Author: almusky

Flagged down

Salem has another touchdown brought back by penalty and it was a big moment in Homecoming loss to West Deptford

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM — Penalties are the bane of every football coach’s existence. Penalties that take points off the board have a special place in … well … let’s just say, the place that would melt the treat West Deptford’s football team stopped for on the way out of town.

Salem had another touchdown called back by a penalty Saturday and it proved a quite significant turn in their 25-7 Homecoming Day loss to West Deptford and returning son John Emel.

The Rams had a 3-yard short-side pass to Torryn Ransome out of the backfield on what would have been the final play of the first half for what would have been a halftime lead. Coach Kemp Carr said he “can’t call a better play” for the situation. But instead of having the lead, they were flagged for holding and the go-ahead points came off the board.

They did get to run a play with no time on the clock and Desmund Thomas’ threw up a jump ball for KaiSiere Muhammad on the left side that was broken up by Cole Paskiewicz. The half ended not with Salem leading perhaps 15-12, but the Eagles leading 12-7.

It was a mind-numbing tenth time this season the Rams (3-4) have had a touchdown called back by a penalty. It happened three times last week at Middle Township, but they still won that game 44-0.

“I don’t know if some of them are penalties,” Carr said. “They’re question marks. After the ball crosses the goal line then we get a penalty. It’s hard to digest that. Why is that happening.

“Some of them are inevitable, but some of them are in the gray. The kid just put the kid in the ground, wasn’t even a hold. We went back and looked at it; he just got in his number and drove him into the ground. The guy called holding, like that was what made the play work.

“We score, the crowd all went crazy and then he throws his flag. They’re momentum killers. They’re drive killers. They mess with you mentally; they mess with your psyche. We’ve got to cut that stuff out.”

The Rams got in the position to score when Kyvion Parsons intercepted a Brady Cobb pass at the 10 and returned it all the way to 3 before being downed with a half-second left in the half.

What made the sequence even more demoralizing for Salem is the Eagles took the second-half kickoff and drove 70 yards in 12 plays over nearly six minutes to extend their lead. Zamir Davis capped it off with a 1-yard touchdown plunge.

Davis rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Paskiewicz rushed for 146 yards and a score.

“If they go into the lead, it’s obviously a lot of juice for them,” Emel said. “I thought it was big (sequence) for their guys, but at the end of the day it came down to that first drive of the second half. 

“Obviously, it was nice to get the stop there and nice to get the drive to start the second half, but we focused on the next play. I think the drive to start the third quarter on top of that (holding penalty) for them was really physically and mentally exhausting because then they’re down two scores and now our defense can play loose and aggressive when they can do that it’s good for us.”

Emel said his team played what he called “championship defense” from the second quarter on as they kept the Rams out of the end zone after Thomas’ 40-yard touchdown pass to Muhammad on the game’s opening drive. 

The holding call on the Ransome’s touchdown wasn’t the only one the Rams found questionable. There a defensive pass interference call on a Salem receiver in front of the Rams’ bench that wasn’t called. There was an offensive pass interference call that went overlooked on a 34-yard West Deptford completion. Carr vehemently protested an apparent fumble into the end zone by Davis that teammate Michael Joseph fell on for West Deptford’s final touchdown.

And in the fourth quarter with the Rams trying to cut into West Deptford’s lead there was a facemask penalty that took them inside the 5, but didn’t give them a new set of downs. They eventually turned it over on downs without scoring.

After questioning the motivations for such backbreaking calls or non-calls happening, Carr eventually gave Saturday’s officiating crew a failing grade for the game.

While the loss spoiled Salem’s Homecoming celebration, it was a happy homecoming for Emel.

He went to Salem, but was playing in the new football stadium there for the first time. He had been in the stands as a fan or scout a number of times before, but as a player and later Penns Grove’s head coach all of his Salem games were on the old Walnut Street field.

He almost got on the new field during his last season at Penns Grove, the year they opened the stadium, but it wasn’t quite ready for occupancy so their rivalry game was at Walnut Street one last time.

Emel said before Saturday’s game and after his team rushed for 306 yards he liked the playing surface. The venue that is now the football stadium was the school’s soccer field when he was a student there.

After the game, after praising his players for the effort they gave in the victory, Emel promised to take them all for ice cream on the way out of town at one of his old haunts  — Hudock’s Custard Stand on the Salem-Quinton road.

“When you get a big road win the players get rewarded,” Emel said. “I used to work there in high school. It’s a place we look forward to every off season. “

He reported half the players opted for food over the frozen treat.

The West Deptford football teams stops off at the Salem ice cream stand Coach John Emel used to work at growing up on their way out of town after beating Emel’s alma mater Saturday afternoon. (Submitted photo)

West Deptford 25, Salem 7

WD (25) SAL (7) 
181st Downs10
50-306Rushing23-69
2-4-1Passing13-22-0
35Passing yds117
1-0Fumbles-lost1-1
2-30.0Punts-avg2-42.0
2-7Penalties7-55
West Deptford (6-1) 66130-25
Salem (3-4)7000-7

SCORING SUMMARY
S-KaiSiere Muhammad 40 pass from Desmund Thomas (John Bower kick), 7:52 1Q
WD-Zamir Davis 2 run (pass failed), 35.8 1Q
WD-Cole Paskiewicz 60 run (run failed), 3:04 2Q
WD-Zamir Davis 1 run (pass failed), 6:22 3Q
WD-Michael Joseph fumble recovery in end zone (Brady Cobb kick), 12.0 3Q

