Category: PENNS GROVE

Salem County leaders

A look at the statistical leaders in Salem County football for games through Oct. 11

By Riverview Sports News

Here’s a quick look inside the numbers:

Pennsville receiver CJ Johnson needs three catches for 50 this season and 24 yards for 800. The Eagles had 50 receptions as a team all of last season. Malik Rehmer caught 50 balls for 771 yards in 2023. Their last 800-yard receiver was Brady Locke in 2017 (813). Drew Burdsall had 886 yards in 2013. Logan Johnston had 920 yards in 2016. Ryan Hawthorne had 908 in 2011.

Pennsville quarterback Jake Layfield needs 93 yards to become the Eagles’ first 1,500-yard passer since Brandon Morris (1507) in 2017. 

Schalick quarterback Kenny Bartee needs 125 yards to become Schalick’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Kenai Simmons in 2022 (1225). He’s 17 yards shy of 1,000 career passing yards.

Woodstown quarterback Mason Middlemiss is five yards shy of 500 passing yards this season and needs 239 for 1,000 in total offense. With the 64 passing yards he brought with him from Absegami after his freshman year, the junior quarterback has 1,006 career yards and 16 total touchdowns.

DOING IT ALL: Schalick’s David Stewart has 16 career touchdown across all phases of the game – rushing (8), receiving (3), defense (2 – 1 FR, 1 IR), returns (3 – 1 KOR, 2 PR). The only thing he hasn’t done is throw a touchdown pass. He has 1,306 career all-purpose yards.

TITLE TIME: The winner of Saturday’s Penns Grove-Woodstown came will clinch at least a share of the WJFL Independence Division title. If it’s Penns Grove, it’ll be the Red Devils’ first division crown since 2019.
 
WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY: Woodstown’s next loss will be the 500th in the history of its program.

FAMILY FEUD: It’ll be brother against brother when Salem plays Pennsville next Friday. Vick Mosher plays for Pennsville. Tony Merendino plays for Salem.

Rushing

PLAYERCAR.YARDSTD
Kenny Bartee, Schalick9587512
Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove6673310
Cashmir Parsley, Salem786586
Cole Ware, Woodstown644312
Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove714208
David Stewart, Schalick463955
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown532668
Ayden Jenkins, Schalick482572
Tristan Horner, Pennsville512534
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville332294
Adrian Alleyne, Salem201640
TyRell West, Woodstown441454
DezYon Purnell, Schalick241452
Desmund Thomas, Salem191394
Isiah Santiago, Salem241061
Kyvion Parsons, Salem14812
Savior Allah, Penns Grove6791
Zahvier Reeder, Penns Grove7740
Freddie Allen, Schalick13611

Passing

PLAYERC-A-IYARDSTD
Jake Layfield, Pennsville115-182-10140712
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown28-46-54955
Kenny Bartee, Schalick16-40-03702
Desmund Thomas, Salem28-37-13834
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown18-32-43424
Damien Robinson, Penns Grove20-34-21832
Owen McDonald, Salem10-22-21051
Noah Chiu, Woodstown5-8-0631
Gabriel McFarland, Schalick3-4-0491
Kyvion Parsons, Salem3-11-2411

Receiving

PLAYERNO.YARDSTD
Chase Johnson, Pennsville477467
Lucas Thomas, Pennsville181432
Andrew White, Woodstown133635
Jacob Kimani, Pennsville121481
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville111440
Tristan Horner, Pennsville11431
KaiSiere Muhammad, Salem101500
Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove91492
Danny Knight, Pennsville91330
Quemere Bergen, Salem91162
Ahmad Tucker, Salem71012
Nehemiah Carter, Woodstown6870
Omari Robinson, Penns Grove6801
Isiah Santiago, Salem5450
Cole Ware, Woodstown5300
David Stewart, Schalick4751
Gio Alicea, Schalick4661
Savior Allah, Penns Grove4260
Shawn Kelly, Schalick31452
Evan Elliott, Schalick3401
Noah Chiu, Woodstown3370
Javion Sydnor, Pennsville3260
Dante Cummings, Pennsville3131

Defense

SACKS — 9.5: Tony Merendino, Salem;; Myshion Barnes, Salem; 8.5: Omari Robinson, Penns Grove; 6.5: JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove; Omari Robinson, Penns Grove; 4: Mahkye Murray, Salem; Bradley Snitcher, Woodstown; Evan Elliott, Schalick; 3: Xavier Csaszar, woodstown; Nick Lopergolo, Schalick; Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove; 2.5: Rex Hannah, Woodstown; 2: Raymond Brown, Salem; Kamal Chatum, Salem; Dillon Garrity, Woodstown; Maliq Reddick, Penns Grove; Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove; Aiden Torres, Schalick; Isaac Wright, Penns Grove

INTERCEPTIONS — 5: Jacob Kimani, Pennsville; 4: Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove; 3: Grady Sanders, Pennsville; David Stewart, Schalick; 2: Gio Alicea, Schalick; Freddie Allen, Schalick; Noah Blunt, Schalick; Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove; Danny Knight, Pennsville; Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove

Team Leaders

TEAMRUSHC-A-IPASSPFPA
PENNS GROVE (4-2)140922-39-225216979
PENNSVILLE (4-3)498115-182-101407151114
SALEM (4-3)126841-70-5529164111
SCHALICK (7-0)175422-49-045323249
WOODSTOWN (3-4)87733-54-5558146169

To the nines

Woodstown girls tennis captures ninth division title under Stemberger; will be updated

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The No. 2 doubles team of Isabella Lindenmuth and Eleanore Lawson scored a straight-set victory Tuesday that not only clinched Woodstown’s 5-0 victory over Timber Creek but also its ninth TCC Diamond Division girls tennis title under coach Jesse Stemberger.

