Category: PENNS GROVE

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Oct. 20-25; the cutoff for fall sports power points is Saturday

MONDAY, OCT. 20
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Schalick, 3:45 p.m.
Salem at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Pennsville, 4:15 p.m.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Buena at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
NJTAC at Salem Tech, 1 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCT. 21
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Salem, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Gateway, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Absegami, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 22
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem Tech at Paulsboro, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Collingswood, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Clayton at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Pitman, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m.
Overbrook at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
TCC Championship at Cumberland, 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCT. 23
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem Tech at Burlington City, 3:45 p.m.
Overbrook at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Schalick at Sterling, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Audubon, 7 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester City at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Salem at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Timber Creek, 4 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Penn State-Brandywine at Salem CC, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 24
WJFL FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Collingswood, 6 p.m.
West Deptford at Overbrook, 6 p.m.
Glassboro at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem Tech at Overbrook, 3:45 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Gloucester City, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown at Pennsville, 3:30 p.m.
Clayton at Schalick, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Cumberland at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 25
WJFL FOOTBALL
Schalick at Woodbury, 11 a.m.
Penns Grove at Salem, noon
Clayton at Paulsboro, 12:30 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Highland at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown at Highland, 10 a.m.
Penns Grove at Salem, noon
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Lincoln (2), noon

Oh so close

Penns Grove needed ‘one more step’ as its bid for a first win falls short in the final minute in the red zone

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE — One play. That’s all that stood between Penns Grove and its first win of the season.

The Red Devils trailed Woodbury by a point with time running out facing fourth-and-15 from the 16. With no reliable kicker on hand, they had to go for it, but the rocket screen they called fell incomplete and they walked away with a 9-8 loss.

Had they pulled it off, the Red Devils (0-8) would carry a lot different mindset into the presumptive final game of coach Marc Maccarone’s second season. Now, they’ll have to beat rival Salem next Saturday to avoid their first winless season in generations.

“We were real close and it sucks that we just needed one more step,” senior running back Jameel Horace said. “Just one more step. If we had that one more step we’d have been perfect.”

The Red Devils rallied from 9-0 to have a chance. Terrell Thomas scored on a 14-yard run and Horace added the two-point conversion to make it 9-8 with 9:47 to play and two timeouts in their pocket.

They had two possessions to get the winning points. The first ended with a five-yard punt, but the defense held the Herd back. 

They started the potential winning drive from their 20 with 4:06 to play. Horace got a big chunk of what they needed with a 61-yard burst on the second snap to reach the 11. The senior had 113 of the Red Devils’ 185 rushing yards. 

“I thought that was going to bring us back,” Horace said of the longest run of his career. “I thought that was going to be the one.”

But once the Red Devils got into the red zone they didn’t execute.

They netted only one yard on the next two snaps separated by their final time out. Their third-down play lost a yard and then they couldn’t get the next play off in time and were hit with a delay penalty that moved the fourth-down play back to the 16.

They had one snap to either score the go-ahead touchdown or get to the 1 to keep the drive alive. Maccarone would have considered a field goal if they had been closer, but without a reliable kicker they had to go for it.

Quarterback Brayden Lattig threw a hurried pass to Jerry Wooten cutting into the middle that was either too hard or too quick and went off Wooten’s outstretched right hand with 34.7 remaining to end the Red Devils’ chances.

“It was like a quick inside pass,” Lattig said. “The rusher came from my right side so I had to hurry up and throw the ball. It was just a rushed pass, in my opinion.

“We definitely had a chance. We could have won the game with a touchdown, but things happen.”

Woodbury (3-4) took a 7-0 lead into halftime thanks to Niko Jimenez’ 6-yard pass to Elijah Young and Mark Martin’s extra point with 3:28 left in the second quarter. Young caught five passes for 77 yards.

The eventual margin of victory came with 4:14 left in the third quarter when Thomas took a deep handoff in the end zone and was immediately met by a Thundering Herd for a safety.

The Herd mishandled the free kick and Messiah Allah recovered for Penns Grove, sending the Red Devils on the way to their touchdown. Horace ran it inside the 10 on the first snap, but the play was called back by penalty. Allah caught a 23-yard pass a couple snaps later and a personal foul helped get the ball into the red zone.

Thomas, a legend in the youth leagues, scored his second touchdown of the season from 14 yards out. He rushed for 69 yards on a career-high 14 carries.

