out the 0 because of what it represents.

“I feel like zero comes with a huge responsibility and I feel like I’m the man for it,” he said. “I believe everybody understands I’m in here for the responsibility.”

Regardless what number the players sought or eventually received, head coach Jay Accorsi said they wore them well.

“I like how they look in them,” he said. “It’s hard because you don’t have pads on and stuff, so all the guys are like, ‘Coach, too big; it’s too big.’ Well, wait ‘til you put it on and then see how it is. I thought they looked nice.”

Salem CC players Omar Rodriguez (51), Jahfarri Payne (14), Charlie Shute (29) and Anthony Hicks (22) show off their new jerseys.
The No. 1 jersey fits Salem CC running back Brian Pritchett just fine.


Woodstown: New season, fresh start

Wolverines eager to put last season behind them with lots of new elements, but the same lofty goals

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – By all measurable standards last season was not a good one for the Woodstown football team. It was a bad dream the Wolverines would just as soon forget.

Their first losing season since 2018 left them out of the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. They had no first-team all-stars within the division and just two senior honorable mentions. There were injuries that put nine starters on the sidelines and disrupted any consistency they hoped to develop. As a result, they were ushered out of the WJFL’s top small-school division for the first time in league history, relegated to the Independence Division for the next two years.

All that to say it’s a new year and a new approach in the house. Call what happened last year a wakeup call for a team that had been a South Jersey contender for the last four full cycles of senior classes.

WOODSTOWN WOLVERINES
Aug. 27 – at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
Sept. 3 – at Clayton, 6 p.m.
Sept. 11 – Schalick, 6 p.m.
Sept. 19 – at Woodbury, 11 a.m.
Sept. 25 – Buena, 6 p.m.
Oct. 3 – at Salem, noon
Oct. 9 – Overbrook, 6 p.m.
Oct. 17 – at Penns Grove, 11 a.m.
Oct. 23 – Pitman, 6:30 p.m.

Like most coaches, Woodstown head coach Frank Trautz will tell you each season is an entity unto itself and what happens one season has no bearing on the next. But to the returning players who endured the pain of last season – literally and emotionally – it’s the motivation to return the program to the form they all remember.

“It’s definitely was like a reality check for me, experiencing that after two years of playing really good football,” defensive back/tight end Noah Chiu said. “Now coming into my senior year I don’t want to lose again. That just kind of rubs off on the whole team. I can look at the guys next to me and we can just see the intensity and desire to play that we didn’t have last year. I don’t want to say it’s anger. There’s a lot more energy, there’s a lot more want to be out here and do great things. We all want to get our get-back from last year. We want to go out and make the school proud.”

From the moment you walk into practice you can tell the Wolverines are trying to put last season as far behind them as possible. Upbeat music from either Bradley Snitcher or Cole Ware’s playlist blasts from the rolling speaker on the sideline during drills (but not during line ball scrimmage periods).

That never used to happen.

“I’ve always wanted music,” Trautz said. “When I played, when I coached previously at Haddonfield, we always had music at practice. I like it. I didn’t want to be the one carrying the speaker out here, so I would kind of get upset when the kids wouldn’t bring it. We’ve got two speakers now, so we have one designated just to come out on the field. I like it because I like the energy being up and I think music helps with that, especially in these summer days.”

“It kicks our mood up,” junior quarterback Mason Middlemiss said.

They’re also wearing new white helmets with the blue W, replacing the blue helmets and orange W they wore last season. Another Trautz call. “I just wanted to do something different from last year,” he said. “New season. Fresh start.”

“I actually like them; I think they’re pretty cool,” Middlemiss said. “Coming in here I kind of liked the blue-and-white helmets combined, but last year was obviously new with just all blue. Now, we have all white, which I really like because my favorite NFL team is the Denver Broncos and they have the white alternate helmets and this is kind of that.”

White helmets are just one thing that’s new about Woodstown’s approach this season.

But the differences go beyond the tangible. The players say they are more connected this year and have adopted the motto “One Team, One Sound.” To that end, they do all their practice activities to a 14 count, representing the 14 games it takes to win a state championship. Additionally, the offensive line has devised a chant when the team approaches midfield — “All Aboard, Choo Choo” – that can be interpreted as the Wolverines are approaching the scoring zone, climb on the train to Touchdown Station.

“We all sat down and talked with one another and said we were each going to take responsibility for everybody,” Middlemiss said.

