Category: FOOTBALL

Higher stakes

Woodstown, Penns Grove meet in rematch of the Diamond Division championship game two weeks ago, but it’s a whole new ball game

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Sectional semifinals
Friday’s game
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s game
Burlington City at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The stakes were high the last time Penns Grove and Woodstown played. They’re even higher now.

All that was on the line when the teams played 12 days ago was the Diamond Division title, which is really a big deal if you know the strength of the division. But Friday night, they’ll be playing to keep their seasons alive and a spot in the South Jersey Group I championship game.

Both teams understand what’s at stake so there’s no sense dancing around it.

WOODSTOWN (7-2)

“Our kids know it’s a bigger game and that’s helping them approach it that way,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “Everybody knows if you win you’re going to the South Jersey finals for Group I. A lot rides on the game. It’s not only being a division opponent, it’s a county rival. You stack it all up, the environment’s going to be fun at Woodstown Friday night.”

They say it’s tough to beat a team twice, but since 2003 when it comes to regular season rematches in the playoffs, among Salem County rivals at least, the winner of the regular-season game is 8-3. The home team in those games are 8-3 also.

That being said, the Wolverines know how difficult playoff rematches can be. Last year, they beat Paulsboro early in the regular season 18-0, then two months later had their hearts broken in the sectional semifinals 15-6.

“Our kids remember that and understand you can beat somebody in the season and the playoffs are a whole different animal and I think they’re preparing that way,” Adams said. “They’re basically preparing as if we’ve never played them before. It’s going to be a dogfight and that’s what we’re preparing for.”

The biggest battle is these type games is the psychological gymnastics that take place, especially when it’s only been a short time since they last met. You might have won the first game after a week preparing for a bunch of unknowns, but now the opponent is known, does complacency set in over the confidence of a past victory or do you fret over what that highly incentivized losing team changes from the first game.

And if you were on the losing side, do you make a bunch of changes or remain confident in the things you did in the first game and just work on fixing the mistakes that were made.

It was a battle the first time they played with the difference being three rapid-fire completions from Max Webb that produced a touchdown at the end of the half and gave the Wolverines a 14-0 halftime lead the Red Devils couldn’t overcome.

It’s doubtful the Wolverines will run their two-minute offense the whole game just because it worked in that situation two weeks ago, but it’s safe to say the Red Devils will have worked to be sharper against it this time around.

Penns Grove coach John Emel doesn’t think either team has changed “a whole lot” from that first game, but Adams expects both will throw in “a wrinkle or two” that wasn’t there the last time. That’s just the nature of the game.

“It’s way more psychological than physical with a rematch,” Adams said. “I think the team that lost the first go-round has an added incentive to win that next game. It’s like all right, you got us, we want to even the score.

“We tell our kids one of those touchdowns came because we caught them off-guard and caught them misaligned, but they’re going to be aligned this time, you’re not going to be able to catch them off-guard. That’s where it gets tough.”

PENNS GROVE (5-5)

The key for the Red Devils, Emel said, is starting fast and finishing like they have since their second half comeback on Paulsboro that launched their current 4-1 run. They’ve given up only two field goals in the last 14 quarters of those four wins.

“We’re a second-half team and we’re probably a second-half-of-the-season team,” said Emel, whose team started the year 0-3 and 1-4. “We’re playing our best football, not just in one week but over the last month plus, and during that stretch the defense has done really good and we’ve been able to close games out in the second half.

“When you’re playing a team as good as Woodstown who has the ability to score a lot of points in spurts we’ve got to get into halftime with the game close. We played pretty well in the second half the last time we played them, but what they did in the first half was too much to overcome.

“If we play well we have a good chance to win and that’s all you want as a coach. You don’t need to dp anything extraordinary and hope for a miracle. We just have to go out and play a good Penns Grove type game and we’ll have an opportunity at the end.”

Both teams should be at full strength. The Wolverines welcomed Corbin Walz back to practice Wednesday. The Wolverines’ starting defensive end and offensive lineman dislocated his elbow against Deptford in Game 3, but Adams said he “looked really good,” but wasn’t immediately certain how he’d be used in a game where it’s all hands on deck.

There is a chance for a lot more rematches going forward as three of the four teams in the South semifinals are Diamond Division rivals and Penns Grove played the fourth, Burlington City in its season opener.

“Only one of us is going to make it through in the next 10 days,” Emel said. “My message to our guys is ‘Why not us?’ We’re here, whatever’s happened up to this point has no bearing this weekend.

“It’s two teams that played recently but you get a fresh start. That’s the way our guys look at it. Because when you walked off that field we were kind of disappointed with the way it ended and we didn’t have to wait too long, so here we go again. It’s a new game and you’ve got to go out there and you’ve got to play one play at a time.”

Stars are rising

Salem County has strong representation on the WJFL Horizon, Diamond Division all-star teams

Horizon Division

When you win the division, it’s just about a cinch you’ll have the most players on the all-star team. Undefeated two-time division champion Schalick brought in the largest haul on the Horizon Division first-team offense and defense as voted upon by the division coaches Wednesday night.

The Cougars picked up 11 total spots on the 28-man first-team roster – seven on offense and four on defense. Riverside had seven players and Gloucester Catholic had six. Wildwood had three and Lindenwald one.

The Cougars dominated the offense with quarterback Kenai Simmons, running back Reggie Allen, receivers Jake Siedlecki and Dylan Sheehan, linemen T.J. Hymer and Logan Hancock, and kicker Hunter Dragotta.

They had four players on the defense – linemen Jermaine Loney and Jake Magonagle, linebacker Riley Papiano and defensive back Levi Feeney-Childers.

Siedlecki is the only senior in the bunch.

“Players deserve the recognition and the other coaches in the division recognized their hard work,” Schalick coach Mike Wilson said.

