Striking gold

Three Salem County individuals and one relay win events on Day One of the NJSIAA Group I track championships; Salem’s girls current third in team standings

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SOMERSET – Three individual athletes and one relay team brought back gold to Salem County Friday in the first day of the NJSIAA Group I state track meet at Franklin High School.

Salem’s DaviYonn Jackson won the boys triple jump, Pennsville’s Megan Morris won the girls pole vault, Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield won the girls 3200 and Salem’s girls won the 4×100 relay to highlight the locals’ first day of competition.

Salem’s girls are currently third in the team standings with 27 points, three behind second-place Audubon. Hasbrouck Heights leads with 42 points.

“Today was a great day all around,” Salem senior Karima Davenport-White said.

The Rams’ relay team won with a school-record time of 49.63 and hit the tape five-hundredths of a second ahead of runner-up Woodbury after Rhionna Timmons ran what coach Spencer Jarrett called “the best anchor of her life.”

The other members of the relay were Sairis Jimenez, Davenport-White and Morgan VanDover.

“For me, it’s a huge deal since I’ve been on the 4×1 relay since my freshman year,” Davenport-White said. “So this is everything finally paying off, all the hard work and sacrifice.”

Davenport-White also finished third in the long jump, breaking Timmons’ school record with a jump of 17-2; Timmons finished fifth. Teammate Anna Buzby finished third in the girls 800 and sixth in the 400 hurdles and pole vault, and Dominique Lewis was sixth in the shot.

“Today was a great day,” Jarrett said.

Jackson gave the Rams their second state champion of the day when he repeated in the boys triple jump with a career-best jump of 46-feet, 4-inches. The man they call “Pop” led after the first round of jumps, hit his eventual winning jump on his second attempt and nearly matched it on his third jump.

He won by eight inches, but had to sweat it out as Cresskill runner-up Joshua Yoon (45-8) and Cartrell Moore of Glassboro (45-7) came after him hard.

“I knew out of the box it was going to be a dogfight, I tried to put my head down and just fight,” Jackson said. “I kept telling myself at the back of the runway I’m there, I’m knocking on the door, they’ve got to let me in.”

Morris won the girls pole vault with a personal-best 10-0. She hit all three of her progressive heights on the first attempt and made her winning jump on the second try at the height. She made an effort at 10-3 after securing the victory but fatigue got the best of her.

“I’ve been working really hard throughout the whole season,” Morris said. “I was really excited when I got it. Once I got 9-6 I knew I had 10 in me and that’s what made me win.

“The whole entire time the main thing I was excited for is to get my name on the banner for state championships so I could make my mark in Pennsville. I was definitely excited, but I think the person who was more excited than me was my dad with the video. He was screaming and going crazy.”

Hadfield won the girls 3200 in a time of 11:03.29.

It was a three-person race the whole way with Hadfield, Wallkill Valley’s Delana Einreinhofer and Audubon’s Riley Fayer running up front and Hadfield and Einreinhofer swapping leads every lap. Finally, with about 50 meters to go, Hadfield decided she was going to win the race, went for it and hit the tape first with more than a second to spare.

“Last week (at sectionals) wasn’t her best performance and she was kind of upset about that, so she wanted to make sure she went out strong and ran better this weekend and did really well,” Cougars coach Missy Pine said.

All the event winners and runner-ups automatically qualify for the Meet of Champions. The rest await word of wildcard berths to the next 16 best times in each event regardless of classification.

Schalick’s Grace O’Neill scored with a third-place finish in the 400 hurdles and the Cougars’ 4×1 relay placed sixth. On the boys’ side, Khalim Smith of Penns Grove was fourth in the triple jump.

The meet wraps up Saturday.

NJSIAA GROUP I CHAMPIONSHIPS
SOMERSET – Here are the results of Salem County’s qualifiers to the Group I state meet Friday at Franklin HS. The top 2 finishers in each event qualify for Meet of Champions (plus next 16 best regardless of class); top six finishers in each event score points for their team

BOYS TEAM SCORES (Top 10): Glassboro 37, Woodbury 30, Manville 22, Riverside 18, Hasbrouck Heights 17, Gloucester 15, Salem 10, Audubon 10, Burlington City 10, Florence 10.
4×100: 7. Schalick (Reggie Allen, Michael Eberl, David Stewart, Levi Feeney-Childers) 43.95
800: 8. Joshua Crawford, Woodstown, 1:59.49; 15. Cole Lucas, Woodstown, 2:07.24
3200: 15. Jacob Marino, Woodstown, 10:40.68
Discus: 13. Ethan McLean, Schalick, 130-0
Triple jump: 1. DaviYonn Jackson, Salem, 46-4, 4. Khalim Smith, Penns Grove, 44-3.5; 7. David Stewart, Schalick, 43-0.5.

GIRLS TEAM SCORES (Top 10): Hasbrouck Heights 42, Audubon 30, Salem 27, Clayton 18, Schalick 17, Woodbury 16, Dayton 14, Verona 13, Pennsville 10, Haddon Twp. 10, Ridgefield 10, Kinnelon 10, Mountain Lakes 10.
4×100: 1. Salem (Sairis Jiminez, Karima Davenport-White, Morgan VanDover, Rhionna Timmons) 49.63; 6. Schalick (Zoe Jenkins, Gia Martellacci, Caileigh Schalick, Brooke Watt) 51.44
800: 3. Anna Buzby, Salem, 2:21.26
400 hurdles: 3. Grace O’Neill, Schalick, 1:07.03; 6. Anna Buzby, Salem, 1:08.57
3200: 1. Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 11:03.29
Shot put: 6. Dominique Lewis, Salem, 34-3; 9. Ava Rodgers, Salem, 32-9
Javelin: 7. Allyson Green, Schalick, 101-1
Long jump: 3. Karima Davenport-White, Salem, 17-2; 5. Rhionna Timmons, Salem, 16-7
Pole vault: 1. Megan Morris, Pennsville, 10-0; 6. Anna Buzby, Salem, 8-6

Salem 2nd in sectionals

Salem girls passed by Audubon; Salem County qualifies 28 athletes in individual events, 10 relays for state meet; Rams’ Davenport-White wins second event Saturday, Pennsville’s Ayers, Woodstown’s Hunt also bring home final-day gold

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSAUKEN – Karima Davenport-White won her second event in two days, Anna Buzby wound up qualifying for states in four individual events and the Salem girls track team enjoyed their best finish in the sectionals, despite losing their overnight lead in the South Jersey Group I Meet.

Davenport-White claimed gold for the second day in a row when she won the girls 100 hurdles in a school-record time of 15.30 to go with the long jump title she claimed on Friday. She was one of three Salem County athletes to win events on Saturday’s final day of competition.

The Rams held a lead in the team standings entering the final day, but were passed by Audubon, who finished with 87.33 points, and finished second. They trailed the Green Wave by 8.33 points going into the final event – the 4×400 relay – and didn’t start the race.

Their 71 points, however, were the most they had ever scored in the sectionals and was one point ahead of third-place Clayton.

“It’s always tough, going into the season you’ve got expectations, you’ve got goals,” coach Spencer Jarrett said of the runner-up finish. “It wasn’t what we wanted, but all the girls gave everything they had.”

