Salem County teams scrimmage for first time Wednesday in the run-up to their season openers
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
Their season opener is still 10 days away and as far as the Schalick Cougars are concerned it can’t get here fast enough.
Well, that wait is almost over. It might not be a “real” game, but the Cougars get a chance to finally see what this year’s full squad looks like against somebody else Wednesday when they travel to Mainland Regional for their first scrimmage of preseason camp. Lower Cape May and West Deptford also will be there.
“Everything is going well,” Wilson reported earlier in the week. “We’re so much further along than we ever have been. We could play a game tomorrow if we had to.
“It’s Year 4 for us, the kids know the routine. Most of the junior class has been playing since they’ve been freshmen, so they’re used to the way we practice. We’ve gotten a lot of football stuff done. We’re ready to go. “
The Cougars are one of three Salem County teams scrimmaging Wednesday. Penns Grove gets the action started with an 8 a.m. joint practice at Maple Shade and Pennsville hosts Bishop Eustace and Pemberton at 2 p.m.
Woodstown hosts St. Joe’s of Hammonton in its first scrimmage Thursday (9 a.m.) and Salem goes for the first time Saturday at 5 p.m. in a tri-state scrimmage with Philly’s Olney Charter and host McKean in Wilmington.
In Schalick’s scrimmage the teams will get 30 minutes with each other however they want to play it. The Cougars’ rotation will start with Mainland. Their plan for that one is to go 10 plays on offense and defense with the varsity, 7 and 7 with the 2s, give the JVs some work and wrap up with some down-and-distance and goal-line work.
Wilson plans to approach it like an preseason NFL game. It won’t be quite like the Eagles’ exhibition opener with Baltimore where the starters didn’t play, but the Cougars will rotate a lot of players into the mix. The “real game” look will come Saturday against Deptford.
“There is a group of kids who are in our varsity group right now that we’re expecting some big things from,” Wilson said. “Right now, when we go first-team with subs we’re looking at 18 to 20 kids we’re considering varsity football players, all of whom have a legitimate shot to see the field Friday nights. We’ve got a lot of competitions going on right now.”
PENNS GROVE at MAPLE SHADE: Red Devils coach John Emel has a good idea what he’d like to get done in this early morning exercise – and it involves a little bit of everything and what he hopes will be a lot of live work.
“We want to get a lot of reps,” he said. “I want to see who can block and tackle. We want to feel good about our team going into Friday. We’re not going to run a lot of stuff, we’re going to shrink down the playbook and we’re going to give our guys an opportunity to play fast and be real aggressive. That’s what you want to see.
“We‘ve got to find out who can play football while we can still go live and we got an opportunity to go against somebody else. We haven’t played a game since early last November. This is the longest stretch we’ve had (off the field) so it’s an opportunity to go out there and play somebody else, so everybody should be excited.”
They certainly aren’t easing into it when it comes to their scrimmage opponents. Maple Shade played for the South Jersey Group I championship last year and Highland Regional, Friday’s foe in a more game-like exercise, is Group III.
In the past, they’ve had a regular preseason relationship with perennial South Jersey contender Delsea. Emel wouldn’t have it any other way.
“If you look at us the last few years, we always try to play a team better than we’ll play in the early part of the season or we play a team that gets us ready for the team we’re going to play,” he said. “We do try to scrimmage tough teams because I want my guys to get challenged when it doesn’t count, when there’s not a score or a loss.
“I want them to play somebody and get their butts kicked and that’ll make them better. I’m a big believer in that. It’s not good for your morale and maybe not your physical health, but you get better by losing, by failure. We want to simulate the game in the preseason so we can get better before that and we can see who can’t do what and who can do what.
“I don’t want a cupcake team. I’ve got a tough team and they’ve got to play a tough schedule so we have to get them ready.”
The Red Devils open their season Aug. 25 against Burlington City.
PENNSVILLE vs. BISHOP EUSTACE, PEMBERTON: The Eagles will see a little bit of everything from everybody, which will give them a better picture of the team they expect to be. It’s expected to be 10 plays on offense, 10 plays on defense and then rotating drives among themselves. The scrimmage was moved to 2 p.m. from an original 10 a.m. start.
“You just want the kids show they can be competitive and they’re doing what they’ve been taught, what we’ve been going over, spending so much time doing,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said. “And I want to know who are my players, who are they not.
“We’ve still got two scrimmages after that (but) I need to start getting an idea. I’ve got an idea who some are, but I need to figure this out.”
Photo: Penns Grove runs a play during Tuesday’s practice.
Category: FOOTBALL
It’s all about respect
Pennsville coming to play every week so no one takes them lightly
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Mike Healy didn’t grow up in Pennsville. He never played football for the Eagles. But he has been in the game around here long enough as a player and coach on the other sideline to remember when they were one tough team to play.
It’s been a while since they’ve enjoyed that status, and the Pennsville coach would love nothing more than to have them regain that reputation on his watch.
The sooner the better. Like now.
