Here is a roundup of Saturday’s action involving Salem County high schools in track, baseball and lacrosse
Track
DEPTFORD – Salem’s Anthony Parker and DaviYonn (Pop) Jackson won individual events and four other Salem County athletes or relays won medals at the Deptford Spartan Relays Saturday.
Parker won the boys 400 Hurdles in 58.50 and Jackson won by boys triple by by a quarter-inch with a winning jump of 43-5.5.
The top three finishers in each event received medals.
Pennsville’s Connor Ayars finished second in the boys javelin (154-2). Schalick’s Grace O’Neill was third in the girls 400 Hurdles (1:11.64), Pennsville’s Megan Morris was third in the firls pole vault (8-0); and the Cougars’ girls 1600 sprint medley team (Ella Shimp, Karlie Bakley, Zoe Jenkins, Gia Martellacci) was third in 4:39.67.
Below are the Salem County athletes who finished in the top eight of their respective events.
DEPTFORD SPARTAN RELAYS (Top 3 places win medals) BOYS 400 Hurdles: 1. Anthony Parker, Salem, 58.50 Distance Medley: 8. Schalick (Bradford Foster, Charles Fuerneisen, Steve Chomo, Salvatore Longo), 12:20.17 800 Sprint Medley: 8. Salem (Jelani Beverly, Omarion Pierce, Terrance Smith, Anthony Parker), 1:41.39 4×100 Shuttle Hurdle: 6. Schalick, 1:18.92 4×800: 4. Schalick (Steve Chomo, Charles Fuerneisen, Wyatt Juczak, Salvatore Longo), 9:11.16 4×200: 4. Salem (Anthony Parker, Terrance Smith, Omarion Pierce, Kaden Robinson), 1:35.41 4×400: 6. Schalick (Reggie Allen, Jacob Carter, Hunter Dragotta, Sickler Kolby), 3:44.72; 8. Penns Grove (Knowledge Young, Theus Barrios, Sebastian Hernandez, Kylee Goodson), 3:47.33 Javelin: 2. Connor Ayars, Pennsville, 154-2; 5. Cole Campbell, Pennsville, 135-10 Long Jump: 5. David Stewart, Schalick, 19-0 Triple Jump: 1. DaviYonn Jackson, Salem, 43-5.5; 7. David Stewart, Schalick, 39-11
KELLY TOURNAMENT SCHALICK 11, CLAYTON 1 GLOUCESTER CITY 6, SCHALICK 5
The Cougars misplayed Ayden Daily’s bases-loaded grounder to third with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to chase home the decisive run against Gloucester City.
In their opening-game victory, Ricky Watt and Luke Pokrovsky both hit a pair of doubles and combined for seven RBIs and two pitchers combined on a three-hitter as the Cougars beat Clayton.
Seven of the Cougars’ 14 hits in the game were doubles. Every spot in the lineup had at least one hit. Watt went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and Pokrovsky went 2-for-2 with three RBIs.Cole Hartley pitched the first four innings of the five-inning game, giving up two hits and a run. Jamari Whitley pitched a one-hit fifth with three strikeouts.
CEDAR CREEK 12, WOODSTOWN 8: The Wolverines had answers for almost every Cedar Creek salvo except the four-spot the Pirates put up in the third inning and was the difference in the game.
Sean O’Kane and Tyler McCorriston both went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for the Pirates. Brent Williams had the big bat for Woodstown, going 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs. Jack Holladay and Ty Coblentz both had a pair of hits for the Wolverines.
GCIT 19, PENNSVILLE 1: Eagles coach Matt Karr wasn’t making excuses, but he can’t remember seeing as many hits off the handle and seeing-eye singles GCIT produced in a 16-run third inning that broke the game open.
The Cheetahs sent 20 batters to the plate in the inning and banged out 12 hits. Ben Sumek batted three times with a walk, single, bases-loaded double and five RBIs, Willie Popoff had a single, triple and four RBIs.
Cohen Petrutz had two of Pennsville’s four hits and Stevie Fatcher drove in their only run.
Lacrosse
WASHINGTON TWP. 16, WOODSTOWN 9: The Wolverines played their visitors even after halftime, but fell into an 11-4 halftime deficit they couldn’t shake. Nine players scored goals for Washington Twp. Robbie Finnegan had five goals and two assists.
Pedrick’s grand slam gives Woodstown the lead for good against Schalick; Fatcher’s first career homer a slam for Pennsville
FRIDAY BASEBALL Pennsville 29, Penns Grove 3 Pitman 16, Salem 2 Woodstown 9, Schalick 4
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Andrew Pedrick hit a grand slam in the fifth inning Friday to give Woodstown the lead on Opening Day and from the reaction it got you’d have thought another earthquake was shaking the area.