“This team this year, we’re all friends,” junior lineman Rax Hannah said. “Last year I feel like the whole team we dreaded coming out here; when a team doesn’t want to succeed they’re never gonna succeed. it was crazy coming into this year. We felt we were going to be good, but we didn’t know what we were going to have. Once we got the pads on and starting working out I was really like, Oh my God, this is gonna be a great year. It’s a new division, a new team. I think it’s a good reset for us.”

What they have is a roster of players who gain earned their experience through tough times. Last year they were forced into situations because of the injuries without much prior experience. The returnees who might not have gotten in the game otherwise, are now among the most veteran.

The offense rests in the hands of Middlemiss. The junior shared the role last year with Frankie Hoerst, a freshman with a lot of potential who has since transferred to St. Augustine. Middlemiss rushed for 177 yards and brought the Wolverines a win at Clayton to end the season on a high note. And he’s surrounded by athletes at all the skill positions who are interchangeable so they’re versatile. Expect a lot from Ware and receiver Andrew White.

“I’m ready to take over and ready to lead this team to where we aspire to be,” Middlemiss said. “I got a lot to take in last year. It wasn’t the kind of season we wanted … but we’re coming into this season with a mentality that we’re going to forget about what happened last year, we’re going to forget about everything and start our own rebuild and nothing is going to happen like last year.”

“He’s a natural leader,” Trautz said. “He’s completely taken ownership; he’s taken this role seriously. Listen, the kid can flat out play. I’m excited for him because a lot of people are going to know his name at the end of this season because of what he can do. I’ve coached a fair share of quarterbacks (and) he’s up there with some of the hardest-working guys that I’ve had.”

A lot of the offensive starters also play on defense. Trautz said he was “excited” to see what this year’s defense can develop into and believes it will return to playing “traditional Woodstown defense.” Chiu will be one of the players to watch, having gone through a dynamic growth spurt since last season and is now 6-1, 170 pounds of intensity.

From the look and sound of things, the Wolverines are firmly focused on looking forward.

“This is a new year, this is a new team and we’re going to face a new set of challenges and highs and lows; that’s all were focused on,” Trautz said. “To be successful in this sport you always have to operate that way. If you’re hanging on things you’ve done in the past, it’s gonna hurt you in the future. 

“They’re hungry because they want to prove themselves and show everybody what we can do. I agree with that. We’re excited to get the season started and make a new story for ourselves this year.”

Junior quarterback Mason Middlemiss (3) will take the reins of the Wolverines’ offense and says he’s ready to lead the team to where it aspires to be.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Aug. 17-21; x-scrimmage

MONDAY, AUG. 17
FOOTBALL
x-Clearview at Woodstown, 9 a.m.
x-Haddon Twp. at Penns Grove, 9 a.m.
x-Salem, Rahway, Pt. Pleasant Boro at Absegami, 10 a.m.
x-Triton at Pennsville, 10 a.m.

TUESDAY, AUG. 18
FOOTBALL
x-Delsea at Schalick, 10 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
x-Pennsville at Middle Twp., 10 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 19
GIRLS TENNIS
x-Clearview at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Woodstown at Sterling, 10 a.m.

THURSDAY, AUG. 20
FOOTBALL
x-Wildwood at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
x-Audubon at Woodstown, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUG. 21
FOOTBALL
x-Salem at Camden, 10 a.m.
x-Schalick at Buena, 9 a.m.
x-Poly Tech (Del.) at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
x-Schalick at Cumberland, 9:30 a.m.
x-Millville at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
x-Salem CC at Montclair, 5 p.m.

On familiar ground

Hand, Daly looking forward to playing Salem CC games in their old high school stadiums, Tomoney has a connection to the opening-day foe

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – The anticipation around Salem Community College is building for the first football game in the history of the school. But it’s a pretty safe bet two players on the team are probably more excited than anybody because they have connections to either the opening-day opponent or the venue of the historic game.

The Mighty Oaks play their inaugural game against Hudson Valley CC Aug. 29 at Pennsville High School.

Defensive back Raheem Tomoney spent a little time in the Hudson Valley program a couple years ago before leaving and eventually landing with the Mighty Oaks. Right guard Jacob Hand is stoked because he will be playing his first college game in the stadium he played his entire high school career.

“It’s everything to me,” Hand said. “Playing at Lou D’Angelo, it was surreal. Even in high school, under the lights and everything, it’s a beautiful stadium, beautiful setting, but just to be back at home for my first ever collegiate football game its awesome. It really hits back to home and really gets me excited.”

