Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Oct. 5-12
SUNDAY, OCT. 5 FIELD HOCKEY SJ Tournament of Champions At Clearview Schalick vs. Clearview, 3:15 p.m.
MONDAY, OCT. 6 FIELD HOCKEY Absegami at Salem, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Hammonton, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Pitman at Schalick, 4 p.m. Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Wildwood at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Woodstown, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m. Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Overbrook, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 3:45 p.m. VOLLEYBALL Camden County Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCT. 7 FIELD HOCKEY Deptford at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Pitman at Schalick, 4 p.m. Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS SJ Group I Quarterfinals Lower Cape May at Pitman, 2 p.m. Schalick at Woodstown, 3 p.m. Wildwood at Haddon Twp., 3 p.m. Audubon at Pennsville, 3:30 p.m. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 8 BOYS SOCCER Cumberland at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Schalick at Palmyra, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Pitman, 7 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Salem, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Pitman, 5 p.m. Penns Grove at Cumberland, 6 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Penns Grove at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. OLMA at Salem, 4 p.m. CROSS COUNTRY Salem County Meet at Schalick, 3:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCT. 9 WJFL FOOTBALL Paulsboro at Pennsville, 6 p.m. Haddon Heights at Woodstown, 7 p.m. Cinnaminson at Glassboro FIELD HOCKEY Burlington City at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Camden Academy Charter at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Gloucester City at Salem, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Salem at Gloucester City, 4 p.m. VOLLEYBALL Salem Tech at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 10 WJFL FOOTBALL Gloucester at Schalick, 6 p.m. Penns Grove at Delran, 6 p.m. Collingswood at Audubon, 7 p.m. Overbrook at Camden Catholic Woodbury at Willingboro FIELD HOCKEY Overbrook at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m. Salem at Gloucester City, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Penns Grove at Woodbury, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Paulsboro at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Woodbury at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown at Pitman, 3:45 p.m. Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m. Schalick at Wildwood, 4:15 p.m. VOLLEYBALL Salem Tech at Highland, 4 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC Prospect Showcase
SATURDAY, OCT. 11 WJFL FOOTBALL West Deptford at Salem, noon CROSS COUNTRY South Jersey Coaches Meet, Dream Park COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC Prospect Showcase
SUNDAY, OCT. 12 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC Prospect Showcase COLLEGE SOFTBALL Morris CC, CCBC at Salem CC, 10 a.m.
Salem, winless a year ago, slams Middle Twp. to gain a solid foothold on Group 1 playoff berth; includes WJFL standings
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – Usually when someone wants to draw your attention to something that might be historically surprising they’ll start by saying something along the lines of “Don’t look now, but …”
Well, it says right here you can go ahead and look now. A team that didn’t win a game all last season and had lost 13 in a row before finally breaking through for their new coach is now solidly in the picture for a South Jersey Group I playoff berth.
Salem won for the second week in a row and third time in the last four games with a 44-0 pasting of winless Middle Twp. way down here Saturday. It’s the latest the Rams (3-3) have been .500 or better in a season since the end of their 2022 state semifinal season, when they started 4-1 and finished 8-5.
The Rams were seventh in the SJ Group I UPR rankings before beating Schalick last Thursday for their second win to become playoff eligible and rose to No. 5 this week before beating the Group 2 Panthers (0-6).
They last made the playoffs in 2023 with a 2-8 record, but missed out in last year’s winless season — the first year with Kemp Carr at the helm — their first oh-fer in 13 years. They can just about start printing their first playoff tickets now.
“It means a lot,” Carr said. “Any time you can get in the playoff and hopefully that happens everybody is 0-0; that’s the greatest thing. Everybody’s record is erased and you have a chance. We’ve got work to do, but we love the fact we have an opportunity.”
“We’re excited, we’re ecstatic,” added sophomore Quimee Bergen. “Last year we were 0-and-9, but we’re winning games now. We’ve got a nice future.”
Bergen, Kai’Siere Muhammad and Torryn Ransome each scored two touchdowns for the Rams.
Muhammad and Bergen both caught a touchdown pass from Desmund Thomas, but it was their other two scores that caught the most attention.
Bergen broke in a smothered a bad punt snap in the end zone in the second quarter to give the Rams the special team’s touchdown Carr had requested and a 26-0 lead.
“At first I was going to hit him, but he wasn’t picking up the ball, so that was an easy touchdown for us,” Bergen said. “They weren’t blocking me so I was free every time so it was easy to get back there.”
Troy Cater (10) celebrates his second-quarter touchdown with teammates in the end zone. (Photo by Julliana Love)
Muhammad got the running clock started when picked off a pass in traffic over the middle and returned it 25 yards to give the Rams a 38-0 lead.
“It was like an adrenaline rush,” the junior said. “When I saw the ball and felt it touch my hand I had to score. When I saw the ball, I just got it and took off.
“All I saw was the end zone. I was telling myself I have score. I got the one boy off me, then saw the next boy, stiffed on him and the touchdown. My goal for the game was two touchdowns and that’s what I accomplished.”
Somebody in a Rams’ helmet was going to get that interception. Muhammad actually took it off teammate Makhye Murray as they converged and collided on the coverage.
“We talked about it after; it was cool,” Muhammad said. “I said, my fault. I said, you’re going to get it next time. He said he was going to get a pick.”
Ramsome scored the first and last touchdowns of the game. Troy Cater rushed for the Rams’ other touchdown.
The Rams’ defense, meanwhile, was relentless. It locked up the Panthers for minus-25 yards net rushing, minus-1 yard net offense and one first down. It was their first shutout since blanking Florence 42-0 in late October 2022 (29 games).
