Penns Grove looked at in different light after opening season 2-0 for first time since 2021
By Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Through two games of the season the Penns Grove football team is starting to see what coach Damian Ware has been telling it since the day camp opened.
The Red Devils crushed their opponent for the second week in a row, this time pummeling Lindenwold 47-6 Saturday.
Suddenly, the team that was winless a year ago and hadn’t won more than two games in a season since 2023 is now 2-0 for the first time since 2021 and has a winnable Homecoming Game next week against Pitman. They haven’t been 3-0 since 2019, when they went 12-1 and lost in the Group 1 state semifinals.
“I told them after the game you guys are starting to understand it now,” Ware said. “We’re to a point sometimes when I don’t have to say anything and they kind of know what’s supposed to happen, when it’s supposed to happen, as far as our practice habits. They’re starting everything themselves. That’s the goal, to get everybody moving in the same direction at the same time, and they’re feeling the success from the structure, the organization and the systems that we have in place.
“They’re starting to run the system itself. That’s the key to get the engine running. When the internal parts are running the engine all we have to do is steer it a little bit.”
Freshman running back Jaivon Thomas didn’t have as many rushing yards as he did in the breakout debut, but he was just as impactful. The freshman rushed for 45 yards and two touchdowns on five carries and returned an interception for another score. He also had two special teams returns for 72 yards.
The Red Devils didn’t have an overly impressive amount of yardage for the score because they were working with a short field most of the game. Senior Terrell Thomas was their top rusher with 103 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
Quarterback Damion Robinson completed all three of his pass attempts for 39 yards with touchdown passes to Omari Robinson and Jerry Wooton. Savior Allah scored the Red Devils’ other touchdown on a 75-yard kickoff return to open the second half.
Omari Robinson also had a big game defensively. The sophomore had nine total tackles, six for loss, four sacks and a forced fumble. Jakai Ingram had eight tackles, three for loss and three sacks. They both were credited with a safety.
“It’s a start,” Ware said. “This is what we expected. It’s not that we didn’t expect to be 2-0, because we did expect to be 2-0 at this point. We have a lot of tougher opponents coming up on our schedule, so that’s where we’re really going to get tested and see if what we’ve been seeing and feeling is real or if we need to make some adjustments and keep learning.
“It’s going to be a learning process all the way through because a lot of these kids are young and they don’t have experience, they don’t know what it feels like to be successful. Now, it’s not like we’re the underdog. Now we’re 2-0, we’ve got a target on our back so it’s a different feeling now. So how do you handle that? Do you still come out and have that same hunger or do you start getting complacent. That’s the part of steering, not letting them get complacent and understand we have a higher standard to get to and this is just the start.”
Top photo: Terrell Thomas was Penns Grove’s leading rusher Saturday with 103 yards on 15 carries.
Category: PENNS GROVE
WJFL Scoreboard
Here is the West Jersey Football League scoreboard; it will be updated throughout the weekend
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem 22, Audubon 20
Penns Grove 47, Lindenwold 6
Wildwood 22, KIPP 18
Pemberton at Nottingham
Camden Estside 49, Hamilton West 0
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 41, Woodstown 0
Pennsville 41, Pitman 0
West Deptford 22, Paulsboro 0
Highland 20, Overbrook 14
Allentown 21, Collingswood 6
Atlantic Tech 27, Middle Twp. 6
Bishop Eustace 30, Camden Catholic 22
Bridgeton 20, Hammonton 6
Burlington Twp. 40, Willingboro 21
Florence 14, Palmyra 7
Gloucester 36, Sterling 10
Haddon Heights 16, Maple Shade 14
Haddonfield 31, Delsea 7
Holy Cross 19, Riverside 14
Lower Cape May 35, Cumberland 21
Notre Dame 16, Ewing 6
Oakcrest 19, Deptford 0
Paul VI 24, St. Joe (Hamm.) 14
Pleasantville 20, Cedar Creek 6
Rancocas Valley 28, Kingsway 0
St. Augustine 41, Holy Spirit 7
Steinert 34, Bordentown 7
Timber Creek 25, Triton 6
Winslow 21, Glassboro 7
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Atlantic City 47, Eastern 7
Buena 24, Mastery Camden 0
Clayton 50, Haddon Twp. 7
Delran 34, Cinnaminson 0
Egg Harbor 29, Clearview 20
Hopewell Valley 41, Burlington City 0
Lenape 3, Cherokee 0
Moorestown 35, Hightstown 0
Northern Burlington 43, Trenton 42
Princeton 34, Robbinsville 7
Seneca 41, Mainland 6
Shawnee 35, Cherry Hill East 13
Vineland 35, Pennsauken 17
Washington Twp. 21, Williamstown 0
WW-Plainsboro 18, Gloucester Catholic 14
Woodbury 22, Gateway 20
Cougars right ship
Schalick soccer bounces back after rare season-opening loss; roundup includes results and highlights from Thursday’s Salem County sports calendar
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton 3, Pennsville 0
Overbrook 2, Woodstown 1
Salem at Salem Tech, ppd.