Lindenmuth and Lawson defeated Samantha Bioanelli and Kadie Jabbie 6-2, 6-2. The Wolverines (10-7) also got points from Madison LaPalomento, Emma West, Angelina Lindenmuth and the doubles team of Emilee Kehr-Elliana Norman. All five of their wins in the match came in straight sets.

The title was the Wolverines’ third in a row, the second three-peat in Stemberger’s tenure.

“It’s always nice (to win a division title),” Stemberger said. “It’s always a sign of accomplishment when the girls can pull it off. It takes a lot of hard work. Think of when you start off in August you don’t know how it’s all going to go, but when it falls into place it feels good.

“They (Timber Creek) were definitely better than the first time we played them; we certainly didn’t overlook them. Thankfully, we were up for the take. The girls knew what was at stake and we finished the deal.”

FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown 5, Millville 0: Lexi Taylor scored four goals and Kendall Higgins logged three saves as the Wolverines (9-3) won their third straight with their fifth shutout of the season. Talia Guardacione scored Woodstown’s other goal, off an assist from Taylor.
Bridgeton 10, Salem 0: Ciani Money scored three goals and Laila Melendez and Timer Heard both had had tricks.

BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic
Pitman 4, Salem Tech 1: Jonas Trum scored the first of his three goals five minutes into the match. Logan Pace scored the Chargers’ goal in the second half to make it 2-1.

GIRLS SOCCER
Pitman 6, Salem Tech 0:

VOLLEYBALL
Clearview at Salem Tech

Standings

Here are the WJFL Diamond/Independence and TCC Diamond/Classic division standings through Oct. 11

WJFL Football

DIAMONDALLDIVINDEPENDENCEALLDIV
Schalick7-04-0Woodstown3-43-0
Paulsboro5-22-1`Penns Grove4-23-0
Overbrook3-42-1Clayton4-21-1
Burlington City2-41-3Woodbury2-51-2
Salem4-31-3Pitman2-40-2
Pennsville4-30-3Buena3-40-3

TCC Boys Soccer

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Clayton7-56-0Schalick8-27-0
Salem Tech6-62-3Woodstown7-5-14-3
Pennsville3-72-3Penns Grove7-3-13-3-1
Glou Cath2-82-3Overbrook5-63-4
Salem0-7 0-3Glassboro5-6-12-4-1
Pitman3-8-11-6

TCC Girls Soccer

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Pitman7-57-0Schalick9-2-17-0
Glou Cath5-64-3Woodstown10-2-15-1
Pennsville7-54-3Overbrook4-72-4
Clayton7-44-3Penns Grove2-71-3
Salem Tech2-82-5Glassboro1-100-4
Salem0-110-7

TCC Field Hockey

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Salem Tech10-26-0Woodstown8-36-0
Pennsville4-73-2Overbrook7-33-1
Glou Cath3-42-2Schalick8-32-2
Salem1-111-3Glass/Pit3-52-4
Clayton0-50-3Deptford4-90-6

TCC Girls Tennis

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Pitman14-45-0Woodstown9-76-0
Pennsville9-42-2Schalick8-84-2
Glassboro7-72-3Timber Cr6-63-2
Glou Cath0-00-0Overbrook2-91-4
Salem0-100-5Penns Grove1-90-6

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Oct. 12-17; all games 4 p.m. unless noted

MONDAY, OCT. 12
FIELD HOCKEY
Maple Shade at Schalick, 3:45 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
Woodstown at Clayton, 10 a.m.
Glassboro at Salem, 11 a.m.
Schalick at Bordentown, 2 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Overbrook
Woodstown at Clayton, noon
Pitman at Schalick, 6 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Salem CC at Delaware Tech, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCT. 13
FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown at Millville
Salem at Bridgeton, 6 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic
Salem Tech at Pitman, 7 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Pitman, 5 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Timber Creek at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Clearview at Salem Tech, 5:15 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook at Penns Grove
Salem at Pennsville
Schalick at Glassboro
Woodstown at Pitman
GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro at Schalick
Pennsville at Salem
Penns Grove at Overbrook
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford at Pennsville
Glassboro at Salem Tech
Overbrook at Salem
GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Schalick at Penns Grove
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Middlesex at Salem CC, 6 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCT. 15
FOOTBALL
Millville at Atlantic City, 6 p.m.
Florence at Maple Shade, 6 p.m.
Allentown at Ewing, 6 p.m.
Timber Creek at Bridgeton, 6 p.m.
Hopewell Valley at Hightstown, 6 p.m.
Mastern Camden at Clearview, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Cumberland at Salem Tech
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester at Salem Tech
KIPP at Pennsville
Salem at Cape May Tech
Schalick at Sterling
West Deptford at Penns Grove
GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Haddon Twp.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m.
Schalick at Kingsway, 4:15 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Clearview at Salem Tech, 5:15 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 16
FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Salem at Burlington City, 6 p.m.
Buena at Pitman, 7 p.m.
Northern Burlington at Williamstown, 6 p.m.
Camden Eastside at Cinnaminson, 6 p.m.
Vineland at St. Joe (Hamm.), 6 p.m.
Ocean City at Holy Spirit, 6 p.m.
Pennsauken at Eastern, 6 p.m.
Burlington Twp. at Shawnee, 6 p.m.
St. Augustine at Kingsway, 6 p.m.
Camden at Glassboro, 6 p.m.
Rancocas Valley at Pleasantville, 6 p.m.
Lenape at Cherry Hill East, 6 p.m.
Camden Catholic at KIPP, 6 p.m.
Cedar Creek at Mainland, 6 p.m.
Steinert at Notre Dame, 6 p.m.
Collingswood at Audubon, 6 p.m.
Gloucester at Cherry Hill West, 6 p.m.
Winslow at Washington Twp., 6 p.m.
Middle Twp. at Lindenwold, 6 p.m.
Highland at Cumberland, 6 p.m.
Sterling at Bishop Eustace, 6:30 p.m.
Willingboro at Haddonfield, 7 p.m.
Lawrence at Robbinsville, 7 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Haddon Twp., 7 p.m.
WW-Plainsboro at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
Paul VI at Seneca, 7 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Gateway, 7 p.m.
Delran at West Deptford, 7 p.m.
Cherokee at Delsea, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Salem
Schalick at Glassboro
BOYS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Overbrook
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem at Glassboro, 3 p.m.
Schalick at Clearview, 4:15 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Timber Creek
Pitman at Penns Grove
Salem at Woodstown
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Woodbury