The Cougars (10-0) host Shore Regional Friday in the Central Jersey Group I semifinals. The winner faces either Glassboro or South Hunterdon in the sectional final.

POSOFFENSEPOSDEFENSE
QBKenai Simmons, SchalickDLJermaine Loney, Schalick
RBReggie Allen, SchalickDLChris Hagan, Gloucester Cath.
RBJohn Boston, RiversideDLTeddy Hawkins, Riverside
WR/TEJake Siedlecki, SchalickDLJake Magonagle, Schalick
WR/TEDylan Sheehan, SchalickLBJames Ayers, Wildwood
WR/TEKyle Guldin, Gloucester Cath.LBRiley Papiano, Schalick
ATHIsiah Bookman, LindenwaldLBGabe Rossett, Wildwood
ATH Junior Hans, WildwoodLBIsiah Ali-Lewis, Riverside
OLGeorge Brandon, RiversideDBLevi Feeney-Childers, Schalick
OLT.J. Hymer, SchalickDBKybron Ricks, Gloucester Cath.
OLFrank Keenan, Gloucester Cath.DBCarlos Mendez, Gloucester Cath.
OLChase Perry, RiversideDBJ.J. Mary, Riverside
OLLogan Hancock, SchalickATHJamir Brown, Riverside
KHunter Dragotta, SchalickPMike Freeman, Gloucester Cath.

Diamond Division

Top overall seed Woodstown and Penns Grove, two Salem County rivals who played for the division title two weeks ago and meet in the South Jersey Group I semifinals Friday night, combined for more than half the picks on this year’s WJFL Diamond Division all-star team.

Woodstown, the champion of the toughest Group I division in the state, pulled down nine spots. division champion, nailed down nine spots: QB Max Webb, RB Bryce Belinfanti, OLs Damien Eichler and Jack Knorr, K Jake Ware, DL Bump Carter, LB Zach Bevis, DB Garrett Leyman and P James Hill.

Penns Grove had six spots: RB Karon Ceaser, OL Isaiah Upshur, DLs Dameon Wilson and Justin Martin, LB Bryce Wright and DB Knowledge Young

Salem, which made a late-season run to get in the playoffs, placed four players on the team: WR-TE Ramaji Bundy, RB Pop Jackson, OL Detric Simmons and DB Omarion Pierce.

POSOFFENSEPOSDEFENSE
QBMax Webb, WoodstownDLBump Carter, Woodstown
RBBryce Belinfanti, WoodstownDLDameon Wilson, Penns Grove
RBAnthony Reagan, WoodburyDLJustin Martin, Penns Grove
WRMarquis Taylor, WoodburyDLJavion Payne, Paulsboro
WR/TERamaji Bundy, SalemLBBryce Wright, Penns Grove
WRJayden Johnson, WoodburyLBZach Bevis, Woodstown
RBPop Jackson, SalemLBJason Solomon, Woodbury
RB Karon Ceaser, Penns GroveLBRobert Meadows, Woodbury
OLDamien Eichler, WoodstownDBWilson Torres, Woodbury
OLDetric Simmons, SalemDBOmarion Pierce, Salem
OLJack Knorr, WoodstownDBGarrett Leyman, Woodstown
OLIsaiah Upshur, Penns GroveDBKnowledge Young, Penns Grove
OLBryant Banks, WoodburyATHShariff Green, Paulsboro
KJake Ware, WoodstownPJames Hill, Woodstown

Secret’s out

People outside Salem County are starting to notice what undefeated Schalick has been putting together

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP I
Friday’s Semifinals
Shore (6-3) at Schalick (10-0), 7 p.m.
Glassboro (6-3) at South Hunterdon (9-1), 7 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — The football team at Schalick High School is quietly turning into one of the biggest comeback stories in the state.

At 10-0, the Cougars are one of four remaining undefeated teams in the West Jersey Football League and one of 16 left in the state in any classification. But outside of their community in Salem County hardly anyone is noticing. 

Until now.

Where once the team’s “coverage” consisted of maybe three paragraphs off the call-in sheet on Friday nights, one of the larger media outlets in South Jersey finally stumbled upon the Cougars’ story and sent a reporter to practice earlier this week. A TV station from Philadelphia is due in Thursday on the eve of their Central Jersey Group I semifinal game against Shore Regional. There is said to be ‘mutual interest’ in playing in next year’s season opening Battle at the Beach extravaganza in Ocean City.

What makes it even more compelling is just four years ago, in coach Mike Wilson’s first season with the program, when this year’s senior class were wide-eyed freshmen, they were 0-7 with about two dozen players who probably weren’t ready for varsity competition. None of the other 15 unbeaten teams have come from that far back, although three (Weehawken in 2021, Roxbury in 2020 and Holmdel last year) have had one season of just one win at any time in the previous three years.

“I think it’s great for the kids, they’re finally getting recognition for all their hard work over the last four years,” Wilson said. “It’s new, it’s refreshing, I’m happy for the kids they’re finally going to get the recognition they truly deserve. Now they have to learn we can’t read our own press clippings. There’s still work to be accomplished.”

This undefeated stuff is relatively new to the Cougars, who haven’t been 10-0 since their 12-0 season of 2004, but Wilson has been 10-0 before. It was 2019 as an assistant coach at Mainland Regional, where the rebuild he helped undertake there was similar to what he’s done at Schalick with admittedly some of the same concepts.

That year his team got through the regular season undefeated and then lost to rival Ocean City just a week after beating it in the annual Battle of the Bridge rivalry for the division title. It’s a loss his coaching buddies talk about all the time and he admits still stings whenever they do.

The Cougars have built their success story with a genuine be-where-your-feet-are, one-game-at-a-time approach with players who have grown with the program.

And through that approach they now have an offense full of dynamic skill players, a line that allows them to control the clock and a defense that’s been hard to move on — most of whom will be back next season. They have literally outgrown the WJFL Horizon Division they’ve dominated the last two years and are prepared to be competitive on whatever stronger division they’re sure to be dispatched to in the next rotation.