Schalick 7, Penns Grove 0
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville 3, Clayton 2
Salem Tech 7, Salem 1
Schalick 8, Penns Grove 0
Woodstown 5, Overbrook 0
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem Tech 6, Gloucester Catholic 0
Pennsville 4, Salem 1
Woodstown 2, Schalick 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 4, Pennsville 1
Schalick 5, Salem 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Mano Massari’s Penns Grove soccer team was coming off an inspiring season-opening win looking forward to getting off to a good start. Then he looked at the schedule.
There was Schalick on the next line. Massari knew what that meant, but it was going to be even more challenging than usual. This was a Schalick team coming off a loss. He’d seen this movie before.
The Cougars are a tough out under normal conditions, but don’t get them when they’re mad.
In three of the previous four regular-season meetings between the teams Schalick came into the Penns Grove game reeling from a loss or a tie and handled the Red Devils pretty well. It happened again Thursday, 7-0.
Last year the Cougars came to Penns Grove off a loss to rival Woodstown — and back-to-back losses at that — and won 7-1. In the return game, they were coming off a scoreless tie with the Wolverines and won 4-0. The year before they beat them 5-0 coming off a loss to Cinnaminson. They have now won eight in a row in the series.
“Schalick is Schalick,” Massari said. “I think there’s a big gap between us right now. I think there has been for a few years. They’re a talented group. You can tell they’re very well coached. They listen, they’re very disciplined and they execute. They finish their opportunities; that’s something we need to be better at. We had little to no opportunities today.
“They proved they’re still a top dog. They’re the measuring stick for us right now. We knew it was going to be tough. I think the last couple times we’ve played them they’ve come in off of a loss. I don’t know if they have extra motivation because they’re coming off of a loss, but they really have been our Kryptonite for the last few years.”
Schalick coach Joe Mannella called it purely coincidental Penns Grove has fallen as the next team on the schedule so many times after a rare Schalick loss, but the Cougars were very much in need of a win to get their season started. They were coming off a season-opening 3-0 loss to Delran, the first time since 2022 they lost a season opener and the first time since 2018 they were blanked in one. You have to go back before 2010 to find the last time they started a season 0-2.
“We finally scored,” Manella said. “We had a bunch of scrimmages and the Delran game we weren’t scoring goals. Scoring goals and winning games cures a lot of ailments and we started to question our confidence, question ourselves and wonder how good are we. This helps. We’ve still got a lot to do, but this certainly is what we needed.
“To most competitors your pride gets bruised (in a loss) and you want to get out there and prove yourself. We certainly made a point that we wanted to get the taste of that loss Tuesday out of our mouth and start feeling good about ourselves. We don’t want to hit a losing streak or anything like that so you definitely dig down a little bit, try a little harder, and don’t give them anything.”
The Cougars went right at their hosts. Sophomore Josh Stecher scored their first goal of the season and the first of his two in the game when he buried a shot from the right side of the box into the far left corner two minutes into the match. He was credited with the game’s second score 17 minutes later when his crossing pass caromed home off a Penns Grove defender into the goal. Connor McQuade and Nolan O’Toole made it 4-0 with two quick goals in the 23rd minute.
Marco Spinnato scored two goals a minute part in the second half and Jake Sepers scored on a penalty kick. Stecher scored the Cougars’ first two and Spinnato scored their last two.
“We knew we could win this game by a lot and we just wanted to smash this team because of what happened to us last year,” Stecher said. “Every time we play this team we play very well. I don’t know why we play really well against this team, but we always play pretty good.”
The Cougars could’ve had a lot more. Penns Grove freshman keeper Ruben Torres Saenz stoned Luke Price and Spinnato three times one-on-one between Stecher’s two goals and the Cougars hit the post three times in the game. The goalie was credited with 30 saves on the reporting form.
