Part of John Emel’s family legacy is playing football on Salem’s Walnut Street Field; Saturday he brings his Penns Grove team to play there in the facility’s final high school game
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – John Emel has never taken dirt from another team’s field either as a player or a coach, but this time he might make an exception.
The Penns Grove football coach is genuinely going to miss Walnut Street Field.
After serving as the home field for the Salem High School football team for decades, The Nut will host what likely will be the last high school football game Saturday when, ironically, Emel brings his Red Devils (0-3) to play the Rams (0-3) in what is always a big game for both teams regardless of their records.
“For starters, it’s a great place to play a game,” Emel said. “You know, people get hung up in the facilities and the weight room and the locker room and things like that and that place doesn’t have that, but it’s an awesome place to play and coach a big game. There have been a lot of big games there over the years.”
The field holds a lot of memories for him. Five generations of Emel men have played on it. His great-great grandfather, great grandfather, grandfather and dad all played there. John Emel was a starting lineman for the Rams when he played there from 1998 to 2001. His brothers played there, as well as several cousins and uncles. His uncle Dave, a two-way starting lineman on Salem’s 1983 championship team, is a member of the chain crew there now.
As other long-standing schools have moved their athletics program into more modern facilities on their campuses, facilities like Walnut Street have remained vigilant gatekeepers of bygone days. Sadly, many have fallen into disrepair.
The field has virtually been unchanged since 1962, but there was a time before that when it looked a lot different. It actually ran diagonally to its present configuration to accommodate a baseball field. The current design has the scoreboard, entrance gates and concession stand on the Walnut Street end of the stadium.
“There are just a lot of memories there,” Emel said. “I haven’t been there since the bleachers came down, but to me what made it so unique was the big old-style home bleachers.
“The field is always in awesome shape. The Salem field playing surface, to be honest, is as good as any around. I’ve played there over the years in wet, sometimes rainy, conditions, all types of conditions, and no one ever complained about the playing surface.”
Some of Emel’s fondest members as a player and a coach have been created on that field.
His two fondest memories as a player were his first-ever start against Glassboro and winning his final home game.
The start came as a sophomore against one of the best Glassboro teams ever in a game that was forced to a Monday by the arrival of Hurricane Floyd; ironically, he would be blocking for his future Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden, then Salem’s senior starting running back and safety, in that game. Glassboro won 33-14, pulling away from a game that was tight for a while and going on to be 12-0, but Emel played one of his better games and it “helped further my love of football.”
His final home game was Senior Day against Pennsville. The Rams won and went on the road for the playoffs the next week. “I felt the year before against them I didn’t play that well and came back and played one of my better games,” he said. “That year I got to play with my brother on the field a little and other guys I was really close with. It was just special.”
Two of his fondest memories as a coach are the last two times he took a team to Salem. In 2016, an 0-2 Red Devils teams trekked down Rt. 49, held future NFL All-Pro Jonathan Taylor out of the end zone and beat the Rams 20-8. In 2018, they were the best two teams in Group I and the Red Devils prevailed again 26-20 and then beat their rivals in the rematch at Penns Grove for the South Jersey championship to cap an undefeated season.
In the interest of full disclosure, Emel admitted a couple of his toughest losses came on Walnut Street as well, including a playoff loss to the Rams his first year as Penns Grove’s coach.
“I want to end up a high note,” he said.
It looked like Walnut Street had seen its final days last season when the city condemned the old wooden bleachers. That decision led Salem school officials to start building an on-campus facility, but with that project on-going it also was going to force the football team with a new coach to play all of its games on the road until October.
The city continued to work to make the field ready for its youth team, but It picked up the pace when logistical issues at Abessinio Stadium in Wilmington forced Salem and Camden to pull its game out of the Mid-Atlantic Classic without a place to go. The city got Walnut Street put together well enough to host the game and it worked so well Salem moved the Penns Grove game back there as well.
The Rams are expected to open their on-campus facility Oct. 7.
Not even some off-the-field drama following the Camden-Salem game that forcing Saturday’s contest to be played without outside fans in attendance due can put a damper on the significance of the day.
“I don’t think I’m crying like (Eagles head coach) Nick Sirianni during the national anthem of the Super Bowl,” Emel said. “But football is an emotional game. You want to play with emotion and coach with emotion.
“I want to win every game, but I really want to win this one because not only is it the next one, but it’s Salem, it’s a rivalry and the fact that it’s the last game on Walnut Street it would make some of these other memories coaching that I mentioned that much sweeter. We want to close it out with a victory.”
Because the field means so much to him, perhaps when no one is looking Saturday, maybe as he walks through the gates for the final time, Emel will reach down and sneak a little souvenir to remember it by.
“I’ve never taken dirt from any other stadium,” he said. “Maybe this one should be the first.”
Category: PENNS GROVE
He’s ba-a-a-ck
County football preview: Woodstown’s Hill eager to play first game; Schalick, Pennsville focused on the details
SALEM COUNTY FOOTBALL
Friday’s games
Riverside at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford, 6 p.m.
Gateway at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s game
Penns Grove at Salem, noon
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Woodstown running back James Hill has been looking forward to Friday night’s game at Deptford for six months. So has Wolverines’ coach John Adams. The rest of the WJFL, because they know the impact, not so much.