“I knew we had a good group of younger, we had good kids coming up from the youth program, so we knew they were brighter days ahead, but to get as one of my assistants said this good this quick I don’t think we knew that,” Wilson said. “I knew we would be better every year but we have really exceled this year, we have really jelled as a team.

“I told the kids today in practice we have an opportunity in front of us, let’s not take it for granted. We have a very winnable game in front of us, let’s not take anything for granted right now because football is so unforgiving you may never get this chance again.”

Current Schalick athletics director Doug Volovar didn’t hire Wilson to succeed long-time coach Seth Brown, but he has had a front-row seat to the whole metamorphosis. As an assistant principal at the time he was involved in the interview process and then served as Wilson’s receivers/defensive backs coach in that difficult first year.

Among the elements Wilson brought with him from Mainland were establishing a weight room for strength training and injury prevention and a re-engagement with the booster club. Both continue to be an integral part of the program. 

“It’s become not just a football team, it’s become a football program,” Volovar said. “Things have gotten so much better. The program has progressed. Mike has filled in all the pieces and pushed all the right buttons at this point in time to get us to where we’re going in this direction. 

“Obviously it’s taken a lot of hard work from not only him but everybody else who’s involved. For us, being a small community, there’s a ton of buy-in from everybody that’s in the community and even in the school and we’ve gotten nothing but support. Without foundation you can’t build a house.”

All the players remember those tough early days and that’s what makes this ride so fun for them. The Cougars lost their first 11 games under Wilson and 13 of their first 14, usually giving up a lot and scoring very little. They have gone 20-3 since. It’s the best run in the program’s history since they went 29-3 between 2003 and 2006.

‘’Me and (tight end) Ryan Johnson, our freshmen year we went 0-7 and we really got our butts kicked every game,” senior receiver Jake Siedlecki said after the win over Gloucester Catholic that completed their first undefeated regular season since 2006. “This game meant a lot for both of us and the program. To go 0-7 to 9-0 in four short years, it’s unbelievable. To play a part in that … means a lot.”

Of course, with the new-found success comes a whole new set of distractions. Like the sudden media attention that’s fallen upon them in the run up to the biggest game of any of their players’ careers.

“We have to focus on the game ahead and go 1-0 every week,” Wilson said, repeating the mantra of the season. “As you stack the wins staying focused is even harder. Like I told the kids (Monday) for the first three years it was kind of nice because people kind of ignored us as a team. Now we have to learn how to ignore the distractions and how do we handle success. That’s a big learning curve right now. We’re being successful and people are noticing and that’s awesome because of all your hard work, but we have to learn how to stay focused and continue to build upon that and not get distracted by what we did last week.

“The other thing is we have to resist the temptation to do things different. Even though the competition is better, we’re getting deeper in the playoffs, we are good enough as we are right now and we have to continue to get better at the things we’re doing and eliminate the things that can beat us and avoid the temptation of trying to do something that we don’t usually do on the field and continue to get better at what we’re already doing.”

Shore makes the 100-mile drive across the state with a 6-3 record and a team that had a chance to shake up the South Jersey Group 1 seedings had they beaten undefeated Group III Holmdel in the final regular season game. They were sixth overall in the South Jersey Group I UPR.

The Blue Devils run a true Delaware Wing-T offense that confounds their opponents so close to the real thing TE-DE Jackson Whitacre has committed to the Blue Hens. The defense has shut out two of their last three opponents. Both teams are coming off first-round shutouts.

Cover photo by Heather Papiano

Local playoff angle

In honor of this week’s Penns Grove-Woodstown playoff matchup, here are some notes and charts specifically for Salem County football

Making strides

Three of the five Salem County football teams this season have improved records over the year before with one basically a wash. Woodstown could match its 2022 record with a playoff win over Penns Grove this week. The chart tracks this year’s senior class.

TEAM
2020
2021
2022
2023
22-23
+/-		4YR
+/-
Pennsville2-53-71-85-4+4+2
Schalick0-74-67-310-0+3+8.5
Penns Grove6-36-53-85-5+2.5-1.5
Woodstown4-49-38-27-2-0.5+2
Salem6-111-28-52-8-4.5-5.5

Playoff head-to-head

Here are the records of Salem County teams in head-to-head playoff matchups since 2003.

TEAMPGSALPVLWOOSCHTOTAL
Penns Grove—2-10-11-03-06-2
Salem1-2—1-01-01-14-3
Pennsville1-00-1—1-1NA2-2
Woodstown0-10-11-1—1-02-3
Schalick0-31-1NA0-1—1-5

The Games

2022
Woodstown 45, Schalick 8

2019
Woodstown 47, Pennsville 14
Salem 31, Woodstown 6

2018
Penns Grove 40, Woodstown 6
Penns Grove 14, Salem 7

2017
Penns Grove 52, Schalick 30

2016
Pennsville 21, Woodstown 6

2014
Salem 22, Penns Grove 14
Salem 56, Pennsville 7

2013
Salem 41, Schalick 13
Penns Grove 22, Salem 17

2011
Pennsville 21, Penns Grove 14

2009
Penns Grove 14, Schalick 6

2006
Penns Grove 35, Schalick 34

2003
Schalick 7, Salem 0

The Rematches

When the playoff game is a rematch of a regular season meeting, the winner of the regular season game is 8-3, the home team in those playoff game are 8-3 (since 2003). Bold playoff team was at home