SATURDAY, OCT. 17
FOOTBALL
Woodstown at Penns Grove, noon
Clayton at Woodbury, 11 a.m.
Overbrook at Paulsboro, 12:30 p.m.
Wildwood at Palmyra, 11 a.m.
Trenton at Princeton, 11 a.m.
Hamilton West at Nottingham, noon
Oakcrest at Atlantic Tech, noon
Lower Cape May at Hammonton, noon
Egg Harbor at Absegami, noon
Triton at Moorestown, 1 p.m.
Bordentown at Riverside, 1:30 p.m.
Deptford at Pemberton, 2 p.m.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Sussex CC vs. Salem CC, Pennsville H.S., 1 p.m.
COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY
Salem CC in Border Battle, Dream Park

WJFL scoreboard

Here are the West Jersey Football League scores for the weekend of Oct. 9-10


FRIDAY, OCT. 9
Overbrook 38, Woodstown 35
Pennsville 20, St. Joseph (Hamm.) 17
Salem 26, Clayton 6
Schalick 27, Penns Grove 0
KIPP 58, Pitman 0
Buena 17, Lindenwold 8
Collingswood 18, Woodbury 6
Burlington City 24, Riverside 19
Delran 17, Ewing 14
Washington Twp. 42, Cherokee 7
Pleasantville 20, Lower Cape May 18
Rancocas Valley 42, Eastern 0
Triton 0, Highland 0
Deptford 48, Gateway 0
Wildwood 30, Mastery Camden 22
Vineland at Oakcrest
Trenton 14, Lenape 9
Camden Eastside 48, Cedar Creek 7
Camden 50, Kingsway 14
Hopewell Valley 18, Steinert 7
Maple Shade at Palmyra
St. Augustine 37, Shawnee 0
Northern Burlington 41, Notre Dame 17
Ocean City 38, Middle Twp. 13
Timber Creek 56, Nottingham 0
Cumberland at Egg Harbor
Hightstown 46, Lawrence 20
Bishop Eustace 37, Holy Cross 7
Williamstown 33, Delsea 6
Clearview 20, Moorestown 13

SATURDAY, OCT. 10
Haddonfield at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
Princeton at Hamilton West, 11 a.m.
Gloucester at Haddon Heights, 11:30 a.m.
Absegami at Pemberton noon
Cinnaminson at Willingboro, noon
Florence at Gloucester Catholic, 1 p.m.
Bridgeton at Pennsauken, 1 p.m.
Glassboro at Burlington Twp., 1:30 p.m.
West Deptford at West. Nassau (Fla.), 6 p.m.

Schalick stays unbeaten

Bartee punishes Penns Grove, makes something out of nothing twice, helps Schalick stay unbeaten

By Al Muskewitz/Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Believe it or not, given the way he takes over a game these days, Kenny Bartee didn’t like playing football when he was little. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he cried before he had to go onto the youth field, but he went anyway — and made the opposition cry.

He’s still doing it today. Well, everything but the crying part.

Friday night, the Schalick junior quarterback rushed for 124 yards and scored two touchdowns leading the Cougars over Penns Grove 27-0 to remain undefeated and solidly atop the South Jersey Group 1 power points standings.

Both of his touchdowns came from creating something out of nothing.

“It gives me an adrenaline rush,” he said. “Back when I was little I never really liked football, so I always had to make plays like that. So that’s not really anything new.

“I didn’t like football at all. I was forced to play because I was pretty good at it. My mom said you’re too good to let this talent go to waste. I said mom, I got you. I would cry before games and then I would come out and score five touchdowns.”

His first touchdown against the Red Devils came on the last play of the first half on a play that looked like it wouldn’t develop before the clock ran out. He rolled right looking for a receiver, but finding none open, he pulled it down and went 16 yards for the score, blasting through a two-level roadblock the Red Devils set up at the 4.

Schalick quarterback Kenny Bartee (1) eludes Penns Grove pursuer Dairol De La Cruz De Las Santos then turns upfield on the way to his first touchdown on the final play of the first half. (Photo by Zach Ahl)

It was do or die, since it was fourth down with four seconds on the clock. Had the Cougars’ regular kicker been available, coach Kevin Leamy admitted he would have tried the 33-yard field goal. But kicker Shawn Kelly was on the sideline in concussion protocol after trying to make a tackle on a kickoff last week at Cumberland, so they went for it and hoped for the best. They didn’t punt either.

