Penns Grove’s Thomas ready to do whatever it takes to have a big senior year and help the Red Devils on the road back
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – When Jason Avant spoke to the Penns Grove football team earlier in the week he talked about some of the sacrifices he had to take his game to the next level. The former Eagles receiver wasn’t specifically talking to Terrell Thomas, but he could have been.
THOMAS
Thomas was an absolute beast for the local youth league powerhouse coming up and the Red Devils were hoping that rep would translate once he got on the high school field last year. He, of course, was hoping that, too.
It hadn’t gone that way for various reasons but as the running back/linebacker approaches his senior year he’s made some sacrifices on and off the field to help him make the most of his football potential.
“I’m going into my senior year, I have to make something shake,” he said. “I can’t settle for anything less. I have to go my hardest. I have to play my hardest. I have to put in work. I have make some sacrifices.
“What stuck with me was when he said he didn’t come in to college football and start; he had to work to get into that position. That was a lot of fuel right there. I’ve got to be better, even if I wasn’t coming in as the starter or whatever. If I’m trying to get better and get where I want to go, I’ve got to be better.”
One of those sacrifices was giving up some hours from his job as a host at a local restaurant. Teens like having their own money to spend, so that was a big move. His supervisors understand and are working with him so everyone’s goals are satisfied. The restaurant keeps a valued employee and Thomas gets to continue his quest to play college football with the ultimate goal of helping his family.
“I’ve been playing football since I was 6 or 7; I’ve got a lot of love for football,” he said. “I don’t know where I would be without football.”
The Red Devils are looking for Thomas to take them places as well. He is expected to have what head coach Damian Ware calls a “major impact” and as one of only four seniors in the program he needs to.
Thomas, they say, was The Man while he played for the Twins, but since those days life intervened to keep him off the football field until last year. The time away took its toll.
The Red Devils were looking for big things from him last year and he did have flashes, but conditioning issues kept him from being all that he could be.
He led the team in carries and rushing yards, but he had only 293 yards on 73 carries in an offense that struggled to score. He also had 21 tackles on defense.
He went for 94 yards and a 42-yard touchdown against Schalick and had 146 yards on 31 carries in his last two games. But in between had back-to-back games with eight for minus-4 and four for 0.
“Last year his conditioning didn’t allow him to play at a high level for long periods of time; that’s just the hiatus of not playing for 3, 4 years,” Ware said. “Going from the eighth grade to varsity football no matter what age you are is a big difference if you don’t play for 2, 3 years and I think that was the major difference for him, getting his feet back underneath of him and getting his conditioning right.
“That’s really the crux of what we’re doing right now. We’re out practicing, we’re conditioning, we’re running, we’re doing drills, we’re in the weight room, and that’s all stuff he didn’t really, I guess, take seriously last year. Now he’s taking it more seriously, he’s starting to realize this is my last year, so it’s now or never.”
And to make it all happen it takes making sacrifices.
Former Eagles receiver Jason Avant visits Penns Grove workout, shares insights of qualities that got him on the field at Michigan, NFL and can help the Red Devils succeed
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – Damian Ware wasn’t sure exactly when or where the conversation with Jason Avant took place, but he’s almost certain it happened on, of all places, a salsa dance floor.
The two have known each other for several years in a friendship that’s carried from the basketball court to the salsa circuit. They talk whenever they’re in the same place and it was during one of those conversations Ware shared he was in the running to become Penns Grove’s next head football coach and if it happened he wanted his friend to come talk to his team. If the timing worked out, Avant told him, he’d be there.
The former Eagles receiver fulfilled that promise Tuesday, spending about an hour with the Red Devils as they worked out on the practice field.
This wasn’t one of those call the local NFL Alumni chapter and hope they can send a player to talk to your team kind of things. Ware has a genuine friendship with the 10-year veteran who played eight seasons for the Eagles and finished his career in Kansas City in 2015.
It goes back to their days as teammates in the very competitive Don Polk Basketball League in Camden. Avant, a three-sport athlete growing up in the southside of Chicago before going on to play at the University of Michigan, was the small forward who could take it to the hole and was, Ware said, “a monster on the glass,” Ware, a reserve on an FDU basketball team that nearly upset UConn in the 1998 NCAA Tournament, was the guard who could bury it when Avant kicked it back out.
“He’s a shooter,” Avant said. “He definitely can score, but for our team he was the shooter. I would drive and he was the kick guy and he would splash that thing.”
When Polk died unexpectedly in 2022 and the league disbanded, they reconnected on the Mid-Atlantic salsa dancing circuit.