“I’m very happy with how my keeper performed today,” Massari said. “I think a lot of their goals were second opportunities. I think he made really good saves and my defense was caught lacking. I think as a freshman going against that team and showing what he showed today, he showed a lot guts. I think he shows he can play with these guys.
“He’s a calm kid every day and I don’t think he gets rattled very much. He knew we were playing a very good team. I don’t think he realized how good, but I think he stepped up and showed us something. Dwayne (Guzman) left a big hole for us and last year I didn’t know what we were going to do. I had nobody and now we have this kid, who, quite frankly, looked better as a freshman his first game than Dwayne did. It’s the first game of the season, but it’s promising. That was the one bright spot for us today.”
Top photo: Penns Grove’s Esvin Padilla (5) slides in to deny Schalick’s Marco Spinnato a scoring chance in the first half.
CLAYTON 3, PENNSVILLE 0: Jonathan Rehm scored all three goals in the battle of TCC Classic Division contenders. Rehm scored early in the first half and then converted a pair of King Mosley passes in the second. Justin Delaney made 10 saves in recording the shutout.
OVERBROOK 2, WOODSTOWN 1: Brian Reyes broke a 1-1 tie with a goal eight minutes before halftime and the teams slugged it out in a scoreless second half. Don Milhomme scored Woodstown’s game-tying goal in the 18th minute. Woodstown peppered the goal with 24 shots, but couldn’t get the equalizer.
Girls soccer
PENNSVILLE 3, CLAYTON 2: Sloan Marquette bent a corner kick around the near left post with 3:16 left in the first overtime to bring the Eagles the victory.
The Eagles fell behind 1-0, but took a 2-1 lead on a pair of goals less than two minutes apart late in the first half. Karson Cooksey tied the game with 8:19 left in the half off another Marquette corner kick. Abby Marandola made it 2-1 with 6:31 left in the half.
Clayton’s Madi Traister tied the game with her second goal with 22:18 left in regulation.
SCHALICK 8, PENNS GROVE 0: Nicolette Bloomer and Mackenzie Talarico both scored a pair of goals for the second game in a row and Kyleigh Cutler had a goal and three assists to lead the Cougars. Emily Miller, Karlie Bakley and freshman Giuliana Martin, notched Schalick’s other goals.
WOODSTOWN 5, OVERBROOK 0: Freshman Korynn Hernandez scored her second hat trick in three games. Bella Lucas and Krysten Dussault had the Wolverines’ other goals and Hailey Kucharczuk dished three assists. Mazie Mazzoni made three saves in recording her second shutout.
“She’s a threat anywhere on the field and capitalizes on all her opportunities,” Woodstown coach Kieran Keyser said of Hernandez. “She’s very technically sound, aggressive, fast, and just has a knack for finding the back of the net.”
SALEM TECH 7, SALEM 1: Allie Wentz and Abigail Leuallen each scored a pair of goals and the Chargers tied the program record for goals in a game while winning their season opener for the first time in school history. Kapri Holmes, Olivia Blais and Peyton Pratt scored the Chargers’ only goals and Bryn McLaughlin had two assists. Lyric Hayes scored Salem’s goal in the second half.
Field hockey
PENNSVILLE 4, SALEM 1: The Eagles scored their first goal of the season and gave coach Cass Massari her first official career coaching win.
Massari guided the Eagles to three October wins during head coach Lisa Doran’s medical leave last season, but the win in Thursday’s home opener was all her own.
“It feels really good and it feels really good for the girls to have this under their belt, too,” Massari said. “They were coming off the 8-0 loss to a win; it felt very good to them. They kept their spirits up even though they were coming off that loss and they wanted it today.”
Junior Brianna Hill, one of 10 Eagles playing the sport for the first time, scored the Eagles’ first goal of the season. Massari brought defender Addy Hitt up after the goal as a reward for her impressive early-season stick work and the sophomore responded with the game’s second goal. Kendall Hoyt and Polina Wright scored their other two goals.
“We played well,” Massari said. “We have a very inexperienced team. We have 17 girls on our roster and 10 of them have never played before. We have a ton of girls who this is their first year ever picking up a stick. They’re learning, but they’re learning quick, which is good, because they want to learn. They’re all very motivated to learn the sport, learn the game, and they have positive attitudes.”
WOODSTOWN 2, SCHALICK 0: Joey Foote and Lexi Taylor both scored goals on first-half penalty corners and the Wolverines snapped a five-game winless streak in the series. Kendall Higgins made three saves in posting the shutout.