“I could be a terrible coach and he makes me look good,” Schalick coach Kevin Leamy said. “He makes me look good. There were times we didn’t call the right play or we didn’t do the right thing and he makes the play; he makes everyone looks good. He does a lot of that.”

From Bartee’s perspective he didn’t want to go into halftime with just a 7-0 lead – on a special teams touchdown – and was “very determined” to get in the end zone on the play.

“I really wasn’t too happy about to go into halftime 7-0 on a team like this,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, that is a very good, very disciplined team, but we’re way better than that. We had a bunch of mistakes we didn’t capitalize on. So us going into halftime with 7-0 I wasn’t liking it, so I’m like I’ve gotta make something happen. We tried to throw. It was there, just miscommunication. OK, now I have to go get it. I’ve got to go get us one.”

Bartee’s second touchdown came on a 3-yard run midway through the third quarter, but it was the play before that showed more of his wizardry. He broke off a 27-yard run after picking up a shotgun snap that slid through his hands.

“I just trusted my teammates,” he said. “Once I picked up the ball they were looking at me to throw it. I just told them block for me.”

“He is a tough player,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “We’ve been watching him on film all year. I told the guys he’s going to get 70 percent of the touches. He’s a tough runner, a big strong kid with a little bit of speed, and he knows how to play football.”

Even if he didn’t like to earlier in his life.

The Cougars (7-0) got their other touchdowns on David Stewart’s 79-yard punt return in the first quarter and Ayden Jenkins’ 23-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.

Schalick’s Aiden Torres (70) and Gary Simonini (9) wrap up Penns Grove ballcarrier Zahvier Reeder. (Photo by Zach Ahl)

Their defense, meanwhile, was relentless and didn’t yield Penns Grove anything. The shutout was their second of the year. They’ve allowed only 49 points and held five of their seven opponents to a touchdown or less.

The Red Devils (4-2) were missing their main weapon, freshman running back Jaivon Thomas, one of the top rushers in the state, with a collarbone injury. When the team came back to the field after warmups Thomas was carrying his pads and he watched the game from the Penns Grove sideline. He was hopeful of returning next week against Woodstown in what amounts to the WJFL Independence Division championship game.

The Red Devils tried to compensate with Terrell Thomas and several other backs and a bit more throwing, but they managed only 50 yards of offense — minus-5 net on 16 offensive snaps in the second half. 

“Today was a day to see what some other guys have,” Ware said. “We knew all week he wasn’t going to play. He didn’t practice all week. We did some more passing stuff today because I wanted to work a little more passing in and we did well with a few passes in the first half. We sustained a couple drives in the first half and if we didn’t have big penalties I feel like we would’ve put some points on the board. But when you’re playing from a deficit and you have a guy who’s, what, the No. 9 rusher in the state not in the game it’s hard because we’re trying to establish offense and then we shoot ourself in the foot with a penalty.

“Ultimately, I got a lot of guys who are young, inexperienced, so some guys got some experience today and got a chance to play who normally wouldn’t have gotten a chance to play. They’re No. 1 for a reason and when we don’t have our No. 1 running back it’s tough. But I felt like we did some really good things. Today was a good barometer for us to see where we stack up and even without our best offensive player we still held our own.”

The Cougars played a little next-man-up as well. They lost their regular center on the opening series, moved tackle Will Johnson to the spot and put freshman quarterback Gabe McFarland — all 5-feet-7, 163 pounds of him — on the offensive line. McFarland played the rest of the game there and was part of three touchdown drives.

“He scored five touchdowns against Cumberland in the JV game and he played tackle today,” Leamy said. “He’s been playing a little bit of defense and he’s been playing well, so this past week, we were like we need some like depth. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s been great at practice. He’s physical, he attacks, he does exactly what we coach him to do. He’s not the biggest, but he’s just determined.

“It’s funny, he doesn’t want to play like, he wants to play quarterback, he wants to be a skill player, and he’s good at that, too. He’s doing real well with the JVs, he’s doing phenomenal. The coaching staff goes to him and says if we need you (on the line) you willing to play. He said, coach, if you need me to play, I’ll play wherever you want me to play. It says a lot about this team and that environment that these kids have created. Next man up, they’re going to do whatever they need to do, even if it means our JV quarterback is playing center.

Schalick 27, Penns Grove 0

PGSCH
5First downs17
24-19Rushing38-230
0-10-1Passes4-9-0
31Passing58
2-1Fum-Lost3-1
2-33.0Punts-Avg0-0
5-45Penalties4-55
Penns Grove0000-0
Schalick7776-27


SCORING SUMMARY

S-David Stewart 79 punt return (Dash Mayne kick), 4:29 1Q

S-Kenny Bartee 16 run (Dash Mayne kick), 0:00 2Q

S-Kenny Bartee 3 run (Dash Mayne kick), 6:32 3Q

S-Ayden Jenkins 23 run (pass failed), 6:51 4Q

Penns Grove’s Jerry Wooton (3) tries to break the grasp of a Schalick tackler. (Photo by Zach Ahl)

Stepping up to deliver

Eachus scores Salem Tech’s first field hockey hat trick, Koering delivers in overtime, freshmen answer the call for Wolverines, Woodstown closing in on tennis division title

THURSDAY FIELD HOCKEY
Salem Tech 5, Burlington City 0
Woodstown 7, Deptford 0
Gloucester Catholic 7, Salem 0
Schalick 1, Haddon Heights 0
Pennsville at Clayton

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Hazel Eachus added her name the growing history of Salem Tech field hockey Thursday when she scored the first hat trick in program history leading the Chargers to a 5-0 win over Burlington City.