Pedrick’s blast broke a 2-2 tie and sent the Wolverines to a 9-4 victory over rival Schalick. The response to his first varsity grand slam, which you could hear all the way to the softball field at the front of the complex, took him back to his Little League days.
“I’ve never heard anything like that, it was amazing,” he said. “Maybe Little League. I think when I was 11 I hit a grand slam and the place was going crazy, but there’s nothing like that.
“Off the bat I think everybody started to yell. It felt good. I just said, ‘Get out.’”
There might be something to that earthquake thing. Earlier in the day, Salem County residents felt a 4.8 magnitude quake that was centered in Hunterdon County. There was 4.0 magnitude aftershock centered about 15 miles from the original tremblor at just about the time Pedrick connected.
The slam was big on a number of fronts. Pedrick made a bad throw on a tailor-made double play that gave Schalick its second run of the fourth inning, so the blast brought a sense of redemption. The first time he came to the plate after the error, he singled home the Wolverines’ first run in the home fourth and then in his next at bat he hit the slam.
He went 3-for-4 in the game, his fourth career three-hit game against the Cougars. He was 3-for-4 against them in last year’s season-opener, too.
“It was a really good swing to left-center field,” Wolverines coach Marc DeCastro said of the slam. “He got jammed a lot earlier in the game so it was nice to see him be able to see that and still get it the other way.
“I know he’s disappointed in himself, too, because of the double-play ball that would have got us out of the inning; he’s so much better than that. I’m happy for him. He makes that mistake and he’s disappointed and now the next opportunity he gets he can either sink because he’s upset about that or he can challenge himself to forget about that and do something for the team and that’s what he did.”
Pedrick wasn’t the only Wolverine to homer in the game.
Jack Holladay provided Woodstown some insurance with a two-run shot in the sixth. It was his first career home run on “the big field” and helped him avoid an oh-for on Opening Day. Teammates standing around his post-game interview roared with approval when the first baseman was reminded he has a similar sounding name as the MLB’s top prospect, Baltimore’s Jackson Holliday.
“It felt good for me,” he said. “I was just thinking stay up the middle. I was trying to get my first hit on the day. It didn’t feel good off the bat, but I think the wind helped out a lot.”
The Wolverines hit 15 homers last season. They had one in their season opener, but just two through their first seven games. There’s a sense this could be a power hitting team because it’s virtually the same team as a year ago only one year older and stronger.
“We look for our pitch a lot so when we get it we’re ready to hit it out,” Pedrick said.
Until each team broke through in the fourth inning, Schalick’s Luke Pokrovsky and Woodstown’s Aaron Foote were matching zeroes. Pokrovsky got all 10 of his outs in 3 1/3 innings via strikeout but he threw 94 pitches. Foote gave up three hits and struck out four in 3 1/3 innings.
WOODSTOWN 9, SCHALICK 4
Schalick (0-1)
000 202 0-
4 10 0
Woodstown (1-0)
000 243 x-
9 5 0
WP: Michael Valente. LP: Lucas D’Agostino. 2B: Ricky Watt (S). HR: Andrew Pedrick (W), Jack Holladay (W).
PENNSVILLE 29, PENNS GROVE 3: Sophomore Stevie Fatcher hit his first career home run in his first at-bat of the season – a grand slam in the first inning – and Logan Streitz threw four innings of shutout ball for his first career win.
Fatcher, 8-for-23 with two extra-base hits as a freshman last season, went 2-for-2 with five RBIs against the Red Devils. Luke Wood had four RBIs, Jeff Wagner (two hits) had three, and Connor Starn, Mike McClincy, Jovanni Rios and Streitz each had two.
Streitz allowed three hits, struck out six and walked one on 53 pitches. Elijah Crespo had two of Penns Grove’s four hits.
The 29 runs were Pennsville’s most in a game since a 31-8 win over Wildwood in May 2018.
PENNSVILLE 29, PENNS GROVE 3
Penns Grove (0-1)
000 03-
3 4 2
Pennsville (1-0)
894 8x-
29 13 1
WP: Logan Streitz. LP: Dylan Hyatt. 2B: Luke Wood (Pv), Jeff Wagner (Pv). HR: Stephen Fatcher (Pv).
PITMAN 16, SALEM 2: The Rams scored a pair of runs in the first inning to get their season off to a fast start, but some loose fielding and lack of command that followed conspired to send them to an Opening Day defeat.
Three Pitman pitchers held the Rams to two hits – a single by Caleb Clair in the first inning and a double by Colin Finney in the third. The Rams scored their two runs in the first on a bases-loaded error. The Panthers broke it open with nine runs in the fourth.