The Rams had a running clock on their side for the first time in three years from the 7:10 mark of the third quarter. The 44 points were the most they’ve scored in a game since putting 53 on Pleasantville in the third game of the 2022 season.
“I’ve been on that side of the coin before, so it’s nice to be on this side of it,” Carr said. “It’s nice for the guys to be able to enjoy it.”
They had two possessions in the final minute of the second quarter for a chance to have it the entire second half, but major penalties negated two touchdowns and both possessions ended in interceptions at or near the goal line.
They actually had three touchdowns called back by penalties in the game. They’ve now lost nine touchdowns this season because of penalties.
While the Rams may be firmly on the playoff ladder, Carr insists their focus is squarely on next week’s game with West Deptford.
“We’re very happy, but we ain’t satisfied; we’ve got work to do,” Carr said. “We still have three games in front of us during the regular season and wer’e going to try to get every last one of them and then well post where we’re supposed to be posted at, what seed we’re supposed to be.
“We’re just going to continue to plug and work our butts off in practice. Fundamentally we need to get a little bit better. I think fundamentally we get better I think we can do some damage in the next couple weeks.”
Salem 44, Middle Twp. 0
SAL
MT
16
1st Downs
1
40-203
Rushing
12-(-25)
6-16-2
Passing
4-10-2
100
Passing yds
24
2-0
Fumbles-lost
2-2
0-0
Punts-avg
4-11.0
5-50
Penalties
5-45
Salem
14
12
12
6-
44
Middle Twp.
0
0
0
0-
0
SCORING SUMMARY S-Torryn Ransome 3 run (Jonathan Bower kick), 6:04 1Q S-Kai’Siere Muhammad 16 pass from Desmund Thomas (Jonathan Bower kick), 3:50 1Q S-Troy Carey 3 run (kick failed), 9:56 2Q S-Quimere Bergen fumble recovery in end zone (run failed), 8:46 2Q S-Quimere Bergen 38 pass from Desmund Thomas (kick failed), 7:31 3Q S-Kai’Siere Muhammad 25 interception return (run failed), 7:10 3Q S-Torryn Ramsome 3 run (kick failed), 8:53 4Q
WJFL Standings
DIAMOND
ALL
DIV
Glassboro
6-0
3-0
Salem
3-3
2-1
Schalick
2-4
2-1
Woodbury
2-4
1-2
Woodstown
2-4
1-2
Penns Grove
0-6
0-3
PATRIOT
ALL
DIV
West Deptford
5-1
4-0
Paulsboro
6-0
4-0
Pennsville
3-3
2-2
Overbrook
4-2
1-2
Collingswood
4-2
1-2
Camden Catholic
0-6
0-3
Audubon
1-4
0-3
SATURDAY’S GAMES Woodbury 32, Gateway 21 Audubon 58, Gloucester Catholic 0 Haddon Heights 35, Camden Catholic 6 Salem 44, Middle Township 0 OTHER WJFL GAMES Wildwood 21, Mastery Camden 18 Hamilton West 19, Nottingham 13 Winslow 26, Camden 8 Pennsauken 27, Camden Eastside 0 Bordentown 27, Robbinsville 7 KIPP at Ewing Steinert 41, Moorestown 15
THURSDAY’S GAMES Pleasantville 40, Woodstown 0
FRIDAY’S GAMES Glassboro 56, Deptford 0 Paulsboro 6, Schalick 0 Pennsville 41, Penns Grove 0 Collingswood 31, Sterling 14 Haddonfield 29, West Deptford 14 Overbrook 38, Clayton 14
Pennsville retains Wildman Willey Boot it took them eight years to get back; Schalick drops close one to Paulsboro
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE — It took Pennsville eight years to get The Boot back. You don’t think the Eagles were going to give it up without a fight.
Pennsville retained the Norm “Wildman” Willey Boot Friday night with a resounding 41-0 victory over Penns Grove. It was the Eagles’ eighth shutout in the 68-year series, but first since 2013, and the first time they’d won back-to-back games in it since 2015-16.
When it was over, Grady Sanders ditched his crutches from an early-game foot injury and handed off the refurbished trophy to Robbie McDade and the senior quarterback ran it over to his teammates to raise in victory.
“We didn’t have it for a long time and getting it last year felt so good for everyone,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said. “I’ve had in my room for the past week. People would come in and look at it and I’d explain the story of The Boot. Even kids who don’t play football were asking questions and stuff.
“Hopefully it’ll be back on my desk Monday morning. Some of our seniors had some tough matchups against them in the past, so it’s awesome to be able to get this for them.”
Officially, the trophy is called the Pennsville Lions Club Award, but it’s more commonly referred as “The Boot” for the bronzed football cleat once belonging to Willey that sits atop it. Willey was a three-time Philadelphia Eagles’ All-Pro in a bygone era and a teacher in the Pennsville school district for more than 30 years. He passed away in 2011.
The Eagles won it back last year, brought it with them to Friday’s game — it rested on the bench — and it took up the same seat on the team bus going back home.
“It means a lot,” said running back Rylan Hardy, who scored two touchdowns in the game. “The Boot has been in their hands for like seven years, so being able to go back-to-back years to finally bring it home to us is good. Maybe we can go on a streak now.”
“We’ve got to keep it,” sophomore linebacker Tristan Horner added.
The Eagles (3-3) opened a 14-0 halftime lead, but really came to life in the second half so as not to have a fourth straight game decided in the closing seconds. They scored touchdowns on all four of their possessions in the half – short runs by four different players – sparked by three of their four takeaways.