“I had to step up,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been playing a little bit low to my standards, so I felt like I had to step my game up. It came out today and I scored for my team. I tried to fight to the whistle but came up short in the long run.”

The defense did its part to keep the Red Devils in the game. They held the Herd to minus-17 yards rushing and 73 yards net overall. They gave up minus-17 yards net offense and no first downs in the second half.

Penns Grove receiver Jerry Wooten (3) reaches for the fourth-down pass the Red Devils hoped would keep their final drive alive or find the end zone for the winning touchdown.

Woodbury 9, Penns Grove 8

WOOD (9)PG (8)
61st Downs9
27-(-17)Rushing34-189
8-19-0Passing1-4-1
90Passing yds.23
1-1Fumbles-lost3-2
6-33.3Punts-avg3-24.3
7-70Penalties10-90
Woodbury (3-4)0720-9
Penns Grove (0-8)0008-8

SCORING SUMMARY
WO-Elijah Young 6 pass from Niko Jimenez (Mark Martin kick), 3:28 3Q
WO-Safety, Terrell Thomas tackled in end zone, 4:14 3Q
PG-Terrell Thomas 14 run (Jameel Horace run), 9:47 3Q

WJFL Standings

DIAMONDALLDIV
Glassboro8-04-0
Salem4-43-1
Schalick2-62-2
Woodbury3-42-2
Woodstown2-61-3
Penns Grove0-80-4
PATRIOTALLDIV
West Deptford7-15-0
Paulsboro7-15-1
Overbrook6-23-2
Pennsville4-42-3
Collingswood5-32-3
Audubon2-51-4
Camden Catholic0-80-5

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Glassboro 35, Schalick 7
Pennsville 44, Lawrence 6
Salem 47, Woodstown 0
Collingswood 28, Camden Catholic 24

SATURDAY’S GAMES
West Deptford 14, Paulsboro 0
Overbrook 48, Audubon 18
Woodbury 9, Penns Grove 8

Tie that binds

Woodstown, Schalick battle to scoreless tie to remain tied for division lead; Pennsville also plays to a draw in its quest for a division crown

BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville 1, Gloucester Catholic 1
Penns Grove 4, Overbrook 1
Wildwood 7, Salem 1
Schalick 0, Woodstown 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Rivals Woodstown and Schalick played for the upper hand in the TCC Diamond Division, as they always seem to do, but they came out of this one the same way they went into it: Tied for the lead after playing to a scoreless draw.

The game may have been scoreless, but it was an aficionado’s dream.

“It’s a game that those who don’t care for soccer and part of it is because there’s no scoring and there’s no action, this would be that game they would want to use for evidence,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “But if you were there you would have seen it was a good game.”

Another false assumption would be thinking the Wolverines were playing for the tie because they moved leading scorer Bryce Ayars back into a more defensive center mid position. Huck refuted the notion, saying they played the same formation they had the last three games, but had to drop Ayars back because Jake Lewis remained out after getting hurt in the Penns Grove match and that move gave them the best chance to win the game.

“We weren’t playing for the tie, we weren’t,” Huck said. “I looked at some of my options and each one I said who’s going to give us the best opportunity to stay in the game and Bryce was the best, the most logical, choice. When I presented it to my coaching staff every one of them came back and said this is the right call.

“It wasn’t about putting Bryce there to keep a tie. It was about putting Bryce there to keep us in the game to give us a chance to win the game. I wasn’t moving Bryce back there with a healthy team. What I was looking for was someone else step up and score a goal.” 

The Cougars, meanwhile, were prepared to play their rivals the way they played in the first meeting, with Ayars up top. The change was a “clear indication,” to Schalick coach Joe Mannella at least, “that you’re going to try to score on a free kick or a counterattack … and they stuck with it the whole time.”

Mannella acknowledged it was frustrating at times and tested the Cougars patience. They created enough chances, he said, they just didn’t score.

Schalick outshot their rivals 14-5, but Woodstown keeper Trey Markward made 11 saves. Schalick keeper Evan Sepers was credited with four saves and wasn’t overly tested, but he did hold his breath in overtime when Ben Lippincott’s shot from just outside the box just missed the post.

The tie left the teams atop the division standings with 15 points — Woodstown at 6-0-3 and Schalick at 7-1-1. They can finish as co-champions in the division with wins Monday (even though Woodstown is 1-0-1 in the season series), and that wouldn’t be a bad thing in Huck’s mind.

