Knowns & unknowns

Schalick scores in the closing minutes to outlast a courageous Paulsboro effort that, in the end, just ran out of time

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PAULSBORO – Kevin Leamy admitted he really didn’t know what to expect from the team that was lined up on the other side of the field. The Schalick coach practiced his team all week like they were playing a Paulsboro team at full strength, but truthfully when you’ve facing a team that’s lost almost half the roster and potentially 12 starting positions it’s anybody’s guess what the product will be on game day.

And Paulsboro gave a courageous effort in Saturday’s South Jersey Group I semifinal for the hand it was dealt, missing 16 players suspended after last week’s altercation with Woodbury and losing their lead running to an ankle injury early in the game, but in the end Schalick was able to make adjustments on the fly and pulled out a 35-28 victory to reach the sectional final – against Glassboro – for the third straight year.

“I give (Coach Kevin) Harvey and that Paulsboro group a lot of credit,” Leamy said. “When something happens, like all those kids being suspended, it’s easy to throw in the towel and not give your best effort ,but they came out and played (hard).

“They caught us off guard a little bit in the first half. We didn’t know what to game plan for, we didn’t know what they were going to go do. We didn’t know who was going to play quarterback. They came out in that Wildcat and had us outnumbered at the point of attack a couple times and it took us a while to make an adjustment, but in the second half we made adjustments and was able to shut it down.

“(His team has) built a lot of resiliency this year. They trust that we’re going to have an answer and when push comes to shove we’re going to put them in a position to win. I think they knew we were going to make an adjustment (and) they knew the adjustment was going to work, it just took us a little longer to make that adjustment.”

Six starters were among the 16 players suspended because of the fourth-quarter fight with Woodbury, including starting quarterback Malakhai McKenzie and several all-conference linemen. The Red Raiders took another hit during the game when running back Kyaire Harvey was carried from the field with an ankle injury after a 14-yard gain on the team’s second offensive snap.

That increased the burden of production on Jahsir Johnson, Jeremiah Carr and Zay Mears. Johnson played quarterback when the Red Raiders weren’t running the Wildcat. Carr scored three touchdowns, including the tying score early in the fourth quarter. And Mears had an 80-yard touchdown run after an interception in the end zone to give the Red Raiders a 14-7 lead.

The Cougars said Paulsboro’s personnel problems didn’t affect them during the practice week. They went about their business preparing as if the Red Raiders were going to have everyone available.

“We were ready to play their full roster, the team we played three weeks ago, and we practiced like it all week,” backup quarterback and linebacker Gary Simonini said. “It prepared us for what we did today.”

Schalick quarterback Kenny Bartee scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 2:04 to play. It capped a 14-yard drive made short when the Red Raiders interfered with Dylan Sheehan’s fair catch of a punt inside the Paulsboro 30.

Bartee also ran for another touchdown and threw a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes to Ayden Jenkins.

**Ayden Jenkins caught two touchdown passes from the slot during Schalick’s 21-point second quarter.**

The Red Raiders got the last shot to win it after Bartee’s go-ahead touchdown, but they had to go 67 yards and they most assuredly would have gone for two had they scored. And they went down fighting. They had driven deep into Schalick territory, stopping the clock on occasion with a couple strategic spikes.

The final spike came with 15 seconds to play and the ball at the 23. On what proved to be the final play of the game, Johnson took off towards the Schalick sideline where he was met head on by Sheehan.

Their collision came with about six seconds left and although it ended with Johnson physically out of bounds after contact, the clock kept running and ultimately expired with Paulsboro’s coaches on the field pleading they should have more time. The explanation given was Johnson was knocked sideways by the contact, his forward progress stopped in bounds and it didn’t matter if he ran out, the clock kept moving and it ran out.

“It was just me and him,” Sheehan said. “It was isolated. He had a choice to either run out of bounds or stay in. He decided to try to head-fake me, basically. I knew I could bait him to try it. That was my objective. It worked. He actually sent me out of bounds. He had to make a choice and he chose wrong.”

The season ended for the Red Raiders on the Schalick 17.

“That’s wrong, man,” Paulsboro coach Kevin Harvey said. “We played our ass off today, man. It’s wrong. It’s wrong to give it to them like that. For it to come down to that, something like that. We had our chances, but I’ve never heard of that call.”

“I think it was the right call,” Leamy said.

As for the interference on the punt, Sheehan said he always knew he was going to signal a fair catch.

“As soon as I saw the ball up high and short I threw the fair catch (sign) early because I knew it and their guy made a mistake and hit me,” he said.

**Schalick’s Dylan Sheehan (15) tries to keep Paulsboro’s Jeremiah Carr from gaining any more yardage. Sheehan made several big defensive plays for the Cougars during the game.**

The penalty took the ball inside the 15 where the Cougars set off in their heavy package daring the Red Raiders to stop it. Not even a penalty to push them back near the 10 was going to deny the quarterback.

“The last drive with the game on the line, in my head I’m thinking win or go home and we’re not ready to go home yet,” Bartee said. “We made it our goal to get to the sectional championship; that was our goal and we plan on winning it.

“On that last drive I’m just thinking let’s win. Even if I have to go 100 carries, 100 yards, this is for my boys. We’re winning this game.”

Paulsboro tied the game at 28 on Johnson’s 39-yard pass to Carr with 10:41 left in the fourth quarter. But the Red Raiders were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on the touchdown, which brought the most brilliant coaching decision of the game.

Knowing the Red Raiders didn’t have reliable kicker, Leamy had the penalty assessed on the point after try instead of the kickoff. Now Paulsboro needed to go 18 yards to get the go-ahead points instead of 3 and Sheehan batted away the pass they had to throw keeping the game tied.

“That really helped us,” Leamy said. “I give (assistant coaches) Doug (Volovar) and Henry (Papiano) credit for that.”

“Ultimately Kevin made the decision, I just offered a suggestion; that’s what assistant coaches do,” Volovar said. “Thought the decision was simple. Would have been a terrible way to lose if we took the yardage on the kickoff, they converted (the try) and we lost by 2.”

