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

AUD		SCH
12	1st Downs	16
14-56	Rushing	42-269
11-22-2	Passes	3-5-0
100	Passing	46
0-0	Fum-lost	0-0
2-30.5	Punts	1-44.0
4-33	Penalties	7-62

Audubon (3-5)	0	0	0	0 –	0
Schalick (10-0)	0	14	7	14 –	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)	0	6	0	0 –	0
South Hunterdon (9-1)	0	0	7	9 –	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

NE		PVL
5	1st Downs	23
14-43	Rushing	38-183
7-18-2	Passes	20-23-0
88	Passing	179
2-0	Fum-lost	1-0
4-25.3	Punts-avg	2-38.5
3-18	Penalties	4-35

New Egypt (3-7)	6	0	0	8 –	14
Pennsville (5-4)	7	21	7	6 –	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

PLAYER	ATT	YDS	TD
Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown	149	1146	14
Pop Jackson, Salem	131	1023	8
Bryce Wright, Penns Grove	155	847	9
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove	119	743	5
Reggie Allen, Schalick	92	588	10
Sky Eppes, Pennsville	109	547	9
Jared Pew, Salem	83	385	3
Kenai Simmons, Schalick	79	344	8
Robbie McDade, Pennsville	76	330	6
Levi Feeney-Childers, Schalick	50	301	2
Max Webb, Woodstown	61	265	5
Ramaji Bundy, Salem	47	260	1
Alex Torres, Woodstown	38	230	3

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

PLAYER	COMP	ATT	INT	YDS	TD
Robbie McDade, Pennsville	70	136	4	948	6
Kenai Simmons, Schalick	33	52	0	715	7
Max Webb, Woodstown	44	74	5	555	5
Ramaji Bundy, Salem	15	53	5	236	1

Receiving

PLAYER	NO.	YDS	TD
Malik Rehmer, Pennsville	39	604	5
Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown	13	129	0
Zach Bevis, Woodstown	12	189	3
Ty Young, Pennsville	12	118	1
Terrence Smith, Salem	11	146	1
Sky Eppes, Pennsville	11	128	0
Jake Siedlecki, Schalick	9	268	3
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick	9	140	2
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove	8	113	0

Kicking

PLAYER	FGM-FGA	XPM-XPA	PTS
Jake Ware, Woodstown	3-4	25-27	34
Hunter Dragotta, Schalick	2-4	25-27	31
Jackson Leino, Pennsville	4-6	15-19	27

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)

How they stand

Here are the standings for the three WJFL divisions holding the Salem County football teams; records are overall, division; division games in bold

Diamond Division

WOODSTWN (6-2, 4-0)	WOODBURY (4-3, 3-1)	SALEM (2-7, 1-3)	PAULSBORO (1-7, 0-4)	PENNS GRV (4-5, 2-2)
OPEN	OPEN	Executive (Pa.) L 42-19	OPEN	Burl. City L 33-22
Haddon Hts. W 34-7	W. Deptford W 31-0	Camden L 34-0	Haddonfield L 35-7	Pleasantville L 14-6
Paulsboro W 28-7	Penns Grove W 42-6	Pleasantville L 35-6	Woodstown L 28-7	Woodbury L 42-6
Deptford W 49-7	Paulsboro W 48-12	Penns Grove L 21-6	Woodbury L 48-12	Salem W 21-6
Glassboro L 13-7 (OT)	Haddonfield L 21-6	Cedar Creek L 20-14	W. Deptford L 14-13	Haddon Hts. L 14-0
Salem W 27-0	Gloucester L 14-8	Woodstown L 27-0	Penns Grove L 22-19	Paulsboro W 22-19
Woodbury W 27-21 (OT)	Woodstown L 27-21 (OT)	Paulsboro W 28-8	Salem L 28-8	Glassboro W 6-0
Haddonfield L 48-16	OPEN	W. Deptford W 38-14	Camden L 41-6	Pennsville W 32-3
Penns Grove W 21-6	Salem W 49-14	Woodbury L 49-14	Audubon W 14-7 (OT)	Woodstown L 21-6
	Gateway

