Salem County leaders

A look at the statistical leaders in Salem County football for games through Oct. 11

By Riverview Sports News

Here’s a quick look inside the numbers:

Pennsville receiver CJ Johnson needs three catches for 50 this season and 24 yards for 800. The Eagles had 50 receptions as a team all of last season. Malik Rehmer caught 50 balls for 771 yards in 2023. Their last 800-yard receiver was Brady Locke in 2017 (813). Drew Burdsall had 886 yards in 2013. Logan Johnston had 920 yards in 2016. Ryan Hawthorne had 908 in 2011.

Pennsville quarterback Jake Layfield needs 93 yards to become the Eagles’ first 1,500-yard passer since Brandon Morris (1507) in 2017.

Schalick quarterback Kenny Bartee needs 125 yards to become Schalick’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Kenai Simmons in 2022 (1225). He’s 17 yards shy of 1,000 career passing yards.

Woodstown quarterback Mason Middlemiss is five yards shy of 500 passing yards this season and needs 239 for 1,000 in total offense. With the 64 passing yards he brought with him from Absegami after his freshman year, the junior quarterback has 1,006 career yards and 16 total touchdowns.

DOING IT ALL: Schalick’s David Stewart has 16 career touchdown across all phases of the game – rushing (8), receiving (3), defense (2 – 1 FR, 1 IR), returns (3 – 1 KOR, 2 PR). The only thing he hasn’t done is throw a touchdown pass. He has 1,306 career all-purpose yards.

TITLE TIME: The winner of Saturday’s Penns Grove-Woodstown came will clinch at least a share of the WJFL Independence Division title. If it’s Penns Grove, it’ll be the Red Devils’ first division crown since 2019.

WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY: Woodstown’s next loss will be the 500th in the history of its program.

FAMILY FEUD: It’ll be brother against brother when Salem plays Pennsville next Friday. Vick Mosher plays for Pennsville. Tony Merendino plays for Salem.

Rushing

PLAYER	CAR.	YARDS	TD
Kenny Bartee, Schalick	95	875	12
Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove	66	733	10
Cashmir Parsley, Salem	78	658	6
Cole Ware, Woodstown	64	431	2
Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove	71	420	8
David Stewart, Schalick	46	395	5
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown	53	266	8
Ayden Jenkins, Schalick	48	257	2
Tristan Horner, Pennsville	51	253	4
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville	33	229	4
Adrian Alleyne, Salem	20	164	0
TyRell West, Woodstown	44	145	4
DezYon Purnell, Schalick	24	145	2
Desmund Thomas, Salem	19	139	4
Isiah Santiago, Salem	24	106	1
Kyvion Parsons, Salem	14	81	2
Savior Allah, Penns Grove	6	79	1
Zahvier Reeder, Penns Grove	7	74	0
Freddie Allen, Schalick	13	61	1

Passing

PLAYER	C-A-I	YARDS	TD
Jake Layfield, Pennsville	115-182-10	1407	12
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown	28-46-5	495	5
Kenny Bartee, Schalick	16-40-0	370	2
Desmund Thomas, Salem	28-37-1	383	4
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown	18-32-4	342	4
Damien Robinson, Penns Grove	20-34-2	183	2
Owen McDonald, Salem	10-22-2	105	1
Noah Chiu, Woodstown	5-8-0	63	1
Gabriel McFarland, Schalick	3-4-0	49	1
Kyvion Parsons, Salem	3-11-2	41	1

Receiving

PLAYER	NO.	YARDS	TD
Chase Johnson, Pennsville	47	746	7
Lucas Thomas, Pennsville	18	143	2
Andrew White, Woodstown	13	363	5
Jacob Kimani, Pennsville	12	148	1
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville	11	144	0
Tristan Horner, Pennsville	11	43	1
KaiSiere Muhammad, Salem	10	150	0
Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove	9	149	2
Danny Knight, Pennsville	9	133	0
Quemere Bergen, Salem	9	116	2
Ahmad Tucker, Salem	7	101	2
Nehemiah Carter, Woodstown	6	87	0
Omari Robinson, Penns Grove	6	80	1
Isiah Santiago, Salem	5	45	0
Cole Ware, Woodstown	5	30	0
David Stewart, Schalick	4	75	1
Gio Alicea, Schalick	4	66	1
Savior Allah, Penns Grove	4	26	0
Shawn Kelly, Schalick	3	145	2
Evan Elliott, Schalick	3	40	1
Noah Chiu, Woodstown	3	37	0
Javion Sydnor, Pennsville	3	26	0
Dante Cummings, Pennsville	3	13	1

Defense

SACKS — 9.5: Tony Merendino, Salem;; Myshion Barnes, Salem; 8.5: Omari Robinson, Penns Grove; 6.5: JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove; Omari Robinson, Penns Grove; 4: Mahkye Murray, Salem; Bradley Snitcher, Woodstown; Evan Elliott, Schalick; 3: Xavier Csaszar, woodstown; Nick Lopergolo, Schalick; Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove; 2.5: Rex Hannah, Woodstown; 2: Raymond Brown, Salem; Kamal Chatum, Salem; Dillon Garrity, Woodstown; Maliq Reddick, Penns Grove; Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove; Aiden Torres, Schalick; Isaac Wright, Penns Grove

INTERCEPTIONS — 5: Jacob Kimani, Pennsville; 4: Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove; 3: Grady Sanders, Pennsville; David Stewart, Schalick; 2: Gio Alicea, Schalick; Freddie Allen, Schalick; Noah Blunt, Schalick; Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove; Danny Knight, Pennsville; Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove

Team Leaders

TEAM	RUSH	C-A-I	PASS	PF	PA
PENNS GROVE (4-2)	1409	22-39-2	252	169	79
PENNSVILLE (4-3)	498	115-182-10	1407	151	114
SALEM (4-3)	1268	41-70-5	529	164	111
SCHALICK (7-0)	1754	22-49-0	453	232	49
WOODSTOWN (3-4)	877	33-54-5	558	146	169

Standings

Here are the WJFL Diamond/Independence and TCC Diamond/Classic division standings through Oct. 11

WJFL Football

DIAMOND	ALL	DIV	INDEPENDENCE	ALL	DIV
Schalick	7-0	4-0	Woodstown	3-4	3-0
Paulsboro	5-2	2-1`	Penns Grove	4-2	3-0
Overbrook	3-4	2-1	Clayton	4-2	1-1
Burlington City	2-4	1-3	Woodbury	2-5	1-2
Salem	4-3	1-3	Pitman	2-4	0-2
Pennsville	4-3	0-3	Buena	3-4	0-3

TCC Boys Soccer

CLASSIC	ALL	DIV	DIAMOND	ALL	DIV
Clayton	7-5	6-0	Schalick	8-2	7-0
Salem Tech	6-6	2-3	Woodstown	7-5-1	4-3
Pennsville	3-7	2-3	Penns Grove	7-3-1	3-3-1
Glou Cath	2-8	2-3	Overbrook	5-6	3-4
Salem	0-7	0-3	Glassboro	5-6-1	2-4-1
			Pitman	3-8-1	1-6

TCC Girls Soccer

CLASSIC	ALL	DIV	DIAMOND	ALL	DIV
Pitman	7-5	7-0	Schalick	9-2-1	7-0
Glou Cath	5-6	4-3	Woodstown	10-2-1	5-1
Pennsville	7-5	4-3	Overbrook	4-7	2-4
Clayton	7-4	4-3	Penns Grove	2-7	1-3
Salem Tech	2-8	2-5	Glassboro	1-10	0-4
Salem	0-11	0-7

TCC Field Hockey

CLASSIC	ALL	DIV	DIAMOND	ALL	DIV
Salem Tech	10-2	6-0	Woodstown	8-3	6-0
Pennsville	4-7	3-2	Overbrook	7-3	3-1
Glou Cath	3-4	2-2	Schalick	8-3	2-2
Salem	1-11	1-3	Glass/Pit	3-5	2-4
Clayton	0-5	0-3	Deptford	4-9	0-6

TCC Girls Tennis

CLASSIC	ALL	DIV	DIAMOND	ALL	DIV
Pitman	14-4	5-0	Woodstown	9-7	6-0
Pennsville	9-4	2-2	Schalick	8-8	4-2
Glassboro	7-7	2-3	Timber Cr	6-6	3-2
Glou Cath	0-0	0-0	Overbrook	2-9	1-4
Salem	0-10	0-5	Penns Grove	1-9	0-6

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Oct. 12-17; all games 4 p.m. unless noted

MONDAY, OCT. 12
FIELD HOCKEY
Maple Shade at Schalick, 3:45 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
Woodstown at Clayton, 10 a.m.
Glassboro at Salem, 11 a.m.
Schalick at Bordentown, 2 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Overbrook
Woodstown at Clayton, noon
Pitman at Schalick, 6 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Salem CC at Delaware Tech, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCT. 13
FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown at Millville
Salem at Bridgeton, 6 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic
Salem Tech at Pitman, 7 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Pitman, 5 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Timber Creek at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Clearview at Salem Tech, 5:15 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook at Penns Grove
Salem at Pennsville
Schalick at Glassboro
Woodstown at Pitman
GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro at Schalick
Pennsville at Salem
Penns Grove at Overbrook
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford at Pennsville
Glassboro at Salem Tech
Overbrook at Salem
GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Schalick at Penns Grove
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Middlesex at Salem CC, 6 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCT. 15
FOOTBALL
Millville at Atlantic City, 6 p.m.
Florence at Maple Shade, 6 p.m.
Allentown at Ewing, 6 p.m.
Timber Creek at Bridgeton, 6 p.m.
Hopewell Valley at Hightstown, 6 p.m.
Mastern Camden at Clearview, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Cumberland at Salem Tech
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester at Salem Tech
KIPP at Pennsville
Salem at Cape May Tech
Schalick at Sterling
West Deptford at Penns Grove
GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Haddon Twp.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m.
Schalick at Kingsway, 4:15 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Clearview at Salem Tech, 5:15 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 16
FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Salem at Burlington City, 6 p.m.
Buena at Pitman, 7 p.m.
Northern Burlington at Williamstown, 6 p.m.
Camden Eastside at Cinnaminson, 6 p.m.
Vineland at St. Joe (Hamm.), 6 p.m.
Ocean City at Holy Spirit, 6 p.m.
Pennsauken at Eastern, 6 p.m.
Burlington Twp. at Shawnee, 6 p.m.
St. Augustine at Kingsway, 6 p.m.
Camden at Glassboro, 6 p.m.
Rancocas Valley at Pleasantville, 6 p.m.
Lenape at Cherry Hill East, 6 p.m.
Camden Catholic at KIPP, 6 p.m.
Cedar Creek at Mainland, 6 p.m.
Steinert at Notre Dame, 6 p.m.
Collingswood at Audubon, 6 p.m.
Gloucester at Cherry Hill West, 6 p.m.
Winslow at Washington Twp., 6 p.m.
Middle Twp. at Lindenwold, 6 p.m.
Highland at Cumberland, 6 p.m.
Sterling at Bishop Eustace, 6:30 p.m.
Willingboro at Haddonfield, 7 p.m.
Lawrence at Robbinsville, 7 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Haddon Twp., 7 p.m.
WW-Plainsboro at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
Paul VI at Seneca, 7 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Gateway, 7 p.m.
Delran at West Deptford, 7 p.m.
Cherokee at Delsea, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Salem
Schalick at Glassboro
BOYS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Overbrook
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem at Glassboro, 3 p.m.
Schalick at Clearview, 4:15 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Timber Creek
Pitman at Penns Grove
Salem at Woodstown
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Woodbury