WJFL Standings

DIAMONDALLDIV
Glassboro7-03-0
Salem3-42-1
Schalick2-52-1
Woodbury2-41-2
Woodstown2-51-2
Penns Grove0-70-3
PATRIOTALLDIV
Paulsboro7-05-0
West Deptford6-14-0
Overbrook5-22-2
Pennsville3-42-3
Collingswood4-31-3
Audubon2-41-3
Camden Catholic0-70-4

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Audubon 31, Collingswood 12
Delran 49, Penns Grove 0
Gloucester City 34, Schalick 6
Overbrook 34, Camden Catholic 20
Glassboro 42, Cinnaminson 0

SATURDAY’S GAME
West Deptford 25, Salem 7

MONDAY’S GAME
Woodbury at Willingboro

Breaking through

Penns Grove’s girls soccer gets its first goals of the season and first win; includes scores and highlights from Friday’s Salem County sports action

GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove 2, Woodbury 0: Berra Akkaya and Yareliz Pantoja scored Penns Grove’s first two goals of the season to bring the Red Devils (1-10) their first win of the season. Pantoja broke a 1-1 tie in the second half.
Salem Tech 2, Paulsboro 0: Ava Robinson and Peyton Pratt scored second-half goals for the Chargers.
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove 1, Woodbury 0: Prince Ledbetter scored the game’s only goal in the second half off an assist from goalie Dwayne Guzman Silva.
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Salem Tech
GIRLS TENNIS
Pitman 5, Woodstown 0
Salem 4, Penns Grove 1

PITMAN 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Anna Fisicaro (P) def. Nathalie Neron, 6-0, 6-1
Colette Rollins (P) def. Alyssa Berry, 6-2, 6-0
Ava Mullenhauer (P) def. Noelle Neron, 6-0, 6-0
Kendall Bennett-Amanda Bradley (P) def. Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr, 6-0, 6-0
Abigail Heil-Ella Ralph (P) def. Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth, 6-1, 6-2
Records: Pitman 18-3, Woodstown 12-5.

SALEM 4, PENNS GROVE 1
Angelina Fothergill (S) def. Andrea Restrepo, 6-1, 6-1
Tahirah Davenport-White (S) def. Ada Lopez, 6-1, 6-2
JaNye Hubbard (S) def. Kanta Pulchard, 6-2, 6-3
Heaven Jones-McCullough-Erica Brewer (S) def. Andrea Capone-Natanalie Dominguez, 6-0, 6-1
Gianco Tirado-Cadence Jachos (PG) def. Evangeline Jiminez-Barreto-Aleena Allen, 6-1, 6-3
Records: Salem 3-8, Penns Grove 0-9.

VOLLEYBALL
Highland 2, Salem Tech 1: Brooke Tyler had 14 kills, 11 digs and nine assists to lead Highland. Yoselin Basantes had eight kills and 14 assists. The set scores were 25-22, 20-25, 25-11.

Emotional night

Schalick starts strong, then longest-standing rival Gloucester keeps Cougars at bay to spoil their Homecoming, Senior Walk

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Kevin Leamy crouched at the 30-yard line with his face buried in his hands. You know there were tears behind those hands. The Schalick head coach is an emotional coach as it is, but this was a particularly emotional night.

Moments earlier, he watched 13 senior who played through his first year as head coach, a mix of able-bodied like Homecoming King Dylan Sheehan and injured like Exavier Allen, who courageous made the walk both ways on crutches, take the first Senior Walk since 2019 on the field they were playing on barring a home playoff game for the final time.

With Kenny Chesney’s solemn “The Boys of Fall” playing softly through the speakers, the seniors walked the length of the field with their underclassmen teammates lining the hashmarks all the way to their parents in the south end zone. Once they got there, there was enough tears to fill the water bucket.

“It’s a cool tradition,” Leamy said. “These kids put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears. I feel terrible that we just couldn’t get it done, but I’m proud of them. They’re a good football team and I don’t think that scoreboard tells the whole story.”

The Cougars lost to Gloucester, the longest played rivalry in the program’s history, 34-6.

The night couldn’t have started better for them. They scored on their opening drive, a 13-play, 73-yard march that took up a little more than seven minutes and had some on the sidelines calling it the best drive they’ve seen in years.

They had a little help with a fourth-down pass interference penalty that moved the ball into the red zone – one of two fourth-down conversions in the drive – and fell on two of their own fumbles, but culminated in David Stewart’s 4-yard run to open the scoring.

Stewart rushed for 30 yards in the game. Evan Elliott was their workhorse, rushing for 92 bruising yards on 14 carries. He had 20 yards in the opening drive.

“I think we’re starting to get better and it’s finally showing,” Leamy said. “The kids are putting in a lot of work and it’s finally clicking.

“Unfortunately for the seniors it takes time to do things that are new and for it to click. And it’s finally starting to click, but we’re still not there yet. There are still things they’re not executing on and missing here and there. We had a lot of chances that we missed on tonight.”

But they couldn’t maintain it. They did have success moving the ball, but never found the end zone again.