Pennsville athletics officials have said the school is excited to have a Hand homecoming in the stadium as well.

Because the Mighty Oaks don’t have a stadium on campus to call home, they scheduled their four home games this inaugural season in three of Salem County’s five high school stadiums. They play at Pennsville in opener and Oct. 17 for homecoming, and one time each at Schalick (Sept. 12) and Penns Grove (Sept. 19).

“I knew they were going to play at the high school, (but) I was thinking most at Penns Grove,” Hand said. “I didn’t really think we were going to have two games at Pennsville let alone one, but now that we have the two it’s an amazing feeling.”

Tomoney played four games for Hudson Valley in 2023, but left after feeling underutilized. The season opener will give him a chance to show the Vikings what they could have had.

“I don’t want to call anybody out, but it’s (to prove) to the coaches in a sense,” he said. “I feel like they gave up on me. They didn’t give me a chance.”

In time, Salem DBs coach Damon Troy reached out to him through social media channels and “showed me it could be more than what it was.” When Tomoney found out the Mighty Oaks were playing the Vikings “I was totally thrilled.”

He’s currently nursing a shoulder injury but says he’ll be ready for the opener.

The Delaware native had a lot of HVCC gear from his days there, but said he gave it to his younger brother. Perhaps he can find a Hudson Valley tee shirt to wear around practice that week to sharpen his teammates’ focus.

Hand heard about the ploy and yelled across the field.

“Hang that thing up in the locker room,” he said. “Don’t bring it out on the field.”

Tight end Robert Daly shares Hand’s excitement when it comes to the Mighty Oaks playing on his home turf. He said it was going to be a “very cool experience” to return to the stadiums he played in during his high school career at Schalick, and it will be especially meaningful when the Mighty Oaks go to his school for the second game of the season. Both local players are looking forward to being a tour guide that day.

“That’s awesome,” he said. “My last home game was filled with a lot of emotions because I thought it was going to be my last time on the field with my teammates and my friends. That was my school for four years and had a lot of emotion. Coming here and seeing it on my schedule it’s a great opportunity for me to show what I can do there because I know I’m going to have a lot of support, friends, family. I know there are going to be a lot of people going to be there because I played there for four years, so it’ll be an awesome experience.”

Salem CC guard Jacob Hand (42) prepares to hit the shield during an offensive line drill.



Salem: High expectations

With a big squad, quality across the board and an open road ahead, Rams looking for big things in Carr’s third season as head coach


By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Kemp Carr says he hasn’t heard the expectations. He may be the only one. His players sure have and they’re jumping on them like a loose ball in the end zone.

With all the team movement and reshuffling that has taken place in South Jersey Group I and the talent the Rams have assembled, there is strong talk about this team that just two years ago was winless winning a South Jersey Group 1 championship and even a state crown.

The head coach may not have heard all that, but the Rams aren’t backing away from any of it.

SALEM RAMS
Aug. 29 – at Ironton (Ohio), 1 p.m.
Sept. 5 – Paulsboro, noon
Sept. 12 – Audubon, noon
Sept. 18 – at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Sept. 26 – Overbrook, noon
Oct. 3 – Woodstown, noon
Oct. 9 – at Clayton, 6 p.m.
Oct. 10 – at Burlington City, 6 p.m.
Oct. 23 – at Pennsville, 6 p.m.

“Do I believe in it?” Carr said. “My goal ultimately has always been (that). I’ve been doing this for a very long time. If anybody comes in here thinking you’re going to be 0-10, I give up, then I should be in a different business. If anybody thought we were going to be 6-5, I should be in a different business.

“Every year we come in here with a plan, and that’s at the end of the day to be playing in December. That’s always the plan. It ain’t about this year, it ain’t about next year and it ain’t about last year. It’s about 2026-2027 football season. Being in front of us, we have one common goal, and that’s to be 14-0. I don’t believe in expectations. I believe in results and reality. We’re just trying to win one game at a time and we’re trying to layer it. 

“I don’t deal with expectations. I’m a reality guy, and the only way you can get there is you’ve got to stack the wins and you’ve got to be playing better than everybody else when it comes to the end of the season. That’s always going to my motto. We have a motto here – our standard is our standard, we don’t deviate from our standard. Our standard is were going to outwork everybody and hopefully the ball bounces our way.”