SATURDAY, OCT. 17
FOOTBALL
Woodstown at Penns Grove, noon
Clayton at Woodbury, 11 a.m.
Overbrook at Paulsboro, 12:30 p.m.
Wildwood at Palmyra, 11 a.m.
Trenton at Princeton, 11 a.m.
Hamilton West at Nottingham, noon
Oakcrest at Atlantic Tech, noon
Lower Cape May at Hammonton, noon
Egg Harbor at Absegami, noon
Triton at Moorestown, 1 p.m.
Bordentown at Riverside, 1:30 p.m.
Deptford at Pemberton, 2 p.m.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Sussex CC vs. Salem CC, Pennsville H.S., 1 p.m.
COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY
Salem CC in Border Battle, Dream Park

Friday football roundup

Pennsville, Salem pick up wins on the road, Woodstown comes up short at home

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

HAMMONTON – The last time Mike Healy went to St. Joseph Academy here, it was his first year as Pennsville’s head coach and it wasn’t a good day for the Eagles. Nine years later he came back to Salem County with a much better result.

The Eagles scored early to get the lead, made a couple big defensive stops in the second half to stay in front and were able to run out the clock after a clutch leaping catch by C.J. Johnson to beat the Wildcats 20-17 Friday night.

“The last time we played them (a 53-0 loss), that was one of the harder games I coached in my career; they were an unbelievable team,” Healy said. “We knew it was going to be a tough, physical game, but the kids, they played hard. They did what they’ve done all season; they will fight to the end of the game.

“That’s one thing about this team. Doesn’t really matter what’s going on in the game, they’re going to keep coming back, they’re going to keep fighting and they’re going to keep plugging away. They have a belief in themselves that we can get the job done regardless what’s going on.”

The Eagles (4-3) opened a 20-3 lead in the first half on two Aidan Collazo touchdowns and one by Javion Sydnor. The Wildcats made it 20-10 at halftime with a touchdown in the final minute of the second quarter.

The Wildcats cut it to 20-17 in the third quarter after the Eagles gave them a short field with a botched punt. The Eagles’ defense came up with several stops, including a fourth-down tackle for loss by Aidan Clark after the Wildcats had a touchdown called back by a penalty.

“It was kind of the opposite of the rest our season,” Healy said. “We had a great first half, where we usually have a bad first half. What it was we stopped the self-inflicted wounds, the penalties, the negative plays.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game going in. We had a couple injuries going into the game, also, so we had some kids who had to step up and play either more than they’ve ever played or they started when they had never started before … and they got the job done. I couldn’t be prouder of the kids. We wish we were a little better the second half, but we stepped up and took care of business when it mattered most.”

Pennsville’s Vicktor Mosher and Dante Cummings (8) bring down St. Joseph’s Tyson Forman during Friday night’s game. Top photo: Aidan Collazo (23) scored Pennsville’s first two touchdowns. (Photo by Lucky Shot Pix)

Salem’s surge continues

CLAYTON – Salem continued its climb up the South Jersey Group 1 power point standings Friday with a 26-6 road win over Clayton. It was their third straight win, coinciding with the return of quarterback Desmund Thomas.

The Rams (4-3) took control of the game from the start. Cashmir Parsley ran for two touchdowns, Thomas ran for one and Ahmad Tucker scored on a 57-yard punt return. Clayton avoided the shutout with 1:06 left in the game when Nycere Walls got behind the defense and finished off a 50-yard pass play.

Tony Merendino led the defense with had 2.5 sacks.

“Total team effort, total team win,” Rams coach Kemp Carr said. “Salem’s on the rise.”

Woodstown just short

WOODSTOWN – Woodstown was missing a lot from its lineup, but the Wolverines showed a lot as well.

The Wolverines lost four key players to injury during last week’s game at Salem to injury. They battled throughout the night, but ended up falling to Overbrook on Homecoming 38-35.

Quarterback Mason Middlemiss was the only one of the four to return. He ran for three touchdowns and threw to Nehemiah Carter for another. TyRell West ran for Woodstown’s other score.

“I think the kids really battled tonight,” Wolverines coach Frank Trautz said. “Ultimately it just came down to we just had too many self-inflicted wounds. Self-inflicted wounds in the first half put us in the hole.”

The miscues led to a 26-14 Overbrook lead at halftime. The Wolverines cut the deficit by scoring on their opening drive of the second half, but the Rams answered and the teams traded scores after that.

It was a three-point game with two minutes left and it looked as if the Wolverines might get a chance to pull it out. They had Overbrook fourth-and-6 and no timeouts, but the Rams got the first down and ran out the clock.