Hill makes his long-awaited season debut against the Spartans, six months removed from the knee injury and surgery during wrestling season.
He was cleared to return for football with limitations in late August and was cleared for full contact last week in time to fulfill his six padded practice embargo in time to play Friday night.
“I’m looking forward to it – a lot,” Hill said. “It’s been the last 6-7 months of rehabbing really strong. Every day I look at the clock and it just inches closer and closer. It’s kind of like Christmas and a birthday put together. No one wants to get older, but everyone wants to get the gifts.”
The plan is to rotate him between inside and outside linebacker this week and ease him into the offense where they need him. Hill has repped at multiple positions this week and, coach John Adams says, “knows the playbook from couple different spots.” Just don’t look for him to be running between the tackles on the Spartans’ artificial turf in his first game back.
He has rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns over the last two seasons.
“It’s tremendous (to get him back),” Adams said. “He’s a two-time captain, so getting his athleticism on the field is going to be phenomenal, him getting some of the rust out and stuff like that and get some confidence back in his leg will be big for him, but for us, having that leadership on the field is huge.
“The last two weeks he’s been doing everything he could from the sideline and having that leadership on the field is going to be really, really big for us.”
Hill said he has “no fear in playing football” coming back and is hoping for a big game capped by a victory.
“I just want to individual feel 100 percent confident in everything,” he said. “I don’t want to have any worries about making a cut. I just want to go out there and run around and play a high school football game and not have two thoughts of my ACL was torn seven months ago.”
RIVERSIDE (2-0) at SCHALICK (3-0): In an early-season battle of unbeatens this week is all about details for the Cougars – the I-dotting and T-crossing things that take a good team to great and a great team to special.
It’s things like finishing drives and finishing blocks that lead to bigger runs, winning first down, locking up on tackles and reading keys, and staying focused on extra points.
“That’s what we’ve been preaching all week in practice and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish,” Cougars coach Mike Wilson said. “Getting better at the little things.”
Through three games, junior running back Reggie Allen is emerging as the backbone of the team. He rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s victory at Wildwood and has done most of the heavy lifting on the Cougars’ scoring drives.
He now had 246 yards on 52 carries this season after his 144-yard, three touchdown game last week. He already has half as many touchdowns as he had a year ago, when losing two games to an injury robbed him of a 1,000-yard season.
“Reggie is legitimately our unsung hero,” Wilson said. “I said this his freshman year: Reggie gets lost in the shuffle a little bit, and I don’t know why. Reggie is the backbone of this team. I know a lot of people talk about (quarterback) Kenai (Simmons), but Reggie is the lynchpin of this team, I really believe that.”
Depending on what else happens around the division, this winner could come out of the week in sole possession of first place in the Horizon Division and be its last undefeated team standing.
GATEWAY (1-1) at PENNSVILLE (1-1): The Eagles stand in a bit of a crossroad. A year ago, they won their opener, lost their second game and didn’t win again. They face the same scenario this week after a flat game in their home opener, but this time are confident of flipping the script with the proper approach.
It’s all about players doing their job and trusting the player next to them. Last week’s 28-7 loss to Lower Cape May was about a lot of players trying to do too much that took them out of position.
This week, back to a regular practice schedule in the first full week of school, it’s all about getting back to basics.
“This whole year is really about getting respect back for the program and we need to show we can consistently play at a high level and go out there and compete like we can as opposed to last week,” Healy said. “We did not show who we really were, I felt like.”
Last year’s Gateway game got away from them and was the turning point in their season. It has the potential to be the springboard for this year as well.
“They’re 1-1 right now, same as us, so we can’t go in there, especially after last week how we played, thinking too much of ourselves,” Healy said. “We’ve got to understand we’re both even going into this game so we’ve got to show up.”
Coming next: Penns Grove’s Emel reflects on Salem’s Walnut Street Field on the eve of its final game
Eagles trio ‘on’
Tuesday roundup: Pennsville boys erupt for three rapid-fire goals to get first W of the season, Penns Grove coach gets first win, Schalick goes to 4-0; Salem, Penns Grove, Salem girls play to draws
WEDNESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville 5, Clayton 0
Penns Grove 6, Salem 2
Schalick 3, Gloucester Catholic 0
Woodstown 7, Salem Tech 0
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville 2, Clayton 2
Salem 3, Penns Grove 3
Schalick 4, Gloucester Catholic 1
Woodstown 6, Salem Tech 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Salem 0
Schalick 5, Glassboro 0
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – One minute the game is scoreless and the next time Pennsville boys soccer coach Derek Foglein looked his team had a three-goal lead. Things can happen that quickly when you have the kind of strikers the Eagles have.
After a slow opening 10 minutes, the Eagles erupted for three goals in the 10 minutes before the first half water break and went on to beat rebuilding Clayton 5-0 for their first win of the season.
Shane Puckett and Jake Isaac both scored twice in the first half and Dylan Waller scored in the second.
“I felt like I blinked and we were up 3-0; it was like three in a matter of five minutes,” Foglein said. “It’s definitely not typical, but when you look at Stone (Mumink), Shane and Jake, they have the quality, they have the talent and they have the offensive vision from working together for a few years, and they’ve got speed, too. If they’re on, they’re on and just like that a game can really turn positively for us.
