Luck on their side

Schalick special on special teams, beats Penns Grove for second straight win; Dragotta sets school PAT mark

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Sometimes a little luck goes a long way.

Dylan Sheehan was the luckiest soul at Jim Devonshire Field Saturday afternoon. Not in that the senior safety broke in and blocked a punt in the end zone, but that the oblong-shaped ball bounced right up to him like a basketball and all he had to do was grab it for a touchdown.

The play brought some much needed electricity to a WJFL Diamond Division game that up to that point was pretty sleepy and gave the Cougars some breathing room in an eventual 28-7 win over Penns Grove.

“I went in like I usually did all game, the guy stepped out to the right and didn’t block me, wide open, (ball) hit the palms of my hand, bounced it right back into my hands,” Sheehan said. “It’s luck, skill, a lot of things together.

“It feels good, but it feels a little bit undeserved because it’s luck at that point. Some things go your way, some things don’t … but it was definitely necessary to win the game. I’ll take luck any day. I’d like to think that it’s all me, but it’s not. It’s the way you play the game.”

The Cougars (2-2) were leading only 14-7 at the time. They had Penns Grove backed against its end zone thanks in part to a series of penalties that kept moving the Red Devils (0-4) back. Sheehan led a heavy rush against punter Mello Erickson-Hubbard, snuffed the kick and then hardly had to move to score, recovering the ball standing up.

They’ve blocked three kicks in the last two weeks.

“I wouldn’t say the play was lucky, but it was lucky that it came right back up and landed in his lap, it was lucky for the touchdown,” Schalick coach Kevin Leamy said. “I’m not surprised he blocked that kick, but I was surprised with the result.”

Good luck was on the side of Schalick kicker Hunter Dragotta, too. The former soccer player who made himself into a football kicker converted all four of his PATs in the game, setting the school record for career extra points.

He now is 10-of-11 on PAT this season, 29-of-30 over the last two seasons and 85-for-93 in his career. He broke the record with the extra point after Sheehan’s touchdown.

“It definitely took a lot of work, starting in eighth grade, going from a two-step approach to actually learning how to kick a ball,” Dragotta said. “I never really imagined playing football in high school, but here I am.”

“He’s been, especially the past two years, automatic,” Leamy said. “The only time he misses is if it’s blocked. It’s been like an automatic point; if we score we know we’re going to get a point because he’s that good. It’s nice having a weapon like that. Now we’ve got to get him the field goal record.”

That, Dragotta said, is “coming soon.” He hit a career-long 39-yarder earlier this season and has made longer in practice.

**Schalick kicker Hunter Dragotta is recognized for breaking the school’s all-time PAT record in Saturday’s game against Penns Grove. (Schalick photo)**

Quarterback Kenny Bartee again led the Cougars offense. The sophomore directed two touchdown drives behind an ever-improving offensive line and broke for another score on the first play of another possession. He passed for 100 yards, rushed for 46 and ran for two touchdowns.

“I’m getting more comfortable every week,” Bartee said. “My linemen are stepping up. I’m putting my faith in my linemen and they’re getting it done. Their linemen were very aggressive, very big, and I felt our linemen held it down for what they did.”

Terrell Thomas scored Penns Grove’s touchdown on a 48-yard burst early in the third quarter. It made the score 14-7. Beyond that, the Cougars held their hosts to 82 yards of net offense.

“The defense played phenomenal,” Sheehan said. “We’re definitely doing a lot more rotating on defense, just get some more guys in and out, but other than that our defense has been sound all season. We’re closing up the run game. No team has been able to pass on us. We’ll keep getting better.”

Schalick’s David Stewart scored the first touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run in the second quarter. Bartee’s first touchdown, a 2-yard run after getting down there with a 39-yard pass to Sherrod Jones, made it 14-0 at halftime.

Jerry Wooten kept the Red Devils in it to that point with a pair of interceptions. Penns Grove had three takeaways total.

“It wasn’t our best game today, but the goal is to go 1-0 (each week) and we achieved that goal,” Leamy said.

Schalick 28, Penns Grove 7

SCH (28)		PG (7)
10	1st Downs	5
31-120	Rushing	26-128
3-7-3	Passing	3-8-0
100	Passing yds	2
0-0	Fumbles-lost	2-1
1-30.0	Punts-avg	5-26.6
11-55	Penalties	13-114

Schalick (2-2)	0	14	0	14-	28
Penns Grove (0-4)	0	0	7	0-	7

SCORING SUMMARY
S-David Stewart 10 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 9:07 2Q
S-Kenny Bartee 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 29.5 2Q
PG-Terrell Thomas 48 run (Mello Erickson-Hubbard kick), 7:55 3Q
S-Dylan Sheehan blocked punt recovery in end zone (Hunter Dragotta kick), 6:35 4Q
S-Kenny Bartee 31 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 4:52 4Q

Birthday cheer

Woodstown field hockey gifts coach a shutout win over county rival and a comfy throw on her birthday, includes roundup of Friday’s Salem County sports action

FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 10, Overbrook 0
Salem 2, Clayton 1
Woodstown 6, Pennsville 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — Woodstown freshman Margaux Lipovsky gets excited any time she can put the ball in the back of the goal, but there was a special sense of relief when her shot broke the plane in the first five minutes of Friday’s match against Pennsville.

The goal ended a two-game dry spell for the Wolverines and sent them on the way to a 6-0 victory over their county rivals.

“It made me really excited,” Lipovsky said. “Once it rolled to my stick I kind of knew that instant it was going to go in. You just get that feeling that it’s going to go in and when you follow through and see it on the backboard it’s a good feeling.”

The Wolverines (2-2) had gone more than 125 minutes without a goal since Lipovsky scored in the fourth quarter of their season-opening 7-0 rout of Deptford. It was the program’s longest drought since going four straight games without scoring Oct. 9-18 of last year.

But they lit the lamp six times against the Eagles, with goals from six different players. Zoe Lipovsky made it 2-0 early in the second quarter, followed by goals from Corinne Cocking, Bella Eachus, Talia Guardascione (on an assist from Margaux) and Brooke Dillon.

“There was definitely some relief in there that we still have our offensive lineup,” junior captain Shyann Higinbotham said. “It was just about finishing. Finally getting to finish today proved our point that we still have it in us.”

The power surge was a nice 75th birthday present for new coach Gloria Byard. After the game the players serenaded their coach with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” and gifted their former Olympian a comfy throw embossed with familiar words of wisdom.

“I wasn’t really surprised,” Byard said. “I know these guys are really a group of awesome, appreciative young ladies. They work hard. They don’t ask for anything. It’s a good group of young ladies, so I’m not surprised at all (what they did).”

Interestingly, for all the playing and living she has done, Friday, she said, was the first time she ever played or coached a game on her birthday.

