WILDWOOD – Schalick went on the road for the first time this season looking to find a complete game. The offense got closer but still has a little work to do, but the defense played what coach Mike Wilson called its best game in his four years with the program.
Schalick 25, Wildwood 0 NEXT: vs. Riverside, Friday, 7 p.m.
The Cougars posted their first shutout of the season and fifth in Wilson’s four years as their coach, 25-0, over Wildwood.
It was their first shutout since last October, when they blanked Bishop Eustace 52-0, and their first shutout on the road since last Sept. 30 (50-0 at Lindenwold). It was their sixth shutout in the series they now lead 15-1.
They held Wildwood to 89 yards of net offense. Riley Papiano had a team-high 5.5 tackles and Jermaine Loney had 4.5 tackles and a sack.
“The defense played amazing tonight, probably the best defensive game since I’ve been here,” Wilson said. “The kids executed the game plan flawlessly.
“We contained No. 2, Junior Hans, that quarterback who’s the real deal. He probably had maybe two meaningful scrambles. We kept him in the pocket. We defended their passing game very well. We stopped the run. We played well all game. The kids did amazing. Tonight they did their job; they trusted everybody. Honestly, they executed as well as you could draw it up on the board.”
The defense collected a pair of takeaways, including an interception by Jake Siedlecki to set up the first of Reggie Allen’s three touchdowns. The pick came early in the second quarter, shortly after the Cougars misfired on a fourth-and-goal pass from the 4.
Levi Feeney-Childers scored the Cougars’ other touchdown. Allen finished with 144 yards rushing on 25 carries and Feeney-Childers had 103 yards on 12 carries.
The Cougars led only 7-0 at halftime, then put up more points in the second half they had in either of their previous two games.
“Offensively, it’s the same problem as the first two games,” Wilson said. “We look great in one drive and then we sputter the next drive. The offense is befuddling me right now. We’ve got to clean it up.”
The win was their third straight to open the season and left them 3-0 for the first time since 2016.
Schalick 25, Wildwood 0
SCHAL (25)
WWOOD (0)
16
1st Downs
4
43-237
Rushes-yds
21-57
2-6-0
Passes
5-19-2
18
Passing
32
0-0
Fumbles-lost
0-0
2-27.5
Punts-avg
NA
4-59
Penalties-yds
9-67
Schalick (3-0)
0
7
6
12 –
25
Wildwood (1-1)
0
0
0
0 –
0
Scoring plays S – Reggie Allen 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick) S – Reggie Allen 6 run (run failed) S – Reggie Allen 8 run (kick failed) S – Levi Feeney-Childers 17 run (pass failed)
Cover photo: Riley Papiano gets in position to make a tackle in Schalick’s game with Pitman two weeks ago. Papiano was the Cougars’ leading tackler in their shutout of Wildwood Friday night. (Photo by Heather Papiano)
After an impressive opening night, Pennsville falls flat in home opener, losing to Lower Cape May
ROYAL DIVISION SCORES Lower Cape May 28, Pennsville 7 Cumberland 6, Pitman 0 Collingswood 19, Gateway 14
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – A rousing win in the season opener had the Pennsville football team brimming with confidence and feeling pretty good about the season ahead. But those good vibes didn’t carry over to their home opener.
Lower Cape May 28, Pennsville 7 NEXT: vs. Gateway, Friday, 7 p.m.
In a time frame when tradition says teams make their most improvement, the Eagles fell flat against a much better team than they faced the week before and lost to Lower Cape May 28-7 Friday night in Lou D’Angelo Stadium.
“I think the whole team is sad,” said Malik Rehmer, a junior receiver who scored the Eagles’ only touchdown. “We came off a big win last week high and mighty and then we just get wrecked right now.
“This team (the Capers) came in with more heart. They were more conditioned. They just outworked us.”
The Eagles (1-1) allowed their visitors too many big-yardage plays in the first half while falling behind 21-7. Their offense, meanwhile, managed only 147 net yards total and just 43 on the ground.
Sky Eppes had 53 yards rushing on 20 carries. Rehmer caught six passes for 41 yards, including his 4-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter on a route he hadn’t run before this year to get the Eagles within 14-7.
Lower Cape May’s Isaiah Wing was the game’s leading rusher with 137 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Impressive receiver Braswell Thomas caught four passes for 78 yards and had an interception on defense.
The Capers (2-1) scored on three of their first four possessions and were approaching the 10 on their final drive when the half ended. Of their first 13 plays on offense, seven went for 10 yards or more and two others went for at least eight. They had three more in a row on their third scoring drive of the half.
“We were flat,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “We just didn’t come ready to play and they did and that was the big difference. They’re a good football team and against a good football team if you don’t come ready to play and play every play that’s what happens.
“Man for man they beat us up tonight. It’s a combination of us being flat and just not executing. We just didn’t come ready to play tonight. It was definitely disappointing. I had much higher expectations for us.”
The Eagles did much better in the second half, defensively at least, giving up only 86 yards and one touchdown after halftime. But it was hard to take solace in that when the offense continued to struggle, mustering only 71 yards in the second half.