The Rams advanced five girls in 10 individual events plus one relay, depth that should serve them well at next week’s state Group I state meet in Franklin. In addition to Davenport-White, who plans to sign with Coppin State on Tuesday, Buzby (800, 400 hurdles, pole vault and 400) and Dominique Lewis (shot and javelin) were multi-qualifiers for Salem.

“It’s good to have depth in the state because it gives us a better chance at trying to pull out the victory,” Salem coach Spencer Jarrett said. “We were bummed about not winning the sectional, but it’s OK, because if we get enough girls in the state is very attainable because everything balances out. Points that we might not (get) might come from the people in the central or the north.

“At the past couple states besides Clayton it’s been first to 60. Sixty points and you’re basically knocking on the door for a chance at holding that trophy.”

Davenport-White’s win in the hurdles was a highlight for both the runner and the team. She had been working all season to reach her goal of breaking the record (15.40) and felt it was within reach after running a top-seeded 15.48 in the prelims.

There was a lot that went into winning the race. Running at Pennsauken has always made the Salem senior a little nervous because she fell in the race there her sophomore year. And when it came time to run Saturday she had to beat the clock twice.

She almost missed the start of the race after being sent to the other end of the track. She had to sprint back down to the starting position, ripped off her warmups, collected herself with a deep breath after rushing into the blocks and off she went.

“I was a little winded,” she said. “I ripped off my sweat uniform and got right in the blocks. I took a deep breath and was like, ‘OK, Karima, let’s do this.’”

She fell behind at the start, but recovered quickly, picked up momentum, picked up speed and, eventually, picked up the gold medal blasting the school record by a full tenth of a second.

“It was really important to me,” Davenport-White said. “All season I’ve been working really hard, especially for the hurdles. I wanted to break the school record and I did even better than that, so I’m really excited and I know it’s going to help me in college. It just felt nice knowing that I pushed myself to that point and was able to do something way better and win.”

Overall, Salem County’s five track schools qualified 28 total athletes for 38 individual spots plus 10 relays.

Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield (800, 1600, 3200), Grace O’Neill (400 hurdles, discus) and Brooke Watt (110 hurdles, triple jump) were qualified in multiple events on the girls side. Penns Grove’s Khalim Smith (triple jump, high jump) was a multi-qualifier on the boys side. Every school has at least one qualifier on each side. All six of Schalick’s relays qualified.

Pennsville’s Connor Ayars and Woodstown’s Calista Hunt brought back gold to Salem County Saturday.

Ayars won the javelin with a personal best 162-0 on his final throw of the competition, leading a 1-3 finish for the Eagles in the event with teammate Cole Campbell.

“It was a great finals to watch,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “Connor went into the finals with the farthest throw, then Cole took the lead on his second throw in the final then got passed by (Gloucester’s Jalil Banks at 159-1) with Connor taking it on the last throw.”

Hunt won the girls triple jump with a leap of 34-9.

This story will be updated.

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I SECTIONALS
(Salem County state qualifiers)
Saturday’s finals
BOYS
Final team scores: Glassboro 122, Woodbury 81, Gloucester City 63, Audubon 52, Riverside 44, Clayton 27, Paulsboro 23, Haddon Twp. 22, Woodstown 21, Burlington City 20, Salem 18, Pennsville 16, Schalick 13, Penns Grove 12, Gateway 11, Palmyra 9, Maple Shade 2, Buena 2.
100 hurdles: 2. Anthony Parker, Salem, 14.81
4×800: 2. Woodstown 8:14.38; 4. Schalick 8:32.88; 5. Salem 8:34.69
1600: 6. Matthew Tozer, Schalick, 4:40.53
4×400: 5. Schalick 3:30.75
Javelin: 1. Connor Ayars, Pennsville, 162-0; 3. Cole Campbell, Pennsville, 158-3
Long jump: 3. Khalim Smith, Penns Grove, 21-1.25
Pole vault: 6. Salvatore Longo, Schalick, 11-0

GIRLS
Final team scores: Audubon 87.33, Salem 71, Clayton 70, Woodbury 68, Schalick 66, Haddon Twp. 32.33, Maple Shade 29, Woodstown 29, Riverside 26, Glassboro 24, Gloucester City 20.33, Pennsville 10, Buena 6, Wildwood 6, Pitman 6, Gateway 4, Penns Grove 3.
400: 3. Anna Buzby, Salem, 59.69
100 hurdles: 1. Karima Davenport-White, Salem, 15.30; 3. Brooke Watt, Schalick, 15.74
4×800: 2. Woodstown 10:10.95; 4. Schalick 10:35.55
200: 5. Rhionna Timmons, Salem 26.63
1600: 2. Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 5:18.57; 4. Lillian Norman, Woodstown, 5:41.27
4×400: 3. Schalick 4:13.81
Discus: 2. Grace O’Neill, Schalick, 132-0
Triple jump: 1. Calista Hunt, Woodstown, 34-9; 4. Brooke Watt, Schalick, 34-3; 6. Molly Curtis, Woodstown, 33-0
High jump: 3. Kami Casiano, Woodstown, 5-0

Salem County State Qualifiers
Boys
Connor Ayars, Pennsville: javelin
Cole Campbell, Pennsville: javelin
Joshua Crawford, Woodstown: 800
DaviYonn Jackson, Salem: triple jump
Salvatore Longo, Schalick: pole vault
Cole Lucas, Woodstown: 800
Jacob Marino, Woodstown: 3200
Ethan McLean, Schalick: discus
Anthony Parker, Salem: 100 hurdles
Khalim Smith, Penns Grove: triple jump, long jump
David Stewart, Schalick: triple jump
Matthew Tozer, Schalick: 1600

Girls
Anna Buzby, Salem: 800, 400 hurdles, pole vault, 400
Kami Casiano, Woodstown: high jump
Molly Curtis, Woodstown: triple jump
Karima Davenport-White, Salem: long jump, 100 hurdles
Allyson Green, Schalick: javelin
Jordan Hadfield, Schalick: 800, 3200, 1600
Calista Hunt, Woodstown: triple jump
Lillian Norman, Woodstown: 1600
Meely Horace, Penns Grove: 100
Dominique Lewis, Salem: shot, javelin
Megan Morris, Pennsville: pole vault
Grace O’Neill, Schalick: 400 hurdles, discus
Ava Rodgers, Salem: shot
Daivonnah Thomas, Penns Grove: 100
Rhionna Timmons, Salem: long jump
Brooke Watt, Schalick: 100 hurdles, triple jump

Relays
Salem: boys 4×800, girls 4×100
Schalick: boys 4×100, 4×800, 4×400; girls 4×100, 4×800, 4×400
Woodstown: boys 4×800, girls 4×800

Salem sound at sectionals

Rams hold slim lead in girls team standings after first day; 3 county girls win titles, 18 athletes and three relays qualify for states, meet concludes Saturday

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSAUKEN – Karima Davenport-White won the long jump, four of her Salem teammates and a relay qualified for the state meet in eight other events and the Rams grabbed a slim lead in the team standings Friday after the first day of the South Jersey Group I Sectional Track and Field Meet.