“We’re both very good, actually,” Ware didn’t mind saying (and there are YouTube videos to prove it). “We just get out there and have some fun. It comes back to being athletic because you’ve gotta have footwork. If you don’t have footwork, you can’t salsa dance. If you don’t have footwork, you can’t play football. If don’t have footwork, you can’t play basketball. It all ties together.”
There was no dipping into the salsa on this morning. This day was all about football.
Avant spoke to the team for about 15 minutes, sharing the life lessons that got him out of the toughest part of his city and helped get him on the field and become a reliable player on the levels many of the Red Devils aspire to reach.
“You love the opportunity because you try your best to say something that can be impactful to the next generation of kids,” Avant said. “I do it as much as I can. It can become overwhelming with the requests so I kind of limit it to the people I kind of know. It’s a blessing to be able to share as much information as I can. Hopefully it takes root.
“I remember doing a camp when I played and giving a speech after the camp. I was at the Eagles’ facility not too long ago and I get a tap on my shoulder and it’s (first-round draft pick) Jihaad Campbell. I’m like, oooh, you were one of the kids at the camp. He said I want to thank you, man, because what you said at the camp really inspired me, and that was many years ago and now he’s at the Eagles.
“Those are the things that kind of make it realistic for you, and that’s happened to me on maybe 10-15 occasions with guys around the league, so it’s a blessing to be able to do these type things in whatever facet it is. It’s not about the NFL as much as it is we want these kids to be successful in their endeavors in life, whatever that is, and we know football can be an avenue for them to be successful.”
Former NFL receiver Jason Avant points out the nuances of a particular pass pattern to Penns Grove’s Amonte Stone after addressing the team earlier in the day. Isaac Wright (9) listens intently.
The players listened intently as Avant talked about how, as receiver with less-than-NFL receiver speed, he was willing to do all the things it took to become an exceptional player, get on the field at Michigan and kept him in the NFL. It was by having the desire, work ethic and a love of the game that drove him to do what it took, sometimes doing it well into the night with a high school coach who recognized his potential.
It didn’t go unnoticed. Legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler recognized that a sophomore receiver named Jason Avant was always open on the film he saw and never dropped a pass, so he asked head coach Lloyd Carr what the player was doing standing between the two coaches and not on the field.
“It wasn’t that I was doing spectacular things,” he said. “It’s just that I got to a point where when you looked at the tape I was always open, so the quarterback and Bo Schembechler and everybody else realized I’m going to make the coaches look dumb (by not playing).
“That’s what you need to do at your position,” he told the players. “Don’t worry about the ball. You can affect the game without the ball. Everyone wants to talk about what they want rather than putting the action and the work in. So you’ve got to think about this: What am I doing to be exceptional?”
The message of working hard to get better is what stuck with the players most, where one day they’ll be the guy tapping Avant on the shoulder the way Jihaad Campbell did in Eagles camp not so long ago.
“It was inspirational,” said freshman quarterback Avery Batts, who raised his hand to answer Avant’s question about the meaning of leadership. “It was helping me out, telling what to do so I can be a better person than I am. That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to end up like him, work as hard as I can so I can be on top.”
After addressing the players, Avant spent some time with the Red Devils’ receivers, giving them pointers on one play in particular.
“I ain’t going to lie, it was pretty cool,” junior Isaac Wright said. “It was very cool. Just the way he moved off the line, I could tell that’s an NFL type structure. It’s something different than high school. Kids in high school don’t really move that swiftly, for real. He’s still got it. And he’s not even in cleats.”
Ware was hoping Avant’s visit would be a source of inspiration for his young first team that’s coming off an 0-9 season that relegated them to the WJFL Independence Division. Looks like it has.
“We’re young, we have a lot of guys who are inexperience,” Ware said. “We’re finding out who can play what positions, who has the skills to play at the varsity level. Coming off an 0-9 season everything is fair game.”
Top photo: Penns Grove football coach Damian Ware introduces his friend and former NFL receiver Jason Avant to the Red Devils Tuesday morning.
Salem CC wants its fans to have an enjoyable college football experience, but will not be promoting tailgating as they’ll be playing on high school campuses
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
With the countdown clock reading 28 days before camp opens and 54 days before the inaugural game, Salem Community College officials are fine-tuning the details for the first season of football.
Everyone involved with the start-up want all who come to their four home games this inaugural season to have an enjoyable college football experience, but due in part to the nature of their scheduling the Mighty Oaks will not be promoting one of the more spirited elements of its traditions.
Because all their home games will be played on various high school campuses around the county that are alcohol- and tobacco-free, the college will not be promoting tailgating.