Every August teams come to camp with a theme that fits nicely on a t-shirt and spirit banner. The Eagles have rallied around “Live The Standard, FTC” – family, trust, commitment – as a consistent theme the last couple years, but this year the focus is also about raising their profile among the teams in the region.
“As every other team is working all the time, if we want to get back to where we were we’ve got to get it back to working out like we did,” Healy said. “For us, it’s all about getting respect back.
“We haven’t been good the past couple years; it’s very clear, you can look it up. The biggest thing for us is to get respect and be a good football team. Don’t worry about yourself, but really understand it takes all 11 guys doing the right thing. It’s not OK for somebody to say I did my job it doesn’t matter. No, no, no, no. We succeed or fail as a team to get that respect back.”
The fastest way to reach that goal is making the playoffs. The easiest way to do that is dominate their Royal Division of the WJFL that is likely to get only one team in the playoffs this year.
The Eagles have been a playoff team under Healy before, but always with less than .500 records and they haven’t had a winning season since 2016. They were 1-8 last year, winning only their season opener.
In the six years since that winning season they’ve been a combined 16-39. In the seven years prior they were 59-19 with six winning seasons, a South Jersey Group One championship and a sectional runner-up.
Healy remembers the atmosphere back then was electric and that’s what he wants to recapture.
“Every team talks about it, but for us … we’ve got to take it week by week and make sure every week we’re focused, we’re not letting anything slip by us,” he said. “We did not play good football last year, so, obviously, we don’t have any room for error. We’ve got to show who we really are and every game really show people we’re a different football team, we’re coming to play and then no one can take us easy.
“It’s something we want everyone to be proud of again. But as a team we want to be respected again. Regardless of what people say outside, we want to get back to doing what we know we can do.”
The Eagles went through a lot of growing pains last year with a roster full of young players who have returned with a year of valuable experience. Among the returnees is versatile Sky Eppes, their leading rusher (652 yards, six TDs) and tackler (42), Malik Rehmer, their leading receiver (23-268) and pass defender (two INTs), and sophomore quarterback Robbie McDade has made “a huge jump since last year.” They’ve also brought back the wisdom of three coaches from the successful staffs of the past, two of whom were head coaches.
“A lot of those kids have taken a big step, so far,” Healy said after Friday’s practice. “Obviously, it’s early, we haven’t even had a full padded practice yet where we can really start to see. It’s really going to come to when we start getting our scrimmages in to see who we are.
“We’re in a way better spot right now than we were last year, except we haven’t had full pads yet. We haven’t gone against another team to see how we react. We’ve talked a lot about things are going to go bad, how are the kids going to react in a game; nothing is ever perfect. Ever. That’s the stuff I want to see from them.”
The Eagles scrimmage for the first time Wednesday 2 p.m. against Bishop Eustace and Pemberton.
| DATE | PENNSVILLE SCHEDULE | TIME |
| Aug. 31 | at Lindenwold | 6 p.m. |
| Sept. 8 | Lower Cape May | 7 p.m. |
| Sept. 15 | Gateway | 7 p.m. |
| Sept. 22 | Schalick | 7 p.m. |
| Sept. 29 | at Cumberland | 6 p.m. |
| Oct. 6 | Overbrook | 7 p.m. |
| Oct. 14 | at Penns Grove | Noon |
| Oct. 20 | at Pitman | 7 p.m. |
Photo: Pennsville coach Mike Healy watches 6-7 Daniel Saulin (77) and Adrian Morgan (12) go through a line drill during a recent practice.
Full card
Salem locks up elusive Week Zero game with Pennsylvania charter school, has full nine-game slate
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Danny Mendoza has wanted to play a Week Zero game since the day he arrived as Salem’s new football coach, but it has been a difficult search. He finally found one, but, sticking to the theme for his first season, they had to go out of state to do it.
The Rams completed their 2023 football schedule shortly before opening fall camp when they landed an Aug. 25 game with Executive Education Academy Charter School of Allentown, Pa. The game will be played in Lafayette College’s Fisher Stadium.
“We just want to have the opportunity to play Week Zero and dictate our own destiny,” said Mendoza, who was formally approved in June to succeed Montrey Wright as head coach. “We don’t want our kids to lose games with the way they’ve got this schedule set up.”
The Rams were going to be a bunch of road warriors this season as it was as they await the completion of their football stadium later this fall, but with the addition of this game they now will travel 688 round-trip miles in the regular season and have three trips of 120 miles or more .
They will play in three states and in two college stadiums. Besides the game at Lafayette – where offensive line coach Eric Fizur is an alum – they will play in Rutgers’ SHI Stadium Sept. 23. They also have a game at Abessinio Stadium in Wilmington Sept. 2.
Mendoza said the Rams looked far and wide to find a game but even though it seemed many South Jersey teams didn’t have a Week Zero game they got no takers. They almost had a game with Neptune, taking Mendoza back to his old stomping grounds, but it fell through.
Finally, they found the Raptors on an Eastern Pennsylvania open date website and made the connection for a one-time game. EEACS is a third-year football program that has had two winning seasons and went 8-4 a year ago.
