A total turf experience

The Taliaferro Foundation’s Ginsburg Football Classic expanding to include youth flag football, moving to Total Turf, high school 7-on-7 field filling quickly

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

After three strong years playing at the high school complex of its foundation namesake, the Adam Taliaferro Foundation Larry Ginsburg Football Classic is expanding and moving.

This year’s fifth annual event, scheduled for June 29, is heading 15 miles down the road to the expansive Total Turf Experience in Pitman. It had been staged the last three years at Eastern High School in Voorhees, where Taliaferro played his high school ball before moving on to Penn State and living one of the most inspirational stories in sports of all time.

Most people recognize the Classic as a 7-on-7 showcase for South Jersey high school football teams, but this year the event is adding a flag football element for youth teams and needs more room for the demand with the potential for making Total Turf its permanent home.

“We started off with it at Rowan University, then we moved it to Eastern High School and now we’re trying something a little bit different,” executive director Gus Ostrum said. “The high school tournament is staying in place, but we’re also trying to start up a subsequent flag football tournament for the youth leagues.

“That’s why we moved it to Total Turf, because they do the flag football tournaments all the time. They do things for high schools all the time, so they’re very familiar with their facilities. They have great indoor and outdoor facilities over there. It’s an incredible facility.”

The move has gained some early support.

“Total Turf is a really nice facility,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “I’m excited mostly because it’s closer to us. Eastern was very nice. Total Turf has all sorts of stuff in it besides sports. It’s a cool place to watch sports.”

The field for the high school tournament is filling quickly and nearly halfway to its cap of 16 teams.

Four Salem County teams played in it last year – Healy’s Eagles, Penns Grove, Schalick and Woodstown. Of that group, only runner-up Penns Grove has yet to commit for this year, but former Penns Grove coach John Emel is bringing his new West Deptford team. Timber Creek and Mercer County’s Nottingham also are said to be committed.

With a guarantee of three games, the tournament is an early summer test for the teams’ passing games and secondaries. Woodbury won it last year.

“Last year we were competitive in our games,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “This year I’d like to take the next step and finish with a winning record. It is early in the summer so we will still be learning and working on some new things.”

Organizers hope to attract at least a dozen teams for each of its two flag football divisions – 9-10 and 11-12.

“With the first year it’ll be a little bit harder because they don’t really know us and we’re going in there introducing ourselves to those coaches and groups so it’ll take some time,” Ostrum said. “We hope at least for 12 teams in each division. If we can grab 16 that’d be wonderful, but we’ll see what happens and hopefully it will work out OK for us.

“I know over time it will. The event we had at Eastern with the high schools has a lot of acceptance now, but it took time to get there. It doesn’t just happen overnight.”

They also would be open in time to an offering for the fledgling high school girls flag football market.

Cover photo: Penns Grove coach John Emel accepts the runner-up trophy on behalf of his team at last year’s Taliaferro/Ginsburg 7-on-7 Football Classic at Eastern Regional High School.

Coaching carousel

Here is a recent history of coach changes in Salem County high school football since 2003; with three new coaches this coming season, 2024 marks the most turnover in the county since 2009

	PENNSVILLE	PENNS GROVE	SALEM	SCHALICK	WOODSTOWN
2024	Mike Healy	Mark Maccarone	Kemp Carr	Mike Wilson	Frank Trautz
2023	Mike Healy	John Emel	Danny Mendoza	Mike Wilson	John Adams
2022	Mike Healy	John Emel	Montrey Wright	Mike Wilson	John Adams
2021	Mike Healy	John Emel	Montrey Wright	Mike Wilson	John Adams
2020	Mike Healy	John Emel	Montrey Wright	Mike Wilson	John Adams
2019	Mike Healy	John Emel	Montrey Wright	Seth Brown	John Adams
2018	Mike Healy	John Emel	Montrey Wright	Seth Brown	John Adams
2017	Mike Healy	John Emel	Montrey Wright	Seth Brown	John Adams
2016	Ryan Wood	John Emel	Montrey Wright	Seth Brown	John Adams
2015	Ryan Wood	John Emel	Montrey Wright	Seth Brown	John Adams
2014	Ryan Wood	John Emel	Dennis Thomas	Seth Brown	John Adams
2013	Ryan Wood	Kemp Carr	Dennis Thomas	Seth Brown	John Adams
2012	Ryan Wood	Kemp Carr	Randy Johnson	Seth Brown	John Adams
2011	Ryan Wood	Kemp Carr	Randy Johnson	Seth Brown	John Adams
2010	Ryan Wood	Kemp Carr	Randy Johnson	Seth Brown	John Adams
2009	Ryan Wood	Kemp Carr	Randy Johnson	Seth Brown	Frank LaRubbio
2008	John Cooksey	Kemp Carr	Steve Sheffield	Seth Brown	Frank LaRubbio
2007	John Cooksey	Kemp Carr	Steve Sheffiield	Seth Brown	Frank LaRubbio
2006	John Cooksey	Kemp Carr	Steve Sheffield	Seth Brown	Frank LaRubbio
2005	John Cooksey	Kemp Carr	Rob Hinson	Seth Brown	Michael Powers
2004	John Cooksey	Kemp Carr	David Lindenmuth	Josh Hedgman	Michael Powers
2003	John Cooksey	Dennis Orlando	David Lindemuth	Josh Hedgman	Michael Powers