“We can’t do tailgating,” said SCC assistant athletics director Angel Rodriguez, who duties include overseeing game-day operations. “It’s a high school field and it’s a high school complex, ‘tailgating,’ that word, because it’s not an actually college venue, we can’t advertise for tailgating. We’re working through the fan experience so we do have ideas … about what’s going to actually be able to happen, but as far as the word ‘tailgating,’ we’re not promoting tailgating.
“We’re not advertising anything along those lines right now, just because it’s not our full-staff function. If it were an on-campus location, we could be flexible with a lot of that. Because it’s off-site and we’re utilizing a lot of the game-day staff already for each venue, it’s not something that we’re promoting. Plus, we’re on school grounds, so school grounds prohibit drinking and alcohol and all those … things.”
That’s not to say fans can’t create team spirit in spirit-less ways. Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas, whose school hosts the August 29 opener with Hudson Valley CC and the Oct. 17 game against Sussex CC, said he encourages grilling and other tailgating activities in the parking lots before the game, but alcohol is out. Police will have a presence in the lots to enforce compliance.
“We going to do things a little differently than we would do at a high school game,” Thomas said. “Obviously, we are alcohol- and tobacco-free, that’ll be something the police will be looking at, but in terms of the environment and cooking out, bringing a grill, we support all those things and we want people to come to Pennsville, come to our campus, have a good time, but do it in a safe way that follows the rules of a high school venue.
“We’re not going to control what happens off campus. Obviously, we don’t want people coming in super intoxicated, things like that, at games, but we realize it’s a little different environment than high school, but we still have to maintain the laws and the requirements we have when you do host an event on our campus.”
SCC athletics department officials are scheduled to meet Tuesday to solidify their game-day details. Thomas is schedule to meet with them Wednesday.
Ticket prices and packages also are among the items to be finalized. They are expected to fall in the $5-$10 range on a per game basis and purchasable through an electronic ticketing system.
In the games at Pennsville, the Mighty Oaks will use the Eagles’ stadium locker room, while the visiting team will use the middle school for pre- and in-game operations and then have access to the high school locker room and showers post-game.
The Mighty Oaks’ other two first-year home games will be played at Schalick Sept 12 and Penns Grove Sept. 19. Those schools’ game-day operations were not immediately known.
The games at Schalick and Penns Grove are scheduled for noon kickoffs. Game times for the two Pennsville games are not set, but are believed to be 1 p.m. (to accommodate Hudson Valley’s travel) and noon, respectively.
Since the school’s announced its plan to start football last fall, the program has received overwhelming support from within the region. Head coach Jay Accorsi and his evolving staff are expected to welcome more than 80 players when camp opens Aug. 3. Thomas, for one, is “very excited” to have the Mighty Oaks football program on his campus.
“I think this is an awesome opportunity for Salem County,” he said. “It’s an awesome opportunity for Pennsville and our community to really show off our great facility that we have here. There are a lot of our student-athletes who will benefit from this program even in this coming year.
“(Lineman) Jacob Hand is one who has already signed on to play, so we’re excited to be able to see Jacob at the next level on his home field again. I think there are going to be a lot of other kids who come through our program that this opportunity is a great opportunity that then provides further opportunities after the community college setting to move on to a D-I, D-II, D-III school and still have eligibility.”
Schalick’s Simonini makes adidas Nationals jav finals, finishes ninth; Longo fourth in pole vault flight
By Riverview Sports News
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Gary Simonini has had better throws, but he certainly won’t sneeze at a top 10 finish at the nationals.
The Schalick junior made it to the finals of the boys javelin in the Adidas Track Nationals at North Carolina A&T Saturday and finished ninth in the standings, just missing out on All-America honors. He earned the last spot in the finals with a throw of 160 feet on his last throw of qualifying – one inch from eighth – and it stood as his high mark.
“It was very interesting throwing on a rubber track for the first time in a while and it was my first time throwing the new steel-tip jav,” Simonini said. “But, honestly, I had a great time. I made it to the final, met a lot of cool people – I’ve been talking to kids from all states, everyone was just so nice, so friendly. They made it a great overall experience.
“I was extremely frustrated with my mark. Top eight gets All-American, I got ninth. That kind of bummed me out, but it just leaves a lot to work towards.”
The way the day started he didn’t think he was even going to advance. He opened the competition with his lowest mark of the year (133-10), but found his rhythm and threw 150-10 and 160-0 to make the top nine. His best mark in the finals was 159-1.