Top photo: Schalick quarterback Kenny Bartee celebrates with lineman Noah Bermudez. (All photos by Heather Papiano)

Schalick 35, Paulsboro 28

SCH		PAUL
15	1st Downs	12
28-180	Rushing	38-258
10-18-1	Passing	6-11-1
112	Passing yds	74
1-1	Fum-lost	1-1
4-44.0	Punts-avg	4-22.0
9-75	Penalties	5-36

Schalick	7	21	0	7-	35
Paulsboro	8	14	0	6-	28

SCORING SUMMARY
S-Kenny Bartee 6 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 8:06 1Q
P-Jeremiah Carr 9 run (May Mears run), 4:46 1Q
P-Zay Mears 80 run (run failed), 10:44 2Q
S-Gary Simonini 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 7:03 2Q
S-Ayden Jenkins 25 pass from Kenny Bartee (Hunter Dragotta kick), 5:33 2Q
S-Ayden Jenkins 24 pass from Kenny Bartee (Hunter Dragotta kick), 2:10 2Q
P-Jeremiah Carr 3 run (Jeremiah Carr run), 0:20 2Q
P-Jeremiah Carr 41 pass from Jahsir Johnson (pass failed), 10:41 4Q
S-Kenny Bartee 1 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 2:04 4Q

**William Johnson (60) and DezYon Purnell (2) lead Schalick off the field after the Cougars completed their 35-28 win over Paulsboro.**

Almost a shocker

Salem wanted another bite at the apple after losing to Glassboro in the regular season, gave top-seeded Bulldogs a battle for three quarters

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS
Semifinals
Glassboro 35, Salem 0
Schalick at Paulsboro, Saturday, noon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

GLASSBORO — Abdullah Jenkins carried the sentiment of every Salem player on the field on the plate of his back pad.

“Shock the world” he had written in bold black letters. It was a message the senior lineman had been carrying all season but it was particularly poignant Friday night.

The Rams came into their South Jersey Group I semifinal heavy underdogs to top-seeded Glassboro, but they believed more than ever they could win.

They almost pulled it off, too, holding their hosts to two touchdowns through the first three quarters before the Bulldogs did what they invariably do to everyone. They scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to turn a tight game into a 35-0 victory.

“We had our shots,” Salem coach Kemp Carr said. “We had our shots early, didn’t take advantage of it. When you’ve got your shots against a good team you have to cash in and we didn’t cash the check.

“We turned them over early. We had ‘em. We put a lot of fear in that team, I guarantee that.”

**Abdullah Jenkins’ back plate says it all. (Photo by Kaitlyn Khairzada)**

The Rams (6-5) were all over their hosts in the first half. They held the Bulldogs to less than 100 yards of offense in the half and a lot of that came on a 38-yard touchdown pass to Mekhi Parker on the last play of the first quarter.

It was the only offensive touchdown Glassboro scored until the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs’ other touchdown came on a 50-yard interception return by Parker. Beyond that, they got nothing in the half.

The Rams say they didn’t do anything different schematically than they did in their 42-0 loss in September that was over at halftime. They just got better as the season progressed.

“Earlier in the season we didn’t know what heart we had,” senior edge rusher Antwuan Rogers said. “But throughout the season we worked … and we gave it all out there today. We played harder.

“We had them. They were worried. We couldn’t get it done.”

The Rams kept them out of the end zone in the third quarter, too, despite the Bulldogs having the ball for all but six plays in the quarter. Still, they started to wear the Rams down before finally erupting in the fourth quarter. Glassboro rushed for 221 yards in the second half after being held to 12 in the first.

The game followed a recent pattern for the Bulldogs. Each of their previous three games were tight at halftime and into the third quarter before the Bulldogs turned it into a rout in the fourth.

Bulldogs coach Timmy Breaker said it wasn’t the way Salem was stifling his team that was frustrating, but rather all the penalties that kept it from moving forward. The Bulldogs were flagged for 155 yards in penalties, 90 in the third quarter alone. There were 30 accepted penalties for 263 yards in mark-offs between the two teams.

“It was more the mistakes on our side,” Breaker said. “Penalty after penalty. We’re starting first-and-twentysomething, so the playbook condenses at that point. We had some decisions in there that could’ve been made that would change the first half, but even when we made a big play, run after run, we’re back another 15.

“The third quarter would have been an explosive quarter (if not for the penalties). That changes the entire landscape of how you call it. We were getting what we wanted to get, but we couldn’t sustain the drive penalty-wise. It was something we had to clean up.”

They did in the fourth quarter. Amari Sabb rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns in just the quarter for the Bulldogs. He finished with 130 yards on 12 carries.

One has to wonder how things might have turned out had the Rams scored on their opening possession. A fumble recovery created by another Rogers sack set them up at the Glassboro 40. They got all the way down to the 12 when two sacks and two penalties derailed the drive and they had to punt from just about where they started.

“For two years we haven’t scored on Glassboro, so I felt like if we would’ve scored then their momentum would have gone down seeing that we were a different team,” Jenkins said. “We just couldn’t replicate practice to the field.”

“If we put up any points, their whole momentum goes, we win,” said Rogers.

The Bulldogs (11-0) will now host the winner of Saturday’s Schalick-Paulsboro game in next week’s sectional final. Schalick is expected to be a heavy favorite in its semifinal with Paulsboro having suspended 16 players, including at least six starters (and in Group 1 that’s typically 12 positions), for their part in a fourth-quarter brawl last week with Woodbury.

In a sense, the Rams did shock the world this season. They turned an 0-9 first year under Carr into a winning second campaign that included their first playoff win since 2022. And they anticipate even better things going forward.

“From going 0-9 last year to 5-4 and the second round of the playoffs, it’s definitely a jump,” Jenkins said. “I feel next year the championship is ours. We’re going to shock the world again.”

Glassboro 35, Salem 0

SALEM		GLASS
7	1st Downs	15
25-33	Rushing	29-233
3-16-1	Passing	7-15-0
47	Passing yds	82
2-1	Fumbles-lost	3-1
7-25.9	Punts-avg	2-19.5
12-108	Penalties	18-155

Salem	0	0	0	0-	0
Glassboro	7	7	0	21-	35

SCORING SUMMARY
G-Mekhi Parker 38 pass from Jack O’Connell (Sal Esgro kick), 0:07 1Q
G-Mekhi Parker 50 interception return (Sal Esgro kick), 3:36 2Q
G-Amari Sabb 5 run (Amari Sabb run), 6:52 4Q
G-Amari Sabb 10 run (run failed), 4:10 4Q
G-Davon Barr 6 run (Sal Esgro kick), 2:50 4Q

GROUP I PLAYOFFS
NORTH I
Butler 49, New Milford 13
Kinnelon 37, Kittatinny 7
NORTH II
Cedar Grove 22, Mountain Lakes 15
New Providence 28, Hasbrouck Heights 21
SOUTH
Glassboro 35, Salem 0
Schalick at Paulsboro, Saturday
CENTRAL
Burlington City 52, Manville 14
Shore 30, Pt. Pleasant Beach 6

Schalick to semis

Cougars take an emotional win over Penns Grove in SJ Group I boys soccer tournament; Pennsville blanked by top seed Haddon Twp.