“It’s ironic her first year being here it was on her birthday, and I think her coming back here to end it at Woodstown when she started at Woodstown is really special,” Higinbotham said. “It’s cool to be coached by her for my final two years here.”

The players gave the throw a more personal touch by stitching it with all of their favorite sayings from the coach. Lipovsky’s favorite is “You guys look like human cones” (a reference to standing around with the ball in play). For Higinbotham, her favorite is a little more direct – “Hard work works.”

That part of it did surprise the coach.

“That was amazing; it was like, wow,” she said. “It’s like they do listen to me, huh? They pay attention.”

The win Friday may not have been taken for granted, but it was always in the (birthday) cards.

“I knew we had a big shot at winning, but you never know, one any given day anything can happen,” Byard said. “But that’s the one thing: They were practicing yesterday and said coach, for your birthday gift we’re going to win.’ I said, ‘you promise?’ They said ‘definitely.’”

Top photo: Woodstown field hockey coach Gloria Byard shows off the comfy throw her players gifted for her birthday after the Wolverines’ 6-0 win over Pennsville. The throw is embossed with the players’ favorite sayings from their coach.

**Salem’s Julliana Love winds up for a shot against Clayton. Love scored both of the Rams’ goals in the win. (Photo by Miranda Love)**

SALEM 2, CLAYTON 1: Julliana Love scored two goals, including the game-winner with five minutes left, and Ava Rodgers stopped a penalty stroke as the Rams (1-3) won for the first time under new coach Brittany Bryant.

After the teams played through a scoreless first half. Love broke the ice in the first minute of the third quarter. The Clippers tied it and Rodgers kept it that way when she stopped a penalty stroke. Love put the Rams back on top with her fifth goal of the year and then they held on.

“Winning our first game was amazing,” Love said. “It was a nice look of what winning felt like for the new girls on the team.

“Being able to lead my team into winning the game felt great to know that I lead the team, but I couldn’t do it without my fellow teammates having my back. Knowing I got to put two goals in the cage for my team and coaches made me so happy to know I didn’t let them down.”

SCHALICK 10, OVERBROOK 0: Ava Scurry had two goals and three assists, Luci Virga surpassed 100 career points with two goals and an assist. Virga now has 39 points and 24 assists in her career. The 10 goals are the most in a game for the Cougars since swamping Cumberland 11-0 51 weeks ago.

Woodstown freshman Margaux Lipovsky (1) fires a shot towards the goal in the first quarter of Friday’s game with Pennsville. Lipovsky scored the game’s first goal and assisted on another in the second half.

GIRLS SOCCER
CHERRY HILL WEST 1, SCHALICK 0: West scored a goal in the first half then held off the Cougars through several close calls. Schalick’s Kyleigh Cutler was pulled down looking at an empty net without a whistle and several free kicks went across empty nets.

GIRLS TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 4, GLASSBORO 1
Izzy Schlenker (P) def. Alana Killelea, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4)
Morgan Holt (P) def. Taylor Adcock, 6-0, 6-1
Graillyn Weber (P) def. Alice Dinzeo, 6-2, 6-0
Emma Hankin-Naomi Hess (P) def. Virginia Tarasevich-Amani George, 6-2, 6-1
Sofia Dungca-Ijeoma Ufomba (G) def. Yerlian Charon-Lila Angelo, 6-4, 6-3
Records: Pennsville 5-4, Glassboro 4-4

WOODSTOWN 5, SALEM 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-0, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. JaNye Hubbard, 6-0, 6-0
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Tahirah Davenport-White, 6-3, 6-3
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Heaven Jones-McCullough-Zaniyah Frieson, 6-0, 6-1
Elianna Norman-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Erica Brewer-Evangelyn Jimenez Barreto, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 7-2, Salem 1-4.

VOLLEYBALL
SALEM TECH 2, BUENA 0: The Chargers (3-1) took two close sets, 25-19, 25-22, to win their second straight match.

CROSS COUNTRY

GALLOWAY — Karson Chew finished 17th overall and two other runners placed in the top 30 to lead the Woodstown boys cross country team to a sixth place finish in the Osprey XC High School Invite at Stockton University.

Chew covered the course in 16:49.69. Teammate Jacob Marino was 24th (17:05.35) and David Farrell was 28th (17:12.79).

Gavin Oliver of Donovan Catholic won the boys race in 15:44.46. Egg Harbor Twp. won the boys team title with 98 points.

Woodstown’s girls placed 20th in their race. Abby Marino was 16th overall (19:56.81). Natalie Briggs of team champion Freehold Twp. won the race in 18:27.20.

In his element

Penns Grove’s Guzman Silva makes 20 saves as Red Devils draw with Woodstown, Cooksey’s golden goal lifts Pennsville; Egan scores in Schalick rout

BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove 1, Woodstown 1
Pennsville 1, Clayton 0
Schalick 6, Glassboro 0
Wildwood 6, Salem Tech 0
Salem at Gloucester Catholic

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Penns Grove goalie Dwayne Guzman Silva lives for these moments. The kind that keeps him on his toes, the kind that mean the difference between winning and losing (or tying as the case may be). He certainly was in his element Thursday.

Penns Grove and Woodstown were locked in a tight battle for 100 minutes. And while the keeper at the other end did his part to keep the drama going, it was Guzman Silva who made the difference in the Red Devils coming out with a 1-1 tie instead of absorbing a fifth straight loss to the Wolverines.

The Penns Grove senior keeper was credited with 20 saves in the game. He was challenged throughout the second half and overtime but continually stood his ground.

“I live for these type of moments,” Guzman Silva said. “Competitive, especially with my friends, family (around). I like to think of it like it’s an honor to have pressure on you. People like to hate. I like haters.”

You’ll get no argument from Red Devils’ coach Mano Massari when it comes to his goalie holding up under pressure. He’s been a fan of his keeper for a long time.

“I’ve been preaching about this kid for the last four years,” he said. “I really do think he’s an absolute stud. I think he doesn’t get a lot of credit and a lot of looks because of our score sometimes. We haven’t had the strongest defense in the past. I think he has saved games from being 3-1 (instead of) 6 or 7 to 1.

“That kid, in my mind, is the greatest keeper to come through Penns Grove. In the last 20 years easily. I’ve played here, I’ve coached here. In the last 10-15 years he’s easily the best to come through here. He saved us today, he really did. He stood on his head. I told him yesterday at practice for us to be in this game you’re gonna have to stand on your head and that’s what he did. He rose up to the occasion. I think we tied the game because of him. I wholeheartedly believe that.”

The only goal Guzman Silva allowed was by Ayden Ellis with 7:50 left in the first half. He said he got his fingers on the shot in traffic around the left post, but not enough to keep the ball from getting into the goal.