“We played better defensively, but it’s such a small school, everyone playing both ways, you hope that carries over so it’s hard to be happy about one when we struggled some much on the other,” Healy said.
Lower Cape May 28, Pennsville 7
LCM
PMHS
18
1st Downs
11
32-217
Rushes-yards
31-43
10-18-1
Passes
9-25-1
124
Passing yards
104
0-0
Fumbles-lost
0-0
4-36.5
Punts-avg
3-31.3
14-120
Penalties-yards
3-35
Lower Cape May (2-1)
14
7
7
0 –
28
Pennsville (1-1)
0
7
0
0 –
7
Scoring plays LCM – Isaiah Wing 12 run (Dennis Serra kick), 8:52 1Q LCM – Logan Haggerty 1 run (Dennis Serra kick), 4:23 1Q P – Malik Rehmer 4 pass from Robbie McDade (Jackson Leino kick), 8:35 2Q LCM – Hunter Ray 25 run (Dennis Serra kick), 3:12 2Q LCM – Isaiah Wing 24 run (Dennis Serra kick), 8:55 3Q
Lower Cape May’s A.J. King (40) wags his finger at Pennsville’s Hayden Sherman (6) as if to say “Not today” during Friday night’s game. (Photo by Lorraine Jenkins)
All 5 Salem County football teams in action this weekend, but Pennsville only one playing at home; Woodstown’s Hill cleared for full contact
SALEM COUNTY GAMES Friday’s games Salem at Pleasantville, 6 p.m. Schalick at Wildwood, 6 p.m. Lower Cape May at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Saturday’s games Penns Grove at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m. Woodstown at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m. By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – The excessive heat this week has impacted the things Pennsville wanted to get done in the run up to Friday night’s football game with Lower Cape May, but Eagles coach Mike Healy is confident everything is in place for what really is an important early-season game.
The Eagles open their WJFL Royal Division schedule with their home opener. In a division that’s not likely to get more than one team in the playoffs, getting off to a good start in the division is important. Lower Cape May lost one division game in a 6-2 regular season last year and didn’t make it.
“It’s huge from that aspect, if we want to be in that conversation at the end of the year,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “The short term goal is to go 1-0 each week, any coach is going to say that, but long term, you win your first division game and now you’re in that battle all season long and your destiny is in your hands. Obviously it’s a long season, a lot of things can happen, but it feels a lot better when you’re in control of things.
“Division winners are getting in the playoffs, so if we want to accomplish our long term goals then we have to take care of business on Friday. Obviously other things can happen, but it’s better to take care of the division and not have to worry about that.”
The Eagles are 1-0 for the third time in four years. They won their season opener last year, but didn’t win another game the rest of the season. This year, they’re a lot more settled in, showed to be more sound in their technique in the opener and are just more confident going forward. The last time they were 2-0 was 2020 – the last time they beat the Tigers.
“Definitely feeling more confident than we did last year just based on how we played,” Healy said. “Every team makes mistakes during a game, but we didn’t have huge gaping issues that were apparent to us that we’re trying to cover up.
“I feel like we did a very good job last week; obviously, I was happy. It’s a different team this week. They’re 1-1, so they won a game this year. We’ve got to step up to that and I think if we play the way we can play – we want to be confident, but not overconfident – I think the kids are feeling we’re going in the right direction.”
Like all the teams in this part of the state, the Eagles have hit a few speed bumps this week because of the weather, juggling practice schedules to accommodate high temperatures and heat index. As recently as Wednesday they had to wait until the evening to get outside and then they had to start without pads.
“We definitely have changed what we’ve had to do,” Healy said. “We’re not even really sure what time we’re able to get out each day, so we start with a meeting and then we have to wait until we get the OK from the trainer to go outside.
“We’ve had limited practice time and, really, we just had to kind of pick what are the most important things we need to get done to be ready for the game. Everyone’s at a disadvantage from it, so it really comes down to who can adjust and prepare themselves the best in the limited time they’re going to have.
“Considering the circumstance I think we got in what we need to get in. Would I want more time? Yes, any coach is going to say that, but I think we did a good job as a staff getting in what needed to be put in for the game and I think the kids did a good job adjusting to the schedule and kind of just going with the flow.”
The Eagles are the only Salem County team at home this weekend. It’s the only week this season just one county team plays at home.
SCHALICK (2-0) at WILDWOOD (1-0): The Cougars are off to their best start in six years and are looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 2016 (when they started 6-0) as they open the most favorable stretch of their schedule.
But for all their early-season success, they’re also looking to put together a complete game and it starts with their Horizon Division opener – and first road game – against a Wildwood team Schalick coach Mike Wilson says looks to be one of its best in years.
The Cougars are “close,” Wilson said, but they could be a little sharper. They scored on their opening drive each of their first two games to take the lead, then held on for dear life. Last week against Pitman they opened the game with a flawless 74-yard drive that consumed nearly nine minutes, but they weren’t as consistent the rest of the way and needed a bang-bang stop of a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to save the win.