YEARREGULAR SEASONPLAYOFF GAME
2023Woodstown 21, Penns Grove 6Penns Grove at Woodstown
2019Woodstown 35, Pennsville 0Woodstown 47, Pennsville 14
2018Penns Grove 33, Woodstown 0Penns Grove 40, Woodstown 6
2018Penns Grove 26, Salem 20Penns Grove 14, Salem 7
2016Pennsville 28, Woodstown 7Pennsville 21, Woodstown 6
2014Salem 12, Penns Grove 0Salem 22, Penns Grove 14
2014Pennsville 23, Salem 19Salem 56, Pennsville 7
2013Schalick 30, Salem 18Salem 41, Schalick 13
2013Penns Grove 24, Salem 19Penns Grove 22, Salem 17
2009Penns Grove 36, Schalick 0Penns Grove 14, Schalick 6
2006Schalick 20, Penns Grove 8Penns Grove 35, Schalick 34
2003Schalick 26, Salem 0Schalick 7, Salem 0
NOTE: The 2019 Salem-Woodstown and 2011 Pennsville-Penns Grove regular season games were played after the playoff meeting

Cover photo: Woodstown and Penns Grove will mix it up for the second time this season Friday night. The first one was for the division title, this one will be to stay alive in the playoffs. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)

Bryce’s big game

Top-seeded Woodstown routs Dunellen, sets up SJ semifinal rematch with Penns Grove; Red Devils edge previously unbeaten Florence for first road playoff win since 2011 and fourth in program history

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS
Friday’s games
No. 1 Woodstown 42, No. 8 Dunellen 6
No. 5 Penns Grove 6, No. 4 Florence 3
No. 7 Burlington City 60, No. 2 Middlesex 15
Saturday’s game
No. 3 Woodbury 40, No. 6 Riverside 8
Semifinals games
Penns Grove at Woodstown, Friday, 7 p.m.
Burlington City at Woodbury

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The Woodstown football team got to wear its black jerseys again Friday night – this time with orange britches in honor of Halloween – and it was truly a scary sight for the visitors.

The Wolverines got a big Homecoming win when coach John Adams surprised them with the black jerseys for the first time against Salem and they worked like the charm they were again, this time in a 42-6 rout of Dunellen in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

“That pretty much set up the night,” running back Bryce Belinfanti said.

As if the Halloween-themed garb wasn’t scary enough, Belinfanti struck fear in the Destroyers’ defense every time he touched the ball. He scored five touchdowns, two of which covered 85 and 50 yards on successive possessions in the second quarter. He also scored on runs of 11 and 8 yards and a 24-yard pass from Max Webb.

The 80-yarder came shortly after Webb had a long touchdown run recalled by a holding penalty.

Playing just a half, he had 168 yards rushing (on only eight carries) and the TD catch was his only reception. Webb rushed for 62 yards. Alex Torres had 47 yards and their last touchdown on 10 carries.

Unlike the first time when Adams sprung the black jerseys on the players at the mid-day pep rally, this time he gave them a heads up on the color combination.

“I loved it,” Belinfanti said. “I thought it was going to be really cool. Like October 27th, black and orange, and our student section is great, so …

“I knew if we made it to the playoffs and if we were the first seed we’d probably break them out one more time. Not with the orange pants, I didn’t think. It looked pretty cool. The black jerseys had some orange on them, so it matched up pretty well.”

The Wolverines had another thing going for them. They were playing for a long-time booster and Woodstown alum Jimmy Lee Brooks who was recovering from injuries suffered in a recent car accident. Brooks, Class of ’72 and grandfather of former Woodstown captain Abu Hall, rarely missed a game, but being away for this one he requested whoever scored the first touchdown hold the ball up in salute.

Belinfanti honored the request when he scored on the opening drive and did it at least one other time in the game. It is said Brooks saw the gesture from his room in the rehab center where he was recovering.

With all that going for the Wolverines, the Destroyers, who passed Pennsville on the final weekend of the regular season for the final SJ-I playoff spot, didn’t stand a chance.

“It was a great night,” Belinfanti said. “All week we studied how their defense was going to act and what they were going to run to us. A lot of it had to do with game-planning. We knew the cutback was going to be there all night. It was a good night.”

The win sends the top-seeded Wolverines (7-2) to face fifth-seeded county rival Penns Grove (5-5) for the second time in three weeks. The Wolverines won the first meeting 21-6 to clinch the Diamond Division title, their first outright division title since 2013.

“I’m excited for it, to see how they play us differently,” Belinfanti said. “It’ll be a good game, yeah.”

Woodstown 42, Dunellen 6

Dunellen (5-4)0006 –6
Woodstown (7-2)142170 –42

Scoring plays:
W – Bryce Belinfanti 11 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Bryce Belinfanti 24 pass from Max Webb (Jake Ware kick)
W – Bryce Belinfanti 8 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Bryce Belinfanti 85 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Bryce Belinfanti 50 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Alex Torres 1 run (Jake Ware kick)
D – Chiekezie Ogbuewu 16 run (run failed)
Woodstown’s Zach Bevis and Bump Carter (71) made life miserable for the Dunellen offense Friday night. (Photos by Ellen Sickler)

PG scores rare road playoff win

FLORENCE – A lot of special things have to happen for a team to win a playoff game on the road, especially against an undefeated team with a lot of emotion and history behind it.

But Penns Grove got a lot of special things to happen. The Red Devils scored the game’s only touchdown in the third quarter and their defense was its typical unyielding self as they handed Florence its first loss in the final playoff game of Flashes coach Joe Frappoli’s 50-year tenure, 6-3.

Penns Grove coach John Emel (R) made it a point after the game to grab a picture with retiring Florence coach Joe Frappolli. (Submitted photo)

Freshman Karon Ceaser scored the game’s only touchdown on a 38-yard run on the opening series of the second half. The Penns Grove defense allowed only 82 net yards. It was the third time in four games they have allowed their opponents three points or less.

“The defense played well,” Emel said. “Once we got the lead I felt like our defense played really well. That was the difference in the game – our defense in the second half and our ability to move the ball a little bit, enough to kind of shorten the game and work the clock. We’re going to have to clean up the penalties.”