“We were checking through the mud for stuff, just trying to find anything,” Mendoza said. “We reached out to everybody. Everybody.
“Our kids are going to have to play in some environments and really understand you have to take this as a chip on our shoulders and embrace being road warriors and understand if we can play away in different environments and come out successful that’s going to build us up to, God willing, a long postseason and maybe be able to earn some home games in the playoffs.”
The Rams have only two home games this season, on back-to-back weeks in October. Athletics director Darryl Roberts said the stadium project is on track and he anticipates it being ready by mid-September.
The team just completed its second day of fall camp and Mendoza said things were progressing “surprisingly well.”
“They’re taking to our practice tempo, they’re taking to the new style of offense and defense that we’re going to play,” he said. “They’re flying around, a lot of energy … and definitely on the right track to put ourselves in a good position to be successful.”
Photo: The football team from Executive Education Academy Charter School lines up for a play. Salem landed the Raptors for its Week Zero game this season. (EEACS website photo)
| DATE | SALEM SCHEDULE | MILES |
| Aug. 25 | vs. Executive Education Academy; Lafayette College | 107 |
| Sept. 2 | vs. Camden; Abessinio Stadium, Wilmington | 21 |
| Sept. 8 | at Pleasantville | 61 |
| Sept. 16 | at Penns Grove | 13 |
| Sept. 23 | vs. Cedar Creek; SHI Stadium, New Brunswick | 97 |
| Sept. 29 | at Woodstown | 14 |
| Oct. 7 | vs. Paulsboro | HOME |
| Oct. 14 | vs. West Deptford | HOME |
| Oct. 21 | at Woodbury | 31 |
Scrimmage schedule
Here is a listing of this summer’s preseason scrimmage games for the Salem County high schools. A complete day-by-day regular-season schedule for the county schools, as well as schedules for football, field hockey, soccer and tennis can be found elsewhere on the website
Aug. 16
FOOTBALL
Schalick, West Deptford, Lower Cape May at Mainland Regional, 10 a.m.
Bishop Eustace, Pemberton at Pennsville, 2 p.m.
Penns Grove at Maple Shade
Aug. 17
FOOTBALL
St. Joseph Academy at Woodstown, 9 a.m.
Aug. 18
FOOTBALL
Penns Grove at Highland
Aug. 19
FOOTBALL
Schalick at Deptford Twp., 10 a.m.
Woodstown at Overbrook, 10 a.m.
Salem, Olney Charter at McKean (Wilmington), 5 p.m.
Aug. 21
FOOTBALL
Buena at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
Aug. 23
GIRLS TENNIS
Millville at Schalick, 9 a.m.
Vineland at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
Aug. 24
FOOTBALL
Haddon Heights at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
Delsea at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Pleasantville at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Salem at Deptford Twp., 9 a.m.
Woodstown at Triton Regional, 9 a.m.
West Deptford at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
Aug. 25
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Pleasantville, 10 a.m.
Pennsville at Millville, 10 a.m.
Aug. 28
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Kingsway, 9 a.m.
Cumberland at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Clearview at Schalick, 9 a.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown at Timber Creek, 9 a.m.
Deptford Twp. at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Williamstown at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
Woodstown at Ocean City, 11 a.m.
Aug. 29
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Hammonton, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Cumberland at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
Woodbury at Salem, 10 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville at Buena, 10 a.m.
Salem at Woodbury, 10 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Kingsway, 9 a.m.
Aug. 30
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem, Schalick, Bridgeton at Cumberland, 8:30 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Cumberland, 9 a.m.
Penns Grove vs. Gloucester Co. Christian at Paulsboro, 10 a.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Cumberland at Schalick, 9 a.m.
Williamstown at Woodstown, 9 a.m.
Paulsboro at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Cumberland at Schalick, 9 a.m.
Woodstown at Timber Creek, 9 a.m.
Pennsville at Deptford Twp., 10 a.m.
Aug. 31
GIRLS TENNIS
Delsea at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
Penns Grove at Haddon Twp., 10 a.m.
Salem at Bridgeton, 10 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester City at Woodstown, 9 a.m.
Haddon Heights at Pennsville, 9 a.m.
Penns Grove at Salem, 10 a.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Bridgeton, 10 a.m.
Sept. 1
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Buena, 10 a.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Woodstown at Haddon Twp., 4:15 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Haddon Twp. at Woodstown, 4:15 p.m.
Sept. 5
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.
‘It’s all fire’
Back-to-back gut punches in the playoffs the last two years has the fire to win a state title burning even hotter within Woodstown
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Max Webb is about to begin his fourth season as the starting quarterback for a team that has been together since they were toddlers. He’s played a lot of games in that stretch, a lot of big games, and won a bunch, too.
But there’s one thing that’s eluded him in all that time – a state championship – and that void is the white-hot ember that drives him and his teammates as Woodstown opens camp for the 2023 football season Monday.
Webb and the Wolverines have been close the last two years, but have had their run fall short in gut-wrenching fashion. He knows this is his last shot at it. Maybe the best shot at it. For all the seniors in the core group that has gotten them here it’s now or never time.