“I know we have quality offensive pieces. With those front three, that’s really where our offense is going to be from and they were quality today. They worked hard on the ball. They worked hard off the ball. They connected passes and (when you do that) you find yourself in spaces and they found their spaces and they finished. So that was really awesome.”
Puckett scored his two goals around Isaac’s first counter in that rapid-fire stretch. Isaac notched his second goal shortly after the water break. Puckett, Isaac and Mumink each had two assists.
The Eagles (1-2) already had control of the game, but turned up the defense in the second half and the back line helped keeper Coen Rinnier nail down the shutout.
PENNS GROVE 6, SALEM 2: After two gut-wrenching overtime losses to open the season, the Red Devils got goals from five different players to give new coach Mano Massari his first victory.
Junior Sebastian Hernandez scored twice to lead the charge. Captains Ashton Harris and Joey Schultz, Edward Swank and Jayden Merga had the other goals.
“It was really good to get the win; not for me, but for the guys, they deserve it,” Massari said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but a win is a win and we’ll take it.”
As with any new coach and a new team, it took a little time to adjust the pieces. Massari moved junior Frankie Juarez Reynosa to center midfield and the offense blossomed. The six goals were the most the Red Devils have scored in a game since beating Gloucester 7-1 in their final regular-season game last year. Juarez Reynosa had two assists.
“After the first two losses I needed to move some guys around and it really helped open the offense up; Frankie being a huge reason for that,” Massari said. “He started the first two games as a striker but wasn’t getting the ball enough, so I dropped him to a center midfielder and he really controlled the game. He really excelled in that position.”
Chargers on 3
Salem Tech flexes its sports footprint with the first varsity boys soccer game in school history, a 2-0 win over Salem
MONDAY’S COUNTY SOCCER SCORES
Boys Games
Salem Tech 2, Salem 0
Woodstown 3, Penns Grove 2
Schalick 5, Pennsville 0
Girls Games
Salem 5, Salem Tech 0
Schalick 6, Pennsville 0
Woodstown at Penns Grove, ppd.,
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Salem Tech may have only had a soccer team for two years, but in truth Monday’s match was five years in the making.
When school administrators green-lighted an athletics program five years ago, the plan was to play two major sports in each of the academic year’s three sports seasons.
They steadily put teams on the field and Monday was the first varsity boys game in school history. And it was a strong debut, a 2-0 shutout of Salem.
“I was happy with the way the guys played; they played hard for each other,” Chargers coach Rob Polk said. “I think they had a sense coming in of what this meant for the school. The effort they showed kind of put that all on display that they understood the meaning of today’s game.
“This is definitely a good start. I couldn’t have asked for a better start. Maybe a couple more goals.”
As satisfying as the outcome was for the Chargers, the day ended on a somber note. The game was halted with three minutes to play due to weather issues and was called altogether a few minutes later when a Salem player collapsed coming off the field.
Trainers raced to the aid of midfielder Christian Hymer in the Rams’ bench area. After working on him on the field, they lifted him onto the back of a golf cart and rode off to the school to await an ambulance. He was reported to be alert in a locker room off the gym as Mannington Fire Rescue prepared to transport him from the scene.
Boys and girls soccer are the newest varsity sports at Salem Tech. When they first rolled out the ball, the Chargers offered just cross country and basketball. Today, the school sponsors varsity teams in cross country, volleyball and basketball for boys and girls, bowling and golf. Officials are now exploring the possibility of adding baseball and softball in Spring 2025.
“It wasn’t even rooted in competition, it was rooted more in student involvement,” principal Jason Helder said of the introduction of athletics. “We wanted there to be structured activities that kids could be involved in after school, where they could work with mentors and coaches and teachers and see them in a different capacity.
“I think it’s remarkable this is our first varsity soccer game. It’s significant because it was literally something that even five years ago didn’t exist and the fact now we’re here playing soccer against a county rival on a home field is significant.
“The establishment of sports gave us an identity we didn’t have. There was no Chargers. Sports gave us a reason to solidify our identity.”
The soccer teams debuted on the junior varsity level last year, then jumped right into varsity play. Polk’s boys team was supposed to make its varsity debut last week at Gloucester Catholic, but the game was postponed due to vandalism to the Rams’ field.
The Chargers only had one 11-on-11 varsity game together before Monday, but they dominated on both ends in their regular-season debut. Most of the match was played in the Salem end until the Rams picked up their attack in the second half.
Sophomore Graham Fields scored both goals for the Chargers. He scored the first varsity goal in school history seven minutes into the match when he took a through ball from Travis Hagan and beat Rams keeper Eithan Longo to the upper right corner. He put home an insurance goal right before the game was called.
He scored the first goal for the JV Chargers last year, too.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was like 2 or 3 and I’m 15 now so it really does mean a lot to me,” Fields said. “The second I got that goal I was so happy. I was really happy.”
Just as Fields was a force up front peppering the Salem goal at regular intervals, Clinton Bobo was just as impressive for the Chargers on the back line. The Rams didn’t mount many attacks, but when they did, Bobo usually was there to break it up and clear it away. He also won a lot of challenge balls.