“We could have maintained it,” Leamy continued. “We missed opportunities. We didn’t execute here and there at certain times. It’s hard to be consistent. That’s why good teams are good teams, because they’re consistent more than they are good. We’re not there with the consistency aspect of it, but you can see what it could be if you were consistent.”

The Lions, meanwhile, scored 34 unanswered points. Ibrahim Hudwell rushed for 136 yards over three quarters and scored three touchdowns. He also had a touchdown on the opening kickoff called back for a holding penalty.

Hudwell’s first touchdown and Ashton Wall’s PAT put the Lions ahead for good. It was a 7-6 game until the last two minutes of the first half when Rylan Coffigny got behind the Cougars’ defense and hauled in a 60-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Boulden. Hudwell’s second touchdown late in the third quarter made it 21-6.

Gloucester added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter without running an offensive play. Neeko Howard returned a batted pass 71 yards for a score and Hudwell had a 64-yard scoop-and-score with 8:04 to play. The Lions ran their first offensive play of the quarter with 4:04 left in the game.

Hudwell celebrated the victory with a pair of back flips before joining his teammates in the post-game huddle.

“If my teammates want me to do it, I’ll do it,” he said. “I’ll do anything for my teammates.”

Top photo: Schalick football seniors embrace their parents after completing the revival of the Senior Walk in the final home game of their careers.

Gloucester 34, Schalick 6

GLOU (34) SCH (6)
121st Downs15
33-304Rushing38-144
3-4-0Passing8-17-1
74Passing yds77
0-0Fumbles-lost5-3
2-42.0Punts-avg3-37.3
11-105Penalties3-35
Gloucester (4-2)014713-34
Schalick (2-5)6000-6

SCORING SUMMARY
S-David Stewart 4 run (kick failed), 1:06 1Q
G-Ibrahim Hudwell 15 run (Ashton Wall kick), 9:37 2Q
G-Rylan Coffigny 60 pass from Kevin Boulden (Ashton Wall kick), 1:11 2Q
G-Ibrahim Hudwell 13 run (Ashton Wall kick), 1:45 3Q
G-Neeko Howard 71 interception return (Ashton Wall kick), 11:47 4Q
G-Ibrahim Hudwell 64 fumble return (kick failed), 8:07 4Q

WJFL Standings

DIAMONDALLDIV
Glassboro7-03-0
Salem3-32-1
Schalick2-52-1
Woodbury2-41-2
Woodstown2-51-2
Penns Grove0-70-3
PATRIOTALLDIV
Paulsboro7-05-0
West Deptford5-14-0
Overbrook5-22-2
Pennsville3-42-3
Collingswood4-31-3
Audubon2-41-3
Camden Catholic0-70-4

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Audubon 31, Collingswood 12
Delran 49, Penns Grove 0
Gloucester City 34, Schalick 6
Overbrook 34, Camden Catholic 20
Glassboro 42, Cinnaminson 0

SATURDAY’S GAME
West Deptford at Salem

MONDAY’S GAME
Woodbury at Willingboro

Being neighborly

Salem CC basketball team holds open scrimmage Saturday, first of several initiatives designed to drum up community support

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green has spent the last two seasons getting his Salem CC basketball team just the way he likes, but it’s largely been within the walls of the DuPont Fieldhouse. Now he’d like more of the community to see what he’s been seeing – and to keep coming back.

That chance to see what it’s all about comes Saturday when the Mighty Oaks open the doors for their Green-White Scrimmage. The 11 a.m. exercise is free and open to the public – just like their games are during the season.

It’s the first of what promises to be a number of initiatives to get the word out about the program to the public at large. In the coming days, folks can expect to see the players in public places interacting with community to drum up support.

“We’ve got something good going,” Green said. “We have respectable kids. We’ve got kids who work hard. We’ve got athletes who compete at a high level. We’re the defending champs, which is a really big deal; first time in school history that they won championships.

“We have a lot of stuff for the town to be proud of and we’ve just got to get that product out to them, to get them to us. We’ve got the product. We’ve just got to get them to us. Come and fill up these seats. We’ve got a good product.”

Last year the program enjoyed its winningest year in school history. The Mighty Oaks went 26-8, made their first region tournament appearance since 2022 and won a district title to make their first trip to the nations, where they won three games to finish fifth.

Akeem Taylor was the District MVP and Green was Coach of the Year. Many of the players have moved on to four-year programs even after only one year under Green.

Soon, the community can expect to see the current players out and about in their snazzy warmups going through the neighborhoods passing our schedule cards.

“Just to let them know we’re here,” Green said. “It’s our job to (get) them in and we want to try.

“Guys are playing hard with Salem across their chest. These aren’t Salem kids, but they honor and wear it, representing their town. You want to see who’s out there representing your town and hopefully they’re representing it in a good way, like we did last year.”

The Mighty Oaks return only three players from last year’s championship squad, so while the faces may have changed, with more length and players who can create off the dribble, the expectations never have. Several NCAA Division I coaches already have been in to watch their workouts.

“We expect to compete a championship year in and year out, that’s what we want to be. That’s what the new Salem is going to be, competing for a championship year in and year out.

“We’re not going to be at the bottom hoping we get a win or hoping somebody loses to get in the playoffs. We want to be at the top of the standings every year.”

And they’d like to have a packed gym to see it.