SJ GROUP 1 BOYS SOCCER

FRIDAY’S QUARTERFINALS	TUESDAY’S SEMIFINALS
Haddon Twp. 6, Pennsville 0	Palmyra at Haddon Twp.
Palmyra 1, Pitman 0	Audubon at Schalick
Audubon 5, Riverside 2
Schalick 4, Penns Grove 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Schalick scored three goals in the second half after a dust-up right before intermission and handled Penns Grove 4-0 in the South Jersey Group I boys soccer quarterfinals.

In a game between two county and division rivals, tempers flared along the far sideline just as the first half ended. There was some discussion of ending the game right there with Schalick leading 1-0, but it was agreed the game would continue if the principal protagonists, Schalick’s Anthony Sepers and Penns Grove’s Michael Schultz, did not play in the second half and no further incidents would be tolerated. There were no red card ejections.

Schalick coach Joe Mannella declined to comment on the incident and Penns Grove’s Mano Massari said he was preoccupied with getting a sub into the game at the time and didn’t have a good enough vantage point of the scuffle to comment.

Officials, coaches and administrators huddled at midfield during the entire halftime before making their decision to continue.

The second-seeded Cougars were on their Ps and Qs after that so not to jeopardize their playoff hopes. Playing for their ousted teammate, they scored three times in the second half.

“It definitely fired us up,” Mike Nelson said.

“We wanted to do it for our teammate,” Jaxon Weber said.

Marco Spinnato told Sepers after the incident he was going to score a goal in the second half and he scored the first of his two five minutes into the period to give the Cougars some breathing room. He had a third goal waved off for offsides. Nelson got the other goal in the half, deflecting a long free kick from Weber inside the left post.

“I think that motivated us and pushed us to win this game,” Spinnato said. “It helped us because we knew if we made one mistake we were out of there.

“Our coaches, Jaxon, our captains, all told us we have to stay through the game plan and we have to keep motivated, we can’t let one thing get to us because if we let it get to us we’re jeopardizing our playoff run.”

“Momentum is a real thing,” Massari said. “They did nice job of putting the ball in the back of the net and staying in control. Good team over there.”

Nolan O’Toole banged home a rebound for the first goal of the match midway through the first half.

In terms of what took place between the lines, the Cougars (15-3-2) controlled the action on both sides of the ball. They created numerous chances on offense and when the Red Devils (9-6-3) appeared to mount an attack their defense was there to collect the ball and move it out of harm’s way. Goalie Evan Sepers had three saves.

“Defensively we continue to play really strong; we know that’s the key to winning in the playoffs, keeping the ball out of your net,” Mannella said. “They continue to do that and they were excellent today.”

The Cougars now host third-seeded Audubon in Tuesday’s semifinals.

**Pennsville coach Derek Foglein. (Photo by Brian Tortella)**

HADDON TWP. 6, PENNSVILLE 0: The top-seeded Hawks scored three goals in the first eight mights of the second half to open a comfortable margin and finished it off before the 20-minute mark to end Pennsville’s historic season and reach the sectional semifinals.

Sophomore Brody Beals scored his first career hat trick and Bobby McIlvaine scored twice to lead the victory. Danny McIlvaine scored the other goal.

Beals and Bobby McIlvaine scored in the first half to give the Hawks (14-5-1) a 2-0 lead. Beals opened the scoring in the second half and the McIlvaines scored a minute apart to make it 5-0.

“We ran into one of the best Group 1 teams in the state and they were on form,” Foglein said. “We battled with them for the first half, but then in the second half every shot they had was perfect.

“I know it’s crazy to praise my keeper in that scoreline, but Coen (Rinnier) was fantastic. He made some unbelievable stops in the first half. When it got to the second half, it wouldn’t have mattered who the goalie was.”

The Eagles (11-7-2) checked off a lot of boxes during the season. They enjoyed their winningest season since 2017, won their first division title in 32 years and won their first playoff game since 2014 in the opening round.

“It leaves a sour taste tonight, but tomorrow we’ll wake up and remember that we had a historic season,” Foglein said. “That’s what I reminded the guys on the bus.”

Mighty Oaks rally

Little, Lee, Rines spark second-half surge that sends No. 5 Salem CC to opening-night win over Atlantic Cape

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

MAYS LANDING – As the reigning fifth-place and preseason fifth-ranked team in the country, Salem CC basketball coach Mike Green knows his team has a target somewhat unfairly on its back this season and will get the best effort from every opponent every game.

The Mighty Oaks, with virtually an entire new team from the one that finished fifth at the nationals a year ago (which makes the target reference unfair), got the best Atlantic Cape had to offer in their season opener Thursday night and they didn’t handle it very well early. One of the players called it the worst half of basketball they’ve played.

But they found the difference between being the high schoolers many of them were at this time last year and the college game during the break, came out a different team in the second half and sank the Buccaneers 80-73.

“We have a lot of freshmen,” said one of them, forward Idris Rines. “We have one returning guy from last year (Stefan Phillips), so that was like our first big test. I think we adjusted well in the second half. We were mentally still in high school (in the first half), but in the second half we were ready for the comeback. We prepared, we stayed together, fought adversity and trusted each other.”

The Mighty Oaks trailed by as many as 12 in the first half and by nine at halftime in large part because they were terribly out rebounded. The Buccaneers had more offensive rebounds (14) than Salem had boards (12) and scored 11 second-chance points off them.

Nasseem Wright and Zyaire Gibson kept them in the half. Wright had 11 points and five rebounds, while Gibson hit three 3-pointers. Wright finished with 15 points, eight boards and eight blocks.

Luckily, the Mighty Oaks were hitting their free throws. They were 14-of-16 from the line in the first half, 28-of-32 in the game. They were 69.9 percent foul shooters as a team last year.

“We struggled with it through the whole jamborees and exhibitions,” Green said. “It’s good to see the work we put in in practice is worth something.”

Their second-half surge was led by Rines, leading scorer Saaid Lee and Jarrell Little. Lee and Little combined for 29 points in the half. Rines scored nine points in the half, including two huge 3-pointers during the comeback.