The Salem girls picked up 53 points in the nine events scored and hold a two-point lead over Audubon. Woodbury is third with 39 points. The meet wraps Saturday.

Davenport-White won the long jump by four inches with a personal best 17 feet, one-half inch.

Teammate Anna Buzby qualified for states in three individual events, finishing second in the 800 and 400 hurdles and fourth in the pole vault. Dominique Lewis finished second in the shot and sixth in the javelin.

Ava Rodgers and Rhionna Timmons qualified for state with fourth-place finishes in the shot and long jump, respectively. The Rams’ 4×100 relay team also advanced with a second-place finish.

“The girls did an amazing job,” Rams coach Spencer Jarrett said. “Their energy was unmatched. It was a team effort, everyone picking up each other’s slack — how a team should be.”

Davenport-White was one of three Salem County girls to win sectional championships Friday. Schalick junior Allyson Green won the javelin with a personal best 108-0 and Pennsville junior won the pole vault with a personal best 9-6.

Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield qualified for states in two events (3200, 800), while teammate Grace O’Neill (400 hurdles) and Penns Grove’s Meely Horace and Daivonnah Thomas both qualified in the 100. Schalick’s 4×100 relay team also qualified.

On the boys side, Woodstown’s Cole Lucas and Salem’s Pop Jackson were the highest Salem County finishers and the triple jump was clearly the best event.

Lucas finished second in the 800 (1:59.66) and Jackson finished second in the triple jump (45-0).

There were three Salem County athletes qualifying for state in the triple jump. In addition to Jackson, Penns Grove’s Khalim Smith was third (44-8) and Schalick’s David Stewart was fifth (44-4).

Woodstown’s Joshua Crawford (400) and Jacob Marino (3200) and Schalick’s Ethan McLean (discus) and 4×100 relay team also qualified for the state meet.

Glassboro leads the boys team standings with 64 points. Woodstown is sixth (13), Salem is T-10 (8), Penns Grove is T-12 (6) and Schalick is 14th (5).

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I SECTIONALS
(Salem County state qualifiers)
BOYS
Team scores: Glassboro 64, Gloucester 31, Woodbury 29, Riverside 24, Audubon 17, Woodstown 13, Paulsboro 12, Clayton 11, Burlington City 10, Salem 8, Gateway 8, Penns Grove 6, Palmyra 6, Schalick 5, Haddon Twp. 2, Buena 2.
4×100: 5. Schalick 43.59.
800: 2. Cole Lucas, Woodstown, 1:59.66; 4. Joshua Crawford, Woodstown, 2:01.59
3200: 6. Jacob Marino, Woodstown, 10:23.29
Discus: 6. Ethan McLean, Schalick, 136-2
Triple jump: 2. DaviYonn Jackson, Salem, 45-0; 3. Khalim Smith, Penns Grove, 44-8; 5. David Stewart, Schalick, 44-4

GIRLS
Team scores: Salem 53, Audubon 51, Woodbury 39, Schalick 30, Clayton 29, Haddon Twp. 19, Glassboro 12, Riverside 10, Pennsville 10, Maple Shade 9, Buena 6, Wildwood 6, Penns Grove 3, Gloucester City 2.

4×100: 3. Salem 50.85; 4. Schalick 51.70
800: 2. Anna Buzby, Salem, 2:20.17; 3. Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 2:22.33
400 hurdles: 2. Anna Buzby, Salem, 1:06.15; 5. Grace O’Neill, Schalick, 1:08.36
100: 5. Meely Horace, Penns Grove, 12.65; 6. Daivonnah Thomas, Penns Grove, 12.68
3200: 2. Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 11:10.90
Shot: 2. Dominique Lewis, Salem, 35-7.5; 4. Ava Rodgers, Salem, 33-2
Javelin: 1. Allyson Green, Schalick, 108-0; 6. Dominique Lewis, Salem, 100-8
Long jump: 1. Karima Davenport-White, Salem, 17-0.5; 4. Rhionna Timmons, Salem, 16-7.25
Pole vault: 1. Megan Morris, Pennsville, 9-6; 4. Anna Buzby, Salem, 8-6

Running into the Hall

Record-setting Penns Grove track star Faleesha Dowe to be inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame tonight

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – When Faleesha Dowe was an up-and-coming track star at Penns Grove High School she remembers often walking past the display for the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame and hoping someday she might be good enough to be one of those faces on the wall. She got the same feeling when looking at the list of the track records in the gym.

“Someday” arrives tonight when the legendary Red Devils track star joins that list of luminaries she once looked up to as the newest inductee into the Penns Grove Athletics Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the school.

“I’m excited, I’m really excited,” she said. “I just found out a few weeks ago. My parents, they already knew and tried to keep it a surprise from me. This is phenomenal. I’ve always told myself I wanted to get up there and it’s finally happening. I’m happy I made it up there. This is a big accomplishment for me.

“This is the high school I went to. There are records up there that have been up there for years before I even was born. It was just something I always wanted to be up there with. I used to always look at the pictures of everybody who was up there and was like I want to be good enough to be inducted and be up there.”

Make no mistake, she is. All those records she used to admire as an up-and-coming track star, many have been replaced with her name.

She set 11 personal records during her four-year run with the Red Devils (2011-14) and five school records she either set or helped set still stand.

She has enough gold medals to fill a treasure chest. She won eight Tri-County Conference titles, 13 Salem County titles, 15 Group I sectional titles and nine state titles with the Red Devils. And those were just for outdoor track. She won eight sectional and four more state titles indoors.

She set or broke her own records 16 times in the those championship races. She won 27 other times in the major relays of the day.

After Penns Grove she took her talents to Delaware State and still holds the Hornets’ record in the women’s heptathlon.

“Faleesha was one of those natural talents early on,” said Marcus Dowe, her first cousin, Penns Grove track coach and one of those faces on the Athletic Hall wall. “She had an early start running in AAU, so she didn’t have the typical four years other athletes had. By the time she got to high school we already knew she had potential.

“As a freshman she was already acclimated. We knew she could run, we knew how she could run and it was just the next level of training and competition we were looking forward to. I couldn’t wait until she got to high school. When she came to New Jersey the conversation always was there what the potential could be. Looking at the record board we were like ‘one day this could be you.’ That was just about one record we were looking at, it wasn’t the 11 she holds right now.

“From that 2012 to 2014 year, it’s just Dowe, Dowe, Dowe, Dowe, Dowe, all the way through. Like they wrote when she was still in high school, ‘the Dowe is up’ when we won our second (of three) state title.”

All the records are meaningful to Faleesha, but one holds a special place in her heart – the 54.75 400 she ran at the state meet as a senior

“That was the first time I broke the state record,” she said. “I remember the race vividly. There was really only one girl I had competition with. I was in Lane 4 and she was in Lane 5. I just knew if I passed her within the first 150 then I knew the race was mine.

“Once I passed her I picked up the speed and I heard my dad yelling I’ve got to move because I’m trying to get the record and once I heard that I picked up the speed a little bit more and ended up breaking the record.”

Another race that brings a smile is the 4×4 relay she ran as a junior with cousins Kianje and Jaye Pollard and Courtney Smith that broke the Group I state record that had stood for nearly 30 years (3:52.87).

