After a cold first half, Ramos hits 5 3-pointers to spark run that lifts Salem CC past Delaware County CC for first season-opening win since 2021
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green doesn’t hold back when he says Josh Ramos could easily be the top 3-point shooter in the league, region or any other classification you want to put the Salem Community College basketball team in. And the sophomore shooter did nothing to dispel his coach’s confidence in Saturday’s season opener, especially in the second half.
RAMOS
Ramos nailed five straight 3-pointers – each farther out than the next – during a four and a half minute stretch midway through the second half that gave the Mighty Oaks control of their 81-73 win over Delaware County CC at the DuPont Fieldhouse.
It was their first win in a season opener since 2021-22 when they beat the Eastern University JV 67-56.
“He’s just like a little microwave,” Green said. “He’s a spark. He’s a big spark.
“Once you see one go through you’d better come back to him again. You probably have to come back to him for the next four minutes until he’s burnt up. He’s one of those type players you’ve got to go right there to him.”
And that’s exactly they did. Ramos was just 1-of-4 from behind the arc in the first half as teams battled to a 35-35 draw, but he got hot after halftime, going 5-for-5 during a 19-7 run that took the Oaks from 48-45 down to 64-55 with 9:45 to play. He finished with 18 points.
“The first half, I don’t know, I could tell it was long, but I came into the second half mentality-wise like I’m going to keep my head up, get in the game and if he started me for the second I came here (and started hitting),” Ramos said. “My teammates were finding me, I was just letting it go and the confidence just kept building. As the half went on … we won.”
He went bang-bang-bang on three straight possessions, tying the game, putting the Oaks up for good and extending the lead. The fourth came from out near the Salem logo.
“After I hit the first four it was no-brainer, I was just letting it go,” he said. “Shooters shoot, that’s all I can say.”
“He should have had more, he should’ve had eight,” Green said. “We need to do a better job of finding him.”
Ramos was one of the best 3-point shooters in the region last year, hitting 60 of 146 in 23 games (41.1 percent) and 42 of 96 in conference play (42.9). He was sixth in the league in number and top 10 in percentage playing six fewer games than the leader. He wants to be the No. 1 3-ball in the league.
He was 8-of-20 in six games before Green became the Oaks’ coach shortly before Christmas, but flourished in the role after the change. He had one three-game stretch in early February in which he went 18-of-31.
“Anytime Josh’s on the floor, we’re going to Josh,” Green said. “Everybody knows it. We had a meeting. I told them we only run plays for three people and really it’s only Josh. They know. The team knows.”
If Ramos’ goal is to be the No. 1 3-point shooter in the league, A.J. Jones’ goal is to be the No. 1 defensive player. He got off to a impressive start Saturday. He had 14 points – all in the first half – but also had several several steals, assists and rebounds and did what Green called a “wonderful” job on Delco’s Darrius Best, holding one of the region’s best guards to 14 points on 5-of-19 shooting.
It was his steal and layup in the final 10 seconds that earned the Oaks their 35-35 halftime draw.
“He didn’t play well in our last scrimmage and I challenged him,” Green said. “We challenged him big time and he responded.”
Saturday’s game kicked off a busy week for the Mighty Oaks. They play three games next week in doubleheaders with the women’s team and play their first seven games in their House of Pane.
“It can give great confidence, but it can give false confidence, too, because it’s a different game on the road and we saw that last year,” Green said. “It was tough on the road. But I’ll the other side of it, I’ll take the confidence.”
SALEM CC 81, DELAWARE CO. CC 73 DELAWARE CO. (1-1) – Cameron Daut 1 2-2 4, Jabree Martin 6 2-2 16, Omar Davis 5 3-5 13, Evan Vandelti Spahr 3 1-1 8, Jaquan Fisher 3 3-4 9, Darrius Best 5 2-2 14, Luke Bushra 0 0-0 0, Tahmeire Manning 1 2-4 7, Amir Wilson 0 0-0 0, Stephen Rosemin 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 15-20 72 71. SALEM CC (1-0) – Dontarius Jones 1 1-2 3, Niame Scott 1 7-8 10, Tyrese Fortune 2 1-2 5, Tyrone Tolson 2 0-0 5, Rodney Shelton 1 1-2 3, Julien Jones 0 1-2 1, A.J. Jones 6 0-1 14, Josh Ramos 6 0-0 18, Xavier Brewington 4 3-4 12, Stefan Phillips 3 2-2 8, Sami Anderson 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 16-23 81.
Delaware Co. CC
35
38–
73
Salem CC
35
46–
81
3-point goals: DCCC 6 (Martin 2, Vandelti-Spahr, Best 2, Manning); Salem 11 (Tolson, Brewington, A. Jones 2, Ramos 6, Scott).
Cover photo: Josh Ramos puts up one of his five second-half 3-pointers in Salem CC’s season-opening win.
The South Jersey Group I & II playoffs in boys soccer, girls soccer, field hockey and volleyball get underway this week. Here is the weekly sports schedule for teams in Salem County for the week of Nov. 4-9
NOV. 4 GIRLS SOCCER SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT (9) Clayton at (8) Gateway, 2 p.m. (12) Pennsville at (5) Riverside, 3 p.m. (13) Buena at (4) Haddon Twp., 4 p.m. (14) Wildwood at (3) Woodstown, 2 p.m. (11) Maple Shade at (6) Palmyra, 2 p.m. (10) Pitman at (7) Glassboro, 2 p.m. (15) Cape May Tech at (2) Schalick, 3 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY SOUTH JERSEY GROUP ITOURNAMENT (16) Audubon at (1) Shore (9) Florence at (8) Salem, 2 p.m. (12) Lower Cape May at (5) Gloucester (13) Haddon Twp. at (4) Haddon Heights (14) Maple Shade at (3) West Deptford (11) Bordentown at (6) Gateway, 4 p.m. (10) Collingswood at (7) Woodstown (15) South Hunterdon at (2) Schalick, 2 p.m.