It’s starting out to be a different kind of year for the Cougars. They fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2013 and have yet to score a goal.
SALEM TECH 6, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 0: Hazel Eachus and Hayden Crispin each scored a pair of goals as the Chargers bounced back from a season-opening loss. Araya DiGregorio and Jessilynn Chambers scored the other goals.
Abigail Beals had a pair of assists and senior goalie Caroline Tighe made five saves in recording the shutout, with a defensive assist from Chambers to keep the sheet clean. The Chargers won nine games in their inaugural season last year, eight by shutout, so the trend continues.
Girls tennis
SCHALICK 5, SALEM 0
Olivia Lunemann (SC) def. Heaven Jones-McCullough, 6-3, 6-0
Sebrina Bradford (SC) def. JaNye Hubbard, 6-1, 6-0
Jasmine Hunt (SC) def. Erica Brewer, 6-0, 6-0
Janae White-Abigail Sotela Hernandez (SC) won by forfeit
River Wojcik-Brooke Brown (SC) won by forfeit
Records: Schalick 4-1, Salem 0-3.
WOODSTOWN 4, PENNSVILLE 1
Graillyn Weber (P) def. Madison LaPalomento, 6-2, 6-1
Emma West (WO) def. Naomi Hess, 1-6, 7-5, 10-8
Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Jaisley Weber, 6-2, 6-0
Elliana Norman-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Aubrey Hall-Mariangela Rangel, 6-1, 6-1
Isabella Lindenmuth-Eleanore Lawson (WO) def. Juliana Thomas-Yasary Clemente Brito, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Woodstown 3-3, Pennsville 2-2.
Salem CC volleyball
Mighty Oaks fall to DelTech in three sets, roundup includes results from Wednesday’s Salem County high school sports calendar
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — When you’re starting a program from scratch you can expect more ups and downs than a rollercoaster. Take a step forward, then move a step back. It’s the dance card on the way to consistency.
For the upstart Salem CC volleyball team Wednesday night qualified as a step back, although the Mighty Oaks were starting to take step forward in the final set of the night.
The Mighty Oaks remained winless in their maiden season after Delaware Tech dispatched them 3-0 in 58 minutes. They lost the first two sets 25-5 and 25-1, but came back to a grab an early lead in the third set before falling 25-13.
“We saw Del Tech, they were our very first scrimmage of the season, and they are very solid and really good,” SCC coach Andrea Bartlett said. “Absolute kudos to them; they are a fantastic team, and I think the girls were intimidated. Even though they know they put the work in and they know they’ve gotten better, they were still intimidated from the get-go.
“Our game is such a mental game we took longer than anticipated to get through that mental block. We started turning things around a little bit in the third set.”
The Mighty Oaks (0-4) scored only two points on their own serve in the first two sets. They fell behind in the first set 11-1 and Del Tech (3-4) closed it out with 14 of the last 15 points. The visitors scored the first 18 points of the second set before a serving error ended their run and gave Salem its only point.
The Mighty Oaks could have packed it in after nearly being shutout in the second set, but they were determined to make something of the evening. They held leads in the third set of 6-4, 9-5 and 11-9. A kill by Kelianne Swartz gave them a 12-10 lead, then DelTech stormed back with 15 of the last 16 points to close out the match.
“We are working on those mental skills,” Bartlett said. “Mental skills are just as important as the physical skills, so we have to practice working through that because we are going to run into situations like that and it’s how we prepare for them so we are able to push through like we did in that third set.
“I keep telling them we have 11 personalties here that we are trying to put into a six-piece puzzle. Some nights it works, some nights it doesn’t work. Some nights I’ve got to flip the puzzle around. We are still figuring out what works for each player. But they’re still working, they have not given up. They’re all in.”
Prep volleyball
TRITON 2, SALEM TECH 0: The Mustangs won a tight second set to complete the sweep and remain undefeated. The set scores were 25-13, 25-23. No other details were available. The loss snapped the Chargers’ two-game winning streak.
Girls tennis
SEWELL — The Minutemaids won three third-set tiebreakers to sweep the Wolverines.
WASHINGTON TWP. 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Jillian Lai (WT) def. Madison LaPalomento, 6-2, 6-3
Julia Agli (WT) def. Emma West, 6-3, 6-4
Taylor Minchin (WT) def. Angelina Lindenmuth, 6-4, 1-6, 12-10
Julianna Delosso-Kourtney Spina (WT) def. Elliana Norman-Emilee Kehr, 5-7, 7-5, 10-4
Hannah Thomas-Emily DeVecchio (WT) def. Isabella Lindenmuth-Eleanore Lawson, 5-7, 6-2, 10-7
Records: Washington Twp. 1-2, Woodstown 2-3.