“At the time we were on the map, but we weren’t on the map,” Faleesha said. “Before I came here we had a good team, they had some decent runners, but they didn’t have a good team. Once I came and linked with my cousins and we were on the team together that’s when Penns Grove really became big when it came to track.

“When we went places people knew who we were. I’m glad we were able to put Penns Grove on the map for being such a tiny school with like 400 students. It felt good to be up there with the big dogs and really get recognized as a small town.”

Now, at 28 and living in Texas, she is a site coordinator for a national security company. She doesn’t do track any more – the knee surgery she underwent her junior year in college saw to that — and she misses it.

“I do miss it,” she said. “I’ve been saying I want to get back into track, but my knee is not the same. If I could run again I definitely would. I still have another year of eligibility for college to run if I wanted to.

“If I could find a good trainer who would help me build my knee back up so where the pain wouldn’t bother me then I definitely would run track again because I do miss it.”

But for now it’s all a bunch of happy memories, memories they’ll all get to relive and celebrate tonight. The inductee is proud and excited. The coach can’t wait.

“To be able to see your own cousin up there every day walking by that was a little bit of extra motivation, like one day you can be up there right next to me,” Marcus said. “Now her face and her name will go up there and I’m going to try to get it put next to mine.”

Tough time for tough inning

‘Tougher’ inning dashes Penns Grove’s hopes in baseball playoffs, all favorites win, also includes golf, SJ Group I tennis

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
Thursday’s results
No. 1 Audubon 14, No. 16 Camden Academy Charter 3
No. 8 Haddon Twp. 8, No. 9 Buena 1
No. 5 Woodstown 3, No. 12 Maple Shade 1
No. 4 Pennsville 10, No. 13 Gateway 0
No. 6 Schalick 3, No. 11 Paulsboro 1
No. 3 Pitman 13, No. 14 Glassboro 0
No. 7 Wildwood 2, No. 10 Cape May Tech 1
No. 2 Gloucester 16, No. 15 Penns Grove 3

SECOND ROUND (May 29)
Haddon Twp. at Audubon
Woodstown at Pennsville
Schalick at Pitman
Wildwood vs. Gloucester

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

GLOUCESTER CITY – After battling their way through the final week of the season just to make the field, Penns Grove was hoping to keep its first playoff game since 2021 close, but one big inning proved its undoing.

Gloucester scored a run in the first inning, then erupted for 10 in the second to set the stage for a 16-3 victory over the Red Devils Thursday in the first round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

The Lions sent 15 batters to the plate in the inning. They collected six hits, including a two-run homer by Seth McCormick, and took advantage of three errors, a dropped third strike that would have been a second out, a hit batsman and a walk.

“The second inning has to be one of our … tougher innings of the year,” Penns Grove coach Chuck Weigle said. “We made a few mistakes, they capitalized on it and we ended up falling behind big.”

The Red Devils had one hit through the first three innings, but they avoided being shut out on Bristoll Scott’s RBI single in the fourth. They scored twice in the fifth after loading the bases with none out. Ryan Hyatt had an RBI single and Chase Wills scored on a passed ball.

Elijah Crespo and Hyatt had two hits apiece for the Red Devils.

“I don’t think it was what we were looking for,” Weigle said of the playoff experience. “We were hoping for a different result. We were hoping for it to be a little bit closer than it was. It just wasn’t the result we were looking for.

“Coming in as the 15^th seed you’re not expected to necessarily win the game, but we were hoping to keep it close and just hoping to play a good game overall.”

TENNIS
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Thursday’s matches
No. 1 Haddon Twp. bye
No. 8 Overbrook 4, No. 9 Lindenwold 1
No. 5 Woodstown 5, No. 12 Wildwood 0
No. 4 Middle Twp. bye
No. 3 Pennsville bye
No. 6 Buena 5, No. 11 Penns Grove 0
No. 7 Schalick 3, No. 10 Palmyra 2
No. 2 Pitman bye
SECOND ROUND (May 29)
Overbrook at Haddon Twp.
Woodstown at Middle Twp.
Buena at Pennsville
Schalick at Pitman

WOODSTOWN 5, WILDWOOD 0
Tim Schwienbacher (Wo) def. Giorgio Palesano, 6-3, 6-1
Drew Stengel (Wo) def. Christopher Olivera, 6-0, 6-1
Eric Lipovsky (Wo) def. Cristopher Hernandez, 6-1, 6-1
Joseph Kurpis-Luke Shaw (Wo) def. Simon Palacias-Miguel Amendondo, 6-2, 6-1
John Farrell-Jake Lewis (Wo) def. Kevin Damian-Brian Damian, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 13-6, Wildwood 4-11.

BUENA 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Jake Harris (B) def. Alex Ramirez Martinez, 6-0, 6-0
Dominic Longona (B) def. Angel Perez Herrera, 6-1, 6-1
Stephen Pepper (B) def. Stuart Mondragon, 6-1, 6-0
Matthew Lillia-Gabe Ridolfo (B) def. Anthony Pacheco-Ricardo Vichi, 6-0, 6-0
Joshua Sharpe-Michael Letushko (B) def. Adam Gonzalez-Rene Ruiz, 6-0, 6-2
Records: Buena 18-3, Penns Grove 4-10.

SCHALICK 3, PALMYRA 2
George Gould (S) def. Julian Carlino, 6-4, 6-3
Richie Butler (P) def. Jesus Espinoza, 6-2, 6-1
Connor McCann (P) def. Conor O’Toole, 6-3, 6-1
David Santana-Rocky Monticolo (S) def. Jaden Jennings-Owen Jacobs, 6-4, 6-2
Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Jack Timlin-Justin Smyth, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
Records: Schalick 16-7, Palmyra 5-7.

GOLF
WOODSTOWN 156, HIGHLAND 169: Woodstown’s Salem/Cumberland runner-up Jeffrey Covely birdied the first hole and shot an even-par 36 and the Wolverines counted four of the five lowerst scores of the day to win at Town & Country CC.

The Wolverines also counted a 39 from Max Webb, a 40 from Kyle Brainard and a 41 from Salem/Cumberland medalist Jacob Schermerhorn.

Wednesday roundup

Woodstown girls lose close one in SJ Group I lacrosse tournament, Salem County athletes show out at TCC Showcase, Schalick golf clinches share of division title

GIRLS LACROSSE
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 1 Glen Ridge 17, No. 16 Middle Twp. 1
No. 8 Delaware Valley 10, No. 9 West Deptford 8
No. 12 Haddon Twp. 9, No. 5 Woodstown 7
No. 4 Shore 18, No. 13 Haddon Heights 12
No. 3 Madison 16, No. 14 Sterling 2
No. 11 Lower Cape May 12, No. 6 Cinnaminson 9
No. 10 New Providence at No. 7 Bernards (Thursday)
No. 2 Rumson-Fair Haven 18, No. 15 Dayton 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – A 5-12 tournament match-up always has the potential to be a trap game for the favorite and it turned out that way for the Woodstown girls lacrosse team Wednesday.