Woodstown coach Darren Huck would have liked his team to have put more pressure on the keeper.

“The keeper’s good (but), I think we only tested him once and that was shot by Landon (Gugliemo early in the second half),” he said. “I don’t think we tested him enough. I give all the credit on that save, but I would have liked to have tested him more.

“Right now we’re not doing that enough. We’re not testing the goalkeepers enough. That’s happened in the Glassboro game (a 1-0 win), that’s happened in the Overbrook game (a 3-2 win), and now it’s happened in this game. We’re trying to get that linkage with each other.”

Woodstown keeper Trey Markward, meanwhile, equally stood his ground. He was credited with 13 saves. The only goal he allowed was Mario Fuentes’ game-tying penalty kick midway through the second half. The penalty came as the result of a hand ball in the box within the wall defending a free kick.

Woodstown had the best chance to end it in overtime. Jack Bucksar broke in on the left side. Guzman Silva came off his line to challenge and turned the shot away, but he left the goal open. Bryce Ayars had a clean shot at the open net, but Penns Grove’s Rooby Dorival raced back into the box and cleared the ball away, paying a physical price in the process.

“Kudos to Rooby; that kid can cover some ground,” Massari said. “He’s got long strides, he’s not scared to put his body on the line. I want my other guys to take some stock out of that. That kid put his body on the line non-stop. He saved the goal there; he flat out did. Rooby’s not there, that’s a goal and we lose the game.”

That was the Wolverines’ best chance. Seconds before the end of the first overtime Ayars redirected a corner kick with his head that Guzman Silva saved.

It was a particularly chippy game with nine yellow cards.

Cooksey golden for Eagles

PENNSVILLE – Lucas Cooksey spent the last two years playing electric guitar in the Pennsville marching band before joining the Eagles’ soccer team for the first time this season. He struck the right chord on the pitch Thursday.

Cooksey ripped home a rebound in the first minute of the second overtime to give the Eagles a huge 1-0 win over Clayton.

After the teams battled for 90 minutes, mostly in the midfield, Pennsville turned up the attack. The Eagles won the ball quickly in the second overtime and Danny Bunay Coronel fired a shot from about 20 yards out. Clayton keeper Justin Delaney made a great diving save that deflected to the other side of the goal but Cooksey was right there to tap in the golden goal.

It was his second goal of the season.

“I told him he could do both, but he’s like, no, I just want to commit to soccer,” Pennsville coach Derek Foglein said. “I said OK. I’m not going to say no to that.”

The win gave the Eagles (3-2) the early upper hand in the Tri-County Classic Division and comes on the heels of a 1-0 own-goal loss to Glassboro earlier in the week.

Pennsville keeper Coen Rinnier made two one-on-one saves on Clayton striker Jonathan Rehm in the second half to keep the game scoreless. All three of the Pennsville’s wins this season have been shutouts.

“Tuesday it didn’t fall for us, but today it did,” Foglein said. “This is absolutely huge. We’ve got a stretch of three division games in a row and this is the one we had circled that we knew was going to be the challenge and the one we needed to go get. Now we can get healthy over the weekend and fly high into hopefully games where we should be favored.”

Egan gets his goal

GLASSBORO – Unbeaten Schalick spread the wealth for the second straight game, with six different players scoring goals, but none of the goals were more well-received than the one punched home by John Egan V in the second half.

Egan, a senior fan and player favorite who’s spent much of his career on the JV side, scored the first goal of his career in the second half of the Cougars’ 6-0 victory.

Ten days earlier, in the home opener against Overbrook, the Cougars set up Egan with three good chances to score in the second half without success. Against the Bulldogs, he was right on time.

“Everybody, of course, saw what happened in the Overbrook game, everybody was rooting for him,” Schalick coach Joe Mannella said. “It was actually a pretty nice goal.

“It came from (Luke) Price being really unselfish and set him up again. This time, he was on the left side and came in with the right foot. Everybody was recording everything, cheering for him. He was so over the moon. It was good for the team.”

Egan said he was “excited” to get the goal and admitted the occasion brought him tears of joy.

‘it was a great honor to get the goal and will be cherished for the rest of my life,” he said.

The Cougars’ other goals came from Marco Spinnato, Steve Chomo, Ryan Loper and Price in the first half, and Jaxon Weber in the second. They had seven players score goals in their 7-1 win over Clayton Tuesday.

Actually, Egan had a chance to get his goal earlier. Price approached Mannella at halftime and suggested if he got taken down in the box in the second half to let Egan take the penalty kick. As fate would have it, five minutes into the second half he gets taken down in the box and Egan gets to try the PK. But the keeper stopped it.

“I’m glad he was able to get one in regular play,” Mannella said.

Thursday roundup

Big soccer day: Woodstown, Penns Grove boys play to draw; Pennsville boys bounce back to beat Clayton in 2 OTs; Schalick’s Fisler sets Schalick assist record; also field hockey, tennis; stories will be updated

BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville 1, Clayton 0: Lucas Cooksey taps home a rebound in the first minute of the second overtime for the game’s only goal.
Penns Grove 1, Woodstown 1: Penns Grove’s Dwayne Guzman makes 20 saves to preserve the draw.
Schalick 6, Glassboro 0: Senior John Egan V, a fan and teammate favorite, scores his first career goal.
Wildwood 6, Salem Tech 0: Michael Blanda scored twice in the Warriors’ four-goal first half.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 8, Glassboro 0: Senior Cali Fisler sets school all-time assist record (44), setting up two of Abby Willoughby’s three goals.
Woodstown 6, Penns Grove 0: The Wolverines broke open a close game with five goals in the second half. Bailey Arnold Peters scored twice.
Gloucester Catholic 7, Salem 0: Seven different players score to keep Gloucester Catholic undefeated, Salem winless.
Salem Tech at Wildwood

FIELD HOCKEY
Glassboro at Pennsville

GIRLS TENNIS
PITMAN 4, SCHALICK 1
Anna Fisicaro (P) def. Miya Watkins, 6-0, 6-0
Colette Rollins (P) def. Annmarie Podehl, 6-2, 6-1
Ava Mollenhauer (P) def. Macy Clow, 6-1, 6-0
Kendall Bennett-Amanda Bradley (P) def. Olivia Lunemann-Sebrina Bradford, 6-4, 6-3
Sammi Twigg-Jasmine Hunt (S) def. Ella Ralph-Abigail Heil, 6-3, 6-4
Records: Pitman 9-3, Schalick 3-3.

WOODSTOWN 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Andrea Restrepo, 6-0, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Ada Lopez, 6-0, 6-0
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Valaria Pedroza, 6-0, 6-0
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Yanet Cruz-Elif Sagir, 6-0, 6-0
Elianna Norman-Emma West (WO) def. Emma Giffins-Gianco Tirado, 4-0, ret.
Records: Woodstown 6-2, Penns Grove 0-5.