The reality is the Rams were a lot better in Carr’s second season last year than his winless first one and they’re looking for even more this year – a lot more.

“We’re not ducking any of the expectations,” junior defensive end Tony Merendino said. “I think the expectations when we came over here were very high. We have a bunch of guys who are all ready, we’re hungry for that win, hungry for that state championship. The main mission, that’s what were in for.”

“That’s the goal, nothing else; we want to to go to Rutgers,” running back Isiah Santiago said. “We know there’s a lot on the table right now, so we just have to really put all in.”

The Rams’ confidence is rooted in part in the players’ commitment during the off-season, so much so they were sending Carr videos of their workouts on his summertime trip overseas to confirm they were doing the work.

They have the depth and experience to be the dominant team in the revamped WJFL Diamond Division, and when it comes to Group 1 overall, they don’t have Glassboro to contend with this year. Their battles, at least in the division, are expected to be with Schalick and Paulsboro. The key is staying healthy, staying together and reducing senseless penalties that stifled them at times

“We’re excited for this year,” RB-DB Cashmir Parsley said. “Coming off of last season with a second-round loss (to Glassboro), I feel we should go farther into the playoffs and go to the championship and win and do way better than last year. The work ethic is way different from last year. We work harder this year, everybody’s positive, practice is just different than last year.

“We’re gonna go all the way.,” he added confidently.

Kemp Carr enters this third season as the Rams’ head coach.

Carr welcomed 37 returning players among the 48 he has in camp, the largest group in his three seasons at the helm, and depth across the board.

They have 10 down linemen, six linebackers, four safeties and five corners on a “Blue Storm” defense that held three of its last four opponents last season to a touchdown or less. There are eight linemen, 10 receivers (six slot, four outside), three running backs and two quarterbacks in an offense even faster than the one that put up 30 points or more in four of their six wins. There are 18 juniors and 11 seniors.

The coach called it “on paper, the most quality team I’ve had.”

Ev-ver.

“It’s the deepest we’ve been and they’ve matched some of the other teams’ mindset, leadership,” he said. “It ain’t about the (captain’s) C on your chest, It’s about the quality of work you put in for people who are willing to follow it. I’ve had good teams ending great because they outworked people and I had great teams only be good because they thought they were great.”

“We should be amazing, actually,” Santiago said.

To guide them through, Carr has assembled a “great” staff of 11 assistants, including the program’s first paid female assistant, Operations Coordinator Destiny LeFlore.

Desmund Thomas, a strong-armed quarterback who transferred from Georgia last year, brings his cannon back to the offense in 2026. The Michael Vick play-alike threw for 1,226 yards and 13 touchdowns last year, while rushing for 329 yards and four scores. He’s surrounded by a corps of speedy receivers and protected by a line anchored by first-team Diamond Division returnees Wyatt Irvine and Abdur Jenkins and a trimmed-up 330-pounder Jeremiah Robinson.

The defense will be bolstered by the addition of Merendino. He is nearly back to full form after tearing an ACL while playing for Woodstown last season. He should give the Rams the dynamic outside presence Temple signee Antoine Rogers provided last year while setting the single-season school record for sacks.

“I’m feeling great, feel my play style coming back,” Merendino said. “Ever since I tore my ACL on October 14 of my sophomore year (at Woodbury) I felt like I wouldn’t be coming back the same, but now that I was blessed with a new opportunity to come here, I believe ever since I started my recovery I can become this newer, stronger version of myself.”

The Rams expect to be strong up front with 10 defensive lineman and eight on offense.




Week One: 5 questions

The Salem CC football team just completed its first week of on-field practice, coaches still learning players’ capabilities, but seeing signs of Mighty Oaks becoming a team; coach Jay Accorsi gives a quick assessment after Thursday’s practice

RIVERVIEW SPORTS NEWS: Today marks one week outside with the team. What have you learned?

COACH JAY ACCORSI: I think they’ve been very resilient; it’s been very hot. We didn’t really train them. We didn’t really give a big summer program. We only had six or seven of these players in the spring. So, where we are now, I’m pleasantly surprised.

I think we’re in decent shape. I think we’ve got some really good players. And I think we’re starting to form a little bit of a team.

RSN: The early schedule had today listed as the first day in full pads, but that was pushed back a day. For a program just getting started, what does missing a day and getting behind schedule do to you?