“In hindsight we won two games against two very good teams, two solid playoff teams, both that will make a lot of noise this year, win a lot of games,” Wilson said. “We’ve just got to get better. I know that’s a coaching cliche, but that’s what it comes down to.”
The Cougars ran the table in their division last year and have won six straight division games. Of the seven games remaining on the schedule the Cougars beat six of them a year ago and the one they didn’t is 0-2 this season and lost to Wildwood last week.
Schalick leads the series with Wildwood 14-1 and have won the last 10 in a row. Last year’s 29-12 win was the closest game of the winning streak.
SALEM (0-2) at PLEASANTVILLE (1-1): The Rams go into their third game under new coach Danny Mendoza looking to put it all together. In their first game the offense and special teams held their own but the defense let them down. Last week it was just the opposite.
More than anything, they need to be sharper in the second half. In the opener they trailed 14-13 midway through the third quarter, then got outscored 28-6. Last week against Camden, a Group III state semifinalist last year, one bad bust on a pass coverage late in the second quarter led to a touchdown and a 7-0 halftime deficit, but they were swamped 27-0 after halftime.
“We competed, we just made really, really bad mistakes at the really wrong times,” Mendoza said. “Against teams with that size and those kind of guys you have to be, not perfect, but you got to be definitely teed in on a different level to be able to take that game from them.
“(What they did in the first half) I’m proud of them, but we have to sustain it. We can’t just be a first-half football team. That’s what we’re working on, understanding how to be a second-half football team … We’ve got to clean everything up. This is a big week for us.”
Salem is scheduled to open division play next week against Penns Grove, but a developing non-football related issue may impact the venue of the game. It is Salem’s home game, but because of the Rams’ on-going stadium project, it was moved to Penns Grove and then last week was moved back to Salem’s Walnut Street Field for what would be the final high school game played there.
But safety concerns around the game make playing it there an open question. Salem police declined to comment, deferring to the high school. Salem High officials call it an “ongoing situation” and continue to collect information. Penns Grove remains willing to host the game.
Saturday’s games
WOODSTOWN (1-0) at PAULSBORO (0-1): The Wolverines have had this game circled on their calendar for nine months, ever since the Red Raiders knocked them out of the playoffs.
They blanked Paulsboro during the regular season, but the script flipped in the higher-staked rematch. If that game taught them anything, it was the importance of being sharp and winning the turnover battle, lessons they’re sure to recall when they hit the field Saturday.
“It’s been something we’ve talked about since Day One, coming up short in that game and how well they played and executed and we didn’t,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “It’s been a big focus … on doing our job, executing and finishing.”
The Wolverines got good news Wednesday when running back James Hill was cleared to return to full contact practice. Hill had been rehabbing off-season knee surgery and was cleared to return to football without contact last month.
He was expected to get full clearance Sept. 13, but his recent evaluation came in time to fulfill his six full practice requirement to be available for Game 3 next week at Deptford. He practiced Wednesday in shoulder pads and helmets because of the heat and Adams said “he looked good, he’s moving around good” and is “itching” to get back to full duty.
When Hill does play, he’ll probably start out at outside linebacker and maybe get in the mix at receiver before transitioning into the backfield. He’s a 3,000-yard career rusher.
PENNS GROVE (0-2) at WOODBURY (1-0): The Red Devils take a different approach and a lot of motivation into their first road game of the year and Diamond Division opener against the defending Group I state champions.
For the first two weeks, the emphasis was ball security and eliminating turnovers, but the Red Devils had 13 in the first two losses (nine lost fumbles) and are minus-9 in turnover ratio. Four of the turnovers have been inside their opponents 30 – two after sizeable gains – and seven inside the 40. That doesn’t count a fourth-down stop inside the 15.
Opponents have turned five of the takeaways into touchdowns, either directly on the return or on the ensuing possession. The Red Devils have converted two of their takeaways into touchdowns, including their only score against Pleasantville, and that’s the messaging going forward.
“Maybe I ought to change my emphasis from ball security to winning the turnover battle,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “We scored off our turnover so I think the key emphasis for me is turnovers lead to points and if we’re going to turn the ball over the other team is going to score more points than us. We need to get more turnovers and we need to protect the ball.
“I think we played better last week. Our defense can be pretty good. We cut down on the penalties, we played more disciplined, we limited big plays, but, again, we have to protect the football. We’re not good enough on offense to just waste possession and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
The Red Devils have plenty of motivation to break into the win column in this one. Woodbury has knocked them out of the playoffs each of the last two years and on a lesser scale the Thundering Herd rallied from a 12-0 deficit to beat them in the finals of the Taliaferro Foundation 7-on-7 tournament in June.
Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Sept. 5-9
Sept. 5 SCRIMMAGES GIRLS SOCCER Bridgeton at Salem, 4 p.m. Clayton at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Gloucester City, 4 p.m. Timber Creek at Woodstown, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Gloucester City at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Clayton, 4 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Woodstown at St. Joseph Academy, 9 a.m. Our Lady of Mercy at Woodstown, 3:30 p.m. Highland Regional at Salem, 4 p.m. Millville at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON GIRLS TENNIS Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m. Salem at Pitman, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Sept. 6 GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown at West Deptford, 4 p.m.