Schalick remained No. 1 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, with a slight lead over Haddon Twp. Woodstown fell to No. 4, just behind Audubon. Schalick and Woodstown came into the week 1-2.

“I look at it as sharing a division championship with a team like Schalick, who routinely, year in and year out, is a division champion, a South Jersey finalist, a state Group I contender, I look at that as an honor and an accomplishment to be in there with them in the same sentence,” Huck said. “I really, honestly feel that way.

“Schalick has been a thorn in our side for a long time. I wouldn’t want it any other way. If given a choice, I wouldn’t want to be in any other division where it’s easy. I take a lot of pride in going ‘us and Schalick, co-champs,’ well deserved by both teams.”

NOTES: The three ties are the most Woodstown has had in a season since 2022 (5-10-3) and with Monday’s draw at Penns Grove it marks the first time the Wolverines have had back-to-back ties since 2016 (Triton, Schalick) … It was Woodstown’s first scoreless tie since 2019 (Glassboro) and Schalick’s first since 2022 (Palmyra) … Schalick hosts Penns Grove Monday, Woodstown hosts Pitman.

Penns Grove 4, Overbrook 1: Prince Ledbetter scored twice and assisted on Michael Schultz’ first career goal in the second half as the Red Devils (6-3-3) extended their unbeaten streak to five games. Erdem Yardim scored their other goal.
Pennsville 1, Gloucester Catholic 1: Not really the result the Eagles were looking for, but they still can clinch their first division title in 32 years with a win over Salem Monday. Right back Brett Land scored the tying goal in the first half, four minutes after the Rams scored, off a long Stevie Fatcher throw-in that hit the crossbar and came straight to him.
Wildwood 7, Salem 1: Michael Blanda had two goals and an assist for the Warriors, who moved within a half-game of Pennsville in the Classic Division race.

Tri-County Conference Standings

CLASSICDIV.DIAMONDDIV.
Pennsville (8-5-2)7-1-1Schalick (11-2-2)7-1-1
Wildwood (7-6)7-2-0Woodstown (9-1-3)6-0-3
Clayton (9-6)6-2-0Pitman (8-5-1)6-3-0
Gloucester Cath. (5-6-1)2-5-1Penns Grove (6-3-3)4-3-2
Salem Tech (3-11)2-6-0Overbrook (7-8)1-8-0
Salem (0-14)0-8-0Glassboro (5-10-1)0-9-0


View from the top

Girls roundup: Schalick edges Woodstown to win sixth straight soccer division title; includes tennis and field hockey

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 2, Woodstown 1
Clayton 6, Salem Tech 0
Overbrook 5, Penns Grove 2
Glassboro 2, Pennsville 0
Wildwood 6, Salem 0

By Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – You know you’ve got something special going on when you don’t know what it feels like to finish second.

The Schalick girls soccer team under coach Will Kemp doesn’t know second place.

The Cougars clinched at least a share of their sixth straight TCC Diamond Division title and fourth under Kemp Thursday in a 2-1 victory over rival Woodstown. They can win it outright with a win at Penns Grove Monday or a Woodstown loss at Pennsville.

Since the conference declares co-champions in event of a tie at the top, that means Kemp’s entire class rotation of players – freshmen through seniors – have known nothing but division championships. That’s a closet full of championship jackets.

“It’s the culture,” Kemp said. “It’s a special thing for us to continue to win the division year after year, but it just shows you the standard that has been set in the past and that continues to be inside the actual program itself.

“It’s special for the ladies to win this. When you’re now a senior, such as Cali (Fisler) and Abigail (Willoughby), for them to win it four years in a row it’s just something special. It’s almost starting to become the lone standard when you play at Schalick soccer to win the division.”

The Cougars (9-5-1) have lost only one division game in Kemp’s four years at the helm – to Woodstown in his first year. They’re unbeaten in their last 32 regular-season division games (31-0-1). The teams played to a 1-1 draw earlier this season.

Despite the close score, the Cougars dominated the game, playing most of it in their attacking end. Olivia Vanacker scored in the 34th minute to open the scoring and Karlie Bakley scored in the first 30 seconds of the second half to give them a 2-0 lead.

Kyleigh Cutler, in her first game back from a recovery break, assisted on both Schalick goals.