They also closed the rebounding gap. They were still outrebounded in the half 20-17, but they gave up only five second-chance points.

“We just had to adjust to the game and be more physical with them,” Lee said. “They started off punching us in our face so we had to punch them right back and be physical.”

Little scored all 14 of his points in the final 20 minutes after being held scoreless in the first half. Green getting on him during the break provided the proper incentive.

“Mentally I was out of it,” he said. “This is my first game out of high school so I was struggling at the beginning but I just let the game come to me. I wasn’t ready for the physicality. In high school I used to get fouled a lot, but our here it’s more like a grown men’s game. Every game you’ve gotta play hard.”

At 6-6 one might think Rines would be more comfortable inside than out, but the 3-ball is a big part of his game and Green actually encourages to shoot. He was 2-of-6 behind the arc and also had five rebounds and three blocks.

“My high school coach, Coach (Derek) Brooks, my tenth-grade year (at Upper Dublin), he stepped in – it was his first year – and he really worked with me and my 3-pointers,” Rines said. “I was always a talented 3-point shooter growing up, but once I got into high school I really developed it. I hit over 50 3s my senior year.

“I always have confidence in my 3s, but I think teams probably don’t think so and people think I’m probably an inside post. That’s like a big advantage. People just go in the corner and are like oh he can’t shoot and we just light ‘em up from 3.”

After trailing virtually the whole game, the Mighty Oaks finally got it tied at 53 on a pair of Wright free throws with 11:17 to play. Little gave them their first lead since 2-0 on a layup with 9:48 left.

The teams either traded the lead or had it tied nine times over the next six minutes until Lee gave the Mighty Oaks the lead for good with 3:30 to play. on a layup with 3:01 left. The Buccaneers never got closer than four the rest of the way.

“I recruit toughness, high character kids,” Green said. “They got down and I challenged them at halftime and they responded.

“They’re really high school kids so they’re used to getting on somebody lesser and just taking the ball from them. You’re not going to do that at this level. I think they got the message at halftime and they adapted.”

Salem CC 80, Atlantic Cape 73

SALEM CC (1-0) – Saaid Lee 6 7-8 19, Jarrell Little 5 4-4 14, Nasseem Wright 4 7-8 15, Stefan Phillips 0 2-2 2, Zyaire Gibson 3 0-0 9, Quadeair Smith 0 1-2 1, Lenar Anderson 2 0-0 5, Idris Rines 3 5-6 13, Jaiayre Wright 0 2-2 2. Totals 23-56 28-32 80.
ATLANTIC CAPE (0-1) – John Andalora 1 0-0 2, Quinn Baumann 1 0-0 2, Jaleel Clark 0 0-0 0, Amin Hines 2 4-7 8, Rashad Jalloh 2 0-0 4, Sahmir Jones 1 0-0 2, Olyn Knox 5 6-6 16, Jayden Lopez 0 0-0 0, Justin Moore 1 0-0 2, Carlos Rodriguez 8 4-6 24, Logan Sparks 4 3-7 11, Corey Thomas 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 17-26 73

Salem CC	36	44-	80
Atlantic Cape	45	28-	73

3-point goals: Salem CC 6-20 (Little 0-2, Gibson 3-7, Anderson 1-1, Rines 2-6, Phillips 0-3, Smith 0-1); Atlantic Cape 4 (Rodriguez 4). Fouled out: Jones. Total fouls: Salem CC 19, Atlantic Cape 25.

Hawks oust Schalick

Virga’s milestone goal gives Cougars a lead in SJ Group I field hockey quarterfinal, but Haddon Twp. scores twice in second half to win; game-winner comes in final four minutes

SJ GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Thursday’s quarterfinals
Shore 2, Haddon Heights 0
Gloucester 7, South Hunterdon 2
Haddon Twp. 2, Schalick 1
West Deptford 12, Gateway 0
Monday’s semifinals
Gloucester at Shore
Haddon Twp. at West Deptford, 2 p.m.

By Riverview Sports News

WESTMONT – Luci Virga scored a milestone goal in the second quarter and it looked like Schalick was on its way to a spot in the South Jersey Group 1 field hockey semifinals. All the Cougars had to do was hold off Haddon Twp. for two more quarters.

But the Hawks pushed home a pair of goals in the second half, including Emory Shaw’s game-winner with less than four minutes to play to dash the Cougars’ hopes, 2-1.

Third-seeded Haddon Twp. (14-6) now plays West Deptford Monday in the sectional semifinal.

Virga, a junior, gave the Cougars (14-7) a 1-0 lead with her 50th career goal. Sofia Nagel got the equalizer in the third quarter and then Shaw got the game-winner, tipping in a shot from Kenzi Ricci off a corner with 3:56 left in regulation.

“They had way more corners than we did throughout the whole game,” Schalick coach Heather Cheesman said. “I honestly think the second half we were dominating. We were at our offensive goal most of the time and they just had that one breakway.”

Brian Tortella contributed to this report. Photo credit: Brian Tortella

WJFL All-Stars

Here are the all-star teams for the West Jersey Football League Patriot and Diamond Divisions

Patriot Division

POS	FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
OL	Salvatore Fife, W. Deptford
OL	Chris Neff, Paulsboro
OL	Joseph Calderon, Overbrook
OL	Jacob Hand, Pennsville
OL	Lars Stenger, Camden Cath.
QB	Malakhai McKenzie, Paulsboro
RB	Axcel Bailey, Overbrook
RB	Nymir Daily, Camden Cath.
WR	Jeremiah Carr, Paulsboro
WR	Michael Joseph, W. Deptford
WR	Mike Aversa, Audubon
ATH	Colę Paskiewicz, W. Deptford
ATH	Teriq Moore, Overbrook
K	Brady Cobb, W. Deptford

POS	FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL	Al Dayrell, W. Deptford
DL	Jonah Jordan, Audubon
DL	Charles Schriver, W. Deptford
DL	Jayden Gurnovich, Pennsville
LB	Kam Simpkins, W. Deptford
LB	A.J. Powell, Overbrook
LB	Caden Luby, Collingswood
LB	Colton Sabo, W. Deptford
DB	Zamir Davis, W. Deptford
DB	Kyaire Harvey, Paulsboro
DB	Rylan Hardy, Pennsville
DB	Daniel Leahy, Camden Cath.
ATH	Robbie McDade, Pennsville
P	Lino Bataloni, Collingwood

HONORABLE MENTION
OFFENSE: Dylan Huff, OL Audubon; Terrance Gaffney, RB Collingswood; Jayden Devan, OL Overbrook; Madden Rosario, OL Camden Catholic; Marques Eli, WR Paulsboro; Perry Meranti, TE Pennsville; Shane Cruz, OL West Deptford.
DEFENSE: Cole Trotz, LB Camden Catholic; Aaron Pilla, DB Audubon; Tacere Redd, LB Collingswood; Rayon Pressler, DL Overbrook; Jamaal Robinson, DB Paulsboro; Trevor Waddington, DL Pennsville; Curtis Pearson, DB West Deptford.