**Javion Sydnor’s touchdown gave Pennsville a 20-3 lead on St. Joseph. It turned out to be the game-winning score. in the Eagles’ 20-17 victory. (Photo by Lucky Shot Pix)**

WJFL scoreboard

Here are the West Jersey Football League scores for the weekend of Oct. 9-10

FRIDAY, OCT. 9
Overbrook 38, Woodstown 35
Pennsville 20, St. Joseph (Hamm.) 17
Salem 26, Clayton 6
Schalick 27, Penns Grove 0
KIPP 58, Pitman 0
Buena 17, Lindenwold 8
Collingswood 18, Woodbury 6
Burlington City 24, Riverside 19
Delran 17, Ewing 14
Washington Twp. 42, Cherokee 7
Pleasantville 20, Lower Cape May 18
Rancocas Valley 42, Eastern 0
Triton 0, Highland 0
Deptford 48, Gateway 0
Wildwood 30, Mastery Camden 22
Vineland at Oakcrest
Trenton 14, Lenape 9
Camden Eastside 48, Cedar Creek 7
Camden 50, Kingsway 14
Hopewell Valley 18, Steinert 7
Maple Shade at Palmyra
St. Augustine 37, Shawnee 0
Northern Burlington 41, Notre Dame 17
Ocean City 38, Middle Twp. 13
Timber Creek 56, Nottingham 0
Cumberland at Egg Harbor
Hightstown 46, Lawrence 20
Bishop Eustace 37, Holy Cross 7
Williamstown 33, Delsea 6
Clearview 20, Moorestown 13

SATURDAY, OCT. 10
Haddonfield at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
Princeton at Hamilton West, 11 a.m.
Gloucester at Haddon Heights, 11:30 a.m.
Absegami at Pemberton noon
Cinnaminson at Willingboro, noon
Florence at Gloucester Catholic, 1 p.m.
Bridgeton at Pennsauken, 1 p.m.
Glassboro at Burlington Twp., 1:30 p.m.
West Deptford at West. Nassau (Fla.), 6 p.m.

Schalick stays unbeaten

Bartee punishes Penns Grove, makes something out of nothing twice, helps Schalick stay unbeaten

By Al Muskewitz/Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Believe it or not, given the way he takes over a game these days, Kenny Bartee didn’t like playing football when he was little. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he cried before he had to go onto the youth field, but he went anyway — and made the opposition cry.

He’s still doing it today. Well, everything but the crying part.

Friday night, the Schalick junior quarterback rushed for 124 yards and scored two touchdowns leading the Cougars over Penns Grove 27-0 to remain undefeated and solidly atop the South Jersey Group 1 power points standings.

Both of his touchdowns came from creating something out of nothing.

“It gives me an adrenaline rush,” he said. “Back when I was little I never really liked football, so I always had to make plays like that. So that’s not really anything new.

“I didn’t like football at all. I was forced to play because I was pretty good at it. My mom said you’re too good to let this talent go to waste. I said mom, I got you. I would cry before games and then I would come out and score five touchdowns.”

His first touchdown against the Red Devils came on the last play of the first half on a play that looked like it wouldn’t develop before the clock ran out. He rolled right looking for a receiver, but finding none open, he pulled it down and went 16 yards for the score, blasting through a two-level roadblock the Red Devils set up at the 4.

Schalick quarterback Kenny Bartee (1) eludes Penns Grove pursuer Dairol De La Cruz De Las Santos then turns upfield on the way to his first touchdown on the final play of the first half. (Photo by Zach Ahl)

It was do or die, since it was fourth down with four seconds on the clock. Had the Cougars’ regular kicker been available, coach Kevin Leamy admitted he would have tried the 33-yard field goal. But kicker Shawn Kelly was on the sideline in concussion protocol after trying to make a tackle on a kickoff last week at Cumberland, so they went for it and hoped for the best. They didn’t punt either.

“I could be a terrible coach and he makes me look good,” Schalick coach Kevin Leamy said. “He makes me look good. There were times we didn’t call the right play or we didn’t do the right thing and he makes the play; he makes everyone looks good. He does a lot of that.”

From Bartee’s perspective he didn’t want to go into halftime with just a 7-0 lead – on a special teams touchdown – and was “very determined” to get in the end zone on the play.

“I really wasn’t too happy about to go into halftime 7-0 on a team like this,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, that is a very good, very disciplined team, but we’re way better than that. We had a bunch of mistakes we didn’t capitalize on. So us going into halftime with 7-0 I wasn’t liking it, so I’m like I’ve gotta make something happen. We tried to throw. It was there, just miscommunication. OK, now I have to go get it. I’ve got to go get us one.”

Bartee’s second touchdown came on a 3-yard run midway through the third quarter, but it was the play before that showed more of his wizardry. He broke off a 27-yard run after picking up a shotgun snap that slid through his hands.

“I just trusted my teammates,” he said. “Once I picked up the ball they were looking at me to throw it. I just told them block for me.”

“He is a tough player,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “We’ve been watching him on film all year. I told the guys he’s going to get 70 percent of the touches. He’s a tough runner, a big strong kid with a little bit of speed, and he knows how to play football.”

Even if he didn’t like to earlier in his life.

The Cougars (7-0) got their other touchdowns on David Stewart’s 79-yard punt return in the first quarter and Ayden Jenkins’ 23-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.

