Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Nov. 10-16
TUESDAY, NOV. 11
BOYS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I semifinals
Palmyra at Haddon Twp.
Audubon at Schalick, 2 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 12
GIRLS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I semifinals
Audubon at Schalick, 2 p.m.
Woodstown at Haddon Twp.
THURSDAY, NOV. 13
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Bergen at Salem CC, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOV. 14
FOOTBALL
South Jersey Group I Championship
Schalick at Glassboro, 6 p.m.
Central: Shore at Burlington City, 6 p.m.
North II: Cedar Grove at New Providence, 6:30 p.m.
North I: Kinnelon at Butler, 7 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I Championship
Palmyra-Haddon Twp. vs. Audubon-Schalick
SATURDAY, NOV. 15
GIRLS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I Championship
Audubon-Schalick vs. Woodstown-Haddon Twp.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Penn Highlands Turkey Classic
Salem CC vs. Bryant Stratton, 5 p.m.
Sandhills at Penn Highlands, 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOV. 16
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Penn Highlands Turkey Classic
Salem CC at Penn Highlands, 3 p.m.
Photo credit: Heather Papiano
Category: FOOTBALL
Knowns & unknowns
Schalick scores in the closing minutes to outlast a courageous Paulsboro effort that, in the end, just ran out of time
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PAULSBORO – Kevin Leamy admitted he really didn’t know what to expect from the team that was lined up on the other side of the field. The Schalick coach practiced his team all week like they were playing a Paulsboro team at full strength, but truthfully when you’ve facing a team that’s lost almost half the roster and potentially 12 starting positions it’s anybody’s guess what the product will be on game day.
And Paulsboro gave a courageous effort in Saturday’s South Jersey Group I semifinal for the hand it was dealt, missing 16 players suspended after last week’s altercation with Woodbury and losing their lead running to an ankle injury early in the game, but in the end Schalick was able to make adjustments on the fly and pulled out a 35-28 victory to reach the sectional final – against Glassboro – for the third straight year.
“I give (Coach Kevin) Harvey and that Paulsboro group a lot of credit,” Leamy said. “When something happens, like all those kids being suspended, it’s easy to throw in the towel and not give your best effort ,but they came out and played (hard).
“They caught us off guard a little bit in the first half. We didn’t know what to game plan for, we didn’t know what they were going to go do. We didn’t know who was going to play quarterback. They came out in that Wildcat and had us outnumbered at the point of attack a couple times and it took us a while to make an adjustment, but in the second half we made adjustments and was able to shut it down.
“(His team has) built a lot of resiliency this year. They trust that we’re going to have an answer and when push comes to shove we’re going to put them in a position to win. I think they knew we were going to make an adjustment (and) they knew the adjustment was going to work, it just took us a little longer to make that adjustment.”
Six starters were among the 16 players suspended because of the fourth-quarter fight with Woodbury, including starting quarterback Malakhai McKenzie and several all-conference linemen. The Red Raiders took another hit during the game when running back Kyaire Harvey was carried from the field with an ankle injury after a 14-yard gain on the team’s second offensive snap.
That increased the burden of production on Jahsir Johnson, Jeremiah Carr and Zay Mears. Johnson played quarterback when the Red Raiders weren’t running the Wildcat. Carr scored three touchdowns, including the tying score early in the fourth quarter. And Mears had an 80-yard touchdown run after an interception in the end zone to give the Red Raiders a 14-7 lead.
The Cougars said Paulsboro’s personnel problems didn’t affect them during the practice week. They went about their business preparing as if the Red Raiders were going to have everyone available.
“We were ready to play their full roster, the team we played three weeks ago, and we practiced like it all week,” backup quarterback and linebacker Gary Simonini said. “It prepared us for what we did today.”
Schalick quarterback Kenny Bartee scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 2:04 to play. It capped a 14-yard drive made short when the Red Raiders interfered with Dylan Sheehan’s fair catch of a punt inside the Paulsboro 30.
Bartee also ran for another touchdown and threw a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes to Ayden Jenkins.
The Red Raiders got the last shot to win it after Bartee’s go-ahead touchdown, but they had to go 67 yards and they most assuredly would have gone for two had they scored. And they went down fighting. They had driven deep into Schalick territory, stopping the clock on occasion with a couple strategic spikes.
The final spike came with 15 seconds to play and the ball at the 23. On what proved to be the final play of the game, Johnson took off towards the Schalick sideline where he was met head on by Sheehan.
Their collision came with about six seconds left and although it ended with Johnson physically out of bounds after contact, the clock kept running and ultimately expired with Paulsboro’s coaches on the field pleading they should have more time. The explanation given was Johnson was knocked sideways by the contact, his forward progress stopped in bounds and it didn’t matter if he ran out, the clock kept moving and it ran out.
“It was just me and him,” Sheehan said. “It was isolated. He had a choice to either run out of bounds or stay in. He decided to try to head-fake me, basically. I knew I could bait him to try it. That was my objective. It worked. He actually sent me out of bounds. He had to make a choice and he chose wrong.”
The season ended for the Red Raiders on the Schalick 17.
“That’s wrong, man,” Paulsboro coach Kevin Harvey said. “We played our ass off today, man. It’s wrong. It’s wrong to give it to them like that. For it to come down to that, something like that. We had our chances, but I’ve never heard of that call.”
“I think it was the right call,” Leamy said.
As for the interference on the punt, Sheehan said he always knew he was going to signal a fair catch.
“As soon as I saw the ball up high and short I threw the fair catch (sign) early because I knew it and their guy made a mistake and hit me,” he said.
The penalty took the ball inside the 15 where the Cougars set off in their heavy package daring the Red Raiders to stop it. Not even a penalty to push them back near the 10 was going to deny the quarterback.