It was the Chargers’ eighth straight win and allowed them to match their win total of last year’s inaugural season.

Eachus, a sophomore, scored her historic goal in the third quarter to give the Chargers (9-2) to complete the scoring. She also scored the first and third goals of the game in the first quarter and now has 12 for the season and 20 for her career. She had scored two goals in a game five times previously.

“It takes the whole team,” Eachus said of her milestone. “I have my amazing midfield, backs and wings to do all the hard work. I just try to be in the right place at the right time.”

Shelby Drummond had a goal and an assist. Jessilyn Chambers scored the other goal and Hayden Crispin had two assists.

Woodstown 7, Deptford 0: Lexi Taylor and Brooke Dillon both scored a hat track and had two assists scored three second-quarter goals. Taylor scored all three of her goals in the second quarter. Zoe Lipovsky scored the Wolverines’ other goal.

Schalick 1, Haddon Heights 0: Ranae Scurry scored the game’s only goal in the third quarter on an assist from Lucy Virga and Jayonna Johnson kept the Garnets out of the cage.

Top photo: Salem Tech’s Hazel Eachus (12) lines up a shot during a game with Pennsville earlier in the week.

Boys soccer

THURSDAY’S SCORES
Penns Grove 2, Pitman 1
Schalick 3, Overbrook 2 (OT)
Woodstown 2, Glassboro 0
Clayton 3, Salem Tech 0
Gloucester Catholic 4, Pennsville 3

PINE HILL – The teams had been going back and forth all day, but Tim Koering was in the right spot at the right time to finally put it away.

Koering scored his fifth goal of the season early in overtime to lift Schalick over Overbrook 3-2 for its sixth win in a row. 

The Cougars (8-2) never lost the lead in the game, but they couldn’t shake their hosts. The Rams tied it at 1-1 and 2-2, sending the game to overtime on a flukish goal three seconds before the end of regulation. Cougars keeper Nick Latona punched out the Rams’ long free kick, but the ball hit the back of a player’s head and dropped down for the Rams to finish. “Three inches on way or the other he’d have punched it out,” Schalick coach Joe Mannella lsaid.

But Koering came through to save the day. It was a highlight kind of a goal for a junior who has fought through injuries his whole career. Even his start to this season was delayed by a broken nose he suffered in the preseason. He scored his first varsity goal against Overbrook last month.

“He’s been sharing time up top and he’s been scoring his share of goals,” Mannella said. “He was in the right place with a great ball.”

The Cougars can clinch the Tri-County Diamond Division title Wednesday with a win at Glassboro.

Penns Grove 2, Pitman 1: Juan Ortiz scored both goals and Prince Ledbetter got both assists. Ortiz’ first goal was a rocket from 25 yards out into the top corner.

Woodstown 2, Glassboro 0: Tommy Tucci and Nick DiTeodoro scored goals in the first half and Lee Coombs posted his second straight shutout.

Gloucester Catholic 4, Pennsville 3: Max Grimmie scored three goals for the Rams. 

Girls soccer

THURSDAY’S SCORES
Woodstown 7, Glassboro 1
Pennsville 4, Gloucester Catholic 1
Schalick 6, Overbrook 0
Pitman 6, Salem 0
Clayton 6, Salem Tech 0

GLASSBORO – The future looks bright for Woodstown girls soccer.

All seven of the Woodstown’s goals came from freshman as the Wolverines ganged up on Glassboro 7-1 for their fourth straight win.

Sayumi Gonzalez, Mariah Hyman and Korynn Hernandez all scored twice and Bella Lucas scored once. Hernandez also had a pair of assists. This Fab Four has accounted for 32 goals and 17 assists this season. 

“We have relied on our freshmen and they are a big reason for our success,” Wolverines coach Kieran Keyser said. “We still have a lot to learn but are moving in the right direction.”

Pennsville 4, Gloucester Catholic 1: Abby Marandola scored three goals in the second half as the Eagles pulled away from a 1-1 halftime tie. Karsen Cooksey gave the Eagles (7-5) a 1-0 lead and assisted on Marandola’s go-ahead goal.

Schalick 6, Overbrook 0: Olivia Vanacker scored three goals and Kyliegh Cutler had three assists. It was the Cougars’ eighth shutout and the 51st among the 66 wins in Will Kemp’s five-year tenure as head coach (66-21-3). They’ve given up only six goals all season. 

Pitman 6, Salem 0: Marlee Adams scored two of Pitman’s six first-half goals.

Clayton 6, Salem Tech 0: Madi Traister had a hat trick and Audrina Giglio scored twice.

Girls tennis

THURSDAY’S SCORES
Woodstown 3, Schalick 2

PITTSGROVE – Madison LaPalomento’s straight-set victory at No. 1 singles clinched Woodstown’s 3-2 win over rival Schalick that gave the Wolverines at least a share of their ninth Tri-County Diamond Division title under coach Jesse Stemberger and third in a row.

The Wolverines, 9-7 overall and 6-0 in the division, hold a two-game lead in the loss column over Schalick and Timber Creek with two matches to play. They can clinch it outright with a win Tuesday against Timber Creek.