“He’s the rock on our defense back there; he’s a safety net for us,” Polk said. “You got to see that a lot with his speed and his physicality. He’s really good at reading plays and timing balls. He settled a lot of things down, especially in the second half. When that ball gets played in behind and it’s a footrace with Bobo, I’m pretty confident he’s coming out on top.”
BOYS GAMES
WOODSTOWN 3, PENNS GROVE 2: Bryce Ayars scored the game-tying goal with five minutes left in regulation and then scored five minutes into overtime to lift Woodstown its first victory of the season and hand Penns Grove its second straight overtime loss.
Ashton Harris and Jayden Murga Santos staked the Red Devils (0-2) to a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Adrian Ibarra got the Wolverines (1-1) on the board 10 minutes into the second half.
SCHALICK 5, PENNSVILLE 0: Bradford Foster scored two goals and Evan Sepers made nine saves as the Cougars won their third straight game. Foster has four goals and shares the team lead with Luke Price, who scored his fourth goal to give the Cougars a 2-0 halftime lead. Steve Chomo and Jaxon Weber had second-half goals for the Cougars.
GIRLS GAMES
SALEM 5, SALEM TECH 0: Ryann Foote scored two goals, Ameriyona Hunter had a goal and two assists and Marcela Villapando made three saves in posting the shutout. Karima Davenport-White and Carlysia Pierce had the Rams’ other goals. It was the season opener for both teams and Salem Tech’s first ever girls varsity game.
SCHALICK 6, PENNSVILLE 0: Cali Fisler and Emily Miller each scored a pair of goals as the Cougars opened their season with a six-goal first-half explosion. Olivia Devoe and Kyleigh Cutler scored their other two goals.
Salem seats (updated)
Rams’ football rivalry with Penns Grove will be played at Walnut Street Field Saturday with crowd limitations
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – The football rivalry between Penns Grove and Salem will be played as scheduled Saturday at Salem’s Walnut Street Field but with restrictions on the number of fans who can pass through the gates.
The game, which will be the final high school game played on the field before the Rams move into their on-campus stadium in October, is scheduled to kickoff at noon.
“We are able to go ahead and get the game in,” Salem athletics director Darryl Roberts said.
Administrators from both school districts met Monday to talk about tickets, access and operations for the game after reports of a threat surfaced after last week’s Camden-Salem game and recommendations were made by local police.
The schools plan to put out a statement Tuesday regarding the particulars about spectators, but Riverview Sports News has learned students from either school with proper ID will be admitted and the schools will do a Salem-heavy 60/40 split on 500 presale adult tickets. Officials said there is really nothing they can do about spectators lining the fence outside the gate.
The Salem School District’s statement read in part “Due to a set of incidents in the community, the school district is going to limit the number of fans from the general public.”
Tickets for entry will be provided by the Athletic Directors or coaches representing each school. Attendance will be limited to three groups of people: Staff, currently enrolled Salem and Penns Grove High School students, and Parents/Grandparents of players.
No one else from the general public will be permitted on the premises.
The idea of playing the game without fans in attendance Roberts said was “something that was suggested, but just an idea considering some of the concerns that were out there.”
He declined to comment on those concerns.
The police presence at the field is expected to be similar to a normal game day operation.
Because of the Rams’ stadium project, the game – Salem’s home date – was moved to Penns Grove’s stadium, but it was officially moved back to Walnut Street earlier this month after city officials got the facility back into shape.
Penns Grove football coach John Emel played on the field as a Salem High starter during his high school career, as did most of his football-playing family members.
Both teams will be looking for their first victory of the season. It will be Salem’s Diamond Division opener.
This week’s schedule
Here is the schedule for Salem County high school sports for the week of Sept. 11-16
Sept. 11
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Sept. 12
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
Sept. 13
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Salem at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Overbook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Sept. 14
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m.
Salem at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
Schalick at Clearview, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Palmyra, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15
FOOTBALL
Gateway at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Riverside at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Cumberland at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Buena at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gateway at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Cherry Hill West, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Cumberland, 4 p.m.
Sept. 16
FOOTBALL
Penns Grove at Salem, noon
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Delsea, 10 a.m.
What might have been
Defending state champ Woodbury scores four first-quarter touchdowns, sends Penns Grove to third straight loss
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODBURY – Coaches will tell you no one single play in a game as one-sided as Saturday’s Penns Grove-Woodbury matchup is any more important than another, but you still have to wonder how things might have changed had Penns Grove’s Kylee Goodson brought down that interception in the end zone in the first quarter instead of having it slip through his hands.
Penns Grove 6
NEXT: at Salem,
Saturday, noon
The game was still scoreless when the heavily favored Thundering Herd lined up at the 6 after being pushed off the 1 by a penalty. Goodson, a sophomore in his first year of football, got perfect position between Herd quarterback Donta Viccharelli and the receiver. He had his left hand on the ball, but couldn’t to bring in and it fell harmlessly incomplete.
With a new life, the Herd scored on the next play on AJ Reagan’s 6-yard touchdown run and added three more touchdowns in the 47-minute quarter on the way to a 42-6 victory.
In the game of what-ifs, had Goodson made the pick, perhaps the early momentum would have swung towards the Red Devils (0-3), who were needing something good come their way, and maybe put some doubt in the minds of the defending state champions for allowing a team to hang around.