“I couldn’t get over the hump; I was just stuck at 48 (meters),” he said. “At first I was very upset about it, then I really came to terms with it. Last year I’d be over the world to be in the 140s and now I’m angry about being in the 160s. In the grand scheme of things, there’s really nothing to be mad about.”
Schalick senior Sal Longo wrapped up a tough senior season by finishing fourth in his flight of the National Elite Boys Pole Vault. A hamstring injury he suffered at the indoor Meet of Champions kept him off the track until the sectionals, which he promptly won upon his return.
He jumped 12 feet, 9.5 inches Saturday, hitting the mark on his third attempt. None of the seven vaulters who advanced from the height cleared 13-3.5.
“I’m pretty happy with it with how my season went,” he said. “Getting to nationals was the main goal, but placing as high as I did in my flight was something I’m grateful for.”
A third Schalick athlete, Ethan McLean, finished 64th in the National Elite Boys Shot Put (44-2.75), one spot and less than an inch ahead of Penns Grove sophomore Ja’Kai Ingram (44-2).
Woodstown high jumper Kami Casiano competed in the New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field Saturday. She missed three attempts at her entry height of 5-3. Woodstown senior Josh Crawford runs in the Boys 800 Sunday.
Top photo: Schalick had three athletes compete Saturday in adidas Track Nationals. (From left) Gary Simonini (javelin), Sal Longo (pole vault) and Ethan McLean (shot put).
Here is the list of Salem County softball players with 100 career hits, 100 career strikeouts (since 2011); note: stats source does not include seasons prior to 2011 in player totals, so some qualified may be omitted
Here is the list of Salem County baseball players with 100 career hits, 100 career strikeouts (since2011); note: stats source does not include seasons prior to 2011 in totals. Softball coming soon.
Salem County athletes score 4 Top Ten finishes at Meet of Champions; Woodstown’s 4×800 finishes second, Schalick’s Robinson sixth
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSAUKEN – Josh Crawford, one of the most decorated runners in Salem County track history, ran the final three NJSIAA races of his high school career Wednesday, finishing with two personal bests and a big finish to bring Woodstown’s 4×800 relay team a second-place finish at the Meet of Champions.
The 13-time state champion qualified in four events for the MOC, but ran the 800 and the two relays. He ran a PR 1:52.56 in the 800 out of the second-fastest heat to finish eighth and turned a blistering 1:51.70 anchor leg in the 4×800 to complete a team 7:49.09 that was second to Shabazz’ winning 7:46.06. The 4×400 team finished 15th.
“I’m really happy with how the day went,” Crawford said. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the fastest heat (in the 800) because I think I could’ve definitely put up a better time, but I can’t complain with how my season wrapped up at all.”
The Sacred Heart signee ran splits of 52.59 and 59.11 in the 4×8 to bring the Wolverines from seventh when he took the baton to second in the relay. They were ninth in the standings at one point in the race. The rest of team included Karson Chew, Jacob Marino and David Farrell.
Crawford and the 4×8 weren’t the only Top 10 performances turned in by Salem County athletes at the MOC.
Schalick’s Naveah Robinson finished sixth in the girls javelin. Her top throw of 120 feet, 9 inches was just one inch off her second-place throw in the sectional meet.
Woodstown’s Kami Casiano was tenth in the girls high jump at 5-4.
Among the top 20 finishers, Pennsville’s Danny Knight was 13th in the long jump with Penns Grove’s Group 1 champion Will Roy 19th; Schalick’s Gary Simonini was 18th in the javelin and Salem’s Ramiyah Jones was 20th in the girls triple jump with a 36-2.25 that was better than her jump at the sectionals.