LaPalomento defeated Olivia Lunemann, 6-4, 6-2 for the clinching point. The Wolverines got their other points from No. 3 singles Angelina Lindenmuth and the No. 1 doubles team of Elliana Norman and Emilee Kehr.

“Schalick is always going to be a tough match because we’ve been county and division rivals for many years and both schools get up for the match,” Stemberger said. “I give (Schalick coach) Brandi Petrunis a lot of credit as her team has greatly improved since our last match (a 5-0 Woodstown win).

“I also give a lot of credit to our girls who were able to put the festivities of Homecoming Week behind them and come out of a difficult Schalick environment with a win.”

WOODSTOWN 3, SCHALICK 2
Madison LaPalomento (WO) def. Olivia Lunemann, 6-4, 6-2
Sebrina Bradford (S) def. Emma West, 6-2, 6-2
Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Jasmine Hunt, 6-1, 6-4
Elliana Norman-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Brooke Brown-Jazmin Perez, 6-1, 6-0
River Wojcik-Janae White (S) def. Isabella Lindenmuth-Eleanore Lawson, 6-3, 7-5
Records: Woodstown 9-7, Schalick 8-8

CJ quite a catch

Pennsville sophomore among state’s leading receivers, includes the Salem County football leaders through games of Oct. 4

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Overbrook at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 6 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Pennsville at St. Joseph (Hamm.), 6:30 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – CJ Johnson caught 10 times more passes in this year’s season opener than he had all of last season and he hasn’t slowed down yet.

The Pennsville sophomore snared 11 passes in that overtime win over Woodstown and has 42 catches on the year, tied for third most in the state regardless of classification going into this week’s games. His 630 receiving yards rank No. 1. He’s only needs nine catches to top the Eagles’ entire team total of a year ago and he’s on pace to become their most prolific receiver in more than 17 years.

Having a breakout year hasn’t surprised him, but the numbers and the exposure have.

“It definitely caught me by surprise,” he said. “I knew this year I would have to step up from all the seniors who graduated. I definitely did think I would have a good season, but this is definitely taking me by surprise.”

The Eagles have been a run-heavy offense throughout Mike Healy’s 10-year run as head coach, even with a strong-armed quarterback like Robbie McDade the last few years, but without an established returning running back and a young offensive line this year they had to find another way to move the ball. They’ve been airing it out all year with only last week’s rainy conditions crimping their style.

Junior quarterback Jake Layfield is just outside the top 10 passers in the state in his first year as a starter and is far and away the leading passer in Salem County. The top five receivers in the county all wear Pennsville blue.

“We kind of knew going into the season we weren’t going to be a run-heavy team like in the past,” Healy said. “Our experience and our older guys were more on the outside, so we were going to have to take advantage of that.

“Going into the season we had high expectations for CJ. We saw some flashes last year; we knew there was more there. Luckily it worked out. We were kind of counting on him to produce and he’s done more than we even expected, so it’s turned into a pretty good combination for us. It’s been different to watch, but it’s been exciting to see.”

The Eagles had only 50 receptions as a team last year. They’ve only had four receivers with at least 50 catches in a season since 2010. Malik Rehmer currently holds the single-season record in Healy’s tenure (50 in 2023). Logan Johnston (2016) and Drew Burdsall (2013) have the most in program history since 2010 (60). Burdsall also had 52 in 2012.

It helps that Johnson is 6-2½ and able to go high, low and across for anything thrown his way. He’s also good at getting yards after the catch. Layfield called the first of Johnson’s two touchdown grabs against Penns Grove last week a “great catch.”

“I have a lot of trust in him,” the quarterback said. “He wins his routes. He knows what he’s doing. Freak athlete. I think the combinations we set him up with play a part with his success. Always want to get the ball in his hands. He’s been put in a good spot and he’s taken every single piece of advantage that he’s had with it.”

And it hasn’t gone unnoticed. The other day a coach from Syracuse checked in with Healy about him. There’s a connection there. Johnson’s uncle Yazeed Haynes was a receiver for the Orange before retiring from football last spring.

“CJ’s a football player; that’s his thing,” Healy said. “He’s got really high goals that we want to help him achieve. He’s going to continue to get better. I don’t think he’s reached his max potential yet at all.”

Pennsville receiving leaders (since 2010)

SINGLE SEASONRECYEARTEAMYEAR
Logan Johnston6020161552013
Drew Burdsall6020131372014
Drew Burdsall5220121282011
Malik Rehmer5020231222016
Ryan Hawthorne4420111172019
Brady Locke4320171142018
CJ Johnson4220261072026
Jeremy Boucher4220151042015
Kyle Pszenny4220141012023

Salem County leaders

Rushing

Penns Grove freshman Jaivon Thomas (1) leads the county in rushing. Top photo: Pennsville sophomore CJ Johnson (9) leads the state in receiving yards and is on pace to become the Eagles’ most prolific receiver in the last 17 years.
PLAYERCAR.YARDSTD
Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove6673310
Kenny Bartee, Schalick7771410
Cashmir Parsley, Salem665204
Cole Ware, Woodstown644312
Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove593928
David Stewart, Schalick403655
Tristan Horner, Pennsville512534
Ayden Jenkins, Schalick452261
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown361905
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville181812
Desmund Thomas, Salem141043
DezYon Purnell, Schalick161022
Adrian Alleyne, Salem151010
TyRell West, Woodstown25873
Kyvion Parsons, Salem14812
Isiah Santiago, Salem20801
Savior Allah, Penns Grove6791
Zahvier Reeder, Penns Grove5730
Freddie Allen, Schalick12601