Cross country
PILESGROVE — Woodstown’s David Farrell and Abby Marino were the top Salem County finishers in their respective races at the Tri-County Batch Meet at Marlton Park.
Farrell ran 18:25.20 to finish 15th in the boys race. Marino ran 23:15.85 to finish 11th in the girls race. Trevor Szilier of Washington Twp. won the boys race (16:52.44) and Kingsway’s Ava Buchanan won the girls race (20:21.15).
Here are the fastest runners from the other Salem County teams at the meet:
BOYS: 24. Levin Seals, Salem Tech, 19:02.75; 30. Aidan Cain, Schalick, 19:13.84; 48. Carter Marts, Pennsville, 19:59.59; 81. Aidan Dominguez, Penns Grove, 21:15.58; 82. Dominic Finfinger, Salem, 21:16.25.
GIRLS: 25. Emma Wilbur, Schalick, 24:35.85; 28. Sawyer Slad, Pennsville, 24:47.53; 84. Paityn Harrington, Salem Tech, 31:38.94.
Stat leaders: Dazzling debut
Penns Grove freshman Thomas makes impressive high school debut, has third-best game in state last week; includes Salem County football leaders through Sept. 5
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
Friday’s Games
Schalick at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s Games
Audubon at Salem, noon
Lindenwold at Penns Grove, noon
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Jaivon Thomas may have surprised the world in his first ever high school football game last Friday night, but the folks around the Penns Grove football program have known the freshman was special for a long time.
“Ever since he was 5 years old he was good,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said.
Thomas burst on the scene with the third-best rushing performance in the state last week in the Red Devils’ 48-20 win at Buena. He ran for 290 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries, threw a touchdown pass and had an interception on defense. Only Gateway’s Lamar Smith (30-344-3) and Camden Catholic’s Nymir Daily (31-305-4) had more yards on the ground last weekend..
The Red Devils’ leading rusher all last season only collected 293 yards.
Ware called Thomas a “future phenom” when he talked about him in the preseason, but the 5-6, 145-pound freshman showed the future is now against the Chiefs. He has the potential to have another big night this week when the Red Devils play Lindenwold Saturday.
Thomas scored on runs of 17, 70 and 60 yards and had another 59-yard burst that didn’t reach the end zone, often squirming his way through traffic to break into the open field. He threw a 65-yard TD pass to Jerry Wooton. His interception came at the 1, then he covered the 99 yards going the other way on the next two plays.
“He has some instincts and some things he does and his understanding of the game when you talk to him about it … he’s a different type of player,” Ware said. “During a timeout I was throwing it out there that I think I want to run the halfback pass. He looked at me and said, ‘yeah, yeah, run it coach. I’m gonna dime that thing.’ He definitely dimed it. It was right on stride, Jerry caught it and kept running.”
The last freshman running back to make such an impact on the Red Devils’ program was Karon Ceaser, and he was the program’s first true freshman skill position starter in nearly 20 years when he started against Burlington City in the 2023 opener. Ceaser ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries in that game on his way to a 1,000-yard season.
Thomas made his developmental bones with the Olympus youth football program. That group produced several Penns Grove natives currently starring in other programs in the region, but Thomas is “locked in” to his hometown school.
“We knew who he was, he had a reputation coming into high school,” Ware said. “He came up to me in the beginning of the summer and said, ‘Coach I’m staying here. I don’t want to play anywhere else. I want to play for Penns Grove.’ He was locked in from the start.
“Everybody wanted him. Everybody still wants him. He’s going to have great success in Penns Grove. It’s not about where you’re at, it’s about what you do where you’re at.”
He’s already off to a great start.