“Kyleigh Cutler came in a changed the whole dynamic of our team,” Kemp said. “Adding her back to the squad, she’s a very important piece to us.”

Gina Murray made it a one-goal game in the 55th minute when she hit a great shot past keeper Eve Berger after the Cougars failed to clear a free kick.

The win was the Cougars’ fifth in a row since moving into the second phase of their season on Senior Night, Oct. 2. In Kemp’s tenure, they are 30-9-1 after Oct. 1.

“The main timeline I always give my players is six weeks, from preseason all the way into the sixth week,” Kemp said. “That’s when everything starts to roll for them and they start to understand the consistency inside their style of play, the effort that’s needed and, of course, being able to showcase their talents.

“Before the six weeks, lot of mistakes happen, we’re still trying to figure some things out, players are still getting their fitness in, but after six weeks that’s when you start to see exactly what type of team that we are.”

Glassboro 2, Pennsville 0: Amina Brown and Alyssa Mattox scored goals for the Bulldogs.
Clayton 6, Salem Tech 0: Nicole Lemon scored two goals in the second half for the Clippers.

FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 9, Overbrook 0: The Cougars (11-6) got all their goals from seniors on Senior Night, including two each from Caylen Taylor, Ava Scurry, Lena Virga and Phoebe Alward, to win their third straight and clinch the TCC Diamond Division crown. For Alward, it was her 50th career goal. Natalie May scored their other goal. The shutout was their seventh of the season.
GCIT 4, Woodstown 1: Lexi Taylor scored the Wolverines’ goal in the third quarter.

GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Salem 0
Woodstown 5, Wildwood 0
Glassboro at Schalick

WOODSTOWN 5, WILDWOOD 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Cyndee Killian, 6-0, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Kiana D’Antuono, 6-3, 6-3
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Estella Robinson, 6-1, 6-3
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Selin Ogden-Antoinette Cooper, 6-0, 6-3
Elliana Norman-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Emma Contreras-Charlotte Baetz, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5)
Records: Woodstown 14-5, Wildwood 7-9.

PENNSVILLE 5, SALEM 0
Lily Edwards (P) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-1, 6-0
Isabell Schlenker (P) def. Tahirah Davenport-White, 6-1, 7-5
Morgan Holt (P) def. JaNye Hubbard, 6-0, 6-1
Emma Hankin-Naomi Hess (P) def. Heaven Jones-McCullough-Erica Brewer, 6-1, 6-3
Graillyn Weber-Yerlian Charon (P) def. Evangeline Jimenez Barreto-Phoenix Holland, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 11-7, Salem 3-10.

Wednesday roundup

Harris continues her torrid goal-scoring streak in Pennsville’s Senior Day field hockey win, Highland ends Salem Tech streak in OT; plus tennis, volleyball

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Kylie Harris continued her torrid goal-scoring streak Wednesday, scoring three more goals in the Eagles’ dominant 5-1 Senior Day victory over Clayton.

Harris has scored eight goals in the last three games – all wins – with two hat tricks. She had scored only two goals this season and nine in her career prior to the move.

The Eagles were 3-6-1 before Hall of Fame coach Lisa Doran moved Harris and her powerful swing from the top of the defensive diamond to forward, and now they’re at .500. Kendall Hoyt and Elizabeth Fleming scored the Eagles’ other goals Wednesday.

“I do really like being on the front line; it’s a lot of fun,” Harris said. “We just wanted to move people around to see what worked and they told me I would be playing center forward one day and they just kept telling me to stay up there.

“We have been doing great with passing and our strong defense has been super strong, but my favorite thing so far about being up top is being able to be with all the girls after someone scores and get to give them all high fives and laugh after a goal with my best friends. It’s just as awesome feeling.”
 
Highland 3, Salem Tech 2: Kiersten Heverly scored her third goal of the game – at the 4:50 mark of overtime – to end the Chargers’ five-game shutout winning streak. Hayden Crispin and Peyton Mayhew scored in the final five minutes of the second quarter to give the Chargers a 2-1 halftime lead. Jessilyn Chambers assisted on both goals.

GIRLS TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 3, SCHALICK 2
Lily Edwards (P) def. Miya Watkins, 6-1, 6-0
Annmarie Podehl (S) def. Izzy Schrenker, 6-3, 6-1
Morgan Holt (P) def. Macy Clow, 6-0, 6-0
Naomi Hess-Graillyn Weber (P) def. Sebrina Bradford-Olivia Lunemann, 6-3, 6-2
jasmine Hunt-Sammi Twigg (S) def. Emma Hankin-Yerlian Charon, 6-3, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 10-7, Schalick 7-6.