And that’s the fire that burns deep within each one.
“We all want to get back really bad,” Webb said during one of the Wolverines’ summer workouts. “We’ve been pretty good these past four or five years and we put in all this hard work and stuff like that. We’re really trying to get back there and trying to finish the job this time.”
The Wolverines have been good enough to play for it, but have had it snatched from them in the most frustrating of ways.
Two years ago they lost to Woodbury in the South Jersey final 8-6, with the Thundering Herd scoring the game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-1 with 3:55 left and then sealing the Wolverines’ fate with an interception return to the 2 with 1:35 to go.
As if that feeling weren’t bad enough, last year they were the No. 1 seed only to be taken out by a Paulsboro team they beat in the regular season 15-6 in the South Jersey semifinals. That game was close until the final two minutes.
“It’s been in all our heads since then,” Webb said of the desire to get over the hump. “Being the 1 seed and coming up short in the semifinals was tough for us because we were expected to make it to the championship again.”
“It’s all fire,” head coach John Adams said. “It’s always in the back of your mind how close you came.”
The Wolverines have a lot going for them this time. For starters, they return the majority of their team, the core of which has been playing under the program’s triple option principles since they were tykes and, Webb said, “have that brotherhood like we know each other like the back of our hands.” Even the underclassmen have quality experience.
The line is loaded with prospects, big and strong, Webb has gotten better every year and, in the biggest boost to the summer, they’re expected to have dynamic running back James Hill back.
“The good thing is sometimes you have teams that get that far and you gradate them, you don’t have a chance to get that far and build off it,” Adams said. “It’s nice to have those core seniors who have been here for four years, who’ve been through those type of games and know how bright the lights are in those types of games, to now hopefully take that step to where now it’s expected and they settle in and it’s just like another game for them and we go out and try to finish it this year.”
It can’t be overstated what having Hill back means for their prospects. The back who Webb called “one of the best athletes Woodstown’s ever seen” suffered a major knee injury during the wrestling season, but underwent intense rehab that has him on schedule to return to the field in late August.
Hill rushed for 1,600 yards last year and has produced more than 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns rushing the last two seasons, and gives Webb “another better target I can throw to with good hands.”
What? Throw? At Woodstown? Believe it. Adams has said he’d like to throw the ball upwards of 15 times a game this season. That’s music to Webb’s ears.
“That’d be awesome,” the quarterback said. “I couldn’t tell you the last time this high school has thrown it 15 times a game, so being given that opportunity is awesome.”
Webb has thrown only 171 passes over the past three seasons – 107 last year with a 13.1 yard per completion average – but everyone who has watched Webb’s progress is confident he can handle it. In a game against Haddonfield last year, he was 11-of-14 for 145 yards and a touchdown. He was 8-of-17 for 138 yards in the playoff game against Paulsboro.
“Max has done a tremendous job in the off-season, working with private quarterback coaches and working on 7-on-7s, to the point he can throw the ball really, really, really well,” Adams said. “We’re excited to see what he can do. His knowledge of everything and how much the game has slowed down for him at the high school level is going to make him even better.”
With the pieces apparently in place, it’s just a matter now of the Wolverines getting it done. The anticipation is palpable. Even now Webb allows himself to think what it will be like if the Wolverines were to hoist the champion’s trophy at the end of the year. A guy can dream can’t he?
“There would be so much joy, relief coming off your shoulders, just for all the hard work you’ve put in for the last four years,” he said. “But mainly it’d be joy just because it’s a once in a lifetime thing with all your friends you’ve grown up with. You can’t get much better than that.”
The quest begins Monday.
Photo: Woodstown senior quarterback Max Webb (L) and coach John Adams share a light moment during a recent summer workout.
Hill on track
South Jersey’s second-leading rusher ahead of schedule in his recovery from off-season knee injury; could be cleared next week
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The prospect of Woodstown running back James Hill returning to the field sooner than later gets better each day camp gets closer.
Hill tore an ACL in the midst of an undefeated wrestling season last winter. His recovery and rehab were expected to be long and arduous and expected to delay the start of his senior year. The injury to such a dynamic player left a cloud over the Wolverines’ viability as a contender in the SEC West of Group One football.
But word out of off-season workouts is better than encouraging. The latest reports indicate Hill’s repaired knee is percentage points as strong as his non-injured knee. When he goes to the orthopedist after returning from vacation this week he is expected to get the all-clear.
“You can’t replace a guy like James,” Wolverines head coach John Adams said. “He’s a phenomenal athlete. Obviously, since his freshman year he’s been doing special things for us on both sides of the ball, so to see him recover the way he is, I’m ecstatic for him.”
The old best-case scenario was for a return sometime during the season. Now, Hill likely will be back when the Wolverines open camp in early August and available when the regular season opens.
Now, he won’t return to drills to Aug. 21, won’t play in preseason scrimmages and when he does return the plan is to take it slow. Adams said they’ll probably just start him out on defense so he can deliver the blow as opposed to taking one early on. The Wolverines’ regular-season opener is Aug. 31 against Haddon Heights.