Haddon Twp., a No. 12 seed despite having twice as many wins and almost 100 more power points than the Wolverines, scored three straight goals in a little over 14 minutes in the second half to pull away from a tie game and eventually score a 9-7 upset in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I girls lacrosse playoffs.

Six players scored goals for the Hawks (15-3), with Sage Looram, Mady Maronski and Amelia Tomashek each scoring two. Loorem also had a pair of assists. The Hawks hadn’t won a first-round game since 2021, but they were one of two double-digit seeds to win Wednesday.

Delaney Walker scored three goals for Woodstown (7-9) – giving her 55 for the season – while Emma Morgan and Blair Baldi had two apiece. All three goal scorers are sophomores.

“I think we were feeling the pressure,” first-year Woodstown coach Erin Renshaw said. “They’re a good team, so I was expecting the game that we got. I just think a good team like that is going to capitalize on our little mistakes.”

The Wolverines had the Hawks on the run early, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first nine minutes of the game. Haddon Twp. fought back to tie it 3-3 and the teams traded goals to tie it at 4-4, 5-5 and 6-6.

The Hawks took the lead with 5:14 left in the third quarter, then added goals with 11:16 and 6:09 left in the fourth quarter to go up 9-6.

“Yes, we are young, but I think it was just our little mistakes,” Renshaw said. “We’ve got to work more on getting the ball out of the defensive end. We had some trouble with that today.

“I think we were forcing some things and not taking our best shots, not taking our best options. I think that kind of killed us. If we can’t handle possession, get on the ball, we can’t score.”

The Wolverines did have three 8-meter opportunities in the final five minutes to potentially close the gap, but cashed in on only one with 3:07 to play. The missed second opportunity was particularly demoralizing.

“One thing I will say about my girls is they will play every minute,” Renshaw said. “I know we had some turnovers but they’re still going 100 percent to get the ball back.

“As a first-year coach I am completely happy with the how they played (this season). I think our growth is what I’m most proud of and how we are as a team. I will take the team I have over a team that is packed with elite girls who just think they can roll over another team. My team will fight and they will play with heart.”

TRACK

FRANKLINVILLE – Schalick junior Jordan Hadfield won two events and led a group of four Salem County athletes who won five events at the Tri-County Showcase at Delsea Wednesday.

Hadfield won the 800 in a personal best 2:18.61 and the 3200 in 11:30.95. She didn’t run the 1600, which opened the door for Woodstown’s Lillian Norman to win in a PR 5:29.46.

The county produced two winners on the boys side.

Penns Grove senior Khalim Smith won the triple jump with a PR and state top 25 jump of 44-9. He beat runnerup DaviYonn Jackson of Salem by eight inches.

“He was a sleeper coming into the year, but not anymore,” said Damian Ware, the Red Devils’ jumpers coach.

The triple jump was Salem County’s best event. In addition to Smith and Jackson going 1-2, freshmen David Stewart of Schalick and KaRon Ceaser were third and fourth, respectively.

Pennsville’s Connor Ayars completed the county’s champions group by winning the javelin with a PR of 159-6.

“This was the best I’ve seen Connor look,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said. “Not only did he PR, but he was consistently throwing in the 150s for all his throws, which was great to see.

“Between Connor and Cole (Campbell) finishing fourth, they’ve been our most consistent athletes and have been putting in a ton of work.”

The county also had four event runner-ups – Woodstown’s boys 4×800 relay and Salem’s Jackson, Anthony Parker (400 hurdles) and Rhionna Timmons (long jump) – and 25 top fives.

The meet was not team scored.

TCC SHOWCASE
BOYS WINNERS
4×100: Washington Twp. (Ajani Dwyer, Yashahya Brown, John Santos, Jack Schuck), 41.77.
4×800: Deptford (Abu Jabbie, Sean Nieves, Anthony Schilling, Lucius Davis), 8:15.04.
400 Hurdles: Alexander Osayemi, Clayton, 55.20.
1600: Ty Blackman, Glassboro, 4:33.91.
400: Dante McGrenehan, Delsea, 49.05.
100: Ajani Dwyer, Washington Twp., 10.45.
800: Daniel Torres, Washington Twp., 1:57.44.
110 Hurdles: Yashahya Brown, Washington Twp., 13.64 (USA Top 25).
200: Ajani Dwyer, Washington Twp., 21.29 (NJ Top 10).
3200: Aziz Muhammad-Kane, Highland, 9:56.04.
4×400: Williamstown (Alexander Hollimon, Kobinah Amissah, Sam Bruno, Gordon Pinnock), 3:27.39.
High jump: Jayden DeLeon, Highland, 6-7 (NJ Top 10).
Pole vault: Marcus Hood, Deptford, 14-6 (NJ Top 10).
Long jump: Benny Liles III, Kingsway, 22-6.50.
Triple jump: Khalim Smith, Penns Grove, 44-9 (PR, NJ Top 25).
Discus: Damere Lassiter, Glassboro, 171-2 (NJ Top 10).
Javelin: Connor Ayars, Pennsville, 159-6 (PR).
Shot put: Jonathan Harris, Delsea, 61-7.50 (NJ Top 10).

Top 5 finishers (Salem County)
4×800: 2. Woodstown (Karson Chew, Joshua Crawford, Cole Lucas, Jacob Marino) 8:19.91.
400 Hurdles: 2. Anthony Parker, Salem, 55.26 (PR, NJ Top 25).
1600: 4. Matthew Tozer, Schalick, 4:44.48 (PR); 5. Cole Lucas, Woodstown, 4:52.94.
800: 5. Steve Chomo, Schalick, 2:03.25 (PR).
110 Hurdles: 5. Anthony Parker, Salem, 15.25
4×400: 4. Penns Grove (Theus Berrios, Kylee Goodson, Bryan Garlic, Knowledge Young), 3:32.83.
High jump: 5. Reggie Allen, Schalick, 6-0.
Triple jump: 2. DaviYonn Jackson, Salem, 44-1; 3. David Stewart, Schalick, 43-7 (PR); 5. KaRon Ceaser, Penns Grove, 43-0.50.
Discus: 4. Jackson McFarland, Pennsville, 129-8 (PR).
Javelin: 4. Cole Campbell, Pennsville, 147-11.

GIRLS WINNERS
4×100: Kingsway (Jonnelle Lewis, Camryn Stanard, Kennedy Brathwaite, Naveya Hall), 49.57
4×800: Washington Twp. (Kaylee Russen, Taylor Stuart, Rachael Wilson, Hannah Saleh), 10:02.57.
400 Hurdles: Nyla Jones, Timber Creek, 1:01.87.
1600: Lillian Norman, Woodstown, 5:29.46 (PR).
400: Nayla Jones, Timber Creek, 56.36 (NJ Top 10).
100: Ryan Jennings, Timber Creek, 11.56.
800: Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 2:18.61 (PR).
100 Hurdles: Nyla Jones, Timber Creek, 14.55 (NJ Top 10).
200: Ryan Jennings, Timber Creek, 24.36 (NJ Top 10).
3200: Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 11:30.95.
4×400: Timber Creek (Amaya Jones, Autumn Cato, Jordyn Cato, Taylor Gaines), 4:06.85.
High jump: Alanna Woolfolk, Clayton, 5-6 (NJ No. 1).
Pole vault: Cali Lacovara, Washington Twp., 10-6.
Long jump: Guerlande Pierre, Timber Creek, 17-0.
Triple jump: Riley Gramble, Washington Twp., 33-11.25.
Discus: Hannah Nuhfer, Delsea, 146-10 (NJ Top 10).
Javelin: Paige Franklin, Williamstown, 114-1.
Shot put: Hannah Nuhfer, Delsea, 38-5.75.