Diamond Division

POS	FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
OL	Jayce Grays, Glassboro
OL	Amon Wright, Glassboro
OL	Abdur Jenkins, Salem
OL	Wyatt Irvine, Salem
OL	JaKai Ingrim, Penns Grove
QB	Jack O’Connell, Glassboro
RB	JoJo DeLecce, Glassboro
RB	Troy Carey, Salem
WR	Xavier Sabb, Glassboro
WR	Mekhi Parker, Glassboro
WR	Kaden Robinson, Salem
ATH	Amari Sabb, Glassboro
ATH	Desmund Thomas, Salem
K	Hunter Dragotta, Schalick

POS	FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL	Ray Brown, Penns Grove
DL	Antwuan Rogers, Salem
DL	Brandon Simmons, Glassboro
DL	Aiden Torres, Schalick
DB	Niko Jimenez, Woodbury
DB	Kyvion Parsons, Salem
DB	William Dunn, Salem
DB	David Stewart, Schalick
LB	Tasheem Butler, Glassboro
LB	DezYon Purnell, Schalick
LB	Elijah Young, Woodbury
LB	Davon Barr, Glassboro
ATH	Junior Serrano, Glassboro
P	Shawn Kelly, Schalick

HONORABLE MENTION
OFFENSE: Ryan Dispensa, OL Glassboro; Willie Chattam, OL Salem; Dale Thomas, RB Woodbury; Aiden Taulane, OL Woodstown; Sherrod Jones, WR Schalick; Antonio Cooper, OL Penns Grove.
DEFENSE: Dorian Kelsey, DL Glassboro; Quimere Bergen, DB Salem; Kahree Brown, LB Woodbury; Dylan Sheehan, DB Schalick; Bryceton Rooney, LB Woodstown; Luis Colon, LB Penns Grove.

Change comes quick

Woodstown strikes in final minute of first half, beats Pennsville in opening round of South Jersey Group I girls soccer tournament; top-seeded Schalick draws first-round bye

SJ GROUP 1 GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENT

FIRST ROUND GAMES	SATURDAY QUARTERFINALS
Schalick bye	Glassboro at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Glassboro 2, Pitman 0	Audubon at Palmyra
Audubon 6, Buena 0	Haddon Twp. at Clayton, 2:30 p.m.
Palmyra 7, Wildwood 0	Woodstown at Gateway
Clayton 9, Woodbury 1
Haddon Twp. 8, Maple Shade 0
Woodstown 2, Pennsville 0
Gateway 7, Cape May Tech 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — The two teams on the pitch were locked in a scoreless tug-of-war. Woodstown was getting the best of it but after repeated attacks had nothing to show for it. As the clock hit the final minute Wolverines coach Kieran Keyser was starting to make mental plans for the second half.

Then in the blink of an eye the whole complexion of the match changed.

Sophie Wells sent a bouncing ball towards the goal that the Pennsville keeper couldn’t corral and just that quickly the Wolverines had the lead 30 seconds before halftime.

It was the kind of jolt that energized the Wolverines and sent the Eagles, who had thought they were holding their own, into the break looking to regroup.

With a renewed sense of fire, Woodstown kept the pressure up in the second half, added a more conventional goal from freshman Hailey Kucharczuk in the eighth minute of the half and went on to win 2-0 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group 1 girls soccer tournament.

“Our first half we started off really strong, really fast,” Keyser said. “We came out firing right away and I think our girls maybe got a little frustrated when we didn’t score when we had a couple chances early and I thought we deflated a little bit about halfway through the first half. We didn’t have that intensity.

“Having that goal right before the half gave us the momentum we needed. It was a lucky goal. Sometimes you gotta get shots, sometimes you get lucky. That carried us into the second half and I thought we played way better in the second half. We played our game the second half.”

Wells admitted it was weird goal and a shot she didn’t expect to go in. “I thought it was just going to be an ordinary shot,” she said. She agreed it did bring the Wolverines energy after a “stressful” first half.

**Pennsville’s Marley Wood clears away another first half Woodstown threat.**

As shocking as the goal was in its arrival, it didn’t devastate the Eagles as much as one might think. They created more chances in the second half although the Wolverines were successful keeping the ball down in Pennsville’s end.

The Eagles got their first real shot of the game three minutes into the second half when Marley Wood broke in on the keeper and Ellie Wygand saved a soft shot. Wygand turned back a sharper shot from Taylor Bass 10 minutes later and went on to complete her ninth shutout of the season.

“At halftime we just needed to get the girls’ heads back in the game, get them to lock in and refocus,” Pennsville coach Casey Slusher said. “They kept playing the whole game; they played the whole game. They didn’t give up. At all.”

Kucharczuk gave the Wolverines a little more breathing room with her 10^th goal of the season. She took a throw-in from Ally Sheppard, deked around several defenders in the box and put one inside the near post from the 6.

“When I have the chance I definitely take them and it’s definitely great when it all works out,” Kucharczuk said.

The seventh-seeded Wolverines (14-3-1) now play at Gateway (16-1) in Saturday’s quarterfinals. The second-seeded Gators routed Cape May Tech Wednesday 7-0.

Pennsville’s Cameron Robbins (3) keeps an eye on Emma Perry as the Woodstown senior tries to take the ball down the sideline. (Top photo) Woodstown’s Hailey Kucharczuk takes a shot in the first half.

Salem CC basketball

Mighty Oaks women drop season opener, men open their season Thursday at Atlantic Cape

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — The Salem CC women’s basketball team was out to keep its record in home openers under coach Brian Marsh perfect, but in the end the little things and a little roster conspired against it.

The Mighty Oaks opened their season with a 62-53 loss to Hagerstown (Md.) CC. It’s the first time in three years under Marsh they have dropped their home opener.