“The last drive with the game on the line, in my head I’m thinking win or go home and we’re not ready to go home yet,” Bartee said. “We made it our goal to get to the sectional championship; that was our goal and we plan on winning it.
“On that last drive I’m just thinking let’s win. Even if I have to go 100 carries, 100 yards, this is for my boys. We’re winning this game.”
Paulsboro tied the game at 28 on Johnson’s 39-yard pass to Carr with 10:41 left in the fourth quarter. But the Red Raiders were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on the touchdown, which brought the most brilliant coaching decision of the game.
Knowing the Red Raiders didn’t have reliable kicker, Leamy had the penalty assessed on the point after try instead of the kickoff. Now Paulsboro needed to go 18 yards to get the go-ahead points instead of 3 and Sheehan batted away the pass they had to throw keeping the game tied.
“That really helped us,” Leamy said. “I give (assistant coaches) Doug (Volovar) and Henry (Papiano) credit for that.”
“Ultimately Kevin made the decision, I just offered a suggestion; that’s what assistant coaches do,” Volovar said. “Thought the decision was simple. Would have been a terrible way to lose if we took the yardage on the kickoff, they converted (the try) and we lost by 2.”
Top photo: Schalick quarterback Kenny Bartee celebrates with lineman Noah Bermudez. (All photos by Heather Papiano)
Schalick 35, Paulsboro 28
| SCH | PAUL | |
| 15 | 1st Downs | 12 |
| 28-180 | Rushing | 38-258 |
| 10-18-1 | Passing | 6-11-1 |
| 112 | Passing yds | 74 |
| 1-1 | Fum-lost | 1-1 |
| 4-44.0 | Punts-avg | 4-22.0 |
| 9-75 | Penalties | 5-36 |
| Schalick | 7 | 21 | 0 | 7- | 35 |
| Paulsboro | 8 | 14 | 0 | 6- | 28 |
SCORING SUMMARY
S-Kenny Bartee 6 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 8:06 1Q
P-Jeremiah Carr 9 run (May Mears run), 4:46 1Q
P-Zay Mears 80 run (run failed), 10:44 2Q
S-Gary Simonini 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 7:03 2Q
S-Ayden Jenkins 25 pass from Kenny Bartee (Hunter Dragotta kick), 5:33 2Q
S-Ayden Jenkins 24 pass from Kenny Bartee (Hunter Dragotta kick), 2:10 2Q
P-Jeremiah Carr 3 run (Jeremiah Carr run), 0:20 2Q
P-Jeremiah Carr 41 pass from Jahsir Johnson (pass failed), 10:41 4Q
S-Kenny Bartee 1 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 2:04 4Q
Almost a shocker
Salem wanted another bite at the apple after losing to Glassboro in the regular season, gave top-seeded Bulldogs a battle for three quarters
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS
Semifinals
Glassboro 35, Salem 0
Schalick at Paulsboro, Saturday, noon
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
GLASSBORO — Abdullah Jenkins carried the sentiment of every Salem player on the field on the plate of his back pad.
“Shock the world” he had written in bold black letters. It was a message the senior lineman had been carrying all season but it was particularly poignant Friday night.
The Rams came into their South Jersey Group I semifinal heavy underdogs to top-seeded Glassboro, but they believed more than ever they could win.
They almost pulled it off, too, holding their hosts to two touchdowns through the first three quarters before the Bulldogs did what they invariably do to everyone. They scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to turn a tight game into a 35-0 victory.
“We had our shots,” Salem coach Kemp Carr said. “We had our shots early, didn’t take advantage of it. When you’ve got your shots against a good team you have to cash in and we didn’t cash the check.
“We turned them over early. We had ‘em. We put a lot of fear in that team, I guarantee that.”
The Rams (6-5) were all over their hosts in the first half. They held the Bulldogs to less than 100 yards of offense in the half and a lot of that came on a 38-yard touchdown pass to Mekhi Parker on the last play of the first quarter.
It was the only offensive touchdown Glassboro scored until the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs’ other touchdown came on a 50-yard interception return by Parker. Beyond that, they got nothing in the half.
The Rams say they didn’t do anything different schematically than they did in their 42-0 loss in September that was over at halftime. They just got better as the season progressed.
“Earlier in the season we didn’t know what heart we had,” senior edge rusher Antwuan Rogers said. “But throughout the season we worked … and we gave it all out there today. We played harder.
“We had them. They were worried. We couldn’t get it done.”
The Rams kept them out of the end zone in the third quarter, too, despite the Bulldogs having the ball for all but six plays in the quarter. Still, they started to wear the Rams down before finally erupting in the fourth quarter. Glassboro rushed for 221 yards in the second half after being held to 12 in the first.
The game followed a recent pattern for the Bulldogs. Each of their previous three games were tight at halftime and into the third quarter before the Bulldogs turned it into a rout in the fourth.
Bulldogs coach Timmy Breaker said it wasn’t the way Salem was stifling his team that was frustrating, but rather all the penalties that kept it from moving forward. The Bulldogs were flagged for 155 yards in penalties, 90 in the third quarter alone. There were 30 accepted penalties for 263 yards in mark-offs between the two teams.
“It was more the mistakes on our side,” Breaker said. “Penalty after penalty. We’re starting first-and-twentysomething, so the playbook condenses at that point. We had some decisions in there that could’ve been made that would change the first half, but even when we made a big play, run after run, we’re back another 15.
“The third quarter would have been an explosive quarter (if not for the penalties). That changes the entire landscape of how you call it. We were getting what we wanted to get, but we couldn’t sustain the drive penalty-wise. It was something we had to clean up.”
They did in the fourth quarter. Amari Sabb rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns in just the quarter for the Bulldogs. He finished with 130 yards on 12 carries.