“I thought that, too,” Goodson agreed. “I was so close, but unfortunately I dropped it.”
There’s no blame there, just a missed opportunity. After Reagan ran it in for the first touchdown of the game, the Thundering Herd (2-0) stopped the Red Devils’ offense on a pair of three-and-outs and a first-snap fumble and converted all three into touchdowns.
Reagan scored on a 62-yard run, Viccharelli ran in from 18 yards out and then hit Jayden Johnson with a 12-yard touchdown pass for a 26-0 lead. And there were still more than two minutes left in the quarter.
“When you’re playing a team that good, you can’t miss any opportunities,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “Those are the kinds of plays you have to make if you’re going to upset somebody, that’s for sure, and there’s no doubt about it they’re a big favorite.”
Woodbury coach Anthony Reagan wouldn’t call the missed pick a game-changer, but he agreed the Herd caught a break.
“That’s the thing about life,” he said. “As you’re going through these seasons you look back on certain points and you do see where good fortune goes in your favor and in that moment it did
“When you’re playing in a football game early on both teams believe so if you give anybody the opportunity to stay in the football game you never know what the outcome will be. For us to be able to capitalize on that allowed us to be able to build on the momentum moving forward in the game.”
AJ Reagan rushed for 105 yards in that big first quarter and had 149 yards in the game. Viccharelli threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns – two to Marquis Taylor – and accounted for four touchdowns altogether.
On the two scoring throws to Taylor, the receiver lunged over a defensive back in the end zone to pull down one and the other he caught in stride over the middle. Viccharelli had a fourth touchdown pass wiped out by a penalty in the fourth quarter.
“It was great for us to get out to a fast start,” Anthony Reagan said. “We wanted to be better than what we were last week, so for us to be able to come out and really execute what we wanted to do early on was a great sign for us.”
Penns Grove nearly doubled its offense in the second half that was played with a running clock and went faster than the first quarter. The Red Devils got most of their yards on a 60-yard Bryce Wright run that opened the half and freshman KaRon Ceaser’s 55-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
The Red Devils look to end their losing streak next week at Salem. Even though both teams are winless, but because the teams play in the tough WJFL Diamond Division Emel likens the game to a playoff qualifier. Penns Grove opened last season 1-6 and still made the playoffs even though it didn’t win in a game in the division.
“We’ve just got to go win games,” Emel said. “We play a tough enough schedule. The winner of next week’s game is getting in. We’re not looking for anything else but the game next week.”
Woodbury 42, Penns Grove 6
| PG (6) | WOOD (42) | |
| 8 | 1st Downs | 14 |
| 20-152 | Rushes-yds | 23-178 |
| 6-12-1 | Passes | 10-13-0 |
| 60 | Passing yards | 217 |
| 3-2 | Fumbles-lost | 1-0 |
| 2-39.5 | Punts-avg | 1-33.0 |
| 5-40 | Penalties-yds | 8-63 |
| Penns Grove (0-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 – | 6 |
| Woodbury (2-0) | 26 | 8 | 8 | 0 – | 42 |
Scoring plays
W – AJ Reagan 6 run (run failed), 9:40 1Q
W – AJ Reagan 62 run (pass failed), 6:55 1Q
W – Donta Viccharelli 18 run (pass failed), 3:42 1Q
W – Jayden Johnson 12 pass from Donta Viccharelli (Jayden Johnson pass from Donta Viccharelli), 2:20 1Q
W – Marquis Taylor 38 pass from Donta Viccharelli (Doran Dunbar from Donta Viccharelli), 3:33 2Q
W – Marquis Taylor 61 pass from Donta Viccharelli (Donta Viccharelli run), 1:40 3Q
PG – KaRon Ceaser 55 run (kick failed), 10:42 4Q
Top photo: Woodbury quarterback Donta Viccharelli (L) and running back A.J. Reagan (C) had big games against Penns Grove. (Photo by Jada Sayers. Jada’s photos on South Jersey football can be found on her Instagram platform: @flicksbyj4)
Thursday soccer
Schalick wins its season opener, but all other county soccer teams come up short
SALEM COUNTY SCORES
Thursday’s games
BOYS
Glassboro 1, Penns Grove 0 (OT)
Overbook 2, Pennsville 1
Pitman 6, Salem 1
Schalick 4, Woodstown 2
GIRLS
Spartan Kickoff Tournament
at Deptford
Timber Creek 7, Woodstown 1
Deptford 2, Pitman 1
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
GLASSBORO – Mano Massari admitted he was a little bummed when the schedule came out and he saw who the young Penns Grove soccer team he had inherited as the new head coach had to face in the opener.
It was the team that knocked the Red Devils out of the playoffs in double overtime last year and has become a veritable thorn in their side the last couple years.
The Red Devils suffered another tough loss at the hands of new nemesis Glassboro Thursday, 1-0 in overtime, but for the first time in a long time Massari didn’t feel crummy about a loss.
“My team just gave me new life with this group of guys,” Massari said. “It’s unbelievable what I saw them do on the field today with the heavyweight Glassboro is.
“We lost three-quarters of our team last year and we were taking it to them the entire game. We just couldn’t finish. I have a new life and fire in me and so do these boys. It’s unbelievable. I can’t wait to see them (Glassboro) in Penns Grove in a couple weeks.”