Of course, the Wolverines can afford that luxury because they are deep in the skill positions this season. Getting the second-leading rusher in South Jersey back sooner than later keeps the Wolverines on track to contend for a state championship that has eluded them in heartbreaking fashion each of the last two years, but this isn’t a race against the clock.
“I told him we’re not going to rush anything,” Adams said. “If he’s not 100 percent by the first game we have other guys who can step up like that core group of seniors who will go out there and battle and get the job done.
“I told him it’s his family’s timeline, his timeline, don’t worry about us. I worry about you and your future and stuff like that. We don’t need to rush anything. He’s been on board with that. I told the coaches when we get him back we’ll be glad to welcome him back but we’re not in a rush for anything.”
Hill’s recovery is almost Bryce Harper/Rhys Hoskins like. Both Phillies went through injuries that were major blows to the team and expected to keep them out a long time, but Harper is back in the lineup and Hoskins, who had the same ACL injury as Hill, already is throwing and might be a week away from swinging a bat.
Hill was an active participant in his recovery. He’d go three times a week to different rehabs and then show up to his own team’s workouts to do what he could. He attended the team’s recent camp with Kingsway as an observer.
“He does everything he possibly can,” Adams said. “I hope when we do get him back he’s able to work hard through it and get back to his normal self.”
That normal self is a game-changer. Hill rushed for 1,636 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. He’s had 3,010 yards and 31 touchdowns over the last two years.
Wolverines’ quarterback Max Webb remembers the day he learned Hill hurt his knee. The four-year starter was nursing a thigh contusion from basketball himself when his running back walked into the room showing no sign of an issue and said he felt “something weird” happen to his knee.
“The trainer told me what happened and I was completely shocked,” Webb said. “Then I started thinking about the season because most guys don’t recover in six, seven months, so I was trying to think of ways to get around it.”
Count him among those impressed by his teammate’s commitment to getting back on the field.
“Crazy recovery,” Webb said. “There’s not too many guys, even at the professional level, who are recovering in six (months), which is awesome. Hopefully he doesn’t hurt himself again. He’s got bigger goals than just high school. Hopefully he doesn’t hurt himself here, but it’s awesome he’s coming back for his team.”
Photo: Woodstown coach John Adams watches his team go through conditioning drills during off-season workouts.
Salem County by day
Here is a day-by-day schedule for the high school fall sports teams in Salem County; the schedule will be posted at the start of each week during the school year
Aug. 25
FOOTBALL
Burlington City at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
Gloucester City at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Salem vs. Executive Education Academy at Lafayette College, 7 p.m.
Aug. 31
FOOTBALL
Pleasantville at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
Pennsville at Lindenwold, 6 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Sept. 1
FOOTBALL
Pitman at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Sept. 2
FOOTBALL
Salem vs. Camden, noon, site TBD
Sept. 5
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
Woodstown at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
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.
BOYS SOCCER
Gateway at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Sept. 11
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Sept. 12
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
Sept. 13
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Salem at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Overbook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Sept. 14
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m.
Salem at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
Schalick at Clearview, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Palmyra, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15
FOOTBALL
Gateway at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Riverside at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Cumberland at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Buena at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gateway at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Cherry Hill West, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Cumberland, 4 p.m.
Sept. 16
FOOTBALL
Salem at Penns Grove, noon
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Delsea, 10 a.m.
Sept. 18
FIELD HOCKEY
Glassboro at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Pennsauken Tech, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem at Bridgeton, 7 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Sept. 19
BOYS SOCCER
Overbook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Overbook, 4 p.m.
Salem at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Overbook, 4 p.m.
Sept. 20
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbook at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Sept. 21
BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Overbook, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Overbook at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Sept. 22
FOOTBALL
Glassboro at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Bridgeton at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Washington Twp., 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Audubon at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Sept. 23
FOOTBALL
Penns Grove at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.
Rumble on the Raritan
SHI Stadium at Rutgers, Piscataway
Salem vs. Cedar Creek, 3 p.m.
Sept. 25
FIELD HOCKEY
Timber Creek at Schalick, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Sept. 26
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Sept. 27
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Schalick, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Sept. 28
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford Twp. at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Highland Regional at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Clayton 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Our Lady of Mercy at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Sept. 29
FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Cumberland Regional, 6 p.m.
Lindenwold at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Salem at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Paulsboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Haddon Heights, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Palmyra, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem at Pennsauken Tech, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Overbook, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Sept. 30
FOOTBALL
Paulsboro at Penns Grove, noon
Oct. 2
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Kingsway at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Oct. 3
BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Oct. 4
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford Twp. at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Oct. 5
FIELD HOCKEY
Cumberland Reg. at Schalick, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Oct. 6
FOOTBALL
Overbrook at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 7 p.m.
Schalick at Bishop Eustace, 7 p.m.
Woodbury at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Audubon, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Williamstown, 4 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Delsea at Total Turf, Pitman, 5:45 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Delsea, 4 p.m.
Oct. 7
FOOTBALL
Paulsboro at Salem, noon
BOYS SOCCER
Schalick at Woodstown, 5 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Our Lady of Mercy, 4 p.m.