One has to wonder how things might have turned out had the Rams scored on their opening possession. A fumble recovery created by another Rogers sack set them up at the Glassboro 40. They got all the way down to the 12 when two sacks and two penalties derailed the drive and they had to punt from just about where they started.
“For two years we haven’t scored on Glassboro, so I felt like if we would’ve scored then their momentum would have gone down seeing that we were a different team,” Jenkins said. “We just couldn’t replicate practice to the field.”
“If we put up any points, their whole momentum goes, we win,” said Rogers.
The Bulldogs (11-0) will now host the winner of Saturday’s Schalick-Paulsboro game in next week’s sectional final. Schalick is expected to be a heavy favorite in its semifinal with Paulsboro having suspended 16 players, including at least six starters (and in Group 1 that’s typically 12 positions), for their part in a fourth-quarter brawl last week with Woodbury.
In a sense, the Rams did shock the world this season. They turned an 0-9 first year under Carr into a winning second campaign that included their first playoff win since 2022. And they anticipate even better things going forward.
“From going 0-9 last year to 5-4 and the second round of the playoffs, it’s definitely a jump,” Jenkins said. “I feel next year the championship is ours. We’re going to shock the world again.”
Glassboro 35, Salem 0
| SALEM | GLASS | |
| 7 | 1st Downs | 15 |
| 25-33 | Rushing | 29-233 |
| 3-16-1 | Passing | 7-15-0 |
| 47 | Passing yds | 82 |
| 2-1 | Fumbles-lost | 3-1 |
| 7-25.9 | Punts-avg | 2-19.5 |
| 12-108 | Penalties | 18-155 |
| Salem | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0- | 0 |
| Glassboro | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21- | 35 |
SCORING SUMMARY
G-Mekhi Parker 38 pass from Jack O’Connell (Sal Esgro kick), 0:07 1Q
G-Mekhi Parker 50 interception return (Sal Esgro kick), 3:36 2Q
G-Amari Sabb 5 run (Amari Sabb run), 6:52 4Q
G-Amari Sabb 10 run (run failed), 4:10 4Q
G-Davon Barr 6 run (Sal Esgro kick), 2:50 4Q
GROUP I PLAYOFFS
NORTH I
Butler 49, New Milford 13
Kinnelon 37, Kittatinny 7
NORTH II
Cedar Grove 22, Mountain Lakes 15
New Providence 28, Hasbrouck Heights 21
SOUTH
Glassboro 35, Salem 0
Schalick at Paulsboro, Saturday
CENTRAL
Burlington City 52, Manville 14
Shore 30, Pt. Pleasant Beach 6
WJFL All-Stars
Here are the all-star teams for the West Jersey Football League Patriot and Diamond Divisions
Patriot Division
| POS | FIRST TEAM OFFENSE |
| OL | Salvatore Fife, W. Deptford |
| OL | Chris Neff, Paulsboro |
| OL | Joseph Calderon, Overbrook |
| OL | Jacob Hand, Pennsville |
| OL | Lars Stenger, Camden Cath. |
| QB | Malakhai McKenzie, Paulsboro |
| RB | Axcel Bailey, Overbrook |
| RB | Nymir Daily, Camden Cath. |
| WR | Jeremiah Carr, Paulsboro |
| WR | Michael Joseph, W. Deptford |
| WR | Mike Aversa, Audubon |
| ATH | Colę Paskiewicz, W. Deptford |
| ATH | Teriq Moore, Overbrook |
| K | Brady Cobb, W. Deptford |
| POS | FIRST TEAM DEFENSE |
| DL | Al Dayrell, W. Deptford |
| DL | Jonah Jordan, Audubon |
| DL | Charles Schriver, W. Deptford |
| DL | Jayden Gurnovich, Pennsville |
| LB | Kam Simpkins, W. Deptford |
| LB | A.J. Powell, Overbrook |
| LB | Caden Luby, Collingswood |
| LB | Colton Sabo, W. Deptford |
| DB | Zamir Davis, W. Deptford |
| DB | Kyaire Harvey, Paulsboro |
| DB | Rylan Hardy, Pennsville |
| DB | Daniel Leahy, Camden Cath. |
| ATH | Robbie McDade, Pennsville |
| P | Lino Bataloni, Collingwood |
HONORABLE MENTION
OFFENSE: Dylan Huff, OL Audubon; Terrance Gaffney, RB Collingswood; Jayden Devan, OL Overbrook; Madden Rosario, OL Camden Catholic; Marques Eli, WR Paulsboro; Perry Meranti, TE Pennsville; Shane Cruz, OL West Deptford.
DEFENSE: Cole Trotz, LB Camden Catholic; Aaron Pilla, DB Audubon; Tacere Redd, LB Collingswood; Rayon Pressler, DL Overbrook; Jamaal Robinson, DB Paulsboro; Trevor Waddington, DL Pennsville; Curtis Pearson, DB West Deptford.