Horizon Division

SCHALICK (9-0, 5-0)	GL CATH (2-5, 2-3)	WILDWD (1-6, 0-4)	EUSTACE (4-4, 3-2)	RIVERSIDE (6-1, 4-1)	LNDNWLD (0-9, 0-5)
Glou City W 17-14	OPEN	OPEN	OPEN	OPEN	Sterling L 19-0
Pitman W 14-13	Palmyra L 26-21	Cumberlnd W 28-21	Holy Cross W 22-18	Princeton W 14-7	Pennsville L 49-6
Wildwood W 25-0	Eustace L 36-0	Schalick L 25-0	Glou Cath W 36-0	Lindenwold W 59-0	Riverside L 59-0
Riverside W 47-18	Lindenwold W 54-6	Eustace L 13-7	Wildwood W 13-7	Schalick L 47-18	Glou Cath L 54-6
Pennsville W 38-20	OPEN	L. CapeMay L 34-0	Princeton L 24-0	Pitman W 30-21	Holy Cross L 54-6
Lindenwold W, forfeit	Wildwood W 7-0	Glou Cath L 7-0	Riverside L 46-8	Eustace W 46-8	Schalick L, forfeit
Eustace W, forfeit	Riverside L 50-7	x-KIPP Cooper L 12-6	Schalick L, forfeit	Glou Cath W 50-7	x-Wildwood L, forfeit
Cumberlnd W 35-8	Holy Cross L 32-27	HaddnTwp L 20-0	Florence L, forfeit	OPEN	Overbrook L 48-12
Glou Cath W 42-20	Schalick L 42-20	Riverside L 38-8	Lindenwold W 32-28	Wildwood W 38-8	Eustace L 32-28
	Gloucester		Collingswd	Palmyra	Pitman
				Florence

Royal Division

PENNSVILLE (4-4, 2-2)	PITMAN (3-4, 2-2)	L. CAPE MAY (7-1, 4-0)	CUMBERLND (3-6, 2-2)	GATEWAY (1-7, 0-4)
OPEN	OPEN	Bridgeton W 44-6	Middle Twp. L 40-0	OPEN
Lindenwold W 49-6	Schalick L 14-13	Clayton L 26-21	Wildwood L 28-21	Haddon Twp. W 19-0
L. Cape May L 28-7	Cumberland L 6-0	Pennsville W 28-7	Pitman W 6-0	Collingswood L 19-14
Gateway W 23-7	Buena W 41-0	Cumberland W 40-0	L. Cape May L 40-0	Pennsville L 23-7
Schalick L 38-20	Riverside L 30-21	Wildwood W 34-0	Bridgeton W 37-27	Middle Twp. L 40-7
Cumberland W 25-12	OPEN	OPEN	Pennsville L 25-12	Keyport L 39-6
Overbrook W 42-18	L. Cape May L 46-22	Pitman W 46-22	Gateway W 26-20	Cumberland L 26-20
Penns Grove L 32-3	Gateway W 20-6	Buena W 60-0	Schalick L 35-8	Pitman L 20-6
Pitman L 35-14	Pennsville W 35-14	Gateway W 48-2	Clayton L 40-14	L. Cape May L 48-2
	Lindenwold			Woodbury
	Clayton

Diamond dazzlers

Woodstown wins WJFL Diamond Division title outright, eyes No. 1 seed in Group I playoffs

DIAMOND DIVISION SCORES
Saturday’s games
Woodstown 21, Penns Grove 6
Woodbury 49, Salem 14
Paulsboro 14, Audubon 7 (OT)

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE — John Adams delayed his traditional post-game huddle to take a picture. He wasn’t about to let this moment pass without immortalizing it for posterity.

The Woodstown coach backed up a couple steps on the midfield grass at Jim Devonshire Field, pointed his phone into the happy group in front of him and clicked.

He wanted, he said, a picture of the champions.

