Author: almusky

Instant impact

Thursday roundup: Louis Sepers scores a goal in his first game eligible with Schalick soccer team; Schalick’s Romano scores 200th coaching win, and more UPDATED

THURSDAY’S SCORES
BOYS SOCCER
Schalick 3, Pennsville 0
Salem Tech 1, Salem 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 6, Pennsville 0
Salem 9, Salem Tech 0
Woodstown 4, Penns Grove 0
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 7, Cumberland 0
GIRLS TENNIS
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 2 Schalick 5, No. 15 Salem 0
No. 3 Woodstown 5, No. 14 Lindenwold 0
No. 4 Middle Twp. vs. No. 13 Penns Grove
No. 8 Pennsville 4, No. 9 Overbrook 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Louis Sepers has been chomping at the bit to get on the pitch for the Schalick boys soccer team and when he finally did, he made it count.

Sepers scored his first goal in his first game with the Cougars Thursday, a 3-0 Diamond Division road shutout of Pennsville.

The junior center midfielder transferred from Kingsway to play with his brother and cousin and had to sit out the last 31 days to restore his eligibility. He scored the last goal of the game with 5:15 to play.

“Definitely not,” Sepers said when asked if his debut could’ve gone any better. “It was a great game. We played really well. We knew coming in we need commitment, we need more leaders, so I came in here as a leader and started off.

“I’ve been going crazy. Just getting to go on the field and score a goal, just unbelievable. I never could have thought of it being any better.”

Sepers, who didn’t score in his two years with the Dragons, actually started the play that eventually led to his first Schalick goal. He sent a pass in to Luke Price, but Price got it caught on his foot in the box and fed it back to the trailing Sepers who fired point blank into the upper left corner.

“We had a feeling he would get one,” Cougars coach Joe Mannella said. “He’s been chomping at the bit to get out there. He’s a good player. He should have had one in the first half. He’s going to get his chances.”

Louis was one of three Sepers on the field for the Cougars  Brother Anthony was in the game and cousin Evan posted the shutout.

Louis played his first two years at Kingsway. His brother and cousin were already at Schalick when he decided to join them, but enrolled after the Cougars had already started practicing, hence the delay.

He had been practicing with them since his arrival but was relegated to the sidelines while they went 7-3 in their first 10 games. The embargo ended just in time for him to get in a game before the Cougars’ showdown with rival Woodstown on the Wolverines’ football field Saturday night.

He brings them experience, composure and depth, all of which the Cougars will need Saturday already knowing they’ll go into the game without two starters. He spent 18 days this summer with the Spanish fourth tier club CD Numancia in Soria, and decided upon his return to The States he wanted to play with his sophomore siblings.

“They’ve been bugging me for years,” he said. “Since freshman year I was thinking about it, and I just ended up going to Kingsway, but they’ve been bugging me, especially my uncle.”

Steve Chomo scored the Cougars’ first two goals, both assisted by Oscar Hernandez. The first one was a partial breakaway with 22:01 left in the first half and the second came with 22:35 to play.

SALEM TECH 1, SALEM 1: Clinton Bobo’s goal in the second half earned the Crusaders (3-6-1) their tie. The Rams remain winless in 10 games (0-9-1)

GIRLS SOCCER
SCHALICK 6, PENNSVILLE 0: Emily Miller peppered her 25th and 26th goals of the season in between Quinn Berger’s hat trick — all in the first half — as the Cougars (8-2) overran the undermanned Eagles (3-7-2). Jael Winnberg scored the Cougars’ final goal in the the second half. All but one of the Cougars’ wins have been by shutout.

WOODSTOWN 4, PENNS GROVE 0: Talia Battavio scored two goals and Delaney Walker and Sophie Wells each had one for the Wolverines (5-6). Calista Hunt and Emma Perry each had two assists.

SALEM 9, SALEM TECH 0: Karima Davenport-White scored four goals as the Rams (3-6-1) won for the second time in their last three games. Ryann Foote had a goal and two assists, Xin Shen had two assists, and Carlysia Pierce, Lyric Hayes, Ameriyona Hunter and Jayla Turner each scored a goal.

FIELD HOCKEY
SCHALICK 7, CUMBERLAND 0: Ava Scurry scored three goals and dished two assists. Scurry now has six goals on the season. Phoebe Alward scored her 11th goal, while Lucianna Virga, Caylen Taylor and Casey Widdifield also scored. Lydia Gilligan stopped the only shot she faced for the shutout.

GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick and Woodstown postponed their regularly scheduled showdown Thursday in order to help the opening round of the South Jersey Group 1 Tournament avoid projected bad weather on Friday and both made easy work of their opponents.

Schalick, the No. 2 seed, swept No. 15 Salem 5-0, while Woodstown, the No. 3 seed, swept No. 14 Lindenwold, 5-0. No. 8 Pennsville was the third Salem County team advancing, beating No. 9 Overbrook, 4-1.

Schalick (14-2) won all five of its matches in straight sets, losing only two games in the second set of No. 1 singles, and gave coach John Romano his 200th coaching victory. Undefeated Woodstown (13-0) also won all five matches in straight sets.

“Girls, to say ‘thank you’ would be a disservice,” Romano wrote in appreciation of his milestone on the school’s athletics Facebook page. “I cannot begin to tell you how lucky I am to coach such an unbelievable group of young ladies. You’re the true reason why I come back year after year.

“Years from now when I’m old(er) and have (more) white hairs, I will reminisce on the wins and losses, but ultimately I will think about all of the lives I’ve been able to touch and the friendships and relationships I’ve formed with all of you. A true testament of a coach isn’t wins and losses on the court, it’s the success you young ladies have in life.”

Pennsville now travels to top-seeded Haddon Twp. Tuesday for its second-round match. Woodstown will host Gateway and Schalick will host Audubon. Wins by Woodstown and Schalick in Round 2 would set up a sectional semifinals battle between the two county rivals in Pittsgrove.

SCHALICK 5, SALEM 0
Singles: Rachael Irizarry (Sc) def. Mandarin Castellanos, 6-0, 6-2; Grace O’Neill (Sc) def. Cassidy Werkheiser, 6-0, 6-0; Allyson Green (Sc) def. Olivia Woolman, 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles: Emma Adams-Katelyn Little (Sc) def. Gianna Pelura-Tytiana Miller, 6-0, 6-0; Miya Watkins-Rachel Grandson (Sc) def. Angelina Fothergill-Tahirah Davenport-White, 6-0, 6-0.