The Red Devils overcame 90 yards in penalties in the first half (including offsides on the opening kickoff) to score their first playoff road win since 2011, a 36-8 first-round win at Paulsboro, and fourth in the history of the program. It was the first of coach John Emel’s 11 career playoffs wins to come on the road.

“We’re not real happy because we played fairly sloppy, but it’s our first road playoff win as a program since 2011,” Emel said. “We’ve won some neutral games and things like that, but that’s our first road win in the playoffs.”

Ceaser finished with 77 yards rushing on 11 carries and had an interception on defense. Bryce Wright had 102 yards on 23 carries and completed a pass to Knowledge Young for 18 yards.

Emel said his players are fired up to play Woodstown again.

“It’s good,” he said. “We’ve given ourselves an opportunity to play them again. Obviously we weren’t happy with way things went last week. Usually when that happens you’ve got to wait a while, you’ve got to wait until next season (to try again). It’s hard to beat a team twice. It’s hard to beat a good team once, so we’ll have our hands full.”

Penns Grove 6, Florence 3

PGFLO
121st Downs7
37-169Rushing32-77
1-2-0Passes1-6-1
18Passing5
0-0Fum-lost0-0
5-31.8Punts3-39.3
9-93Penalties9-44
Penns Grove (5-5)0060 –6
Florence (7-1)0300 –3

Scoring plays:
F – John Dodge 32 FG
P – Karon Ceaser 38 run (run failed)








Band on the run

Schalick uses running attack, strong defense to shut down Audubon in Central Jersey playoff opener; Salem falls at South Hunterdon

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS
Friday’s games
No. 1 Schalick 35, No. 8 Audubon 0
No. 4 Shore 14, No. 5 Clayton 0
No. 3 Glassboro 28, No. 6 Keyport 0
No. 2 South Hunterdon 16, No. 7 Salem 6
Semifinals games
Shore at Schalick
Glassboro at South Hunterdon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Old habits die hard.

Whenever he was asked about it, Schalick coach Mike Wilson said the reason the Cougars invested so much time in the offseason improving their passing game was because they got exposed for the lack of one in the playoffs last year.

If you’re going to beat the better teams, especially those you’ll see in the playoffs, he said, you have to throw the football.

But two weeks after quarterback Kenai Simmons set all kinds of career highs passing the football and now in the first round of those playoffs, the Cougars were back to pounding the ground. They ran it 42 times for 269 yards Friday night and threw only five passes (completing three).

But you can’t argue with the results. They beat Audubon 35-0 for their first playoff win since 2007 and their first playoff shutout since 2003.

The undefeated top seed in the Central Jersey Group I playoffs (10-0) will now host Shore Regional (6-3) in the sectional semifinals Friday.

“It was odd because our game plan coming into this week was really to pass the ball more,” Simmons said. “We saw last year, first round of the playoffs, that’s where we failed at. We ran the ball so much and Woodstown stopped us, so we felt we had to step it up and pass the ball.

“But after we saw Reggie Allen breaking a couple plays we figured like he was hungry so let’s feed him and keep it on the ground.”

Allen led the rushing attack with 117 yards on 21 carries. He scored two touchdowns. Simmons had 98 yards, including a 60-yard dash in the fourth quarter that was more than the Green Wave rushed as a team the entire game. Levi Feeney-Childers had 44 yards on eight carries and a touchdown.

Eighteen of the Cougars’ first 19 plays were runs and they only really started throwing it on their last possession of the first half. They threw one pass in the second half, a 34-yard completion to Jake Siedlecki.

“Here’s the thing, as that game went on we threw when we had to,” Wilson said. “Last year we couldn’t do that. So it’s not the volume, it’s can we make the timely pass when you need it.

“We liked the tempo of the game, we were playing great defense, the stuff they gave us was (by) us not them; we were getting a surge all night. The gameplan was with the question mark on Kenai’s (shoulder), we’re just going to run the football this week. And then Kenai looked like his old self so the training wheels are going to come off.”

Dylan Sheehan looks back into the field after reaching the end zone on his pick-six in the second quarter. (Photo by Heather Papiano)

The Cougars’ defense also played a big role in the win. It was led by Dylan Sheehan’s one-handed pick-six and three sacks by freshman first-time starting nose Aiden Torres. 

Wilson said the Cougars were back to the form they displayed prior to the slowdown brought on by back-to-back forfeit wins in the middle of the schedule.

“It was a good, complete first-round game,” he said.

Sheehan played with a thick black cushion wrapped around his right hand to protect a fractured knuckle in his pinky he suffered in last week’s game. It didn’t hurt his chances making the interception, though, as he snared it with his left hand and used the pad to help bring it into his body.

Then he took off down the left sideline for the first pick-six of his high school career. It gave the Cougars a 14-0 lead they carried into halftime.

“As soon as it was in my hands I knew it was in the crib,” Sheehan said. 

Torres, meanwhile, had been elevated to the varsity three games ago after giving the regulars fits on the scout team and originally was used as a rotational player. He was told after last week’s regular-season finale he was going to start in the playoff game, had a whole week to mentally prepare for the biggest game of his life and made the most of his opportunity.

“First play I’m always nervous, but it wasn’t anything really big, I just had to play like I always play, do what I’ve got to do,” the 5-10, 250-pounder said, clutching a game ball in his massive hands. “It was fun. I like it. I really like it. It’s more intense, everything is more fast paced. I like it way better.”