“It’s a tough loss at home,” Marsh said. “That’s a team I thought we could definitely compete against; we just saw them in the super jam last week. It’s definitely a game I thought was a winnable game, but I don’t think we did the little things well. We have to play better.”

The Hawks won the battle of the boards, the turnover differential and shot free throws better.

After a slow start, the Mighty Oaks picked up the pace in the second quarter and grabbed a 31-29 halftime lead. When they opened the second half with a 9-0 run, they held an held an 11-point lead with 5:52 left in the third quarter. But then the Hawks increased their energy and held Salem to only five points over the next 13 and a half minutes to grab their own 11-point lead.

“They won the 50-50 balls, they out rebounded us,” Marsh said. “At some point we have to dig deep and say this is our game. We’re trying to win our first game at home. We have a tough next couple of games and we just made that hill a little harder to climb. We’ve got to get better.”

It wasn’t all a downer. Marsh said he saw some nice things. One of the brightest spots was the play of point guard Justine Cardona. The true freshman from South Philly gave the Mighty Oaks a game-high 19 points off the bench in her college debut on a bigger floor than she was used to playing.

“Compared to the games we played before today I think I did pretty well,” she said. “I tried to calm my mind because I was playing really rushed the first two or three games. I feel like I’ve got the plays down, ran them a little bit.”

“She’s a different type of point guard than we’ve had,” Marsh said. “She can really shoot. She can score. Obviously she provided that spark and when she got hurt and was out for extended minutes trying to get wrapped it affected us. We were stuck on 40 for probably seven minutes.”

The limited roster hurt the Mighty Oaks in the end. They had two bigs foul out and were down to their last available player to put five on the floor.

“It sucks (losing a winnable game), but it’s First Game,” Cardona said. “I think we did well considering we only had five at the end. We’re just going to work to get better.

“It’s the first game. I’m not holding my head down. Usually I’d be mad al all, I’d go crazy, but I really think we didn’t do bad.”

HAGERSTOWN 62, SALEM CC WOMEN 53
HAGERSTOWN (1-0) – Tyra Hobbs 0-2 0-2 0, Andrea Elder 6-12 3-4 115 Gabbie Ball 5-13 2-3 12, Ella Bennett 2-13 0-1 6, Brianna King 6-14 1-2 13, Cylvia Prout 0-1 0-0 0, Kayla Dangerfield 3-11 0-0 6, Janae Bradley 2-10 6-7 10, Addie Shall 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-76 12-19 62.
SALEM CC (0-1) – RayNescia King 1-6 1-1 3, Tanijya Shaw 6-16 3-6 17, Kasey Oliver 3-7 0-2 6, Daniella Gustin 0-1 1-2 1, Jayda Hunter 1-7 0-0 2, Justine Cardona 6-12 6-11 19, Paula Wilson 2-4 0-2 5. Totals 19-53 11-24 53.

Hagerstown	12	17	12	21-	62
Salem CC	9	22	9	13-	53

3-point goals: Hagerstown 2-13 (Bennett 2-7, King 0-3, Prout 0-1, Dangerfield 0-2); Salem CC 4-13 (Shaw 2-3, Hunter 0-3, Cardona 1-4, Wilson 1-3). Rebounds: Hagerstown 48 (Elder 11, Bradley 13); Salem CC 34 (Oliver 9, Gustin 6, Shaw 6). Fouled out: Elder, Oliver, Gustin. Technical fouls: Salem CC coach Marsh. Total fouls: Hagerstown 17, Salem CC 17.

MEN OPEN ON ROAD: The Salem CC men’s basketball team opens its road back to the nationals against Atlantic Cape as the hunted. The Mighty Oaks won a district title and finished fifth at the national tournament last year. They were ranked No. 5 in the preseason JUCO Division III ratings.

“It’ll be a tough one,” coach Mike Green said. “They’re one of the better teams in the league.

“Our guys have a target on their back that really wasn’t meant for them. We’ll get everybody’s best shot.”

In this case, the Mighty Oaks are a victim of their own success. They were 23-8 last year, but the majority of players have gone on to four-year programs.

As of practice Tuesday, Green wasn’t sure of his starting five for the game. He said he’s “got an idea” who’d like to start, but wasn’t quite ready to commit.

Prince of a player

Penns Grove freshman takes game to next level in playoffs; Red Devils, Pennsville score historic wins in SJ Group I boys soccer tournament; also includes opening round of field hockey tournament

SJ GROUP I BOYS SOCCER	SJ GROUP I FIELD HOCKEY
Tuesday’s first round	Tuesday’s first round
Haddon Twp. 5, Woodbury 0	Shore 6, Collingswood 0
Pennsville 1, Glassboro 0	Haddon Hts. 2, Woodstown 0
Pitman 2, Clayton 0	S. Hunterdon 2, Bordentown 1
Palmyra 1, Woodstown 0	Gloucester 5, Lower Cape May 0
Audubon 4, Wildwood 0	Haddon Twp. 6, New Egypt 0
Riverside 2, Maple Shade 0	Schalick 2, Florence 1
Penns Grove 3, Gateway 1	Gateway 1, Audubon 0
Schalick 2, New Egypt 0	West Deptford 11, Pennsville 0
Friday’s quarterfinals	Thursday’s quarterfinals
Pennsville at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m.	Haddon Heights at Shore
Palmyra at Pitman	S. Hunterdon at Gloucester
Riverside at Audubon	Schalick at Haddon Twp.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 2 p.m.	Gateway at West Deptford

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Prince Ledbetter came off the pitch with about 10 minutes to play and a two-goal lead to series of high fives on his way to the bench. The celebration started early, but coach Mano Massari warned his players it wasn’t over.

It was necessary to do, but it really wasn’t.

Necessary because only three weeks ago the Red Devils held a two-goal lead on a high-powered opponent with a lot less time remaining and left with a draw that felt a lot worse. Unnecessary because they played a strong second half and continued to after their flashy freshman came off the field, putting away Gateway 3-1 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I boys soccer tournament.

It was the Red Devils’ first win in the tournament since 2022. They now travel to second-seeded Schalick Friday for the quarterfinals.

“The history is we were up 2-0 on a very good team (Woodstown), dominated that game for a while, but we took our foot off the gas and got comfortable, complacent, and you know how that ended,” Massari said. “It ended in a tie with a good team, but it felt like a loss to us.

“All season long they’ll say we’ll fix it tomorrow, we’ll fix it tomorrow, and the message today was there is no tomorrow. I’ve got a good team, but they’re very inconsistent at times and to be the best you’ve got to be consistent.”