Source: Gridironnj.com

Ocean cruise

Salem CC softball gets well quickly after tough start to weekend, blasts Ocean CC, 17-1, 19-1; Hayes hit 3 HRs, Beukman hits her first

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – After a rough start to the weekend with four losses to two of the top teams in Region XIX, the Salem CC softball team got well in a big way Sunday, sweeping a doubleheader at home from Ocean CC 17-1 and 19-1.

The Mighty Oaks, swept by Delaware Tech and Lackawanna CC on Friday and Saturday, pounded five home runs and banged out 35 hits – 15 for extra bases – in the two five-inning games against the visiting Vikings.

Freshman shortstop Ella Hayes had a huge day, hitting three homers and collecting 10 RBIs in the doubleheader; she had two homers and seven RBIs in the second game. Freshman outfielder Kiki Beukman hit her first homer since arriving on campus from South Africa in the first game. She went 4-for-4 with four RBIs in the opener and was 6-for-7 with six runs and seven RBIs in the doubleheader.

“I think it was really important for our team morale,” Beukman said. “We were really hard on ourselves the past two games, like we have to do this, we have to be good, we have to be this. There was too much pressure, but this one we can lift it a little and just get the whole team’s morale back to play as a family where we need to.

“We didn’t really play as a family the past two days, so I think it’s really good for our mental health almost to step (back), relax and just play for fun more.”

The fun started right away. The Mighty Oaks (26-10) jumped on the Vikings in the first inning of both games.

They scored six to start the opener on three-run homers by Hayes and Beukman. Vaye Savage’s leadoff homer in the second inning made it 7-0, then the Oaks erupted for nine runs in the third. They sent 13 batters to the plate in the big inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Savage and a two-run single by KC Garcia.

Beukman was a big home run hitter for her high school and provincial teams back home, but most of the fields she played on didn’t have fences, so when a batter hit it deep she could run for days.

She had hoped to keep that going when she got to the States, but it took 46 plate appearances, 38 at bats and 35 games before it happened for the first time.

“The first time I met Vaye, we came and hit and I was like the fence looks so short, why is it so short,” Beukman said. “I know I can do this. I know I can do this. So, I’ve been trying to get a fence.

“It felt good (to hit the homer) after yesterday’s stress that I had. It just felt good to finally be myself again knowing what I could do. I don’t always have patience but I’m working on it and it felt great to be back. It just feels like I know what I’m doing. This is what I am capable of and I know I can, so it feels good to finally do what I’ve done back home.”

“We definitely were excited for Kiki,” Oaks coach Angel Rodriguez said. “She’s always determined to go up there and try to do something. Recently she’s had some good at bats but she’d either just miss it or just getting under it. She had some good hard hits throughout the year, but that was good to see.”

The Mighty Oaks opened the nightcap with 10 in the first. Hayes had her grand slam in the inning and Beukman had a two-run double. Hayes also hit a three-run homer to highlight a six-run second inning and the Oaks added two more in the third and one in the fourth.

“Personally, it helped me a lot,” Hayes said. “It wasn’t that my confidence was down it was just that boosted my confidence a lot so now I can prepare for a big game Tuesday (at Mercer CC) and the rest of the season and the postseason. This was a good game to just build up confidence for me and everyone.”