WILDWOOD 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Cydnee Kilian (WI) def. Ada Lopez, 6-0, 6-0
Estella Robinson (WI) Kavita Pulchard, 6-0, 6-0
Antoinette Cooper (WI) def. Yanet Cruz, 6-0, 6-0
Emma Contreras-Selin Ogden (WI) won by forfeit
Jess Alamein-Charlotte Baetz (WI) won by forfeit
Records: Wildwood 7-8, Penns Grove 0-11.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Triton 2, Salem Tech 0:  Abigail Dalbey had four kills, nine service points and seven aces for Triton. The set scores were 25-18, 25-16. 

Tuesday roundup

Here are the scores and highlights from Tuesday’s Salem County sports action

FIELD HOCKEY
Salem Tech 3, Clayton 0: Jessilyn Chambers, Hazel Eachus and Olivia Lydon scored second-half goals in the Chargers’ fifth straight win. All five wins have been by shutout with Caroline Tighe in the cage. Peyton Mayhew assisted on two of the goals.
Pennsville 3, Deptford 2: Kylie Harris scored two more goals and Gracie Mease scored once for the Eagles (5-6-1). Harris has scored five goals in her last two games.
Salem at Glassboro, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown 6, Penns Grove 0: Lia Covely scored two goals, while Emma Perry, Hailey Kucharczuk, Kyrsten Dussault and Elizabeth Daly scored once in the Wolverines’ fifth straight win. Ellie Wygand and Mazie Mazzoni combined for their seventh shutout  The Wolverines visit Schalick for the Diamond Division title Thursday.
Schalick 2, Glassboro 0: Olivia Vanacker and Quinn Berger scored in the first half and goalie Eve Berger made them stand up. The Cougars take a four-game winning streak into their showdown with Woodstown and have shut out three of their last four.
Wildwood 2, Salem Tech 0: Addison Troiano and Nyara Alves scored second-half goals for the Warriors. 
Pennsville 3, Overbrook 2: Taylor Bass scored her third goal of the game with 3:25 left in overtime to lift the Eagles (8-5), who bettered last year’s win total with the victory.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 6 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 5, OVERBROOK 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Sophia Burgos, 6-0, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Anna Mason, 6-0, 6-0
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Heaven Williams, 6-1, 6-1
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Lean Wilde-Liana Grant-Williams, 6-2, 6-1
Emma West-Elliana Norman (WO) def. Sophia Perticari-Charlotte Gall, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 13-5, Overbrook 2-14.

SCHALICK 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Miya Watkins (S) def. Ada Lopez, 6-0, 6-0
Annmarie Podehl (S) def. Kanta Pulchard, 6-0, 6-0
Macy Clow (S) def. Yante Cruz, 6-0, 6-0
Sebrina Bradford-Olivia Lunemann (S) def. Jayla Nunez-Elif Sagir, 6-1, 6-0
jasmine Hunt-Sammi Twigg (S) def. Natanalie Dominguez-Valaria Pedroza, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Schalick 7-5, Penns Grove 0-10.

GLASSBORO 3, SALEM 2
Angelina Fothergill (S) def. Alana Killelea, 6-0, 6-1
Tahirah Davenport-White (S) def. Taylor Adcock, 7-6 (10-8), 1-6, 11-9
Alice Dinzeo (G) def. JaNye Hubbard, 6-4, 7-5
Virginia Tarasevich-Amani George (G) def. Erica Brewer-Evangelyn Jiminez Barreto, 6-0, 6-3
Sofia Dungca-Conception Soriano (G) def. Phoenix Holland-Aleena Allen, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Glassboro 6-8, Salem 3-9.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Cape May Tech, 5:15 p.m. 

Stage is set

Woodstown scores twice in final three minutes of regulation, then holds on in OT to tie Penns Grove, set up showdown with Schalick

BOYS SOCCER
Woodstown 2, Penns Grove 2
Schalick 4, Glassboro 0
Clayton 3, Pennsville 0
Gloucester Catholic 7, Salem 0
Salem Tech at Wildwood

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Woodstown plays the biggest game of the season in South Jersey Group I boys soccer Thursday when it hosts rival Schalick for the TCC Diamond Division title and the presumptive No. 1 seed in the upcoming sectional tournament.