**Schalick’s Aiden Torres (70) and Gary Simonini (9) wrap up Penns Grove ballcarrier Zahvier Reeder. (Photo by Zach Ahl)**

Their defense, meanwhile, was relentless and didn’t yield Penns Grove anything. The shutout was their second of the year. They’ve allowed only 49 points and held five of their seven opponents to a touchdown or less.

The Red Devils (4-2) were missing their main weapon, freshman running back Jaivon Thomas, one of the top rushers in the state, with a collarbone injury. When the team came back to the field after warmups Thomas was carrying his pads and he watched the game from the Penns Grove sideline. He was hopeful of returning next week against Woodstown in what amounts to the WJFL Independence Division championship game.

The Red Devils tried to compensate with Terrell Thomas and several other backs and a bit more throwing, but they managed only 50 yards of offense — minus-5 net on 16 offensive snaps in the second half.

“Today was a day to see what some other guys have,” Ware said. “We knew all week he wasn’t going to play. He didn’t practice all week. We did some more passing stuff today because I wanted to work a little more passing in and we did well with a few passes in the first half. We sustained a couple drives in the first half and if we didn’t have big penalties I feel like we would’ve put some points on the board. But when you’re playing from a deficit and you have a guy who’s, what, the No. 9 rusher in the state not in the game it’s hard because we’re trying to establish offense and then we shoot ourself in the foot with a penalty.

“Ultimately, I got a lot of guys who are young, inexperienced, so some guys got some experience today and got a chance to play who normally wouldn’t have gotten a chance to play. They’re No. 1 for a reason and when we don’t have our No. 1 running back it’s tough. But I felt like we did some really good things. Today was a good barometer for us to see where we stack up and even without our best offensive player we still held our own.”

The Cougars played a little next-man-up as well. They lost their regular center on the opening series, moved tackle Will Johnson to the spot and put freshman quarterback Gabe McFarland — all 5-feet-7, 163 pounds of him — on the offensive line. McFarland played the rest of the game there and was part of three touchdown drives.

“He scored five touchdowns against Cumberland in the JV game and he played tackle today,” Leamy said. “He’s been playing a little bit of defense and he’s been playing well, so this past week, we were like we need some like depth. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s been great at practice. He’s physical, he attacks, he does exactly what we coach him to do. He’s not the biggest, but he’s just determined.

“It’s funny, he doesn’t want to play like, he wants to play quarterback, he wants to be a skill player, and he’s good at that, too. He’s doing real well with the JVs, he’s doing phenomenal. The coaching staff goes to him and says if we need you (on the line) you willing to play. He said, coach, if you need me to play, I’ll play wherever you want me to play. It says a lot about this team and that environment that these kids have created. Next man up, they’re going to do whatever they need to do, even if it means our JV quarterback is playing center.

Schalick 27, Penns Grove 0

PG		SCH
5	First downs	17
24-19	Rushing	38-230
0-10-1	Passes	4-9-0
31	Passing	58
2-1	Fum-Lost	3-1
2-33.0	Punts-Avg	0-0
5-45	Penalties	4-55

Penns Grove	0	0	0	0-	0
Schalick	7	7	7	6-	27

SCORING SUMMARY

S-David Stewart 79 punt return (Dash Mayne kick), 4:29 1Q

S-Kenny Bartee 16 run (Dash Mayne kick), 0:00 2Q

S-Kenny Bartee 3 run (Dash Mayne kick), 6:32 3Q

S-Ayden Jenkins 23 run (pass failed), 6:51 4Q

**Penns Grove’s Jerry Wooton (3) tries to break the grasp of a Schalick tackler. (Photo by Zach Ahl)**

CJ quite a catch

Pennsville sophomore among state’s leading receivers, includes the Salem County football leaders through games of Oct. 4

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Overbrook at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 6 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Pennsville at St. Joseph (Hamm.), 6:30 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – CJ Johnson caught 10 times more passes in this year’s season opener than he had all of last season and he hasn’t slowed down yet.

The Pennsville sophomore snared 11 passes in that overtime win over Woodstown and has 42 catches on the year, tied for third most in the state regardless of classification going into this week’s games. His 630 receiving yards rank No. 1. He’s only needs nine catches to top the Eagles’ entire team total of a year ago and he’s on pace to become their most prolific receiver in more than 17 years.

Having a breakout year hasn’t surprised him, but the numbers and the exposure have.

“It definitely caught me by surprise,” he said. “I knew this year I would have to step up from all the seniors who graduated. I definitely did think I would have a good season, but this is definitely taking me by surprise.”

The Eagles have been a run-heavy offense throughout Mike Healy’s 10-year run as head coach, even with a strong-armed quarterback like Robbie McDade the last few years, but without an established returning running back and a young offensive line this year they had to find another way to move the ball. They’ve been airing it out all year with only last week’s rainy conditions crimping their style.

Junior quarterback Jake Layfield is just outside the top 10 passers in the state in his first year as a starter and is far and away the leading passer in Salem County. The top five receivers in the county all wear Pennsville blue.

“We kind of knew going into the season we weren’t going to be a run-heavy team like in the past,” Healy said. “Our experience and our older guys were more on the outside, so we were going to have to take advantage of that.

“Going into the season we had high expectations for CJ. We saw some flashes last year; we knew there was more there. Luckily it worked out. We were kind of counting on him to produce and he’s done more than we even expected, so it’s turned into a pretty good combination for us. It’s been different to watch, but it’s been exciting to see.”