PITMAN 16, SALEM 2
Salem (0-1)
200 00-
2 2 9
Pitman (1-0)
412 9x-
16 8 3
WP: Jude Engstrom. LP: Terrell Robinson. 2B: Colin Finney (S), Stephen Devanney (P), Aidan Stranahan (P).
Cover photo: Woodstown’s Andrew Pedrick (L) talks with Brent Williams after hitting a go-ahead grand slam in the fifth inning against Schalick Friday.
WOODSTOWN – When Liv Boultinghouse stepped into the circle for Woodstown’s season opener Friday afternoon, the thoughts going through her head were solely on the things she needed to do to get hitters out. The surgery she had in November was the farthest thing from her mind.
Considering all she has gone through in her playing career, some might think it a minor miracle she was even in the circle at all. The surgery she had on her right, push-off ankle was the third on the joint in seven years, but she didn’t give it another thought as she faced down rival Schalick in Top-15 South Jersey matchup on Opening Day of coach Dave Wildermuth’s final season.
The senior right-hander gave up six singles, one earned run, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter over five innings in the Wolverines’ 15-3 win over the Cougars.
“I’ve been dealing with this since I was 6 years old,” Boultinghouse said of the ankle troubles. “Nobody ever figured out what it was until 2017.”
She’s had surgeries on the ankle every three years since – 2017, 2020, 2023 – with the latest being the most intricate, cutting out scar tissue and the nerves entrapped within it. Through it all she was determined to keep pitching, this year more than ever.
And that became a reality when Wildermuth handed her the ball as the Opening Day starter he knew she was going to be all along.
“It felt really good,” she said. “I knew I was going to be able to do it. I was eager to get in the circle and play in the game.”
She promptly threw strikes on her first four pitches of the game and threw only one ball in the first inning. She threw 66 pitches total, 54 for strikes. She gave up a run in each of the first two innings, but once she found her rhythm – and her offense supported her with a bunch of runs – she was dominant.
“She’s a gamer,” Wildermuth said. “I don’t think she had any walks today. She’s a strike machine; she throws the ball over the plate. She’s not a big strikeout pitcher, but if you’re going to beat her you’re going to have to hit the ball because she’s not going to give you any free passes.”
After falling behind early, the Wolverines took the lead with four in the bottom of the second. Ellie Wygand’s two-run single broke a 2-2 tie and gave them the lead for good. They broke it open with nine in the third, highlighted by Wygand’s two-run triple.
“I was a little worried about coming out slow because we hadn’t been able to get outside, hadn’t been able to get on the field, hadn’t been able to see any live pitching,” Wildermuth said. “But I knew we were going to put the ball in play, and we did.”
The Wolverines pounded out 13 hits in the game, including five doubles and a triple. Cara Delia and Lila Bowling each had three hits, Tulana Mingin and Wygand each had two.
Mingin, the leadoff hitter, went 2-for-2 with two walks and three runs scored. She walked her first two times up, hit a game-tying two-run double in the third and a single in the fourth. She now has 99 career hits and can hit the century mark Saturday against Camden Catholic.
When it comes, she will be the 11th player in program history with 100 hits or more and the first to reach the milestone since 2018.
“I did the best I could with what I was given,” Mingin said. “I guess it’ll just make tomorrow a little bit less pressure because it’s only one hit I’m looking for. I’ll get it when I get it. I can’t worry about that.”
The game marked the start of Wildermuth’s final season with the Wolverines. He’s retiring at the end of the school year. Mingin has said the players want to give their coach “the best last season.”
Wildermuth, meanwhile, isn’t thinking about anything but the season in front of him and what it’s going to take to make a deep run in the playoffs.
“I’m really not thinking about the end of the season yet, I’ll think about that when we get down towards the end of the season,” he said. “I’m just trying to take it one day at a time and enjoy my time with this team and spending time with the girls and being out there and trying to win and have fun.
“When the time comes it’ll be pretty emotional for all of us, but right now I’m just trying to take it one game at a time.”
PENNSVILLE 27, PENNS GROVE 0: Kylie Harris went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and the next four hitters in the Pennsville lineup drew a total of 13 walks. The first five hitters were a combined 6-for-9 with 14 walks and 12 runs scored.
Savannah Palverento walked three times and scored five runs. Avery Watson was officially 0-for-0 in the game, but walked four times and scored four runs. Sierra Stultz allowed two hits from the circle, walked none and struck out seven in four innings.
PENNSVILLE 27, PENNS GROVE 0
Penns Grove (0-1)
000 0-
0 2 3
Pennsville (1-0)
9(13)5 x-
27 8 0
WP: Sierra Stultz. LP: Yeneris Garcia. 2b: Kylie Harris (Pv).