Every time the teams have gotten together the last couple years it’s been a dogfight. Last year they split two one-goal games and had a 1-1 tie. Seven of their last nine meetings have been one-goal games or draws and they’re 4-4-1 in the stretch.
The only goal in Thursday’s season opener came about five minutes into overtime when Atakan Ozdemir collected a 25-yard free kick in the box and before the Red Devils could adjust found the back of the net for his golden goal.
Sophomore keeper Dwayne Guzman did a nice job keeping the Bulldogs off the board until then. Massari called him “the best keeper I’ve seen coaching Penns Grove within the last 8-10 years.” He also was excited about the play of new outside backs Ricardo Vichi Torres, a freshman, and Eddie Tino, a junior first-year player, both of whom solidified their positions “for the foreseeable future.”.
“If this is at the end of the year it’d be very different, but because this is the first game, I don’t want to sound corny, I’m fired up,” Massari said. “The guys were bummed out but I think everyone has a fire in their belly now. They saw the beast inside of them and they’ve just got to pull it out.
“I really don’t think I’ve been this excited after a loss in a long time. When we got the schedule there was a little bit of a frustration level that we opened the season with Glassboro because I was kind of throwing my kids into the fire there, but now I’m thrilled we have them because know I know for sure we have it.”
Glassboro 1, Penns Grove 0
| Penns Grove (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 – | 0 |
| Glassboro (1-0) | 0 | 0 | 1 – | 1 |
GOALS: 1. Atakan Ozdemir, G.
OVERBROOK 2, PENNSVILLE 1: The Rams won only four games last season, didn’t win their first until Game 5, lost to Pennsville late in the season last year and you’ve got to go beyond 2010 to find the last time they won a season opener, but they put all that behind them by taking down the Eagles on the road.
David Ayala-Revas looped in a 25-yard free kick in the first half and Angel Mejia-Castro scored from the top of the box in the second to give the Rams a 2-0 lead. Pennsville’s Stone Mumink was dragged down on a breakaway and put away a red-card penalty kick to make it a one-goal game with 15 minutes left, but the Eagles couldn’t get the equalizer.
“The reality is obviously this is a game we wish we would’ve won,” Pennsville coach Derek Foglein said. “Opening at home, you always want to go get those wins, but I do think there’s a lot of good positives.
“Our over-the-top ball is where knew we were going to be strong and that’s where we got our (goal). Stone and Shane (Puckett) are phenomenal strikers, so once we get them more involved in the game I think it’s going to be really positive.”
Overbrook 2, Pennsville 1
| Overbrook (1-0) | 1 | 1 – | 2 |
| Pennsville (0-1) | 0 | 1 – | 1 |
GOALS: 1. David Ayala Revis, O; 2. Angel Mejia, O; 3. Stone Mumink, P (PK).
SCHALICK 4, WOODSTOWN 2: The Cougars erupted for three second-half goals to pull away from a 1-1 halftime tie and win their season opener.
Anthony Sepers scored the go-ahead goal on an assist from Donimic Bassano, then Bassano scored to extend the lead. The Wolverines made it a one-goal game again before Bradford Foster put the game away.
Schalick 4, Woodstown 2
| Woodstown (0-1) | 1 | 1 – | 2 |
| Schalick (1-0) | 1 | 3 – | 4 |
GOALS: 1. Luke Price, S; 2. Adrian Ibarra, W; 3. Anthony Sepers (Dominic Bassano), S; 4. Dominic Bassano, S; 5. Woodstown; 6. Bradford Foster, S.
PITMAN 6, SALEM 1: Charlie Duffield and Jake Bowen-Ashwin scored goals one minute apart early in the first half to give Pitman control of the match. Jose Vilalplando got Salem on the board early in the second half.
Pitman 6, Salem 1
| Salem (0-1) | 0 | 1 – | 1 |
| Pitman (1-0) | 4 | 2 – | 6 |
GOALS: 1. Charlie Duffield (Jake Bowen-Ashwin), P, 5:00; 2. Jake Bowen-Ashwin (Maddox Marker), P, 6:00; 3. Jaiden Ammons (Trevor Leach), P, 24:00; 4. Charlie Duffield (Maddox Marker), P, 29:00; 5. Jose Vilalplando (unassisted), S, 44:00; 6. Jaiden Ammons (unassisted), P, 60:00; 7. Cole Kelly (Jake Bowen-Ashwin), P, 68:00.
GIRLS
TIMBER CREEK 7, WOODSTOWN 1: The Wolverines young team got a rude welcome to varsity soccer in the first half of their opener of Deptford’s Spartan Kickoff, but the whole experience gave them a baseline off which to work for the rest of the season.
Woodstown started six underclassmen in the game – five sophomores and a freshman – and fell behind 4-0 at halftime. It was 5-0 before Lia Covely converted a pass from Bailey Arnold Peters in the 58th minute for the Wolverines’ goal.
Ava Stowell had three of Timber Creek’s first five goals for her third straight Spartan Kickoff hat trick. Adiat Dickson had a goal in each half.
The Wolverines had a couple other scoring chances by Talia Battavio and Gianna Pearlingi in the second half and had four corner kicks total, but couldn’t finish them. Keeper Ellie Wygand was peppered throughout the night and came up with 12 saves.