Sept. 7 FIELD HOCKEY Clayton at Salem, 4 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Overbrook at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Salem at Pittman, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Pitman at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Sept. 8 FOOTBALL Salem at Pleasantville, 6 p.m. Schalick at Wildwood, 6 p.m. Lower Cape May Regional at Pennsville, 7 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Gateway, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m. Sept. 9 FOOTBALL Penns Grove at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m. Woodstown at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m. BOYS SOCCER Gateway at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Former Salem coach returns with Camden and gets out with a win in the next-to-last game on his former field
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Rob Hinson has some nice memories of his one year playing on Walnut Street Field. He made a final one Saturday in the last time he’s going to play on it.
Hinson was the head coach at Salem for only one break-even year (2005) that started with an upset of a defending state champion but was part of the fabric that made the field historic. He coaches Camden now and in the next to last game to be played on the Rams’ longtime off-campus facility, his Panthers came in and gave their coach a 34-0 victory.
Camden 34, Salem 0 NEXT: at Pleasantville, Friday, 7 p.m.
“That’s significant, man, because my year here the previous coach, Montrey (Wright), played for me and he’s like a son,” said Hinson, who still lives in Carney’s Point. “When we got the schedule last year I was like it’s going to be great to go back to Salem and coach against Montrey on that field. But obviously it didn’t work out that way.
“Living in Salem County, we would come down here and watch games. I love the people in Salem. They have a lot of passion, very similar to the people in Camden; they love their Rams. So coming here and getting a win regardless of the score is a big deal. It’s pretty good to be here.”
The Panthers (1-1) parlayed three big scoring plays — one in each phase of the game — and Salem’s inability to create offense to win the next last high school game expected to be played at The Nut.
The game originally was scheduled for Wilmington’s Abissinio Stadium as part of the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic, but conflicts at the site forced the teams to pull out. It was Salem’s home game, but they couldn’t play there because the Rams’ on-campus stadium was still under construction. And they couldn’t play at Camden, because the Panthers’ stadium was still undergoing renovations as well.
The Rams had played at Walnut Street for decades and the old-timers can remember times when fans ringed the fences many times deep to watch the game, but they ended that relationship at the end of last season when the bleachers fell into disrepair and they started work on an on-campus stadium. The City of Salem had been working to bring Walnut Street back for the youth teams and earlier this week confirmed to the Rams the venue would be ready with limitations for Saturday’s game.
The field was ready, the bleachers were occupied and the public address system was operational. There was no power to the scoreboard, so the official timing was kept on the field. Beyond that, it was business as usual.
The Rams will use the field one last time in two weeks when they host Penns Grove. Their stadium is expected to be ready for their Oct. 7 game with Paulsboro.
Camden’s Braheem Long will take away fond memories of the field, too. His late father used to live in Salem and the senior defensive back remembers playing on the field growing up. He came back Saturday as a Syracuse commitment to block a punt, return the second half kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown and – his personal favorite – return an interception 40 yards for the game’s final score.
“This is actually the field I grew up on, so I decided to play real hard; I did it for him,” Long said. “It was definitely special. People usually don’t throw my way, so when they threw my way, I made it count.”
It wasn’t such a good experience for the Rams. Salem coach Danny Mendoza said if he could put last week’s offense with this week’s defense they could have something to build on, but they just made too many mistakes.
With the exception of one coverage bust on fourth down that cost them a touchdown in the first half and tiring in the second half, the defense held up its end. They held the Panthers to 38 yards rushing and 126 yards total in the first half and turned them
The offense, however, could never make any headway against Camden’s imposing defensive presence. They barely had over 100 net yards — 71 of it came on two Ramaji Bundy pass completions — and through three quarters they were held to negative rushing yardage.
Their deepest penetration into Camden territory was the 29 (on the first play of the second quarter) and that snap produced an interception. It didn’t help three starters went down in the first quarter.
Special teams were equally problematic. The Rams (0-2) had two punts blocked, the ones they did get away didn’t go far, and they had that kickoff return by Long.
“You’re not going to win any games with that, no matter how good you play,” Mendoza said. “We’ve got to go back to the drawing board, do some soul searching and change some things offensively and see what’s the best package for us.
“We’ve got have the energy in all three phases of the game. If we can ever get all three phases relatively similar production-wise, I think we’ll be able to pick it up. We’ve got to fix some things.”