Hardy, Adrian Allenye and Vicktor Mosher all scored on 3-yard runs in the half and Aiden Collazo pushed in from the 1. Hardy rushed for 104 yards in the game to go over 2,000 total yards for his career. Nine ballcarriers combined to rush for 198 yards against the Red Devils (0-6).
“We’ve had an issue this year of not playing four full quarters and the big difference today was we played four full quarters,” Healy said. “They were able to finish the game when needed instead of letting them back into it.
“The past couple games we’ve gotten out to leads and let teams back in and make it interesting, but today we were able to really just finally execute.”
It might have been different had the Red Devils not had Terrell Thomas’ potential 69-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Lattig called back by a penalty in the first quarter, but the play sapped all of their momentum.
They did pick up 15 yards on their next snap, but managed only 50 yards of net offense after that, and 12 of those came on the final play of the game.
Speaking of plays, Horner turned in a nifty one in the third quarter. Horner blitzed into the Penns Grove backfield and batted down a pitch intended to Zane Thomas and recovered the loose ball. The play led to the Eagles’ third touchdown of the quarter and started the running clock.
“We went over it at film, we went over it at practice, and when I saw it I knew it was happening so I took my opportunity,” Horner said. “I saw him pull his arm back and I did my thing.”
NOTES: Penns Grove leads the overall series 38-26-4 … Penns Grove crowned its Homecoming King (Lacyir Reed) and Queen (Elif Sagir) at halftime.
Photo credit: Amory Alleyne
Pennsville 41, Penns Grove 0
PV
PG
12
1st Downs
5
38-198
Rushing
12-46
0-2-0
Passing
8-14-3
0
Passing yds
59
0-0
Fumbles-lost
3-1
1-37.0
Punts-avg
2-32.5
1-15
Penalties
8-53
Pennsville
8
6
20
7-
41
Penns Grove
0
0
0
0-
0
SCORING SUMMARY PV-Robbie McDade 8 run (Robbie McDade run), 8:17 1Q PV-Rylan Hardy 1 run (pass failed), 1:06 2Q PV-Rylan Hardy 3 run (run failed), 9:17 3Q PV-Aiden Collazo 1 run (Perry Meranti pass from Robbie McDade), 3:04 3Q PV-Adrian Alleyne 3 run (kick failed), 43.9 3Q PV-Vicktor Mosher 3 run (Hayden Sherman kick), 4:16 4Q
Cougars can’t punch one in
PITTSGROVE — In a game that was basically played between the 30s, Paulsboro scored a touchdown late in the first half and held on to beat Schalick 6-0.
The Red Raiders loaded up the box against Schalick’s wing-T, but the Cougars also were limited by the absence of quarterback Kenny Bartee, injured at the end of last week’s game with Salem, and speedster David Stewart sustaining a back injury in the second half.
It also didn’t help that they ran only eight plays in the first half because Paulsboro controlled the clock. The Cougars had the ball with five minutes left and mounted a threat for the winning score, but the drive was gutted by back-to-back penalties.
“We struggled trying to throw the ball, struggled trying to run the ball and when we had a little bit of success we shot ourselves in the foot,” Cougars coach Kevin Leamy said. “It was rough. It was tough.”
Their defense, however, stood tall and held a Paulsboro team that was undefeated and averaging 35 points a game to just one touchdown.
They were particularly stout after extending two Paulsboro drives on a roughing the punter penalty and a punt that glanced off a member of the Cougars’ return team.
“Defensively we played fantastic,” Leamy said. “We had a great defensive scheme ready for them and the kids executed phenomenally. It was a defensive battle from both sides.”
WJFL Standings
DIAMOND
ALL
DIV
Glassboro
6-0
3-0
Salem
2-3
2-1
Schalick
2-4
2-1
Woodbury
1-4
1-2
Woodstown
2-4
1-2
Penns Grove
0-6
0-3
PATRIOT
ALL
DIV
West Deptford
5-1
4-0
Paulsboro
6-0
4-0
Pennsville
3-3
2-2
Overbrook
4-2
1-2
Collingswood
4-2
1-2
Camden Catholic
0-5
0-3
Audubon
0-4
0-3
THURSDAY’S GAMES Pleasantville 40, Woodstown 0
FRIDAY’S GAMES Glassboro 56, Deptford 0 Paulsboro 6, Schalick 0 Pennsville 41, Penns Grove 0 Collingswood 31, Sterling 14 Haddonfield 29, West Deptford 14 Overbrook 38, Clayton 14
SATURDAY’S GAMES Gateway at Woodbury, 10 a.m. Audubon at Gloucester Catholic. 11 Camden Catholic at Haddon Heights, noon Salem at Middle Township, noon
Here are the scores from Friday night’s West Jersey Football League schedule, includes Saturday’s schedule
FRIDAY’S SCORES Burlington Twp. 8, Burlington City 0 Bridgeton 21, Cumberland 7 Cedar Creek 35, Oakcrest 6 Cherokee 22, Shawnee 21 Cherry Hill East 42, Clearview 0 Cinnaminson 20, Florence 0 Collingswood 31, Sterling 14 Delran 45, Hightstown 0 Eastern 35, Trenton 7 Glassboro 56, Deptford 0 Haddonfield 29, West Deptford 14 Hopewell Valley 21, Seneca 14 Kingsway 33, Hammonton 0 Lawrence 52, WW-Plainsboro South 0 Lower Cape May 34, Egg Harbor Township 0 Mainland 20, Ocean City 7 Maple Shade 38, Palmyra 6 Millville at Delsea, Monday Northern Burlington 43, Allentown 6 Notre Dame 21, Highland 0 Overbrook 38, Clayton 14 Paulsboro 6, Schalick 0 Pennsville 41, Penns Grove 0 Princeton 18, Holy Cross 14 Riverside 36, Bishop Eustace 0 St. Joseph 34, Buena 8 Triton 28, Cherry Hill West 21 Washington Township 48, Lenape 0 Williamstown 21, Rancocas Valley 18 Willingboro 53, Timber Creek 6
SATURDAY’S GAMES Mastery Charter at Wildwood, 10 a.m. Gateway at Woodbury, 11 Camden Catholic at Haddon Heights, noon Hamilton West at Nottingham, noon Pennsauken at Eastside, noon Salem at Middle Township, noon Winslow at Camden, noon Audubon at Gloucester Catholic, 1 p.m. KIPP at Ewing, 2 Moorestown at Steinert, 2 Robbinsville at Bordentown, 6
Not a lot went right for Woodstown in midweek shutout loss at Pleasantville; includes WJFL Diamond, Patriot standings
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PLEASANTVILLE – Frank Trautz just wanted to get to the bus. It was that kind of night.