“We do have a very young team,” Woodstown coach Kieran Keyser said. “It was a good game to open up with because their a non-division game and it gave us an avenue to what we need to work on the rest of the season.
“It gave us the opportunity to see girls in new positions. It gave us the opportunity to see what mistakes we’re making and how to correct them. You want to move on and learn from losses like this. Yes, you want to forget them in a sense, but it’s a learning opportunity for our younger players and for me as a coach.”.
The Wolverines will play Pitman in Friday’s 5:30 p.m. consolation match. The Panthers fell to host Deptford 2-1.
Timber Creek 7, Woodstown 1
| Timber Creek (1-0) | 4 | 3 – | 7 |
| Woodstown (0-1) | 0 | 1 – | 1 |
GOALS: 1. Adiat Dickson (Ava Stowell), TC; 2. Ava Stowall (unassisted), TC; 3. Billie Frazier (unassisted), TC; 4. Ava Stowell (Karissa Coleman), TC; 5. Ava Stowell (Billie Frazier), TC; 6. Lia Covely (Bailey Arnold-Peters), W; 7. Adiat Dickson (unassisted), TC; 8. Sophie Willingmyre (Madison Freedman), TC
Division play begins
All 5 Salem County football teams in action this weekend, but Pennsville only one playing at home; Woodstown’s Hill cleared for full contact
SALEM COUNTY GAMES
Friday’s games
Salem at Pleasantville, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Wildwood, 6 p.m.
Lower Cape May at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Penns Grove at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Woodstown at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m.
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – The excessive heat this week has impacted the things Pennsville wanted to get done in the run up to Friday night’s football game with Lower Cape May, but Eagles coach Mike Healy is confident everything is in place for what really is an important early-season game.
The Eagles open their WJFL Royal Division schedule with their home opener. In a division that’s not likely to get more than one team in the playoffs, getting off to a good start in the division is important. Lower Cape May lost one division game in a 6-2 regular season last year and didn’t make it.
“It’s huge from that aspect, if we want to be in that conversation at the end of the year,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “The short term goal is to go 1-0 each week, any coach is going to say that, but long term, you win your first division game and now you’re in that battle all season long and your destiny is in your hands. Obviously it’s a long season, a lot of things can happen, but it feels a lot better when you’re in control of things.
“Division winners are getting in the playoffs, so if we want to accomplish our long term goals then we have to take care of business on Friday. Obviously other things can happen, but it’s better to take care of the division and not have to worry about that.”
The Eagles are 1-0 for the third time in four years. They won their season opener last year, but didn’t win another game the rest of the season. This year, they’re a lot more settled in, showed to be more sound in their technique in the opener and are just more confident going forward. The last time they were 2-0 was 2020 – the last time they beat the Tigers.
“Definitely feeling more confident than we did last year just based on how we played,” Healy said. “Every team makes mistakes during a game, but we didn’t have huge gaping issues that were apparent to us that we’re trying to cover up.
“I feel like we did a very good job last week; obviously, I was happy. It’s a different team this week. They’re 1-1, so they won a game this year. We’ve got to step up to that and I think if we play the way we can play – we want to be confident, but not overconfident – I think the kids are feeling we’re going in the right direction.”
Like all the teams in this part of the state, the Eagles have hit a few speed bumps this week because of the weather, juggling practice schedules to accommodate high temperatures and heat index. As recently as Wednesday they had to wait until the evening to get outside and then they had to start without pads.
“We definitely have changed what we’ve had to do,” Healy said. “We’re not even really sure what time we’re able to get out each day, so we start with a meeting and then we have to wait until we get the OK from the trainer to go outside.
“We’ve had limited practice time and, really, we just had to kind of pick what are the most important things we need to get done to be ready for the game. Everyone’s at a disadvantage from it, so it really comes down to who can adjust and prepare themselves the best in the limited time they’re going to have.
“Considering the circumstance I think we got in what we need to get in. Would I want more time? Yes, any coach is going to say that, but I think we did a good job as a staff getting in what needed to be put in for the game and I think the kids did a good job adjusting to the schedule and kind of just going with the flow.”
The Eagles are the only Salem County team at home this weekend. It’s the only week this season just one county team plays at home.
SCHALICK (2-0) at WILDWOOD (1-0): The Cougars are off to their best start in six years and are looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 2016 (when they started 6-0) as they open the most favorable stretch of their schedule.
But for all their early-season success, they’re also looking to put together a complete game and it starts with their Horizon Division opener – and first road game – against a Wildwood team Schalick coach Mike Wilson says looks to be one of its best in years.
The Cougars are “close,” Wilson said, but they could be a little sharper. They scored on their opening drive each of their first two games to take the lead, then held on for dear life. Last week against Pitman they opened the game with a flawless 74-yard drive that consumed nearly nine minutes, but they weren’t as consistent the rest of the way and needed a bang-bang stop of a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to save the win.
“In hindsight we won two games against two very good teams, two solid playoff teams, both that will make a lot of noise this year, win a lot of games,” Wilson said. “We’ve just got to get better. I know that’s a coaching cliche, but that’s what it comes down to.”