Oct. 9
FIELD HOCKEY
Our Lady of Mercy at Schalick, TBD
Salem at Gloucester City, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Gateway at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
Paulsboro at Salem, 4 p.m.
Washington Twp. at Schalick, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Washington Twp., 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Audubon, 7 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Salem at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Oct. 10
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 11
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Oct. 12
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Oct. 13
FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Schalick at Cumberland, 7 p.m.
Woodstown at Haddonfield, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Gloucester Co. Tech, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Overbook, 4 p.m.
Salem at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Overbook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Bridgeton at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Oct. 14
FOOTBALL
West Deptford at Salem, noon
Oct. 16
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford Twp. at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Oakcrest, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Overbook, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Palmyra at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester City, 6 p.m.
Woodstown at Sterling, 7 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester City at Salem, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Oct. 17
BOYS SOCCER
Overbook at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Haddon Heights, 4 p.m.
Oct. 18
FIELD HOCKEY
Oakcrest at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Salem at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Overbrook at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Oct. 19
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Oct. 20
FOOTBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Oct. 21
FOOTBALL
Salem at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 11 a.m.
Oct. 22
GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Woodbury, 4 p.m.
Oct. 23
BOYS SOCCER
Salem Co. Vo-Tech at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Ocean City at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
Salem Co. Vo-Tech at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 27-28
FOOTBALL
NJSIAA Playoffs
Nov. 3-4
FOOTBALL
NJSIAA Playoffs
Nov. 10-11
FOOTBALL
NJSIAA Sectional Finals
Nov. 17-19
FOOTBALL
NJSIAA Semifinals
Dec. 1-3
FOOTBALL
NJSIAA State Championship Games
Not passing on the pass
Schalick plans to open up the offense more this football season to give it a better shot at postseason success; Wilson: ‘We will have a passing game this year’
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Mike Wilson has run all kinds of offense in his years as a football coach and a lot of them have leaned heavily on the run. But one thing he learned last year is you’ve got to leave the ground every once in a while.
So this year expect to see Wilson’s Schalick Cougars throw the ball a bit more than usual. Now, they’re not going to change the A.P. in A.P. Schalick to Air Patrol, but they will put it up “more than we have in our first three years there.”
“One thing I have learned from coaches, if you can’t throw the ball you can’t win,” Wilson said. “I’ve coached all types of offense – spread, wing-T, double wing; I’ve played ‘em all. It comes down to one thing: When you’ve got equal talent in the playoffs, if you can’t throw the ball it’s hard.”
The Cougars learned that the hard way last year. They had gotten back in the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and played Woodstown in the first round. They lost 45-8 to a team that also ran the ball heavily, but completed 5 of 8 passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
“They’re a run team, but they threw the ball, exposed us and got rid of us really early in that game,” Wilson said. “If you talk to them, they found out over coach (John) Adams’ career over there being an option wing-T they had to run and throw the ball, too.”
The Cougars were so top-heavy on the ground only teams that didn’t throw at all threw less. They had only 46 passes all season for 383 yards, while rushing 424 times for 2,935 yards. The year before they were 79 percent run.
They never threw more than nine passes in any game and had one three-game stretch in which they threw a total of five. There was one game they didn’t throw any.
“We will have a passing game this year,” Wilson said.
You can’t argue with the formula, though. In Wilson’s three seasons, the Cougars’ passing yardage has gone down each year, but the rushing yardage and, most importantly, the win total has increased. Still, they recognize for long-term success that ratio has to change.
“Our run game has been dominant the last two years, but I feel like to beat the better teams we’re definitely going to have to start opening up the passing game,” junior quarterback Kenai Simmons said. “We were like a 90-10 (run-to-pass) team, so it was pretty predictable seeing what we were doing every game.
“Most people game-planned for the run. They weren’t really expecting the pass, so that’s what we’re looking for this year … to see a lot of run but definitely a lot more throwing. You’ve got to respect our throwing game this year.”
The Cougars threw only four touchdown passes last year. Simmons, the team’s leading rusher and receiver, caught three of them. Now, he’ll be the one looking to get it in the hands of senior Jake Siedlecki, second behind Simmons last year with six catches for 97 yards, sophomore Dylan Sheehan and junior Nylan Sutton.
The last time Simmons played quarterback was in eighth grade and he led his team to a championship. Of course, that was more of a Wildcat situation as anything, but when he did throw it on the halfback pass he was good for 40 yards in the air.
Knowing his role will expand this season, he has been working this off-season on improving his timing and pre-snap reading of defenses. In one early 7-on-7 game this summer, he threw three straight completions on the first possession and produced the game’s first touchdown.
It’s still a work in progress, but there’s been progress nonetheless. After a bad read in one of the games in Tuesday night’s 7-on-7 with Cumberland and Sterling, Simmons approached his position coach and admitted he didn’t pick up a lurking linebacker.
“I did it before so I think I can get back in the habit of doing it,” Simmons said. “I wouldn’t say I loved the quarterback spot, but I definitely am a team player so I’ll do whatever it takes for our team to succeed.