JA: Training camp, it is what it is in football. It’s hard. There are a lot of days. We missed the Saturday because of the storms, but what are you going to do? We don’t have an indoor facility. It is what it is. I thought the players handled it really well.

Does it put you behind in any way? Just a day, really, that’s why today we were in uppers and tomorrow we’ll be in full, because you have to follow the acclimization period, which we are. I think we’re doing enough work that we’re doing all right and we’re on track and schedule for the first week.

RSN: What will you be looking for from Friday’s first day in full pads. Are you looking to see how guys take contact or is there something specific in mind?

JA: It’ll just be practicing hard again, making sure everybody’s doing what they need to do. You don’t really do a lot of full tackle any more, really, from the pros all the way down to college. We’ll be a little bit more physical, but we’re not going to go crazy and do a lot. We’re not going live periods, we’re not going all out, like we’ve got to transition to get there.

With a young program and a young, inexperienced team, we’ve got to go slow; push it, but we’ve got to go slow and be smart.

RSN: Is there anything shaping up in terms of position battles, depth charts?

JA: I think we’re starting to identify players and what they can do. I think the offensive line, that’s the group that needs a lot of timing, footwork, work together, and I think it’s coming along. Same thing with the offense, too. It’s about timing, plays. We’re putting a lot of different players in there, we’re putting a lot of different people, a lot of pieces, just to try to learn to see what these players can do. I think that’s a hard thing, but I think we’re getting there.

RSN: Are you looking forward to Friday’s first day in full pads?

OL JACOB HAND (PENNSVILLE): The way I look at it, as an offensive lineman, once we’re in shoulder pads we’re in full go because the legs don’t really much to us. It means more in the sense of protecting others. As being a lineman, being able to protect people all my life, it’s more serious in the fact I have to worry about other people and seriously hone in on what I’m doing and what the ppeople next to me are doing just to make sure people aren’t getting hurt and to make sure everybody is ready for Hudson Valley.

TE ROBERT DALY (SCHALICK): It’s going to be awesome. That full-pad feeling, there’s nothing like it. This is just a lead up to it. It really gets that game experience once you get to hit.

As told to Al Muskewitz

Top photo: Salem CC quarterbacks (from left) Aidan Hill, Cameron Wright and Malakhai McKenzie work out under the watchful eye of offensive coordinator Chris Crowley Thursday

Rams ‘super-duper’ excited

Salem coach Kemp Carr directs his team during a drill Wednesday; Rams open their season in 16 days in Ohio

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Kemp Carr gets excited about every season opener, but this year the Salem football coach is “super-duper pumped” for it.

Carr is taking his team on a little adventure to open his third season with the team that’s full of promise. The Rams play in Ironton, Ohio, Aug. 29, an ambitious trip that has more layers than just a game.

“Can’t wait,” Carr said after practice Wednesday night. “Excited. Super excited.

“For one, these kids have an opportunity to travel to play football. They get to open their eyes and see something else.”

Of course, it’s more than a game to lift the curtain on what many expect to be a deep run in the Group 1 playoffs. On the way over, the team will make a stop to experience West Virginia University and on the way back they plan to visit Marshall University. 

“So it’s a business trip, it’s not just a football trip,” Carr said. “It’s a business trip with a vacation tag to it, an educational tag to it, an exposure tag to it, and an opportunity to bond tag to it. There’s a lot going on here with this trip, so I’m super excited … and if it goes well hopefully we’ll be able to do it in the future again.”

Carr isn’t the only one stoked about the trip. Junior RB-DB Isiah Santiago has been excited about it ever since Riverview Sports News reported the school board approving it this past spring. Carr said “a lot of people” from the community also are expected to make the eight-hour trip to the Ohio-Kentucky border.

“That’s going to be a great experience,” said Santiago, who had two rushing touchdowns and a pick-six in the Rams’ opening-round playoff win at KIPP last season. “Go out of state, (play) a new team we’ve never seen, just go out there and do us. It’s new competition, so you don’t know who it is, you just have to give it all. I was just excited to go on the trip to show everybody what we can do.”

“To go down to Ohio, that’s a major blessing,” defensive end Tony Merendino said. “I’ve never been out of state playing football before, so that’s something different for me. It’s definitely exciting.”

It will be the first time the Rams have played an out-of-state opponent since 2023, when they lost to Executive Education Charter in Lafayette’s Fisher Field. Carr’s last game against an out-of-state opponent was 2009 when his Penns Grove team that eventually reached the South Jersey semifinals lost to a Red Lion (Pa.) team loaded with D-I prospects.