Here is the sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of April 1-6; all games 4 p.m. unless noted
MONDAY
BASEBALL Schalick at Woodstown SOFTBALL Schalick at Woodstown GOLF Delsea girls vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS LACROSSE Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown
TUESDAY
BASEBALL Pennsville at Clayton Penns Grove at Glassboro, 10 a.m. Salem vs. Pitman, Alcyon Park SOFTBALL Glassboro at Penns Grove, 10 a.m. Clearview at Woodstown OLMA at Schalick Pennsville at Clayton Pitman at Salem COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Mercer County CC, 3 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Mercer County CC (2), 3 p.m. GOLF Washington Twp. girls at Schalick, 3:30 p.m. Schalick boys vs. West Deptford, River Winds GC Gloucester Catholic vs. Salem Tech, Sakima CC BOYS TENNIS Cunberland at Woodstown
WEDNESDAY
BASEBALL Schalick at Millville SOFTBALL Ocean City at Woodstown Penns Grove at Cumberland Schalick at Clearview TRACK Pennsville at Glassboro Penns Grove at Overbrook GOLF Pennsville vs. Gloucester Catholic, Westwood GC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS LACROSSE Woodstown at Paul VI, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS LACROSSE Clearview at Woodstown BOYS TENNIS Middle Twp. at Pennsville
THURSDAY
BASEBALL Salem at Pennsville Penns Grove at Woodstown Pitman at Schalick SOFTBALL Pennsville at Salem Woodstown at Penns Grove COLLEGE SOFTBALL RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC (2), 3:30 p.m. GOLF Schalick boya vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC Clearview vs. Woodstown, Town & Country GL, 3:30 p.m. Pennsville vs. West Deptford, Riverwinds GC, 3:30 p.m. TRACK Schalick at Woodstown BOYS TENNIS Schalick at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Middle Twp. at Woodstown
FRIDAY
BASEBALL Pennsville at Penns Grove Schalick at Woodstown SOFTBALL Paulsboro at Salem Penns Grove at Pennsville Schalick at Woodstown COLLEGE BASEBALL RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. GOLF Pennsville vs. Penns Grove, Sakima GC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Delsea at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Kingsway, 3:45 p.m. Schalick at Haddon Heights GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Paul VI TRACK Schalick at Woodstown
SATURDAY
BASEBALL Salem, Schalick, Clayton at Gloucester City, 10 a.m. Woodstown at Cedar Creek, 11 a.m. SOFTBALL Camden Catholic at Woodstown, 10 a.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Cumberland (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Raritan Valley at Salem CC (2), noon TRACK Pennsville, Salem, Schalick at Deptford Relays, 9 a.m. BOYS LACROSSE Washington Twp. at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of March 24-30; all games 4 p.m. unless noted, x-scrimmage
Sunday
COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Brookdale, 1 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Northampton at Salem CC (2), noon
Monday
BASEBALL x-Cumberland at Woodstown x-GCIT at Pennsville x-LEAP at Penns Grove x-Millville at Schalick SOFTBALL x-Pennsauken Tech at Penns Grove x-Pennsville at GCIT x-Salem at Winslow GOLF Woodstown vs. Burlington City, Burlington CC BOYS TENNIS x-Pennsville at Gateway, 3:45 p.m. x-St. Augustine at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS LACROSSE x-Woodstown at OLMA BOYS LACROSSE x-Millville at Woodstown
Tuesday
BASEBALL x-West Deptford at Pennsville SOFTBALL x-Salem at Lindenwold BOYS TENNIS Schalick at Gateway x-Woodstown at Millville TRACK x-Camden Co. Tech at Pennsville COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Lehigh Carbon CC, 3 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Middlesex at Salem CC (2), 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday
BASEBALL x-Cumberland at Schalick x-Deptford at Woodstown x-LEAP at Salem x-Penns Grove at Bridgeton SOFTBALL x-Cumberland at Schalick x-Deptford at Woodstown x-Paulsboro at Pennsville GOLF Pennsville vs. Gloucester Catholic, Westwood GC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS x-Pennsville at Delsea, 3:45 p.m. x-Woodstown at Millville COLLEGE BASEBALL Lehigh Carbon CC at Salem CC (2), noon
Thursday
BASEBALL x-Clayton at Penns Grove x-Gloucester at Salem SOFTBALL x-LEAP at Salem x-Millville at Pennsville x-Penns Grove at Clayton x-Sterling at Woodstown GOLF Schalick vs. Woodstown, Town & Country GL TRACK x-Penns Grove, Bridgeton at Salem
Friday
BASEBALL x-Paulsboro at Schalick, 11 a.m. SOFTBALL Millville at Pennsville COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Sussex (2), 1 p.m. GOLF Woodstown at Delran, Golden Pheasant GC
Saturday
GIRLS LACROSSE x-Washington Twp. at Woodstown, 10 a.m. BOYS LACROSSE x-Woodstown at Absegami, 10 a.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Keystone College JV, noon
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of March 17-23; all games 4 p.m. unless noted, x-scrimmage
Sunday
COLLEGE SOFTBALL RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC (2), noon
Monday
BOYS TENNIS x-Mainland at Woodstown
Tuesday
BOYS TENNIS x-Schalick at Cumberland x-Pennsville at St. Augustine COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Lehigh Carbon CC (2), 3 p.m.