The Wolverines won the WJFL Diamond Division title outright Saturday with a 21-6 win over Penns Grove. It’s their first outright division crown since 2013.

The win also has them in line for a No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group I football playoffs.

“We knew the division was on the line to win it outright, we knew the playoff seedings were on the line, and we were coming off that tough loss to Haddonfield where we kind of just let the wheels fall off the bus,” Adams said. “They ended up responding well coming off that loss and this is what I wanted to see heading into the playoffs – good team football.”

“Last year we shared the division; we came in this year wanting to win it all — we did that today,” receiver Garrett Leyman said.

“It means a lot knowing all the adversity we went through with hurt players, players ejected, and we won it outright this year, so that’s a big thing,” running back Bryce Belinfanti added.

Belinfanti rushed for 133 yards and scored Woodstown’s first and third touchdowns. His first score was the first touchdown the Red Devils (4-5) had allowed in 11 quarters.

**Woodstown’s Bryce Belinfanti (3) tosses the ball to the official after scoring the Wolverines’ first touchdown against Penns Grove.**

In between the running back’s two scores, the Wolverines (6-2) extended their lead to 14-0 at halftime when, after pulling the stadium in with 16 straight running plays and 20 in their first 21 snaps, they quickly went to the air and hit three straight passes for 74 yards in about 60 seconds. Penns Grove coach John Emel called it the difference in the game.

The connections covered 24 yards to Carter Orlandini, 23 yards to Anthony Bokolas and 27 yards to Leyman for the touchdown with 1:34 left in the half.

“That definitely was important for our offense,” Leyman said, “because we like to run the ball down the field but if they stop it we have a backup now, so that’s nice. It just makes us way harder to stop. It’s definitely fun. Blocking almost the whole first half and then getting those plays it’s fun. It’s different.”

“Every week we practice our two-minute offense and the kids have done a really good job with it,” Adams said. “You never know when you’re going to need it, so at the end of the half there we called time out, let’s get one more possessions, we went to the two-minute offense and we executed exactly what we do in practice.

“We tell the kids we’re not a hurry-up offense, but when the situation presents itself we’re going to go with our two-minute and run what we run.”

The Wolverines have put more emphasis on the passing game this season, but those three were the only passes Max Webb completed in the game. He threw only two other passes in the game.

The touchdown pass came on a play Webb suggested for the playbook from his 7-on-7 arsenal that always worked for him. The Wolverines used it in a passing camp at Kingsway earlier this summer and they pulled it out of the archives Saturday. Leyman said when he saw the corner bite on it, he knew he was going to be wide open.

“It just shows our diversity that we can have in our offense,” Webb said. “I know we’re run first and that’s always how it’s been, but we can just flip the switch and throw it like anybody else in the state.

“It definitely surprised them. They looked like they weren’t ready for it, so it helped us a lot. I was happy it worked in our favor.”

Interestingly, the drive almost didn’t happen. Belinfanti fumbled the ball on the first play, but it came right back into his chest like a magnet and the Wolverines were able to retain possession.

Emel agreed scoring at the end of the half was a big momentum swing in a statistically even game with limited possessions, but the way Woodstown went about it didn’t catch the Red Devils by surprise.

“We knew they were going to do it,” he said. “It’s a matter of execution, so give them credit. They executed. They were able to pass protect and it was a combination on our part of (being) unable to get a pass rush or missed assignments and then on the back end blown coverage.”

Continuing in the good things happen in threes department, Penns Grove (4-5) was driving to cut into the 14-0 lead when the Wolverines’ defense made three straight stops for negative yardage to stop the threat. The Red Devils avoided being shut out by scoring in the final minute of the game.

“It was good to bounce back after our defense struggled a lot last week and it was good to be able to shut them out for the first three quarters and be able to lock it down for the win,” linebacker Jack Knorr said. “We had a lot of players step up who weren’t playing last week (like defensive linemen J.R. Reed and Andre Sinou) and it felt good to have them play well.”