The hit parade ran through the lineup. Savage went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the first game and was 4-for-5 in the doubleheader. Emilie Hamm went 3-for-3 in the first game, Kyla Buerger went 4-for-6 with four RBIs in the doubleheader, 2-for-2 in the nightcap; Aislynne Deviney went 4-for-4 in the doubleheader, 3-for-3 in the nightcap.

Hayes also is making a run at winning the JUCO Division II batting title. She went 5-for-7 in the doubleheader, raising her average to .617 in 34 games (66-for-107), which is second in the division behind current leader Avery Sickeri of Frederick CC (.646 in 22 games).

“My goal is to get No. 1,” Hayes said. “I think we’re like 12 games ahead of that girl in front of me now, so I’m hoping once they get games under their belt I should pass her. I look at my stats all the time, but I don’t let them affect me on the field.”

With her display of power, Hayes now has 10 homers and 61 RBIs on the season.

“My teammates might call me a power-hitter, but I would consider myself a hitter-hitter and the home runs come,” Hayes said.

Rodriguez has another word.

“We always say ‘be a hard out’ and she’s a hard out,” he said.

Getting to know …

Salem’s DaviYonn (Pop) Jackson

EDITORS NOTE: This is the latest in a recurring series of in depth interviews with athletes in Salem County. Coaches, if there is a player in your program with an interesting background or backstory the community would be interested in “Getting to Know …,” forward details in an email to Riverview Sports News at al.muskewitz@gmail.com.

SALEM – Pop Jackson is a man on the move. The multi-sport Salem athlete sat down with Riverview Sports News for a deep dive into all the things that drive him, but he had a schedule to keep. New Rams football coach Kemp Carr cautioned the junior only had 15 minutes before he needed to be in a peer counseling session for younger teammates for which he is a teacher-appointed mentor.

So his time was limited, but Jackson still answered all the questions with the focus he exhibits seeking the best route for a big gain when he runs the football.

But don’t pigeonhole him as just a running back – or a defensive player, for that matter. Carr is quick to call him a “football player,” a nod to Jackson’s versatility as a player and his own present noncommittal to the role the rising senior will play on his team this coming fall.

Before Jackson burst on the scene as a running back to build an offense around last fall he burst on the scene as a track athlete, excelling in the long and triple jump.

During his “15 minutes of fame,” Jackson talked about how he got his nickname, what rushing for 1,200 yards last year meant to him and his goals in both track and football going forward.

And then he was off. You know, a man on the move. – Al Muskewitz

RIVERVIEW SPORTS NEWS: How did you come to be called Pop?

POP JACKSON: I’ve always been Pop since I grew up. I don’t know how it came about, but ever since I was little they called me Pop-Pop and then it just changed to Pop.

RSN: What did being a 1,000-yard rusher mean to you last year? You had 1,245 yards (1,090 of it in the final six games), Salem’s first 1,000-yard rusher in six years (Zaire Jones).

POP: I felt as though I could accomplish more. It felt good to rush for 1,000, but I’m just trying to elevate and get 2,000 this year.

RSN: It started late to you, like the fifth game of the year at Rutgers. What was the change that turned you into that guy?

POP: If nobody else is going to be the guy, I’ve got to be the guy. And when I’m running the ball I felt as though nobody wanted to tackle me. I’m about to start toting the ball.

RSN: Coach Carr is going to be your third head coach in three years. What’s that like for a player to keep going through change like that?

POP: To learn from him and learn from different coaches and how they coach it feels good because in college you don’t know what coach you might run into and what offense and defense you’ll play. It’s a good thing.

RSN: Can you tell yet how the change has impacted you? What do you like about Coach Carr and what do you think his plans are for you?

POP: Since he got here, I’m not going to lie, I’ve been more serious. He doesn’t let any of the guys slip up. It’s needed, so they’re not disrespecting themselves, their family and the team as a whole.

RSN: What are your personal goals for track and football going forward. I know you want to win games and go to the playoffs, but what do you want to get down in this important year?

POP: I want to get more recognized, rushing for a lot of yards and defense. Anything I can get recognized for will be a good thing.

RSN: What do you do when you’re not playing or practicing. Tell me something you do outside of sports?

POP: I just like being in my house. I don’t like going places a lot, but when I go places I like to walk my dog. Other than that, I just stay in the house watching YouTube and stuff. I need to recoup.

RSN: What is something you wish you could do again?

POP: I would have started football earlier. It would have given me more experience and I would have been way better than what I am now.