It wasn’t a good Thursday night from a Woodstown perspective and the sooner the Wolverines and their coach could put it in their rear view mirror the better.
The Wolverines already were down nine starters to injury and had to make a long mid-week bus ride down the AC Expressway to play an aggressive Group 3 opponent designated by the West Jersey Football League. The results were predictable.
The Wolverines lost to Pleasantville 40-0.
“I’ve been doing it long enough now where I’ve been on this end of this before,” Trautz said. “It was just one of those nights where nothing seemed to work.”
Some things did. Max Casszar, in his first game back from injury, forced Pleasantville running back Nazir Griffin to fumble twice on the second play of the game and Noah Chiu recovered it.
Mark Levick intercepted Pleasantville quarterback Semaj Dozier in the final minute of the first half to keep the Greyhounds (4-2) from adding to their 28-0 halftime lead..
The Wolverines (2-4) didn’t have a turnover, either. Other than that, there wasn’t much else.
Pleasantville held them to minus-11 yards net rushing and 13 yards total. The two first downs they got came on an 11-yard catch by Sincere Cook-Reese and penalty in the second quarter and an 11-yard run by Tyrell West in the third quarter. They ran one play on Pleasantville’s side of the field and it lost a yard to the 50.
“We knew it was going to be a tough battle,” Trautz said. “They’re a very talented, physical football team.
“I was proud of the way our guys fought. We fought until the end. We got some guys some playing time, some younger guys in. Our guys, there’s no quit in them, and that’s what I love about this group. They’re going to fight to the very last whistle.
“We’re getting better. I know some of these scores don’t look that way, but we can take positives away from all these games and, honestly, just every varsity game experience for these guys is a positive. We’re gonna keep working and get ready for next week.”
While nothing seemed to go right for the Wolverines, most everything did for their hosts.
Jamil Hudson caught a touchdown pass and threw for two other scores. Dozier ran for the game’s first touchdown and threw 46 yards to Hudson for another on the first play of the second quarter. The defense sacked Woodstown freshman quarterback Frankie Hoerst four times in the first half.
It was the first time the Wolverines had been shut out in a regular-season game since losing to St. Thomas Aquinas 6-0 in the 2021 season opener. Glassboro shut them out in last year’s Group I state semifinals.
Pleasantville 40, Woodstown 0
WOOD
PLEA
2
1st Downs
11
20-(-11)
Rushing
21-141
4-6-0
Passing
8-11-1
24
Passing yds
225
0-0
Fumbles-lost
2-1
6-31.3
Punts-avg
0-0
5-22
Penalties
8-75
Woodstown
0
0
0
0-
0
Pleasantville
8
20
6
6-
40
SCORING SUMMARY P-Semaj Dozier 1 run (Takiesse Barnes run), 5:06 1Q P-Jamil Hudson 46 pass from Semaj Dozier (Takiesse Barnes run), 11:49 2Q P-Jamaad Washngton-White 18 run (pass failed), 8:23 2Q P-Qwasim Jackson 21 pass from Jamil Hudson (kick failed), 4:10 2Q P-Takiesse Barnes 30 run (kick failed), 7:52 3Q P-Ralil Wiggins 56 pass from Jamil Hudson (kick failed), 10:10 4Q
WJFL Standings
DIAMOND
ALL
DIV
Glassboro
5-0
3-0
Salem
2-3
2-1
Schalick
2-3
2-1
Woodbury
1-4
1-2
Woodstown
2-4
1-2
Penns Grove
0-5
0-3
PATRIOT
ALL
DIV
West Deptford
5-0
4-0
Paulsboro
5-0
4-0
Pennsville
2-3
2-2
Overbrook
3-2
1-2
Collingswood
3-2
1-2
Camden Catholic
0-5
0-3
Audubon
0-4
0-3
THURSDAY’S GAMES Pleasantville 40, Woodstown 0 Other WJFL Games Absegami 16, Atlantic Tech 0 Atlantic City 55, Vineland 10 Pitman 27, Lindenwold 22
FRIDAY’S GAMES Glassboro at Deptford, 6 Paulsboro at Schalick, 6 Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6:30 Collingswood at Sterling, 7 Haddonfield at West Deptford, 7 Overbrook at Clayton, 7
SATURDAY’S GAMES Gateway at Woodbury, 10 a.m. Audubon at Gloucester Catholic. 11 Camden Catholic at Haddon Heights, noon Salem at Middle Township, noon
Here are Saturday’s scores in the West Jersey Football League, includes Thursday’s and Friday’s games and the upcoming schedule; Salem County games in bold
SATURDAY’S GAMES Glassboro 52, Woodbury 13 KIPP Cooper Norcross 74, Lindenwold 22 Lawrence 49, Pemberton 14 Moorestown 28, Haddon Heights 14 Paul VI 27, Willingboro 24 Pennsauken 35, Eastern 28 Princeton 14, Robbinsville 0 Winslow 49, Millville 6
FRIDAY’S SCORES Atlantic City 24, Cherokee 20 Bordentown 24, Maple Shade 0 Burlington City 48, Florence 7 Burlington Twp. 22, Delran 10 Camden 8, Rancocas Valley 6 Cedar Creek 43, Holy Spirit 33 Clayton 38, Gateway 22 Collingswood 36, Haddon Twp. 0 Egg Harbor 35, Deptford 21 Ewing 27, Trenton 13 Hamilton West 42, WW-Plainsboro South 0 Highland 13, Cherry Hill West 0 Lower Cape May 31, St. Joseph 19 Nottingham 34, Hightstown 13 Oakcrest 26, Absegami 14 Ocean City 14, Hammonton 7 Pennsville 18, Camden Catholic 16 Pitman 51, Mastery Camden 18 Pleasantville 6, Haddonfield 3 Riverside 28, Holy Cross 21 Seneca 35, Gloucester 7 Shawnee 42, Lenape 14 Steinert 26, Notre Dame 18 Sterling 55, Gloucester Catholic 0 Triton 31, Bridgeton 14 Vineland 49, Clearview 6 Washington Township 38, Williamstown 7 Wildwood 25, Palmyra 6 Woodstown 9, Penns Grove 0