The Rams have already started preparing for the Fighting Tigers and their Boston College-committed three-star quarterback Kayden Edwards. They’ll get a feel for what they’ll see in a Monday quad scrimmage against host Absegami, Rahway and Pt. Pleasant Boro. All three teams are said to have a similar look to their faraway foe.

“I’m excited to go put Salem on the map,” running back Cashmir Parsley said. “I’m just ready to go play.”

Ware on the rise

Penns Grove board approves football, basketball coach Damian Ware to be assistant principal at high school

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Damian Ware is going to need a bigger plate.

Already Penns Grove High School’s head football coach and head basketball coach, Ware added assistant principal to his resume Monday night when the school board approved him for that position at the high school. He will oversee discipline and attendance.

WARE

The 48-year-old former Penns Grove athlete has been in school system virtually his entire life and will be leaving his fifth-grade classroom at the Paul W. Carleton School for the administration post.

He is just starting his first season as the Red Devils’ head football coach (after 10 years as an assistant to the school’s last three head coaches), tasked with rebuilding a program that went winless last season, and is coming up on his 14th season as their head basketball coach.

He plans to hold onto both coaching positions and is comfortable maintaining all three positions.

“He’s definitely capable of doing it,” Red Devils athletics director Anwar Golden said.


Being in the high school every day as an administrator, Ware said, will allow him to reach many more students than just the teams he coaches.

“I pride myself on being able to compartmentalize, being able to use what you need when you need to use it and putting other things to the side so you can focus on those things,” he said. “It’s tough sometimes when you have multiple things, but if you can compartmentalize and do things and make sure you take care of any responsibility first that you may have before you try to do another thing (it’s doable). Where it gets a little clunky is when you try to do everything at once; that’s when it becomes tough.

“There’s 24 hours in a day, so you have plenty of time in a day to get everything accomplished if you are prioritizing and focusing on what you need to do for that plan. I’m very good at planning, very good at compartmentalizing and I’m very good at structure. Those are three things I pride my life on. That’s how I’ve gotten to the point in life where I’m at and been successful, because I can separate things and use them when I need to and put them away when I need to.”

Ware has had offers to become assistant principals at other schools the last couple years, but turned them down out of loyalty to Penns Grove in a career that sounds a lot like the title of a Drake song.

“I really feel like I’m tied to Penns Grove,” he said. “I’m a Penns Grove graduate, my son’s a Penns Grove graduate and this is going into my 20th year as a Penns Grove teacher. I started off as a long-term substitute and now I’m moving to an assistant principal. Yeah, I started from the bottom and now I’m working to the top.

“I have of loyalty. That’s one thing I pride myself on, being loyal, and working to build things. I don’t like having things handed to me, so I like to build and work towards any goal I try to accomplish.”

Hall moves to January

Salem County Sports Hall of Fame moving ceremonies to January, opens meeting to discuss new class later this month

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

The Salem County Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony traditionally has been a late summer fixture on the county sports calendar, but going forward it will be an event for the first month of the year. The next Hall of Fame class will be enshrined on Jan. 15, 2027.

Last year’s induction ceremony took place in August, while the late Matthew Gaudreau was enshrined on Jan. 17 of this year.

“We did do it in the late summer last year, but we also had an additional event in January,” said Melissa Daly, the executive director of the Salem Community College Foundation and point person for the Hall of Fame. “So, we had just done it already this year and with all the football activities we have in late summer, it just felt like maybe we should stick with that January date.

“That actually worked out pretty well for us and gives us more time towards the end of the summer to deal with some other things that are happening at the college. It’s a busy time of year so it would give us more time for planning.”

Daly assumed directorship of the Foundation in December 2024 from Ceil Smith, who was enshrined in last year’s class as one of the founders of the Hall and her and service to it.

“It’s been a great opportunity,” Daly said. “I get to meet a lot of people in the community who made a mark on Salem County. I feel honored to be able to recognize their achievements.”

The Hall of Fame committee will meet for the first time on this year’s class later this month. More than 100 local sports luminaries are currently enshrined in the Hall, which is housed in Salem CC’s Dupont Field House and can now be accessed online. The induction ceremony, which is free and open to the public, is held in the college’s Davidow Theater.