WOODSTOWN 5, LINDENWOLD 0
Singles: Abby Melle (W) def. Shanik Leiva, 6-1, 6-1; Gabby Kurds (W) def. Chelsea Ortez, 6-0, 6-0; Cara Delia (W) def. Leczy Estupinian, no match.
Doubles: Julianna Lindenmuth-Molly Curtis (W) def. Fatima Arriaza-Giselle Ontiveros, 6-1, 6-0; Kathryn Milligan-Lauren Lippincott (W) def. Tiffany Lopez-Selena Perla, 6-1, 6-0.

PENNSVILLE 4, OVERBROOK 1
Singles: Madison Newbold (O) def. Regan Witt, 7-5, 6-2; Megan Morris (P) def. Keira Riess, 6-2, 6-1; Lily Edwards (P) def. Mia Costantino, 6-1, 6-0.
Doubles: Emma Cornette-Fanta Kone (P) def. Hillary Cao-Jennifer Giovanni, 6-3, 6-0; Isabell Schrenker-Gabi Forino (P) def. Sophia Burgos-Denovia Cameron, 6-1, 6-0.

Cover photo: Schalick soccer newcomer Louis Sepers is marked by Pennsville’s Brody Wiggins (46) Thursday afternoon.


Big games all around

Every team in Salem County, undefeated or winless, has something to play for; story will be updated

SALEM COUNTY FOOTBALL
Friday’s games
Bishop Eustace at Schalick, forfeit
Overbrook at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 7 p.m.
Woodbury at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s game
Paulsboro at Salem, noon (Walnut Street)

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – From the first day the Woodstown football team showed up for summer workouts one game has been on its radar.

Ever since the Wolverines put Woodbury on the schedule as a last-minute pick-up during the COVID season, the teams have had a spirited rivalry, whether it be in games, scrimmages of 7-on-7 camp. The intensity took a big turn two years ago when the Thundering Herd scored late in the South Jersey Group I final to dash the Wolverines’ hopes of winning a state championship and it’s been driving them ever since.

Last year, with Woodstown 5-0 and Woodbury 5-1, the Herd took advantage of several Wolverine turnovers and took it to them pretty good on the way to winning the state title. 

Friday night the stakes will be high again with the winner taking over first place in the WJFL Diamond Division. But for all that’s on the line, Woodstown coach John Adams is going about business like any other week because, in their division, it’s like playing in the SEC of Group I where one could put even the weakest team somewhere else and they’d be undefeated.

“We approach every week the same way whether it’s a game people have circled on their schedule or not,” Adams said. “We always make sure we prepare for everybody the same way. We had a good day of practice on Monday with the varsity. We had a good day Tuesday with everybody. We’re just looking to keep having good practices.”

Both teams come into the game with a loss or two on their record. Woodstown (4-1) lost to Glassboro in overtime. Woodbury (3-2) has lost two in a row without injured quarterback Dante Viccharelli. That hasn’t happened since 2020 when the Herd lost three straight in a stretch that included the game picked up by Woodstown.

The Wolverines are preparing as if Viccharelli will play.

“I’m preparing as if he’s playing, but I have no idea,” Adams said. “And I don’t believe anything kids say because last week people were saying Salem had some kids who weren’t playing and then they showed up and played.

“It seems always to be that way. Usually we get everybody’s best shot, so usually it’s a game where if somebody’s out they’re trying to get back for a game like this, so we’re full head of steam preparing for their quarterback to be back there.”

Whether Viccharelli is in there or not, the Herd also has a dynamic running back in Anthony Reagan Jr. The coach’s son, a Howard commitment, has rushed for 794 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, but maybe because opposing defenses know he is the best remaining threat he’s been held to less than 100 rushing in each of their last two losses.

PENNS GROVE (2-4) at GLASSBORO (3-2): The Red Devils certainly will have their eyes on that game. Depending on the outcome, they could be right back in the hunt for a share of the division title even after starting the season 0-3.

For that to happen, they’d need Woodstown to win Friday and then beat the Wolverines in their final regular-season game in two weeks forcing a potential three-way tie. Woodbury holds the head-to-head tiebreaker on them.

“I didn’t even look at that until yesterday and I said the same thing to myself,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “In the big picture, the first thing you always tell yourself you want to win your division because that will get you high in the playoffs and I know that’s a couple weeks out but an opportunity to beat Woodstown would go a long way to getting a couple home games in the playoffs.

“At the end of the day you only have opportunities to win so many things and winning the division is part of having a special season. Last year in the division we were winless, so to go into the last game of the season and have an opportunity to win the division, that to me would be a big step in the right direction.”

First, though, they have to get past the Bulldogs, a traditional opponent who beat Woodstown in overtime two weeks ago and are the current No. 1 in the South Jersey Group I UPR ratings. The Red Devils should have a little more pep in their step after playing their best half of the season last week and coming from 19 down at halftime to beat Paulsboro last week for their second win in three games.

Take out the season opener when they were bedeviled by turnovers, the Red Devils have outscored their opponents in the second half 37-29. It was the first quarter that doomed them in the Woodbury game; they were only outscored 8-6 in the second half of that one.

“Sometimes I feel like our team and our younger guys lack a little confidence so hopefully this will be an example we can use not just the rest of this season but next year that when things aren’t going well there’s always an opportunity to turn it around,” Emel said. “I think every game this year except for Woodbury has come down to the second half. We feel we’re competitive and we’re a good enough program that every game will be decided the second half.

“You say that to your guys as a coach and you practice to reinforce that, but until they have success in that type of situation those words probably sometimes ring hollow. Hopefully this will give our young players confidence not just the rest of this season but in the future that the game is never over good or bad. Football’s a long game and things can change really quickly. We’ve got to just keep playing, play hard in the second half and we’ve got to finish games, and we did that last week.”

OVERBROOK (3-2) at PENNSVILLE (3-2): It’s an out-of-division game against a bigger opponent, but it’s another chance for the Eagles to get better, avenge another of last year’s losses and enhance their position for a playoff spot. And it all comes on Homecoming, to boot.

The Eagles remain at No. 17 in the South Jersey Group I UPR ratings, two-tenths of a point out of the last qualifying spot, but stand to pick up a lot of points if they can knock off a Group II team with a winning record and a dynamic quarterback.

Overbrook took it to them pretty good last year and has won three of the last four games in the series, but the Eagles are in a different place this season. They’ve already beaten two teams that took them down last year (Gateway and Cumberland).

“It’s similar to the whole theme of our year, just trying to get back respect,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said. “It’s a situation where we want to go in and show we are a different team this year and we believe we could do it.

“And just like every game right now this is another huge one in terms of playoffs. Right now we’re still stuck at 17, so we’ve got to do some work still. Regardless of that, we’ve got to just keep winning anyway. We’re still fighting and just want a shot in the playoffs.”