Diamond Division
| POS | FIRST TEAM OFFENSE |
| OL | Jayce Grays, Glassboro |
| OL | Amon Wright, Glassboro |
| OL | Abdur Jenkins, Salem |
| OL | Wyatt Irvine, Salem |
| OL | JaKai Ingrim, Penns Grove |
| QB | Jack O’Connell, Glassboro |
| RB | JoJo DeLecce, Glassboro |
| RB | Troy Carey, Salem |
| WR | Xavier Sabb, Glassboro |
| WR | Mekhi Parker, Glassboro |
| WR | Kaden Robinson, Salem |
| ATH | Amari Sabb, Glassboro |
| ATH | Desmund Thomas, Salem |
| K | Hunter Dragotta, Schalick |
| POS | FIRST TEAM DEFENSE |
| DL | Ray Brown, Penns Grove |
| DL | Antwuan Rogers, Salem |
| DL | Brandon Simmons, Glassboro |
| DL | Aiden Torres, Schalick |
| DB | Niko Jimenez, Woodbury |
| DB | Kyvion Parsons, Salem |
| DB | William Dunn, Salem |
| DB | David Stewart, Schalick |
| LB | Tasheem Butler, Glassboro |
| LB | DezYon Purnell, Schalick |
| LB | Elijah Young, Woodbury |
| LB | Davon Barr, Glassboro |
| ATH | Junior Serrano, Glassboro |
| P | Shawn Kelly, Schalick |
HONORABLE MENTION
OFFENSE: Ryan Dispensa, OL Glassboro; Willie Chattam, OL Salem; Dale Thomas, RB Woodbury; Aiden Taulane, OL Woodstown; Sherrod Jones, WR Schalick; Antonio Cooper, OL Penns Grove.
DEFENSE: Dorian Kelsey, DL Glassboro; Quimere Bergen, DB Salem; Kahree Brown, LB Woodbury; Dylan Sheehan, DB Schalick; Bryceton Rooney, LB Woodstown; Luis Colon, LB Penns Grove.
Going out a winner
Woodstown gets fourth-down stop at the 5 in final minute to preserve 21-14 win over Clayton in final game of a tough season
WJFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Woodstown 21, Clayton 14
Wildwood 22, Haddon Twp. 8
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CLAYTON — Aiden Taulane and Liam Reed were determined not to lose the final game of their high school careers. The two linemen did everything in their power to make sure they won the last game of a tough senior season Monday night and at the crucial moment they delivered in a game-saving way.
The moment of truth came in the final minute of their final game. Taulane batted down a fourth-down pass from the 5 and Reed crushed the unfortunate lineman who caught the deflection to preserve Woodstown’s 21-14 win over Clayton at Haupt Field.
“I saw the quarterback pick his arm up and I jumped,” Taulane said. “It wasn’t very high, but I tried to jump and I ended up hitting it and then the emotions just flipped and it was straight excitement. I gave it everything to make sure we could all have one last win.”
“We all knew this was it,” Reed said. “It’s been a long four years … Adversity kept coming this season. This was kind of our chance to prove that we could overcome adversity. We just came together. We just made sure we could lock you down.”
Reed was in on another big stop in the third quarter when he and Mason Middlemiss sandwiched Clayton running back Willie Weathers short of the goal line to deny a two-point conversion that would have given the Clippers the lead. Instead, the stop kept the game tied at 14.
The Wolverines (3-7) had one chance to go out on a good note after a season beset with injuries left them out of the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. They went out fast, scoring on two of their first three possessions to take a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Cole Ware scored the first touchdown on a 43-yard burst up the middle and Middlemiss scored the second on a 24-yard run in the first minute of the second quarter. Ware rushed for 79 yards on 10 carries and Middlemiss rushed for 88 yards on 13 carries.
The Clippers (4-5) started getting Michael Ball involved in the offense in the second quarter and they answered Middlemiss’ touchdown with a 65-yard drive that ate up five and a half minutes. Quaddy Walls’ 7-yard run and quarterback Gabriel Hill’s two-point conversion got them on the board.
Woodstown had a chance to extend its lead right before halftime, but missed a 33-yard field goal attempt in the final minute of the half.
Clayton opened the second half with a 66-yard scoring drive that consumed nearly eight minutes with Weathers scoring on a 12-yard run to tie the game.
Middlemiss put the Wolverines up 21-14 on a 4-yard run with 9:02 left in the game. Clayton held it virtually the rest of the game.
The Clippers kept the ball from the time Middlemiss scored to 48 seconds left when the Wolverines forced Hill to his right on fourth down, Taulane batted the pass and Reed crushed Roderick Harper after the Clayton lineman came down with the rebound.
“He was not getting that ball,” Reed said. “He was not scoring.”
“We just knew if we didn’t give everything we had they were going to get in,” Taulane said. “So, we left it all on the field.”
The drive covered 75 yards in 16 plays and was nearly flawless until the end.
The Clippers converted three third-down plays to keep the chains moving, including a 17-yard run by Deron Williams to get the ball inside the 10. The next two plays got them to the 5. They took a shot on third down, but Middlemiss and Bryceton Rooney broke up a pass intended for Michael Bull just inside the goal line. Taulane and Reed then sealed the victory on the next play.
“It just shows the resilience and toughness of this group,” Wolverines coach Frank Trautz said. “It’s the bones of this program. They were going to do whatever it took to get that stop and sometimes that’s all it comes down to, just the will to compete and the will to win.
“They gave it everything they had all year. That was the message all week – win it for the seniors. Give them what they deserved. We didn’t have the season we wanted to but these guys have worked their tails off for this program. They worked so hard and they deserve this and I’m just super proud they got to go out their last high school game with a win.”
Woodstown 21, Clayton 14
| WOOD | CLAY | |
| 9 | 1st Downs | 12 |
| 26-204 | Rushing | 48-232 |
| 0-3-0 | Passing | 2-4-0 |
| 0 | Passing yds | (-3) |
| 2-2 | Fumbles-lost | 1-0 |
| 0-0 | Punts-avg | 0-0 |
| 4-30 | Penalties | 4-40 |
| Woodstown | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7- | 21 |
| Clayton | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0- | 14 |
SCORING SUMMARY
W-Cole Ware 43 run (Anthony Costello kick), 6:46 1Q
W-Mason Middlemiss 24 run (Anthony Costello kick), 11:01 2Q
C-Quaddy Walls 7 run (Gabriel Hill run), 4:35 2Q
C-Willie Weathers 12 run (run failed), 4:05 3Q
W-Mason Middlemiss 4 run (Anthony Costello kick), 9:02 4Q
Game on
NJSIAA identifies 16 Paulsboro player for disqualification and suspension for Saturday’s playoff game with Schalick; game still on as scheduled
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
Schalick’s South Jersey Group I semifinal playoff game Saturday remains on as schedule, but with host Paulsboro playing with a highly limited roster.