Camden 34, Salem 0
CAM (34)
SAL (0)
13
1st Downs
5
27-151
Rushes-yds
26-18
11-24-0
Passes
7-18-2
114
Passing yds
89
0-0
Fumbles-lost
1-0
1-24.0
Punts-avg
7-14.0
9-75
Penalties-avg
5-35
Camden (1-1)
0
7
13
14 –
34
Salem (0-2)
0
0
0
0 –
0
Scoring plays C – D’hani Cobbs 47 pass from Jaythan Candelario (Jah’Rodd Hamilton kick), 4:14 2Q C – Braheem Long 89 kickoff return (Jah’Rodd Hamilton kick), 11:38 3Q C – Judah Anthony 11 run (kick failed), 1:46 3Q C – Judah Anthony 17 run (Jah’Rodd Hamilton kick), 6:24 4Q C – Braheem Long 40 interception return (Jah’Rodd Hamilton kick), 4:45 4Q
Cougars once again ‘found a way’ to win, turning back late 2-point conversion to edge Pitman, remain undefeated
SALEM COUNTY GAMES Friday’s game Schalick 14, Pitman 13 Saturday’s game Camden at Salem, noon
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — Nobody pays attention to a two-point conversion until it matters. Oh, did it matter Friday night.
Schalick senior safety Jake Siedlecki went over Pitman tight end Stephen Devanney to knock down a go-ahead 2-point try with 1:24 to play to preserve the Cougars’ 14-13 win and unbeaten on the season.
It was 6-foot-1 against 6-2 defending running back Trey Tinges’ jump pass for the lead and Siedlecki, the smaller of the two, went over the top to come out on top. The Panthers set up the potential game-winning play when Tinges pushed in from the 1 after Siedlecki had gotten beaten on a pass to Devanney on fourth-and-15 the play before.
“The play before I messed up, but I was able to make up for it, thank God,” Siedlecki said. “On that last play we were in man coverage and once I saw (Devanney) put his head up I knew it was going to be a pass. I got my hand in front and executed the play.
“I didn’t have my eyes in the backfield, so I honestly don’t know (it was going to be a Tim Tebow jump pass), I just had my eyes on my man and it went in my favor. I’m glad we got the win.”
Earlier in the quarter, in a scenario eerily similar to last week’s game with Gloucester City, the Cougars stopped Pitman quarterback Kyle Kubat on fourth-and-1 from the 4 to maintain a 14-7 lead. R.J. Piernikoski, Reggie Allen and Levi Freeney-Childers led the charge that stopped Kubat about eight inches from the line to gain. A week ago, the defensive line stuffed Gloucester City quarterback Jake Seibert twice from the 1 to keep him the Lions of the end zone.
And just like last week, the Cougars’ offense couldn’t move ball out and Kenai Simmons had to punt from his end zone. This week, he got off a high punt that took a Schalick bounce and set the Panthers up just short of midfield.
Pitman drove down to score, just like Gloucester City did, to tighten the game, but this time Schalick and Siedlecki denied the extra point, preventing the need for the Cougars to put together a winning drive into the final minute.
Pitman coach Chris Thomas said there was no doubt he was going for the win in that situation. The play was a pass all the way.
“We had something for the situation, something we felt good about and that decision was made a long time ago,” he said. “We knew on the road, against a team that’s very, very good, a playoff team like Schalick, (if) the situation presents itself where we have a chance to win the game with that play with about a minute and a half left, on the road, especially, no question we’re going for that.
“It might not have worked out, (but) I’d still make the call. I need to make a better play call in that situation. You’ve got to give credit to them. They played it very well.”
The conversion try was a bang-bang play in the end zone and neither team’s head coach could say definitively if they thought there was pass interference on it. Siedlecki was behind Devanney in man coverage but said he got his hand in while breaking up the pass.
Pitman’s Trey Tinges (4) brings down Schalick quarterback Kenai Simmons after a short gain. Top photo: Schalick’s Jake Siedlecki (2) saved the Cougars’ victory by knocking down the potential go-ahead two-point conversion in the end zone. (Photos by Heather Papiano)
The Cougars improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2017 with their second nailbiter in as many weeks, but they were far from satisfied with the performance. Even the hero of the night, Siedlecki, agreed “that’s not how we should win a game.”
They put together a flawless 74-yard drive that consumed nearly nine minutes to start the game, capped by Kenai Simmons’ 2-yard run to open the scoring, but they didn’t do much else offensively after that. Allen scored on a 2-yard run with 29 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Cougars a 14-7 halftime lead, but in the second half they had only 46 yards of net offense.
Outside of their two scoring drives, they had only 57 more yards. Allen, who did a lot of the heavy lifting on the opening drive, finished with 67 yards rushing. Tinges had 109 yards rushing for Pitman, 82 in the second half, 50 in the fourth quarter.
“We found a way to win, I give the kids credit for that; however, we deserved to lose tonight,” Schalick coach Mike Wilson said. “We did not play well. We were not focused. We had no energy from the get-go. We talked to them all week about it. They laid a duck tonight and I told them. Not happy.
“When we had to dig down deep, we did, but we should have never got to that point … We are our own worst enemies. Like tonight on offense, we stopped ourselves; they never stopped us. And that’s the frustrating part, we can’t put together a complete game. So, we’ve got to do a little searching of souls this week.”
The Cougars might not be happy with the first two games, but there are outside interests that believe, especially after they won the opener, they have a real chance to run the table.