NOV. 5 BOYS SOCCER SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT (16) Cape May Tech at (1) Schalick, 2 p.m. (9) Penns Grove at (8) Pitman, 2 p.m. (12) Gateway at (5) Audubon, 2 p.m. (13) Pennsville at (4) Haddon Twp., 4 p.m. (14) Woodbury at (3) Palmyra, 4 p.m. (11) Glassboro at (6) Riverside, 4 p.m. (10) Maple Shade at (7) Wildwood, 2 p.m. (15) Clayton at (2) Woodstown, 4 p.m. SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT (15) Salem Tech at (2) Haddon Heights VOLLEYBALL SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT (14) Salem Tech at (3) Seneca
NOV. 6 FIELD HOCKEY SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Salem at Shore, 4 p.m. Gloucester at Haddon Heights, 2 p.m. Bordentown at West Deptford, 2 p.m. Collingswood at Schalick, 2 p.m. WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Bryn Mawr, 7 p.m.
NOV. 7 GIRLS SOCCER SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Gateway at Audubon Riverside at Haddon Twp. Palmyra at Woodstown Glassboro at Schalick
NOV. 8 FOOTBALL SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS Riverside at Glassboro, 6 p.m. Paulsboro at Schalick, 6 p.m. CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS Pennsville at Woodstown, 7 p.m. Woodbury at Shore, 7 p.m. BOYS SOCCER SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Pitman at Schalick Audubon at Haddon Twp. Riverside Palmyra Wildwood at Woodstown
NOV. 9 CROSS COUNTRY NJSIAA Group Championships, Holmdel Park MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Delaware County CC at Salem CC, noon
Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Oct. 21-26
OCT. 21 FIELD HOCKEY Salem at Gloucester Catholic Schalick at Deptford Woodstown at Overbrook GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Overbrook, 3:45 p.m. Pitman at Salem Woodstown at Schalick BOYS SOCCER Bridgeton at Penns Grove Salem at Camden County Tech CROSS COUNTRY State Tech Championship at Salem Tech VOLLEYBALL Cape May County Tech at Salem Tech
OCT. 22 BOYS SOCCER Glassboro at Woodstown Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech Overbrook at Penns Grove Pennsville at Clayton Pitman at Schalick, 6 p.m. Salem at Wildwood GIRLS SOCCER Penns Grove at Overbrook Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic Schalick at Pennsville Wildwood at Salem Woodstown at Glassboro GIRLS TENNIS Overbrook at Penns Grove Woodstown at Wildwood FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Overbrook Woodstown at St. Joe (Hamm.) VOLLEYBALL Washington Twp. at Salem Tech WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Cecil College at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
OCT. 23 FIELD HOCKEY Salem at Schalick GIRLS TENNIS Glassboro at Woodstown Salem at Overbrook Wildwood at Penns Grove CROSS COUNTRY Tri-County Showcase at Cumberland
OCT. 24 FIELD HOCKEY Woodstown at Hammonton BOYS SOCCER Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville Woodstown at Pitman Salem Tech at Salem Schalick at Penns Grove GIRLS SOCCER Penns Grove at Schalick Salem at Salem Tech Pennsville at Woodstown GIRLS TENNIS Schalick at Pennsville (conclusion of susp. match), 3:45 p.m. VOLLEYBALL Timber Creek at Salem Tech OCT. 25 FOOTBALL Woodstown at Glassboro, 6 p.m. Audubon at Camden Catholic Paulsboro at Clayton, TBA Collingswood at Pennsville Overbrook at West Deptford Woodbury at Schalick, 6 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Pennsville at Overbrook Salem Tech at Wildwood Catholic GIRLS SOCCER Salem at Paulsboro GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown at Pennsville FIELD HOCKEY Gloucester Catholic at Salem VOLLEYBALL Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic
OCT. 26 FOOTBALL Salem at Penns Grove, noon GIRLS SOCCER Schalick at Williamstown, 10 a.m. MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Baltimore JUCO Jamboree Salem CC vs. Anne Arundel, noon Salem CC vs. Southern Maryland, 6 p.m.
Former Rosemont basketball coach, assistant AD hired to become Salem CC’s next athletics director
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
Salem Community College has tapped former Rosemont College basketball coach and assistant AD Bob Hughes as its new athletics director to succeed retiring Bob Bunnell.
HUGHES
He is expected to officially start the position Nov. 4, but will be on campus next week to start the transition. Bunnell retires at the end of the year.
Salem CC president Dr. Mike Gorman was authorized to make the hire by the college’s board of trustees at its last meeting. Hughes will be ratified at the upcoming board meeting.
“He has a sense of enthusiasm and his coaching experience gives him perspective that I think is important,” Gorman said. “He’s anxious to start this stage of his career.”
Hughes, 43, was the Ravens’ men’s basketball coach from 2012 to this past spring when he stepped down “to pursue other opportunities.”
He left as the program’s all-time leader in wins, which included nine straight playoff appearances from 2014-22 and the program’s first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in 2019. But he had reached a crossroad whether to remain in coaching or pursue a future as an administrator.
“My family and I had a tremendous 12-year run leading this program,” Hughes wrote on his farewell post to Rosemont on X in April. “I am enterally grateful to the faculty, staff, administration and most importantly the student-athletes for making this now middle-aged man’s childhood dreams come true … Next play.”
While basketball will always be part of his life, he said Friday the move to Salem is about “focusing 100 percent on the administration and trying to grow the athletic department.”
“As you know, coaching is a huge time commitment,” he said. “At this time of year I’d be starting to be giving up every single Saturday for the next 20-some weeks, and that doesn’t include recruiting.
“I have an young family and this was an opportunity to move into an administrative role, really, to focus more on my family and have more time with my family. I have no interest in giving up any more Saturdays at this point than I have to.”
As an administrator, he served as Rosemont’s interim athletic director in 2021 and 2022, where he oversaw a $400,000 departmental budget and supervised a staff of four full-time and 37 part-time employees.
He also implemented Rosemont’s first DEI and sexual awareness programs from student-athletes in 2019 and worked with the AD to create a new athletics strategic plan, which was adopted by the board of trustees in June 2017.
Bunnell came aboard at Salem in 2018 to restart the Mighty Oaks’ athletics program that had been dormant for the previous five years. The resumption of athletics it was believed would increase enrollment and raise the profile of the school.
It was a complete rebuild, from starting several sports, hiring coaches, buying uniforms, finding players to fill those uniforms, securing playing venues and turning what basically was a multi-purpose venue for the county into a collegiate arena. “There wasn’t even an S on the floor of the gym,” he said.