The Red Devils (9-5-3) had a lot of messages sent their way during the game.

Huddled in the goal at halftime trailing 1-0, Massari told them to just take a breath and “clear the mechanism.”

They had the best of the opportunities, but still were behind. Watching Mario Fuentes’ penalty kick slam off the crossbar in the 19th minute got them out of sorts and their fears intensified when Gateway’s Max Hohl parked a shot just out of the reach of PG keeper Dwayne Guzman Silva 17:38 before halftime. They needed to regroup.

They got it back together in the second half. They continued to have the best of the chances, but this time they finished, scoring three goals in 17 minutes.

“I wanted them to fight out of a hole and they did,” Massari said.

Ledbetter had a part in all three goals, but a more direct one in the second two.

Poyrez Erdonmez got the equalizer three minutes into the second half off a rebound of a Ledbetter shot. The freshman put the Red Devils ahead with a bullet into the upper left corner on a free kick from just outside the box nine minutes later and then made a nifty side-boot flick to set up Erdom Yardim’s insurance goal with 20:24 to play.

“I saw the open gap and saw the keeper was off his line a little bit and I took a hard rip to the top corner and it went in,” Ledbetter said of his goal. “I was anticipating (the final goal). I was waiting for the perfect moment (to make the pass). I knew that play was going to happen and it just came out how I wanted it and we got the goal.”

Ledbetter figures his freshman season is “going pretty well.” His goal is to become the best player he can. Massari believes he went to a another level Tuesday.

“I’ve been praising this kid since August,” Massari said. “I said to my assistant coach (Jesus Lopez) today this is the day Prince is going to take over this game and take over this team, and I really do believe he just did that.

“He is a special kid. If he can get out of his own way at times and make smart decisions, my God is he going to be a problem for the next couple years. He is going to be a problem in this conference, I really do think that.

“I am petrified to lose Dwayne next year, but having a kid like Prince kind of softens the blow a little bit.”

This defense doesn’t rest

GLASSBORO – Pennsville just keeps checking off historical boxes.

The Eagles won their first division title in 32 years earlier this season and Tuesday they picked up their first playoff win in 11 years with a 1-0 victory over eighth-seeded Glassboro. It also was coach Derek Foglein’s first playoff win as head coach.

The ninth-seeded Eagles (11-6-2) now travel to top-seeded Haddon Twp. for Thursday’s quarterfinals.

“Today just solidifies how hard this year’s team has worked, especially this group of seniors,” Foglein said. “Even these guys have been working in May, but Coen (Rinnier) and Steve (Fatcher), in particular, have been working their butts off all four years. It’s really nice to see them kind of get something out of all that labor and everything that they’ve put into the program.

“Yeah, it feels nice to win this game today, but it really is a win for Pennsville soccer and that, to me, is bigger than anything else, for sure.”

It was the first time the Eagles have beaten Glassboro in nine games since the teams began playing regularly in 2018, including a 1-0 own-goal loss earlier this season. They had been 0-9 against the Bulldogs since 2010, the first year records are publicly available.

“It feels really good to get it done especially after the season we are having and especially on Glassboro because that’s a team me and my coaches, I’m pretty sure, have never beaten,” Fatcher said. “We had lost to them in the summer league championship and earlier in the season so it felt like we had a little something to prove as well as continuing me and the other seniors’ careers.”

Sam Hassler scored the game’s only goal two minutes before halftime, cashing in a free kick by Edwin Castaneda-Sanchez from 35 yards out.

“We’ve been focusing on set pieces all year,” Foglein said. “We got plenty of opportunities in the first half and we took advantage of the one that we needed.”

Much of the credit for the historic victory goes to the Eagles’ defense, led by stopper Fatcher and defensive mid J.P. Laughrey. Rinnier was credited with seven saves in goal, but thanks to the play of the back line he was rarely tested. It was their 11^thshutout in 19 games.

“Coen’s leadership and his calm demeanor at the back was super helpful for us, for sure, but overall this was our best team defensive effort of the season and it wasn’t even close,” Foglein said. “Once we scored that goal, in the second half everybody on the field was committed to defending as a team and making smart choices when they were on the ball.”

“I talked to the boys before the game and said we need to win me and the other seniors another game because this team deserves that,” Fatcher said. “I also felt a little bit of pressure being that this could have been my last high school soccer game so I felt like I had to prove something any way I could and tried my best to limit shots on goal. It feels really good to know that me and the team left everything out on the field and won.”

Cougars find a way

PITTSGROVE – Schalick ran into another team that didn’t want to play with them, but the Cougars still had plenty of firepower to overtake their opponent’s conservative approach.

The second-seeded Cougars scored two goals in the second half to push past No. 15 New Egypt 2-0. They now host Penns Grove in the quarterfinals Friday.

The Warriors seemed not to want to push the ball forward , instead just nudging it up towards the front and hoping to capitalize on a Schalick mistake. But once Nolan O’Toole broke the ice it opened things up for the Cougars.

“When teams are playing like that, (if) you get that early goal that kind of opens things up and makes it less frustrating,” Schalick coach Joe Mannella said. “We didn’t do that, so we did a good job of just continuing to play at it and keep poking away until we found a breakthrough and then it clearly opened up after that.”

Jaxon Weber had a hand in both goals. He assisted on O’Toole’s goal and then scored the insurance goal on an assist from Tyler Vanlier.

Mannella expects “a lot of teams” to take a conservative approach against his team the deeper they get into the playoffs.

“We’re still trying to find our way without Luke (Price) and with some young guys, figuring out a way to integrate some of the other guys whose roles have now changed,” Mannella said. “We need Jaxon Weber to get more involved in the offense.”

No pal of theirs

WOODSTOWN – An old nemesis did it to Woodstown again.

Palmyra, the team that knocked the Wolverines out in the sectional semifinals three times in the last four years, did it to them again, this time in the opening round, 1-0 in overtime.

The Panthers beat them in a shootout last year and with shutouts in 2021 and 2023.

“I guess we’re just destined to run into them,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “For a while there when I was in Group 2 it always seemed like we were going against Cinnaminson. Then the one year we didn’t have Cinnaminson, we had Delran. For us right it’s just that Palmyra is the team we’re running into.

“When you look at South Jersey Group 1, I’ve said it for many years, the team that wins it they have to go through either Palmyra, Woodstown, Haddon Twp. or Schalick. If you want to win it, you have to beat one of those teams or we’re all beating each other, that’s what it comes down to.”