The Eagles had only 50 receptions as a team last year. They’ve only had four receivers with at least 50 catches in a season since 2010. Malik Rehmer currently holds the single-season record in Healy’s tenure (50 in 2023). Logan Johnston (2016) and Drew Burdsall (2013) have the most in program history since 2010 (60). Burdsall also had 52 in 2012.

It helps that Johnson is 6-2½ and able to go high, low and across for anything thrown his way. He’s also good at getting yards after the catch. Layfield called the first of Johnson’s two touchdown grabs against Penns Grove last week a “great catch.”

“I have a lot of trust in him,” the quarterback said. “He wins his routes. He knows what he’s doing. Freak athlete. I think the combinations we set him up with play a part with his success. Always want to get the ball in his hands. He’s been put in a good spot and he’s taken every single piece of advantage that he’s had with it.”

And it hasn’t gone unnoticed. The other day a coach from Syracuse checked in with Healy about him. There’s a connection there. Johnson’s uncle Yazeed Haynes was a receiver for the Orange before retiring from football last spring.

“CJ’s a football player; that’s his thing,” Healy said. “He’s got really high goals that we want to help him achieve. He’s going to continue to get better. I don’t think he’s reached his max potential yet at all.”

Pennsville receiving leaders (since 2010)

SINGLE SEASON	REC	YEAR	TEAM	YEAR
Logan Johnston	60	2016	155	2013
Drew Burdsall	60	2013	137	2014
Drew Burdsall	52	2012	128	2011
Malik Rehmer	50	2023	122	2016
Ryan Hawthorne	44	2011	117	2019
Brady Locke	43	2017	114	2018
CJ Johnson	42	2026	107	2026
Jeremy Boucher	42	2015	104	2015
Kyle Pszenny	42	2014	101	2023

Salem County leaders

Rushing

PLAYER	CAR.	YARDS	TD
Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove	66	733	10
Kenny Bartee, Schalick	77	714	10
Cashmir Parsley, Salem	66	520	4
Cole Ware, Woodstown	64	431	2
Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove	59	392	8
David Stewart, Schalick	40	365	5
Tristan Horner, Pennsville	51	253	4
Ayden Jenkins, Schalick	45	226	1
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown	36	190	5
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville	18	181	2
Desmund Thomas, Salem	14	104	3
DezYon Purnell, Schalick	16	102	2
Adrian Alleyne, Salem	15	101	0
TyRell West, Woodstown	25	87	3
Kyvion Parsons, Salem	14	81	2
Isiah Santiago, Salem	20	80	1
Savior Allah, Penns Grove	6	79	1
Zahvier Reeder, Penns Grove	5	73	0
Freddie Allen, Schalick	12	60	1

Passing

**Pennsville quarterback Jake Mayfield has passed for as many yards as the next eight Salem County quarterbacks combined. (All photos by Lucky Shot Pix)**

PLAYER	C-A-I	YARDS	TD
Jake Layfield, Pennsville	107-171-8	1254	12
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown	18-32-4	342	4
Kenny Bartee, Schalick	12-31-0	322	2
Desmund Thomas, Salem	21-25-1	288	4
Owen McDonald, Salem	10-22-2	105	1
Noah Chiu, Woodstown	5-6-0	63	1
Gabriel McFarland, Schalick	3-4-0	49	1
Damien Robinson, Penns Grove	17-26-1	44	2
Kyvion Parsons, Salem	3-11-2	41	1

Receiving

PLAYER	NO.	YARDS	TD
Chase Johnson, Pennsville	42	630	7
Lucas Thomas, Pennsville	18	143	2
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville	11	144	0
Tristan Horner, Pennsville	11	43	1
Jacob Kimani, Pennsville	10	126	1
Andrew White, Woodstown	9	275	5
Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove	8	130	2
Danny Knight, Pennsville	8	118	0
Quemere Bergen, Salem	7	93	2
KaiSiere Muhammad, Salem	6	98	0
Ahmad Tucker, Salem	6	81	2
Isiah Santiago, Salem	5	45	0
Cole Ware, Woodstown	5	30	0
Omari Robinson, Penns Grove	4	60	1
Savior Allah, Penns Grove	4	26	0
Shawn Kelly, Schalick	3	145	2
David Stewart, Schalick	3	65	1
Gio Alicea, Schalick	3	56	1
Nehemiah Carter, Woodstown	3	53	0
Evan Elliott, Schalick	3	40	1
Javion Sydnor, Pennsville	3	26	0
Dante Cummings, Pennsville	3	13	1

Defense

SACKS —7: Tony Merendino, Salem; 6.5: JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove; Omari Robinson, Penns Grove; 6: Omari Robinson, Penns Grove; 5.5: Myshion Barnes, Salem; 4: Mahkye Murray, Salem; Bradley Snitcher, Woodstown; 3: Xavier Csaszar, woodstown; Evan Elliott, Schalick; Nick Lopergolo, Schalick; Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove; 2.5: Rex Hannah, Woodstown; 2: Raymond Brown, Salem; Kamal Chatum, Salem; Dillon Garrity, Woodstown; Maliq Reddick, Penns Grove; Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove; Aiden Torres, Schalick; Isaac Wright, Penns Grove

INTERCEPTIONS — 5: Jacob Kimani, Pennsville; 4: Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove; 3: Grady Sanders, Pennsville; David Stewart, Schalick; 2: Gio Alicea, Schalick; Noah Blunt, Schalick; Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove; Danny Knight, Pennsville; Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove

Team Leaders

TEAM	RUSH	C-A-I	PASS	PF	PA
PENNS GROVE (4-1)	1243	19-30-1	213	169	52
PENNSVILLE (3-3)	415	107-171-8	1254	131	97
SALEM (3-3)	980	34-58-5	434	138	105
SCHALICK (6-0)	1499	18-40-0	405	205	49
WOODSTOWN (3-3)	743	23-40-4	405	111	131

Hall inducts new class

Eclectic class of inductees to be enshrined in the Salem County Sports Hall of Fame in ceremonies at Salem CC in January

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

This year’s Salem County Sports Hall of Fame induction class has it all. It covers a variety of sports, a cross-section of the high schools in the county and even some international flair.