Not their day

Pennsville soccer falls 1-0 on a deflected goal; includes scores and details from Tuesday’s Salem County sports action

BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro 1, Pennsville 0
Schalick 7, Clayton 1
Penns Grove at Wildwood, canceled
Overbrook at Salem

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Derek Foglein knew from Pennsville’s experience in the Pitman summer league Tuesday’s match with Glassboro was going to be a tight battle. On another day it might have come out differently, but on this day it went the other way.

The teams battled tightly all game, but Glassboro cashed in on a flukey goal late in the first half and held off Foglein’s Eagles 1-0 for its first win of the season.

“We had seen these guys in the championship game of the summer league and it was a tight game, too, so we knew it was going to be tight and there was gonna be a lot of speed both ways,” the Pennsville coach said. “You could’ve played that game 100 times and 50 times it would’ve went our way and 50 times it would’ve went theirs.

“We talked about it at halftime, too, that sometimes soccer is not a game that cares about your feelings. It just doesn’t. I don’t think we deserved to lose that game, but I guess today we were supposed to lose that game.”

If not for an odd deflection, it might have gone the other way.

Mohammad Naib Khil scored the only goal of the match with 5:58 left in the first half on a shot that deflected off a Pennsville defender.

The Bulldogs’ sophomore midfielder got the ball in the middle of the box off a Lucas Kudless corner kick and fired straight on at the net. Stevie Fatcher, the Eagles’ strongest defender, stepped in to clear as he’s done hundreds of times in his career, but this time the ball glanced off “the wrong part” of his knee and instead of carrying away from the goal deflected just inside the left post.

“It felt like the heart and soul of the game just got ripped out,” Fatcher said. “We still battled (after that) but I felt like it just went down after that.”

The Eagles (2-2) had two good chances to score earlier in the half. They thought they had a goal 10 minutes into the match that was cleared off the line and a couple later Ugur Elmali had a shot hit the left post and carom into the keeper’s arms.

Glassboro (1-2-1) appeared to have the best of it in the second half, although the Eagles turned up the heat in the final five minutes without getting the equalizer. Pennsville is now 5-6 in 1-0 games and 9-16 in one-goal games since 2020. Glassboro came into the game with two one-goal losses and a tie.

“I don’t know if it was necessarily a lack of attacking (in the second half), I just think it was a lack of an execution,” Foglein said. “We shifted the bodies forward, we had the talent in the front of the field where we normally do, we couldn’t find that last little pass to get us into (the right) places.”

SCHALICK 7, CLAYTON 1: The Clippers scored five minutes into the battle of unbeaten cross-division co-leaders, then it was all Schalick. Seven players scored goals for the Cougars (3-0-1): Ryan Loper, Luke Price, Connor Jackson, Steve Chomo, Jake Sepers, Marco Spinnato and Tyler Vanlier. The goals by freshmen Loper, Sepers and Manlier were the first of their careers.

“It’s great that we are trusting each other and playing unselfish soccer,” Cougars coach Joe Mannella said.

GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic 3, Pennsville 2
Overbrook 7, Salem 1
Wildwood 7, Penns Grove 0
Woodstown 6, Salem Tech 0

WOODSTOWN 6, SALEM TECH 0: Six different players scored goals in the Wolverines’ third straight victory: Emma Perry, Gina Murray, Hailey Kucharczuk, Kyia Leyman, Genevieve Flynn and Krysten Dussault. For Leyman, Flynn and Dussault, it was their first career goals. The Wolverines (3-1) have outscored their opponents 20-2 since dropping their season opener.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 3, PENNSVILLE 2: Alexa Battaglia scored two goals for the winners. Reagan Wariwanchik and Sloan Marquette scored Pennsville’s goals.

WILDWOOD 7, PENNS GROVE 0: Aubrey Bradway scored three goals and had two assists. Nyara Alves had two goals. The Red Devils (0-3) are still looking for their first goal of the season.

OVERBROOK 7, SALEM 1: Gianna Simon had a hat trick and Leiani Knight had two for Overbrook. Isla Bohn scored Salem’s goal in the second half.

FIELD HOCKEY
CAMDEN CATHOLIC 9, SCHALICK 1: The Irish (3-0), who’ve scored 29 goals in three games, jumped on the Cougars (3-2) with five in the first quarter; they took 39 shots in the game. Sophia Stazi had four goals in the game and Savannah Freeland scored three. Phoebe Alward scored Schalick’s goal in the first quarter on an assist from Luci Virga. The nine goals were the most Schalick has allowed since an 8-0 loss at Shore in the 2011 Group I final.

GIRLS TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 3, AUDUBON 2
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Helena Kuchmek, 6-1, 6-1
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Sophia Tessitore, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
Isabella Lamancusa (A) def. Noelle Neron, 6-3, 6-1
Bridget Mattson-Finola Witherington (A) def. Emilee Kehr-Madison LaPalomento, 6-2, 6-2
Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Bea Herman-Yesica Palillero, 6-4, 6-2
Records: Woodstown 5-2, Audubon 4-1.

HADDON HEIGHTS 4, SCHALICK 1
Miya Watkins (S) def. Ellie Mazzucco, 6-4, 3-6, 11-9
Sophia Acute (H) def. Annmarie Podehl, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1)
Nora Miller (H) def. Macy Clow, 6-4, 6-0
Ellie Clapper-Molly Walker (H) def. Olivia Lunemann-Sebrina Bradford, 6-1, 6-3
Luca Durand-Erin Lewandowski (H) def. Sammi Twigg-Jasmine Hunt, 6-1, 6-3
Records: Haddon Heights 7-1, Schalick 3-2.

CROSS COUNTRY
SALEM TECH BATCH MEET
BOYS TOP 15: Matthew Littlehales, Delsea 16:09.03; Zacchaeus Harrington, Glassboro 16:11.44; Joseph Saicic, Glassboro 16:24.73; Jaeden Wesley, Glassboro 16:29.27; Jacob Marino, Woodstown 16:39.00; Michael Beaver, Kingsway 16:42.21; Karson Chew, Woodstown 16:54.35; David Farrell, Woodstown 16:57.10; Wyatt Evans, GCIT 17:04.54; Trevor Szilier, Washington Twp. 17:10.09; Dominic Burgio, Williamstown 17:17.70; Logan Pavelik, Williamstown 17:19.83; Gavin Rakitis, Glassboro 17:21.15; Payton Veilleux, Kingsway 17:21.33; Oluwanifemi Fadulu, Highland 17:22.80.
Schalick: 20. Chase Riley 17:32.53; Salem Tech: 50. Levi Seals 18:47.74; Salem: 62. Gavin Cronrath 19:16.25; Pennsville: 125. Logan Cowperthwait 22:00.22.