Later this month, the Mighty Oaks host a jamboree with Prince George’s, Union and Bucks CC at Cristo Rey High School in Philadelphia Oct. 18; a jamboree at West Virginia-Potomac Oct. 19 (with CC Baltimore and CCBC-Dundalk among others); and scrimmages at Alvernia (Oct. 23) and Penn State Brandywine (Oct. 29).

They open the regular season Nov. 6 at Atlantic Cape. The home opener is Nov. 13 against Bergen, when they’ll raise the district championship banner.

2025-26 SALEM CC MENS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
OCTOBER
12: x-Prince George’s CC; 18: x-Jamboree (Salem, PGCC, Bucks, Union), Cristo Rey HS, Philadelphia;; 19: x-Jamboree (vs. West Virginia Potomoc, CC Baltimore, CCBC-Dundalk); 23: x-at Alvernia; 28: x-at Penn State-Brandywine, 6:30 p.m.
NOVEMBER
6: at Atlantic Cape, 7 p.m., 8: at Delaware County; 13: Bergen, 7 p.m.; 15: vs. Bryant & Stratton at Penn Highlands Tournament, 5:30 p.m.; 16: vs. Sandhills or Penn Highlands, 3 p.m.; 18: Ocean, 5:30 p.m.; 20: at Passaic, 7 p.m.; 22: at Essex; 25: at Camden, 7 p.m.
DECEMBER
4: Thaddeus Stevens, 5 p.m.; 6: at Bergen, 2 p.m.; 9: RC-Gloucester, 7 p.m.; 11: at RC-Cumberland, 5 p.m.; 13: Brookdale, 2 p.m.; 18: at Ocean, 5 p.m.; 20: at Sussex, noon.
JANUARY
6: at Union, 6 p.m.; 10: at RC-Gloucester; 13: RC-Cumberland, 5 p.m.; 15: at Northampton; 17: Passaic, 2 p.m.; 22: Atlantic Cape, 5 p.m.; 27: Philadelphia, 7 p.m.; 29: at Brookdale; 31: at Luzerne, noon
FEBRUARY
3: Montgomery, 5 p.m.; 5: Harrisburg Area, 5 p.m.; 10: Union, 5 p.m.; 12: Camden, 6 p.m.; 14: Sussex, 2 p.m.
(x-scrimmage)

WJFL scoreboard

Here is the schedule for Friday night’s West Jersey Football League action, includes Saturday schedule; Salem County games in bold

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Atlantic City 26, Eastern 7
Audubon 31, Collingswood 12
Bishop Eustace 28, Holy Cross 12
Bordentown 47, Riverside 8
Bridgeton 35, Absegami 21
Cumberland 27, Deptford 6
Delran 49, Penns Grove 0
Glassboro 42, Cinnaminson 0
Gloucester 34, Schalick 6
Hightstown 35, WW-Plainsboro South 7
Kingsway 63, Clearview 0
Lindenwold 38, Palmyra 18
Mainland 54, Egg Harbor Twp. 6
Ocean City 48, Middle Twp. 0
Overbrook 34, Camden Catholic 20
Robbinsville 33, Moorestown 25
Seneca 31, Hammonton 15
Shawnee 36, Pennsauken 14
St. Augustine 27, Lenape 0
Sterling 21, Clayton 6
Trenton 28, Northern Burlington 22
Triton 21, Highland 7
Washington Twp.38, Rancocas Valley 17
Williamstown 21, Cherokee 14

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Burlington Twp. at Hopewell Valley, 10:30 a.m.
Gateway at Gloucester Catholic, 11
Nottingham at Princeton, 11
Burlington City at Lawrence, noon
Burlington Twp. at Hopewell Valley, noon
KIPP Cooper Norcross at Wildwood, noon
West Deptford at Salem, noon
Eastside at Winslow, 1 p.m.
St. Joseph at Atlantic Tech, 1 p.m.
Allentown at Ewing, 2 p.m.

MONDAY’S GAME
Woodbury at Willingboro, 5 p.m.

Thursday roundup

Schalick field hockey clinches share of division title, Woodstown falls in girls tennis sectional semis, and more

SJ GROUP I TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Semifinals
Pitman 4, Audubon 1
Haddon Twp. 5, Woodstown 0

HADDON TWP. 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Ellie Smith (HT) def. Nathalie Neron, 6-0, 6-0
Kiersten Callahan (HT) def. Alyssa Berry, 6-2, 3-6, 10-5
Leighton Thoder (HT) def. Noelle Neron, 6-2, 6-2
Sydney Troncone-Tessa Dybus (HT) def. Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr, 6-0, 6-0
Lily Steele-Carly DeCinque (HT) def. Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Haddon Twp. 14-4, Woodstown 12-4.

FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 3, Woodstown 0: The Cougars scored goals in each of the first three quarters and goalie Lydia Gilligan made 12 saves for the shutout that got them a series sweep of their rivals and at least a share of the TCC Diamond Division title. Gilligan’s final save was her 200th of the season. Caylen Taylor, Addi Shimp and Ava Scurry scored the Cougars’ goals.

BOYS SOCCER
Camden Academy Charter at Salem Tech

GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester City 6, Salem 0: Bailey Schoenfeldt scored three goals to lead the Lions (6-6). She has scored multiple goals in all six of their wins.