Then once they got up and running they had a COVID pandemic to deal with.
But through the “extremely supportive” Gorman and a campus community that “really embraced athletics,” it “made this rather challenging effort easier to accomplish.”
The Mighty Oaks now offer baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, and look to get men’s soccer back up and running next year.
“Tremendously proud to (go from) not even having a basketball to having teams that are competing at the regional level and successfully and having All-American and great academic athletes and a very strong coaching staff,” Bunnell said. “To go from no athletes to about 90 is pretty good.
“Obviously we didn’t do everything I wanted to do. I wanted to have both men’s and women’s soccer and, at the time when we started, cross country going. I’m really hard on myself. I wish that I had finished the job I set out to do, but it’s time for me to move on.”
And at the end of the year it lands in Hughes’ hands.
“What Bob Bunnell has done there has been terrific … it really tees up the next person to grow and stabilize some of the programs. There’s no reason with the foundation from an administrative perspective, with a foundation from an operational perspective Bob has put in place, that it can’t grow, that it can’t improve and that it can’t be a consistent source of excellence for the college moving forward.
“I’m excited to dig in and find out what we can do. The question isn’t what do they want to do as much as what can we do.
“One of the things that drew me to Rosemont 12 years ago, it was a program that was three years old when I took it over. I look at this the same way. You have someone who came before you and laid that foundation and now you can say let’s take this thing out and test it, let’s see what it can do and how far we can take it.”
Salem County Sports Hall of Fame welcomes seven new members, brings all-time roster of inductees to 143
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Everyone on the Davidow Theater stage was decked out in their Sunday best befitting a Hall of Fame induction, but still it was easy to pick out the baseball player in the bunch. He was one wearing the Pennsville baseball jersey that looked just as sharp as a three-piece suit.
Lex Bleckley addresses the crowd during his Salem County Sports Hall of Fame induction.
Pennsville baseball great Lex Bleckley was among the seven newest inductees into the Salem County Sports Hall of Fame. They were inducted in ceremonies on the Salem Community College campus Thursday night.
Bleckley was joined in the class by Jaymes Dennison (track), James Dickerson (track) , Nick Elmer (football), Steve Merritt (coach), Donna O’Leary (coach) and Latika Ross (basketball). In addition, the Hall board will recognize Vince Gioia and Steve Lopes for their decades of service to Salem County sports as well as eight current and previous high school state champions.
The high school honorees were headlined by Penns Grove’s three-time boys (2013-15) and two-time girls (2013-14) Group I state champions.
Record-breaking Salem running back Jonathan Taylor, currently in training camp with the Indianapolis Colts, was enshrined in a separate ceremony last month.
The story of the Pennsville jersey finding its way on stage is a story of family love. Johnny Swiderski, one of the heroes of this year’s Pennsville Little League District 3 championship team, ran into Eagles baseball coach Matt Karr at a midget football game last week and asked if the coach had a couple of extra jerseys he could spare so the family could support their uncle at the ceremonies.
Karr came through. Young Johnny wore a blue Pennsville jersey the team wore a couple years ago and a vintage Montreal Expos cap representing the MLB team that drafted his uncle out of the University of Delaware. Bleckley had this year’s Eagles jersey, number 15. (He wore 5 when he helped the Eagles to an undefeated season).
“I was thinking about putting a piece of tape over that 1 and leave the 5,” he joked. “Close enough.”
Bleckley, who celebrated his 61st birthday Wednesday with family and friends, was a product of the Pennsville sports system, playing football and baseball. He is most proud of the baseball championships from an early age through his decorated career with the Eagles. The championships include district titles in Little League, State and Mid-Atlantic Champions in Babe Ruth Baseball and a state championship his senior year with a 25-0 record and the No. 1 ranked team in the state. The undefeated season has not been duplicated.
“We went 25-0, but there were only so many guys who could play and there were so many guys on that team that would have been starters for anybody else – and they were busting their butts every day,” he said. “I always wished they got more recognition. I’m up there because of them.”
His personal accomplishments include three-time All-Salem County, two-time Tri-County, two-time South Jersey Group II, two-time All-South Jersey, Group II All State, All-State First Team and Today’s Sunbeam Player of the Year. He finished his career at Pennsville with a .503 batting average and a team win-loss record of 66-6. He was taken in the major league draft twice.
“When I was growing up in town, Lex Bleckley was one of the names that you heard about in baseball,” said Karr, who didn’t attend the ceremony but was on top of the happenings. “I saw that Coach (Ed) Reiger was there tonight. I had him for study hall when I was a junior and senior and he used to share with us all his stories about teams from the past and some of those legendary teams and Lex Bleckley was definitely a big part of all that type of baseball history.”
The Kansas City Royals drafted Bleckley after his high school career, but he went to Delaware, where he was a three-year starter at shortstop. During his UD career, the Blue Hens were East Coast Conference champions twice and missed making it to the College World Series by one game. Lex came in second for the Division I batting title with a .455 average his junior year and was named ECC Player of the Year. He was drafted and signed by the Expos and spent a brief time in the minors before being derailed by a shoulder injury. After his playing career ended, he was head coach at Salem CC for two years.
He now runs a wholesale seafood business in Florida, but keeps up with the sports happenings from home on the internet. He’s going through some health challenges, but otherwise was in good form Thursday and genuinely proud to be on the stage with the other inductees.
“This has always been home,” he said.
JAYMES DENNISON
JAYMES DENNISON excelled in track at Penns Grove High School. A member of the Class of 2013, Jaymes was a two-time state champion. He won the 800 in his junior year and the 400 in his senior year. He helped lead the team to a Group 1 team state championship in 2013, and holds school records in the 800.
He was a three-time South Jersey champion in the 800 meters. As a senior, he finished seventh in the Meet of Champions in one of the most competitive 800-meter races in its history. “If you ran 1:54-flat you did not finish in the top 10,” Hall board member and 2011 inductee Tom Mason said in introducing Dennison.
His post-high school accomplishments may be more impressive. In two years at Iowa State, he was a two-time NCAA All-American in 2018, Second Team All-American in the 4×400 meter relay and Honorable Mention All-American in the 800 meters. He was the Big 12 indoor champion in the 600 meters. Before enrolling at Iowa State, he was a two-time junior college indoor national champion in the 600 meters.