It features a legendary coach, one of the most prolific scorers in county basketball history, an athlete whose success reaches from the field to the sidelines, one of the best athletes the county ever produced, a World Cup soccer player and an administrator who raised the entire athletics profile at his school.

This year’s Hall of Fame induction class features – drum roll, please – Geoff Shute, Joe Hickman, Sean Collins, Steve Ware, Tierrny Wiltshire and community honoree Jack Swain.

“It’s an extraordinary group of athletes and coaches, a well-deserved honor and I’m privileged to be able to do this,” said Salem Community College president and SCSHOF committee member Mike Gorman, “When you look at Shute and Collins, they have coaching resumes that are extraordinary. Collins also has a player’s resume that is well deserving. Hickman was a legend in basketball in the county.

“Look at Steve Ware. I was his assistant principal at that time, so I knew that Class of ’85 very well – and it’s one of the few times that Woodstown beat Delsea. And Tierrny –the World Cup. Most of us didn’t even have tickets to the World Cup much less be playing in it.”

Shute was Pennsville’s cross country coach from 2001 t0 2016, compiling a dual meet record of 114-15 with 77 wins in a row between 2004 and 2016. He won 11 Tri-County Conference division titles, nine Salem County crowns and the 2006 state championship among his eight top-five finishes at the state meet.

Hickman is Woodstown’s all-time leading scorer in basketball (1,726 points) and tied for fourth on the Salem County all-time list. He remembered for being a leader on some Wolverines teams in the early ’70s that endured some tough times.

“I’ve had an opportunity to talk to a lot of people in the community that know him,” Woodstown athletics director Joe Ursino said. “Obviously I don’t know him well because my time started after his involvement, but there’s more than just the basketball side of it. From the stories I hear and the teams he was on, some of the things, just the way the world was, that that team went through, the first thing everybody will tell you is he was a leader of that team. On top of that, his play made it evident he was going to lead the team.

“I had an opportunity to sit next to him at the playoff game when we went to Salem last year. I don’t know if he knew who I was, but I knew who he was and for me, as a former basketball coach, a former coach at Woodstown, it was a neat experience, because you could still see his passion for Woodstown, you can see his passion for the game. When you’re a basketball player and you know how to play the game, it doesn’t matter what year the game is being played in you can find the intricacies of it and you could see him recognizing them. It was just neat to be part of that.”

Ware was a three-sport athlete at Woodstown who went on to set football records at Trenton State (now TCNJ). In 1984 he set the school’s single-game rushing record that stood until 2022 and in 1985 set the single-season rushing record that also stood until 2022.

Collins enjoyed success both as a player and a coach. He was a multiple all-star in football, baseball and basketball, His 1,393 career points in basketball ranks in the top 20 on the county list. As a coach he won more than 100 games and two different schools (111 at Schalick). He has now been inducted into six Halls of Fame.

Wiltshire was born in Elmer and played three seasons at Schalick, where she also played basketball and ran track. After high school she played a Rutgers, then played professionally overseas and in the NWSL ultimately competing for Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The sixth member of the class, Swain, is the retiring superintendent of Salem County Vocational Technical Schools. During his tenure Salem Tech has built an entire athletics program at the school, providing its student-athletes the chance to play for the school they attend. After bringing field hockey, baseball and softball on line last year, about the only sports missing from the school’s lineup is football and wrestling.

The committee also will be recognizing Pennsville’s 2006 cross country state championship team coached by Shute, as well as this past academic year’s state champions.

This Hall of Fame class will be enshrined in Salem CC’s Davidow Theatre on Jan. 15, 2027, a seasonal date that will remain consistent on the Hall calendar going forward. The event is free and open to the public.

Standings

Here are the WJFL Diamond/Independence and TCC Diamond/Classic division standings through Oct. 3

WJFL Football

DIAMOND	ALL	DIV	INDEPENDENCE	ALL	DIV
Schalick	6-0	3-0	Woodstown	3-3	3-0
Paulsboro	4-2	1-`	Penns Grove	4-1	2-0
Overbrook	2-4	2-1	Clayton	4-1	1-1
Burlington City	2-4	1-2	Woodbury	2-4	1-2
Salem	3-3	1-2	Pitman	2-3	0-2
Pennsville	3-3	0-3	Buena	2-4	0-3

TCC Boys Soccer

CLASSIC	ALL	DIV	DIAMOND	ALL	DIV
Clayton	5-5	4-0	Schalick	6-2	5-0
Pennsville	3-5	2-1	Overbrook	5-4	3-2
Salem Tech	6-4	2-2	Penns Grove	6-2-1	2-2-1
Salem	0-5	0-2	Woodstown	5-5-1	2-3
Glou Cath	0-8	0-3	Glassboro	4-4-1	1-3-1
			Pitman	3-6-1	1-4