Kicked to the (on)side

Tough ruling on an onside kick saps Pennsville’s growing momentum in Homecoming loss to Paulsboro; Woodstown falls at home to Haddon Heights

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Mike Healy isn’t the type to dwell on what-might-have-beens, so he didn’t spend a lot of energy going over what did or didn’t happen on a particular onsides kick early in the fourth quarter Thursday night that didn’t go his Pennsville team’s way.

Still, it was a big play, maybe even the turning point, in the game. The Eagles had just scored to cut their deficit with Paulsboro to 16 points with plenty of time to mount a comeback. They appeared to recover the ensuing onsides kick at midfield, but after spotting it once the officials conferred and it was decided the ball hadn’t traveled the requisite 10 yards before Pennsville touched it.

Possession was awarded to Paulsboro on the Pennsville side of the 50 and instead of the Eagles getting a chance to make it a one-score game, the Red Raiders went down and scored to regain a three-touchdown lead and eventually won 44-32 to spoil Pennsville’s Homecoming and remain undefeated.

“In any game some things are going to go your way and some things are not,” Healy said. “Obviously, the onsides kick we were very frustrated about the outcome of that. Not that we would have won the game, but that definitely changes where the game is at that point.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating, but there were also other chances where we had opportunities to get the ball and get stuff done and didn’t do it. So it’s all across the board.”

Rylan Hardy’s 6-yard touchdown run and the two-point conversion brought the Eagles (3-4) to 38-22 with 9:59 and all of its timeouts left. 

Of course, they were going to attempt an onsides kick. They hit it to their right side and senior receiver Hayden Sherman appeared to recover it in Paulsboro territory.

The Eagles had the momentum and now they were convinced they had the ball, too. Initially, the officials spotted it on the Paulsboro 49 for the Eagles, talked about it some more and then placed it on the Pennsville 49 for the Red Raiders.

Paulsboro covered the distance in eight plays, with McKenzie pushing in from the 1 for the score. So, instead of it possibly being 38-30, the Red Raiders were back on top 44-24 with 6:15 to play.

“I jumped up in the air and I landed five yards after where the ball would’ve been live, so I think I recovered it,” Sherman said. “You can’t argue with the refs; it’s their game, not mine. 

“If we would’ve got the ball I think we could have gone down and scored and maybe even went for another onsides and got it again. It killed our momentum. It killed everything. It made everybody all upset and killed it.”

Paulsboro coach Kevin Harvey said the play was “kind of huge. We didn’t want to give them the ball back right there. That was a close one there.”

Of course, one play didn’t cause the Eagles to lose. They got the ball to open the third quarter, but didn’t score, losing three yards on a fourth-and-1 from the Paulsboro 31. The Red Raiders took over, used two big plays to get to the 1 and scored. They also turned over their next possession on downs (at the Paulsboro 40) and Red Raiders scored again to take a 38-16 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Red Raiders (7-0), meanwhile, were efficient in their offense. Running back KyAire Harvey rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Malakah McKenzie passed for 210 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. He was 12-of-20 through the air and completed his last seven passes in a row, two for touchdowns.

“We did a good job today, we did a good job,” Coach Harvey said. “The line’s gotta get all the credit. That’s what they’re (Harvey and McKenzie) supposed to do. That’s why they’re out there.”

Harvey the RB scored twice in the first half and Pennsville quarterback Robbie McDade matched it each time. It was a 14-14 game until McKenzie threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kahlil Streeter with 28 seconds left in the first half to give the Red Raiders the lead for good.

Hardy rushed for 85 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns for Pennsville. McDade rushed for 97 yards and the two first-half scores. Aiden Collazo also gave the Eagles some good yards, especially in the early return game.

Paulsboro 44, Pennsville 32

PBORO (44) PVILLE (32)
221st Downs16
26-248Rushing38-200
13-20-1Passing10-14-1
210Passing yds102
0-0Fumbles-lost1-1
1-23.0Punts-avg0-0
5-55Penalties1-10
Paulsboro814166-44
Pennsville88016-32

SCORING SUMMARY
PB-KyAire Harvey 42 run (Kayden Weber pass from Malakah McKenzie), 8:20 1Q
PV-Robbie McDade 12 run (Rylan Hardy run), 4:52 1Q
PB-KyAire Harvey 28 run (May Mears run), 8:36 2Q
PV-Robbie McDade 1 run (Rylan Hardy run), 2:54 2Q
PB-Khalil Streeter 24 pass from Malakah McKenzie (run failed), 0:28 2Q
PB-KyAire Harvey 1 run (Malakah McKenzie run), 7:07 3Q
PB-Jeremiah Carr 47 pass from Malakah McKenzie), 2:39 3Q
PV-Rylan Hardy 6 run (Aiden Collazo pass from Robbie McDade), 9:59 4Q
PB-Malakah McKenzie 1 run (run failed), 6:15 4Q
PV-Rylan Hardy 9 run (Rylan Hardy run), 3:10 4Q

Haddon Heights 27, Woodstown 6

WOODSTOWN — Kevin Clark ran for one touchdown and threw for another and kicker Jake Dillon booted a pair of field goals as Haddon Heights handed Woodstown a 27-6 loss.

Clark opened the scoring with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Lanont Robinson. Dillon kicked the extra point to make it 7-0.

The Wolverines answered with Frankie Hoerst’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Andrew White, but they missed the game-tying extra point. The Garnets scored the next 20 points to secure the win.