GIRLS TOP 15: Sophia Aldridge, Williamstown 18:55.49; Aubrey Bishop, Kingsway 19:15.01; Lyana Gutierrez, Highland 20:24.27; Yazmire Bonhomme, Williamstown 20:33.39; Abby Marino, Woodstown 20:36.86; Toni-Loren Powell, Highland 20:40.90; Brooke Mashburn, Delsea 20:51.53; Julia Burgio, Williamstown 21:00.65; Jordan Moczydlowski, GCIT 21:01.61; Julia Blanchard, Washington Twp. 21:28.63; Anabel Schaal, Woodstown 21:33.64; Isabella Moran, Delsea 21:38.72; Ava Buchanan, Kingsway 21:44.53; Allison Reinierz, Washington Twp. 21:51.82; Katelyn Gallinaro, Kingsway 21:56.76.
Schalick: 18. Helen Lillia 22:11.39; Pennsville: 23. Sawyer Slad 22:56.05; Salem Tech: 77. Paityn Harrington 27:24.53

Winning combo

Mease, Saulin lead Pennsville field hockey past Salem; includes all of Monday’s Salem County sports results, will be updated

FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville 6, Salem 1
Cumberland 5, Salem Tech 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Gracie Mease and Izzy Saulin are inseparable when it comes to the field hockey field. They sit together on the team bus on the way to games. They do pre-game warmups together. They’re as close to a Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid combination a team can have.

So it just goes to figure they connected together on all three of Mease goals in the first half and played some role in all six of Pennsville’s goals in total in a 6-1 victory over Salem Monday afternoon.

Mease, a senior left forward, figured in all four Pennsville goals in the first half with her first career hat trick and an assist. Saulin, a senior center mid, had a goal in the fourth quarter and a career-high four assists.

“We do try to partner up in as much as we can and then we just find each other,” Saulin said. “We don’t, like, plan it necessarily, but it happens. It’s funny because we don’t really talk (about it), we’ll just be partners.”

“For all four years we’ve been partners for everything,” Mease said. “I just think we work very well together.”

The Eagles have had 1-2 combinations like them in the past, but none coach Lisa Doran could recall in recent years.

“They just work together well, they talk to each other and they’re just a good combination, so that’s why they’re where they are, because they play well together,” Doran said. “They’re really starting to connect.”

**Pennsville’s Gracie Mease (2) crosses the ball against Salem.**

Before Monday’s game, Mease had scored only four goals in her three previous seasons with the Eagles (3-1). Saulin had only five career assists. But they were on target against the Rams (0-3).

Mease opened the scoring less than three minutes into the match. Julliana Love answered for the Rams 30 seconds later to tie it, then it was all Pennsville. Kendall Hoyt (on an assist from Mease) and Gina Haubrich (on an assist from Saulin) scored the other two goals. The Eagles outshot their hosts 17-5 and had a 14-2 edge in corners.

“I think we just really came together as a team and just focused on playing all as one instead of 11 different players on the field,” Saulin said. “I think that’s really what was the difference between this game and the last one (Thursday’s 1-0 loss to Gloucester Catholic).

“We made a point this year that we want everybody to be involved in everything. It’s not just I have to go in this game and I have to score and I have to get this many goals; we just want to help each other. It showed a lot this game with so many different people scoring. This game, when we have all these different people scoring is more fun than just one or two people.”

CUMBERLAND 5, SALEM TECH 1: Alaina Miletta scored three goals assisted on two others, and the Colts pulled away from a 1-0 game with four goals in the second half. Jessilyn Chambers scored the Chargers’ goal in the fourth quarter.

Pennsville 6, Salem 1

Pennsville (3-1)	2	2	1	1-	6
Salem (0-3)	1	0	0	0-	1

SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
P-Gracie Mease (Izzy Saulin), 12:18; S-Julliana Love (unassisted), 11:48; P-Gracie Mease (Izzy Saulin), 4:09
Second quarter
P-Kendall Hoyt (Gracie Mease), 10:26; P-Gracie Mease (Izzy Saulin), 9:09
Third quarter
P-Gina Haubrich (Izzy Saulin), 1:13
Fourth quarter
P-Izzy Saulin (Abby Bohn), 4:10

BOYS SOCCER
PAULSBORO 4, SALEM TECH 0: Matt Hill had a hat trick for the Red Raiders (2-2).

GIRLS SOCCER
CLAYTON 7, SALEM 0: Madi Traister had two goals and three assists for the Clippers (2-2). Deondria Simon also scored two goals.
TIMBER CREEK 2, SCHALICK 0: The Cougars outshot their visitors 20-5, but just couldn’t find the back of the goal.

GIRLS TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 5, OVERBROOK 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Sophia Burgos, 6-0, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Natasha Hreiz, 6-0, 6-0
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Isabella Sepulveda, 6-0, 6-0
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Anna Mason-Leah Wilde, 6-1, 6-0
Angelina Lindenmuth-Elianna Norman (WO) def. Charlotte Gall-Liana Grant-Williams, 6-2, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 4-2, Overbrook 1-6.

SCHALICK 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Miya Watkins (S) def. Andrea Restrepo, 6-0, 6-0
Annmarie Podehl (S) def. Alease Stewart, 6-0, 6-0
Macy Slow (S) def. Ada Lopez, 6-0, 6-0
Olivia Lunemann-Sebrina Bradford (S) def. Yanet Cruz-Nathalie Dominquez, 6-1, 6-0
Sammi Tigg-Jasmine Hunt (S) def. Valaria Pedroza-Andrea Chapone, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Schalick 3-1, Penns Grove 0-4.

Pitman at Pennsville
Salem at Glassboro

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
GCIT 2, SALEM TECH 1: GCIT took the third set 25-7 to score its first win of the season. The games were 25-10, 19-25, 25-7.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Sept. 15-20; all 5 football teams play on Saturday

MONDAY, SEPT. 15
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Cumberland, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem, 4 p.m.
Timber Creek at Schalick, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Overbrook at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Pitman at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
GCIT at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 16
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick at Camden Catholic, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Clayton, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Salem at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Haddon Heights, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Audubon, 4 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
TCC Batch Meet at Salem Tech, 3:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 17
FIELD HOCKEY
Glassboro at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Haddonfield at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Triton, 4 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 18
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pitman at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 19
WJFL FOOTBALL
Camden Catholic at West Deptford, 7 p.m.
Florence at Overbrook
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Cherry Hill West at Schalick, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Salem at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
TCC Batch Meet at Delsea
Woodstown at Stockton Univ. Showcase
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Buena, 4 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 20
WJFL FOOTBALL
Collingswood at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
Pennsville at Audubon, 11 a.m.
Woodstown at Woodbury, 11 a.m.
Glassboro at Salem, noon
Schalick at Penns Grove, noon
BOYS SOCCER
Bordentown at Schalick, 10 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Perth Amboy Tech at Salem Tech, 1 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC in RCSJ-Cumberland Showcase, 9 a.m.