“Put the ball in my hands, I promise I’ll do something great with it as long as my blocking is there. The only thing I can say is don’t underestimate us this year.”
SCHALICK OFFENSE UNDER COACH MIKE WILSON
| YEAR (W-L) | RUSHING | PASSING |
| 2022 (7-3) | 424-2935-39 | 19-46-7-383-4 |
| 2021 (4-6) | 279-1222-14 | 27-72-1-439-5 |
| 2020 (0-7) | 132-188-2 | 59-135-10-600-4 |
Photo: Schalick coach Mike Wilson (L) talks with Cougars quarterback Kenai Simmons (R) and Reggie Allen during a recent 7-on-7 tournament.
Remembering a legend
Schalick Cougars plan to honor the memory of Anthony Allen with helmet decal, retiring number
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – There’s not a football player in the game who doesn’t love applying decals to the back of their helmets every week. Those tiny badges of honor that signify goals met during the season.
Every player on the Schalick football team will have a special decal on their helmets this year, one that holds special meaning to everyone in the community and one player in particular.
The Cougars will be wearing a “42” decal on the back of their helmets going forward to honor the legacy of former Schalick standout Anthony Allen who died last November after a battle with cancer. He was 48. The jersey number also will be retired.
“If you are from Pittsgrove and you’re from Schalick, the Allen family stands everywhere,” Cougars head coach Mike Wilson said. “Aunts, uncles, everybody. They’re a cornerstone of Schalick. The Allens are Schalick.”
There are still a number of school records with Allen’s name on them – and he graduated in 1993. After starring for the Cougars, he went on to play small college football. His brother, Freddie, runs the community’s youth football program and other family members sit on the boards of other sports.
The last Schalick player to wear the 42 was a freshman last year. The Cougars didn’t wear a No. 50 last season as a tribute to Chris Jambor, a rising senior player who died from injuries suffered in a roadside bicycle accident the previous April.
“Freddie called me one night and goes, ‘With Anthony passing away what do you want to do?’” Wilson recalled. “I said we’re going to honor him all season. We’ll do a moment of silence at a couple games. We’ll work through it. The Allen family is such a big part of Schalick and Pittsgrove we had to do something.”
Reggie Allen remembers he cried the day school officials told him they were going to honor his uncle with the special decal and it will “mean a lot” to him when he sees it for the first time. A three-sport athlete at the school, he plays the same type position on the football field as his uncle, a linebacker-safety hybrid.
“It means a lot to me because he was a big part of my life,” the junior said. “He’s one of my inspirations to play football. He lived in Atlantic City and didn’t come down, but when I’d see him he’d ask me how I did and we’d talk about things I needed to improve on. I’m glad Coach Wilson realized that and is retiring his number.”
Reggie hasn’t suited up since his uncle passed. He isn’t quite sure what he’ll do during the season to honor his uncle, but he knows he’ll do something appropriate.
“I might write something on my cleats,” he said. “He’s always going to be with me when I’m out there. The last time seeing him was when he left my house and he told me he loved me.”
Game of inches
Penns Grove jumps out early in title game, but Woodbury rallies to win; 4 Salem County teams compete
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
VOORHEES — Coaches will tell you all the time it’s not about winning and losing in these off-season 7-on-7 passing tournaments, just about getting better.
Still, you couldn’t help feel this one stung Penns Grove a little.
The Red Devils lost to Woodbury in the finals of the Adam Taliaferro Foundation Larry Ginsburg 7-on-7 Classic Saturday 21-12 in a championship game they were within inches of putting away.
They opened a 12-0 lead on the defending Group 1 state champions and appeared to take an 18-point lead when freshman Ka’Ron Ceaser raced into the end zone to complete a long pass play from Romello Erickson.
But although it looked from many angles and both sidelines Ceaser had scored, he was ruled down at the 1 on a touch by Woodbury linebacker Jasir Hawkins.
Caesar thought he was in. Penns Grove coach John Emel thought Ceaser got in — and so did Woodbury coach Anthony Reagan, leaving him to believe his Thundering Herd had a big mountain to climb with little time to do it.
But that’s where the game turned.
With the touchdown denied, on the next play Herd linebacker and tournament MVP Kahsir Nesmith intercepted Erickson in the end zone.
Now, not only did the Red Devils not have an 18-0 lead with a chance to add more, Woodbury cut the deficit to 12-3 and had the ball, which it promptly turned into a touchdown and two-point conversion to make it a one-point game.
“We’re up 12-0 and they call him down on the one-inch line in a touch league; very close,” Emel said. “The game’s over if it’s 18-, 19-nothing. Instead of 18-, 19- or 20-nothing it’s 12-3 and they have the the ball. Winning and losing, what do they say, a game of inches, there’s a good example.
“We had the game won, but I told (his team) in the huddle and I’ll tell them again, we’ll see them a couple more times. We’ve got them in the regular season and we’ll see them in the playoffs. They’re the defending state champs. To be the man you’ve got to beat the man. We’ll see them again.”