Haddon Heights 27, Woodstown 6

Haddon Heights73710-27
Woodstown6000-6

SCORING SUMMARY
HH-Lamont Robinson 17 pass from Kevin Clark (Jake Dillon kick)
W-Andrew White 42 pass from Frankie Hoerst (kick failed)
HH-Jake Dillon 23 FG
HH-Kevin Clark 1 run (Jake Dillon kick), 7:15 3Q
HH-Jake Dillon 23 FG, 9:24 4Q
HH-Amare Ridley 4 run (Jake Dillon kick)

WJFL Standings

DIAMONDALLDIV
Glassboro6-03-0
Salem3-32-1
Schalick2-42-1
Woodbury2-41-2
Woodstown2-51-2
Penns Grove0-60-3
PATRIOTALLDIV
West Deptford5-14-0
Paulsboro7-05-0
Pennsville3-42-3
Overbrook4-21-2
Collingswood4-21-2
Camden Catholic0-60-3
Audubon1-40-3

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Paulsboro 44, Pennsville 32
Haddon Heights 27, Woodstown 6
OTHER WJFL GAMES
Cedar Creek 42, Lower Cape May 0
Cherry Hill East 49, Cherry Hill West 7
Florence 42, Pemberton 36
Haddon Twp. 28, Mastery Camden 14
Maple Shade 32, Pitman 9
Pleasantville 42, Oakcrest 0

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Penns Grove at Delran
Gloucester City at Schalick
Collingswood at Audubon
Overbrook at Camden Catholic
Cinnaminson at Glassboro
Woodbury at Willingboro

SATURDAY’S GAME
West Deptford at Salem

Wednesday roundup

BOYS SOCCER
Woodstown 8, Salem 0: Three more players joined the ranks as the Wolverines moved closer to 300 all-time goal scorers and a trio of keepers keep the Rams off the board.

Josef Hummel, Don Milhomme and Aiden Milici all scored their first career goals, running the list of players who have scored a goal in Woodstown soccer history to 298. Josh Olbrich and Blake Bialecki scored their first goals of the season

Bryce Ayars had a goal and an assist, continuing his run of scoring a goal in every Woodstown win this season. Landon Gugliemo and Ayden Ellis scored the Wolverines’ other two goals.

Pennsville 0, Pitman 0: The teams played to a scoreless draw that Pennsville coach Derek Foglein described as “a dog fight on a football field.” It was the Eagles’ first point against the Panthers since 2017, the year before Foglein took over the program, and snapped a 10-game losing streak in the series.

It was the Eagles’ eighth shutout of the season, their first tie since 2021 (86 games) and their first scoreless tie since before 2010, the last year records are publicly available.

Schalick 3, Palmyra 2: Tyler Vanlier, Luke Price and Jaxon Weber all scored goals in the Cougars’ sixth straight win.

Penns Grove 1, Cumberland 1:  Poyraz Erdonmez gave the Red Devils a 1-0 lead and Ruben Lopez got Cumberland’s equalizer in the second half.

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 4, Gloucester Catholic 0: Cali Fisler scored a goal and added two more assists to her all-time school record. Olivia Vanacker, Kassady Sickler and Brooke Valentine had the other goals and Evan Berger was credited with two saves in the shutout.

Woodstown 7, Salem 0: Lia Covely had two goals and three assists and Gabby Maldonado scored twice. Bailey Arnold Peters, Genevieve Flynn and Aubree Covely scored the other goals. Ellie Wygand and Mazie Mazzoni shared the shutout.

Cumberland 5, Penns Grove 0: Ellie Bodine scored three goals for the Colts, giving her 23 for the season.

Pennsville at Pitman

GIRLS TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Kavita Pulchard, 6-0, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Yanet Cruz, 6-0, 6-0
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Andrea Chapone, 6-0, 6-0
Emma West-Elliana Norman (WO) def. Gianco Tirado-Nathalie Dominquez, 6-0, 6-0
Bailee Coles-Madison LaPalomento (WO) def. Valaria Pedroza-Cadence Jachoa, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 12-3, Penns Grove 0-8.

OLMA 5, SALEM 0
Evangeline Catanese (O) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-0, 6-2
Sara Wojtokowiak (O) def. Erica Brewer, 6-0, 6-1
Erin Malixi (O) def. Evangeline Jimenez Barreto, 6-0, 6-0
Leah Calderon-Sophia Terry (O) def. Phoenix Holland-Aleena Allen, 6-0, 6-1
Halle Dolce-Lily Mayo (O) won by forfeit
Records: OLMA 8-8, Salem 2-8.

Sibling sweep

Jacob and Abby Marino give Woodstown unique brother-sister sweep in Salem County Cross Country Championships; Woodstown boys, Schalick girls win team crowns

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Jacob and Abby Marino were sitting in the living room Tuesday night talking with their mom about how special it would be for brother and sister to win their respective races in the Salem County Cross Country Championships the next day. The conversation was light and hopeful.

It would be their last chance to pull it off and their best chance of happening — one, because Jacob is a senior and was making his last stand and, two, because there’s a changing of the guard on the girls side of the race.

They talked about it Tuesday. Less than 24 hours later the siblings were high-fiving after pulling it off.

Jacob won the boys race with a PR 16:37 after some trouble in Turn One. Sophomore sister Abby completed the gold-medal family portrait, winning with in 19:59 with plenty of room to spare.