The Red Raiders had 16 players, to date, “identified for disqualification,” and by NJSIAA rules subject to a one-game suspension for their involvement in a wild altercation in the fourth quarter of their 38-0 quarterfinals win over Woodbury Saturday. Game officials terminated the game with 4:41 left to play.
The NJSIAA identified four Woodbury players for the same penalties.
The NJSIAA said Monday Paulsboro is scheduled to host the Cougars Saturday in the second round and the game is on without with DQ’d players. Kickoff is set for noon.
“Our kids are excited that they’re actually going to play,” Schalick coach Kevin Leamy said. “All of them wanted to play.”
Here is the NJSIAA’s statement:
“Late Saturday, NJSIAA learned that the Paulsboro–Woodbury football game had been terminated with approximately four minutes remaining and Paulsboro leading 38–0. An altercation broke out along the Paulsboro sideline which escalated onto the field. Video review confirmed that multiple Paulsboro players engaged in fighting and left the bench area, along with several from Woodbury.
“As required by NJSIAA rules, any player engaged in fighting or leaving the bench area during an altercation is disqualified. Based on the review, 16 Paulsboro players and 4 Woodbury players, to date, have been identified for disqualification and will be subject to a 1-game sit. Both schools have been notified, and disqualifications have been entered into the NJSIAA system.
“The situation is certainly unfortunate, and NJSIAA appreciates the cooperation of both schools as the review process continues.”
Messages have been left for Paulsboro officials for further comment. Schalick athletics director Doug Volovar said he spoke briefly with Paulsboro AD Paul Morina after the NJSIAA’s announcement without much detail.
A Paulsboro senior player responding to a Riverview Sports News post on X said “several” people were ejected for passing the 25-yard-line bench boundary to get away from the melee, the “only” direction they could go he said after they “were instructed” to get away.
The NJSIAA did not identify the 16 disciplined players in its statement; a roster from a game with Penns Grove earlier this year lists 36 players on the Paulsboro roster. Schalick officials were working to identify who they were going to play against, but the team is preparing as if the Red Raiders would be at full strength. The winner draws the Salem-Glassboro winner in the sectional finals. Several starters are said to be among the sanctioned.
“We’ll see who those players (suspended) are,” Leamy said. “It could be all JV players, could be a handful of varsity players, we have no idea right now.
“We’re still preparing as if they’re full strength. We’re preparing that they’re not losing anyone and they have to sit a bunch of JV kids. That’s the way we’re preparing.”
The teams played earlier this year at Schalick with Paulsboro winning 6-0 in a game basically played between the 30s.
Paulsboro controlled the clock in the first half and scored a touchdown late in the second quarter. The Cougars had the ball with five minutes left and mounted a threat for the winning score, but the drive was gutted by back-to-back penalties.
It was the first of three straight losses (among four in a row) the Cougars sustained with quarterback Kenny Bartee in concussion protocol. Bartee returned for the regular-season finale against Woodbury and the Cougars have won two straight since.
So in the rematch, Paulsboro will be without 16 players who played in that game and the Cougars will be with one big piece who didn’t.
“I’m glad there wasn’t a forfeit; I’m glad we get to play,” Leamy said. “We’ll see what happens, but I’m glad there’s a game.”
This story will be updated.
This week’s schedule
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Nov. 3-8
MONDAY, NOV. 3
FOOTBALL
Woodstown at Clayton, 6 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Wildwood at Palmyra, 2 p.m.
TUESDAY, NOV. 4
BOYS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Woodbury at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Glassboro, 2 p.m.
Clayton at Pitman, 2 p.m.
Palmyra at Woodstown, 2 p.m.
Wildwood at Audubon, 2 p.m.
Maple Shade at Riverside, 3 p.m.
Gateway at Penns Grove, 2:30 p.m.
New Egypt at Schalick, 2 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Collingswood at Shore, 6 p.m.
Woodstown at Haddon Heights, 2 p.m.
Bordentown at South Hunterdon, 2 p.m.
Lower Cape May at Gloucester, 3 p.m.
New Egypt at Haddon Twp., 2 p.m.
Florence at Schalick, 2 p.m.
Gateway at Audubon, 2 p.m.
Pennsville at West Deptford, 1 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Hagerstown at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 5
GIRLS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Glassboro at Pitman, 2 p.m.
Buena at Audubon, 3 p.m.
Woodbury at Clayton, 3 p.m.
Maple Shade at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Woodstown, 2 p.m.
Cape May Tech at Gateway, 2 p.m.
THURSDAY, NOV. 6
FIELD HOCKEY
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Collingswood-Shore vs. Woodstown-Haddon Heights
Bordentown-South Hunterdon vs. Lower Cape May-Gloucester
New Egypt-Haddon Twp. vs. Florence-Schalick
Gateway-Audubon vs. Pennsville-West Deptford
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Atlantic Cape, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOV. 7
FOOTBALL
South Jersey Group I Playoffs
Salem at Glassboro
Schalick at Paulsboro
BOYS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Woodbury-Haddon Twp. vs. Pennsville-Glassboro
Clayton-Pitman vs. Palmyra-Woodstown
Wildwood-Audubon vs. Maple Shade-Riverside
Gateway-Penns Grove vs. New Egypt-Schalick
SATURDAY, NOV. 8
GIRLS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Glassboro-Pitman winner at Schalick
Audubon-Buena vs. Palmyra-Wildwood
Clayton-Woodbury vs. Maple Shade-Haddon Twp.