The rest of their schedule appears favorable. Of the seven teams remaining on the schedule, the Cougars beat six of them a year ago and the one they didn’t is 0-2 this season.
They’re not listening.
“In all honesty, I understand from an outside perspective, but I’m a week-to-week guy,” Wilson said. “I only look at scout film for somebody else when the game’s over with. We’ve got to win every week and at the end if you win them all, you win them all, but it’s a week by week thing.”
NOTES: Friday’s game was the closest in the series since 1985, the only other one-point game they’ve played (20-19 Schalick) … Each team had only one possession in the first and third quarters … The Cougars have won 13 of the last 14 games played between the teams … The last time they were 3-0 was 2016, when they started the season 6-0.
Schalick 14, Pitman 13
PIT (13)
SCH (14)
15
1st Downs
11
33-182
Rushes-yds
34-133
6-13-0
Passes
4-5-0
64
Passing yds
61
1-0
Fumbles-lost
0-0
2-32.0
Punts-avg
2-39.0
4-25
Penalties-yds
5-35
Pitman (0-1)
0
7
0
6 –
13
Schalick (2-0)
7
7
0
0 –
14
Scoring plays S – Kenai Simmons 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 3:19 1Q P – Chase Rollins 2 run (Hudson Rue kick), 9:39 2Q S – Reggie Allen 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 0:29 2Q P – Trey Tinges 1 run (pass failed), 1:14 4Q
Pennsville plays complete game, erupts for 33 points in second quarter, routs Lindenwold
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
LINDENWOLD – It’s been a couple years since Pennsville put together as complete a game as it did in its opener Thursday night. It may never have had a more prodigious second quarter.
The Eagles dominated in all three phases and erupted for 33 points in the second quarter to open their season with a 49-6 rout of Lindenwold.
Pennsville 49, Lindenwold 6 NEXT: vs. L. Cape May, Friday, 7 p.m.
“Obviously we’re excited because we played a full game how we’re capable of doing; that we can show up and do what’s expected from the first snap to the last snap,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “Even our younger kids when they were in at the end of the game, they still kept playing, kept moving the ball, played well defensively. The entire program I was happy with.
“It’s the first time in a couple years I really felt like we played a full game start to finish and, more importantly, didn’t have any letdown at any point during the game.”
Their first two drives of the game netted in a field goal and a fumble out of the end zone trying to score for a touchback. After that, they were relentless.
Sky Eppes rushed for 118 yards and four touchdowns and Rylan Hardy rushed for 60 yards and two scores. Quarterback Robbie McDade completed 4-of-6 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown to Malik Rehmer. Rehmer caught three balls for 88 yards.
The Eagles scored their 33 points in the second quarter in a span of about 10 minutes. Eppes scored the first three touchdowns and Hardy scored the last two. The first four came over a stretch of about four minutes.
“We’re setting the tone early and we’re going to finish the same way, letting everybody know we’re different this year and we’re not letting up any time soon,” Eppes said. “Before the game when we’re breaking it down I told everybody that we’re going to try to break records this year and they stepped up and tried to make it happen.”
The Eagles play their home opener next Friday against Lower Cape May looking to go 2-0 for the first time since 2020.
The loss was Lindenwold’s 16th in a row going back to 2021. Pennsville won last year’s game 34-26, but the Lions were driving for a potential game-tying score when time expired.
Pennsville 49, Lindenwold 6
Pennsville (1-0)
9
33
7
0 –
49
Lindenwold (0-2)
0
0
0
6 –
6
Scoring plays P – Jackson Leino 34 FG, 7:40 1Q P – Malik Rehmer 43 pass from Robbie McDade (PAT failed), 2:36 1Q P – Sky Eppes 48 run (PAT failed), 11:36 2Q P – Sky Eppes 1 run (Jackson Leino kick), 10:34 2Q P – Sky Eppes 14 run (PAT failed), 7:53 2Q P – Rylan Hardy 20 run (Jackson Leino kick), 7:30 2Q P – Rylan Hardy 20 run (Jackson Leino kick), 1:49 2Q P – Sky Eppes 9 run (Jackson Leino kick), 5:09 3Q L – Denny 1 run (pass failed), 5:15 4Q
Wolverines take control of opener with early turnovers, seal the victory with solid second half
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – When Woodstown coach John Adams talks about Garrett Leyman being a possession guy for the Wolverines, he means for the offense. A down-the-field threat who’ll catch anything thrown remotely in his direction a veritable frisbee-catching-dog kind of receiver.
But the junior was a pretty good possession guy for the Wolverines’ defense in Thursday night’s opener, too, and at point was the opponent’s most reliable receiver.
He intercepted two of Haddon Heights’ first four passing attempts and a had fumble recovery in the first 14 minutes of the season to give the Wolverines short fields to work with on the way to a quick 20-point lead en route to a 34-7 victory.
“Just in the right place at the right time,” Leyman said. “I would have never imagined it happening. It was fun to finally be that guy.”