A win would give them as many wins as the last two seasons combined and four in a season for the first time 2017 (4-6). They won their fourth game that year in the eighth game.

“We’ve played better in every game this year compared to last year,” Healy said. “In that sense it’s all been positive, but we’re still trying to learn and we have not reached our full potential yet, so we have to keep getting after it and getting better every week, but we’re seeing constant improvement. There’s a ton of positives this year already.”

Signs of that improvement can be found in sophomore quarterback Robbie McDade, who took a big step towards turning into the quarterback the Eagles need him to be with last week’s 300-yard game against Cumberland. McDade threw for 205 yards on 16-of-29 passing – all career highs – and rushed for 102 yards. He accounted for three touchdowns in the 25-12 victory.

“He’s even said he feels a lot more comfortable now,” Healy said. “You can see him taking command of the offense. He’s fixing kids when they make mistakes instead of the coaches having to do it. He’s really taken a leadership role and developed a much better understanding of the offense as a whole.

“As a sophomore that’s really want to see from him. He’s still a young player and he’s going to make mistakes and we expect that, but to see these steps in terms of leadership and just understanding what we’re trying to do is huge and going to pay big dividends for him. Like everyone else he’s getting better, but I definitely think he’s starting to kind of get in a groove.”

SCHALICK vs. BISHOP EUSTACE: http://rb.gy/e58jq

Saturday’s game

PAULSBORO (0-5) at SALEM (0-6): In a game between two storied programs, strangely, somebody’s going to get their first win this week. Paulsboro, which hasn’t been winless this long since 1970, has come close the last two weeks. Last week the Red Raiders blew a 19-0 halftime lead at Penns Grove and scored all three of their touchdowns on big plays

Salem has shown signs of turning the corner, but needs to put four quarters together. The Rams were one big play from being tied with Camden at halftime, threatened Cedar Creek in the second half until a late turnover ended their comeback, and stopped Woodstown at the goal line at the end of a time-consuming opening drive last week.

The game will be played at the Walnut Street Field as the Rams’ on-campus stadium isn’t quite ready for game day. School officials are hopeful it will be ready in time for next week’s Homecoming Game.

Another free one

Schalick off for second week in a row after Bishop Eustace forfeits Friday’s game, gives Cougars share of Horizon Division title UPDATED

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – The undefeated Schalick football team finds itself with an unexpected open date for the second week in a row after athletics department officials were informed Monday of Bishop Eustace’s intention to forfeit Friday night’s WJFL Horizon Division game due to a lack of players to safely field a competitive varsity team.

The Cougars also received a forfeit win from division opponent Lindenwold last week for the same reason. They have not played on the field since Sept. 22 when they beat Pennsville 38-20.

Eustace was said to have 16 players available for the game against a Schalick program with more than 60.

With the forfeit, the Cougars, now 7-0 for the first time since 2006 after the forfeit, clinch a share of their second straight Horizon Division title. They can claim the crown outright Friday if Riverside beats Gloucester Catholic since they own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Riverside and everyone else in the league will have at least two losses.

The Cougars were No. 1 in the UPR power ratings that determine playoff seedings before the first forfeit and fell to No. 2 afterwards. While they will collect ratings and power points from the game – Eustace is 3-2 and No. 8 in NJSIAA Non-Public Group B – it was uncertain what this latest forfeit would do to their position.

They could have found a replacement opponent for last week’s forfeit but “in the best interest of the team” that had been going without a break since the first day of practice they decided to take the forfeit. They did seek a replacement opponent this week, but no team in the WJFL had an open date and the unnamed Shore Conference team in North Jersey they found that did have a corresponding open date declined the game.

Both forfeits were winnable games for the Cougars, but head coach Mike Wilson would prefer to play on the field.

“They’re claiming they don’t have enough kids and they’ve got injuries, but they’ve had low numbers all year,” Wilson said. “The league cannot allow this to happen. If you’re committed to varsity, you play varsity football, they should not allow them to play varsity the rest of the year. It’s not fair.

“Yes, they’re wins on paper, but these kids need to play football. It’s not going to hurt us on playoff seeding, it’s not going to hurt us winning our division … but it kind of loses its luster when you don’t actually play the games.

“It’s not fair. You’re taking games away from these kids, and especially my seniors – and I don’t have a lot of them. These were the COVID kids. They lost games their freshmen year because of COVID. It’s not fair. The league has to do something about it. It’s frustrating because the kids have worked so hard.”

Wilson and Schalick athletics director Doug Volovar have reached out to various West Jersey Football League officials to express their concerns. Volovar was told by WJFL president Joe McColgan, the Moorestown AD, there was no recourse in place at this time either for relief or sanctions for a situation that impacts a wide range of institutional constituencies. Riverview Sports News sent an email to McColgan seeking comment and is awaiting a reply.

“We just have to accept it and move on, that’s really all we’re allowed to do,” Volovar said. “It’s just unfortunate for us that it’s happened to us twice.”

Penns Grove head coach John Emel, president of the WJFL coaches association, doesn’t like seeing the forfeits but his group doesn’t have power to make changes. He feels for the Cougars.

“I don’t like it,” he said. “It’s not good for the sport; the forfeits aren’t good for the competitiveness of the league and the competition and things like that. My position is I want to try to avoid them at all costs. I feel bad for Schalick in terms of their kids and the seniors and things like that. It stinks. I don’t think there’s a solution for it short term.”

In a sense, Shalick is a victim of its own success. After some down seasons, the Cougars were relegated to a weaker division in the last WJFL reshuffle and Wilson has been building them back for inclusion in a stronger grouping that’s expected to occur in the realignment after this season.

It wasn’t immediately known if the Eustace position would be just for this week or longer, but Schalick officials would be “really disappointed” if either forfeiting team would drop down to play a JV schedule in their current state and then return to varsity play during the same season when convenient. The Crusaders are scheduled to play Florence, currently No. 3 in the SJ-I UPR, at home next week

“To me that’s one of the more disturbing issues,” Volovar said. “The feeling is if you have players and you say that you’re going to commit to a varsity schedule, but then you’re dropping down to a JV schedule, that’s concerning to me because if you have enough players to play a game of football you should be playing a game because that’s what you committed to at the beginning.

“Maybe some schools aren’t as fortunate as we are, but at the same time, because we’ve done what we’re supposed to do and we’re trying to do what’s better for our kids and our programs we’re unfortunately getting penalized.”

As for the Cougars, they reduced their practice week schedule last week, but they’re going through this one just as if they were playing a game Friday. 

“When you look at the grand scheme of things we’re going to be OK, that’s what I told the kids,” Wilson said. “If you came out to practice yesterday you would’ve never even known we didn’t have a game; we had a great practice. I think the kids get the importance of what we still have to accomplish this season. 