Photo by Heather Papiano

Rallying around

Thursday roundup: Schalick field hockey rallies behind injured coach, blanks rival Woodstown; Salem Tech makes it two in a row; Woodstown tennis edges Pennsville

FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester Catholic 1, Pennsville 0
Deptford 7, Salem 2
Salem Tech 1, Clayton 0
Schalick 3, Woodstown 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 3, Pennsville 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The day didn’t start out great for the Schalick field hockey team, but it sure ended that way.

Cougars coach Heather Cheesman slipped exiting the team bus upon its arrival for Thursday’s game at rival Woodstown and chipped a bone in her right ankle. While she coached her team from a seated position using a field hockey stick as a cane, her players rallied around her to claim a 3-0 win.

“The girls made it easy,” Cheesman said. “Every time we needed to talk they would come in, they’d get around me, we would come in tight and talk low because we couldn’t go to the goal cage like we usually do. When the quarters ended we couldn’t go out in the field like we normally do, so we were kind of closer to the other team than we would have liked, but they made it pretty easy.”

The Cougars (3-1) were charged up to play for their coach. They came out fast and dominated the action. Goalie Lydia Gilligan only had to touch the ball once.

Lena Virga slipped a pass from Ava Scurry into the back of the cage in the first quarter to open the scoring. Scurry scored two goals in the second half on passes from Phoebe Alward and Ella Cheesman.

“The last couple games the girls have been coming out slow,” Cheesman said. “They’re flat, they’re not talking, they don’t look like they’re jelling on the field. It never happened in this game. They came out strong to begin with. Their passes were so good. Everything we’ve been working on just kind of came together.”

And to think it took an injury to their coach to bring it out of them.

She went to the emergency room to have her ankle checked during the JV game and returned home wearing a temporary cast. She’ll follow up with the orthopedist in 3-5 days, but has no plans to stop coaching while she’s on the mend.

“Maybe it’s not as bad as they think and they can put me in a boot or something,” she said. “It’s OK, I’ll survive. It could always be worse.”

SALEM TECH 1, CLAYTON 0: The Chargers followed up the first win in their program’s history with another one-goal win. The Chargers scored the only goal of the match in the second quarter.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1, PENNSVILLE 0: Alana Belian scored the game’s only goal less than three minutes into the match and teams battled it out the rest of the way.

DEPTFORD 7, SALEM 2: The Spartans scored four goals in the first quarter and maintained control the rest of the match. Julliana Love and Jared Weathers scored goals for the Rams.

GIRLS TENNIS

WOODSTOWN — Senior Noelle Neron took an intense three-set victory over Morgan Holt at No. 3 singles to clinch the Wolverines’ 3-2 victory over Pennsville.

Neron dropped the first set 7-5, but won the second 6-4 to even the match and then took it with a 10-7 win in the tiebreaker. It was her second three-set win of the season.

“The two girls really battled it out,” Woodstown coach Jesse Stemberger said. “In the end, three points playing out differently and there could have been a different result. Both girls gave it everything and we were fortunate to pull it out.

“It’s always competitive when we play them … Noelle dug deep when she needed to. She’s dedicated to the sport and it was great to see her hard work pay off.”

WOODSTOWN 3, PENNSVILLE 2
Lily Edwards (P) def. Nathalie Neron, 6-3, 6-1
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Izzy Schrenker, 6-1, 6-2
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Morgan Holt, 5-7, 6-4, 10-7
Emma Hankin-Naomi Hess (P) def. Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr, 6-3, 6-0
Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Lila Angelo-Graillyn Weber, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Woodstown 3-1, Pennsville 4-3.

A tall order

Glassboro overwhelms Penns Grove 63-0 with touchdowns on all seven offensive possessions and two defensive scores; includes WJFL scoreboard

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

GLASSBORO — Penns Grove had just had it handed to them by the best team it was going to play all season. It was the kind of one-sided loss that could sap the spirit of a young team trying to find its way, but it doesn’t have to end here.

The Red Devils were overwhelmed by Glassboro 63-0 Thursday night. As the players gathered on the far end of the field, coach Marc Maccarone reminded them there was still a lot out there in front of them and if they play like they’re capable they could still make something of the season.

“You’ve got at least five of the next six games winnable,” Maccarone said. “The hardest game we have coming up now is going to be Delran. The rest of the teams we match up well with.”

There wasn’t a whole lot the Red Devils (0-3) could do with the Bulldogs (3-0). They’re already working with limited numbers, have four starters out and in some cases had freshman guarded five-star athletes.

The Bulldogs came at them in waves. The Red Devils’ two best plays were a 14-yard run by Terrell Thomas in the first quarter and a 28-yard burst by Jameel Horace in the second for their only two first downs, but they didn’t get much beyond that.

It was a tough ask of junior quarterback Brayden Lattig in his first varsity start. Lattig moved ahead of senior Mello Erickson-Hubbard on the depth chart and played the whole game. Erickson-Hubbard also played the whole game — both ways — and often was seen coming to the sideline with Lattig when they conferred on offensive play calling.

“It comes with a lot of responsibility to be told you’re going to be thrown into the fire with one of the best teams you’ll ever play, so there was definitely a lot of butterflies in my stomach,” Lattig said. “I think I did all right. I wouldn’t say I did the best I could possibly do because I thought I would come out here and do something that would be good, but I feel like I did well. My teammates got yards so I’m just happy we did what we did.”

In a game his team was heavily favored and could’ve been easily distracted, Glassboro coach Timmy Breaker wanted to see execution and communication from his players from start to finish. He got that.

The Bulldogs scored on all seven of their offensive possessions and got their first two defensive touchdowns of the season on turnovers inside the 10.

“That’s not bad,” Breaker said. “They did a really good job from the start of the game to, honestly, the finish, even the JVs, so that was beautiful to see.”

**Glassboro quarterback Jack O’Connell was quite efficient in his two quarters-plus of work against Penns Grove Thursday night.**

Quarterback Jack O’Connell completed his first five passes and was 9-of-14 for 189 yards and four touchdowns — all in the first half before retiring after the opening drive of the third quarter. His first incompletion was caught beyond the end line or he would’ve hit on his first seven.

He threw two touchdowns passes to each of Xavier and Amari Sabb. The second one to Amari covered 61 yards on the opening play of the second quarter and was highlighted by the receiver breaking at least four tackles on his way to the end zone.

“He’s a lot more confident,” Breaker said of his quarterback. “He’s still chipping away at it, but he’s able to run the offense and understand it. Last year he was in and out, there was a quarterback battle,. Right now he’s stepping into the light. Now you get to see Jack O’Connell.”