Wednesday
BOYS TENNIS x-West Deptford at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. x-Millville at Schalick COLLEGE SOFTBALL SUNY-Orange at Salem CC (2), 3:30 p.m.
Thursday
BASEBALL x-Gateway at Salem x-Pennsville at Williamstown x-Schalick at Highland x-Woodstown at Clearview SOFTBALL x-Cedar Creek at Schalick x-Woodstown at Gloucester City GOLF Woodstown vs. Triton, Valley Brook CC BOYS TENNIS x-Woodstown at Palmyra
Friday
BASEBALL x-Pennsauken Tech at Penns Grove SOFTBALL x-Kingsway at Woodstown x-Pennsville at Delran x-Salem at Bridgeton BOYS TENNIS x-Millville at Pennsville COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Brookdale CC, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday
SOFTBALL x-Pennsville, Cedar Creek, Williamstown at Buena, 10 a.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Brookdale CC at Salem CC (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Delaware Tech at Salem CC (2), noon
Former Glassboro head coach Maccarone approved as Penns Grove’s new football coach, was Red Devils’ DC during their 2018-19 championship run
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Mark Maccarone never ruled out being a head coach again when he stepped away in 2017 and now that door has reopened to him in a very familiar setting.
MACCARONE
The former Glassboro head coach and one-time Penns Grove assistant was approved Monday night by the Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District to become the Red Devils’ new head football coach. He succeeds John Emel, who is headed to West Deptford to become its new football coach, and he’s glad to be back as a head coach.
With his unanimous approval, Maccarone, 41, becomes just the third Penns Grove head football coach in the last 25 years.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to come to Penns Grove and I’m taking over a program that’s been very successful for the last two decades,” he said. “I was fortunate when I stopped being a head coach, Coach Emel reached out to me and asked me to be an assistant coach here and I was able to form some very close relationships with some of the coaches on the staff and a majority of the players.
“I never said no to the opportunity (to be a head coach again). I’ve had opportunities that I’ve been offered that I turned down because it wasn’t the right situation for me at the particular time. This is an opportunity to come somewhere where I’m familiar. For me, this was the perfect opportunity to kind of throw my hat back into the ring, so to speak.”
Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden said the opening drew “five or six very strong championship-worthy coaches who brought a lot to the table,” but Maccarone rose to the top because of his vision for the future and desire to work towards it.
“He’s got a lot of heart, he’s got a lot of charisma, he’s a thinker,” Golden said. “He has a lot of opportunity and a lot of lofty goals. He’s been putting in a lot of work to try to prepare for the next season. He’s ready to go.
“He knows the game, he knows relationships. The kids play for him and work with him because he is a person who develops and maintains strong relationships with the kids. They trust him. We talk about the kids and he was like I don’t know a lot of these kids yet because I haven’t been around, but I was like, ‘Mac those skill sets that you had when you were here, they’re still prevalent.’”
A resident of Washington Twp., Maccarone will remain as a social studies teacher at Camden County Tech while he coaches the Red Devils, unless, of course, a teaching position opens at Penns Grove.
“I’m in a better situation in my career, so it’s allowing me the opportunity once again to become a head coach,” he said.
Maccarone checks all the boxes. He has been a head coach. He has been in big games. He has won championships and coached players who’ve gone on to the NFL. He knows the Penns Grove players and the expectations the administration and community have for their football team.
He was 43-33 with five straight playoff appearances in his seven seasons with Glassboro, winning two South Jersey Group I titles and reaching the semifinals two other times.
After he stepped down from the Bulldogs after seven years of commuting between Bridgeton and the school, Emel scarfed him up to be the Red Devils’ defensive coordinator during their 2018-19 championship run and has helped with the program in a less formal capacity post-COVID.
He was a spotter in the coaches booth when the Red Devils shut out eventual state finalist Glassboro in the regular season this past October. He also was there when they beat Pennsville to retain The Boot, when they knocked off Florence in the first round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs and when they lost at Woodstown in the semifinals.