Woodstown-Pennsville vs. Cape May Tech-Gateway
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Delaware County
Photo credit: Julliana Love
WJFL scoreboard
Here are the weekend’s scores from games involving West Jersey Football League teams
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem 47, KIPP 0
Delran 35, Overbrook 18
Highland 14, Absegami 9
Lower Cape May 34, Gloucester 13
Mainland 43, Ocean City 7
Millville 49, Toms River East 7
Paulsboro 38, Woodbury 0
Pt. Pleasant Beach 42, Riverside 14
Rancocas Valley 33, Hillsborough 0
West Deptford 30, Camden Eastside 15
Winslow 56, Cumberland 0
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 21, Pennsville 16
Atlantic City 37, Cherokee 7
Burlington City 49, Bound Brook 0
Burlington Twp. 18, Timber Creek 8
Camden 53, Voorhees 0
Haddonfield 20, Willingboro 14
Holmdel 43, Cinnaminson 10
Holy Spirit 28, St. Augustine 27
Manalpan 40, Hamilton 0
Neptune 21, Hopewell Valley 11
No. Burlington 24, Central Regional 14
Sayreville 36, Trenton 0
Seneca 41, Ewing 7
Southern 36, Williamstown 3
Steinert 14, Red Bank 6
Toms River North 22, Cherry Hill East 14
Wall 41, Bordentown 0
Washington Twp. 41, Howell 0
MONDAY’S GAMES
Woodstown at Clayton
Haddon Twp. at Wildwood
THURSDAY’S SCORES
Cedar Breek 35, Triton 6
Gateway 43, Clayton 6
Glassboro 41, Audubon 0
Kingsway 23, Eastern 14
Lenape 27, South Brunswick 14
Middle Twp. 25, Lindenwold 6
Pleasantville 23, Delsea 14
Red Bank Catholic 41, Notre Dame 0
Shawnee 28, Pennsauken 12
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Barnegat 15, Allentown 6
Hightstown 21, Robbinsville 14
Lacey 21, Hammonton 14
Lawrence 56, Nottingham 19
Moorestown 50, Pemberton 8
New Brunswick 36, WW-Plainsboro 0
Palmyra 43, Gloucester Catholic 18
Sterling 34, Holy Cross 0
Toms River South 27, Egg Harbor 13
West Philadelphia 21, Collingswood 6
Rams dominate
Salem unloads on KIPP, rolls in South Jersey Group I playoff opener for first playoff win since 2022; Paulsboro, Woodbury brawl in their playoff opener, could impact Schalick semifinal
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS
Quarterfinals
Glassboro 41, Audubon 0
Salem 47, KIPP 0
Schalick 21, Pennsville 16
Paulsboro 38, Woodbury 0
Semifinals
Salem at Glassboro, Friday, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Paulsboro, Saturday, noon
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CAMDEN — It takes a certain mindset to navigate the perils of a long regular season. Then, after getting through that, teams that make it into the playoffs are asked to compress all that urgency into each specific week knowing that game could be its last.
Streaking Salem really locked into the playoff mentality Saturday and gave an absolutely dominant performance in their 47-0 rout of KIPP in the 4-5 game of the South Jersey Group I quarterfinals. The Rams (6-4) now visit top-seeded Glassboro in the sectional semifinal Friday.
They have won three in a row and five of their last six.
Dominant is the operative word. The Rams ran 37 of their 44 offensive snaps on the Titans’ side of the field. The deepest they were backed into their own territory all game was their 38 – in the third quarter after a punt with a lot of roll – and then it only took them one play to get back to the other side of the field.
Meanwhile, the defense didn’t let the Titans breathe. They had amassed 2800 yards and scored 270 points in their first eight games, but had only 52 net yards and never got close to the end zone against the Rams. Their deepest penetration was the Salem 46. KIPP ran just two total plays on the Salem side of the field and both of those produced interceptions.
“It does change,” Rams coach Kemp Carr said of the approach. “It’s a new season. It’s mental toughness. One and done. There’s no tomorrow.
“We talked about mental toughness all week long I was beating that in their head. You’ve got to let the bad things that happen to you expire quickly and get back to the next play. The mentality is we’re trying to play every down like it’s our last down and we’re never going to get to play football again. That’s got to be the mentality in the playoffs.”
Senior defensive lineman Antwuan Rogers certainly embraced the mentality. Facing the prospect of playing his final high school game if the Rams didn’t win, the Temple commitment took up residence in the Titans’ backfield. Carr called him “relentless.”
He was credited with seven sacks in the game, breaking Amare Smith’s 2021 single season school record. Rogers now has 20 sacks this season with at least one more game to play.
“I saw I was close; I had 13,” Rogers said. “At first I was like I’m probably just going to try to get three (Saturday) and try to finish it out the next game, but then I’m like no, we can go home today, you never know, so I’m like I’ve got to get it today.
“We got super locked in. This is the first time we’ve been in the playoffs in a couple years so we were coming to dominate. We came in with the mindset that we were going to be dominate, so nobody on KIPP Cooper could mess with us – at any position. We came and dominated every position. That’s why we won the game.”
Sophomore Izaiah Santiago also played a huge role keeping the season alive. He scored three touchdowns. Santiago scored on runs of 1 and 3 yards and two plays after his second rushing touchdown he anticipated an out route, picked it off and returned it 50 yards for another score.
“He was locked in on a different mindset,” Carr said. “Whoever fed him make sure they give that to him for the rest of his life.”
“It was just hearing number called,” Santiago said. “All week in practice, running through the plays, getting ready for the game. It was just coming out here and doing what I was supposed to do. I’m just thankful for Coach Carr calling my number.”