Passing

Pennsville quarterback Jake Mayfield has passed for as many yards as the next eight Salem County quarterbacks combined. (All photos by Lucky Shot Pix)
PLAYERC-A-IYARDSTD
Jake Layfield, Pennsville107-171-8125412
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown18-32-43424
Kenny Bartee, Schalick12-31-03222
Desmund Thomas, Salem21-25-12884
Owen McDonald, Salem10-22-21051
Noah Chiu, Woodstown5-6-0631
Gabriel McFarland, Schalick3-4-0491
Damien Robinson, Penns Grove17-26-1442
Kyvion Parsons, Salem3-11-2411

Receiving

PLAYERNO.YARDSTD
Chase Johnson, Pennsville426307
Lucas Thomas, Pennsville181432
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville111440
Tristan Horner, Pennsville11431
Jacob Kimani, Pennsville101261
Andrew White, Woodstown92755
Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove81302
Danny Knight, Pennsville81180
Quemere Bergen, Salem7932
KaiSiere Muhammad, Salem6980
Ahmad Tucker, Salem6812
Isiah Santiago, Salem5450
Cole Ware, Woodstown5300
Omari Robinson, Penns Grove4601
Savior Allah, Penns Grove4260
Shawn Kelly, Schalick31452
David Stewart, Schalick3651
Gio Alicea, Schalick3561
Nehemiah Carter, Woodstown3530
Evan Elliott, Schalick3401
Javion Sydnor, Pennsville3260
Dante Cummings, Pennsville3131

Defense

SACKS —7: Tony Merendino, Salem; 6.5: JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove; Omari Robinson, Penns Grove; 6: Omari Robinson, Penns Grove; 5.5: Myshion Barnes, Salem; 4: Mahkye Murray, Salem; Bradley Snitcher, Woodstown; 3: Xavier Csaszar, woodstown; Evan Elliott, Schalick; Nick Lopergolo, Schalick; Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove; 2.5: Rex Hannah, Woodstown; 2: Raymond Brown, Salem; Kamal Chatum, Salem; Dillon Garrity, Woodstown; Maliq Reddick, Penns Grove; Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove; Aiden Torres, Schalick; Isaac Wright, Penns Grove

INTERCEPTIONS — 5: Jacob Kimani, Pennsville; 4: Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove; 3: Grady Sanders, Pennsville; David Stewart, Schalick; 2: Gio Alicea, Schalick; Noah Blunt, Schalick; Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove; Danny Knight, Pennsville; Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove

Team Leaders

TEAMRUSHC-A-IPASSPFPA
PENNS GROVE (4-1)124319-30-121316952
PENNSVILLE (3-3)415107-171-8125413197
SALEM (3-3)98034-58-5434138105
SCHALICK (6-0)149918-40-040520549
WOODSTOWN (3-3)74323-40-4405111131

More than a win

Penns Grove girls tennis wins for first time since 2023, roundup includes scores and details from Wednesday’s Salem County sports schedule

BOYS SOCCER
Camden Academy Charter 6, Salem 1
VOLLEYBALL
Highland 2, Salem Tech 1
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove 3, Salem 2
West Deptford 3, Schalick 2

By Riverview Sports News

SALEM – The first doubles team of Cadence Jackson and Clarisleidy Smith won for the first time this season and No. 3 singles Valeria Torres won her third match of the season to lift Penns Grove to its first victory, 3-2 over Salem. The Red Devils’ other point came on a forfeit at second doubles.

It was the Red Devils’ first girls tennis win since Sept. 22, 2023, snapping a 39-match losing streak. 

PENNS GROVE 3, SALEM 2
Heaven Jones-McCullough (S) def. Adanelys Lopez Melendez, 6-0, 6-4
JaNye Hubbard (S) def. Kavila Pulchard, 6-1, 6-1
Valeria Torres (PG) def. Erica Brewer, 6-2, 6-1
Cadence Jackson-Clarisleidy Smith (PG) def. Aleena Allen-Aniya Lyles-Clark, 6-1, 6-0
Andrea Chaparro-Stephani Recinos (PG) won by forfeit.
Records: Penns Grove 1-8, Salem 0-9.

PITTSGROVE – West Deptford won two tight first-to-10 third set tiebreakers after each losing the first set to down Schalick 3-2.

The Eagles got the crucial points at second singles and first doubles. The first doubles team also won a second set tiebreaker to even their match.

WEST DEPTFORD 3, SCHALICK 2
Jody Wu (WD) def. Olivia Lunemann, 6-0, 6-2
Faith Hardy-Stith (WD) def. Sebrina Bradford, 3-6, 6-1, 11-9
Jasmine Hunt (S) def. Anastasia Besar, 6-0, 6-1
Lily Avila-Najae Budiere (WD) def. Brooke Brown-Jazmin Perez, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 10-8
Janae White-River Wojcik (S) def. Laura Monticolo-Rylee Hill, 6-2, 6-3
Records: West Deptford 8-11, Schalick 8-7.

Wolverines sweep

Farrell, repeat winner Marino lead Woodstown to its first boys-girls team sweep in Salem County Cross Country Championship since 2011

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – After dutifully following the leaders for three years waiting for his turn, David Farrell has finally become the leader of Woodstown’s cross country pack and has embraced the role and all of its responsibilities.

Where once he was making his way behind two or three older veterans, he’s the one bringing them along now. He was right where he was supposed to be Wednesday, leading the Wolverines across the line to win the Salem County Cross Country boys race and lead them to another team championship.