THURSDAY’S SCORES Bishop Eustace 28, Buena 13 Cherry Hill East 42, Atlantic Tech 0 Cumberland 37, Middle Twp. 0 Delsea 21, Timber Creek 6 Kingsway 45, Camden Eastside 6 Northern Burlington 31, Cinnaminson 14 Paulsboro 26, Overbrook 16 Salem 26, Schalick 13 St. Augustine 17, Mainland 7 West Deptford 29, Audubon 0
OCTOBER 2 Woodstown at Pleasantville, 6 p.m. Lindenwold at Pitman, 7
OCTOBER 3 Mainland at Ocean City, 3 p.m. Allentown at Northern Burlington, 6 Cherokee at Shawnee, 6 Cinnaminson at Florence, 6 Clearview at Cherry Hill East, 6 Cumberland at Bridgeton, 6 Delran at Hightstown, 6 Glassboro at Deptford, 6 Hammonton at Kingsway, 6 Highland at Notre Dame, 6 Hopewell Valley at Seneca, 6 Lower Cape May at Egg Harbor Twp., 6 Oakcrest at Cedar Creek, 6 Palmyra at Maple Shade, 6 Paulsboro at Schalick, 6 St. Joseph at Buena, 6 Timber Creek at Willingboro, 6 Triton at Cherry Hill West, 6 Vineland at Atlantic City, 6 Williamstown at Rancocas Valley, 6 Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6:30 Burlington Twp. at Burlington City, 7 Collingswood at Sterling, 7 Haddonfield at West Deptford, 7 Lenape at Washington Twp., 7 Millville at Delsea, 7 Overbrook at Clayton, 7 Bishop Eustace at Riverside Eastern at Trenton Holy Cross at Princeton KIPP Cooper Norcross at Ewing Robbinsville at Bordentown
OCTOBER 4 Gateway at Woodbury, 10 a.m. Mastery Charter at Wildwood, 10 Audubon at Gloucester Catholic. 11 Camden Catholic at Haddon Heights, noon Pennsauken at Eastside, noon Salem at Middle Twp., noon Moorestown at Steinert, 2 p.m. Winslow at Camden, 2 p.m. Atlantic County Tech at Absegami Pemberton at Keansburg
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4
SUNDAY, SEPT. 28 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 10 a.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 29 FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Oakcrest, 4 p.m. Schalick at Clearview, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Timber Creek, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Cape May Tech at Salem, 4 p.m. Moorestown Friends at Schalick, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Buena, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Salem Tech at Medford Tech, 3:45 p.m. Buena at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Salem at Cape May Tech, 4 p.m. Schalick at Mainland, 4 p.m. Woodstown vs. GCIT at Rowan, 6 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Salem at West Deptford, 4 p.m. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Cape May Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 30 BOYS SOCCER Pennsville at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Pitman at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Salem at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Wildwood at Schalick, 4 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Glassboro at Salem, 4 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Schalick at Wildwood, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Pitman, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS South Jersey Group 1 Playoffs No. 11 Buena at No. 6 Schalick, 3 p.m. No. 14 Palmyra at No. 3 Woodstown, 3 p.m. No. 13 Salem at No. 4 Pennsville, 3:30 p.m. CROSS COUNTRY Batch Meet at Kingsway, 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1 FIELD HOCKEY Salem at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Woodbury at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Clearview, 3:45 p.m. Triton at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Schalick at Mainland, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Salem Tech at Atlantic Tech, 4 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCT. 2 WJFL FOOTBALL Woodstown at Pleasantville, 7 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Paulsboro, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Clayton at Salem, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Schalick at Overbrook, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Pitman, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Schalick, 6 p.m. Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Schalick at Wildwood, 4:15 p.m. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Highland vs. Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 3 WJFL FOOTBALL Paulsboro at Schalick, 6 p.m. Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. Collingswood at Sterling, 7 p.m. Haddonfield at West Deptford, 7 p.m. Glassboro at Deptford Overbrook at Clayton FIELD HOCKEY Salem Tech at Winslow, 3:45 p.m. OLMA at Salem, 4 p.m. Schalick at Williamstown, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Gateway, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Salem Tech at Buena, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCT. 4 WJFL FOOTBALL Salem at Middle Twp., noon Audubon at Gloucester Catholic, 11 a.m. Gateway at Woodbury BOYS SOCCER Woodstown at Northern Burlington, 10 a.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Felician (2), noon
Short-handed Woodstown takes gutsy win from Penns Grove, Pennsville holds off Camden Catholic
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – An injury-riddled Woodstown team came within 72 seconds of posting one of the most unusual winning scores in all of football Friday night. But time and circumstances wouldn’t let it happen, so the Wolverines just went ahead and finished it off.