**Woodstown’s Bump Carter wraps up Penns Grove’s Karon Ceaser in one of the Wolverines’ three straight tackles for loss that stopped a fourth-quarter threat. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)**

Woodstown 21, Penns Grove 6

WOOD		PG
11	1st Downs	10
34-179	Rushing	43-172
3-5-0	Passes	1-2-0
74	Passing	40
3-0	Fum-lost	2-1
3-33.3	Punts-avg	5-35.4
2-20	Penalties	6-55

Woodstown (6-2)	7	7	0	7 –	21
Penns Grove (4-5)	0	0	0	6 –	6

Scoring plays:
W – Bryce Belinfanti 2 run (Jake Ware kick), 6:21 1Q
W – Garrett Leyman 27 pass from Max Webb (Jake Ware kick), 1:34 2Q
W – Bryce Belinfanti 48 run (Jake Ware kick), 5:53 4Q
P – Karon Ceaser 5 run (run failed), 0:49 4Q

Cover photo: Woodstown quarterback Max Webb fires downfield in the two-minute drill on the way to a momentum-swinging touchdown near the end of the first half. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)

**Woodstown’s Garrett Leyman (10) stretches out to slow down Penns Grove’s Karon Ceaser. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)**

Waiting and hoping

Pennsville had a chance to likely lock up a Group I playoff berth, but lost to Pitman 35-14 and now holds its breath awaiting the final UPR numbers Saturday

ROYAL DIVISION GAMES
Pitman 35, Pennsville 14
Gateway vs. Lower Cape May, Sat.
Clayton 40, Cumberland 14

By Al Muskewitz
Riverivew Sports News

PITMAN – Pennsville had its post-season map all laid out in front of it. All the Eagles had to do was follow the signs.

A win would have set them up well for a Group I playoff berth. But now, after losing to Pitman 35-14 in their final regular-season game, they’re holding their collective breath hoping for some good news Saturday afternoon.

“We had a ton of mistakes today and they definitely capitalized on them,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “We turned the ball over, they didn’t turn the ball over. They made big plays when needed and we really didn’t. We struggled across the board.

“To have an opportunity like this where we really kind of control our own future and not take advantage of it is disappointing and frustrating.”

It started out well. The Eagles (4-4) got a stop on the opening possession and then scored within a minute of getting the ball for the first time, but it was a struggle from there.

Pitman quarterback Kyle Kubat threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter – two in the final 90 seconds – and four in the game to put the Eagles in catch-up mode the rest of the night.

Quarterback Robbie McDade scored both of Pennsville’s touchdowns, on runs of 10 and 7 yards. He was the Eagles’ leading rusher with 83 yards, most of it coming on a 46-yard run. He also passed for 111 yards, but was intercepted three times.

“This is one of the hardest losses I’ve ever had a coach, for sure,” Healy said. “It’s tough to look at it from a wider perspective right now. Obviously, this year we accomplished a lot stuff we wanted to, but to work all season to try and get in the playoffs and now possibly lose it because we played bad, it’s tough.”

The Eagles came into the game holding the 16th and final qualifying spot for the South Jersey Group I playoffs and a four-point lead over his closest pursuer.

If the Eagles don’t make the 16-team sectional playoff field, they will play in the consolation tournament next week.

“I did go back and talk to them during the bus ride,” Healy said. “I said one way or another we’re playing next week and whether it’s in the playoffs or the consolation tournament we need to be ready to go.

“Whatever happens we want to finish the season correctly. We’re on a two-game slide right now and if it’s playoffs we want to go out there and give our best performance or if it’s the other thing we just want to play good football and finish the season on a high note.”