RSN: Are you an offensive guy or a defensive guy who found his place on offense?

It’s at this point, Carr interjected, “Football player, Pop.” Later in the conversation, after Jackson had left the room, Carr reserved commenting on his plans for the player this coming season.

CARR: I don’t know what I have. I know of what they did. I know some of the guys who are returning who play. I think quality coaches build their structure, their philosophies, their missions, their identity and what they’re trying to do according to your personnel then just trying to get the personnel to fit your identity.

That’s where guys get run into it. They get so accustomed to running one thing, but they don’t have the unit to run it and then they wonder why they pitfall. We know we’ve got a piece, but we need more than a piece. It’s a team sport. We’ve got 45 guys and all 45 play an intricate part of what we’re doing.

Are we going to be a team that has to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hand fast? Are we going to be a team that can hold onto it and do some play action? Is he going to be a decoy at times? Are we going to give him 30 touches? We don’t know that yet. I’ll identify that later down the road.

I knew Pop when he was a sophomore. I saw him play, not running the ball but just as an athlete. He was thrown to the wolves early as a freshman and he held his own. Made some plays. I just think that’s just going to get better for him. As he gets stronger, bigger, faster, more knowledgeable of what his assignments are, the dynamic only gets better for him. Not only that, it’s going to be a turnaround this year and I think he has a lot to do with it. He’s a catalyst of what we’re trying to do … You’re going to need to know where he is on the field at all times. He’s one of those guys.

RSN: Before you burst on the scene as a football player, you burst on the scene as a track guy. What do you like about running track?

POP: I’m on a team and we’re all competing together, but there are individual things you can do. It’s you versus this person, you versus this person. If I don’t do this, I lose because of myself, not because of someone else. If I don’t get it done, I’m mad at myself.

RSN: What’s the longest you stayed mad?

POP: I think a month. After losing the championship to Woodbury (in the 2022 Group I semifinals). We were the better team, but that’s in the past.

RSN: Last year you won the triple jump at the state meet and now you’re looking to win gold in the long jump, too. What’s the factor that’s held it back?

POP: Getting my mark down. I know my steps, my numbers, but when I’m approaching the runway and the board, I’m just passing the board and getting fouls. Then I get to thinking about it instead of just running and giving it my all.

RSN: What does your recruiting look like?

POP: I’ve been getting letters and things, but the top one (for track) is Liberty. For football, there’s Monmouth, Wagner and a couple others (to which Carr added, “but that’s all about to change.”)

I’m a hard working person. I would love to run for any college.

And then he had run.

It’s Trautz’ time

Woodstown board approves quarterbacks coach’s promotion to head football coach

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — It’s funny the way things work out sometimes.

A year ago Frank Trautz took a middle school social studies teaching job in Woodstown not for anything as ambitious as being a head coach in waiting but just to get more coaching experience under a successful veteran like John Adams. Twelve months later, he is the Wolverines’ new head football coach.

Trautz was approved by the Woodstown-Pilesgrove district board Thursday night to succeed Adams, who announced at the end of January he was stepping away from coaching after 14 seasons to devote more time to his family.

Trautz, 32 and just five years older than Adams was when he got the job, was the Wolverines’ quarterbacks coach under his predecessor. In his new position he will continue to coach quarterbacks and now call the plays.

This will be Trautz’ first head coaching job. He will meet with the team Friday and then begin the transition to his program. It shouldn’t be a difficult transition for player or coach, as they all know each other and his offensive philosophy very much aligns with Adams’.

“It’s funny sometimes how life works out,” Trautz said. “To wind up in just a great spot teaching and coaching I feel incredibly lucky and incredibly fortunate that life has led me to this point.

“I was really excited when I came to Woodstown last year and getting to work with John on his staff; it’s a real special place. I’m very honored and humbled to be picked as the next guy to take over this program. It’s certainly really, really big shoes to fill. Coach Adams has done just a tremendous job building up this program to where it is and I’m just very excited to step in and get rolling.”

He said he had no idea Adams was going to step aside this winter when he came aboard. His “anticipation” was to be an assistant coach “for quite a few years” under the Wolverines’ coach.

“When I got the teaching job at Woodstown I had the opportunity to join John’s staff and I felt incredibly fortunate coming from a great program at Haddonfield to join another really, really great program here at Woodstown and to coach under another tremendous coach,” he said. “You can always be learning more. I don’t think there’s ever what you’d say is the perfect time and that’s kind of how I looked at it.