Quarterback Frankie Hoerst ran in from the 6 with a minute left to close out a 9-0 victory over Penns Grove that could only be described as “gritty.” But for the longest time it looked like the game would end 2-0, courtesy of Lucas Fulmer’s safety in the second quarter.
Players are coaches were convinced they’d finish it 2-0. It stayed that way until the Wolverines took over at the 6 with 1:12 to play after the Red Devils’ fourth-down Hail Mary fell incomplete.
Ordinarily, coach Frank Trautz would haven taken a couple knees in the victory formation to run out the clock in that situation, but Penns Grove still had timeouts to use and there wouldn’t have been enough snaps to exhaust all of what little time remained. Football teams have lost 3-2 before.
So, the Wolverines ran a play and Hoerst took it in on the first snap, then kicked the extra point to make a more traditional score and put a miracle finish by the Red Devils out of reach. There’s no such thing as a nine-point touchdown.
“We just wanted to put this one away,” Trautz said. “We couldn’t kneel it out, there was going to be some time left.
“I’ve seen way too many crazy things happen on football fields that if you can’t take the knee and kneel it out, I don’t care if there’s 99 yards or one yard, if you give a team a shot to win a game at the end, you never know what can happen. When we knew we couldn’t take a knee, we had to run a play, and it happened to be the first play we scored the touchdown.”
Hoerst was the star of the game, but for more than being the winning quarterback at the helm of a watered-down offense. He’s also the Wolverines’ punter and his first four punts pinned the Red Devils deep in their end.
The first one was picked up near the goal line and returned to the 15. The next three had the Red Devils starting at their 3, 5 and 7. The one at the 5 led to the safety.
“I told him he controlled the whole game, and I meant that,” Trautz said. “He controlled our offense, he controlled the kicking game. Those four punts are huge. It’s unbelievable to just control that field position all night. Big, big punts.”
And it became a battle between the 20 the rest of the night where the players knew one big play would make all the difference in the outcome.
“I’ve never been in that much of a dogfight before,” junior lineman Bradley Snitcher said. “It was intense.”
That’s how close Woodstown came to winning its game with Penns Grove Friday night with only a safety being scored. The Wolverines punched in a touchdown about a minute later for a more traditional score.
It was a courageous win for the Wolverines. They went into the game reeling in their first three-game losing streak since 2018 with seven starters either sidelined with injuries or gone – and they lost two more during the game: Fulmer and Anthony Costello.
With such limited resources available, the Wolverines kept it simple and on the ground. Costello and Hoerst provided the running game in the first half, then when Costello he went out, Noah Chiu, who hadn’t taken running back snaps in practice until this week, became the lead back.
Costello rushed for 35 yards on 11 carries, Chiu had 28 yards on nine carries. Chiu also blocked a punt in the third quarter when it was still 2-0.
“It’s a downright gritty win,” Trautz said. “I knew our kids were going to come out and fight tonight because they have too much pride not to. It was our whole backs against the wall and we came out and just fought. I said we were going to scrap and scrap and where the chips fall at the end of the night they fall, but I knew these kids were going to fight because that’s what they’ve got in them.
“You talk about one of the tougher wins I’ve been a part of and that was this. We had guys playing out of position, guys doing whatever they had to do to just try to win a football game. It’s the beauty of high school football, man. You don’t see that in college, you don’t see that in the NFL where guys are just like, hey, put me at this position, I’ll figure it out for that night, and that’s what they did.
“They just kept fighting – and it was awesome to see.”
Trautz is hopeful some of the walking wounded will return for Thursday’s game at Pleasantville, which had its own offensive struggles in beating Haddonfield Friday 6-3.
Fulmer was one of those guys playing out of position, but he overcame any indecisiveness it might have created and was responsible for the only points of the game until the last minute.
One of Hoerst’s paralyzing punts had the Red Devils backed up on their 5. On the first snap of the series, Penns Grove quarterback Mello Erickson-Hubbard rolled to his right, then drifted into the end zone trying to escape the pressure and Fulmer was there to wrap him up. Bradley Snitcher came in on the back side to help clean it up.
“It was my first time ever playing outside linebacker,” Fulmer said. “I just went back to what our defensive coordinator was telling me all week. I saw the lineman go down. I reacted up for run. I see (Erickson-Hubbard) bounce outside and I just ran. I made a play.