Pitman 35, Pennsville 14

Pennsville (4-4)	7	0	0	7 –	14
Pitman (3-4)	0	21	7	7 –	35

Scoring plays:
Pe – Robbie McDade 10 run (Jackson Leino kick), 9:14 1Q
Pi – Porter Kostiuk 5 pass from Kyle Kubat (PAT kick), 11:48 2Q
Pi – Stephen Devanney 20 pass from Kyle Kubat (PAT kick), 1:28 2Q
Pi – Trey Tinges 10 pass from Kyle Kubat (PAT kick), 0:01 2Q
Pi – Chris Wyllie 2 run (PAT kick), 4:00 3Q
Pe – Robbie McDade 7 run (Jackson Leino kick), 11:53 4Q
Pi – Stephen Devanney 5 pass from Kyle Kubat (PAT kick), 7:35 4Q

Answering the bell

Backup QB comes in for injured starter, leads Schalick to win that wraps up undefeated regular season, likely secures a No. 1 seed in playoffs

HORIZON DIVISION GAMES
Schalick 42, Gloucester Catholic 20
Riverside vs. Wildwood, Sat.
Bishop Eustace 32, Lindenwold 28

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Matthew LaMazza’s plan for his junior season on the Schalick football team was to take in as much as he could as the backup to a dynamic quarterback, get his regular reps with the JVs and maybe get a little mop-up duty with the varsity when games got out of hand.

But there he was Friday night, in the Cougars’ most important game of the year, under center in a tie game with a lot of time left, responsible for keeping the team’s date with destiny.

Armed with the simplest of instructions, LaMazza did everything required of him in the situation and led the Cougars to a 42-20 win over Gloucester Catholic that completed their first undefeated regular season since 2006 and potentially locked up a No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

“I knew Kenai was a really special player, so I just thought I’d be the next-man-up mentality; if I had to step in, I could step in,” LaMazza said. “Kenai’s such a tough player, he takes hits all the time, so I didn’t really expect to go in.

“The first drive I had some butterflies and some jitters, but overall I kind of stepped in. I just wanted to get the win, make history, 9-0, second time in school history, really be a game manager. I just had to run the offense, see what happens. I think I did pretty good for the situation that we were in. I feel like I can always step in now.”

Backup quarterback Matthew LaMazza accepts a game ball from coach Mike Wilson after coming off the bench in the second quarter to help Schalick finish an undefeated regular season. (Photo by Heather Papiano)

LaMazza was in a 7-7 game because starter and team leader Kenai Simmons hurt his left (non-throwing) shoulder in the first minute of the second quarter and was done for the night. Simmons got knocked around in a fumble that involved all three Schalick backfield principals – Simmons, Reggie Allen and Levi Feeney-Childers – that resulted in an 18-yard loss and turnover.

Simmons walked off under his own power, but he was done for the night. He spent the second half on the sidelines encouraging his teammates to persevere. As soon as it became evident the starter was in trouble, LaMazza started taking snaps with the starting center in the bench area.

He didn’t throw a pass, but he directed eight possessions, which produced 168 yards of offense and three touchdowns.

“Matt did a great job,” Schalick coach Mike Wilson said. “When the year started we had to find a backup quarterback. Matt won the job. And we were confident with our O-line, our running backs, if Matt had to go in there, he’d do what he had to do tonight.

“Any time you have a running quarterback you know in the back of your head you’re No. 2 might play a little bit. Matt’s a junior, he’s a leader and he did a very good job tonight. It’s Homecoming Night, big game, 9-0 was on the line, playoffs are on the line and the kid was cool, calm and collected the whole time. I thought he did a great job under the pressure.”

Schalick’s Jake Siedlecki checks his surroundings as he sprints towards the end zone with his 70-yard interception return. Siedlecki had two long TDs and was named Homecoming King. (Photo by Heather Papiano)

LaMazza got a lot of help from his friends. Jake Siedlecki had a big night. He caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Simmons in the first quarter, returned an interception 70 yards for a score in the third quarter and was named Homecoming King at halftime.

“It was about the funnest night possible,” Siedlecki said.

Feeney-Childers faked out everyone when he picked up a punt that was about to die near the sideline late in the second quarter and raced 60 yards for a touchdown. A crowd of players from both teams started gathering around the ball as it was just about to roll dead, but Feeney-Childers saw an opening, grabbed the ball before anyone could react and sprinted up the left sideline to the end zone.