“It’s awesome that we’re able to do this together, (in) my last county race, senior year,” said Jacob, who followed his sister to the finish from along the boundary. “It’s great that we’re able to win Salem Counties together my last year. It’s not something that gets to happen all the time, you know. It’s a big opportunity to finish together with your sibling in first place at a meet as big as the county meet.”

“It really means a lot to me,” Abby said. “It makes me really happy to see us both do it together. He always supports me every single race and I support him every single race.”

Jacob couldn’t recall the siblings ever winning race together although they have matched places “a lot.” They’re also believed to be the first brother-sister combo to win the county.

“Coming into this year we knew there was that chance and we wanted to build on that and win together,” Jacob said after his race. “That would be really cool as a family to both win counties. 

“That was our goal for today. Obviously, we have a very strong bond as siblings, so we wanted to build on that.”

Abby led her race wire-to-wire and hit the tape more than a minute and a half ahead of second-place teammate Anabel Schaal. Jacob’s race had a bit more drama.

He and teammate Karson Chew were well in front of the pack running shoulder-to-shoulder through the first 1,000 yards, but when they turned behind the football stadium Chew came in too tight and hit the chain-link fence’s corner support post with his right arm and it knocked him off the pace.

Marino heard the impact of the collision, and as much as he felt for his friend, he had a race to run and focused on pulling away to avoid being caught by one of the defending race champion’s renowned closing kicks. Chew closed the gap a little, but Marino won the race by 21 seconds.

“That’s the most idiotic way for me to go out in the race,” Chew said. “I keep thinking to myself that’s something that would only happen to me. I would be the only person who would do that.

“I knew we were going to slingshot out of that turn, so I was trying to stick the inside as much as I could and I didn’t have peripheral vision. I turned in and the pole was there. I never thought I’d be going fast enough to not see something.”

Woodstown won the boys team title. Schalick edged Woodstown for the girls crown.

The Woodstown boys flooded the top 15, going 1-2-3 and 7 through 12. Schalick filled in the three spots in between and finished second.

Schalick won the girls title by four points. The Cougars placed all five of their counters in the top 10, with Helen Lillia and Emma Cain’s PR coming in behind Marino and Schaal. They led by a point after the first five counters were scored, then slammed the door with 6, 7 and 8.

Woodstown closed the gap with its fourth runner, but two more Schalick runners were among the traffic that helped keep the final Wolverines counter from making up enough of the difference.

Schalick coach Missy Pine couldn’t tell her runners they had won the meet as they were calculating the scores, but she didn’t have to. They knew it when they saw their coach crying on the side.

“We weren’t expecting it; this one surprised me,” Pine said. “I set goals for the girls and we went over them right before the race and they just went out and achieved above and beyond. They pushed the hardest that we could and were just amazing. So many personal bests today. They’ve been working really hard and I’m glad it was able to see pay off for them.”

Woodstown’s Jacob Marino (R) comforts teammate Karson Chew after they finished 1-2 in the boys race. They went stride-for-stride for the first 1,000 yards until Chew hit a fence post making a tight turn and fell off the pace.
BOYS TEAM: Woodstown 21, Schalick 50, Salem Tech 84, Salem 136
GIRLS TEAM: Schalick 28, Woodstown 32, Salem Tech 77
BOYS TOP 15GIRLS TOP 15
Jacob Marino, Woodstown16:37Abby Marino, Woodstown19:59
Karson Chew, Woodstown16:58Anabel Schaal, Woodstown21:33
David Ferrell, Woodstown17:19Helen Lillia, Schalick22:20
Colin Bittle, Schalick17:31Sawyer Slad, Pennsville22:20
Sal Longo, Schalick17:33Emma Cain, Schalick23:17
Chase Riley, Schalick17:44Arianna Mott, Woodstown23:54
Pacey Hutton, Woodstown18:08Paetyn Wallace, Schalick24:52
Torsten Duva, Woodstown18:22Sarah Torpey, Schalick24:55
Jackson Perry, Woodstown18:23Emma Wilbur, Schalick25:02
John Hearst, Woodstown18:31Kiera Porch, Woodstown25:30
Mike Turner, Woodstown18:45Paityn Harrington, Salem Tech25:38
Brady Williams, Woodstown18:50Abigail Vanaman, Salem Tech25:39
Gavin Cronrath, Salem18:50Savannah Guglielmo, Pennsville25:49
J.P. Pozo, Salem Tech18:59Ava Melnick, Schalick25:51
Josh Weiner, Schalick19:04Brooke Lutek, Schalick26:55

Never let up

Woodstown advances to girls tennis sectional semifinals working overtime against Schalick; also includes Tuesday’s county field hockey action

SJ GROUP I QIARTERFINALS
Pitman 5, Lower Cape May 0
Audubon 3, Pennsville 2 (Mon.)
Woodstown 4, Schalick 1
Haddon Twp. 5, Wildwood 0
THURSDAY’S SEMIFINALS
Audubon at Pitman
Woodstown at Haddon Twp.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Jesse Stemberger gathered his Woodstown tennis team on the grassy knoll behind the tennis courts and laid down to make a point in a way befitting his unique coaching style.

The Wolverines had just dispatched county rival Schalick 4-1 to reach the South Jersey Group I girls tennis semifinals for the first time since 2022, but there were elements of their performance he needed to address.