The Cougars ran the table in their division last year and have won six straight division games. Of the seven games remaining on the schedule the Cougars beat six of them a year ago and the one they didn’t is 0-2 this season and lost to Wildwood last week.
Schalick leads the series with Wildwood 14-1 and have won the last 10 in a row. Last year’s 29-12 win was the closest game of the winning streak.
SALEM (0-2) at PLEASANTVILLE (1-1): The Rams go into their third game under new coach Danny Mendoza looking to put it all together. In their first game the offense and special teams held their own but the defense let them down. Last week it was just the opposite.
More than anything, they need to be sharper in the second half. In the opener they trailed 14-13 midway through the third quarter, then got outscored 28-6. Last week against Camden, a Group III state semifinalist last year, one bad bust on a pass coverage late in the second quarter led to a touchdown and a 7-0 halftime deficit, but they were swamped 27-0 after halftime.
“We competed, we just made really, really bad mistakes at the really wrong times,” Mendoza said. “Against teams with that size and those kind of guys you have to be, not perfect, but you got to be definitely teed in on a different level to be able to take that game from them.
“(What they did in the first half) I’m proud of them, but we have to sustain it. We can’t just be a first-half football team. That’s what we’re working on, understanding how to be a second-half football team … We’ve got to clean everything up. This is a big week for us.”
Salem is scheduled to open division play next week against Penns Grove, but a developing non-football related issue may impact the venue of the game. It is Salem’s home game, but because of the Rams’ on-going stadium project, it was moved to Penns Grove and then last week was moved back to Salem’s Walnut Street Field for what would be the final high school game played there.
But safety concerns around the game make playing it there an open question. Salem police declined to comment, deferring to the high school. Salem High officials call it an “ongoing situation” and continue to collect information. Penns Grove remains willing to host the game.
Saturday’s games
WOODSTOWN (1-0) at PAULSBORO (0-1): The Wolverines have had this game circled on their calendar for nine months, ever since the Red Raiders knocked them out of the playoffs.
They blanked Paulsboro during the regular season, but the script flipped in the higher-staked rematch. If that game taught them anything, it was the importance of being sharp and winning the turnover battle, lessons they’re sure to recall when they hit the field Saturday.
“It’s been something we’ve talked about since Day One, coming up short in that game and how well they played and executed and we didn’t,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “It’s been a big focus … on doing our job, executing and finishing.”
The Wolverines got good news Wednesday when running back James Hill was cleared to return to full contact practice. Hill had been rehabbing off-season knee surgery and was cleared to return to football without contact last month.
He was expected to get full clearance Sept. 13, but his recent evaluation came in time to fulfill his six full practice requirement to be available for Game 3 next week at Deptford. He practiced Wednesday in shoulder pads and helmets because of the heat and Adams said “he looked good, he’s moving around good” and is “itching” to get back to full duty.
When Hill does play, he’ll probably start out at outside linebacker and maybe get in the mix at receiver before transitioning into the backfield. He’s a 3,000-yard career rusher.
PENNS GROVE (0-2) at WOODBURY (1-0): The Red Devils take a different approach and a lot of motivation into their first road game of the year and Diamond Division opener against the defending Group I state champions.
For the first two weeks, the emphasis was ball security and eliminating turnovers, but the Red Devils had 13 in the first two losses (nine lost fumbles) and are minus-9 in turnover ratio. Four of the turnovers have been inside their opponents 30 – two after sizeable gains – and seven inside the 40. That doesn’t count a fourth-down stop inside the 15.
Opponents have turned five of the takeaways into touchdowns, either directly on the return or on the ensuing possession. The Red Devils have converted two of their takeaways into touchdowns, including their only score against Pleasantville, and that’s the messaging going forward.
“Maybe I ought to change my emphasis from ball security to winning the turnover battle,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “We scored off our turnover so I think the key emphasis for me is turnovers lead to points and if we’re going to turn the ball over the other team is going to score more points than us. We need to get more turnovers and we need to protect the ball.
“I think we played better last week. Our defense can be pretty good. We cut down on the penalties, we played more disciplined, we limited big plays, but, again, we have to protect the football. We’re not good enough on offense to just waste possession and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
The Red Devils have plenty of motivation to break into the win column in this one. Woodbury has knocked them out of the playoffs each of the last two years and on a lesser scale the Thundering Herd rallied from a 12-0 deficit to beat them in the finals of the Taliaferro Foundation 7-on-7 tournament in June.
Photo credit: Lorraine Jenkins
This week’s schedule
Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Sept. 5-9
Sept. 5
SCRIMMAGES
GIRLS SOCCER
Bridgeton at Salem, 4 p.m.
Clayton at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Gloucester City, 4 p.m.
Timber Creek at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester City at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Clayton, 4 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown at St. Joseph Academy, 9 a.m.
Our Lady of Mercy at Woodstown, 3:30 p.m.
Highland Regional at Salem, 4 p.m.
Millville at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Sept. 6
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at West Deptford, 4 p.m.
Sept. 7
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Salem, 4 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pittman, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Sept. 8
FOOTBALL
Salem at Pleasantville, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Wildwood, 6 p.m.
Lower Cape May Regional at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Gateway, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
Sept. 9
FOOTBALL
Penns Grove at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Woodstown at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Gateway at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Photo credit: Heather Papiano
Riverview Sports News 