“I had the opportunity to keep learning from a really, really good coach in Coach Adams and I would have taken all the learning I could get from him … It’s something I wasn’t necessarily seeking out at this exact time, but I I feel that I’m ready and excited to accept this new chapter and challenge in my life.”

Woodstown officials interviewed two finalists, principal Richard Senor said. Being in-house was important, but wasn’t the underlying factor in Trautz rising to the top. He’d been around the game all his life – his father was a long-time successful high school coach and coached him – and he cut his teeth in 10 years as an assistant at Lindenwold and Haddonfield.

“We’re very glad and very fortunate to have someone in house,” Senor said. “I think that’s so important to the strength of the program, just the accountability for the students to know the coach is in the building and easily accessible if need be, but at the end of the day we want to hire the best person for the job, whether they’re an in-house candidate or not..

“To me, having the in-house person is just an added benefit, but I wouldn’t say it was the main criteria that we’re looking for. (Trautz) knows what it takes to have a successful program and maintain a successful program.”

The board also accepted the resignation of boys basketball coach Phil Campbell and the retirement of softball coach Dave Wildermuth (effective at the end of the school year). Senor said while an in-house candidate is desirable if one is available, the search for their replacements will focus on finding the best candidate for the job.

Trautz had been Campbell’s assistant and JV coach, but said his energy and focus is on the football program.

Trautz’ approval fills the final opening in one of the more tumultuous Salem County football off-seasons in recent memory. Three of the county’s five football-playing schools have had to replace their head coaches since the end of the 2024 season, the most turnover in the county in more than 15 years.

Carr comes home

Salem brings former Penns Grove, Winslow football coach back to the game to coach at his alma mater

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM — Salem High School went back to its roots to land the next coach for its football program.

Kemp Carr, a Salem native, former Rams athlete and former championship head coach at another school in the county, was approved unanimously by the Salem City Schools board Wednesday night to become the Rams next head football coach.

He replaces Danny Mendoza, who stepped down after his first season as the Rams’ head coach to pursue other opportunities. Carr plans to meet his team for the first time Tuesday and start the process of returning the Rams to their past glory.

The 51-year-old Montclair State grad was approved as a physical education teacher at the high school and the weight room supervisor we well. The positions carry a total compensation package of $96,864, which includes a $5,947 stipend as head football coach. Those figures can be adjusted upon settlement of the contract.

“It’s exciting for our kids, for our school, to be able to hire somebody with the experience, the knowledge, Kemp has,” said Salem principal John Mulhorn, who actually coached with Carr for a year before moving into administration. “Kemp is from Salem, he’s played for Salem, he’s had a lot of success outside of Salem and when we communicated about his possibly coming back for the high school coaching position here I was very excited because I know it’s going to really help continue to move the football program forward.”

The new coach continues a long line of Salem men who have coached the Rams football team. Each of the four coaches prior to Mendoza were former Rams who returned to coach at their alma mater — Montrey Wright, Dennis Thomas, Randy Johnson and Steve Sheffield.

And Carr has a connection to them all, which inspires him even more to keep the tradition rolling.

“Dennis Thomas came in and laid the foundation; Montrey Wright built the structure, did a nice job with that, built a house; we’re coming in to do the interior decorating,” Carr said. “When you understand the tradition of what a Ram means and what it is, and to have sat in the very same seat the scholar-athletes have done is a thrill. Me and my family are extremely ecstatic of the opportunity.”

His friends have been pushing for him to get the Salem job since 2007. Actually, he really wasn’t sure he wanted back in after he left Winslow. He was running two successful private businesses and liked the independence of moving to his own beat. It was actually his wife of 22 years Iris who nudged him back into football.

The job did draw a lot of interest, Mulhorn said, but Carr quickly moved to the top of the list because of his ties to the community and record of success.

“When you and I spoke at the (basketball) playoff game a couple weeks ago I said it was going to make a splash and it will make a splash because it is a big deal (bringing home a native son),” Mulhorn said. “He understands our scholar-athletes, he understands our community and he’s familiar with the conference, which is neat, too. So, it’s a win-win for us.

“To me, with Mr. Wright stepping down, Mr. Mendoza stepping down – two great guys – it was just important to be able to find somebody that we hoped to bring more stability to the program. Knowing that he’s a local guy, knowing this is a job he’s always really wanted, in my opinion, is exciting to me.