Xavier even got into the act, taking a handoff and hooking up with Mekhi Parker on a 71-yard touchdown play that was Sabb’s first varsity touchdown pass after several years of trying. The country’s top-rated junior player now has a touchdown rushing, passing and receiving.

“It finally worked,” he said. “Freshman year didn’t work, sophomore year didn’t work, but this year we finally got a touchdown.”

“You remember the one at Schalick? We dropped that one,” Breaker said. “It’s been three years we couldn’t execute that play at all. To see a big play made like that, Xavier throwing to Mehki, two special talents, for the execution to be that good on that after three years we kind of get to take a deep breath.”

The Bulldogs scored 34 points in the second quarter to open a 48-0 halftime lead. They have now won 16 in a row and 22 of their last 23 since a 6-0 loss to the Red Devils in 2023. The only loss in the stretch came in the 2023 state championship game.

Photo: Brayden Lattig prepares to hand off to Terrell Thomas in the first quarter of his start as Penns Grove’s quarterback Thursday night.

Glassboro 63, Penns Grove 0

PG (0)		GLASS (63)
2	1st Downs	12
21-32	Rushing	10-72
1-6-1	Passing (C-A-I)	10-13-0
0	Passing yds	260
1-1	Fumbles-lost	0-0
5-20.6	Punts-avg	0-0
12-105	Penalties-yds	7-70

Penns Grove (0-3)	0	0	0	0-	0
Glassboro (3-0)	14	34	7	8-	63

SCORING SUMMARY
G-Xavier Sabb 32 pass from Jack O’Connell (Amari Sabb run), 7:38 1Q
G-Amari Sabb 5 pass from Jack O’Connell (pass failed), 4:19 1Q
G-Amari Sabb 61 pass from Jack O’Connell (Sal Esgro kick), 11:41 2Q
G-Brandon Simmons fumble recovery in end zone (JoJo DeLecce pass from Jack O’Connell), 10:25 2Q
G-Xavier Sabb 21 pass from Jack O’Connell (pass failed), 6:27 2Q
G-Mekhi Parker 71 pass from Xavier Sabb (kick failed), 3:13 2Q
G-Riley Brown-Dispensa 5 interception return (Sal Esgro kick), 1:55 2Q
G-JoJo DeLecce 15 run (Sal Esgro kick), 5:12 3Q
G-Aveyon Warfield 24 run (Moses Robles run), 11:34 4Q

WJFL Standings

DIAMOND DIVISION	ALL	DIV
Glassboro	3-0	1-0
Woodstown	1-1	0-0
Salem	0-2	0-0
Schalick	0-2	0-0
Woodbury	0-2	0-0
Penns Grove	0-3	0-1
PATRIOT DIVISION	ALL	DIV
West Deptford	3-0	2-0
Paulsboro	2-0	1-0
Collingswood	2-1	1-1
Audubon	0-1	0-1
Overbrook	1-1	0-1
Pennsville	0-2	0-1
Camden Catholic	0-2	0-0

Thursday’s Games
Glassboro 63, Penns Grove 0
West Deptford 48, Collingswood 0
Friday’s Games
Overbrook at Pennsville
Woodstown at Schalick
Paulsboro at Camden Catholic
Saturday’s Games
Woodbury at Salem
Bordentown at Audubon

ALL WJFL GAMES
Thursday’s Games
Eastern 8, Vineland 7
Gateway 35, Wildwood 7
Glassboro 63, Penns Grove 0
KIPP Cooper Norcross 52, Buena 22
Pennsauken 22, Highland 16
Riverside 38, Maple Shade 0
St. Joe (Hamm.) 12, Absegami 5
Sterling 37, Mastery Camden 0
West Deptford 48, Collingswood 0

Friday’s Games
Atlantic County Tech at Deptford, 6 p.m.
Bergen Catholic at Winslow, 6
Bridgeton at Egg Harbor Township, 6
Cherry Hill East at Triton, 6
Cherokee at St. Augustine, 6
Cinnaminson at Delran, 6
Clearview at Cherry Hill West, 6
Gloucester Catholic at Pitman, 6
Haddon Heights at Burlington Township, 6
Hammonton at Holy Spirit, 6
Kingsway at Timber Creek, 6
Lawrence at Florence, 6
Lindenwold at Bishop Eustace, 6
Lower Cape May at Middle Township, 6
Millville at Mainland, 6
Notre Dame at Hopewell Valley, 6
Oakcrest at Cumberland, 6
Ocean City at Lenape, 6
Palmyra at Holy Cross, 6
Seneca at Pleasantville, 6
Shawnee at Camden, 6
Woodstown at Schalick, 6
Haddonfield at Willingboro, 7
Haddon Township at Clayton, 7
Northern Burlington at Moorestown, 7
Overbrook at Pennsville, 7
Paulsboro at Camden Catholic, 7
Washington Township at Delsea, 7
WW-Plainsboro South at Robbinsville, 7
Paul VI at Gloucester

Saturday’s Games
Bordentown at Audubon, 11 a.m.
Hightstown at Steinert, 11
Rancocas Valley at Eastside, 11
Allentown at Nottingham, noon
Burlington City at Pemberton, noon
Woodbury at Salem, noon
Atlantic City at Cedar Creek, 1:30 p.m.
Ewing at Princeton, 2 p.m.
Trenton at Hamilton, 2 p.m.

Unforgettable first win

Salem Tech field hockey beats the clock in regulation and overtime, turns back Paulsboro for program’s first win in first official home game; includes Wednesday’s Salem County roundup, Thursday’s schedule

FIELD HOCKEY
Salem Tech 4, Paulsboro 3 (OT)

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — When superintendent Jack Swain started sports at Salem Tech in a time that wasn’t really that long ago, it was with the vision of giving its students the chance to make lifelong memories beyond the classroom. Chances are no one connected with the school will forget what took place Wednesday.

The Chargers’ fledgling field hockey team played its first official home game in program history and made it a memorable one. They rallied from two-goal deficits in the first and fourth quarters, beat the clock at the end of both regulation and overtime and dramatically turned back Paulsboro 4-3 for their first win in school history.

Sophomore forward Adessa Plum scored two goals on her 15th birthday, the first one in program history in the second quarter and the game-tying goal 10 seconds before the end of regulation on the officials’ watches. Freshman Hazel Eachus slipped the game-winner through right at the whistle to end overtime.

“I’m just so proud of the girls,” Chargers coach Maureen Lewis said. “I feel like they deserve this win because of how hard they have worked and they worked so hard on the field during this game.

“I think I’ll always remember it. I remember these kinds of moments from when I played, so I feel like I’ll remember it. To do it on our home turf for the first, it’s truly special.”