Schalick freshman Aiden Torres (70) wraps up Audubon quarterback Breyson McCracken for one of his three sacks in his first varsity start. (Photo by Heather Papiano)

No. 1 Schalick 35, No. 8 Audubon 0

AUDSCH
121st Downs16
14-56Rushing42-269
11-22-2Passes3-5-0
100Passing46
0-0Fum-lost0-0
2-30.5Punts1-44.0
4-33Penalties7-62
Audubon (3-5)0000 –0
Schalick (10-0)014714 –35

Scoring plays:
S – Reggie Allen 12 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 7:57 2Q
S – Dylan Sheehan 64 interception return (Hunter Dragotta kick), 6:28 2Q
S – Levi Feeney-Childers 4 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 3:39 3Q
S – Reggie Allen 1 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 10:15 4Q
S – Kenai Simmons 5 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 3:07 4Q

Salem haunted by missed opportunities

LAMBERTVILLE – Salem missed several opportunities to take control of the game in the first half and it came back to bite it in the end.

Second-seeded and once-beaten South Hunterdon stopped turning the ball over in the second half and scored 16 straight points to end the Rams’ playoff dreams and first season under coach Danny Mendoza 16-6.

The Rams stopped South Hunterdon four times with takeaways in the first half, all of them setting up inside the Eagles’ 30, but had only a 6-0 lead on Jared Pew’s 13-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to show for it. The defense collected three interceptions and a fumble recovery to hold the Eagles (9-1) back. They returned one of the picks for a touchdown, but it got called back for a block in the back.

As the seventh seed in the Central Jersey Group I bracket, the Rams (2-8) were destined to play on the road throughout the playoffs. But it wouldn’t have fazed them. They played four of their previous, but were only scheduled for two before their old field was reopened after undergoing repairs.

South Hunterdon 16, Salem 6

Salem (2-8)0600 –0
South Hunterdon (9-1)0079 –16

Scoring plays:
S – Jared Pew 13 run (run failed)
SH – Ryder Manfready 14 run (PAT kick)
SH – Safety, Ramaji Bundy tackled in end zone
SH – Ryder Manfready 12 run (PAT kick)



Passing the test

McDade connects on 20 of 23 passes, Pennsville wins consolation tournament opener to guarantee .500 season

SJ GROUP I
CONSOLATION TOURNAMENT
Thursday’s games
Pennsville 41, New Egypt 14
Keansburg 48, Manville 20

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — Robbie McDade has worked hard this season to make himself a better passer and all that work came to a head Thursday night.

The Pennsville sophomore quarterback had one of the best passing efficiency games in program history. He completed a career-high 20 of 23 passes for a second-best 179 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles’ 41-14 victory over New Egypt in the South Jersey Group I regional consolation semifinals.

In a game that might be an afterthought to some teams shut out of the NJSIAA playoffs, McDade and the Eagles were as sharp as they’ve been all season.

McDade was 14-of-15 passing in the first half and completed his last 11 in a row (a stretch that extended to 12 in the third quarter). He directed the Eagles to touchdowns on each of their last four possessions of the half for a 28-6 halftime lead.

Of the three passes he missed, two were dropped and the third was thrown out of bounds after he was flushed from the pocket. He had an NCAA-style passer rating of 181.03 for the game.

“I had a lot of good receivers who got open,” McDade said. “It’s a team game. The receivers did their job. Got open. I’ve just got to deliver the ball.”

And he spread the wealth. He hit six different receivers throwing a combination of mid-range possession passes and flippy shuttle tosses. Hayden Sherman caught eight balls for 47 yards. Malik Rehmer caught six for 62 yards. The touchdown passes went to Caden Thomas and Ty Young. 

“I’m just trying to throw it to the open guy and lot of people got open today,” McDade said. “The receivers did a good job.”

He’s been finding his receivers a lot lately. McDade has had a 50 percent or better completion rate in three of his last four games and has passed for more than 100 yards in every game this season. For the year he is 97-of-184 for 1,238 yards, making him the Eagles’ first 1,000-yard passer since 2019 (Blayne Swaffar, 1149 yards) and their most productive since 2017 (Brandon Morris, 1507 yards).

“He’s getting better at getting the ball to the open guy, make the easy throw, take the easy throw and let our kids try to make plays, and that’s what he did a good job with tonight,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said. “Every game he’s getting better. He had a tough game last week and he was frustrated, but with him he’s going to come back and keep working hard and fix some things, which is good.”

The win guaranteed the Eagles (5-4) a .500 season. They will host Keansburg (4-5) for the South Jersey Group I consolation final Thursday. The Titans, located on the Raritan Bay a lot closer to Yankee Stadium than Lou D’Angelo Stadium, beat Manville 48-20 in the other semifinal.

“We’re using this for kind of two things,” Healy said. “One, we want to send the seniors out right. Two, we were 1-8 last year. If we have the opportunity to keep winning and get a winning record that’s a huge improvement. We bring back so many kids also, we want to keep trying to get better.

“We came out to play. I didn’t feel like we treated it as a game like it didn’t mean anything to us. Kids were running around making plays. We had goals at the beginning of the season. We didn’t achieve them all, but still we had a bunch of goals that show our progress and that’s what we need to keep doing, so overall there was a lot of good stuff.”

Pennsville quarterback Robbie McDade got hot in the first half and stayed hot, completing 20 of 23 passes in the Eagles’ 41-14 victory over New Egypt Thursday night. (Photos by Lorraine Jenkins)

Pennsville 41, New Egypt 14

NEPVL
51st Downs23
14-43Rushing38-183
7-18-2Passes20-23-0
88Passing179
2-0Fum-lost1-0
4-25.3Punts-avg2-38.5
3-18Penalties4-35
New Egypt (3-7)6008 – 14
Pennsville (5-4)72176 –41

Scoring plays:
P – Sky Eppes 5 run (Jackson Leino kick), 6:01 1Q
N – Connor Fischer 22 pass from Caleb Kowaleski (kick failed), 3:02 1Q
P – Caden Thomas 14 pass from Robbie McDade (Jackson Leino kick), 11:50 2Q
P – Rylan Hardy 8 run (Jackson Leino kick), 6:03 2Q
P – Sky Eppes 3 run (Jackson Leino kick), 0:21 2Q
P – Ty Young 14 pass from Robbie McDade (Jackson Leino kick), 1:56 3Q
N – Lucas Burgos 4 run (Brayden Nelson pass from Caleb Kowaleski), 6:20 4Q
P – Rylan Hardy 30 run (kick failed), 1:21 4Q
Rylan Hardy (19) ran for two touchdowns in Pennsville’s victory. (Photo by Lorraine Jenkins)