JAMES (JIMMY) DICKERSON graduated from Salem High School in 1964. Following high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force for eight years and traveled extensively throughout Europe. While serving in the military, Jimmy was a medic.
In addition to his medic responsibilities, he played in the European Conference, on the track and field team, where he placed first in high jump at 6-10 and excelled in the triple jump. He also made the All-Europe Football Team as a running back and kick returner. After his tour of duty, Jimmy was an OSHA inspector at BF Goodrich in Pedricktown until his retirement.
In 1976, Jimmy was invited to attend Philadelphia Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil’s tryout camp. Although not selected, he considered meeting fellow tryout attendee Vince Papale, who went on to make the Eagles’ roster from that tryout, an experience of a lifetime.
At 34, Jimmy enrolled at Gloucester County College and competed in the track and field high/triple jump. He never lost a match during his two seasons. Community focused, Jimmy is involved in coaching youth basketball and mentoring. In addition, he is an active member of his church and sings in the senior choir.
NICK ELMER was a multi-sport athlete (football, wrestling, track and field) at Penns Grove High School.
In football, he set school records for passing yards (4,580) and passing touchdowns (61). He also helped lead PGHS to a record-breaking 2012 season and a South Jersey Group 1 championship in which he rushed for a record 308 yards in the title game. The 2012 team still holds the record for most points scored in a season in South Jersey history. He earned All-State First Team honors in 2012 and was the Philadelphia Inquirer South Jersey Player of the Year.
As a wrestler, Nick amassed a school-record 137 victories and qualified for the state tournament on twice, ultimately earning a seventh-place finish in 2013. He continued his academic and athletic career in wrestling at Drexel University, where he was a varsity starter for two years, accumulating 31 wins and a spot on the podium in the 2016 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Conference Tournament and earned an EIWA Academic Achievement Award in the same year.
He went on to medical school at Thomas Jefferson University, where he graduated cum laude and as a member of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honors society. He is currently a plastic surgery resident at NYU Langone Hospital in New York City.
His commitments in New York prevented him from attending the ceremony. John Emel, the current West Deptford football coach and former Penns Grove coach, spoke on his behalf.
Former Salem field hockey coach Donna O’Leary (L) estimated she influenced nearly 1,000 girls during her Hall of Fame coaching career.
DONNA O’LEARY graduated from Paulsboro High School and was a two-sport varsity athlete (field hockey and tennis) there. She also swam competitively year-round at the Woodbury YMCA.
She earned a degree from Glassboro State College as a health/physical education major. Playing field hockey and swimming in college were important milestones in her path to becoming a coach. After graduation, she became the head women’s swim coach at Glassboro State. During those six years, she produced six All-Americans.
In 1988, Salem City hired her as a full-time health/physical education teacher in the elementary school and as the field hockey head coach at Salem High School. After taking the reins from Liz Pappas, she put her heart into making the field hockey program successful and without a feeder system afforded other communities she accumulated 315 wins and seven Tri-County championships. She was a two-time Coach of the Year.
“First of all, I never expected to be 34 years in one spot,” she said. “I figured when my kids went to high school I would leave. I loved it so much.
“Field hockey and Salem is n-o-o-o-o-t (usually in the same sentence) … We quietly made an impact and that’s what I think I’ll remember most.”
In 34 years of coaching she estimates she’s had an influence on more than 1,000 athletes – a remembers almost of them.
LATIKA ROSS
LATIKA ROSS, a 2001 Salem High School graduate, excelled in both basketball and track and field. In track, she broke the 800-meter record as a sophomore. In basketball, she became the third Lady Ram to join SHS’s 1000-point club and pulled down over 1,000 rebounds as a four-year varsity player. Latika earned numerous accolades, including All-Tournament Team and First Team for All South Jersey Group 1 and Tri-County Conference Classic Divisions for two consecutive years. Today’s Sunbeam named her Player of the Year in 2001.
Moving on to Salem CC, Latika amassed 1,130 points and 1,028 rebounds over two years, earning National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Second Team honors. She holds the NJCAA Division II Women’s Basketball regular-season record for rebound average (23.2 per game in 2002-03).
After attending Drexel University for one year on a full athletic scholarship, Latika transferred to Saint Augustine’s University (SAU), where she made the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association All-Tournament Team and averaged a double-double her senior year (10 points, 10 rebounds per game). Graduating from SAU with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and 3.9 grade point average, Latika embarked on a successful 15-year career in accounting.
Today, she channels her talents into entertainment as an actress, producer and stand-up comedian, performing under the name Latika Sye (a family surname).
During the ceremony it was announced Latika is the first member of a Salem CC sports team to be inducted into the County Sports Hall of Fame.
STEVE MERRITT
STEVE MERRITT was never the last to be picked for any of the seasonal schoolyard games, until he turned 12 and lost a game of “chicken” with the front end of a Buick or Pontiac. It’s not clear to this day. A significant injury cost him any speed he might have had or would have. Nonetheless, it is difficult to temper a Type A personality and there was always some kind of competition at home with three brothers.
A single junior varsity season of baseball and senior year “cup of coffee” as a wrestler sums up his high school athletic career. Intramural softball and volleyball were competitive outlets at Glassboro State College.
After college, long-distance running became his outlet for competition. His omnipresent opponent became the stopwatch. No longer did he have to finish first to win. He ran the New York City Marathon twice, the Marine Corps Marathon twice and the Boston Marathon in 1992.
A combined 50 varsity seasons (tennis, soccer, basketball and softball) as a head coach at Salem High School yielded over 500 victories, four South Jersey Championships, three Tri-County Classic titles and helped to satisfy his yen for competition. Earlier this summer he was named the girls basketball coach at Pennsville High School.
COMMUNITY SERVICE HONOREES
VINCENT GIOLA JR. graduated from Penns Grove High School in 1968 and began working for DuPont Chambers Works in 1969, retiring in 2010. To say his life revolved around sports would be an understatement.
Vince first coached in 1969 and over the next 50 years spent countless hours coaching, managing and maintaining the fields at the Carneys Point Recreation Complex for the Carneys Point-Penns Grove-Pedricktown Little League and Penns Grove Soccer Club.