“And I think there’s maturity there. They’ve finally learned to control what you can control.”

Schalick is scheduled to play Cumberland next week. There’s close to 100 percent chance that game will be played .

It’s the trophy game between the two schools —
the Tom Lake & Mike Hars Memorial Game, formerly known as The Neighborhood Game. 

Woodstown’s wild week

Wolverines’ girls tennis team edges Pennsville as part of a big week of matches that could be impacted by weather

TUESDAY’S SALEM COUNTY SCORES
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick 5, Salem 0
Woodstown 3, Pennsville 2
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook 4, Pennsville 1
Pitman 5, Salem 0
GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro 7, Penns Grove 1
Gloucester Catholic 10, Salem Tech 0
Pennsville 3, Overbrook 1Pitman 6, Salem 0
Schalick 4, Woodstown 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Between the county rivals already on the schedule and state tournament opener added just today, this was shaping up to be a big week for the Woodstown girls tennis team. 

Then a phone call to Wolverines coach Jesse Stemberger towards the end of Tuesday’s match with Pennsville informing him of possible inclement weather late in the week threatens to put a (pun intended) damper on it all. But it also has the potential to make for an even bigger week later in the season.

First things first. As for the day’s activities, the Wolverines edged Pennsville 3-2 to remain undefeated. About two hours before the match, the Wolverines were installed as the No. 3 seed in the South Jersey Group I girls tennis tournament that starts Friday.

Because of the predicted bad weather Friday, host teams have been encouraged to move their opening-round tournament games to Thursday, a move towards which both Woodstown and Pennsville are leaning. Woodstown hosts Lindenwold and Pennsville, the No. 8 seed, hosts Overbrook.

Here’s where it gets interesting. The Wolverines have a showdown with Schalick for the Diamond Division lead Thursday and since state tournament games supercede all else, they’d have to move the regular-season match to later in the season, setting up the possibility of playing the Cougars three times in a span of about 10 days.

Why three? Schalick is the No. 2 seed in the SJ-I tournament, setting up the possibility the two county rivals could meet in the sectional semifinals. Schalick opens the tournament against Salem, a team it beat Tuesday 5-0.

“When you look at how the whole schedule’s played out,” Stemberger began, “there are certain weeks where things were a little bit lighter, but when you look at this week you think, wow, this is kind of a tough week.

“You have to live in a cave to not know what’s going on. This is a big match. John (Romano, Schalick’s coach) knows it, we both know what’s going on. And I don’t think either one of us is prolonging it; it’s a series of unfortunate events, but it does make it interesting because if things go according to plan we’ll play them three times in the last two weeks. We’re going to be intimately familiar with them.”

The only match Stemberger had on his mind Tuesday, though, was the one in front of him. The Wolverines (11-0) took control of it by sweeping the doubles points, keeping their doubles teams of Vivian Ward-Camille Osborn and Molly Curtis-Julianna Lindenmuth undefeated on the season.

They clinched their 14th straight regular-season victory – or “secure the bag,” as No. 1 singles Abigail Melle says – when Melle outlasted Regan Witt through two competitive sets.

“She was a consistent player, so it was hard,” Melle said of her match. “She didn’t make any mistakes and I had to be the first not to make a mistake, so we had a lot of good rallies and I struggled to put one in on the court because she got to every ball,. I had to stay out of my head and get the point, stay focused.”

The Eagles (7-5) made it close with junior Megan Morris and sophomore Lily Edwards winning in straight sets at Nos. 2 and 3 singles. Morris’ consistent and calculated victory kept her undefeated (12-0) in her first year in the singles spotlight. She has not lost a set.

“I’m really surprised,” Morris said. “I never thought I’d be able to do it,. When I went against Kingsway and Pitman and Woodstown, they’re just all great schools and I never thought I could do it, but I was able to prove myself that I can do it.”

She didn’t realize she had an undefeated string going until her dad mentioned it at around 9-0. “I had no clue and I’ve been counting from there,” she said.

NOTES: In addition to Schalick, Woodstown, Pennsville and Salem, Penns Grove also made the tournament field – as the No. 13 seed. The Red Devils will travel to Middle Twp. for their tournament opener. “I told the guys in a group chat with coaches I thought the seeds were fair across the board,” Stemberger said.

WOODSTOWN 3, PENNSVILLE 2
Singles
Abigail Melle (W) def. Regan Witt, 6-4, 6-2
Megan Morris (P) def. Gabby Kurpis, 6-1, 6-3
Lily Edwards (P) def. Cara Delia, 6-1, 6-4
Doubles
Vivian Ward-Camilla Osborn (W) def. Fanta Kone-Emma Cornette, 6-3, 6-1
Molly Curtis-Julianna Lindenmuth (W) def. Gabi Forino-Isabell Schrenker, 6-1, 6-1

SCHALICK 5, SALEM 0: The Cougars (12-2) dropped only three games in sweeping the Rams. The teams meet again in the first round of the state tournament later this week. The No. 1 doubles team of Katelyn Little and Emma Adams remained undefeated. 

Girls soccer

PENNSVILLE 3, OVERBROOK 1: Karsen Cooksey scored a pair of goals and Anikka Macalino extended the Eagles’ lead to 3-0. Cooksey has a team-leading seven goals.

WOODSTOWN 4, SCHALICK 0: Each of the Wolverines’ last five victories have been by shutout. Keeper Carly Hayman may have been called to make only four saves in the game, but coach Will Kemp said, she’s “still a general on the field to help the squad.” Emily Miller scored two goals, giving her 24 for the season.

GLASSBORO 7, PENNS GROVE 1: Alana Figueroa and Marianna Dempster scored two goals apiece for Glassboro. A’Mani Taylor scored Penns Grove’s goal.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 10, SALEM TECH 0: Ten players scored goals for the Rams (5-3).

PITMAN 6, SALEM 0: Audrey Duffield scored the first of her two goals less than two minutes into the game to open a four-goal first half. Pitman extended its 3-0 halftime lead with a pair of goals three minutes part in the second half.

Boys soccer

OVERBROOK 4, PENNSVILLE 1: Angel Mejia-Castro had two goals and an assist and David Ayala-Rivas scored his team-leading 13th goal to lead Overbrook to its third straight win.  The Rams (7-4) won only four games last year. Stone Mumink scored Pennsville’s goal, his fifth in the last four games.

PITMAN 5, SALEM 0: Logan Williams scored the first two goals of the game two minutes apart in the first 15 minutes. 