TCC Girls Soccer

CLASSIC	ALL	DIV	DIAMOND	ALL	DIV
Pitman	5-4	5-0	Schalick	7-2	4-0
Glou Cath	4-3	3-1	Woodstown	8-2-1	3-1
Pennsville	5-4	3-2	Overbrook	4-5	2-2
Clayton	5-4	2-3	Penns Grove	2-5	0-3
Salem Tech	1-6	1-4	Glassboro	0-8	0-3
Salem	0-8	0-4

TCC Field Hockey

CLASSIC	ALL	DIV	DIAMOND	ALL	DIV
Salem Tech	6-2	4-0	Woodstown	6-3	4-0
Pennsville	2-6	2-1	Schalick	7-2	2-1
Glou Cath	2-3	1-1	Overbrook	5-3	2-1
Salem	1-8	1-3	Glass/Pit	2-4	1-3
Clayton	0-4	0-3	Deptford	4-7	0-4

TCC Girls Tennis

CLASSIC	ALL	DIV	DIAMOND	ALL	DIV
Pitman	11-4	4-0	Woodstown	8-5	5-0
Pennsville	9-4	2-2	Schalick	8-5	4-1
Glassboro	6-5	2-2	Timber Cr	4-6	2-2
Glou Cath	0-0	0-0	Overbrook	2-7	1-4
Salem	0-7	0-5	Penns Grove	0-8	0-5

This week’s schedule

Here is this week’s Salem County sports calendar for the week of Oct. 5-10

MONDAY, OCT. 5
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Salem
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Salem Tech
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Moorestown Friends, 3:45 p.m.
Salem at Cumberland
Schalick at Vineland
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Triton, 5:15 p.m.
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Salem CC at Cecil, 6 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Bucks County at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCT. 6
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Salem
Schalick at Woodstown
Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech, 4:15 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Schalick
Woodstown at Overbrook
GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Woodstown
Pennsville at Clayton
Salem at Salem Tech
Schalick at Penns Grove
GIRLS TENNIS
Regular season
Salem at Triton
SJ Group 1 Quarterfinals
Roselle Park at Pitman
Gateway at Haddon Twp.
Metuchen at Woodstown
Woodbridge Magnet at New Providence

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7
BOYS SOCCER
Camden Academy Charter at Salem
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Highland, 5:15 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
Salem County Championship, Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
West Deptford at Schalick
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCT. 8
WJFL FOOTBALL
Robbinsville at Bordentown, 6 p.m.
Mainland at Millville, 6 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Burlington City at Salem Tech
Deptford at Woodstown
Pennsville at Clayton
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
Schalick at Haddon Heights
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem Tech
Glassboro at Woodstown
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic
Pitman at Penns Grove
Schalick at Overbrook, 4:15 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville
Overbrook at Schalick
Salem at Pitman
Salem Tech at Clayton
Woodstown at Glassboro
GIRLS TENNIS
Regular season
Penns Grove at Timber Creek
Woodstown at Schalick
SJ Group 1 Semifinals
(at higher seed)
Roselle Park-Pitman winner vs. Gateway-Haddon Twp. winner
Metuchen-Woodstown winner vs. Woodbridge Magnet-New Providence winner
VOLLEYBALL
LEAP at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 9
WJFL FOOTBALL
Overbrook at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
Pennsville at St. Joseph (Hamm.), 6:30 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 6 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Pitman at KIPP, 6 p.m.
Lindenwold at Buena, 6 p.m.
Woodbury at Collingswood, 6 p.m.
Burlington City at Riverside, 5:30 p.m.
Paulsboro at Haddonfield
Cherry Hill East vs. Cherry Hill West, 6 p.m.
Ewing at Delran, 6 p.m.
Washington Twp. at Cherokee, 6 p.m.
Pleasantville at Lower Cape May, 6 p.m.
Eastern at Rancocas Valley, 6 p.m.
Triton at Highland, 6 p.m.
Allentown at Sterling, 6 p.m.
Gateway at Deptford, 6 p.m.
Mastern Camden at Wildwood, 6 p.m.
Vineland at Oakcrest, 6 p.m.
Lenape at Trenton, 6 p.m.
Camden Eastside at Cedar Creek, 6 p.m.
Seneca at Hammonton, 6 p.m.
Kingsway at Camden, 6 p.m.
Steinert at Hopewell Valley, 6 p.m.
Maple Shade at Palmyra, 6 p.m.
St. Augustine at Shawnee, 6 p.m.
Northern Burlington at Notre Dame, 6 p.m.
Middle Twp. at Ocean City, 6 p.m.
Nottingham at Timber Creek, 6 p.m.
Cumberland at Egg Harbor, 6 p.m.
Lawrence at Hightstown, 6 p.m.
Bishop Eustace at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
Williamstown at Delsea, 7 p.m.
Moorestown at Clearview, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Absegami
Salem Tech at Maple Shade
BOYS SOCCER
NJTAC Tournament
Salem Tech at Penn Tech, 3:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 10
WJFL FOOTBALL
Haddonfield at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
Princeton at Hamilton West, 11 a.m.
Gloucester at Haddon Heights, 11:30 a.m.
Absegami at Pemberton noon
Cinnaminson at Willingboro, noon
Florence at Gloucester Catholic, 1 p.m.
Bridgeton at Pennsauken, 1 p.m.
Glassboro at Burlington Twp., 1:30 p.m.
West Deptford at West. Nassau (Fla.), 6 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Mainland at Schalick, 10 a.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Nottingham, 11 a.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
South Jersey Open, Dream Park, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC Jamboree, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Felician