Rushing
| PLAYER | CAR. | YARDS | TD |
| Kenny Bartee, Schalick | 22 | 361 | 6 |
| Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove | 12 | 290 | 3 |
| Cole Ware, Woodstown | 36 | 223 | o |
| David Stewart, Schalick | 15 | 167 | 3 |
| Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove | 9 | 85 | 3 |
| Ayden Jenkins, Schalick | 13 | 84 | 0 |
| Cashmir Parsley, Salem | 14 | 77 | 1 |
| Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown | 19 | 68 | 3 |
| Tristan Horner, Pennsville | 21 | 57 | 2 |
| Aidan Collazo, Pennsville | 5 | 53 | 0 |
| Freddie Allen, Schalick | 7 | 47 | 1 |
Passing
| PLAYER | C-A-I | YARDS | TD |
| Jake Layfield, Pennsville | 50-80-2 | 589 | 6 |
| Owen McDonald, Salem | 9-25-3 | 76 | 1 |
| Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown | 7-13-3 | 72 | 1 |
| Kenny Bartee, Schalick | 2-9-0 | 32 | 0 |
| Damien Robinson, Penns Grove | 3-5-0 | 10 | 0 |
Receiving
| PLAYER | NO. | YARDS | TD |
| Chase Johnson, Pennsville | 19 | 313 | 3 |
| Lucas Thomas, Pennsville | 9 | 64 | 1 |
| Aidan Collazo, Pennsville | 7 | 78 | 0 |
| Tristan Horner, Pennsville | 7 | 34 | 0 |
| Jacob Kimani, Pennsville | 6 | 69 | 1 |
| Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove | 4 | 69 | 1 |
| KaiSiere Muhammad, Salem | 2 | 46 | 0 |
| Gio Alicea, Schalick | 2 | 32 | 0 |
| Nehemiah Carter, Woodstown | 2 | 23 | 0 |
| Dante Cummings, Pennsville | 2 | 11 | 1 |
| Cole Ware, Woodstown | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Isaiah Santiago, Salem | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Team Leaders
| TEAM | RUSH | C-A-I | PASS | PF | PA |
| PENNS GROVE (1-0) | 415 | 4-6-0 | 75 | 48 | 20 |
| PENNSVILLE (1-1) | 48 | 50-80-2 | 589 | 54 | 49 |
| SALEM (0-2) | 89 | 9-25-3 | 76 | 20 | 63 |
| SCHALICK (2-0) | 699 | 4-11-0 | 59 | 91 | 12 |
| WOODSTOWN (1-1) | 309 | 7-13-3 | 72 | 28 | 34 |
Tuesday roundup
Here are the scores and highlights from Tuesday’s Salem County sports calendar
BOYS SOCCER
Cumberland 9, Pennsville 0
Penns Grove 4, Gloucester Catholic 2
Delran 3, Schalick 0
Woodstown 1, Gateway 1
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — This year’s Pennsville soccer team may be better than some of coach Derek Foglein’s early teams and it may catch up to last year’s division champion in time, but on this day they were overwhelmed by a superior force on this day.
Izzy Benigno got a hat trick and a water bottle shower, captain Fernando Santiago scored twice and Brodey Willis and JV call-up Cristian Villagomez scored their first career goals to lead Cumberland over the Eagles 9-0 Tuesday. The Colts scored their nine goals on 17 shots and had chances for three other goals (offsides, two posts).
Sam Hassler had perhaps the Eagles’ best attempt at a goal when his semi-breakaway and shot across the box four minutes into the second half was turned away at the right post.
“What I just told them in the circle was that I think this year’s team beats the first team that Coach Joe (Mecholsky) and I had eight years ago 9-0 and I think it shows how far our program has come,” Foglein said, “but at the same time if you want to be an elite soccer program in South Jersey we’ve still got a long way to go.
“And that’s OK. It just reminds us that when we’re in practice, the basics matter. We have to do the basics with intensity, we have to compete with intensity and we have to move the ball with intensity. They’re a fantastic team. Yes, they have great kids, but they were a fantastic team. We’ll learn.”
Top photo: Cumberland’s Andrew Rebollo heads the ball away from Pennsville’s Brant Regner (2) during Tuesday’s game.
| Cumberland (2-0) | 6 | 3- | 9 |
| Pennsville (0-2) | 0 | 0- | 0 |
GOALS — Fernando Santiago (CR), 5:22; Izzy Benigno (CR), penalty kick, 14:14; Ruben Lopez (CR), 15:13; Izzy Benigno (CR), 17:07; Fernando Santiago CR), 23:02; Izzy Benigno (CR), 32:43; Brodey Willis (CR), 42:00; Matt Lucas (CR), 47:48; Cristian Villagomez (CR), 54:55.
PENNS GROVE 4, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 2: Juan Ortiz got his junior season off to a rousing start, scoring all four of the Red Devils’ goals, including two in the final 25 minutes after the Rams rallied to tie the game.