Power move

Monday roundup: DiGregorio goal lifts Woodstown over Schalick in key Diamond Division field hockey game, also includes boys soccer, girls tennis

MONDAY’S SALEM COUNTY SCORES
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester Catholic 4, Pennsville 0
Salem 8, Clayton 0
Woodstown 1, Schalick 0
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove 6, Clayton 0
Salem Tech 1, Wildwood Catholic 0
Woodstown 2, Pennsville 0
GIRLS SOCCER
Wildwood Catholic 8, Salem Tech 1
Woodstown 6, Pennsville 1
GIRLS TENNIS
Washington Twp. 3, Pennsville 2
Woodstown 4, Kingsway 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Whenever a new coach comes to town there are bound to be changes within the organization. One of the first decisions Bryanna Roberts made when she got the Woodstown field hockey job – after looking at the personnel, of course – was move Braeley DiGregorio to wing and it dramatically changed the Wolverines’ offense.

DiGREGORIO

DiGregorio banged home her ninth goal of the season – and 10th of her career – with just under three minutes left in the third quarter Monday and it carried Woodstown to a 1-0 victory of Schalick in the first of their Tri-County Diamond Division showdowns. The win gave the Wolverines (6-1) sole possession of first place in the division.

“We’ve been anticipating this game for a while,” Roberts said. “To finally get to this game and win it just shows all the hard work and effort the girls have been putting forth this whole season.”

For the first two years of her varsity field hockey career DiGregorio was assigned to a more defensive posture as a reserve outside mid. But Roberts was impressed with the way she moved on the outside and pulled her up to forward wing.

There was uncertainty at first, but once the junior figured it out “I really took off running with it.” Now she leads the team in goals and is second in Salem County in goals and points. The Wolverines have outscored their seven opponents. 32-6.

“Braeley has really worked hard to get to where she’s at,” Roberts said. “She’s really shown all the hard work she’s been doing in the off-season.

“We bumped her up to that wing spot because she has that big ball from the side and she finds a way around the goalie and gets her stick on it, so this is new for this season. During the preseason I talked with the coaches and we all agreed that with the way she was moving down the field and moving inside the circle it was the best move for her and she’s shone through it.  It’s awesome to see it work. It was a great move all around.”

DiGregorio’s latest goal came as the Wolverines amped up their attack in the second half. The Cougars dominated the first half outshooting Woodstown 7-2 and collecting six penalty corners, but they couldn’t find the back of the net.

Woodstown turned up the heat after a spirited halftime talk shook the players from their doldrums and the momentum shifted. The Wolverines outshot their hosts 7-1 in the second half and had four penalty corners.

Megan Donelson almost got them on the board five minutes into the second half, but Emma Cheesman was there to turn her away with a defensive save.

“We definitely dominated the first half and then the second half we were flat on our feet,” Schalick coach Heather Cheesman said. “We looked like we were tired, which gave them a lot of opportunities.”

“I always tell them that you have to find that will inside and they did,” Roberts said. “This win truly shows that the girls want it and they’re out here to play.”

The Wolverines finally broke the stalemate with 2:59 left in the third quarter. Kayla Brown’s initial shot was blocked by Schalick goalie Lydia Gilligan, but the rebound came right to DiGregorio, who squeezed her shot through a six-inch space between the keeper and the left post. They almost got a second goal in the closing seconds of the quarter but Gilligan came off her line to make a sliding save on Hannah Hitchner.

“I just happened to be there to finish it,” DiGregorio said of her goal. “It’s always very hit or miss with that (rebound) and you’re just lucky when you get a chance and it’s always exciting.”

But not totally surprising. The Wolverines have scored 20 of their goals this season in the second half.

SALEM 8, CLAYTON 0: Autumn Foote and Rhionna Timmons each scored a pair of goals as the Rams (6-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season in a big way.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 4, PENNSVILLE 0: The Rams took control of the game with three goals in the first quarter. Bridget Taney scored twice in the game.

Boys soccer

WOODSTOWN 2, PENNSVILLE 0: Kaleb Gerace scored his first goal of the season and Blake Biaklecki scored his second goal in as many games – both in the second half — to extend the Wolverines’ winning streak to seven games and snap the Eagles’ three-game streak.

Freshman Ayden Ellis got his first career assist (on Bialecki’s goal) and Ben Stengel posted the Wolverines’ third shutout. 

The game opens a three-game week of county opponents for the Wolverines. They play at Penns Grove Thursday and host Schalick in a 7 p.m. game Saturday in the football stadium in a rematch of their season-opener and Woodstown’s only loss. They are 4-1 against in-county competition this season. 

PENNS GROVE 6, CLAYTON 0: Sebastian Hernandez scored the first of his two goals in the opening two minutes of the match and Ashton Harris scored twice in a three-minute stretch later in the half as the Red Devils scored their second win of the season to snap a five-game winless streak. Theus Berrios and Frankie Juarez Reynoso scored their other goals.

SALEM TECH 1, WILDWOOD CATHOLIC 0: In one of their gutsiest performances of the season, the Chargers (3-6) overcame playing most of the second half one man down and won in overtime. Graham Fields buried a penalty kick in overtime for the game’s only goal. Joshua Trinidad and Cody Messina combined for the shutout. All three of the Chargers’ victories this season have been by shutout.

Girls soccer

WOODSTOWN 6, PENNSVILLE 1: Talia Batavia had two goals and two assists as the Wolverines (4-5) snapped a two-game shutout slide. Emma Morgan, Lia Covely, Delaney Walker and Bailey Arnold Peters scored their other goals. Molly Gratz found the back of the net for Pennsville (2-6-2), which had been unbeaten in its last three.

Girls tennis

WOODSTOWN 4, KINGSWAY 1: The Wolverines go into Tuesday’s state tournament seeding meeting 10-0 after this latest victory and the projected fourth seed in South Jersey Group I.

Their No. 2 doubles team of Molly Curtis and Julianna Lindenmuth won a second-set tiebreaker to keep their match alive and then won the third set 10-6 to give the Wolverines a sweep in doubles. No. 1 doubles team of Vivian Ward and Camille Osborn won a first-set tiebreaker to set up their straight-set win.

Abigail Melle and Cara Delia won singles points in straight sets.

WASHINGTON TWP. 3, PENNSVILLE 2: Megan Morris and Lily Edwards won straight set matches for Pennsville, the projected 8 seed in SJ Group I.

Cover photo: Woodstown’s Braeley DiGregorio (R) and Schalick’s Sophia Longo battle for a ball near midfield in their field hockey game Monday afternoon.

Sense of community

PMHS to induct eight into its Athletic Hall of Fame Thursday who have strong ties to the community in addition to their sports success

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – It’s Hall of Fame season in South Jersey and, appropriately given what he does for a living, Mike Wariwanchik has his plate full.