Top 5 finishers (Salem County)
4×100: 3. Schalick (Brooke Watt, Calleigh Schalick, Gia Martellacci, Zoe Jenkins), 51.65.
400 Hurdles: 4. Anna Buzby, Salem, 1:07.94; 5. Grace O’Neill, Schalick, 1:08.55.
1600: 4. Helen Lillia, Schalick, 5:49.02 (PR).
100: 5. Daivonnah Thomas, Penns Grove, 12.83 (PR).
Pole vault: 3. Megan Morris, Pennsville, 8-6.
Long jump: 2. Rhionna Timmons, Salem, 16-6.
Triple jump: 3. Brooke Watt, Schalick, 33-4.50; 5. Calista Hunt, Woodstown, 32-9.Javelin: 3. Allyson Green, Schalick, 99-0; 5. Alivia Klancic, Schalick, 91-11.
Shot put: 5. Ava Rodgers, Salem, 34-0.

GOLF
SCHALICK 162, DELSEA 174, OVERBROOK 224: Senior Ryan Johnson parred his final hole to shoot a 3-over-par 38 and win medalist honors as Schalick clinched a share of the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division title.

As a co-champion (with Woodstown), the Cougars will send a full contingent of players to the Tri-County Championships Tuesday at Pitman GC. All five division winners will send full groups, while everyone else will send two players.

The Cougars also counted a 39 from Seth Fisher, a 42 from Anthony Sepers and a 43 from Lance Creighton.

KINGSWAY GIRLS 188, SCHALICK 200: Kingsway’s Carly Kuminka birdied her first hole, one-putted her first two and shot 5-over-par 40 to win medalist honors by seven strokes. Hannah Widdifield shot Schalick’s low round (48).

BOYS TENNIS
South Jersey Group I Tournament
BUENA 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Jake Harris (B) def. Alex Ramirez Martinez, 6-0, 6-0
Dominic Longona (B) def. Angel Perez Herrera, 6-1, 6-1
Stephen Pepper (B) def. Stuart Mondragon, 6-1, 6-0
Matthew Lillia-Gabe Ridolfo (B) def. Anthony Pacheco-Ricardo Vichi, 6-0, 6-0
Joshua Sharpe-Michael Letushko (B) def. Adam Gonzalez-Rene Ruiz, 6-0, 6-2
Records: Penns Grove 4-10, Buena 18-3.

Regular season
WOODSTOWN 5, OVERBROOK 0
Tim Schwienbacher (Wo) def. Andrew Weaver, 6-2, 7-5
Drew Stengel (Wo) def. Logan Milas, 6-1, 6-3
Erich Lipovsky (Wo) def. Colin Campbrell, 6-3, 6-0
Joseph Kurpis-Luke Shaw (Wo) def. Connor Kustera-Alan Marcos, 6-4, 3-6, 10-3
John Farrell-Nichols DiTeodoro (Wo) def. Jose Paz-Gabe Martinez, 6-1, 6-2
Records: Overbrook 5-15, Woodstown 12-6.

Monday roundup

Clinching time: Woodstown baseball, softball clinch TCC Diamond Division titles; Pennsville softball clinches share of Classic Division crown

BASEBALL
PENNSVILLE 5, CLAYTON 2: Chase Burchfield pitched five solid innings and went 3-for-3 at the plate. He drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single in the first and the Eagles tacked on two more on a walk and a hit batsman both with bases loaded.

Burchfield has been itching to pitch and the Eagles gave him his chance at Salem on May 1. He has pitched a total of four games — twice each against Salem and Clayton — and has given up one earned run and struck out 10 in nine total innings. The hits he allowed Monday were his first of the year.

In addition, in the games he has pitched, he has gone 8-for-14 at the plate with eight RBIs.

The Clippers made it 3-2 in the fifth, but the Eagles answered with two in the bottom of the fifth on Jeff Wagner’s two-out RBI single and Birchfield’s steal of home.

The Eagles can claim a share of the Tri-County Conference Classic Division (with Pitman) by beating Wildwood Tuesday.

WOODSTOWN 10, PENNS GROVE 0: Thomas Tucci threw three strong innings and three relievers completed a one-hitter as the Wolverines clinched the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division title.

Tucci pitched the first three innings and struck out five. Jack Knorr, Michael Valente and Dante Spina followed him to the hill and threw three no-hit innings of relief. All three of Spina’s outs were strikeouts.

Blake Bialecki had three of Woodstown’s eight hits. Andrew Pedrick had two hits with a double, drew two walks and scored three runs. Dylan Hyatt had Penns Grove’s only hit.

Both teams are headed to the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

SCHALICK 8, STERLING 1: Luke Pokrovsky struck out all six batters he faced in two innings on the mound and hit a grand slam in the second inning. Four Schalick pitchers combined to hold the Silver Knights to three singles. Jake Siedlecki put the Cougars on top with a two-run homer in the first.

Pokrovsky went 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Matt Lamazza and Evan Glaspey each had two hits for the Cougars.

Here are the first-round matchups for the South Jersey Group I tournament
May 23
Camden Academy Charter at Audubon
Buena at Haddon Twp.
Maple Shade at Woodstown
Gateway at Pennsville
Glassboro at Pitman
Paulsboro at Schalick
Cape May Tech at Wildwood
Penns Grove at Gloucester

SOFTBALL
PENNSVILLE 11, CLAYTON 1: Kylie Harris drove in three runs with a double and a triple, Savannah Palverento had two RBIs and Bella Rappa and Lilly Birney had two hits apiece as the Eagles ran their winning streak to 13 games and clinched a tie for the Tri-County Classic Division title. They can win it outright if Gloucester Catholic falls to Salem Tuesday.

WOODSTOWN 19-16, PENNS GROVE 0-3: The Wolverines clinched the TCC Diamond Division title and extended their winning streak over in-county competition to 28 games. Hannah Hitchner’s three-run double highlighted a seven-run first in the opener. The Wolverines got eight in the first inning of the nightcap. Madison LaPalomento and Sara Weinstein both had three RBIs in that game. Woodstown’s pitchers gave up only two hits in each game.

SCHALICK 1, OLMA 0: Abby Willoughby raced home with the game’s only run when the Villagers mishandled Addi Shimp’s bunt back to the circle. Shimp kept the Villagers off the board, turning back threats in the first, second, fifth and sixth innings. The Cougars cut down a runner at the plate in the second.

Shimp gave up three hits and struck out seven in spinning the complete-game shutout. Willoughby had two hits.