“People forget he’s really solid on defense; that’s where we actually started him first in our program,” Adams said. “Right away they ran that RPO and we were worried about that and Garrett was right there, played it perfect, got the pick. That was awesome.”
The Wolverines turned their visitors over on each of their first three defensive series and four of the first five times the Garnets attempted to possess the ball. Leyman spoiled two of the Garnets’ first three series with interceptions and later recovered a fumbled kickoff.
With the help of the takeaways, the Wolverines ran their first 25 plays of the game inside Haddon Heights territory, only two outside the 25. They didn’t run their first play in their own end until 4:30 remained in the first half.
They scored 17 points off the first-half turnovers and came within two yards of adding another touchdown off one of them
“If you can win the turnover battle, you usually win the game, and that’s what we did tonight,” Adams said.
Meanwhile, kicker Jake Ware had a big night making his varsity debut on the field that bears his grandfather’s name.
He kicked field goals of 33 and 22 yards in the first half and his first three kickoffs found the end zone. His next kickoff was not quite as long, but the Garnets fumbled the return with Leyman there to fall on it. Another kickoff in the half found the end zone but was negated by a penalty. Altogether, he accounted for 10 points.
“It was great,” Ware said. “Once I got my groove, I was not missing; it felt great. It was as good as it could have been. It could have looked prettier, but everything went in.
“I thought I was going to get that much (work), but throughout the whole game not primarily in the first half, first quarter. It definitely helped me get my groove early and after those first couple kicks I was in my groove.”
It could have been a night for nerves. Ware went to the Woodstown schools through eighth grade, then transferred to Salesianum in Delaware to participate in that school’s nationally ranked soccer program. But he returned to his roots last winter to play on the field that bears his Hall of Fame coach grandfather Clint’s name and rejoin all his childhood friends.
“There was a little bit of emotion,” he admitted, “but I didn’t try to think about too much because I was trying to focus on doing my thing and not messing up at all.”
The Wolverines hadn’t attempted more than three field goals in any season over the last 10 years, but they almost tried that many in the first half. Adams thought about giving his new weapon a shot at a longer one when a first-and-goal got pushed back to the 25 by penalties, but recanted because of the distance (potentially 42 yards). The Wolverines almost scored when they went for it anyway, but Zach Bevis was stopped just short of the goal line on a pass from Max Webb.
For all that went the Wolverines’ way in the first half, it wasn’t a sharp half. Webb delivered an impassioned speech to the players at halftime about doing better, followed by a similar message from Adams, and the Wolverines were much cleaner in the second half.
They got two more takeaways and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The first score was a pass from Webb to Bevis and the other was a 58-yard dash from Bryce Belanfanti.
The Wolverines were looking for someone to help keep their running game viable while they await the return of James Hill from offseason surgery. Belanfanti answered that call with 125 yards and two touchdowns Thursday night. Woodstown rushed for 206 yards as a team.
“I took a lot of responsibility in it,” Belanfanti said. “I know people didn’t believe in us without James, but we did what we could.”
And when Hill, a 3,000-yard career rusher, does get back sometime after Sept. 13, what then?
“It’s going to be hard for defenses,” Belanfanti said. “We’ll be running all over them, really.”
Woodstown 34, Haddon Heights 7
HHTS (7)
WOOD (34)
9
1st Downs
11
22-72
Rushes-yds
36-206
8-20-3
Passes
3-9-0
73
Passing yds
38
3-3
Fumbles-lost
0-0
3-34.0
Punts-avg
3-34.0
3-42
Penalties-yds
9-100
Haddon Heights (0-1)
0
7
0
0 —
7
Woodstown (1-0)
10
10
0
14 —
34
Scoring plays W – Bryce Belanfanti 3 run (Jake Ware kick), 10:27 1Q W – Jake Ware 32 FG, 8:45 1Q W – Jake Ware 22 FG, 11:19 2Q W – Max Webb 8 run (Jake Ware kick), 10:10 2Q HH – Damier Outterbridge-Ali 7 pass from Drew Harris (Drew Harris kick), 4:39 2Q W – Zach Bevis 9 pass from Max Webb (Jake Ware kick), 8:18 4Q W – Bryce Belanfanti 58 run (Jake Ware kick), 6:43 4Q
Bryce Belanfanti signals after scoring Woodstown’s first touchdown of the season. Belanfanti got the final TD of the game, too, on a 58-yard burst in the fourth quarter. (Photos by Ellen Sickler)
Penns Grove’s defense plays well enough to win, but turnovers continue to handicap offense
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – Teachable moments on the football field take on all forms and often reflect the personality of the coaches delivering them.
Pleasantville 14, Penns Grove 6 NEXT: Penns Grove at Woodbury, Sept. 9, 10:30 a.m.
The players from Penns Grove huddled around coach John Emel near midfield Friday moments after the post-game handshake for a quick breakdown of a 14-6 loss to Pleasantville that stung a lot. Then they looked across the field and wondering which of the teams that played lost the game.