The Rams’ domination commenced right from the start, when KIPP touched its game-opening onside kick before it had traveled 10 yards. It took the Rams three plays to get in the end zone and the rout was on.
It was 20-0 at halftime and easily could have been 35-0 with a little more sharpness. Quarterback Desmund Thomas ran for two scores. Freshmen Cashmir Parsley ran for their first touchdown and Kyvion Parsons ran for their last one. Quarterback Desmund Thomas ran for two scores in between.
“I thought we played pretty well,” Carr said. “We left some plays out there; we’ve still got some things we need to execute up front. At first I wasn’t happy with the way we were able to establish the run and then we were able to get it going.
“We’re just trying to figure it out. We’re just tryng to get better every week. Like I said at the beginning of the season I thought we would be pretty good at the end of the season and we are.”
SCHALICK WATCHING: The Schalick football program will be watching closely for any ruling that may come down as a result of the brawl that ended the Woodbury-Paulsboro playoff game Saturday but is going forward with its plan to play a game next week.
The Cougars are scheduled to play the winner (Paulsboro) in the next round Saturday, but the status of that game (and opponent) is potentially in jeopardy after the fight broke out on the Paulsboro sideline after Red Raiders quarterback Malakhai McKenzie was hit out of bounds. Paulsboro was leading the game 38-0 when both benches emptied as a fight erupted on the field. The officials called the game with 4:41 to play.
Reports indicate there were several late hit penalties on Woodbury before the incident that sparked the fight
The NJSIAA is awaiting further information on the incident.
“It’s obviously something you never want to see in high school football,” said Schalick coach Kevin Leamy, who was not at the game. “Whatever the circumstances are you never want to see those type of incidents with that many players involved, people running off the bench. That’s not what any coach wants and I feel bad for both of those staffs that have to deal with that.
“You never know what the results are going to be. The state comes in and makes rulings on these things. Usually, they don’t make the quickest ruling either … We’ll be preparing tomorrow and Monday like we’re playing Paulsboro next Saturday. Until that changes we are preparing for Paulsboro.”
Repercussions could include both teams get kicked out of the playoffs — giving Schalick a bye into the sectional final against the Salem-Glassboro winner in two weeks — multiple player suspensions with the game to continue as scheduled, and even a change to a neutral site.
In any event, the Cougars are going forward with business as usual until they hear otherwise.
“We’ve got to prepare like we’re playing,” Leamy said.
Last year’s Schalick-Paulsboro regular-season game got caught up in a threat that forced officials to postpone the game, at Paulsboro, until the following Monday afternoon.
Salem 47, KIPP 0
| SALEM | KIPP | |
| 13 | 1st Downs | 3 |
| 28-97 | Rushing | 20-14 |
| 7-14-0 | Passing | 4-13-3 |
| 105 | Passing yds | 38 |
| 0-0 | Fumbles-lost | 1-1 |
| 0 | Punts-avg | 3-33.0 |
| 8-60 | Penalties | 8-62 |
| Salem | 14 | 6 | 20 | 7- | 47 |
| KIPP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0- | 0 |
SCORING SUMMARY
S-Cashmir Parsley 48 run (Desmund Thomas run), 10:42 1Q
S-Desmund Thomas 15 run (PAT failed), 0:28 1Q
S-Izaiah Santiago 1 run (kick failed), 4:25 2Q
S-Desmund Thomas 9 run (kick failed), 7:22 3Q
S-Izaiah Santiago 3 run (pass failed), 1:44 3Q
S-Izaiah Santiago 50 interception return (Jonathan Bower kick), 0:07 3Q
S-Kyvion Parsons 4 run (Jonathan Bower kick), 5:03 4Q
GROUP I PLAYOFFS
NORTH I
Butler 42, Hawthorne 7
New Milford 35, Bogota 21
Kittatinny 12, Wallkill Valley 7
Kinnelon 26, Park Ridge 7
NORTH II
Mountain Lakes 42, Brearley 0
Cedar Grove 35, Glen Ridge 20
New Providence 38, Secaucus 0
Hasbrouck Heights 45, Wood-Ridge 14
SOUTH
Glassboro 41, Audubon 0
Salem 47, KIPP 0
Schalick 21, Pennsville 16
Paulsboro 38, Woodbury 0
CENTRAL
Burlington City 49, Bound Brook 0
Manville 35, Asbury Park 0
Pt. Pleasant Beach 42, Riverside 14
Shore 34, New Egypt 0
Cougars claw back
Schalick puts together strong second half to take a Halloween thriller from Pennsville in their South Jersey Group I playoff opener
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Quarterfinals
Glassboro 41, Audubon 0
Salem at KIPP, Saturday
Schalick 21, Pennsville 16
Woodbury at Paulsboro, Saturday
Semifinals
Salem-KIPP winner at Glassboro
Schalick vs. Woodbury-Paulsboro winner
Finals
Nov. 14 at highest seed
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – It’s nights like this that Kevin Leamy was thinking about when he was approved as Schalick’s new football coach way back in March.
Even when the Cougars bogged down with a four-game losing streak in the middle of the season the first-time head coach was confident if they could get it turned around and play their best ball when it counted most they could do something special.
They delivered on that Friday, putting together a big second half defensively and making big plays offensively to knock off third-seeded Pennsville 21-16 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
“I knew coming into the season that we were going to struggle early because there are a lot of new things … so there was going to be an adjustment period,” Leamy said. “But the message from that very first time I saw them was if you keep improving and we’re playing our best football when we need to, we can make some noise. And that’s what these kids are doing.
“They did exactly what I wanted them to do; they should be really proud of themselves. Hats off to them for coming out and playing the way they needed to in the second half.”
The sixth-seeded Cougars (4-6) now await the winner of Saturday’s Woodbury -Paulsboro game to determine their second-round plans. If second-seeded Paulsboro wins, the Cougars will be there next Saturday. If Woodbury pulls the upset, the Cougars will host Friday.