It was the Cougars’ second touchdown in less than two minutes and carried them into the Homecoming halftime with a 21-7 lead.

“My team needed something,” he said. “Coach (Frank) Amar told me something back in the summer and I just knew we needed a big play to get more energized. He told me when the punting team backs away from it if you see green take it.”

Allen’s role increased when Simmons went out and he rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He had 117 yards on 19 carries and both of his scores after Simmons left the game. He said he was doing it for his friend.

“As soon as I seen him go down I knew I had to step up and make something happen,” Allen said. “I know I fumbled twice, but I had a goldfish mentality where I just forget it and go on to the next play. I forgot about it, went right back and scored a touchdown. This was for 1. He’s my best friend.”

The post-game report on Simmons was encouraging. His range of motion in the shoulder was good and Wilson was confident if there’s no bone issue he’s “99 percent sure” the quarterback would play in next week’s playoff opener. Simmons is the Cougars’ leading passer (640 yards) and second-leading rusher (337), accounting for 14 touchdowns.

The quarterback injured his other shoulder during the Pitman game earlier this season and after one day of intense pain played the next week against Wildwood with heavy protection.

The win left the Cougars 9-0 for the year, the second winningest season in school history. Four years ago, in Wilson’s first season, they were 0-7.

“Me and (tight end) Ryan Johnson, our freshmen year we went 0-7 and we really got our butts kicked every game,” Siedlecki said. “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 and have a game like that in front of my school and community that means a lot. It was a lot of fun.”

Cover photo: Quarterback Matthew LaMazza comes to the sideline for a play during the second half of Friday night’s game with Gloucester Catholic.

Schalick 42, Gloucester Catholic 20

GC		SCH
15	1st Downs	12
26-80	Rushing	41-191
9-24-2	Passes	1-2-0
100	Passing	175
2-1	Fum-lost	5-3
5-26.0	Punts-avg	3-26.7
6-60	Penalties	11-90

Gloucester Catholic (2-5)	7	14	14	7 –	42
Schalick (9-0)	7	0	7	6 –	20

Scoring plays:
S – Jake Siedlecki 75 pass from Kenai Simmons (Hunter Dragotta kick), 8:44 1Q
G – Joncarlo Coia 25 pass from Jack Mustaro (Mike Freeman kick), 4:54 1Q
S – Reggie Allen 35 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 4:44 2Q
S – Levi Feeney-Childers 60 punt return (Hunter Dragotta kick), 2:47 2Q
G – Joncarlo Coia 16 pass from Jack Mustaro (Mike Freeman kick), 5:20 3Q
S – Reggie Allen 15 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 4:18 3Q
S – Jake Siedlecki 70 interception return (Hunter Dragotta kick), 1:28 3Q
S – Sherrod Jones 18 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 7:14 4Q
G – Kyle Guldin 20 run (PAT failed), 3:03 4Q

**Schalick running back Reggie Allen makes a move to avoid Gloucester Catholic’s Jude VanAuken (1). (Photo by Heather Papiano)**

The final push

All 5 Salem County football teams playing to nail down playoff spots; Woodstown, Penns Grove playing for division title, Schalick chasing an undefeated season, No. 1 seed

SALEM COUNTY FOOTBALL
Friday’s games
Gloucester Catholic at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Salem at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, noon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

All any team wants is to have a chance to play for something at the end of the season. All five Salem County football teams will be playing for something this week.

Above all, they’ll all be playing for their playoffs lives or at the very least to better their positions in the Group I South/Central Jersey bracket.

Penns Grove and Woodstown will be playing Saturday morning for the Diamond Division title. A Woodstown win would give the Wolverines the title outright. A Penns Grove win could give the Red Devils a share and Woodbury beats Salem (also on Saturday), it would be a three-way tie.

But like Penns Grove coach John Emel said, “I don’t think anybody goes around saying we were co-champs. We’ll let the naysayers worry about the technicalities.”