NJSIAA MEET OF CHAMPIONS Wednesday, Pennsauken H.S. Salem County results BOYS 800: 8. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 1:52.56 110 Hurdles: 23. Bryan Garlic, Penns Grove 15.39 4×800: 2. Woodstown (Karson Chew, Jacob Marino, David Farrell, Josh Crawford) 7:49.09 4×400: 15. Woodstown (Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Michael Turner, Josh Crawford) 3:23.34 Javelin: 18. Gary Simonini, Schalick 165-6 Discus: 27. Ethan McLean, Schalick 141-10 Long Jump: 13. Danny Knight, Pennsville 21-11.75; 19. Will Roy, Penns Grove 21-6.75
GIRLS Long Jump: 21. Ramiyah Jones, Salem 16-9.5 Javelin: 6. Naveah Robinson, Schalick 120-9 Triple Jump: 20. Ramiyah Jones, Salem 36-2.25 High Jump: 10. Kami Casiano, Woodstown 5-4
Here are the Salem County qualifiers for Wednesday’s Meet of Champions and the result they posted in Saturday’s Group I state meet
NJSIAA MEET OF CHAMPIONS QUALIFIERS Wednesday, Pennsauken H.S. BOYS 400: Josh Crawford, Woodstown 50.24; 3. Kylee Goodson, Penns Grove 50.25 800: Josh Crawford, Woodstown 1:55.64 110 Hurdles: Bryan Garlic, Penns Grove 14.90 4×800: Woodstown (Karson Chew, Jacob Marino, David Farrell, Josh Crawford) 8:05.23 4×400: Woodstown (Anthony Costello, Karson Chew, Michael Turner, Josh Crawford) 3:23.10; Penns Grove (Bryan Garlic, Tommy White, Luis Colon, Kylee Goodson) 3:27.28 Javelin: Gary Simonini, Schalick 168-11 High Jump: Tommy White, Penns Grove 6-2 Discus: Ethan McLean, Schalick 144-8 Long Jump: Will Roy, Penns Grove 22-10.75; Danny Knight, Pennsville 22-2.25
GIRLS Long Jump: Ramiyah Jones, Salem 17-8 Javelin: Naveah Robinson, Schalick 120-10 Triple Jump: Ramiyah Jones, Salem 35-11 High Jump: Kami Casiano, Woodstown 5-2
Woodstown 4×800, 4×400 relay teams win Group 1 titles on final day of state meet, Crawford becomes one of Salem County’s winningest state champions, Penns Grove’s Garlic wins 110 hurdles; Wolverines second in team standings, Penns Grove T-4
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SOMERSET – Woodstown’s “Four Horseman” boys 4×800 relay team that was making headlines and smashing records from the first day somebody got the bright idea three years ago to put them on the track together ran their final Group 1 race as a unit Saturday and went out on their terms – leaving the pack in their dust.
The celebrated quartet of Karson Chew, Jacob Marino, David Farrell and Josh Crawford won their third straight Group 1 4×8 title in 8:05.23. Not as fast as last year’s winning time, but a lot faster than when they won it for the first time in 2024. They led wire-to-wire, increased their lead after every leg and won by a whopping seven seconds.
But that wasn’t the end of it. The 4×800 lead and anchor – Chew and Crawford – helped bring the Wolverines a second state title on the second day of the Group 1 meet at Franklin High School, winning the 4×400 relay in the final event of the meet. They were joined on that relay by Anthony Costello and Michael Turner and turned in a 3:23.10, more than a full second ahead of runner-up Camden, the foursome they were second to here last year. Penns Grove was third.
“Everything went well this year,” Chew said. “The first day wasn’t too eventful for us, but we woke up on the second day with fire in our blood for a win. And that’s exactly what we did.
“Everyone did their job in both races to get us two championship titles. A big shout out to our juniors on the relay who really held it down. David (Farrell) and Michael (Turner) were absolutely key parts in each relay’s win. And all of us seniors went out there and made our last state championships as memorable as we could.”
“I’m very emotional about it for those guys because of the great careers that they’ve had,” Wolverines coach Tom Mason said. “I’m very proud of them. They’re going to be hard to replace, they really are.”
Woodstown’s relay teams weren’t the only Salem County state champions crowned Saturday.
Penns Grove’s Bryan Garlic was declared the winner of the boys 110 hurdles final after race winner Jaleel Dickerson-Dempsey of Camden was disqualified for going out of his lane and impeding another runner. Garlic ran a “relaxed and smooth” PR 14.90 to Dickerson-Dempsey’s 14.32.
The Penns Grove senior was going to Wednesday’s Meet of Champions anyway, but now he’s going, along with long jumper teammate Will Roy, as a state champion.
“At first I was confused because they said he was DQ’d but I didn’t really know if he was DQ’d or not because he was still on the list,” Garlic said. “At the end they said he was DQ’d, I took the first-place medal, I was happy. It didn’t feel right because he got DQ’d, but I’m still grateful to be in the position I am now.”
Garlic didn’t really see what happened in the race until he watched it on video. As the fifth seed in the final he was running in Lane 2 and the incident occurred in the middle of the track. Dickerson-Dempsey was in Lane 4 as the top seed, hit a hurdle and it moved into the adjacent lane and interfered with New Milford’s Luke Johnson in Lane 5.
The ruling wasn’t immediate. Race officials conducted an inquiry, talked with Dickerson-Dempsey about what happened and handed down a decision after several minutes had elapsed. Garlic said he spent his time trying to find an official to get a better understanding of the situation. Johnson got to re-race against the clock and ran a 15.26 in the do-over to finish second behind Garlic.