He played and coached in both the Salem County Men’s Baseball League (1969-1976) and the PG-CP Men’s Softball League (1975-2015) while also serving as a league officer and a liaison with Salem County. He coached for the PG mini-wrestling organization (1979-1986), managed for the PG-CP Women’s Softball (1978-1982), and for the PG Babe Ruth (1985-1987). Vince also coached PG Twins 130 lb. football team (1985-1991) and was head coach of the SCC’s softball team (1991-1995, 2011-2013).
Vince has been a member of the South Jersey Officials Association (football) since 1999 and Unified Umpire Association of Southern New Jersey since 2007. He served on the Carneys Point Recreation Commission (1999-2023) and was chairman (2004-2023). He managed the CP Recreation Complex (2004-2023) and was president of the Servicemen’s Memorial Home (2015-2023).
Today, Vince can be found on a field or in a gym in South Jersey officiating, umpiring or just watching his grandchildrens’ games or any game, for that matter.
STEVE LOPES graduated from Penns Grove High School in 1964, after playing three years of varsity basketball with coach Rudy Baric.
For 45 years, Steve has officiated over 800 high school football games. He had the honor of officiating over 50 state playoff games, including several state championship games at Rutgers, Giants and MetLife Stadiums. Steve has served as the president of New Jersey Football Officials Association – South, the organization representing football officials in South Jersey. Additionally, he is an official for the NFL’s Girls Flag Football program and officiated the Big 33 tournament sponsored by several NFL teams. In addition, Steve has umpired high school, college and semi-pro baseball for 17 years.
For 16 years, Steve managed in the Penns Grove-Carneys Point-Pedricktown Little League and Babe Ruth League, where his teams won several league and district titles. He has played and managed a senior (ages 50, 60, 70) baseball team in Carneys Point. For over 20 years, he has played in men’s senior baseball national tournaments in Florida and Arizona.
Woodstown board approves Salem assistant Ramon Roots, 26, to become Wolverines’ boys basketball coach
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Ramon Roots always knew his time would come, but he wasn’t going to wait for it to come to him. He saw an opportunity, went after it and it’s as if all the stars aligned.
After three years as an assistant coach with hand-on experience in one of the top Group I programs in South Jersey, Roots saw an opportunity to branch out on his own. It was a risk to leave what he called a good situation as an assistant at Salem, he said, but one with a high reward.
Now, at 26 years old, he’s a high school head coach for the first time as the Woodstown-Pilesgrove school board approved him to become the Wolverines’ new boys basketball coach. He succeeds Phil Campbell, who stepped down at the end of last season for reasons he chose to keep private.
In a hire of historical significance, not only does Roots become the youngest head basketball coach in Salem County and one of the youngest in South Jersey, he is the first black head coach at Woodstown High School.
“It means everything,” he said of the chance to be a head coach. “I’ve had great coaches preparing me for this moment and I’ve worked with some great people.
“It’s going to be a little adjustment, but it helped prepare me for this opportunity. It’s a new journey for me. It’s going to have its bumps, but I’m ready for it. I love the game. I love challenges. I knew one day my time was going to come.”
Roots said he drew his inspiration to become a coach from his brother, Ra’mir Harold, who coached him in the Salem youth leagues and passed away when Roots was 21. Friday would have been Ra’mir’s birthday.
Roots went on to become a 1,000-point scorer during his high school career at Salem and then returned to his alma mater to serve as the Rams’ JV coach and varsity assistant at the start of head coach Anthony Farmer’s tenure there. In those three seasons, the Rams averaged 17 wins and went to the South Jersey Group I finals, quarters and semifinals, respectively.
“Whenever your assistants are able to step into a new role as a head guy that means a lot,” Farmer said. “I’m happy for Roots. He’s put in the work.
“He would sit in my film sessions, was always attentive to things going on in the huddle, and taking over the JV and doing a great job with the young kids in practice, all those things have prepared him to be in the moment and do a great job over at Woodstown. I’m proud of him and I can’t wait to see all the great things that he does over there in Woodstown.”
Farmer said it was particularly significant that a young black coach was getting an opportunity to be a head coach.
“You can’t shy away from the fact they’re giving an African-American coach an opportunity,” he said. “I think it’s a testament to the playing field, the guys putting in the work and getting an opportunity.
“It is a big deal. If you ask me, personally I think it’s a heck of an opportunity to crack that barrier and go then go over there and represent and see what you can do.”
While it was never part of the conversation, Roots said it was meaningful to him to break through that ceiling and open a door for young black coaches who aspire to run their own program.
Roots will remain a third-grade teacher at Salem Middle School while he coaches the Wolverines.
He hopes to meet the players next week when school starts and when he does he hopes to introduce an up-tempo aggressive style for which his Salem teams were known. The Wolverines are returning 6-6 Rocco String (9.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 65 blocked shots); 6-5 Garrett Leyman (5.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg); shooter Blake Bialecki (11.1 ppg, 49 3s) and versatile M.J. Hall (8.5 ppg, 55 steals).
“I’m just trying to help build the boys basketball program,” he said. “Their girls basketball program has been going great the last couple years, so I’m just trying to build the boys basketball program on and off the court.“I’m trying to turn these kids into men. Just going to ride the wave. It’s going to be special. A new era.”
While Woodstown and Salem compete in different divisions of the Tri-County Conference, expect them to play during the regular season. The teams have played only three times since 2015 (seven since 2011) and not since 2022.
“I would love it,” Farmer said. “When I knew he accepted the job I told my AD to get on the phone with Woodstown and let’s make it happen.”
The board also approved football assistant coaches Matt Smart, Frank Costello and Don Dunner, girls soccer assistant McKenzie Champion and Triton athletic director (and former Pennsville girls basketball coach) Sam Trapp as Woodstown High School vice principal.
Salem County Sports Hall of Fame to enshrine seven remaining members of this year’s induction class Thursday at Salem CC; Salem NFL running back Jonathan Taylor was enshrined earlier this summer
From Salem Community College
CARNEYS POINT – The seven remaining members of this year’s Salem County Sports Hall of Fame induction class will go marching into the Hall Thursday night in ceremonies at Salem Community College’s Davidow Theatre.
The Salem County SHOF Board has selected these individuals for induction in the latest ceremony. Former Salem High School current NFL running back Jonathan Taylor was inducted in a separate ceremony earlier in the summer.