Here are the first-round matchups in the South Jersey Group I tournament
May 22
Camden Academy Charter at Audubon
Paulsboro at Palmyra
Cape May Tech at Maple Shade
Glassboro at Pennsville
Clayton at Haddon Twp.
Schalick at Woodstown
Gateway at Pitman
Salem at Buena

BOYS TENNIS
SCHALICK 3, PITMAN 2: The Cougars won dramatic tiebreakers at 2 singles (Jesus Espinoza) and 2 doubles (Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski) to stun the TCC Diamond Division leader and No. 2 South Jersey Group I seed. It was the Cougars’ first win over the Panthers since 2019.
Maddox Marker (P) def. George Gould, 6-2, 6-1
Jesus Espinoza (S) def. Cole Kelly, 7-5, 1-6, 10-7
Conor O’Toole (S) def. Chase Pogozelski, 6-0, 6-0
Michael Fisicaro-Max Pappalardo (P) def. Rocky Monticolo-David Santana, 6-4, 6-2
Kaden Barnes-Cayden Brzozowski (S) def. Matthew Bauman-Dom Saffioti, 7-5, 3-6, 11-9
Records: Pitman 15-7, Schalick 15-6.

WOODSTOWN 5, DEPTFORD 0
Tim Schwienbacher (Wo) def. Ethan Bui, 6-1, 6-2
Drew Stengel (Wo) def. Xavier Dean, 6-2, 6-0
Erich Lipovsky (Wo) def. Bradyn Gee, 6-4, 6-0
Mason Shimp-Joseph Kurpis (Wo) def. Anmolpreet Singh-Tony Logan, 6-3, 6-1
John Farrell-Luke Shaw (Wo) def. Joseph Crowley-Olaoluwa Gureje, 6-0, 4-6, 10-8
Records: Deptford 4-13, Woodstown 11-5

Here are the pairings for the South Jersey Group I tennis tournament
May 23
No. 1 Haddon Twp. bye
No. 9 Lindenwold at No. 8 Overbrook
No. 12 Wildwood at No. 5 Woodstown
No. 4 Middle Twp. bye
No. 3 Pennsville bye
No. 11 Penns Grove at No. 6 Buena
No. 10 Palmyra at No. 7 Schalick
No. 2 Pitman bye
May 29
Lindenwold-Overbrook winner at Haddon Twp.
Wildwood-Woodstown winner at Middle Twp.
Penns Grove-Buena winner at Pennsville
Schalick-Palmyra winner at Pitman
May 31
Semifinals
June 4
Championship match

GIRLS LACROSSE
Here are the first round games for the South Jersey Group I tournament
May 22
Middle Twp. at Glen Ridge
Haddon Heights at Shore
May 25
West Deptford at Delaware Valley
Haddon Twp. at Woodstown
Sterling at Madison
Lower Cape May at Cinnaminson
New Providence at Bernards
Dayton at Rumson-Fair Haven

BOYS LACROSSE
Here are the first-round games for the South Jersey Group I tournament
May 22
Lower Cape May at Johnson
Point Pleasant Boro at New Providence
Dayton at Shore
Cinnaminson at Rumson-Fair Haven
May 25
Sterling at Bernards
Delaware Valley at Haddonfield
Verona at Glen Ridge
Woodstown at Madison

This week’s schedule

First round of South Jersey Group I baseball, softball tournaments, TCC track showcase and Salem-Cumberland golf championships highlight the Salem County sports schedule for the week of May 20-25. All events start 4 p.m. unless noted.

MONDAY, MAY 20
BASEBALL
Clayton at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Woodstown
Schalick at Sterling
SOFTBALL
Clayton at Pennsville
Middle Twp., OLMA at Schalick
Penns Grove at Woodstown (2)
Bridgeton at Salem
GOLF
Salem-Cumberland County Tournament, Centerton CC, 8 a.m.
BOYS TENNIS
Deptford Twp. at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Pennsville at Williamstown, 3:45 p.m.
Glassboro at Penns Grove
Pitman at Schalick
GIRLS LACROSSE
Woodstown at Haddon Heights
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Clearview at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.

TUESDAY, MAY 21
BASEBALL
Wildwood at Pennsville
SOFTBALL
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
BOYS TENNIS
Schalick at Pennsville
Woodstown at Delsea, 3:45 p.m.
GOLF
Schalick girls vs. Washington Twp., Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick boys vs. Pennsville, Sakima CC

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22
SOFTBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
First-round games
No. 16 Camden Academy Charter at No. 1 Audubon
No. 9 Paulsboro at No. 8 Palmyra
No. 12 Cape May Tech at No. 5 Maple Shade
No. 13 Glassboro at No. 4 Pennsville
No. 14 Clayton at No. 3 Haddon Twp.
No. 11 Schalick at No. 6 Woodstown
No. 10 Gateway at No. 7 Pitman
No. 15 Salem at No. 2 Buena
BOYS TENNIS
Overbrook at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
TRACK
TCC Showcase, Delsea, 3:30 p.m.
GOLF
Schalick girls vs. Kingsway, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
Schalick boys vs. Overbrook, Centerton CC, 4:15 p.m.

THURSDAY, MAY 23
BASEBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
First-round games
No. 16 Camden Academy Charter at No. 1 Audubon
No. 9 Buena at No. 8 Haddon Twp.
No. 12 Maple Shade at No. 5 Woodstown
No. 13 Gateway at No. 4 Pennsville
No. 11 Paulsboro at No. 6 Schalick
No. 14 Glassboro at No. 3 Pitman
No. 10 Cape May Tech at No. 7 Wildwood
No. 15 Penns Grove at No. 2 Gloucester
GOLF
Woodstown vs. Highland, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m.
TRACK
Penns Grove at Woodstown

Eyeing the playoffs

UPDATED
Woodstown baseball falls in final game before cutoff, includes projected first-round South Jersey Group I playoff pairings for baseball and softball based on power points at the cutoff

BASEBALL
ABSEGAMI 6, WOODSTOWN 2: The Wolverines played one last game in an attempt to gain some power points before Saturday’s cutoff, but fell behind 5-0 and couldn’t recover. They are projected to be the fifth seed in the South Jersey Group I tournament that starts next week.

Adrian Rosario hit a two-run triple and scored on Joaquin Velez’ single to give the Braves a 3-0 lead in the first. An infield out with runners at second and third and an RBI single made it 5-0 in the second.

The Wolverines were held to two hits. Rocco String’s two-run double in the third made it 5-2. Ty Coblentz had the other hit.

Here are the projected first-round pairings in the South Jersey Group I tournament based on power points through Saturday night. The seeding meeting to formalize the bracket is Monday. The first round of the tournament is Thursday.

No. 16 Camden Academy Charter (8-6) at No. 1 Audubon (17-8)
No. 9 Buena (7-18) at No. 8 Haddon Twp. (8-13)
No. 12 Maple Shade (9-12) at No. 5 Woodstown (14-9)
No. 13 Gateway (8-14) at No. 4 Pennsville (14-9)
No. 11 Paulsboro (8-17) at No. 6 Schalick (13-10)
No. 14 Glassboro (6-13) at No. 3 Pitman (17-6)
No. 10 Cape May Tech (11-11) at No. 7 Wildwood (16-8)
No. 15 Penns Grove (5-13) at No. 2 Gloucester (17-6)
NOTE: Current No. 15 (Salem) and No. 17 (Clayton) in the standings reportedly are opting out, elevating the positions of Penns Grove and Camden Academy Charter.