“We just wanted it. After losing the last three games we wanted this one bad. I’m just extremely proud of every single guy on our team. We had a lot of guys step up this year, a lot of guys who never played varsity before. It takes a lot of guts to come out here and put on a show, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Woodstown 9, Penns Grove 0
PG
WOOD
7
1st Downs
7
27-89
Rushing
38-103
3-14-0
Passing
0-2-0
38
Passing yds
0
2-0
Fumbles-lost
0-0
4-40.3
Punts-avg
7-34.9
6-50
Penalties
4-20
Penns Grove
0
0
0
0-
0
Woodstown
0
2
0
7-
9
SCORING SUMMARY WO-Safety, quarterback tackled in end zone, 5:51 2Q WO-Frankie Hoerst 6 run (Frankie Hoerst kick), 1:00 4Q
Eagles win another tight one
PENNSVILLE – Pennsville is making a habit of making things interesting.
For the third week in a row the Eagles played a game that went down to the wire. Fortunately for them, they’ve won the last two.
The Eagles overcame a slew of turnovers, but held on to beat Camden Catholic 18-16, with Robbie McDade intercepting a pass in the closing seconds to preserve the victory.
In the two previous weeks, the Eagles had two shots at a winning touchdown in the final eight seconds fall incomplete against Overbrook and last week scored a touchdown in the final 10 seconds to beat Audubon.
“We have made the last couple games interesting, but the big thing I can take away from the last two games is our kids have definitely learned how to keep fighting until the end of the game,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “We need to do a lot of things better still, but it’s good to know they keep going until the end of the game.”
The Eagles (2-3) scored the first two touchdowns of the game and took a 12-8 lead into halftime. They went up 18-8 ion a McDade touchdown n the third, but the Irish brought it back to 18-16 early in the fourth quarter.
They gave the Irish a chance to go-ahead late in the fourth quarter when they fumbled near midfield with less than a minute to play. McDade killed the threat with his interception with 15 seconds to play.
“We made it a little more difficult on ourselves than we needed to, but we kept going, kept showing back up, got the stops we needed to get them and finish the game,” Healy said.
Camden Catholic
0
8
0
8-
16
Pennsville
0
12
6
0-
18
WJFL Standings
DIAMOND
ALL
DIV
Glassboro
5-0
3-0
Salem
2-3
2-1
Schalick
2-3
2-1
Woodbury
1-4
1-2
Woodstown
2-3
1-2
Penns Grove
0-5
0-3
PATRIOT
ALL
DIV
West Deptford
5-0
4-0
Paulsboro
5-0
4-0
Pennsville
2-3
2-2
Overbrook
3-2
1-2
Collingswood
3-2
1-2
Camden Catholic
0-5
0-3
Audubon
0-4
0-3
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem 26, Schalick 13 Paulsboro 26, Overbrook 16 West Deptford 29, Audubon 0
FRIDAY’S GAMES Pennsville 18, Camden Catholic 16 Woodstown 9, Penns Grove 0 Collingswood 36, Haddon Twp. 0
SATURDAY’S GAMES Glassboro 52, Woodbury 13
OCTOBER 2 Woodstown at Pleasantville, 6 p.m.
OCTOBER 3 Glassboro at Deptford, 6 Paulsboro at Schalick, 6 Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6:30 Collingswood at Sterling, 7 Haddonfield at West Deptford, 7 Overbrook at Clayton, 7
OCTOBER 4 Gateway at Woodbury, 10 a.m. Audubon at Gloucester Catholic. 11 Camden Catholic at Haddon Heights, noon Salem at Middle Township, noon
Salem puts together a strong second half, takes down Schalick in a Thursday night special; includes WJFL Diamond, Patriot Division standings
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — The athletic director handed Kemp Carr a game ball after his Salem football team snapped a 13-game losing streak with his first win in the program two weeks ago. He promptly tossed it to a lineman in the huddle after the game proclaiming the unit as most deserving of the prize.
They tossed him another game ball after Thursday night’s 26-13 win over Schalick. This time, the coach left the stadium with the reward tucked securely under his arm, just like his ballcarriers had done throughout most of the game.
Truth be told, the game ball they gave him on this night was a painted and signed ball commemorating that initial win over Woodbury, but the sentiment it represented was the same.
“I don’t think they wanted something with somebody else’s name on it,” Carr said of holding onto this one. “Any time you get presented with something for a team, when the team does something, it’s always rewarding. But we’re not satisfied with this. I’d like that thing to have a championship on it.”
One step at a time. The Rams (2-3) used a dominant second half on both sides of the ball and pulled away from a halftime tie to take over second place in the tough WJFL Diamond Division.
After rushing for just 12 yards in a first half in which neither team generated much offense, the Rams committed to the run in the second half and their fortunes took off. They rushed for 177 yards after halftime and controlled the ball for more than 15 minutes.
Defensively, they held the Cougars to 92 yards of offense, 73 of which came on one big scoring play in spirited trade of touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
“The first half was rocky,” senior receiver Kaden Robinson said. “In the locker room we talked and in the second half we toughed it up. As Coach Carr would say the second half has to be better than the first. We have to finish and that’s what we did – we finished.”
Schalick coach Kevin Leamy had a simpler explanation for the difference.
“We didn’t play very well,” he said. “We didn’t play well in the second half, they played better. That’s what it comes down to.”
Salem quarterback Desmund Thomas (7) accounted for all four of the Rams’ touchdowns Thursday night against Schalick. (Photo by Heather Papiano)
Rams quarterback Desmund Thomas, who only played four minutes in last week’s loss to Glassboro for reasons neither the player nor coach wanted to discuss, returned to the lineup and accounted for all four of their touchdowns. He had touchdown runs of 49 and 39 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes to Robinson.