But the matchup would have lost a lot of its juice if the Wolverines didn’t take of business Tuesday. Or if Schalick didn’t either.

Luckily, both teams upheld their end to remain on collision course, but, boy, did Woodstown cut it close.

The Wolverines needed two goals in the final three minutes of regulation to get back in the game and then held on through overtime to earn a 2-2 draw with Penns Grove. Bryce Ayars scored both their goals, with the equalizer coming in the final minute on a pass from Trey Markward, who was pulled up top with his goalie gear on to give them an extra attacker.

“My goodness, way too close,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “I’m proud of the resiliency this team showed, the don’t give up. Even though they were not happy with the way they were playing and we all felt we could be playing better, the will was always there. We just kept coming back, coming  back, coming back. There’s something to say about that.”

Schalick upheld its end with a 4-0 Senior Night win over Glassboro, its seventh win in a row since the loss to Woodstown.

If Woodstown (9-1-2, 6-0-2) wins the showdown, it can win the division outright with just a tie against Pitman in its last division game Monday. If Schalick (11-2-1, 7-1) wins, the Cougars could win it outright beating Penns Grove in their last division game Monday. There are scenarios they could share the title regardless of Thursday’s outcome.

And then there’s the matter of the South Jersey Group I power points standings. Schalick currently holds the No. 1 seed and Woodstown is No. 3, but the cutoff is Saturday and the Wolverines have just reached the threshold where they can start dropping games in the formula.

“The power points that are available on Thursday will have a huge impact on first through third,” Huck said.

“Pulling out a tie after being down 2-0 definitely gives us hope to beating Schalick and taking the division,” Ayars said.

But none of it would’ve mattered if the Wolverines didn’t get a positive result against Penns Grove. And for 77 minutes the Red Devils had them on the ropes.

Prince Ledbetter converted a pass from Joey Schultz with 14:10 left in the first half and Poyraz Erdonmez blasted home the rebound after Markward stoned Juan Ortiz’ penalty kick 10 minutes into the second half to make it 2-0.

The Red Devils held onto the lead until the closing minutes of regulation before the Wolverines came to life.

Ayars got the first goal with three minutes to play on a cross from Nick DiTeodoro, then got the equalizer with about a minute to go with help from an unlikely source. He had a good chance to win it in overtime, but his free kick from right outside the box skittered just past the far right post.

“I was just trying to find different connections I thought could give us a spark out there and give us something to change it up a little bit,” Huck said. “Even if it was a different style of player, someone who maybe is not a threat to score but could be maybe settle the ball a little bit better or pass the ball a little bit better.”

He found that player way back on the end line. With time running out, Markward came all the way up from the goal leaving the crease empty. As fate would have it, the ball came his way and he got just enough touch on it to direct it toward Ayars for the equalizer and his first career assist.

“At first I really wanted to (do it), then I got there and I was scared,” Markward said. “I got a touch on it and was like, ‘Please, God, help me,’ then I kicked it and was like, aw, I missed it, but it was OK, Bryce got me. He’s always there.”

“The first thing I saw was a beautiful touch by the goalie; I didn’t know Trey could do that,” Ayars said. “I think he took a shot or a pass, I don’t really know, that’s up to how he wants to describe that, but it went right to my foot like normal and I just put it away.”

Both games between the teams this year have ended in ties, but this one didn’t leave the Red Devils with the same sense of accomplishment as the earlier meeting. They were that close to beating Woodstown for the first time since October 2022 and couldn’t close it out.

“I kept telling my guys to stop talking about it because a team like Woodstown is never out of it and clearly that’s what happened,” Penns Grove coach Mano Massari said. “Good teams find ways to get back in games no matter how much time is left and that’s exactly what Woodstown did.

“Good teams also know how to close a game out and we didn’t do that, so that’s something we definitely need to improve on if we want to have success moving forward in this season.”

NOTES: By the time overtime started the Wolverines were missing three starters, two of whom went down during the game. At least they could be replaced. The Red Devils played the OT one man down due to an end-of-regulation red card. There were seven yellow cards and one red card issued in the game … The Wolverines are 9-0-1 this year in games Ayars scores a goal.