“To get someone who wants to be here, who wants to be committed, is always a hard find and I think that’s what we found in this young man.”

Carr brings with him a winning mentality and an ability to forge relationships that go beyond the huddle. He won 85 games as head football coach at Penns Grove and Winslow. He was 74-34 at Penns Grove from 2004-2013, playing in three South Jersey Group I title games and winning it in 2012. He also coached basketball (137-68) and golf there.

He was 11-18 from 2015-2017 at Winslow, in a program that had won only seven games in the four years prior to his arrival. His final year was marred by a late-season suspension for a head-slapping incident in the locker room captured on video, but he was later reinstated by the board after impassioned testimony from the players, parents and opposing coaches he has impacted there and beyond.

He really didn’t want the athletics director position he took with the Winslow football job just to bring some administrative stability to the program anymore and sought a return to the classroom, but stepped away altogether when there were no classroom slots available.

He’s been in private business since.

“You never know where God is going to place you,” Carr said. “This was nothing I saw. I really loved what I was doing, but I prayed and I meditated and it was like ‘you’re needed.’ And when you’re needed sometimes you have to give up what you like to do what’s right spiritually, and that’s how this basically came about.”

Now his charge is to take a team that fell on some hard times last year but still made the playoffs and turn them back into a consistent winner again.

“We made this a full-family tilt; that’s what we’re going to bring at Salem – we’re a family, man,” Carr said. “We’re going to give these kids opportunities and provide them. As long as they put in and do the things that are needed of them and handle their expectations we have for them, they’re going to have opportunities.

“Salem never lacks athletes, that’s never an issue. It’s just going to be about timing, development, getting back to the basics of fundamental football. That’s what we’re going to build from and then we’ll go from there.”

With Carr’s approval Wednesday night, two of the three head coaching openings in Salem County have now been filled. Penns Grove approved Mark Maccarone as its new coach Monday and Woodstown is expected to approve Frank Trautz as its new coach Thursday.

Mac’s their man

Former Glassboro head coach Maccarone approved as Penns Grove’s new football coach, was Red Devils’ DC during their 2018-19 championship run

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Mark Maccarone never ruled out being a head coach again when he stepped away in 2017 and now that door has reopened to him in a very familiar setting.

The former Glassboro head coach and one-time Penns Grove assistant was approved Monday night by the Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District to become the Red Devils’ new head football coach. He succeeds John Emel, who is headed to West Deptford to become its new football coach, and he’s glad to be back as a head coach.

With his unanimous approval, Maccarone, 41, becomes just the third Penns Grove head football coach in the last 25 years.

“I’m very excited for the opportunity to come to Penns Grove and I’m taking over a program that’s been very successful for the last two decades,” he said. “I was fortunate when I stopped being a head coach, Coach Emel reached out to me and asked me to be an assistant coach here and I was able to form some very close relationships with some of the coaches on the staff and a majority of the players.

“I never said no to the opportunity (to be a head coach again). I’ve had opportunities that I’ve been offered that I turned down because it wasn’t the right situation for me at the particular time. This is an opportunity to come somewhere where I’m familiar. For me, this was the perfect opportunity to kind of throw my hat back into the ring, so to speak.”

Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden said the opening drew “five or six very strong championship-worthy coaches who brought a lot to the table,” but Maccarone rose to the top because of his vision for the future and desire to work towards it.

“He’s got a lot of heart, he’s got a lot of charisma, he’s a thinker,” Golden said. “He has a lot of opportunity and a lot of lofty goals. He’s been putting in a lot of work to try to prepare for the next season. He’s ready to go.

“He knows the game, he knows relationships. The kids play for him and work with him because he is a person who develops and maintains strong relationships with the kids. They trust him. We talk about the kids and he was like I don’t know a lot of these kids yet because I haven’t been around, but I was like, ‘Mac those skill sets that you had when you were here, they’re still prevalent.’”

A resident of Washington Twp., Maccarone will remain as a social studies teacher at Camden County Tech while he coaches the Red Devils, unless, of course, a teaching position opens at Penns Grove.

“I’m in a better situation in my career, so it’s allowing me the opportunity once again to become a head coach,” he said.

Maccarone checks all the boxes. He has been a head coach. He has been in big games. He has won championships and coached players who’ve gone on to the NFL. He knows the Penns Grove players and the expectations the administration and community have for their football team.