Ortiz, who scored six goals last season and 11 in his first two seasons, staked his team to a 2-0 halftime lead. The Red Devils came out of the break a little complacent and the Rams scored twice to tie it. Ortiz put Penns Grove back on top and then added an insurance goal by curling a corner kick into the top corner.
“He’s a special player, there’s no doubt it,” Red Devils coach Mano Massari said. “Sometimes he tries to do too much and his play drops when he tries to do too much, but when he lets the game come to him and plays his game, I always put him as one of the top players on the field at all times.
“He’s still maturing on the field … but I think when he plays poised and calm and lets the game come to him his game goes to another level and I think today was a good showing of that.”
After giving up the two goals early in the second half, freshman keeper Ruben Torres Sinz kept the Rams out of the net the rest of the game.
WOODSTOWN 1, GATEWAY 1: Both teams scored in the first half and then battled through a scoreless second half and overtime. Jake Lewis scored Woodstown’s goal and Vincent Toner lit the lamp for the Gators. Eddie Fuller made six saves in the Woodstown goal.
The Wolverines played to four draws last season.
DELRAN 3, SCHALICK 0: Three different players scored as the Bears handed the Cougars their first season-opening loss since 2022. The Cougars tied Washington Twp. in last year’s season opener and went on to play in the South Jersey Group I championship game.
Girls soccer
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 7, Deptford 2
GCIT 3, Woodstown 2
Paulsboro at Salem Tech
PITTSGROVE — Schalick coach Will Kemp has gotten excited about a lot of teams he’s had over the years, but he’s starting to develop a special kind of affinity for the one he has this season. It all goes to the way they go about their business.
Freshmen Nicolette Bloomer and Mackenzie Talerico each scored two goals and Kyleigh Cutler had a goal and two assists to help the Cougars open their season with a 7-2 win over Deptford.
“This one of those squads I’m actually really excited for,” Kemp said. “I don’t have any type of nerves for, it’s just like pure excitement. Everyone understands it now. The culture is fully established within. We have a lot of selfless players who are focused on rebuilding the tradition and legacy of what Schalick soccer used to be. The work ethic is through the roof. It’s been really nice.”
The Cougars led wire-to-wire, but broke it open with three straight goals from Karlie Bakley, Talerico and Cutler to take a 5-2 halftime lead. Cecilee Bell and Bloomer scored in the second half. It was their first opening day win since 2023.
“The ladies really showed up for the first part of the season, dominated the whole entire game,” Kemp said. “Obviously there are a few things we still need to work on, but for the most part they came to play today, which was really good to see.”
GCIT 3, WOODSTOWN 2: The Cheetahs scored three goals in the first half and held on to hand the Wolverines their first loss of the season. Jorja Widmer scored twice and Khloe Leacott once for GCIT. Hailey Kucharczyk and Korynn Hernandez scored Woodstown’s goals.
GCIT led wire-to-wire, but the Wolverines put up a fight against a team that beat them 3-0 last season. Kucharczyk got them on the board with a left-footed goal from the left side. The Cheetahs made it 3-1, but right back Sadie Moore kept it close with a nice defensive save off a corner kick.
Hernandez scored Woodstown’s second goal off a Delia Hahn free kick with about 10 minutes left to bring the Wolverines within one. She brought it down to her foot, made a move to create space and ripped a shot past GCIT keeper Gwen Marvil from 22 yards out to make it 3-2.
Even in the last minute the Wolverines had a chance to tie. Freshman Bella Lucas put a long throw-in into the box with 10 seconds left, but they couldn’t get a shot on net.
“We were pressing; if we had five more minutes …,” Woodstown coach Kieran Keyser said. “It was a hard-fought battle for our girls. They beat us 3-0 last year, so to go 3-2 and be there with some of South Jersey’s Group 4 good strong teams is definitely a win.”
Field hockey
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Audubon 8, Pennsville 0
St. Joe (Hamm.) 5, Woodstown 0
Highland 9, Salem 0
AUDUBON 8, PENNSVILLE 0: The Green Wave scored three goals in each of the first two quarters to spoil the official coaching debut of Pennsville’s Cass Massari.
Massari guided the Eagles to three wins last year filling in during coach Lisa Doran’s medical leave, a stretch that included a division-clinching win, and was promoted following Doran’s retirement.
HIGHLAND 9, SALEM 0: Kiersten Heverly scored the first four goals of the game and the Tartans scored three goals in each of the first three quarters to hand the Rams their second straight 9-0 loss.