Lex Bleckley (professional baseball) Jaymes Dennison (track) James Dickerson (track) Nick Elmer (football) Steve Merritt (coach) Donna O’Leary (coach) Latika Ross (basketball)
In addition, the Hall board will recognize Vince Gioia and Steve Lopes for their decades of service to Salem County sports as well as the following high school state champions:
Penns Grove’s three-time NJSIAA Group I state champion Boys Track Team (2013-15);
Penns Grove’s two-time NJSIAA Group I state champion Girls Track Team (2013-14);
Pennsville’s Megan Morris (2024 Pole Vault); Salem’s DaviYonn Jackson (2023-24 Triple Jump); Salem’s 2024 girls 4×100 Relay (Sairis Jimenez, Karima Davenport-White, Morgan Van Dover, Rhi’Onna Timmons); Salem’s 2024 girls shot put relay (Dominique Lewis and Ryann Mulhorn); Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield (2023 cross country 2024 1600); and Woodstown 2024 boys 4×800 Relay (Karson Chew, Joshua Crawford, Jacob Martino, Cole Lucas).
Admission is free and no tickets are required. The ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m.
Here is a thumbnail look at the Hall of Fame inductees
LEX BLECKLEY was a product of the Pennsville sports system, playing football and baseball. He is most proud of the baseball championships from an early age through his decorated career at Pennsville Memorial High School. The championships include district titles in Little League, State and Mid-Atlantic Champions in Babe Ruth and a state championship his senior year with a 25-0 record and the No. 1 ranked team in the state. The undefeated season has not been duplicated.
His personal accomplishments include three-time All-Salem County, two-time Tri-County, two-time South Jersey Group II, two-time All-South Jersey, Group II All State, All-State First Team and Today’s Sunbeam Player of the Year. He finished his career at Pennsville with a .503 batting average and a team win-loss record of 66-6. He was taken in the major league draft twice.
The Kansas City Royals drafted Bleckley after his high school career, but he elected to attend the University of Delaware, where he was a three-year starter at shortstop. During his UD career, the Blue Hens were East Coast Conference champions twice and missed making it to the College World Series by one game, losing in the finals. Lex came in second for the Division I batting title with a .455 average his junior year and was named ECC Player of the Year. He was drafted and signed by the Montreal Expos. After his playing career ended, he was head coach at Salem Community College for two years. Currently, he resides in Florida with his wife and son.
JAYMES DENNISON excelled in track at Penns Grove High School. A member of the Class of 2013, Jaymes was a two-time state champion. He won the 800 in his junior year and the 400 in his senior year. He helped lead the team to a Group 1 team state championship in 2013, and holds school records in the 800.
He was a three-time South Jersey champion in the 800 meters. As a senior, he finished seventh in the Meet of Champions in one of the most competitive 800-meter races in its history.
His post-high school accomplishments may be more impressive. In two years at Iowa State, he was a two-time NCAA All-American in 2018, Second Team All-American in the 4×400 meter relay and Honorable Mention All-American in the 800 meters. He was the Big 12 indoor champion in the 600 meters. Before enrolling at Iowa State, he was a two-time junior college indoor national champion in the 600 meters.
JAMES (JIMMY) DICKERSON graduated from Salem High School in 1964. Following high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force for eight years and traveled extensively throughout Europe. While serving in the military, Jimmy was a medic.
In addition to his medic responsibilities, he played in the European Conference, on the track and field team, where he placed first in high jump at 6-10 and excelled in the triple jump. He also made the All-Europe Football Team as a running back and kick returner. After his tour of duty, Jimmy was an OSHA inspector at BF Goodrich in Pedricktown until his retirement.
In 1976, Jimmy was invited to attend Philadelphia Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil’s tryout camp. Although not selected, he considered meeting fellow tryout attendee Vince Papale, who went on to make the Eagles’ roster, an experience of a lifetime.
At 34, Jimmy enrolled at Gloucester County College and competed in the track and field high/triple jump. He never lost a match during his two seasons. Community focused, Jimmy is involved in coaching youth basketball and mentoring. In addition, he is an active member of his church and sings in the senior choir.
NICK ELMER was a multi-sport athlete (football, wrestling, track and field) at Penns Grove High School.
In football, he set school records for passing yards (4,580) and passing touchdowns (61). He also helped lead PGHS to a record-breaking 2012 season and a South Jersey Group 1 championship in which he rushed for a record 308 yards in the title game. The 2012 team still holds the record for most points scored in a season in South Jersey history. He earned All-State First Team honors in 2012 and was the Philadelphia Inquirer South Jersey Player of the Year.
As a wrestler, Nick amassed a school-record 137 victories and qualified for the state tournament on twice, ultimately earning a seventh-place finish in 2013. He continued his academic and athletic career in wrestling at Drexel University, where he was a varsity starter for two years, accumulating 31 wins and a spot on the podium in the 2016 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Conference Tournament and earned an EIWA Academic Achievement Award in the same year.
He went on to medical school at Thomas Jefferson University, where he graduated cum laude and as a member of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honors society. He is currently a plastic surgery resident at NYU Langone Hospital in New York City.
DONNA O’LEARY graduated from Paulsboro High School and was a two-sport varsity athlete (field hockey and tennis) there. She also swam competitively year-round at the Woodbury YMCA.
She earned a degree from Glassboro State College as a health/physical education major. Playing field hockey and swimming in college were important milestones in her path to becoming a coach. After graduation, she became the head women’s swim coach at Glassboro State. During those six years, she produced six All-Americans.
In 1988, Salem City hired her as a full-time health/physical education teacher in the elementary school and as the field hockey head coach at Salem High School. After taking the reins from Liz Pappas, she put her heart into making the field hockey program successful and she accumulated 315 wins and seven Tri-County championships. She was a two-time Coach of the Year.
LATIKA ROSS, a 2001 Salem High School graduate, excelled in both basketball and track and field. In track, she broke the 800-meter record as a sophomore. In basketball, she became the third Lady Ram to join SHS’s 1000-point club and pulled down over 1,000 rebounds as a four-year varsity player. Latika earned numerous accolades, including All-Tournament Team and First Team for All South Jersey Group 1 and Tri-County Conference Classic Divisions for two consecutive years. Today’s Sunbeam named her Player of the Year in 2001.