Woodstown’s relay wins were a bit more clear cut.
Chew led the 4×800 out with a 2:00.84 leg, good for a one-second lead. Marino stretched to three seconds when he passed baton and Farrell, who replaced graduated Cole Lucas this season, extended it to six seconds with splits of 57.14 and 1:04.02. Crawford brought it home against a brutally gusting headwind, posting splits of 56.58 and 1:02.13.
“To be honest with you, after Farrell’s (leg), in my head they’re going to be state champions because no one is going to catch ‘The Machine,’” Mason said, referring to Crawford. “I don’t care what town they’re front, they’re not catching The Machine with a 25-meter lead, and they didn’t. They powered through, man. It was great.”
The Wolverines were equally impressive in pulling off the 4×400, a race they really wanted after Camden took them down last year.
Anthony Costello started it off with 51.46 that had them third behind Camden and Penns Grove, but Chew got them back in front with a 49.32. They were running second when Turner passed the baton to Crawford after a PR lap. The Wolverines’ anchor was a back-and-forth battle with Camden’s Jaiden Steele down the stretch. Once he got the lead he steadily pulled away and won by more than a second to give Mason his first-ever 4×400 state title in 127 seasons of coaching track.
“The last race was something I had to prove to myself but also to other people,” Crawford said. “Not doing what I wanted to in the previous races I needed a confidence booster and prove to myself that I’m still a part of that team. I ran a 48 against Camden who we’ve gone back and forth with two years now and last year them stealing the state title by a long shot shows that our entire team had a goal in mind, we practiced consistently and we made it happen.”
With his two wins, Crawford became one of the all-time winningest state championship in Salem County history. He has now 13 indoor and outdoor state titles in his career.
“It definitely surprised me,” he said. “It’s kind of bad to say but they kind of blur together. I never thought I would even get one. I thought I would be a one event person, like the 4-x800 was my event and I didn’t see myself being a multi-event athlete winning state titles in not just the 4×8 multiple years but other events for multiple years as well.
“I think it shows that anyone can do it. I was once a 2:20 800 meter runner and barely got under 60 seconds my first time running the 400, but when you’re surrounded by the right coaches, the right teammates, any of that can come through if you have discipline and the mindset to make it happen.”
The Sacred Heart signee also qualified for the MOC with a second-place finish in the 400, but isn’t expected to run it. Saturday third-place finishers Kylee Goodson (Penns Grove 400, 0.01 behind Crawford), Gary Simonini (Schalick boys javelin) and Ramiyah Jones (Salem girls long jump) among others are expected to receive MOC wildcard spots.
The Wolverines’ Saturday showing helped them bounce back from a tough opening day to finish second in the team standings to Glassboro. They started the day in fifth place, with 14 points, 12 behind Glassboro.
“They battled after yesterday,” Mason said. “We scored 24 points within 40 minutes today. That brought us back into it.”
Garlic’s bump to the hurdles win gave Penns Grove enough points to finish tied for fourth. Metuchen claimed the girls title, winning a do-or-die 4×400 to edge Glassboro by two points.
NJSIAA GROUP I TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday’s Results BOYS TEAM SCORES: Glassboro 63, WOODSTOWN 52, Camden 45, PENNS GROVE 40, New Milford 40, New Providence 26, Manville 26, Wallington 20, Woodbury 19, Boonton 17, Bound Brook 16, Dayton 16, SCHALICK 15, Newark Tech-Essex 13, Shore 12, Wallkill Valley 12, Haddon Twp. 11, Kinnelon 10, Waldwick 10, Hasbrouck Heights 10, Whippany Park 9.5, PENNSVILLE 9, Florence 8, Buena 8, Midland Park 7, Indian Hills 6, Mountain Lakes 4.5, Burlington City 4, Audubon 4, McNair 4, Butler 4, Pequannock 4, Thrive Charter 3, Metuchen 2, Botoga 2, SALEM 1, Gateway 1, Highland Park 1, Empowerment 1, Verona 1, Eagle Academy 1, Saddle Brook 1. INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (Winners, Salem County point scorers (top 6)) (Top 2 finishers guaranteed spots in Meet of Champions, x-projected MOC wildcard) 400: 1. Noah Seveland, Waldwick 49.87; 2. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 50.24; 3. x-Kylee Goodson, Penns Grove 50.25; 4. Karson Chew, Woodstown 50.89 110 Hurdles: 1. Jaleel Dickerson-Dempsey, Camden 14.32; 2. Bryan Garlic, Penns Grove 14.90 4×800: 1. Woodstown (Karson Chew, Jacob Marino, David Farrell, Josh Crawford) 8:05.23 200: 1. Ivan Bempah, New Milford 21.79 1600: 1. Jayran Rodriguez, Manville 4:22.61 4×400: 1. Woodstown (Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Michael Turner, Josh Crawford) 3:23.10; 3. Penns Grove (Bryan Garlic, Tommy White, Luis Colon, Kylee Goodson) 3:27.28 Shot Put: 1. Patrick Szabo, Wallington 50-6.5; 3. Aidan Taulane, Woodstown 49-0; 4. JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove 48-6; 6. Connor Wariwanchik, Pennsville 48-2.5 Javelin: 1. Brady Shine, Hasbrouck Heights 192-4; 3. x-Gary Simonini, Schalick 168-11 Triple Jump: 1. Moses Robles, Glassboro 47-8.5 High Jump: 1. Moses Robles, Glassboro 6-4; 4. x-Tommy White, Penns Grove 6-2
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Metuchen 56, Glassboro 54, Audubon 47, Shore 39, Verona 33, Haddon Twp. 31, Delaware Valley 25, Whippany Park 22, Hasbrouck Heights 20, Roselle Park 20, Maple Shade 16, Hawthorne 15, SALEM 12, Burlington City 12, Mountain Lakes 11, University 10, Henry Hudson 10, Cresskill 10, SCHALICK 9, Manville 9, Woodbury 8, David Brearley 8, Academy Charter 8, Midland Park 8, Waldwick 8, Indian Hills 9, Kinnelon 7, Buena 6, Wallkill Valley 6, Butler 5, WOODSTOWN 5, Paulsboro 4, Clayton 4, Pequannock 3, Bound Brook 2, New Providence 2, Florence 2, Dayton 1, Highland Park 1, Saddle Brook 1 INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (Winners, Salem County point scorers (top 6)) (Top 2 finishers guaranteed spots in Meet of Champions) 400: 1. Gwendolyn Neale, Verona 58.28 100 Hurdles: 1. Casey Birdwell, Haddon Twp. 15.05 4×800: 1. Haddon Twp. 9:41.69 200: 1. Makenna Bruns, Metuchen 25.35 1600: 1. Alexandra Klein, Shore 4:53.96 4×400: 1. Metuchen 4:03.64 Discus: 1. Sunny Moore, Glassboro 156-0 Long Jump: 1. Erika Townsend, Glassboro 17-9, 3. x-Ramiyah Jones, Salem 17-8 Pole Vault: 1. Cassara Yannarelli, Henry Hudson 10-6
Long jumper Will Roy (L) and hurdler Bryan Garlic brought state championships back to Penns Grove from the state Group I meet this week. Top photo: Woodstown’s three-time 4×800 state champion relay team.
Penns Grove long jumper Will Roy brings home Salem County’s only state title on first day of the NJSIAA Group I Track Championship, 4 others finish second to qualify for Meet of Champions
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SOMERSET – Will Roy stood at the top of the runway facing his moment of truth. The way he would be remembered in this year’s Group 1 state championship meet was riding on what would happen in the next few seconds.
He had just gotten bumped from the lead in the boys long jump to Pennsville’s Danny Knight and if he wanted it back the Penns Grove junior would have to stick the landing on the final jump of the final event of the day. He needed to stand and deliver.
With a title on the line, Roy confidently bolted down the runway and hit a final jump of 22-feet, 10.75-inches to reclaim the gold medal.
“It was either a do or die,” he said. “It was either I get second place or I go on and be a state champion and take it back to my hometown.
“I was just trying to keep myself calm and not really get into my head about the jump. Everything was really good. The runway was good, the launch takeoff was good, the landing was good and I knew it was going to be a good jump all the way.”
It wasn’t the first time he needed to deliver in the clutch. During the sectional meet it came down to him needing a big final jump to qualify for the state meet and he nailed it with the same confidence he showed Friday. Penns Grove jumpers coach Damien Ware said Roy has “that (Michael) Jordan clutch gene.”
“One thing about Will is he’s a worker,” Ware said. “We put him through a lot of work, a lot of grind, in practice and he does it. Whatever we ask him to do he’s going to put his head down and do it. He’s been growing since his freshman year. He started out in the 20s, got to the 21 and today he almost skipped the 22s altogether.”
Roy moved to the top of the leaderboard on his second jump of the competition (21-11.25) and held it until Knight set the Pennsville school record (22-2.25) on his final jump.
