Salem unloads on KIPP, rolls in South Jersey Group I playoff opener for first playoff win since 2022; Paulsboro, Woodbury brawl in their playoff opener, could impact Schalick semifinal

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS
Quarterfinals
Glassboro 41, Audubon 0
Salem 47, KIPP 0
Schalick 21, Pennsville 16
Paulsboro 38, Woodbury 0
Semifinals
Salem at Glassboro, Friday, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Paulsboro, Saturday, noon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CAMDEN — It takes a certain mindset to navigate the perils of a long regular season. Then, after getting through that, teams that make it into the playoffs are asked to compress all that urgency into each specific week knowing that game could be its last.

Streaking Salem really locked into the playoff mentality Saturday and gave an absolutely dominant performance in their 47-0 rout of KIPP in the 4-5 game of the South Jersey Group I quarterfinals. The Rams (6-4) now visit top-seeded Glassboro in the sectional semifinal Friday.

They have won three in a row and five of their last six.

Dominant is the operative word. The Rams ran 37 of their 44 offensive snaps on the Titans’ side of the field. The deepest they were backed into their own territory all game was their 38 – in the third quarter after a punt with a lot of roll – and then it only took them one play to get back to the other side of the field.

Meanwhile, the defense didn’t let the Titans breathe. They had amassed 2800 yards and scored 270 points in their first eight games, but had only 52 net yards and never got close to the end zone against the Rams. Their deepest penetration was the Salem 46. KIPP ran just two total plays on the Salem side of the field and both of those produced interceptions.

“It does change,” Rams coach Kemp Carr said of the approach. “It’s a new season. It’s mental toughness. One and done. There’s no tomorrow.

“We talked about mental toughness all week long  I was beating that in their head. You’ve got to let the bad things that happen to you expire quickly and get back to the next play. The mentality is we’re trying to play every down like it’s our last down and we’re never going to get to play football again. That’s got to be the mentality in the playoffs.”

Senior defensive lineman Antwuan Rogers certainly embraced the mentality. Facing the prospect of playing his final high school game if the Rams didn’t win, the Temple commitment took up residence in the Titans’ backfield. Carr called him “relentless.”

He was credited with seven sacks in the game, breaking Amare Smith’s 2021 single season school record. Rogers now has 20 sacks this season with at least one more game to play. 

“I saw I was close; I had 13,” Rogers said. “At first I was like I’m probably just going to try to get three (Saturday) and try to finish it out the next game, but then I’m like no, we can go home today, you never know, so I’m like I’ve got to get it today.

“We got super locked in. This is the first time we’ve been in the playoffs in a couple years so we were coming to dominate. We came in with the mindset that we were going to be dominate, so nobody on KIPP Cooper could mess with us – at any position. We came and dominated every position. That’s why we won the game.”

Sophomore Izaiah Santiago also played a huge role keeping the season alive. He scored three touchdowns. Santiago scored on runs of 1 and 3 yards and two plays after his second rushing touchdown he anticipated an out route, picked it off and returned it 50 yards for another score. 

“He was locked in on a different mindset,” Carr said. “Whoever fed him make sure they give that to him for the rest of his life.”

“It was just hearing number called,” Santiago said. “All week in practice, running through the plays, getting ready for the game. It was just coming out here and doing what I was supposed to do. I’m just thankful for Coach Carr calling my number.”

The Rams’ domination commenced right from the start, when KIPP touched its game-opening onside kick before it had traveled 10 yards. It took the Rams three plays to get in the end zone and the rout was on.

It was 20-0 at halftime and easily could have been 35-0 with a little more sharpness. Quarterback Desmund Thomas ran for two scores. Freshmen Cashmir Parsley ran for their first touchdown and Kyvion Parsons ran for their last one. Quarterback Desmund Thomas ran for two scores in between.

“I thought we played pretty well,” Carr said. “We left some plays out there; we’ve still got some things we need to execute up front. At first I wasn’t happy with the way we were able to establish the run and then we were able to get it going.

“We’re just trying to figure it out. We’re just tryng to get better every week. Like I said at the beginning of the season I thought we would be pretty good at the end of the season and we are.”

SCHALICK WATCHING: The Schalick football program will be watching closely for any ruling that may come down as a result of the brawl that ended the Woodbury-Paulsboro playoff game Saturday but is going forward with its plan to play a game next week.

The Cougars are scheduled to play the winner (Paulsboro) in the next round Saturday, but the status of that game (and opponent) is potentially in jeopardy after the fight broke out on the Paulsboro sideline after Red Raiders quarterback Malakhai McKenzie was hit out of bounds. Paulsboro was leading the game 38-0 when both benches emptied as a fight erupted on the field. The officials called the game with 4:41 to play.

Reports indicate there were several late hit penalties on Woodbury before the incident that sparked the fight

The NJSIAA is awaiting further information on the incident.

“It’s obviously something you never want to see in high school football,” said Schalick coach Kevin Leamy, who was not at the game. “Whatever the circumstances are you never want to see those type of incidents with that many players involved, people running off the bench. That’s not what any coach wants and I feel bad for both of those staffs that have to deal with that.

“You never know what the results are going to be. The state comes in and makes rulings on these things. Usually, they don’t make the quickest ruling either … We’ll be preparing tomorrow and Monday like we’re playing Paulsboro next Saturday. Until that changes we are preparing for Paulsboro.”

Repercussions could include both teams get kicked out of the playoffs — giving Schalick a bye into the sectional final against the Salem-Glassboro winner in two weeks — multiple player suspensions with the game to continue as scheduled, and even a change to a neutral site.

In any event, the Cougars are going forward with business as usual until they hear otherwise.

“We’ve got to prepare like we’re playing,” Leamy said.

Last year’s Schalick-Paulsboro regular-season game got caught up in a threat that forced officials to postpone the game, at Paulsboro, until the following Monday afternoon.

Salem 47, KIPP 0

SALEM		KIPP
13	1st Downs	3
28-97	Rushing	20-14
7-14-0	Passing	4-13-3
105	Passing yds	38
0-0	Fumbles-lost	1-1
0	Punts-avg	3-33.0
8-60	Penalties	8-62

Salem	14	6	20	7-	47
KIPP	0	0	0	0-	0

SCORING SUMMARY
S-Cashmir Parsley 48 run (Desmund Thomas run), 10:42 1Q
S-Desmund Thomas 15 run (PAT failed), 0:28 1Q
S-Izaiah Santiago 1 run (kick failed), 4:25 2Q
S-Desmund Thomas 9 run (kick failed), 7:22 3Q
S-Izaiah Santiago 3 run (pass failed), 1:44 3Q
S-Izaiah Santiago 50 interception return (Jonathan Bower kick), 0:07 3Q
S-Kyvion Parsons 4 run (Jonathan Bower kick), 5:03 4Q

GROUP I PLAYOFFS
NORTH I
Butler 42, Hawthorne 7
New Milford 35, Bogota 21
Kittatinny 12, Wallkill Valley 7
Kinnelon 26, Park Ridge 7
NORTH II
Mountain Lakes 42, Brearley 0
Cedar Grove 35, Glen Ridge 20
New Providence 38, Secaucus 0
Hasbrouck Heights 45, Wood-Ridge 14
SOUTH
Glassboro 41, Audubon 0
Salem 47, KIPP 0
Schalick 21, Pennsville 16
Paulsboro 38, Woodbury 0
CENTRAL
Burlington City 49, Bound Brook 0
Manville 35, Asbury Park 0
Pt. Pleasant Beach 42, Riverside 14
Shore 34, New Egypt 0