He was 43-33 with five straight playoff appearances in his seven seasons with Glassboro, winning two South Jersey Group I titles and reaching the semifinals two other times.

After he stepped down from the Bulldogs after seven years of commuting between Bridgeton and the school, Emel scarfed him up to be the Red Devils’ defensive coordinator during their 2018-19 championship run and has helped with the program in a less formal capacity post-COVID.

He was a spotter in the coaches booth when the Red Devils shut out eventual state finalist Glassboro in the regular season this past October. He also was there when they beat Pennsville to retain The Boot, when they knocked off Florence in the first round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs and when they lost at Woodstown in the semifinals.

“I think Mark is a heck of a football coach,” Emel said. “After 2017 when we lost (in the South Jersey Group I finals) I wanted to find an assistant coach with big-game experience. One of the things he hangs his hat on is never losing a sectional championship game as a coach (6-0). He’s always had a great relationship with players. I care about the kids and I’d want somebody who’d put them in positions to win. He knows how to get a team ready to win.

“I’m excited because I want the program to do well. He’ll absolutely do some things better than I did. I think it’s a good situation for a team that has a lot of experience; they need to be coached hard by a guy who can get them to the next level.”

Maccarone inherits a program that went 70-41 under Emel, made the South Jersey Group I playoffs every year and won at least one playoff game five of the last six years. The Red Devils won three division titles and two of the school’s three sectional crowns (2018 and 2019) during a three-year stretch in which they went 35-3 with a 25-game winning streak. He currently has five players in college football at the Division II level or higher.

This past season the Red Devils went 6-6 after a 1-4 start and trailing 19-0 at halftime of their sixth game. They played for the WJFL Diamond Division title on the last weekend of the regular season and produced two 1,000-yard rushers who are both eligible to return with most of the 32 players they finished the season with. The JV team went undefeated and they have a weight room Emel has called one of the best setups in South Jersey.

Maccarone called his two official seasons with the Red Devils a “very fun two years” during which he forged some “life-changing” relationship with players and coaches that stand to this day. With the talent and support within the program, he said there’s no reason they can’t reach for those goals again.

With Maccarone’s hiring, there are now two football head coaching vacancies remaining in Salem County, but both are expected to be filled later this week. Former Penns Grove head coach Kemp Carr is up for approval as Salem’s new coach Wednesday and Woodstown is expected to approve its new coach Thursday.

Cover photo: New Penns Grove football coach Mark Maccarone meets with well-wishers after being approved by the board Monday night.

Coaching carousel

Penns Grove sends Maccarone for board approval tonight, Salem to recommend Carr for its opening Wednesday, Woodstown new coach said to be on agenda Thursday

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

It’s a big week in Salem County football as all three current head coaching vacancies in the county are expected to be filled, the first two with the return of two coaches with a history of winning and relationships.

Penns Grove is putting up former Glassboro head coach and Red Devils assistant Mark Maccarone for approval at tonight’s Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District board meeting. His position and those to approve several other head coaches and assistants are listed in the night’s agenda.

Salem is putting former Penns Grove and Winslow head coach Kemp Carr before the board for approval at the Salem City School District meeting at the high school Wednesday. Salem High School athletics director Darryl Roberts declined to confirm the identify of the candidate.

Woodstown’s next scheduled board meeting is Thursday and its new coach is said to be on the agenda.

Maccarone, who is expected to attend tonight’s meeting, was 43-33 at Glassboro with playoff appearance each of his first five years before the program hit hard times. He won two South Jersey Group I titles and reached the semifinals two other times.

After stepping stepped down from the Bulldogs after seven years of commuting between Bridgeton and the school, former Penns Grove coach John Emel scarfed him up to be the Red Devils’ defensive coordinator during their 2018-19 championship run and has helped with the program in a less formal capacity post-COVID.

Emel, who has worked with, for and against both projected new coaches, has said Maccarone “checks all the boxes.”

The other Penns Grove coaches slated for approval on the agenda are football assistants Damian Ware and Kyle Goodson, soccer head coaches Mano Massari and Shawna Blickle, baseball coach Charles Weigle III, softball coach Dionna Hargrove, track coaches Samuel Alvira and Marcus Dowe, and their assistants.

Carr won 85 games as head football coach at Penns Grove and Winslow. He was 74-34 at Penns Grove from 2004-2013, playing in three South Jersey Group I title games and winning it in 2012. He also coached basketball (137-68) and golf there.