SCHALICK 4, GLASSBORO 0: Glassboro 0: Mikey Nelson and Anthony Sepers, two of the 11 seniors recognized prior to the game, had a goal and an assist for the Cougars. Luke Price and freshman Jake Sepers scored their other goals.

CLAYTON 3, PENNSVILLE 0: The Eagles missed a chance to clinch a share of the TCC Classic Division title. The still hold a one-game lead over the Clippers and can now clinch a share with a win at Gloucester Catholic Thursday and then clinch its first division title in 32 years Monday against Salem.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 7, SALEM 0: Zack Payne scored the first four goals of the game and assisted on another score.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Oct. 13-18

MONDAY, OCT. 13
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCT. 14
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Deptford, 4 p.m.
Salem at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at St. Joe (Hamm.), 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick, 6 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 6 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Overbrook, 3:45 p.m.
Glassboro at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Cape May Tech, 4 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 15
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Highland, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Wildwood at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Triton at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCT. 16
FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown at GCIT, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Schalick, 6 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Salem at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Wildwood at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 17
WJFL FOOTBALL
Camden Catholic at Collingswood, 6 p.m.
Lawrence at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
Salem at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Schalick at Glassboro, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Vineland at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Salem at Haddon Heights, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Salem, 4 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Clearview at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 18
WJFL FOOTBALL
Overbrook at Audubon, 11 a.m.
West Deptford at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
Woodbury at Penns Grove, noon
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Wilmington (2), noon
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC Jamboree at Cristo Rey HS, Philadelphia

Breaking through

Penns Grove’s girls soccer gets its first goals of the season and first win; includes scores and highlights from Friday’s Salem County sports action

GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove 2, Woodbury 0: Berra Akkaya and Yareliz Pantoja scored Penns Grove’s first two goals of the season to bring the Red Devils (1-10) their first win of the season. Pantoja broke a 1-1 tie in the second half.
Salem Tech 2, Paulsboro 0: Ava Robinson and Peyton Pratt scored second-half goals for the Chargers.
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove 1, Woodbury 0: Prince Ledbetter scored the game’s only goal in the second half off an assist from goalie Dwayne Guzman Silva.
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Salem Tech
GIRLS TENNIS
Pitman 5, Woodstown 0
Salem 4, Penns Grove 1

PITMAN 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Anna Fisicaro (P) def. Nathalie Neron, 6-0, 6-1
Colette Rollins (P) def. Alyssa Berry, 6-2, 6-0
Ava Mullenhauer (P) def. Noelle Neron, 6-0, 6-0
Kendall Bennett-Amanda Bradley (P) def. Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr, 6-0, 6-0
Abigail Heil-Ella Ralph (P) def. Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth, 6-1, 6-2
Records: Pitman 18-3, Woodstown 12-5.

SALEM 4, PENNS GROVE 1
Angelina Fothergill (S) def. Andrea Restrepo, 6-1, 6-1
Tahirah Davenport-White (S) def. Ada Lopez, 6-1, 6-2
JaNye Hubbard (S) def. Kanta Pulchard, 6-2, 6-3
Heaven Jones-McCullough-Erica Brewer (S) def. Andrea Capone-Natanalie Dominguez, 6-0, 6-1
Gianco Tirado-Cadence Jachos (PG) def. Evangeline Jiminez-Barreto-Aleena Allen, 6-1, 6-3
Records: Salem 3-8, Penns Grove 0-9.

VOLLEYBALL
Highland 2, Salem Tech 1: Brooke Tyler had 14 kills, 11 digs and nine assists to lead Highland. Yoselin Basantes had eight kills and 14 assists. The set scores were 25-22, 20-25, 25-11.

Emotional night

Schalick starts strong, then longest-standing rival Gloucester keeps Cougars at bay to spoil their Homecoming, Senior Walk

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Kevin Leamy crouched at the 30-yard line with his face buried in his hands. You know there were tears behind those hands. The Schalick head coach is an emotional coach as it is, but this was a particularly emotional night.

Moments earlier, he watched 13 senior who played through his first year as head coach, a mix of able-bodied like Homecoming King Dylan Sheehan and injured like Exavier Allen, who courageous made the walk both ways on crutches, take the first Senior Walk since 2019 on the field they were playing on barring a home playoff game for the final time.

With Kenny Chesney’s solemn “The Boys of Fall” playing softly through the speakers, the seniors walked the length of the field with their underclassmen teammates lining the hashmarks all the way to their parents in the south end zone. Once they got there, there was enough tears to fill the water bucket.