Down in the far end zone, the Greyhounds, who should have been high-fiving their way back to the buses celebrating their first win of the season, were doing 40-yard up-and-backs to understand the effort they had just given was just not acceptable.
Pleasantville coach Malachi Timberlake said it was the first time he has ever resorted to such tactics, but he needed to get a message across early in the season.
“I felt it needed to be done,” he said. “We’re happy to get the win, but to be great they all need to be on the same page.
“We’re not playing our best brand of football. It’s the same mistakes week after week. We’re going to be in dogfights every single week until we get better. I’m proud of them that they got the win, figured out how they got the win, but it’s just not good enough for our standards. We have a lot of talent and it’s not showing on the field. We’ve got to get our point across or it’s going to be a long season.”
Over on the other side, the Red Devils were left to wonder what might have been. Their defense gave them every chance to win the game, but their offense sputtered for the second straight week under the weight of six more turnovers – five, if you discount fumbling loading up for a Hail Mary on the final play..
The Red Devils held their visitors to 172 net yards and one offensive touchdown. They made four fourth-down stops (three with lost yardage) – five if you count the time they pressured the Greyhounds to jump offsides on fourth-and-1 that forced them to punt to start the fourth quarter.
Dameon Wilson made a fourth-down stop and recovered a fumble on consecutive series, Willie Slocum had a fourth-down sack and Bryce Wright had an interception.
“We played way better than we did last week defensively; you see the scoreboard,” Wilson said. “I feel like I played better as an individual. I did my job. I feel like my team did their job. We’ve just got to keep the good defense up. We’ve just got to be able to score, that’s it. The defense is fine, we’ve just got to be able to score.”
It looked like the Red Devils were going to get another stop in the red zone in the second quarter, but left-handed sophomore quarterback Ahmad Jones zipped a sharp spiral to Dwayne Carter between two Penns Grove defenders on fourth down from the 19 for the only touchdown of the half.
Francisco Aguirre kicked the extra point and the way both defenses were playing it looked for the longest time like that would be the margin of victory.
“I thought first half down 7-0, we really controlled the game,” Emel said. “(But) there are no moral victories. It was a playoff type game and we lost 14-6. We’ve got to find a way to win these type of games.
“I think we played better than last week, but, again, five turnovers. You ain’t gonna win with five turnovers. Hey, our defense is pretty good.”
The Red Devils did punch it in early in the third quarter when Wright turned the left corner and went 25 yards to make it 7-6. But the Greyhounds stopped the Devils’ lead back short of the end zone on the conversion to maintain the lead. Wright rushed for 60 yards on 14 carries, several times carrying the pile for additional yards.
The touchdown was one of the few highlights for Penns Grove’s offense. The Red Devils, who had more than 300 yards rushing in their opener against Burlington City, were held to 60 yards net by the Greyhounds.
Of course, they were down three linemen during the course of the game and the Greyhounds took away the outside making it a more physical game, but it was ball security that once again was their main shortcoming.
After seven turnovers in the opener, they had six against the Greyhounds. They lost six fumbles in the opener and four Friday. All of the turnovers stole momentum, but the biggest was a strip by Kwalil Shepperson in the fourth quarter that Gabriel Rodriguez pounced on in the end zone for an insurance touchdown with 62 seconds to play.
The Red Devils still had time to get a game-tying score. They worked it to midfield, but their hopes for getting off a Hail Mary on the final play of the game never materialized as sophomore quarterback Ramello Erickson lost the handle going back to make the pass.
“A lot of people are going to put it on the quarterback,” Emel said. “We’ve got a young quarterback, but it’s a team game. We’re not doing him any favors.”
NOTES: Penns Grove had a short week to prepare for Pleasantville, but it gets eight days now for defending state champion Woodbury next Saturday … The Thundering Herd had to rally from a 12-0 deficit to beat the Red Devils in the finals of the Adam Taliaferro Foundation 7-on-7 in June … The 0-2 start is Penns Grove’s first since 2016. You’ll have to go past 2010 to find the last time they started a season 0-3 … If you were a little confused about matching names with the program today, Pleasantville was wearing an old set of uniforms. The Greyhounds wore their new duds for their Battle at the Beach opener and they hadn’t gotten back from the laundry before they left for Thursday’s game.
Pleasantville 14, Penns Grove 6
P’VILLE (14)
PENNS GR. (6)
7
1st Downs
6
32-74
Rushes-yds
30-31
9-24-1
Passes
6-17-2
98
Passing yds
29
2-1
Fumbles-lost
7-4
4-27.0
Punts-avg
7-22.4
15-138
Penalties-yds
6-33
Pleasantville (1-1)
0
7
0
7 –
14
Penns Grove (0-2)
0
0
6
0 –
6
Scoring plays P – Dwayne Carter 19 pass from Ahmad Jones (Francisco Aguirre kick), 5:48 2Q PG – Bryce Wright 25 run (run failed), 9:28 3Q P – Gabriel Rodriguez fumble recovery in end zone (Francisco Aguirre kick), 1:02 4Q
Riverview Sports News 