Wariwanchik, a chef and culinary professional by trade, is in line for induction into a couple Halls of Fame in the region in the next five weeks. 

WARIWANCHIK

The first course on his menu comes Thursday when he joins seven other luminaries from his high school as part of the fifth induction class of the Pennsville Memorial High School Athletic Hall of Fame. In November, he’ll be enshrined in the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame.

That’s a lot of thank you’s and chicken dinners.

“It’s definitely a huge honor, “ Wariwanchik said. “For all of it happening at one time is a lot, but it is kind of neat. There’s a lot going on, so I’m trying to make sure I’m prepared for all of them because we have to give a couple speeches, not necessarily my strong point.

“To be inducted into those is a huge honor. I’m excited about all of them, but the one I’m probably most excited for is the Pennsville one just because it’s a small town and you know everybody in town so it’s a kind of a little more personal.”

Community connection is a big element of this year’s induction class. The group includes fellow wrestler John Doran Jr. (Class of ’88), Lou Berge Jr. (Class of ’82), Judy Cafaro Bradford (’74), Dawn Curry (’08), coaches Horace Carl and John Maniglia, and the 1993 softball team, considered one of the state’s greatest teams.

They bring the roster of Hall of Fame members to 40 players, coaches and teams.

“It’s a great group and it happens to be a great group with lots and lots of roots generationally to Pennsville,” Eagles athletics director Jamy Thomas said. “That’s the one thing that resonates to me, how attached to Pennsville this group is. This is a group that spans generations of Pennsville athletics … and all of them live or lived or worked here in the community.”

Wariwanchik personafies that. He may work in Delaware these days, but he still lives in Pennsville and has a daughter in the high school and a nephew playing for the football team (wearing his uncle’s number).

A bear of a man, Big Mike starred in football and wrestling for the Eagles. He also threw the shot and discus in track until his senior year.

On the football field he was an all-conference offensive tackle in 1993 and an all-conference offensive and defensive tackle and an all-South Jersey defensive tackle in 1994.

He was just as dominating on the mat. As a heavyweight you wouldn’t think this would be an issue, but he often found himself having to shed pounds to go from 300-pound lineman to making the weight limit.

No problem. As a junior he was the district runner-up and third-place finisher at regionals. He was a state champion as a senior, going 28-0 (with 21 pins) to move his career record to 68-18, and was the South Jersey Wrestler of the Year.

“The wrestling (speech) will be a little different; I’ll probably gear it more towards wrestling and how wrestling has molded me,” he said. “I believe wrestling just makes you mentally tough. Any individual sport where you go out there and you get beat in front of everybody and you don’t have anybody else to blame … is kind of unique.

“When you have success in them it makes you tough mentally because you’ve been through it. But when you get beat it makes you even tougher because you’ve got to deal with everybody staring at you when you get whupped up on in front of everybody.”

Admission to the induction ceremony is free. Donations will be accepted at the door.

Here are the other Pennsville Athletic Hall of Fame inductees:

Lou Berge Jr. (Class of 1982)

Whether it was on the football field, as a manager for the boys basketball team or on the baseball field, Berge gave his all to his teammates and coaches. During his four years in high school he earned nine varsity letters.

He was an all-county, all-conference and all-South Jersey Group II offensive tackle as a junior on an 8-1 football team. His senior year the football team was undefeated, conference champs and SJ Group II champs and he was all-county, all-SJ and all-state. He also was named the Brooks-Irvine Club’s SJ Offensive Lineman of the Year and at that time his No. 72 jersey was retired at PMHS.

His 1980 baseball team went 20-3 and was conference champs and he was named to the All-Delaware Valley Team by the Philadelphia Inquirer after batting .419 as the team’s catcher. The next year the team went 25-0 and swept all the titles.

Baseball went 20-3 again in 1982. Louie batted .614 and he made all the “all” teams. He also was named the Salem County Player of the Year. 

Judy Cafaro Bradford (Class of ’74)

While many would consider her to be a “natural-born athlete” Judy used her time in school to develop many skills. She played tennis as well as lettering in three sports.

She played three years of varsity field hockey. She was a co-captain for two years, team MVP for two years and three times all-conference first team. As a basketball senior she was team MVP, second team all-conference, second team all-county and honorable mention all-state. Then, she was the MVP of the school’s first varsity softball team.

At the 1974 Win or Lose Dinner, she was awarded the Girls PTA Sportsmanship Award in addition to three MVP honors.

She went on to make an immediate impact at Cumberland County College, earning MVP honors in field hockey and basketball and was a starter on the softball team.

In her professional life she devoted more than 40 years to the Pennsville Recreation Department, making sure the department served many children and families in many ways. She also helped take care of Riverview Beach Park to make sure it remained the “Jewel of the Township.”

Dawn Curry (Class of ’08)

Curry was an outstanding athlete in a career that spanned four years in three varsity sports. Among her most impressive feats is joining the unique 100-1000-100 Club, hitting milestone numbers is soccer, basketball and softball.

She scored 113 goals in soccer and assisted on 97 others (almost a 100-100). She scored 1,288 points in basketball. She completed the unique trifecta with 117 hits in softball.

Her 2007 soccer team was declared South Jersey Group I champs. To cap off her senior year she was named Salem County Female Athlete of the Year and was a Wendy’s High School Heisman State Finalist.

John Doran Jr. (Class of ’88)

A wrestler through and through, John used his first year in high school to start making his name. He was undefeated as a freshman on the sub-varsity and that was the springboard to another undefeated year and state title in 1986. In 1988, wrestling at 119, he was runner-up in the district and region tournament and finished sixth at the state. His high school record was 89-6.

He went on to post a 32-3 record at Gloucester County College

Doran cites his successes with the Pennsville Youth Program and Seagull Wrestling Club as highlights of his career and adds that winning the state title in 1986 was his most memorable moment. He went on to coach at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling Academy for three years. 

He was inducted into the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2022.

Coach Horace Carl

Carl came to Pennsville in 1962 from Spring City, Pa. Three years after his arrival he was offered a position as assistant football coach under Lou D’Angelo. At the same time he was an NJSIAA registered high school basketball official and on the IABBO board until 1980.

He was the Eagles’ head football coach from 1979 through 1984. His 1981 team won the South Jersey Group II championship. He was named Coach of the Year by the Philadelphia Inquirer and South Jersey Football Club. Carl retired from teaching in 1992 and now lives near Baltimore.

Coach John Maniglia

Maniglia came to Pennsville in 1979 and influenced a lot of students and athletes in his 35 years teaching and coaching in the district.