“I think Mark is a heck of a football coach,” Emel said. “After 2017 when we lost (in the South Jersey Group I finals) I wanted to find an assistant coach with big-game experience. One of the things he hangs his hat on is never losing a sectional championship game as a coach (6-0). He’s always had a great relationship with players. I care about the kids and I’d want somebody who’d put them in positions to win. He knows how to get a team ready to win.
“I’m excited because I want the program to do well. He’ll absolutely do some things better than I did. I think it’s a good situation for a team that has a lot of experience; they need to be coached hard by a guy who can get them to the next level.”
Maccarone inherits a program that went 70-41 under Emel, made the South Jersey Group I playoffs every year and won at least one playoff game five of the last six years. The Red Devils won three division titles and two of the school’s three sectional crowns (2018 and 2019) during a three-year stretch in which they went 35-3 with a 25-game winning streak. He currently has five players in college football at the Division II level or higher.
This past season the Red Devils went 6-6 after a 1-4 start and trailing 19-0 at halftime of their sixth game. They played for the WJFL Diamond Division title on the last weekend of the regular season and produced two 1,000-yard rushers who are both eligible to return with most of the 32 players they finished the season with. The JV team went undefeated and they have a weight room Emel has called one of the best setups in South Jersey.
Maccarone called his two official seasons with the Red Devils a “very fun two years” during which he forged some “life-changing” relationship with players and coaches that stand to this day. With the talent and support within the program, he said there’s no reason they can’t reach for those goals again.
With Maccarone’s hiring, there are now two football head coaching vacancies remaining in Salem County, but both are expected to be filled later this week. Former Penns Grove head coach Kemp Carr is up for approval as Salem’s new coach Wednesday and Woodstown is expected to approve its new coach Thursday.
Cover photo: New Penns Grove football coach Mark Maccarone meets with well-wishers after being approved by the board Monday night.
Penns Grove sends Maccarone for board approval tonight, Salem to recommend Carr for its opening Wednesday, Woodstown new coach said to be on agenda Thursday
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
It’s a big week in Salem County football as all three current head coaching vacancies in the county are expected to be filled, the first two with the return of two coaches with a history of winning and relationships.
Penns Grove is putting up former Glassboro head coach and Red Devils assistant Mark Maccarone for approval at tonight’s Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District board meeting. His position and those to approve several other head coaches and assistants are listed in the night’s agenda.
Salem is putting former Penns Grove and Winslow head coach Kemp Carr before the board for approval at the Salem City School District meeting at the high school Wednesday. Salem High School athletics director Darryl Roberts declined to confirm the identify of the candidate.
Woodstown’s next scheduled board meeting is Thursday and its new coach is said to be on the agenda.
Maccarone, who is expected to attend tonight’s meeting, was 43-33 at Glassboro with playoff appearance each of his first five years before the program hit hard times. He won two South Jersey Group I titles and reached the semifinals two other times.
After stepping stepped down from the Bulldogs after seven years of commuting between Bridgeton and the school, former Penns Grove coach John Emel scarfed him up to be the Red Devils’ defensive coordinator during their 2018-19 championship run and has helped with the program in a less formal capacity post-COVID.
Emel, who has worked with, for and against both projected new coaches, has said Maccarone “checks all the boxes.”
The other Penns Grove coaches slated for approval on the agenda are football assistants Damian Ware and Kyle Goodson, soccer head coaches Mano Massari and Shawna Blickle, baseball coach Charles Weigle III, softball coach Dionna Hargrove, track coaches Samuel Alvira and Marcus Dowe, and their assistants.
Carr won 85 games as head football coach at Penns Grove and Winslow. He was 74-34 at Penns Grove from 2004-2013, playing in three South Jersey Group I title games and winning it in 2012. He also coached basketball (137-68) and golf there.
He was 11-18 from 2015-2017 at Winslow, in a program that had won only seven games in the four years prior to his arrival. His final year was marred by a late-season suspension for a head-slapping incident in the locker room captured on video. He was later reinstated by the board after impassioned testimony from players, parents and opposing coaches, but resigned that summer when his hopes of returning to the classroom didn’t materialize.
Carr would replace Danny Mendoza, who stepped down at the end of his first season to pursue other opportunities.
Woodstown is looking to replace John Adams, who stepped down from coaching at the end of this season to spend more time with his family.
Story will be updated after Monday’s board meeting.
Former Glassboro HC, Penns Grove DC Maccarone said to be Red Devils’ choice for next head football coach
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
Mark Maccarone never ruled out being a head coach again when he stepped away in 2017 and now that window appears to be open for him.
Penns Grove is working toward bringing former Glassboro head coach on as its next head football coach, Riverview Sports News has learned.
Any hire, of course, is pending board approval. Maccarone declined to comment on the matter and Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden said an announcement on the next coach will be made March 11, which just happens to be the date of the next scheduled board meeting.