A potential No. 2 overall seed (and No. 1 in Central Jersey) could also be awaiting the Woodstown-Penns Grove winner.

Salem will be looking to enhance its playoff position. According to the latest South Jersey Group I UPR ratings, the Rams are in, it’s just a matter of where they’ll place.

Pennsville is looking to nail down its place in the bracket as well. The Eagles are No. 16 this week and a win at Pitman would solidify its spot.

Schalick has a lot on the line. When the Cougars play Gloucester Catholic at Homecoming, they will be looking to complete their first undefeated regular season since 2006, secure the most wins in a season since 2004 (12-0), close out the Horizon Division title undefeated for the second year in a row and nail down the No. 1 seed for complete home-field advantage in the South Jersey playoffs.

“If we win Friday night I don’t see us dropping,” Cougars coach Mike Wilson said.

Schalick was last a No. 1 playoff seed in 2006. In the wacky world of mathematics that now controls the playoff criteria, there’s speculation the Cougars could get jumped if a couple things happen over the weekend. A big consideration is if Shore Regional upsets undefeated Group III Holmdel.

“I think it’s wide open, really,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “When they started using this method I told our coaches you can’t even predict who you’re going to play anymore, so go out and try to take care of what you can control and hopefully go out a win and hope it falls right when they do the seedings.”

WOODSTOWN (5-2) at PENNS GROVE (4-4): Even when his team was 1-4 and trailing by 19 at halftime in its sixth game, Penns Grove coach John Emel believed his team had what it took to be a viable playoff team in Group I. They were skilled enough in most areas, all they had to do was tighten up a couple things.

The Red Devils have come around, justifying their coaches belief, and in the final game of the season have a chance to do what many didn’t think possible a month ago – win the WJFL Diamond Division and secure a prominent position in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

The Red Devils have won three in a row to get to .500 for the first time since the second game of last season. They’ve gotten healthy and all their players available, cut down on their turnovers and have held the opposition out of the end zone the last 10 consecutive quarters. If they win Saturday, they’ll claim a share of the Diamond Division title.

“The big one for us was having Woodstown beat Woodbury and now we have an opportunity to, depending on what happens, earn a share of the division,” Emel said. “It’s just exciting to be playing well at the right time of year and to be able to play for a lot of things. This is a one-game season with an opportunity to win a division championship. For us, this is our Super Bowl.

“Any way you split it, we control our own destiny. I’m excited for our guys to be in this position. When we were 0-3, 1-4 and down at the half (against Paulsboro) and things could’ve gone the other way, we didn’t allow it to. We’re excited to play a big game. You want to be in contention; we’re in contention on the last game of the regular season … I just want our guys to be up for the task.”

Bryce Wright, the Red Devils’ leading rusher (783 yards) and tackler (48), is excited about the way the season has turned and what could be waiting for his team after Saturday’s game. It also excites him the game could turn into a Battle of the Bryces. Woodstown’s leading rusher in Bryce Belanfanti.

“They’ve got a running back named Bryce; he’s got my name, so I’m coming. I’m really excited,” he said. “I never lost faith in my team. After the first game (a turnover-laden 33-22 loss to Burlington City), that was just a battery for me being a leader on my team. I just came in on Monday and told the guys you don’t want this to happen every game, it’s not the team we’re going to be and I think they turned it around themselves.”

The Wolverines, meanwhile, have beaten the Red Devils each of the last two years. A victory Saturday, regardless of the Salem-Woodbury outcome, would give them a sweep of the Diamond Division and their first outright division title since 2013.

“Our division is like the SEC of Group I, so to be able to play a meaningful game for the division, to win it outright this late in the season, is awesome,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “We always talk to the kids about wanting to play meaningful games late in the season and we see ourselves right in front of one.

“I just love the fact we are to this game because kids specifically look past the game and look to playoffs, so having this meaningful game is something that could really help us out.”

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (2-4) at SCHALICK (8-0): This is a true Homecoming game for the Cougars. Because of the schedule and two forfeits the last two weeks, they haven’t played on home turf since Sept. 15.