Moving on to Salem Community College, Latika amassed 1,130 points and 1,028 rebounds over two years, earning National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Second Team honors. She holds the NJCAA Division II Women’s Basketball regular-season record for rebound average (23.2 per game in 2002-03).
After attending Drexel University for one year on a full athletic scholarship, Latika transferred to Saint Augustine’s University (SAU), where she made the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association All-Tournament Team and averaged a double-double her senior year (10 points, 10 rebounds per game). Graduating from SAU with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and 3.9 grade point average, Latika embarked on a successful 15-year career in accounting.
Today, she channels her talents into entertainment as an actress, producer and stand-up comedian, performing under the name Latika Sye (a family surname).
STEVE MERRITT was never the last to be picked for any of the seasonal schoolyard games, until he turned 12 and lost a game of “chicken” with the front end of a Buick or Pontiac. It’s not clear to this day. A significant injury cost him any speed he might have had or would have. Nonetheless, it is difficult to temper a Type A personality and there was always some kind of competition at home with three brothers.
A single junior varsity season of baseball and senior year “cup of coffee” as a wrestler sums up his high school athletic career. Intramural softball and volleyball were competitive outlets at Glassboro State College.
After college, long-distance running became his outlet for competition. His omnipresent opponent became the stopwatch. No longer did he have to finish first to win. He ran the New York City Marathon twice, the Marine Corps Marathon twice and the Boston Marathon in 1992.
A combined 50 varsity seasons (tennis, soccer, basketball and softball) as a head coach at Salem High School yielded over 500 victories, four South Jersey Championships, three Tri-County Classic titles and helped to satisfy his yen for competition. Earlier this summer he was named the girls basketball coach at Pennsville High School.
Community Service
VINCENT GIOLA JR. graduated from Penns Grove High School in 1968 and began working for DuPont Chambers Works in 1969, retiring in 2010. To say his life revolved around sports would be an understatement.
Vince first coached in 1969 and over the next 50 years spent countless hours coaching, managing and maintaining the fields at the Carneys Point Recreation Complex for the Carneys Point-Penns Grove-Pedricktown Little League and Penns Grove Soccer Club.
Vince played and coached in both the Salem County Men’s Baseball League (1969-1976) and the PG-CP Men’s Softball League (1975-2015) while also serving as a league officer and a liaison with Salem County. He coached for the PG mini-wrestling organization (1979-1986), managed for the PG-CP Women’s Softball (1978-1982), and for the PG Babe Ruth (1985-1987). Vince also coached PG Twins 130 lb. football team (1985-1991) and was head coach of the SCC’s softball team (1991-1995, 2011-2013).
Vince has been a member of the South Jersey Officials Association (football) since 1999 and Unified Umpire Association of Southern New Jersey since 2007. He served on the Carneys Point Recreation Commission (1999-2023) and was chairman (2004-2023). Vince managed the CP Recreation Complex (2004-2023) and was president of the Servicemen’s Memorial Home (2015-2023). Today, Vince can be found on a field or in a gym in South Jersey officiating, umpiring or just watching his grandchildrens’ games or any game, for that matter.
STEVE LOPES graduated from Penns Grove High School in 1964, after playing three years of varsity basketball with coach Rudy Baric.
For 45 years, Steve has officiated over 800 high school football games. He had the honor of officiating over 50 state playoff games, including several state championship games at Rutgers, Giants and MetLife Stadiums. Steve has served as the president of New Jersey Football Officials Association – South, the organization representing football officials in South Jersey. Additionally, he is an official for the NFL’s Girls Flag Football program and officiated the Big 33 tournament sponsored by several NFL teams. In addition, Steve has umpired high school, college and semi-pro baseball for 17 years.
For 16 years, Steve managed in the Penns Grove-Carneys Point-Pedricktown Little League and Babe Ruth League, where his teams won several league and district titles. He has played and managed a senior (ages 50, 60, 70) baseball team in Carneys Point. For over 20 years, Steve has played in men’s senior baseball national tournaments in Florida and Arizona.
Longtime Salem coach Steve Merritt back in the game as Pennsville’s new girls basketball coach
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — The Pennsville girls basketball team will have an active Hall of Fame coach calling the shots next season after the system’s school board approved longtime and retired Salem coach Steve Merritt to run the program Monday night.
His appointment fills the second of two head coaching vacancies created when Sam Trapp left in March to become athletics director at Triton Regional High School. Casey Slusher was approved for Trapp’s girls soccer vacancy earlier this summer.
Merritt, who has won nearly 500 games across multiple sports with multiple sectional titles in girls basketball before leaving the sidelines in 2022, is slated for induction into the Salem County Sports Hall of Fame on Aug. 22. It wasn’t immediately known if his resumption in coaching will impact that status as many Halls of Fame require inductees to be out of their field for a period of time before enshrinement.
In 19 seasons at Salem, Merritt’s basketball teams went 257-220 with three South Jersey Group I titles, back-to-back state runnerup finishes and four 20-win seasons. In his last season at Salem (2021-22), the Rams were 12-14 and beat Schalick in an opening round game in the South Jersey Group I playoffs. They lost in the next round at Woodbury.
While he hasn’t been coaching for the past two seasons he stayed close to the game officiating high school basketball and other sports, which he said served to “perpetuate” his interest in the game and coaching.
“I won’t lie, I missed the excitement of being on the bench,” he said. “This opportunity at Pennsville I never expected to present itself and I’m thrilled to be part of a program I’ve always admired for its competitive nature — of all their teams, even when I coached against them.
“They’ve always been competitive and they’ve always wanted to win, and that’s what I want. I just want a group of people who want to work hard and look to win — not just participate. I want them to win. I want them to want to win.””
MERRITT
Merritt, who’ll be 72 when the season opens, already is familiar with at least one player on the current Pennsville roster, having coached Nora Ausland her freshman season at Salem. Ausland’s father, Mike, was an assistant coach on that staff.
Nora Ausland, now a senior, is on track this season to become the 43rd girls basketball player in Salem County to surpass 1,000 career points, the eighth in a Pennsville uniform, and join the elite 1,000-point/500-rebound club.
She scored her first 462 points at Salem, 283 for Merritt and her dad. She also has more than 100 3-pointers, assists, blocked shots and steals.
Her Pennsville teammate, junior Marley Wood, also is on track to become a 1,000-point scorer this season. The prospects of coaching one of most dynamic duos in South Jersey has Merritt excited.