The match is gaining traction in South Jersey high school football circles.
Maccarone certainly checks all the boxes. He has been a head coach. He has been in big games. He has won championships and coached players who’ve gone on to the NFL. He knows the Penns Grove players and the expectations the administration and community have for their football team.
He made five straight playoff appearances with Glassboro, winning two South Jersey Group I titles and reaching the semifinals two other times.
After Maccarone stepped down from the Bulldogs after seven years of commuting between Bridgeton and the school, former Penns Grove coach John Emel scarfed him up to be the Red Devils’ defensive coordinator during their 2018-19 championship run and he has helped with the program in a less formal capacity post-COVID.
“I think Mark is a heck of a football coach,” Emel, now the head coach at West Deptford, said in a general context about Maccarone’s experience. “I’ve competed against him as an assistant coach, competed against him as a head coach and coached with him for the best two-year stretch in school history.
“After 2017 when we lost I wanted to find an assistant coach with big-game experience. One of the things he hangs his hat on is never losing a sectional championship game as a coach (6-0). He’s always had a great relationship with players. I care about the kids and I’d want somebody who’d put them in positions to win. He knows how to get a team ready to win.”
With the Penns Grove search wrapping, it leaves two head football coaching openings in Salem County.
The searches at Woodstown and Salem are progressing. Woodstown has started conducting interviews. Salem has interviewed one candidate and is awaiting more.
“We won’t let it go too long before we try to ramp it up,” Rams athletics director Darryl Roberts said.
SJ Group I girls: Pierman powers Woodstown past Penns Grove and into semifinals; Pennsville falls to top-seeded Woodbury in Trapp’s final game as coach; includes Tri-County Diamond, Classic all-stars
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I GIRLS QUARTERFINALS Woodbury 68, Pennsville 34 Woodstown 43, Penns Grove 32 Audubon 43, Maple Shade 35 Wildwood 51, Glassboro 40 THURSDAY’S SEMIFINALS No. 4 Woodstown at No. 1 Woodbury, 4:30 p.m. No. 6 Audubon at No. 2 Wildwood
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Coaches and teammates describe Shannon Pierman’s demeanor in her every day comings and goings as sweet, quiet, stoic, reserved, nice. They’re always the dangerous ones.
Cross her on the basketball court and that all changes.
Like that thing that happens whenever the Hulk gets mad, get under Pierman’s skin and she switches into beast mode and people better get out of the way.
The Woodstown senior’s personality changed dramatically in the fourth quarter Tuesday and by all accounts on both sides of the scorer’s table she was the difference in her team taking down Penns Grove 43-32 in the South Jersey Group I girls quarterfinals.
“She’s quiet, mature, but, man, don’t mess with her,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “She is our leader. She’s a constant. She’s so mature, so stoic, just quiet, but, man, if you come at her or somebody she cares about, it’s like she’s ready to go, but calmly.
“She’s emotionally mature. She knows when to give and take. She gets overshadowed by the other two (1,000-point scorers Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson), but she is our foundation. She keeps us together.”
The Wolverines (20-6) advance to play at top-seeded Woodbury in the semifinals Thursday. It will be against a Thundering Herd team without their best player, as point guard Maya Braxton-Young was ejected for a flagrant foul in her team’s quarterfinal win over Pennsville and by rule will not play.
Pierman got angry, too, but her ire had its limits. She had all her points and a double-double in the fourth quarter alone, dominating a 16-0 run that gave the Wolverines control of the game. Perhaps most out of character, she bowed up and went nose-to-nose with Zoey Ceasar in the lane after being fouled by the Penns Grove post going after an offensive rebound.
There was nothing calm about the response when the Wolverines’ foundation got rocked to her core. It seemed egregious enough to bring a technical foul, but instead she received only a warning for taunting. What followed it was vintage Pierman.
She made both free throws to extend the Wolverines lead and then wrapped seven more points around a Lauren Hengel basket before the Lady Devils ended their drought on Meely Horace’s runner with 2:42 to play. By then, Woodstown was up 41-27.
The decisive run actually got started with Battavio’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 6:33 left in the game. It was the Wolverines’ only 3 of the game. The junior guard added a basket on the next possession and then it was basically all Pierman, all starting with the confrontation with Ceasar.
“For a second I let the anger get to me,” Pierman admitted. “I heard her saying some stuff to me. I let it get the best of me for a second, but then I started thinking it’s my last home game I’ve got to get it together.
“I’d like to think I’m nice, I’m reserved. Usually I’m very good at keeping my cool and I try to be a good, kind person. That’s kind of just out of nowhere. I’m trying to go up and I just hear talking in my ear and I get fouled and my emotions got the best of me.”