County leaders

With the football playoffs beginning this week, here is a look at the Salem County leaders in rushing, passing and receiving through the end of the regular season

Rushing

PLAYERATTYDSTD
Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown149114614
Pop Jackson, Salem13110238
Bryce Wright, Penns Grove1558479
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove1197435
Reggie Allen, Schalick9258810
Sky Eppes, Pennsville1095479
Jared Pew, Salem833853
Kenai Simmons, Schalick793448
Robbie McDade, Pennsville763306
Levi Feeney-Childers, Schalick503012
Max Webb, Woodstown612655
Ramaji Bundy, Salem472601
Alex Torres, Woodstown382303
Sophomore quarterback Robbie McDade will have a chance to give Pennsville its first 1,000-yard passer since 2019 Thursday when the Eagles host New Egypt in the regional consolation tournament. Top photo: Bryce Belinfanti and Max Webb give Woodstown a dynamic backfield combination. (Photos by Lorraine Jenkins, Ellen Sickler)

Passing

PLAYERCOMPATTINTYDSTD
Robbie McDade, Pennsville7013649486
Kenai Simmons, Schalick335207157
Max Webb, Woodstown447455555
Ramaji Bundy, Salem155352361

Receiving

PLAYERNO.YDSTD
Malik Rehmer, Pennsville396045
Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown131290
Zach Bevis, Woodstown121893
Ty Young, Pennsville121181
Terrence Smith, Salem111461
Sky Eppes, Pennsville111280
Jake Siedlecki, Schalick92683
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick91402
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove81130

Kicking

PLAYERFGM-FGAXPM-XPAPTS
Jake Ware, Woodstown3-425-2734
Hunter Dragotta, Schalick2-425-2731
Jackson Leino, Pennsville4-615-1927

Defense

SACKS
6.5: Dameon Wilson, Penns Grove
5.5: Bobby Donahue, Woodstown
4: Nasir Stewart, Penns Grove
3: Jermaine Loney, Schalick; Mando Johnson, Salem
2.5: Zach Bevis, Woodstown; William Slouch, Penns Grove

TACKLES FOR LOSS
17: Bryce Wright, Penns Grove
15: Nasir Stewart, Penns Grove
11: Dameon Wilson, Penns Grove
9: William Slocum, Penns Grove
8: Justin Martin, Penns Grove
6.5: Bobby Donahue, Woodstown
6: Zach Bevis, Woodstown; Walter Carter, Woodstown; Mando Johnson, Salem
5.5: Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown
5: Max Webb, Woodstown; Thomas Hymer, Schalick
4.5: Pop Jackson, Salem
4: Jack Knorr, Woodstown; Najee Panter, Penns Grove

INTERCEPTIONS: 2: Malik Rehmer, Pennsville; Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove; Bryce Wright, Penns Grove

FUMBLE RECOVERIES: 2: Connor Ayers, Pennsville; Cole Campbell, Pennsville

This week’s schedule

The opening round of the NJSIAA fall sports playoffs highlight the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Oct. 23-28

FOOTBALL
Oct. 26
South Jersey Group I Consolation Tournament
New Egypt at Pennsville, 5 p.m.
Keansburg at Manville

Oct. 27
South Jersey Group I playoffs
Dunellen at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Penns Grove at Florence, 7 p.m.
Burlington City at Middlesex, 7 p.m.

Central Jersey Group I playoffs
Audubon at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Clayton at Shore, 7 p.m.
Keyport at Glassboro, 7 p.m.
Salem at South Hunterdon, TBA

Oct. 28
South Jersey Group I playoffs
Riverside at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.

FIELD HOCKEY
Oct. 23
Woodstown at Clearview, 3:45 p.m.
Gloucester City at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

Oct. 26
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 11 Bordentown at No. 6 Schalick, 2 p.m.

Oct. 27
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 12 Maple Shade at No. 5 Woodstown, 2 p.m.

Oct. 28
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 1 West Deptford bye
No. 9 Haddon Twp. at No. 8 Salem
No. 13 Gateway at No. 4 Collingswood
No. 14 Audubon at No. 3 Middle Twp.
No. 10 Lower Cape May at No. 7 Gloucester
No. 15 New Egypt at No. 2 Florence

GIRLS TENNIS
Oct. 23
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.

Oct. 24
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.

Oct. 26
Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m.

Oct. 27
Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Oct. 23
Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Pennsville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 24
Paulsboro at Salem, 4 p.m.

Oct. 25
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 16 Pennsville at No. 1 Schalick, 4 p.m.
No. 9 Pitman at No. 8 Maple Shade, 3 p.m.
No. 12 Penns Grove at No. 5 Audubon, 2 p.m.
No. 13 Haddon Twp. at No. 4 Glassboro, 2 p.m.
No. 14 Burlington City at No. 3 Woodstown, 2 p.m.
No. 11 Wildwood at No. 6 Buena, 2 p.m.
No. 10 Gateway at No. 7 Riverside
No. 15 Woodbury at No. 2 Palmyra, 4 p.m.

Oct. 28
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Second round games

GIRLS SOCCER
Oct. 23
Woodstown at Glassboro, 3:30 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Pennsville, 5 p.m.