“Truth be told, I have already begun to have restless nights thinking of the season’s possibilities,” he said. “I’ve awakened in the midst of a scheduled slumber thinking about drills, game plans and team meetings. I love it.
“Four months prior to our first practice, I’ve studied our schedule, scouted our opponents’ past seasons, their stats, their potential returning rosters, considered defensive matchups.
“My wife just keeps shaking her head. She openly wonders if I need to seek therapeutic counseling and insists that I undergo a full, complete medical exam. ‘You’re not well.’”
The Eagles, of course, are hoping he’s just what the doctor ordered. They have won a game in the South Jersey Group I tournament two of the last three years, but it’s been more than 15 years since they’ve made it past the quarterfinals.
“We’re excited to have Coach Merritt on board,” Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas said. “He has given countless hours to coaching and officiating at the high school level in South Jersey and specifically Salem County, and has don it in a very positive and successful manner.
“We are excited to be able to hire someone with the wealth of basketball knowledge and experience that he brings to the table. We believe he can continue building a positive culture and bring continued success to our girls basketball program.”
Cover photo: Steve Merritt visits with members of the Pennsville school board Monday night after being approved as the Eagles’ new girls basketball coach.
Pennsville poised to bring veteran Salem County coach out of retirement to become their new girls basketball coach
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
Pennsville High School is expected to fill the second of two head coaching vacancies created when Sam Trapp left in March to become athletics director at Triton Regional High School when the new girls basketball coach is approved early next week.
Former Salem High girls basketball coach Steve Merritt is on the agenda and pending board approval Monday night will be named the Eagles’ new coach.
Merritt, a 200-game winner and multiple sectional champion during his long Salem tenure, is already familiar with at least one player on the current Pennsville roster, having coached Nora Ausland as a freshman at Salem.
Ausland, now a senior, is on track to become the 43rd girls basketball player in Salem County to surpass 1,000 career points this season, the eighth in a Pennsville uniform and join the elite 1,000-point/500-rebound club. She scored her first 462 points at Salem, 283 for Merritt. She also has surpassed 100 3-pointers, assists, blocks shots and steals.
Her Pennsville teammate, junior Marley Wood, also is on track to become a 1,000-point scorer this season.
In Merritt’s last year at Salem, the 2021-22 season, the Rams were 12-14 and beat Schalick in an opening round game in the South Jersey Group I playoffs. They lost in the quarterfinals at Woodbury. For his total body or work, he will be inducted into the Salem County Sports Hall of Fame on Aug. 22.
Earlier this summer Casey Slusher was approved to succeed Trapp as the Eagles’ girls soccer coach. At that same board meeting, the board approved $47,732 in stipends for the coaching staffs in football, boys soccer and girls soccer – $6,070 per head coach and $4,087 per assistant – and reported a total varsity coaching stipend pool of more than $200,000.
The board also is expected to approve the Eagles’ enrollment in the NJSIAA for the 2024-25 school year and their dues of $2700 at Monday’s meeting.
Woodstown approves Haddonfield’s Matt Smart to take girls basketball program; he’s excited about the opportunity, understands the expectations
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Matt Smart likes to say he learned to walk on a basketball floor, the son of a longtime South Jersey basketball coach and the only boy among three sports-loving siblings. So, it would stand to reason that he aspired to be a coach himself.
He couldn’t have picked a better situation for his first head coaching gig.
SMART
Smart was approved Thursday to become the new head coach of the Woodstown girls basketball team. He succeeds Kara Straughn, who stepped aside for family considerations after guiding the Wolverines to the South Jersey Group I championship game last year. He will be their third coach in as many years.
Excited doesn’t begin to describe the way the 28-year-old Haddonfield native feels about the opportunity. He’s been handed one of the top girls programs in South Jersey led by two of the most dynamic scorers in the state. Megan Donelson and Goldey-Beacom commit Talia Battavio are both on track to finish their careers not only as the leading scorers in Woodstown history but among the top scorers in Salem County all-time.
When Smart first learned of the opening from his Haddonfield connections already at the school he spent all hours of the day researching the players and the program to be prepared for the interview. And while he’s been getting to know the team during its summer league play as he awaited board approval, he’s been itching to tell somebody.
He finally got the OK to tell the world and wasted no time getting it out on social media.
“When I saw it posted on line, I said let me try to be a head coach,” he said. “From the moment I heard the job was opening up that’s all I could think about.
“My girlfriend woke up at 5 a.m. the morning the job got posted and was like ‘What are you still doing awake?’ I told her my mind’s just going right now. I started working hard on getting a plan I could present to Mr. (athletics director Joe) Ursino, the superintendent and anybody in the interview process. I was super excited.
“I got the call at work when they offered it to me and I was like, excuse me, Mr. Ursino, (stepped back) and went, ‘Yes-s-s-s-s;’ I had to let it out. That was a great feeling. II wanted to scream it from the rafters, but I kept the ceiling shut until that board meeting happened.”
Smart comes to Woodstown after four years as the Haddonfield Middle School girls coach – the last two as the JV and varsity assistant coach — with a strong athletics pedigree. He also coached football for eight years and while nothing has developed on that front yet, he was with the Wolverines during their 7×7 tournament at Total Turf over the weekend.
His father Phil has had a long tenure in athletics, coaching basketball and volleyball in South Jersey before moving into administration. His love for women’s sports came from his two sisters, both of whom starred in field hockey. The oldest, Meghan, played collegiately at Appalachian State and Old Dominion and now coaches at a high school in Virginia Beach. The other, Emily, is an assist machine and captain at Stevens Tech.
For a team that has won 20 games the last four non-COVID seasons in a row and made deep runs in the playoffs, he knows expectations are high for the Wolverines. They came within a last-second corner 3 of winning the South Jersey title last year and have most of their players back. They may have a golden path laid out before him, but Smart wisely has no plans to travel it on cruise control.
“The expectations are set high and we have to work hard to achieve those expectations,” Smart said. “It’s not going to be just given to us. I think the girls and I understand there’s a lot of work to be done if we want to achieve all the goals both as a team and as individuals that they want to achieve.
“I know there are going to be some ups and downs, but we have to work hard. We’re going to work hard and hopefully meet those expectations.”
Riverview Sports News 