“Out of all five of (her players on the floor) she was the one I least expected (to erupt),” Straughn said. “Obviously you don’t want them to be unsportsmanlike, but I’m proud of her for standing up for herself and standing up for her team. They’re a family and they’re going to protect each other and protect themselves. But like I said she knows when to put it on and cool off.”
Pierman finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds. It was her 11th double-double of the season and tenth in her last 13 games.
The win gave the Wolverines a third-straight 20-win season and fourth in the last five years, It also extended long winning streaks against Tri-County Conference Diamond Division (32) and Salem County opponents (29).
Penns Grove, the No. 12 seed, came into the game primed to pull off an upset and had things going its way in the first half. The Lady Devils held the Wolverines to only four points through the first 13 minutes of the game and once they established the lead successfully took the air out of the ball further frustrating their hosts.
Woodstown eventually started taking chances against the ploy and drew even at 13 with less than a minute left in the half before RaNiyah Wilson scored the last two buckets of the half to send the Lady Devils into the locker room with a four-point halftime lead.
Wilson led Penns Grove with 10 points. Horace had nine and finished her career with 1,063 points. Caesar was force in the paint early in the game and scored seven of her nine points in the first quarter.
The lead changed hands four more times before Woodstown went on the run the decided the game.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby said. “I’m glad that they came to play and let them know that they can play with anybody.”
3-point goals: Penns Grove 1 (Horace); Woodstown 1 (Battavio). Rebounds: Woodstown 28 (Pierman 17). Total fouls: Penns Grove 16, Woodstown 19. Officials: Carolyn Jackson, Crystal Marshall, Chris Seher. 3-point goals: Penns Grove 1 (Horace); Woodstown 1 (Battavio). Rebounds: Woodstown 28 (Pierman 17). Total fouls: Penns Grove 16, Woodstown 19. Officials: Carolyn Jackson, Crystal Marshall, Chris Seher.
Pennsville girls basketball coach Sam Trapp greets her players leaving the floor for the last time with her at the helm. (Photo by Chris Watson)
Eagles fall in Trapp’s finale
WOODBURY – Sam Trapp knew it was going to be emotional when she made the emotional announcement to her team five weeks ago, but is anyone ever really prepared for when the last game finally comes?
The Pennsville girls basketball coach knew her final game was coming at some point in this South Jersey Group I playoff season and it arrived Tuesday night when the Eagles were eliminated by top-seeded Woodbury in the quarterfinals 68-34.
Next month, Trapp will be leaving the school where she has been head soccer and basketball coach the last three years to become the athletics director at Triton Regional.
“I have so many emotions right now,” she said. “It’s just hard to know this is the last time you’ll be courtside. You start coaching because you’re so passionate about what you do, you’re so excited about the sport, you have a love for the sport and you love to see these kids grow and develop.
“Through that you just want to see so many great accomplishments and milestone. Of course, every coach dreams of being on the big stage and winning the big game and putting the trophy over your head.
“I just thought back to all those moments of what we’ve accomplished and what I was hoping we’d accomplish. We fell short today, but that doesn’t take away from the things that I’ve done and the hard work that I’ve put in and just how proud I am of what we have accomplished. I didn’t want to overly focus on this was the end, but grateful for all that’s happened throughout it.”
The game was manageable for about a quarter and a half. The Eagles trailed by seven after the first quarter, but the Thundering Herd steadily stretched the lead. It did get testy in the second half when Herd standout Maya Braxton-Young was ejected for a flagrant elbow against Pennsville’s Nora Ausland, a foul that likely will have her suspended for Thursday’s semifinal game with Woodstown.
Braxton-Young finished with 17 points to lead three Herd scorers in double figures. Abby Bush (16) and Dasani Talley-Dorrman (13) combined for 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Ausland led Pennsville with 11 points and will go into next season needing 195 points for 1,000. Tri-County Diamond Division first-teamer Marley Wood had nine points and she’ll need 280 next season for the milestone.
Trapp never had a losing season in her three years with the basketball team. She was 15-11 each of her first two years and was hoping for better this season, but a series of midseason injuries limited this year’s team to 14-14. The Eagles were 8-5 after she told the team her plans on Jan. 26. Her last official function with the team is its awards night March 11.
“It didn’t shake out the way we had hoped and dreamed at the start of the season, but like I told the girls afterward we fought hard to get an 8-seed,” Trapp said. “We made that our goal so we could get a home playoff game; we did that. We got a win more than we did last season as far as the playoff run goes.
“They’re a great bunch of girls who have a lot of potential to be a solid program again next year if they stay healthy and keep working in the offseason. All you can really ask and hope for is that when it’s not going the way we hoped to turn it around and set new goals and keep working hard for those and I think we did just that.”
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