New coaches at Woodstown

Wolverines elevate Straughn, Roberts to head coaching spots

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Joe Ursino recognized Kara Straughn had the chops to be a head coach at an early age. He was the Woodstown coach back then, Straughn – then Kara Wildermuth – was still a player, but Ursino told her when the time came he wanted her to join him on the bench to help call the shots.

A lot has happened since then. Ursino has gotten out of coaching and became the Wolverines’ athletics director. Straughn moved on with her life and career but stayed close to the game. But in the end, the former coach’s vision became a reality.

After several years working with the team in various capacities, Straughn last week received the letter promoting her to head coach of the Wolverines’ girls basketball coach. The 2013 grad succeeds Brandon Lyons, who stepped away after six seasons and last year’s South Jersey Group I title.

“She’s exactly what the program needs,” Ursino said. “The program’s in a good spot. Sometimes coaches take over and they have some internal work to do; that’s not the situation here. I think she’s going to be into it from the jump. I think the girls already respect her and I think we were lucky to be able to bring her in and have her take over a program that is anticipated to still be pretty successful.

“I had hopes to be able to work with her and her be my assistant one day. That’s just the relationship we had when she was playing. And that’s not just all positive. There were times we maybe didn’t agree when she was a player, but you could tell her approach to the game and I see that now. She’s taught me a lot and I think she’s going to take a lot of her experience and teach our girls a lot.”

Straughn’s dad, Woodstown softball coach Dave Wildermuth, couldn’t be prouder to see his daughter get her shot.

“I’ve been wanting her to carry on the family (legacy),” he said. “We’re a basketball family, so it will be cool to have her and watch her (coach).”

Straughn is one of two former four-year Woodstown players Ursino has brought on board as the Wolverines’ newest head coaches. Bryanna Roberts, Class of 2015, will be their new field hockey coach.

“She has done a lot with our youth programs; I know she does a lot with club and travel programs,” Ursino said. “You talk about someone who’s invested into their sport, so we’re very excited to have her.

“Another program that was left in very good standing by the previous coach and we were looking for someone we thought could foster that environment and continue to progress forward.. She’s definitely, I think, a person who’s going to do that.”

This story first appeared on the Riverview Sports News Facebook page May 31.

Fulfilling their dreams

Schalick recognizes 12 spring athletes moving to the next level

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Historic day at Schalick High School. The Cougars recognized the spring part of their largest college signing class in school history Wednesday. The group of 12 represented eight sports heading to 10 schools.

The group included Ella Berger (Jefferson soccer), Angeline Chomo (Wilmington track), Gianna Fiske (RCSJ-Cumberland softball), Jayla Gross (Immaculata cross country/track), Ethan Hardy (RCSJ-Gloucester wrestling), Julia Nitz (Ursinus tennis), Jaquan Redfern (Shippensburg football), David Sipowicz (Wilkes wrestling), Fuquan Sutton (Wilkes football), Mia Marinaro (Temple dance), Ava Tedesco (Towson cheer) and Chloe Weber (Rowan dance).

Overall, there are 15 Schalick athletes this year moving on for what athletics director Doug Volovar called “fulfilling their dreams” at the next level. The previous high water mark was 10 in an academic year.

“It’s not that the programs have gotten better, I just think we’ve been exposed a little bit more than we have in the past and exposure’s been good for us,” Volovar said. “It’s been a long time football wise we’ve been pretty consistent, so I think that has a lot to do with it. And I think for the other sports who have always been pretty steady and very successful, it just bodes to the fact that we’ve had solid programs and they’ve gotten better.

“It’s not necessarily under me, it’s just these kids have been exposed to a lot more than they have in the past and more opportunities have come to them.”

This story first appeared on the Riverview Sports News Facebook page June 7.

Cougars cornerstone

Shippensburg signee Redfern a player Schalick built around

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – When JaQuan Redfern came to Schalick High School two years ago, he was literally half the player he is today. He was nowhere near the burly hulk he has become, he had only one prior unmemorable snap of varsity experience and he wanted to play a position that really wasn’t suited for him.

But he arrived with a burning desire to help turn a program into a winner and that’s exactly the kind of player Cougars coach Mike Wilson was looking for as he tried to turn around a team that hadn’t won a game the year before.

**Schalick linebacker JaQuan Redfern is looking forward to playing football on the next level.**

It didn’t take long for Redfern to establish himself as the emotional linchpin of the team. He took the lead in rallying the team in practices and he bulked up through his first-time experience in the weight room to become the tight end the Cougars ran behind “a lot” on offense and a terror on defense as a starting linebacker.