Here are the projected South Jersey Group I softball pairings based on the power points through Saturday night. The seeding meeting to formalize the bracket is Monday. The first round of the tournament is Wednesday.

No. 16 Wildwood (2-13) at No. 1 Audubon (15-5)
No. 9 Paulsboro (10-10) at No. 8 Palmyra (10-9)
No. 12 Cape May Tech (9-12) at No. 5 Maple Shade (13-7)
No. 13 Glassboro (6-14) at No. 4 Pennsville (15-4)
No. 14 Clayton (7-11) at No. 3 Haddon Twp. (16-6)
No. 11 Schalick ( 8-8) at No. 6 Woodstown (11-7)
No. 10 Gateway (6-10) at No. 7 Pitman (10-8)
No. 15 Salem (4-12) at No. 2 Buena (16-5)

Red Devils in waiting game

Penns Grove locked in a battle for one of the final South Jersey Group I baseball playoff spots, cutoff date is Saturday; roundup includes golf, tennis

THURSDAY BASEBALL
Pennsville 4, Overbrook 1
Schalick 14, Salem 3
Wildwood 6, Penns Grove 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – If all the things Chuck Weigle is hearing are true, he has growing confidence the his team will have a spot in the South Jersey Group I baseball playoffs next week, but the Penns Grove baseball coach learned a long time ago not to count his chickens before they hatch.

The Red Devils have been doing a dance with Salem and Clayton for the final spots in the playoff. They had a chance to gain some major points Thursday, but lost to Wildwood 6-1 on their Senior Day to keep the race in the back tight.

Going into the day, the Red Devils (5-13) held the 16th and final power points spot, two points ahead of Clayton and 18.5 behind No. 15 Salem. But he’s also heard through the coaching grapevine that Salem (confirmed by Riverview Sports News) and Clayton both were opting out of the playoffs, potentially moving the Red Devils into the field without much more effort.

The cutoff date for power points is Saturday and the Red Devils are trying to find additional games before the deadline without much success. As it unfolds, Weigle is content to wait for the official word after Monday’s seeding meeting before making travel plans and as a 15 or 16 seed they will be going on the road.

“We’re waiting to see how everything pans out, we’re waiting until the information is sent out to us,” he said. “We’re looking ahead towards the future and hoping for the best.

“I don’t want to give these guys a false sense of reality and hope. It’s been going back and forth between us and Clayton for a week or so. It’s been real interesting to say the least. We look at it after one game’s entered and then you look at it 30 minutes later and it’s changed again.”

Had the Red Devils won Thursday, they would have netted more than 30 power points and basically punched their ticket. With the loss, they netted only six more points and have 162. Salem netted seven points for its loss to Schalick and Clayton netted just two for its loss to Glassboro for 157.

If the Red Devils make it, it will be their first playoff appearance since 2021, when they were 2-15 and lost to Woodstown in the first round.

“I just hope we have an opportunity to get in, but whatever happens happens,” shortstop Elijah Crespo said. “It would be a great experience, another journey that we can just have fun and come back and play baseball.”

“It would be the first time in high school for me playing baseball,” pitcher Chase Wills said. “From where we started at the beginning of the year to fight back and make it into the playoffs would mean a lot, especially being my last year. It’s been nice to even sniff out playoffs.”

With all that was at stake, the Red Devils sent their best arm to the mound to give them a chance. Wills gave up only three hits and struck out six in what might be his final home game, but some tough luck in the field worked against him. Only four of Wildwood’s runs were earned.

“I gave my all, did my best to help the team win,” Wills said. “Sadly, it didn’t come through, but I felt I did the best I could.”

Crespo’s RBI double to left center gave the Red Devils a 1-0 lead in the first. Wills smoothly retired the first seven batters he faced, but Wildwood got to him in the third.

Junior Hans gave the Warriors the lead with a two-run single and he later scored from second when he beat the throw from first on a slow roller in the infield. The Warriors added another run in the fifth and got two more in the sixth.

Wildwood pitchers Logan Totten and Harley Buscham made life difficult for the Red Devils. Tommy Mattioli’s single leading off the seventh was their first since Crespo’s RBI double in the first. They did put runners at second and third with two outs in the sixth, but couldn’t bring them home.

SCHALICK 14, SALEM 3: The Cougars broke away from a scoreless tie with eight runs in the third inning and backed it up with a six-run fifth.

Luke Pokrovsky and Ricky Watts had two-run singles in the fifth. Starting and winning pitcher Evan Glaspey had a two-run single in the sixth to walk it off.

Pokrovsky, Watts, Jake Siedlecki, Lucas D’Agostino and Jamari Whitley all had two hits for the Cougars.

Salem scored all its runs in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly, a bases-loaded walk and bases-loaded hit batsman.

PENNSVILLE 4, OVERBROOK 1: Logan Streitz’s two-run single with none out in the fifth inning broke a 1-1 tie. Chase Burchfield singled Streitz home two batters later.

Cohen Petrutz and Streitz combined to hold Overbrook to three hits. The Rams scored an unearned run in the first inning, but Pennsville tied it on Jacob Wagner’s one-out single in the second.

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Power Points (as of 11 p.m. May 16)
1. Audubon (16-8) 495, 2. Gloucester (17-6) 477, 3. Pitman (17-5) 454, 4. Pennsville (14-8) 436, 5. Woodstown (13-8) 400, 6. Schalick (13-9) 374, 7. Haddon Twp. (8-13) 339, 8. Buena (7-17) 322, 9. Cape May Tech (10-11) 318, 10. Wildwood (13-8) 298, 11. Paulsboro (7-17) 256, 12. Maple Shade (9-11) 254, 13. Gateway (8-13) 253, 14. Glassboro (6-13) 221, 15. Salem (4-13-1) 183.5, 16. Penns Grove (5-13) 162, 17. Clayton (3-14) 157, 18. Camden Academy Charter (8-4) 134, 19. LEAP (1-12) 55.

GOLF
SCHALICK 176, CUMBERLAND 237: Ryan Johnson parred three of his last four holes to shoot a 4-over-par 40 and South Jersey Group I medalist Jaxon Weber shot 41 to lead the Cougars at Running Deer GC. Schalick also counted a 45 from Seth Fisher and chose between the 50s of Anthony Sepers and Michael Nelson.

BOYS TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 5, WILDWOOD 0
Gabe Schneider (P) def. Giorgio Palesano, 6-0, 6-0
Maddox Efelis (P) def. Brian Damian, 6-0, 6-0
Brody Wiggins (P) def. Christopher Olivera, 6-0, 6-1
Noah Flitcraft-Noah Bohn (P) def. Christopher Hernandez-Simon Palacias, 6-0, 6-0
Sawyer Humphrey-Luke Chamberlain (P) def. Miguel Amendondo-Kevin Damian, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Wildwood 4-10, Pennsville 15-3.

NOTES: Based on the South Jersey Group I power points standings that closed Thursday, Pennsville is No. 4, Woodstown No. 6, Schalick No. 7 and Penns Grove No. 12. There were 11 teams in last year’s SJ Group I Tournament.