“It made me do a lot of thinking, a lot of mental reps,” Thomas said of his absence. “I was more confident. I believed in myself. I believed in our team. We did a lot of great things today.”
Thomas rushed for 96 of his 99 yards in the second half. The Rams also got 57 silky yards from 13-year-old freshman Cashmir Parsley.
The team that didn’t win a game at all last season moved into ‘good team’ territory Thursday when it answered Schalick quarterback Kenny Bartee’s 73-yard touchdown pass to David Stewart with a score on the ensuing possession.
Thomas threw a touchdown pass to Robinson between two defenders in the end zone, Schalick answered with Bartee’s strike to Stewart and then Thomas broke off his 39-yard run to give the Rams breathing room with 7:52 to play. All that scoring took place in about a minute and a half.
That’s the kind of thing good teams do, Carr said. The kind of thing they give game balls for.
“I can never forget 2012 (when he was Penns Grove’s head coach),” Carr said. “We hadn’t given up a point in eight weeks. Woodbury comes down and scores (in the South Jersey Group I finals). We go right down and score, get the ball and go down and score, get the ball and go down and score. I said at halftime that’s what good team do.
“Now you’ve probably knocked the fight out of them. That’s what you need to do. When teams score on you, you’ve got to answer the bell. At least flip the field. You’ve got to get something out of it. And that’s what good teams will do.”
Schalick’s David Stewart (0) catches a pass behind Salem’s Kamal Chatum before turning upfield to complete a 73-yard touchdown play that got the Cougars within a touchdown in the fourth quarter Thursday night. (Photo by Heather Papiano)
Salem 26, Schalick 23
SAL
SCH
13
1st Downs
8
39-189
Rushing
32-117
11-17-0
Passing
2-9-1
162
Passing yds
76
1-1
Fumbles-lost
0-0
3-23.3
Punts-avg
5-28.6
9-80
Penalties
4-55
Salem
0
6
6
14-
26
Schalick
6
0
0
7-
13
SCORING SUMMARY SC: David Stewart 16 run (kick failed), 8:05 1Q SA: Kaden Robinson 24 pass from Desmund Thomas (kick failed), 6:03 2Q SA: Desmund Thomas 49 run (pass failed), 8:39 3Q SA: Kaden Robinson 18 pass from Desmund Thomas (kick failed), 9:26 4Q SC: David Stewart 73 pass from Kenny Bartee (Hunter Dragotta kick), 9:05 4Q SA: Desmund Thomas 39 run (Troy Carey run), 7:52 4Q
WJFL Standings
DIAMOND
ALL
DIV
Glassboro
4-0
2-0
Salem
2-3
2-1
Schalick
2-3
2-1
Woodbury
1-3
1-1
Woodstown
1-3
0-2
Penns Grove
0-4
0-2
PATRIOT
ALL
DIV
West Deptford
5-0
4-0
Paulsboro
5-0
4-0
Overbrook
3-2
1-2
Pennsville
1-3
1-2
Collingswood
2-2
1-2
Camden Catholic
0-4
0-2
Audubon
0-4
0-3
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem 26, Schalick 13 Paulsboro 26, Overbrook 16 West Deptford 29, Audubon 0
FRIDAY’S GAMES Haddon Twp. at Collingswood Camden Catholic at Pennsville Penns Grove at Woodstown
SATURDAY’S GAMES Glassboro at Woodbury
Salem quarterback Desmund Thomas (7) looks towards the sideline for a play during Thursday night’s game. (Photo by Julliana Love)
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Sept. 21-27
SUNDAY, SEPT. 21 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Camden CC, noon
MONDAY, SEPT. 22 BOYS SOCCER Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem at Wildwood, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Clayton, 5 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Glassboro at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Overbrook, 4 p.m. Schalick vs. Woodstown, 4 p.m. Wildwood at Salem, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Clayton, 7 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Kingsway at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m. Timber Creek at Schalick, 4 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 23 FIELD HOCKEY Winslow at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m. Pennsville at Audubon, 4 p.m. Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. Schalick at Deptford, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Overbrook, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Penns Grove, 3:45 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m. Schalick at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24 FIELD HOCKEY Schalick at Seneca, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m. Salem at Pitman, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Moorestown Friends at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Palmyra, 4 p.m. Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 25 WJFL FOOTBALL Salem at Schalick, 6 p.m. Paulsboro at Overbrook, 6 p.m. Audubon at West Deptford, 7 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Clayton at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Salem at Gateway, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Woodstown at Pitman, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Pennsville at Woodstown, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Salem at Wildwood, 4 p.m. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Timber Creek at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. CROSS COUNTRY Salem Tech in NJTAC Championships at Medford Tech, 4 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26 WJFL FOOTBALL Haddon Twp. at Collingswood, 6 p.m. Camden Catholic at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Penns Grove at Woodstown, 7 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Schalick at Eastern, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Audubon at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Camden Academy Charter at Salem, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Cape May Tech, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Cape May Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. GCIT at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Salem at Cumberland, 4 p.m. Schalick at Hammonton, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Haddon Heights at Schalick, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Triton, 4 p.m. COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY Salem CC at Caldwell
SATURDAY, SEPT. 27 WJFL FOOTBALL Glassboro at Woodbury FIELD HOCKEY Woodstown vs. Delsea at Rowan, 3 p.m. CROSS COUNTRY Schalick at Six Flags Great Adventure COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Jefferson (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Thomas Jefferson, noon
Riverview Sports News 