“It’s a cool tradition,” Leamy said. “These kids put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears. I feel terrible that we just couldn’t get it done, but I’m proud of them. They’re a good football team and I don’t think that scoreboard tells the whole story.”

The Cougars lost to Gloucester, the longest played rivalry in the program’s history, 34-6.

The night couldn’t have started better for them. They scored on their opening drive, a 13-play, 73-yard march that took up a little more than seven minutes and had some on the sidelines calling it the best drive they’ve seen in years.

They had a little help with a fourth-down pass interference penalty that moved the ball into the red zone – one of two fourth-down conversions in the drive – and fell on two of their own fumbles, but culminated in David Stewart’s 4-yard run to open the scoring.

Stewart rushed for 30 yards in the game. Evan Elliott was their workhorse, rushing for 92 bruising yards on 14 carries. He had 20 yards in the opening drive.

“I think we’re starting to get better and it’s finally showing,” Leamy said. “The kids are putting in a lot of work and it’s finally clicking.

“Unfortunately for the seniors it takes time to do things that are new and for it to click. And it’s finally starting to click, but we’re still not there yet. There are still things they’re not executing on and missing here and there. We had a lot of chances that we missed on tonight.”

But they couldn’t maintain it. They did have success moving the ball, but never found the end zone again.

“We could have maintained it,” Leamy continued. “We missed opportunities. We didn’t execute here and there at certain times. It’s hard to be consistent. That’s why good teams are good teams, because they’re consistent more than they are good. We’re not there with the consistency aspect of it, but you can see what it could be if you were consistent.”

The Lions, meanwhile, scored 34 unanswered points. Ibrahim Hudwell rushed for 136 yards over three quarters and scored three touchdowns. He also had a touchdown on the opening kickoff called back for a holding penalty.

Hudwell’s first touchdown and Ashton Wall’s PAT put the Lions ahead for good. It was a 7-6 game until the last two minutes of the first half when Rylan Coffigny got behind the Cougars’ defense and hauled in a 60-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Boulden. Hudwell’s second touchdown late in the third quarter made it 21-6.

Gloucester added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter without running an offensive play. Neeko Howard returned a batted pass 71 yards for a score and Hudwell had a 64-yard scoop-and-score with 8:04 to play. The Lions ran their first offensive play of the quarter with 4:04 left in the game.

Hudwell celebrated the victory with a pair of back flips before joining his teammates in the post-game huddle.

“If my teammates want me to do it, I’ll do it,” he said. “I’ll do anything for my teammates.”

Top photo: Schalick football seniors embrace their parents after completing the revival of the Senior Walk in the final home game of their careers.

Gloucester 34, Schalick 6

GLOU (34) SCH (6)
121st Downs15
33-304Rushing38-144
3-4-0Passing8-17-1
74Passing yds77
0-0Fumbles-lost5-3
2-42.0Punts-avg3-37.3
11-105Penalties3-35
Gloucester (4-2)014713-34
Schalick (2-5)6000-6

SCORING SUMMARY
S-David Stewart 4 run (kick failed), 1:06 1Q
G-Ibrahim Hudwell 15 run (Ashton Wall kick), 9:37 2Q
G-Rylan Coffigny 60 pass from Kevin Boulden (Ashton Wall kick), 1:11 2Q
G-Ibrahim Hudwell 13 run (Ashton Wall kick), 1:45 3Q
G-Neeko Howard 71 interception return (Ashton Wall kick), 11:47 4Q
G-Ibrahim Hudwell 64 fumble return (kick failed), 8:07 4Q

WJFL Standings

DIAMONDALLDIV
Glassboro7-03-0
Salem3-32-1
Schalick2-52-1
Woodbury2-41-2
Woodstown2-51-2
Penns Grove0-70-3
PATRIOTALLDIV
Paulsboro7-05-0
West Deptford5-14-0
Overbrook5-22-2
Pennsville3-42-3
Collingswood4-31-3
Audubon2-41-3
Camden Catholic0-70-4

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Audubon 31, Collingswood 12
Delran 49, Penns Grove 0
Gloucester City 34, Schalick 6
Overbrook 34, Camden Catholic 20
Glassboro 42, Cinnaminson 0

SATURDAY’S GAME
West Deptford at Salem

MONDAY’S GAME
Woodbury at Willingboro