The night didn’t start off well for them. Pennsville, hosting its first playoff game since 2016, put together two time-consuming 80-play drives to take a 16-7 halftime lead.
The Eagles did it all on the ground; they didn’t throw a pass in the first half. They rushed for 165 yards in the first two quarters and Rylan Hardy had 133 of it.
”They were really running all over us,” defensive back David Stewart said.
But the break gave the Cougars a chance to make some adjustments and they came out a different team in the second half. They held their hosts to just 22 yards rushing, 53 yards total and two first downs in the second half.
“We dared them to do whatever they wanted because we were going to come at them any way we could,” linebacker Dezyon Purnell said.
“It’s hard to make adjustments on the fly,” Leamy said. “We knew we just had to get to halftime and if we could get there we could make the adjustment we need to and then shut the run down in the second half. We knew if we could stop them, we had enough offensive firepower to win the game.”
The Cougars showed that firepower midway through the third quarter when Kenny Bartee hit Stewart with a 54-yard bomb on third-and-15 to get within 16-14 with 7:20 left in it. Stewart put them ahead in the final minute when he fell on a loose ball in the end zone after Bartee fumbled inches from the goal line after a 9-yard gain.
“My guts dropped completely,” Bartee said describing his reaction to the fumble. “I tried to lean the ball over and he just punched it out; it was a great play by the kid. I give my thanks to David Stewart. He came in the clutch and got it back for me.”
“I just thought I had to get there as quick as I could,” Stewart said. “It was moving around a little bit and I just grabbed it as hard as I could and laid on it. I was nervous. I really thought they were going to get on the ball and capitalize on it, but I just made a play on it.”
The teams battled through an intense but scoreless fourth quarter.
Not to be overlooked in the loss was the play of Pennsville backup quarterback Jake Layfield. The junior was pressed into action on the opening possession when four-year starter Robbie McDade sustained a foot injury on a pass Dylan Sheehan tipped, picked and returned for a touchdown but later overturned by penalty and played the rest of the game.
Like a batter stepping in for another hitter mid-count, Layfield completed the Eagles’ opening drive, burrowing in from the 1 for his first career touchdown. He then flawlessly directed the Eagles on his own 12-play, 80-yard drive with Hardy scoring on a 12-yard run. Eagles coach Mike Healy said he “cannot be more impressed” with the job his quarterback of the future did.
“You always have to imagine the possibility,” Layfield said. “When you’re the next man up you have to know there’s always a situation where you’re going to go in, whether you’re second, third, fourth. They were big shoes to fill. I don’t think I filled them up enough ultimately and it led us to fall short.
“I started in a little better than I finished. I started with good field position and drove down and scored; that got me fired up. Halftime kind of cooled me off a little bit. It would’ve been better if there was no halftime, to be honest.”
The Eagles started their last possession near midfield with 6:08 to play. As much as McDade wanted to get back in the game, Healy said it “wasn’t in the books” for the 3,000-yard passer to return for a potential heroic finish, so the comeback rested with Layfield.
They got it moving, but another ill-timed penalty threw them back. Ayden Jenkins ran down Layfield for a loss on third down and then Stewart knocked away a deep fourth-down pass to Hayden Sherman.
“We made mistakes in the second half that set us being the sticks and behind where we wanted to be,” Healy said. “But the bottom line is they made the big plays tonight and we didn’t. We knew they were a good team going in and they executed better tonight.”
After the fourth-down pass fell incomplete, the Cougars took over and ran out the final three minutes plus to keep their season alive.
“it was a hell of a win,” Purnell said. “I’m glad we got this for our team, glad we got this for the Cougars, glad we got this for our coach.”
“We’re getting hot at the right time, all our pieces are falling into place at the exact right time,” added Jenkins. “This is where it all comes together and I think we’re going to go and beat whoever we play next week and play even better.”
(Photo by Amory Alleyne)
Schalick 21, Pennsville 16
| SCH | PV | |
| 14 | 1st Downs | 14 |
| 30-136 | Rushing | 37-187 |
| 8-14-0 | Passing | 2-4-0 |
| 147 | Passing yds. | 31 |
| 0-0 | Fumbles-lost | 1-1 |
| 1-19.0 | Punts-avg | 1-23.0 |
| 3-25 | Penalties | 5-45 |
| Schalick | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0- | 21 |
| Pennsville | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0- | 16 |
SCORING SUMMARY
P – Jake Layfield 1 run (Adrian Alleyne run), 4:18 1Q
S – Kenny Bartee 7 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 0:03 1Q
P – Rylan Hardy 12 run (Perry Meranti pass from Jake Layfield), 6:35 2Q
S – David Stewart 54 pass from Kenny Bartee (Hunter Dragotta kick), 7:20 3Q
S – David Stewart fumble recovery in end zone (Hunter Dragotta kick) 0:27 3Q
GROUP I PLAYOFFS
NORTH I
Butler 42, Hawthorne 7
New Milford 35, Bogota 21
Kittatinny at Wallkill Valley, Saturday
Kinnelon 26, Park Ridge 7
NORTH II
Mountain Lakes 42, Brearley 0
Cedar Grove 35, Glen Ridge 20
Secaucus at New Providence, Saturday
Hasbrouck Heights 45, Wood-Ridge 14
SOUTH
Glassboro 41, Audubon 0
Salem at KIPP, Saturday
Schalick 21, Pennsville 16
Woodbury at Paulsboro, Saturday
CENTRAL
Burlington City 49, Bound Brook 0
Manville 35, Asbury Park 0
Pt. Pleasant Beach at Riverside, Saturday
Shore 34, New Egypt 0
Riverview Sports News 