Oct. 26
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 16 Penns Grove at No. 1 Audubon
No. 9 Clayton at No. 8 Glassboro
No. 12 Gateway at No. 5 Pitman
No. 13 Buena at No. 4 Maple Shade
No. 14 Salem at No. 3 Schalick
No. 11 Pennsville at No. 6 Haddon Twp.
No. 10 Woodstown at No. 7 Gloucester
No. 15 Woodbury at No 2 Palmyra

CROSS COUNTRY
Oct. 28
Sectionals, DREAM Park

Playoff pairings

Four of five Salem County teams qualify for Group I football playoffs; non-football playoff projections based on power points also listed

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

Four of the five football-playing schools in Salem County are in the NJSIAA Group I playoffs this year and two have pulled down No. 1 seeds.

In the final regular-season UPR ratings produced by the gridironnj website and released this evening, Woodstown and undefeated Schalick pulled down the Nos. 1 and 2 spots in the South Jersey Group I top 16 and will be the No. 1 seeds in the South Jersey and Central Jersey brackets, respectively, when the NJSIAA makes it official.

Only two-tenths of a UPR point separated the two teams. Schalick had the winningest team in South Jersey Group I (9-0), but Woodstown (6-2) had the highest OSI.

Horizon Division champion Schalick, with its first undefeated regular season since 2006, had been in line for the overall No. 1, but Woodstown overtook it after Saturday’s 21-6 win over Penns Grove for the Diamond Division title.

We’re guaranteed home field advantage through the sectional final,” Schalick coach Mike Wilson said. “Strength of schedule is a very important indicator. From where we went from last year – we were the 15th seed last year now we’re the No. 2 seed – that’s a huge improvement in one year.”

Penns Grove (4-5) came in at No. 9 and sets up a potential second-round rematch with Woodstown. Salem (2-7) came in at No. 14. Both will open the playoffs on the road.

“We would’ve liked to been home but obviously too many times we came up a little short,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said.

Pennsville wound up being the county’s odd-man out. The Eagles came in at No. 17, 1.8 UPR points behind the final qualifying spot, which went to Dunellen. They went into the week as the No. 16 team, then lost Friday night at Pitman.

It would have been the first time since 2017 all five county teams made the field. Four teams have made it four of the six years since.

“We didn’t take care of business last night so it’s on us,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “We didn’t get the job done. We still improved a ton this year but obviously would have loved a shot in the playoffs.”

The Eagles will now play in the four-team sectional consolation tournament.

The playoff bracket did undergo some changes after the original 1-16 standings were posted due to various tiebreakers. South Hunterdon and Middlesex switched places due to South Hunterdon’s head-to-head win; Woodbury, Glassboro and Shore tied for fifth and shuffled by the OSI tiebreaker; as did Clayton and Keyport, who were tied for 10th.

Here are the projected first-round matchups (lower seeds at home). All games Friday unless indicated otherwise:

No. 1 Woodstown (1) vs. No. 8 Dunellen (16)
No. 4 Florence (8) vs. No. 5 Penns Grove (9)
No. 2 Middlesex (4) vs. No. 7 Burlington City (13)
No. 3 Woodbury (5) vs. No. 6 Riverside (12), Saturday

No. 1 Schalick (2) vs. No. 8 Audubon (15)
No. 4 Shore (7) vs. No. 5 Clayton (10)
No. 2 South Hunterdon (3) vs. No. 7 Salem (14)
No. 3 Glassboro (6) vs. No. 6 Keyport (11)
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR rank

Soccer, field hockey projections

Based on the power points in each sport posted Saturday, here are the projected first-round pairings in the South Jersey Group I tournament for boys soccer, girls soccer and field hockey. The NJSIAA will determine the official brackets later.

BOYS SOCCER
No. 1 Schalick (14-4) vs. No. 16 Pennsville (5-12)
No. 8 Maple Shade (10-6) vs. No. 9 Pitman (12-4-1)
No. 5 Audubon (11-5-2) vs. No. 12 (Burlington City (7-10)
No. 4 Glassboro (12-4) vs. No. 13 Penns Grove (6-9-1)
No. 3 Woodstown (12-3-1) vs. No. 14 (Haddon Twp. (5-10-2)
No. 6 Buena (12-4) vs. No. 11 Wildwood (10-5-1)
No. 7 Riverside (12-3-2) vs. No. 10 Gateway (9-8-1)
No. 2 Palmyra (14-2-1) vs. No. 15 Woodbury (8-8)

GIRLS SOCCER
No. 1 Audubon (15-1-2) vs. No. 16 Penns Grove (1-11-1)
No. 8 Glassboro (9-6-1) vs. No. 9 Clayton (10-5-1)
No. 5 Pitman (12-4-1) vs. No. 12 Gateway (7-9)
No. 4 Maple Shade (11-4) vs. No. 13 Buena (6-9)
No. 3 Schalick (13-4) vs. No. 14 Salem (4-12-1)
No. 6 Haddon Twp. (6-9-2) vs. No. 11 Pennsville (5-9-3)
No. 7 Gloucester (12-5) vs. No. 10 Woodstown (9-7)
No. 2 Palmyra (13-3) vs. No. 15 Woodbury (1-14-1)

FIELD HOCKEY
No. 1 West Deptford (9-3-3) vs. No. 16 New Egypt (7-5)
No. 8 Salem (11-4) vs. No. 9 Haddon Twp. (7-7)
No. 5 Woodstown (12-2-1) vs. No. 12 Bordentown (4-10-1)
No. 4 Collingswood (8-5-2) vs. No. 13 Gateway (5-9)
No. 3 Middle Twp. (12-2-1) vs. No. 14 Pennsville (5-10)
No. 6 Schalick (11-5-1) vs. No. 11 Maple Shade (8-4)
No. 7 Gloucester (11-4) vs. No. 10 Lower Cape May (6-6-4)
No. 2 Florence (13-2-1) vs. No. 15 Audubon (7-6)

Cover photo: Riley Papiano (16) and Reggie Allen celebrate a touchdown in Schalick’s win over Gloucester Catholic Friday night. (Photo by Heather Papiano)