He was 11-18 from 2015-2017 at Winslow, in a program that had won only seven games in the four years prior to his arrival. His final year was marred by a late-season suspension for a head-slapping incident in the locker room captured on video. He was later reinstated by the board after impassioned testimony from players, parents and opposing coaches, but resigned that summer when his hopes of returning to the classroom didn’t materialize.

Carr would replace Danny Mendoza, who stepped down at the end of his first season to pursue other opportunities.

Woodstown is looking to replace John Adams, who stepped down from coaching at the end of this season to spend more time with his family.

Story will be updated after Monday’s board meeting.

Penns Grove pick

Former Glassboro HC, Penns Grove DC Maccarone said to be Red Devils’ choice for next head football coach

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

Mark Maccarone never ruled out being a head coach again when he stepped away in 2017 and now that window appears to be open for him.

Penns Grove is working toward bringing former Glassboro head coach on as its next head football coach, Riverview Sports News has learned.

Any hire, of course, is pending board approval. Maccarone declined to comment on the matter and Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden said an announcement on the next coach will be made March 11, which just happens to be the date of the next scheduled board meeting.

The match is gaining traction in South Jersey high school football circles.

Maccarone certainly checks all the boxes. He has been a head coach. He has been in big games. He has won championships and coached players who’ve gone on to the NFL. He knows the Penns Grove players and the expectations the administration and community have for their football team.

He made five straight playoff appearances with Glassboro, winning two South Jersey Group I titles and reaching the semifinals two other times.

After Maccarone stepped down from the Bulldogs after seven years of commuting between Bridgeton and the school, former Penns Grove coach John Emel scarfed him up to be the Red Devils’ defensive coordinator during their 2018-19 championship run and he has helped with the program in a less formal capacity post-COVID.

“I think Mark is a heck of a football coach,” Emel, now the head coach at West Deptford, said in a general context about Maccarone’s experience. “I’ve competed against him as an assistant coach, competed against him as a head coach and coached with him for the best two-year stretch in school history.

“After 2017 when we lost I wanted to find an assistant coach with big-game experience. One of the things he hangs his hat on is never losing a sectional championship game as a coach (6-0). He’s always had a great relationship with players. I care about the kids and I’d want somebody who’d put them in positions to win. He knows how to get a team ready to win.”

With the Penns Grove search wrapping, it leaves two head football coaching openings in Salem County.

The searches at Woodstown and Salem are progressing. Woodstown has started conducting interviews. Salem has interviewed one candidate and is awaiting more.

“We won’t let it go too long before we try to ramp it up,” Rams athletics director Darryl Roberts said.

Schalick All-Stars

Wilson, Siedlecki selected for the South squad of the Phil Simms North-South All-Star Football Classic in June; Woodstown’s Eichler revealed Friday

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Schalick football coach Mike Wilson is honored to be a part of the coaching staff for the South team in the Phil Simms North-South All-Star Classic, but what really has him excited is the chance to one more time coach one of his players.

Wilson and Cougars senior Jake Siedlecki have been selected for the game, scheduled for June 9 at Kean University. Wilson will serve as the team’s defensive coordinator and if he has anything to say about it, Siedlecki, a two-way standout during the regular season, will be on the defensive side with him.

“It’s an honor,” Wilson said. “The Phil Simms North-South Game has been around a long time. I’m actually more looking forward to coaching another game with Jake. I find that more special than anything.

“It’s an honor to be included in a prestigious game like that. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Like I told Jake today, we get to do one more game together, which I think is really cool.”

This will be Wilson’s first coaching experience in the game.

He guided the Cougars to one of their best seasons in school history in his fourth season with the program. They won their first 11 games, earned a No. 1 seed in the Central Jersey Group I playoffs and played for the sectional title. Siedlecki led the team in receiving (13-321-4) and interceptions (5).

“The game is going to be fun,” Siedlecki said. “To be coached one more time by my coach will be a great experience and I’m excited to meet some of the other players. It seems like a pretty cool weekend to be a part of, so I’m looking forward to it.”

On Friday, former Woodstown coach John Adams posted on his X page that Wolverines lineman Damien Eichler has been selected for the game. It isn’t known if any other Salem County coaches or players have been picked for the game. South squad executive committee met earlier this week to select its roster. Full rosters are expected to announced in mid-March.

Cover photo by Heather Papiano