Salem Tech added field hockey to its varsity offerings this year and will have 14 sports when baseball and softball come on line in the spring. They will play as an independent this year because the Tri-County Conference is in the middle of a two-year scheduling cycle, but will be eligible for the Group 2 playoffs.

The field hockey team debuted last Thursday and lost to Sterling 4-0. All four goals came in the first six minutes of the season, then the teams played even the rest of the game.

The Chargers seemed destined for a similar fate Wednesday when the Red Raiders scored in the opening minute and grabbed a 2-0 lead after the first quarter. Lewis gathered the team after the second goal and before the quarter break and encouraged them to keep fighting.

“Our girls just didn’t give up,” she said. “That’s what’s so special about them, they don’t give up and don’t let it get to their head and they just keep working hard. Sometimes we just need to adjust and they need some talking to and that will usually get it done.”

Plum had the honor of scoring the first goal in school history when she knocked in a pass from Eachus on the right side of the cage with 8:50 left in the second quarter. It stayed 2-1 through halftime.

“Adessa, sometimes she just comes out of nowhere,” Lewis said. “She surprises us often.”

**Adessa Plum has the distinction of scoring the first goal in Salem Tech field hockey history. She scored two in the game.**

Paulsboro regained a two-goal lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Chargers scored twice in the final five minutes of regulation to force 7v7 overtime. Abigail Beals got them within one and then Plum tied it off a pass from Shelby Drummond.

The Red Raiders questioned whether time had expired prior to Plum’s goal, but the officials said there was a lag between the clock at the scoring table and their official watches and by their count there were enough seconds remaining to score the goal. Plum was unaware of how little time remained and just kept attacking the cage.

“I just kept going,” she said. “I didn’t hear a horn.”

The Chargers had several good chances in overtime but were turned away. Conversely, Salem Tech goalie Caroline Tighe kicked out a serious threat by Paulsboro early in the extra period.

On Tech’s winning rush, Jessilyn Chambers sent the ball across from the right wing and Beals got it to Eachus down by the left post. Paulsboro goalie Amelia Lyons came out to challenge, but Eachus pushed it past her and off the inside of the right post for the game-winner.

“I didn’t realize (how much time was left) at all,” Eachus said. “I was just trying to score a goal and win the game. We push ourselves to the limit no matter what.”

And on this day the Chargers pushed themselves to an historic win.

“It was really memorable,” Eachus said. “I’m glad to be a part of this.”

Paulsboro (0-2)	2	0	0	1	0-	3
Salem Tech (1-1)	0	1	0	2	1-	4

GOALS: 1. Paulsboro, Jayla Barnes (Dasoni Scott), 13:55 1Q; 2. Paulsboro, Dasoni Scott, 0:47 1Q; 3. Salem Tech, Adessa Plum (Hazel Eachus), 8:50 2Q; 4. Paulsboro, Talie Blue-Eli, 12:48 3Q; 5. Salem Tech, Abigail Beals, 5:08 4Q, 6. Salem Tech, Adessa Plum (Shelby Drummond), 0:10 4Q; 7. Hazel Eachus, 0:00 OT.

**Salem Tech freshman Hazel Eachus (12) celebrates after scoring an overtime goal to give the Chargers their first-ever win in field hockey.**

Wednesday roundup

BOYS SOCCER

PENNS GROVE – Penns Grove and Glassboro have staged some epic battles in recent years and Wednesday was another of them. In a series that seems to go back and forth, this edition went to the Red Devils.

Rooby Dorival was brought up from the midfield to give the Red Devils a little more punch in overtime and the moved worked as he converted Louby Guerrier’s pass about seven minutes into the extra session for the game-winner in a 3-2 victory.

“I made the decision to take him out from the back and put him up with another striker; they both have a lot of speed and it paid off big time,” Penns Grove coach Mano Massari said. “I talked to the guys in overtime and asked do we want to go for it and they all said yeah we want to go for it. We put them up top and it paid off big time.

“They’re from Haiti;. I call them the Haitian Sensations. They really do a nice job together.”

The game went back and forth. The Red Devils took a 1-0 lead on Mario Fuentes’ penalty kick, but Glassboro tied it. The Bulldogs went ahead 2-1, then senior captain Joey Schultz made a ”great shot” off a cross from Guerrier with about 10 minutes left to retie it.

Seven of the last eight games between the teams have been decided by one goal. The other was a tie.

“Every time we play them it’s a battle,” Massari said. “This was pretty big for us. We did not show up against Pitman on Tuesday. We moved some things around last minute and it just didn’t work; the guys were flat. Today was the polar opposite. They fought hard.

“It showed grit, character, things we want and things we need. Definitely taking us in the right direction. We’ve just got to keep it going.”

Woodstown 3, Overbrook 2: The Wolverines fell behind early, then scored three straight goals to take control. Bryce Ayars got the equalizer on a penalty kick, Jake Lewis gave them the lead and Landon Guglielmo added a necessary insurance goal on a left-foot shot from 20 yards.
Schalick 3, Pitman 1: Luke Price broke a 1-1 tie in the 71st minute with his second goal of the game off a rare goalie assist from Evan Sepers and Marco Spinnato put it away three minutes later.
Pennsville 3, Wildwood 0: Danny Bunny Coronel scored in the eighth minute and Lucas Cooksey and Justin Michaca scored two minutes apart in the second half. Coen Rinnier made 11 saves in posting his second straight shutout and had a goalie assist on Coronel’s goal.
Salem Tech 6, Salem 0: Kameron Brown had a hat trick, Logan Pace scored twice and James Welch had the goal of the game off a Daniel Marandola corner kick. Aiden Bobo earned the shutout.

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 6, Pennsville 0: Abby Willoughby scored four goals, one in the opening minute and three in the second half, to lead the Cougars. Olivia Vanacker and Karlie Bakley had the other two goals. Cali Fisler picked up the assist on Willoughby’s last two goals and is now two shy of the school’s all-time record.
Woodstown 7, Overbrook 1: Gina Murray scored twice, while Emma Perry, Sophie Wells, Hailey Kucharczuk, Aubree Covely and Evelyn Walker each scored once.
Glassboro 5, Penns Grove 0: Amina Brown had a hat trick for the Bulldogs.

GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Pennsville
Woodstown at Penns Grove
Salem at Overbrook

Thursday’s schedule

WJFL FOOTBALL
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 7 p.m.
Eastern at Vineland, 6 p.m.
Gateway at Wildwood, 6 p.m.
Highland at Pennsauken, 6 p.m.
KIPP Cooper Norcross at Buena, 6 p.m.
Riverside at Maple Shade, 6 p.m.
West Deptford at Collingswood, 6 p.m.
Haddon Township at Clayton, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem at Deptford, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Clayton, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Penns Grove at Palmyra, 4 p.m.