Patrick Broadbelt scored the golden goal two minutes into overtime when he ran onto a bending free kick Kian Briant sent into the box and headed into the goal.

The fourth-seeded Wolverines (11-4-4) had several good chances in the first half that keeper Deakon Haines came out to stop. Meanwhile, they played their typically gritty defense to keep the Panthers out of the goal through regulation.

“Disappointed we lost, but all in all, looking back on it, we played 19 games this year and only lost four of them,” Huck said. “I’m proud of that. I’m proud of the 4-seed. Who else would have to play a 13-seed Palmyra team. If anybody would have said that in the soccer world they would have gone that must be a different sport than boys soccer.”

Field Hockey

SCHALICK 2, FLORENCE 1: Caylen Taylor and Luci Virga scored goals in the first quarter and goalie Lydia Gilligan made 15 saves to help the sixth-seeded Cougars hang on. Ryann Smith scored in the second quarter for Florence and the teams battled through a scoreless second half.

“It was a tough one, for sure,” Schalick coach Heather Cheesman said. “I don’t think the girls were expecting Florence to come out like they did. They were fast and aggressive.”

HADDON HEIGHTS 2, WOODSTOWN 0: Abigail Lovelidge and Lily Paul scored goals in the second quarter and the Garnets completed the shutout to bring the curtain down on Gloria Byard’s first season as the Wolverines’ head coach. The loss snapped Woodstown’s four-game winning streak

WEST DEPTFORD 11, PENNSVILLE 0: The Eagles were just too strong and overpowered Pennsville in coach Lisa Doran’s return to the sideline. Avery Gasparovic, Isabella Gibbons and Julia Barger scored two goals apiece and five other players had individual goals

Going out a winner

Woodstown gets fourth-down stop at the 5 in final minute to preserve 21-14 win over Clayton in final game of a tough season

WJFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Woodstown 21, Clayton 14
Wildwood 22, Haddon Twp. 8

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CLAYTON — Aiden Taulane and Liam Reed were determined not to lose the final game of their high school careers. The two linemen did everything in their power to make sure they won the last game of a tough senior season Monday night and at the crucial moment they delivered in a game-saving way.

The moment of truth came in the final minute of their final game. Taulane batted down a fourth-down pass from the 5 and Reed crushed the unfortunate lineman who caught the deflection to preserve Woodstown’s 21-14 win over Clayton at Haupt Field.

“I saw the quarterback pick his arm up and I jumped,” Taulane said. “It wasn’t very high, but I tried to jump and I ended up hitting it and then the emotions just flipped and it was straight excitement. I gave it everything to make sure we could all have one last win.”

“We all knew this was it,” Reed said. “It’s been a long four years … Adversity kept coming this season. This was kind of our chance to prove that we could overcome adversity. We just came together. We just made sure we could lock you down.”

Reed was in on another big stop in the third quarter when he and Mason Middlemiss sandwiched Clayton running back Willie Weathers short of the goal line to deny a two-point conversion that would have given the Clippers the lead. Instead, the stop kept the game tied at 14.

The Wolverines (3-7) had one chance to go out on a good note after a season beset with injuries left them out of the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. They went out fast, scoring on two of their first three possessions to take a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Cole Ware scored the first touchdown on a 43-yard burst up the middle and Middlemiss scored the second on a 24-yard run in the first minute of the second quarter. Ware rushed for 79 yards on 10 carries and Middlemiss rushed for 88 yards on 13 carries.

The Clippers (4-5) started getting Michael Ball involved in the offense in the second quarter and they answered Middlemiss’ touchdown with a 65-yard drive that ate up five and a half minutes. Quaddy Walls’ 7-yard run and quarterback Gabriel Hill’s two-point conversion got them on the board.

Woodstown had a chance to extend its lead right before halftime, but missed a 33-yard field goal attempt in the final minute of the half.

Clayton opened the second half with a 66-yard scoring drive that consumed nearly eight minutes with Weathers scoring on a 12-yard run to tie the game.

Middlemiss put the Wolverines up 21-14 on a 4-yard run with 9:02 left in the game. Clayton held it virtually the rest of the game.

The Clippers kept the ball from the time Middlemiss scored to 48 seconds left when the Wolverines forced Hill to his right on fourth down, Taulane batted the pass and Reed crushed Roderick Harper after the Clayton lineman came down with the rebound.

“He was not getting that ball,” Reed said. “He was not scoring.”

“We just knew if we didn’t give everything we had they were going to get in,” Taulane said. “So, we left it all on the field.”

The drive covered 75 yards in 16 plays and was nearly flawless until the end.

The Clippers converted three third-down plays to keep the chains moving, including a 17-yard run by Deron Williams to get the ball inside the 10. The next two plays got them to the 5. They took a shot on third down, but Middlemiss and Bryceton Rooney broke up a pass intended for Michael Bull just inside the goal line. Taulane and Reed then sealed the victory on the next play.

“It just shows the resilience and toughness of this group,” Wolverines coach Frank Trautz said. “It’s the bones of this program. They were going to do whatever it took to get that stop and sometimes that’s all it comes down to, just the will to compete and the will to win.

“They gave it everything they had all year. That was the message all week – win it for the seniors. Give them what they deserved. We didn’t have the season we wanted to but these guys have worked their tails off for this program. They worked so hard and they deserve this and I’m just super proud they got to go out their last high school game with a win.”

Woodstown senior linemen Aiden Taulane (77) and Liam Reed (68) share a special moment with coach Frank Trautz after Monday night’s win. (Top photo) Mason Middlemiss (3) and Sincere Cook-Reese celebrate after scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Woodstown 21, Clayton 14

WOOD		CLAY
9	1st Downs	12
26-204	Rushing	48-232
0-3-0	Passing	2-4-0
0	Passing yds	(-3)
2-2	Fumbles-lost	1-0
0-0	Punts-avg	0-0
4-30	Penalties	4-40

Woodstown	7	7	0	7-	21
Clayton	0	8	6	0-	14

SCORING SUMMARY
W-Cole Ware 43 run (Anthony Costello kick), 6:46 1Q
W-Mason Middlemiss 24 run (Anthony Costello kick), 11:01 2Q
C-Quaddy Walls 7 run (Gabriel Hill run), 4:35 2Q
C-Willie Weathers 12 run (run failed), 4:05 3Q
W-Mason Middlemiss 4 run (Anthony Costello kick), 9:02 4Q