The Rams provided coach Mike Wilson his first victory as Schalick’s head coach in 2020 and now they could provide him with one of his most important victories, one that would bring his program full circle.

“You look at the growth of the program, my first year we were 0-7, so we can finish three seasons later at 9-0 I think it shows the testament to the kids’ hard work over the last couple years,” Wilson said. “It just shows the growth of the program and what we’ve been able to accomplish in a short amount of time.”

But it won’t be without challenges. The Cougars lead the series 8-3 and have won the last two meetings, but last year even while rushing for 345 yards they needed to recover an onside kick in the final minute to hold off a furious fourth-quarter rally.

With all the distractions that come with the week, Wilson is trying to keep things “as normal as possible.”

“We discussed those as a team this week, but as I told the kids the most important thing is you’ve got to treat every game the same; you just have to play football,” he said. “We’re all going to be amped up, we’re all going to be excited, we’re all going to be a little stressed out this week because so much is on the line, but the sooner you get settled into a normal game the better.”

PENNSVILLE (4-3) at PITMAN (2-4): For the Eagles, the playoffs start this week. They currently occupy the 16th and final qualifying spot in the UPR, but figure they need a win to solidify their spot.

“We’ve treated this week just like a playoff week,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said. “In our mind it’s win to get in for us and that’s really the only way to approach it. With where we are in the stack and knowing the teams around us, we can’t feel safe with anything. Also part of it is let’s try and move up a couple spots if we can.”

The Eagles would be “shocked” if they won Friday and were on the outside looking in when the final numbers are crunched Saturday. They would have their winningest team since 2016 with losses coming to current SJ-1 Schalick, rapidly rising Penns Grove and once-beaten Royal Division champion Lower Cape May. They hold a four-point UPR edge over current No. 17 Dunellen, which beat No. 19 NJ-I Brearley Thursday night.

But they aren’t overlooking Pitman and they’re pulling out all the stops to make sure the math works. The Panthers may have won only two games, but the Eagles are approaching them with the respect of a team that came within a failed two-point conversion of beating projected No. 1 seed Schalick rather than the one with a losing record.

“We basically told them no one is leaving the field at all for any reason, you’re going to be out there for every play of every thing,” Healy said. “We need everyone to play every snap this week. If we don’t win this week, for us, there is really no next week because we’re not in the playoffs and that’s everyone’s goal so we have to do everything possible to get in that position.”

SALEM (2-6) at WOODBURY (3-3): There is some belief that with two wins and playing in the tough Diamond Division Salem already has a spot in the playoffs, but Rams coach Danny Mendoza is taking nothing for granted.

The Rams have their qualifying two wins, one win in the division and have played a demanding schedule even outside the division. They entered the week 15th in the South Jersey Group I UPR, nearly 5.5 points ahead of the first spot out, but until it all shakes out Saturday there’s no time to relax.

“For me, until it’s said and done you really don’t know,” Mendoza said. “Being in the bottom quarter you’re never comfortable. It’s a must win for us, for sure. This game is the biggest game of the year for us, not just because it’s the next game, but it’s an opportunity for us to show that we can still play with the big boys.”

The Thundering Herd hasn’t won a game since Sept. 16 and they haven’t been at full strength. Quarterback Dante Viccharelli hasn’t played during their three-game losing streak and running back Anthony Reagan Jr. turned an ankle in the second half of their Woodstown game two weeks ago. The Herd was open last week and Mendoza won’t know if they’re playing until Saturday morning.

“We’re going to find out like everybody else, I guess,” Mendoza said.

Meanwhile, the Rams have played their best football the last month and could be a dangerous opponent for an upper seed if they get in. The resurgence has coincided with the emergence of Pop Jackson. The junior has rushed for 868 yards in the last four games and went over 1,000 for the season last week in the win over West Deptford.

“We’re getting better day by day,” Mendoza said. “We’ve found an identity and once you have an identity you can build off of that.”