Farrell ran the 5K course at Salem Tech in 16:38.89. Woodstown won the team title for the third year in a row, placing all five counters in the top 10 and trimming runner-up Salem Tech by 13 points.

Abby Marino ran away with the girls race despite battling seasonal stuffiness, winning in 18:51.24, a time that was five seconds faster than the PR she ran finishing second at the Osprey Invite two weekends ago and nearly two and a half minutes ahead of race runner-up Sawyer Slad of Pennsville. It was more than a minute faster than her winning time a year ago at Schalick.

She also led the Wolverines to their first girls county team title since 2015, edging Schalick in what became a head-to-head team competition by 13 points and ending the Cougars’ seven-year stranglehold on the crown.

It was the first time since 2011 the Wolverines swept both team county titles.

In his first three years in the program, Farrell was always among the Wolverines’ top runners, but in the pecking orderthe he was always a follower. As a freshman, he was behind Karson Chew and Jake Marino. As a sophomore it was Chew, Marino and Cole Lucas, and then last year it was back to Chew and Marino. Always a vital cog, even to the decorated 4×800 relay team in the spring, but always deferring to the captains.

With all of them now gone, he was now the alpha with a county title within his grasp, but he was always cognizant of his responsibility.

“It sort of felt like the team was handed over to me, like I have to be responsible now,” Farrell said. “Being a captain is a little different. I was always with those guys and they were always pushing me (to succeed), so I’m doing the same thing to rest of the team.

“(Coach Steve New) said a team is only as good as its captain allows it to be. That requires whoever is captain to uplift the rest of the team. I want to see them do well, so I try to push them every day. The biggest difference is now I’m the one getting asked the questions, so I have to know those things more and lead the team. Every other race before this I would just look at our captain. I’d try to stick to them. Now I’m trying to push the other guys.”

New never doubted Farrell had the wherewithal to assume the leadership position.

“Dave puts all the work in, so I’m not worried about that,” New said. “That kid works his tail off. You don’t have to worry about him ever putting in the necessary work to get the job done, so I’m not concerned about his training ever and he’s a smart kid. He understands how to race. He’s been in so many high-pressure situations this past winter on that 4×8 that like any race he comes to now it’s almost lower pressure even though it’s just on him. He knows how to handle it. He knows how to deal with it. He’s battle tested.

“He knew what he needed to do. He was around hard workers when he came in. He’s a hard worker himself. I don’t think it was a difficult transition for him because he works so hard on his own anyway. Getting him to run hard is not a challenge.”

And New thinks the senior still has more to show. He sometimes goes out a little more conservative than the coach would like and the day he goes out fast the coach is convinced “he’s going to light it up.”

On Wednesday he led a tight group off the start line as the Wolverines tried to pack run early to establish control. About a mile into the race Farrell figured he could take it from there and proceeded to stretch it out. He finished 32 seconds ahead of runner-up teammate Pacey Hutton.

Marino, meanwhile, just didn’t feel good all day, but nothing was going to keep her from going to the start line and give it all she had. It was simply, as always, a case of mind over matter – if she didn’t mind, it didn’t matter.

She broke out early and was never threatened. Her lead was so large for so long, she was appreciative of the coaches and teammates finding her at various points on the course to offer encouragement and keep her engaged. She admitted if they weren’t there she would’ve sat back a lot more.

“The temperature change has been rough,” she said. “I really couldn’t breathe through my nose the whole race. It definitely didn’t feel good. It made it super hard, but it’s more of a mental (challenge) than anything. If you believe you can do it, you can do it. I have a job to do and I’m going to do it to my best ability.”

All in all, it was a day that put her beliefs in competition to the test and confirmed her approach to the sport.

“If you put your mind to it, you can do anything, especially cross country along with a lot of other sports,” she said. “It’s all mental and once you realize if you believe in yourself you can really push your limits so much more.”

SALEM COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

BOYS SCORES: Woodstown 25, Salem Tech 38, Schalick 80, Pennsville 112, Salem 119
GIRLS SCORES: Woodstown 21, Schalick 34
BOYS TOP 15GIRLS TOP 10
David Farrell, Woodstown16:38.89Abby Marino, Woodstown18:51.24
Pacey Hutton, Woodstown17:10.49Sawyer Slad, Pennsville21:15.60
Levi Seals, Salem Tech17:17.95Reese Madiraca, Woodstown21:55.48
Torsten Duva, Woodstown17:22.83Peyton Michel, Pennsville21:55.95
Carter Marts, Pennsville17:23.14Helen Lillia, Schalick22:47.71
Anthony Morano, Salem Tech17:50.23Emma Wilbur, Schalick22:57.17
Jean-Pierre Pozo, Salem Tech17:55.19Anabel Schaal, Woodstown23:08.10
Joseph MacNeil, Salem Tech17:56.69Lucianna Mannella, Woodstown23:38.60
Nicolas Law, Woodstown18:03.74Harper Mulford, Pennsville23:41.48
Michael Turner, Woodstown18:10.40Kiera Porch, Woodstown23:55.34
Collin Bittle, Schalick18:17.10
Aidan Cain, Schalick18:17.37
Aidan Dominguez, Penns Grove18:27.60
Chase Pompper, Salem Tech18:35.25
Jackson Perry, Woodstown18:36.65
Woodstown’s Abby Marino checks her watch as she hits the finish line first in the Salem County girls race. Top photo: Woodstown’s David Farrell wins the county boys race.