Once he laid on the grass he asked for four volunteers to do all they could to keep him pinned down. Alyssa Berry, Madison LaPalomento and twins Nathalie and Noelle Neron each grabbed an arm or a leg and did all they could to keep their squirming coach pinned to the turf.

After a few moments Stemberger stopped struggling. His players instinctively relaxed, and that release was all the coach needed to sit straight up and thereby prove the point he was trying to convey about the effects of letting up.

The Wolverines won the first set in four of their five matches, but three of their four wins and four matches overall went to third-set 10-point tiebreakers. It didn’t have to be so stressful if they kept the pedal down.

“I don’t want to win matches in four tiebreakers, I want the straight sets; I’m not a tiebreaker guy,” Stemberger said. “Everybody on the team has played a 10-point tiebreaker this year, so they all experienced it, they all know it, so I think that helped coming into today.

“It’s a great neutralizer (tiebreakers), but mental toughness came through. That’s the beauty of coaching tennis here. They’re all high performers and I don’t question their mental toughness.”

He just has to reinforce it from time to time. He learned the demonstration he used Tuesday when he worked in the mental health industry and has kept the technique “in my back pocket” all these years for just such coachable moments. He said he’s used it maybe twice in his coaching career.

“I use that as an example to say as soon as we relaxed, we let them back in,” he said. “We’ve got to keep (the pressure) up.”

The players at first were confused by their coach’s demonstration, but they wound up getting the point.

“I was thinking what is going on,” said sophomore Emilee Kehr, LoPalomento’s doubles partner. “Another crazy demonstration. It turns out to be a message underneath that we realize after a match. (This message was) don’t give up, keep pushing.”

Woodstown tennis coach Jesse Stemberger allows his players to pin him to the ground for a teachable moment after their 4-1 SJ Group I tournament win over Schalick Tuesday. (Top photo) Stemberger talks with Noelle Neron (L) and Alyssa Berry during a break in the match.

The No. 1 doubles team of LaPalomento and Kehr earned the Wolverines a huge first point when rallied from dropping the first set to even the match and then convincingly won a 10-5 tiebreaker. Nathalie Neron clinched the victory with a 6-2, 4-6, 10-5 win at No. 1 singles.

The No. 2 doubles team of Emma West and Angelina Lindenmuth bounced back after dropping the second set to win an intense 11-9 tiebreaker for the final margin. Berry scored the Wolverines’ second point with the only straight-set match of the day at No. 2 singles.

The tiebreaker wins by Nathalie Neron and LaPalomento-Kehr came over Schalick players who played in last weekend’s NJSIAA singles and double draw.

LaPalomento and Kehr never led in their first set, but fought back to get it tied before Olivia Lunemann and Sebrina Bradford close it out 7-5. They trailed 4-3 in the second set, then won the next three games to even the match. They took command of the tiebreaker with seven straight points to open a 9-2 lead.

Lunemann and Bradford played in the second round of the NJSIAA doubles draw Sunday.

“The tiebreaker is always a lot more pressure than a regular set,” Kehr said, “but because there is more pressure you want to do better, you want to just finish it out, and that’s exactly what we did. After the (second) set were like we lost the first one, we came back in the second one, we’ve just got to finish it. It’s like the moment this all led up to. We had to finish it out.”

The seven players in Woodstown’s lineup Tuesday were a combined 5-4 10-point tiebreakers coming into the match, 10-6 if you include the 7-point set tiebreakers.

Nathalie Neron was playing in the first singles tiebreaker of her career against Miya Watkins and never lost the lead. It was 4-2 at one point and then she locked in to roll off four straight points to take control. Watkins lost in the first round of the NJSIAA singles draw Saturday.

“At first it was nerve-wracking, but I needed to reset my mindset and think of it like a clean slate,” she said. “It can go either way. You’ve just  got to get up and get up fast.”

The Wolverines (11-3) will now travel to second-seeded Haddon Twp. (12-4) Thursday for the semifinals. Audubon (13-1) plays at top-seeded Pitman (15-3) for the other spot in the Oct. 14 sectional finals.

WOODSTOWN 4, SCHALICK 1
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Miya Watkins, 6-2, 4-6, 10-5
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Annmarie Podehl, 6-2, 6-4
Macy Clow (S) def. Noelle Neron, 5-7, 6-2, 10-8
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Olivia Lunemann-Sebrina Bradford, 5-7, 6-4, 10-5
Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Sam Twigg-Jasmine Hunt, 6-4, 5-7, 11-9
Records: Woodstown 11-3, Schalick 6-5.

Field hockey

Woodstown 6, Deptford 0

PENNSVILLE 6, SALEM 1: Kylie Harris scored a career-high three goals, Gracie Mease had two and Kendall Hoyt had three assists as the Eagles presented coach Lisa Duran with a victory on the eve of her induction into the PMHS Athletic Hall of Fame. Duran is being enshrined for her standout playing career, which included 11 varsity letters and several high honors in three sports before starring collegiately at Old Dominion. The win snapped a five-game losing streak.

SCHALICK 10, GLASSBORO 2: Luci Virga scored three goals, Ava Scurry had two goals and five assists and five others scored goals for the Cougars (9-6). Scurry had five assists in last year’s 11-0 South Jersey tournament opener against South Hunterdon.