He was the head track coach from 1980-2014, then transitioned to assistant coach through 2021. He also coached basketball, cross country and winter track. He helped coach the cross country team when it won the 2006 Group I state title.

The spring track program won a combined three Salem County Championships and five conference crowns. During that time, the program produced 98 individual county champions, 69 conference champions, 33 South Jersey champions and eight state titleists. The school named its track in his honor in 2022.

1993 Softball Team

The team is being inducted on the 30th anniversary of one of the best seasons in state history. It went 26-0 and swept through their division, conference, sectional and, ultimately, the Final Four. Bridgett McCaffery was the state Pitcher of the Year.

The team was a consensus No. 1 by the state softball media and later was voted “Team of the Century” by the Courier Post. 

PMHS Athletic HOF Classes

2018: Lou D’Angelo, Ed Rieger, Herb Bacon, David Salberg, Betsey Salberg, 1982 Field Hockey team.
2019: Olaf “Butch” Drozdov, Carrie Foster McIntosh, Irvine Eugene “Gene” Foster, Robert “Bob” Gallagher, Leigh Garrison, Kimberly Griffin Hudson, John “Jack” Harford, John “Jack” Meyers Sr., Howard Wilbraham Sparks, Sophia Stavru, Gregzie L. White, Michael Jon Widger.
2021: Patricia Chance, David Hall, Bill Hyatt, Chris Widger, Bridgett McCaffery-O’Brien, Jeff Litherland (special recognition), Coach Greg Greenzwieg, 1960 Football team.
2022: Donna Martin Duber, Mark Freed, Ron “Boo” Bennet, Mark T. Jones, Kelli Griffith, Katie Kline.

This week’s schedule

Here is the schedule for Salem County high school sports for the week of Oct. 2-7

Oct. 2
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Kingsway at Woodstown, 4 p.m.

Oct. 3
BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

Oct. 4
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford Twp. at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

Oct. 5
FIELD HOCKEY
Cumberland Reg. at Schalick, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.

Oct. 6
FOOTBALL
Overbrook at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 7 p.m.
Schalick at Bishop Eustace, 7 p.m.
Woodbury at Woodstown, 7 p.m.

FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Audubon, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Williamstown, 4 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Delsea at Total Turf, Pitman, 5:45 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Delsea, 4 p.m.

Oct. 7
FOOTBALL
Paulsboro at Salem, noon

BOYS SOCCER
Schalick at Woodstown, 7 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Our Lady of Mercy, 4 p.m.

Red Devils rally

Devils make Raiders see red, rallying from 19-0 halftime deficit to beat Paulsboro with TD in final 75 seconds

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE — Bryce Wright couldn’t be more proud of his teammates.

Last week, the Penns Grove junior running back stood in the cold rain and muck of a loss at Haddon Heights and as hard as it might have been to hear at the time passionately begged his teammates to play hard in the game all the way until the clock hit zeroes.

PENNS GROVE 22,
PAULSBORO 19
Next: at Glassboro,
Friday, 7 p.m.

That’s exactly what they did Saturday. The Red Devils could have phoned it in down 19 points at halftime against a storied program that hadn’t been winless this late in the season in generations, but instead they buckled down and staged one of their greatest rallies for a 22-19 win over Paulsboro.

It was third time since 2000 Penns Grove has come from three scores down to win a game and its biggest halftime deficit.

“I’m so proud of my team,” Wright said. “My team, they came out, and they did what I asked. I asked them to fight to zero-zero left on the clock. We were down 19-0, but we came back. I told them at half, yo, let’s go, there’s no reason for any heads to be down; we can do this. I told my team that and we came back out here and we executed.

“I think it should have happened when I told it to them in the game the first game. I’m just so proud my team came out here and did what I asked. I love my team.”

The Red Devils (2-4) brought it back in a manner that fit their personality, just pounding it and pounding it on the ground, but they got the go-ahead touchdown on a pass. Wright found freshman Jaden Days in the front right corner of the end zone from 15 yards out with 1:14 to play and then Wright roared in on the two-point conversion to make it 22-19.

It was the only pass they threw in the second half and only the third they completed in the game. It was only the second catch of Days’ career and his first touchdown.
 
Wright didn’t even see the receiver on the play until someone called his name and then he let it fly with Sharif Green challenging in coverage. Days was about two yards in bounds when he came down with it and he wasn’t about to let it go.

“At first I didn’t even see him open; he raised his hand up and I’m like let me get it there,” Wright said. “At practice he works real hard. He goes up and gets it and I gave him his chance and he showed me what he could do.”

“We talk about keeping your head up and waiting for my opportunity,” Days said. “I thought they were going to throw it out of bounds. It was a good ball by Bryce; that was really it. You’ve got to keep on fighting. We came back with a win. Keep on fighting. Keep your head up.”

The Red Devils had three meaningful possessions in the second half and scored on all three. The drives were 52 yards on 14 plays (including penalties) over 6:47, 75 yards on 17 runs (with no penalties) over 8:10 and 39 yards on two plays over 19 seconds.

Wright ran in the first touchdown from the 9. He scored the second on a fourth-and-goal quarterback sweep from the 6 with 2:54 to play, a call Penns Grove coach John Emel called “the play of the game.” He went in standing up.

Bryce Wright (R) and Jaden Days connected on Penns Grove’s game-winning touchdown with 1:14 left in the fourth quarter.

“With our style of play people would say you can’t come back down 19-0, the game’s over,” Emel said. “You’ve got to play a perfect half and we did. I would say we could come back without throwing a pass, but we did save one for the end.

“You’ve got to go with what got you there. We’re not a good passing team, we struggle throwing the ball, everyone can see that. And when they know you’re throwing, that’s even harder. We’re saying we’re going to give the ball to Bryce, we’re gonna run outside and try to make something big happen.

“There was no doubt in my mind we could score on another possession, but if we don’t score there, the game’s over.” 

Penns Grove got the ball back at the Paulsboro 39 with 1:33 left and no time outs after a short punt. The Red Devils ran a reverse with Knowledge Young for 24 yards on the first play to get in the red zone, then went for the go-ahead score.

“What do they always say, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take; you gotta keep playing ‘til the end,” Emel said. “You gotta keep playing or you’ll never make a comeback. You gotta go out there and keep fighting. I was proud of the way we played the second half even if we came up short once we got it to 19-14, but when you get that close and you can taste it you’ve got to finish it.”

Once the Red Devils got the lead, they never gave Paulsboro a chance to break their hearts. On the final threat from midfield, they forced quarterback Roman Onorato into three incompletions and then Dameon Wilson and Nasir Stewart broke in and threw Onorato for a 13-yard loss on fourth down to seal the victory.

The sack left the Red Raiders with minus-8 yards of net offense on 17 plays in the second half. 