The Herd stopped Penns Grove on the possession after their touchdown to take the lead and then extended it on the following offensive possession with a touchdown from Marquis Taylor. A defensive stop on the final possession capped the 21 consecutive points and brought the final margin.
Ceaser thought he was “definitely in” on the play. He admitted feeling a touch, but it was after he was in the end zone. Reagan had to say it had him worried, which made the comeback all the more satisfying.
“It showed the guys’ grit,” Reagan said. “That’s one of the things we talk about (as) the Woodbury way, always welcome competition. Early on, we were up on Woodstown in pool play and they came back to win. We talked about when you have a chance to get ahead of somebody you’ve got to learn how to finish.
“That’s the first time we really got behind and had to claw back and come back on top. The biggest thing it showed there was their grit.”
Penns Grove won its bracket in a three-team tiebreaker with Timber Creek and Eastern “by playing good defense” and then beat Woodstown in overtime in the semifinals to reach the tournament finals for the first time. Woodbury made the semifinals as the wildcard and won a close one over Oakcrest to reach the finals.
The Red Devils held two of their pool opponents to fewer than 10 points and gave up 37 total. They beat Collingswood in their opener 10-7, lost to Eastern 24-17 when they couldn’t convert in the final minute and beat Timber Creek 7-6 with a goal-line stand.
“You want to learn how to win close games right now when it doesn’t count officially,” Emel said. “Nobody remembers your 7-on-7 record, nobody wins a scrimmage, it’s about getting better.
“That’s every big game I’ve ever seen. You watch the NFL, every game comes down to a team needing a score or a stop. We were able to get a stop there (against Timber Creek) and when the offense needed to get a score in the previous game and didn’t get it, we lost. That’s what this is about, getting experience.”
Woodstown won its bracket with a three-game sweep that included come-from-behind wins over Schalick (13-10) and Woodbury (11-10) and a battle with Nottingham (22-16).
They led Penns Grove in the semifinals 12-2 and 15-5 with five minutes left before the Red Devils rallied with two defensive stops and a touchdown by Omarion Pierce. The Wolverines built their lead on Max Webb’s touchdown pass to Carter Orlandini and interceptions by Alex Torres, Anthony Mordell and Orlandini.
Penns Grove scored first in overtime on Bryce Wright’s touchdown catch and the Red Devils denied three straight passes when they went out on defense.
“We were just out here today; we don’t practice for 7-on-7,” Wolverines coach John Adams said. “We had about three practices and weight room sessions so far this year, so we just look at it as a day to come out, have fun, let the kids run around. It’s kind of whoever can make it can make it and we had some young guys today who may have had their first ever experience in 7-on-7.
“I said to them just now going 3-0 in pool play and making the semifinals is something we haven’t done since they started this tournament. We’ve always seemed to be 2-1 and that team outside of the semifinals and I said for some of you guys who have never played 7-on-7 before coming in and being able to go 3-0 and get to the semifinals is pretty good and something to build off of for our practices.”
Schalick is one of those teams that doesn’t focus on wins and losses in these 7-on-7s, just getting better. Their final game loss to Woodbury (29-0) notwithstanding, the Cougars are convinced they got better.
They opened the day with a close loss to Woodstown (13-10) after building an early 10-2 lead and then beat Nottingham (20-11).
“We wanted to compete today, we’re finding our way to win and that’s part of the process,” Cougars coach Mike Wilson said. “We had to learn to win. That’s why we do this.”
Pennsville didn’t win a game in pool play, but the Eagles got better the longer they played. They lost their opener to Oakcrest 28-2, fell to Paulsboro 30-22 and then earned a 16-16 tie with Kingsway in their final game, turning back a potential game-winning extra point to preserve the result. There was no overtime.
“I’m proud of what we did, but I would’ve loved another chance to win the game,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said.
The Eagles just finished their first week of summer workouts, so they’re a work in progress. They brought only three senior skill-position players to the tournament and only had about eight pass plays in their offense.
“Our first game we played terrible, we just didn’t play with an aggressive strategy; we were a little unsure of ourselves,” Healy said. “But the second and third game we played with some more attitude and aggressiveness and we kind of got a roll going offensively and defensively, kids started stepping up and just played a lot better overall. We can take a lot of positives from the way we finished today.”
Adam Taliaferro Foundation
Larry Ginsburg 7-x-7 Classic
| BRACKET I | W-L | BRACKET II | W-L | BRACKET III | W-L |
| Penns Grove | 2-1 | Woodstown | 3-0 | Oakcrest | 3-0 |
| Timber Creek | 2-1 | Woodbury | 2-1 | Kingsway-x | 1-1 |
| Eastern | 2-1 | Schalick | 1-2 | Paulsboro | 1-2 |
| Collingswood | 0-3 | Nottingham | 0-3 | Pennsville-x | 0-2 |
SEMIFINALS
Penns Grove 21, Woodstown 15 (OT)
Woodbury 11, Oakcrest 9
CHAMPIONSHIP
Woodbury 21, Penns Grove 12
Riverview Sports News 