Blast from the past

Penns Grove historical society to feature year-long exhibit on community’s strong football legacy; exhibit opens Sept. 13

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Karen Dingley leaned over the display case and looked over the parcel that was folded neatly on the counter. Delicately, she peeled back each fold, careful not to disturb the item or the tissue paper that was protecting it. Finally, all the folds were opened and the tissue paper separated revealing maybe not the oldest item in the collection but the one that might be the crown jewel of the whole show – a 1938 game-worn jersey of the semi-pro football Penns Grove Eagles.

“I think most people, if they’re under a certain age, didn’t even know there was a semi-pro team in Penns Grove,” Dingley said.

That’s all about to change.

Football has been big in Penns Grove for a long time. Weekends in the fall were filled with the sounds of the game and championship dreams. It may have fallen on some lean times in recent years, but the passion for the game has always been strong and the history is a rich one.

The Historical Society of Penns Grove, Carneys Point and Oldmans is putting the community’s football legacy on display with a year-long free exhibit called “Gridiron Glory.” It premiers Sept. 13 during the museum’s Open House at 48 West Main Street in Penns Grove.

“Penns Grove is a big football town, it always has been,” board member Mary Beth McDermott said. “We thought people would really enjoy it.”

The exhibit will feature items that date back to the 1920s and follow the community’s football history through its youth, high school and semi-pro teams. There are helmets from the early Penns Grove and St. James high school teams. There are commemorative footballs from the first four St. James’ Parochial C championship teams and a huge mural detailing all of the former school’s gridiron accomplishments. There are jackets from the youth and high school teams and the aforementioned Eagles’ jersey as well as an assortment of photos, trophies and other memorabilia from every era and every level.

During a recent visit to the museum, a group of volunteers was busy putting together pieces for the exhibit. Janet Bowe was developing a list of coaches for all the local football teams.

The oldest item in the exhibit appears to be a 1928 program from a game between the Penns Grove A.A. and the Haddon All Stars. The local team appeared to be coached by former New Jersey state senator and one-time acting governor John M. Summerill Jr.

Karen Dingley inspects a jersey from the 1938 Penns Grove Eagles semi-pro football team that will be on display at the Historical Society of Penns Grove, Carneys Point & Oldmans starting next month.

The society has curated exhibits on athletics before, but this will be the first featured in the main room that in a previous life served as the lobby for the First Savings & Loan Association. The display will stay up until July, while the exhibits in the smaller rooms are changed out regularly.

“I did know football is very big in this community, but I didn’t know how far back it went,” said Dingley, the historical society’s treasurer and chairman of the museum committee. “I didn’t know how many people basically went on to do major things in football outside of this area, not so much major-league football but college football and stuff like that or became coaches in different areas. Football and baseball, I think they’re the two major things in our area. We’ll probably do an exhibition on (baseball) at some point, too.”

The historical society is staffed completely by volunteers and is supported through donations and various fundraisers. All of the items on display have been either donated or are on loan. The museum is open on Sundays from 1-3 p.m., but off-hours tours can be arranged by calling 856-299-1556 in advance. The same number can be used for inquiries about donating items for the football exhibit.

Historical society volunteers arrange a series of Penns Grove High School patches for a display during a recent work session.

The society will have the special Saturday opening Sept. 19. That’s the day after the Penns Grove High School Homecoming game where the school will recognize the 1963-64 state championship team that was recently voted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame. The museum hopes to encourage members of that team to visit that day to share stories and memories and perhaps add some memorabilia to the exhibit.

“We’re just trying to show the community where our towns have been in the past,” Dingley said. “Right now they’re starting the midgets back up – they been out for a few years – so I think we’re trying to … let the younger people know if you look at the town and you don’t think anything important ever happened here or there wasn’t stuff for kids and young adults, there actually was. By showing some of the people who played in sports, OK, you may not go on and play for the New England Patriots or the Dallas Cowboys, but if you’re a really good football player it can help you get into college and stuff like that.

“I think in all of our exhibits that’s kind of what we are trying to do, whether it’s football or anything else, let people know the history of the town, different things they may not realize; they may have heard a story about one portion or another. I don’t know how many of the kids in high school today know how big football was and how good the teams were.”

The former St. James High School football team will be prominently displayed in the exhibit. (Below) A program and poster from the archives.

Top photo: Historical society board members Karen Dingley (L) and Mary Beth McDermott (R) and volunteer Nancy Counsellor discuss the group’s upcoming Gridiron Glory exhibit that premiers Sept. 13.