“I looked at the clock, I knew it was the last play, it’s what we needed,” Stewart said. “I put my head down and went to go get it for my team to come out on top. It was do or die. It was the easiest play all game to me.”

Paulsboro built its halftime lead on three big plays, but outside of those it didn’t really do anything great.

The Red Devils were happy with running the ball and controlling the clock. They had the ball for nearly 11 of the game’s first 14 minutes, but were down 14-0 because Paulsboro’s Keros (Super Duper) Cooper had touchdown bursts of 56 and 91 yards in the space of three offensive snaps.

Freshman Jeremiah Carr made it 19-0 with a spectacular one-handed interception that he returned 85 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the half.

That sent the Red Devils into the locker room to do a little soul searching.

“I huddled my guys up in the room, all just one-on-ones, told everybody to put our heads down, we can do it,” Stewart said. “We have done this before. It’s time to come back.”

Penns Grove 22, Paulsboro 19

PAULS (19)PGROVE (22)
61st Downs16
25-163Rushing47-176
3-9-0Passes3-7-1
23Passing32
1-0Fum-lost1-0
4-20.0Punts-avg2-41.0
3-15Penalties6-45
Paulsboro (0-5)613 00 –19
Penns Grove (2-4)00814 –22

Scoring plays:
P – Keros Cooper 56 run (kick blocked), 4:16 1Q
P – Keros Cooper 91 run (Saeed Crite kick), 9:58 2Q
P – Jeremiah Carr 85 interception return (run failed), 0:05 2Q
PG – Bryce Wright 9 run (Bryce Wright run), 3:30 3Q
PG – Bryce Wright 6 run (run failed), 2:54 4Q
PG – Jaden Days 15 pass from Bryce Wright (Wright run), 1:14 4Q

Making progress

McDade accounts for 300 yards, 3 TDs, Leino kicks 2 FGs as Pennsville matches most wins in a season since 2021

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

BRIDGETON — Pennsville took another step towards becoming the football team coach Mike Healy knows it can be, jumping out front early and then doing the things necessary to stay ahead when their opponent made it close.

Sophomore quarterback Robbie McDade accounted for 300 yards of offense and three touchdowns as the Eagles beat Cumberland in a key Royal Division game 25-12 for their third win of the season.

The Eagles entered the game No. 17 in the South Jersey Group I UPR ratings, one spot out of a playoff spot, and the win moved them into sole possession of second place in the Royal Division At 3-2, they have matched the most wins in a season since 2021 and haven’t had a winning record this late in the season since starting 4-1 in 2016.

“It was obviously an important game with power points and playoff position and all that, We still made a lot of mistakes, but we definitely stepped up when we needed to and made the plays, but we’ve still got a lot of room to fix and be more consistent.

“We still think we have a lot of room for improvement because we know we’regood enough to do it, but there was a lot of really good stuff today.”

McDade had a big game. He threw for 205 yards on 16-of-29 passing — all career highs — and rushed for 102 yards. Malik Rehmer caught nine balls for 144 yards and a touchdown and Jackson Leino kicked a pair of field goals.

“We needed him to step up and he did a good job throwing and running the ball,” Healy said. “He definitely threw the ball better today and he ran real tough today. We ran him a little more than usual and we got some big first downs for us and big plays. It was real good to see.

“He’s still growing every day and learning, but its definitely a step for him in the right direction.”

The other element that gave him encouragement was after the Colts made it a one-score game early in the third quarter, the Eagles didn’t back down. Instead, they drove back down the field behind their line and got a field goal to extend their lead.

McDade’s 15-yard touchdown run in the closing seconds of the quarter gave the Eagles some breathing room and then they handled their business defensively in the fourth quarter to stay out front.

“We did a lot of good stuff today,” Healy said. “Consistency’s still kind of our thing, but I’m proud of the kids how they stepped up. In the past we might have folded in that situation, but instead we didn’t. We did a great job of stepping up when we needed to and refocusing and getting the job done. To step up and meet what was needed was huge.”

Pennsville 25, Cumberland 12

Pennsville (3-2)7990 –25
Cumberland (2-4)0660 –12

Scoring plays:
P – Robbie McDade 16 run (Jackson Leino kick), 11:11 1Q
P – Jackson Leino 24 FG, 11:12 2Q
P – Malik Rehmer 8 pass from Robbie McDade (kick failed), 6:35 2Q
C – 30 blocked punt return (run failed), 3:05 2Q
C – 48 run (kick failed), 10:47 3Q
P – Jackson Leino 33 FG, 6:49 3Q
P – Robbie McDade 15 run (kick failed), 0:16 3Q

Cover photo of Pennsville quarterback Robbie McDade by Lorraine Jenkins

It’s a hat trick

Fogelin Bowl IV goes to the younger brother for the third year in a row

FRIDAY’S SALEM COUNTY SCORES
BOYS SOCCER
Palmyra 4, Schalick 0
Pennsville 6, Paulsboro 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Sterling 3, Schalick 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Salem 0
Schalick 5, Glassboro 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PAULSBORO – Three was a big number in Foglein Bowl IV this year.

Bragging rights around the family Thanksgiving table goes to the younger brother for the third year in a row and Stone Mumink scored three goals to lead the charge.

Mumink scored a hat trick in a four-goal first half and Derek Foglein’s Pennsville squad went on to beat Paulsboro and older brother Doug 6-1 Friday in Foglein Bowl IV

Doug won the initial installment of the soccer sibling rivalry when he was coaching at Clayton, their alma maters. Derek and the Eagles have won each of the last three years, the last two convincingly.

“I’m really happy with how the team stepped up and took care of business, and beating Doug to cap off a three-win week made it feel a little extra special,” Derek said. “We really want to take the momentum into a huge game with Woodstown on Monday.”

After a slow start, the Eagles (4-6) started scoring in rapid fire fashion. Mumink scored the first two goals of the match on penalty kicks, then Jake Isaac made it 3-0 shortly thereafter. Mumink completed his hat trick before the half ended, giving him a career-high six goals for the season.

Trevor Hann extended the lead to 5-0 before Justin Roman Venosa got Paulsboro (0-9) on the board. Brody Wiggins scored the final goal on an assist from Stathis Efelis.

“Honestly, I felt again we started a little slow and Doug really had his team up to play,” Derek said. “It took us about 22 minutes to get the first one off a little bit of a controversial PK, but the second one was very quick after that and it was an obvious PK. Then the passing connection to Jake for the third came shortly after and we took control of the game.

“I was excited to get Brody a goal. He’s a junior who’s played for me all three years and always works really hard in practice. He usually plays outside back, so I put him up at striker and got him the sixth goal.”