And it didn’t go unnoticed. Wednesday afternoon he was among a record 12 mostly spring Schalick athletes celebrating what athletics director Doug Volovar called “fulfilling their dreams” in signing to play at the next level. Redfern will play football at Shippensburg.

“He really helped us turn around,” Wilson said. “The year before we were oh-and-seven. His junior year we went 4-6, his senior year we went 7-3 and won our division and got back to the playoffs for the first time in five years.

“He brought a swagger that our other kids didn’t have and the kids fed off his swagger … I’ve had kids like this (at other schools) … but we were an established program with those kids. He helped us establish where we’re going now.”

When he first started playing in high school Redfern didn’t look the type. He was maybe 5-4, 140 pounds as a freshman. The next year he shot up to 5-8. Two years in the Cougars weight room has gotten him to 6-2, 240.

Redfern grew up in Vineland in a family of players. His cousin Isiah Pacheco is a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and scored a third-quarter touchdown as their leading rusher against the Eagles in the Super Bowl. It would please him to no end “to make something big” out of football that was “everything I had” growing up, just like his cousin did.

To that end, he wanted to go to school and play with his younger cousin Kenai Simmons and made the move with nothing but desire to make something happen.

“When I first came to the Cougars, I’m pretty sure they won zero games the year before so I was getting here ready to build the team up,” Redfern said. “I was telling my teammates they could do it. When I first got here they were doubting themselves and I just got on top of them. I wanted to give them the confidence they could win games.

“They had losing seasons so all they were hearing was they were going to lose, they were going lose, so I had to be a leader and that’s what I did. I just knew we could build something here, me and my cousins. I knew I could bring something here when I got here.”

The light bulb moment for Wilson came early. The Cougars were in practice after a bad season-opening loss with the lesson of the day being fighting through adversity. The coaches were determined to keep the team on the field until they came together as a team.

Redfern brought his big frame to its feet, rose about the huddled players and encouraged his teammates to pick it up. He bought in to what Wilson was selling, the players followed his lead and just like that the Cougars had found their Pied Piper.

“JaQuan was a big help to the team,” fullback and Wilkes signee Fuquan Sutton said. “He was the starting linebacker we had and he would always be there to clean up the mess, so if we ever had someone not in position or not being able to do something, he’d be the first person to jump up and said I’ll do it. At the beginning I thought, ‘Oh, come on, calm down,’ but after the season started I was like that’s the type person the team needs to carry us along the way.”

“I can definitely say he was a big, huge help to the team,” added teammate David Sipowicz, who’s also headed to Wilkes for wrestling and football. “There were multiple times when it would be either JaQuan or myself stepping up. He won’t speak out of context, he’ll speak when words are needed.”

And like the old investment company commercial, when JaQuan talks, people listen.

Redfern formally signed with Shippensburg in December and was expecting to join the Raiders in January, but his arrival was delayed by a basketball injury. He’s expecting to report later this month.

He can’t wait. The Raiders are looking to bounce back from a losing season. He knows just what to do.

“I’m just going to try to go in there and be a leader,” he said. “Build the team up.”

He’s done it before.

This story first appeared on the Riverview Sports News Facebook page on June 7.

Hello, world

When we moved (back) to New Jersey, we always had the idea of launching a local sports news website similar to one we ran successfully in Alabama for eight years (that’s still running today) and we’re finally pulling the trigger.

Last month we started bringing you coverage of high school baseball in Salem County on our facebook page as a way of introducing ourselves to the community while getting a lay of the land and sense of what the market would bear.

It is our hope to bring you in depth Salem County-centric sports news, heavy on the high schools, but whatever grabs your local interest. We figure you can get the college and pro stuff anywhere on the internet, but who’s going to give you the local angle (I use that term because that’s the space I occupied when I worked in Philly media many, many moons ago)?

We were heavy in high school sports and golf during our time in Alabama and we hope to that approach here, but we also were on the scene for other major events that went on in town. We had a great relationship and cooperation from the high school administrators and coaches in all sports as well as the organizers of the county’s major sports events, and hope the enjoy the same here; like they say, teamwork makes the dream work.

It may be slow going at first as we’re still learning all the players and they get to know us, but I’m confident that in short order you’ll come to enjoy what we post here. If you haven’t seen the facebook posts we’ll post them here to give you a sense of what we’re planning to produce for you.

Spread the word to your high school coaches and administrators and event organizers on what we’re trying to do. Feel free to drop an email (al.muskewitz@gmail.com) with suggestions, feedback and heads-ups.

Thanks for listening. We hope you come back often.