“He knew what he had to do and went and did it,” Ware said. “He heard the jump, he knew he had to jump further than that to win and he did it. It was just a look. He said let’s go, bro, and he went and did it. It’s exciting for the kid because we see the work he’s put in and when you see it pay off there’s no better feeling.”
Knight had been stretching his PR in small increments each of the last three weeks and it all came together with a big burst here.
“It was the best jump I could ever think of,” Knight said. “I could’ve gotten my leg up higher, but I’m still grateful for what I got. I was not expecting that at all. Me and (Pennsville track coach Mike) Healy were talking about the school record holder (21-1) and it was like 1980-something. I was like ‘what.’ He said you got it next year. I said I got it today. It happened.”
Roy and Knight were among five Salem County athletes to qualify for the Meet of Champions. The others were all event runner-ups –Schalick’s Navaeh Robinson (girls javelin) and Ethan McLean (boys shot put) and Woodstown’s Josh Crawford (boys 800). Three others — Salem’s Ramiyah Jones (girls triple jump) and Woodstown’s Aidan Taulane (boys discus) and Kami Casiano (girls high jump) – placed third and will be looking for a wildcard spot.
Glassboro leads both team leaderboards. Woodstown (fifth) and Penns Grove (T-8) are both in the top ten in the boys race. Schalick is currently tied for ninth in the girls standings.
NJSIAA GROUP I TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS Friday’s Results BOYS TEAM SCORES: Glassboro 26, Camden 23, New Providence 22, Manville 16, WOODSTOWN 14, Newark Tech-Essex 12, New Milford 12, PENNS GROVE 10, Bound Brook 10, Kinnelon 10, Wallington 10, Wallkill Valley 10, SCHALICK 9, Buena 8, PENNSVILLE 8, Haddon Twp. 6, Woodbury 6, Shore 6, Whippany Park 6, Dayton 6, Indian Hills 4, Burlington City 4, Pequannock 4, Thrive Charter 3, SALEM 1, Gateway 1, Saddle Brook 1. INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (Winners, Salem County point scorers (top 6)) (Top 2 finishers guaranteed spots in Meet of Champions) 4×100: 1. Camden 42.16 800: 1. Zacchaeus Harrigan, Glassboro 1:55.00; 2. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 1:55.64 100: 1. Jawan Brownlee, Camden 10.76 400 Hurdles: 1. Connor Killian, New Providence 55.33; 6. Grady Buzby, Salem 57.48 3200: 1. Jayran Rodriguez, Manville 9:17.53 Discus: 1. Patrick Szabo, Wallington 165-5; 2. Ethan McLean, Schalick 144-8; 3. Aidan Taulane, Woodstown 140-6 Long Jump: 1. Will Roy, Penns Grove 22-10.75; 2. Danny Knight, Pennsville 22-2.25 Pole Vault: 1. Jake Markey, Bound Brook 13-6; 6. Sal Longo, Schalick 12-0
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Glassboro 26, Audubon 21, Whippany Park 20, Roselle Park 20, Shore 18, Metuchen 18, Hasbrouck Heights 12, Verona 11, SCHALICK 9, Delaware Valley 9, Hawthorne 9, Woodbury 8, Burlington City 8, David Brearley 8, Manville 8, Academy Charter 9, Midland Park 8, SALEM 6, Maple Shade 6, Buena 6, Kinnelon 6, WOODSTOWN 5, Butler 5, Clayton 4, University 4, Cresskill 4, Mountain Lakes 3, Florence 2, New Providence 2, Waldwick 2, Haddon Twp. 1, Highland Park 1, Dayton 1. INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (Winners, Salem County point scorers (top 6)) (Top 2 finishers guaranteed spots in Meet of Champions) 4×100: 1. Glassboro 48.49 800: 1. Gwendolyn Neale, Verona 2:12.06 100: 1. Skylar Boyd, Rosselle Park 12.63 400 Hurdles: 1. Gina Minichiello, Hasbrouck Heights 1:02.50 3200: 1. Alexandra Kline, Shore 10:40.04 Shot Put: 1. Sunny Moore, Glassboro 42-2 Javelin: 1. Ava Forstenhausler, Roselle Park 121-3; 2. Naveah Robinson, Schalick 120-10 Triple Jump: 1. Riley Wright-Ohillips, Whippany Park 39-1; 3. Ramiyah Jones, Salem 35-11; 6. Jaelynn Jarmon, Schalick 35-0.5 High Jump: 1. Riley Wright-Phillips, Whippany Park, 5-2; 3. Kami Casiano, Woodstown 5-2
Riverview Sports News 