Girls tennis
TUESDAY’S MATCHES
Overbrook 4, Penns Grove 1
Pennsville 5, Salem 0
Schalick 3, Glassboro 2
Woodstown 5, Timber Creek 0
PENNSVILLE 5, SALEM 0
Graillyn Weber (P) def. Heaven Jones-McCullough, 6-0, 6-0
Naomi Hess (P) def. JaNye Hubbard, 6-0, 6-0
Jaisley Weber (P) def. Erica Brewer, 6-1, 6-2
Audrey Sauermilch-Mariangela Rangel (P) won by forfeit
Marissa Dowell-Juliana Thomas (P) won by forfeit
Records: Pennsville 2-1, Salem 0-2.
OVERBROOK 4, PENNS GROVE 1
Isabella Sepulveda (O) def. Adanelys Lopez Melendez, 6-3, 6-2
Madison Rikard (O) def. Kavila Pulchard, 6-2, 6-0
Valeria Torres (PG) def. Heaven Williams, 6-3, 6-4
Emma Acevedo-Nicola Cusato (O) def. Cadence Jackson-Clarisleidy Smith, 7-5, 6-1
Records: Overbrook 1-1, Penns Grove 0-2.
WOODSTOWN 5, TIMBER CREEK 0
Madison Lapalomento (WO) def. Christina Abolarin, 6-2, 6-2
Emma West (WO) def. Claire Kopeck, 6-0, 6-1
Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Samantha Boinelli, 6-1, 6-0
Emilee Kehr-Elliana Norman (WO) def. Leah Limon-Anastasia Davis, 6-0, 6-1
Isabella Lindenmuth-Eleanore Lawson (WO) def. Brooklyn Young-Moriah Mudd, 6-2, 6-4
Records: Woodstown 2-2, Timber Creek 1-1.
SCHALICK 3, GLASSBORO 2
Alana Killelea (G) def. Olivia Lunemann, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 10-5
Sebrina Bradford (S) def. Taylor Adcock, 6-1, 6-2
Jasmine Hunt (S) def. Alice Denzel, 6-0, 6-2
Virginia Tarasevich-Sofia Dungca (G) def. River Wojcik-Abigail Sotela Hernandez, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 10-4
Janae White-Brooke Brown (S) def. Ijeoma Ufomba-Conception Soriano, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5).
Records: Schalick 3-1, Glassboro 1-1.
This week’s schedule
Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Sept. 7-12; all events 4 p.m. unless noted
TUESDAY, SEPT. 8
BOYS SOCCER
Cumberland at Pennsville
Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove
Schalick at Delran
Woodstown at Gateway
GIRLS SOCCER
Deptford at Schalick
GCIT at Woodstown
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Audubon
St. Joe (Hamm.) at Woodstown
Salem at Highland
GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Schalick
Penns Grove at Overbrook
Woodstown at Timber Creek
CROSS COUNTRY
TCC Batch Meet at Kingsway, 3:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9
VOLLEYBALL
Triton at Salem Tech, 5:15 p.m.
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Delaware Tech at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 10
FOOTBALL
Clayton at Haddon Twp., 6 p.m.
Atlantic City at Eastern, 6 p.m.
Williamstown at Washington Twp., 6 p.m.
Vineland at Pennsauken, 6 p.m.
Hopewell Valley at Burlington City, 6 p.m.
Lenape at Cherokee, 6 p.m.
Trenton at Northern Burlington, 6 p.m.
Delran at Cinnaminson, 6 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at WW-Plainsboro, 6 p.m.
Woodbury at Gateway, 6 p.m.
Hightstown at Moorestown, 6 p.m.
Shawnee at Cherry Hill East, 6:30 p.m.
Egg Harbor at Clearview, 7 p.m.
Princeton at Robbinsville, 7 p.m.
Mainland at Seneca, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech
Salem at Pennsville
Woodstown at Schalick
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook at Woodstown
Pennsville at Clayton
Salem at Salem Tech
Schalick at Penns Grove
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Schalick
Salem Tech at Salem
Woodstown at Overbrook
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Schalick at Salem
FRIDAY, SEPT. 11
FOOTBALL
Schalick at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 7 p.m.
Buena at Mastery Camden, 6 p.m.
Paulsboro at West Deptford, 7 p.m.
Highland at Overbrook, 7 p.m.
Bordentown at Steinert, 3:45 p.m.
Timber Creek at Triton, 6 p.m.
Deptford at Oakcrest, 6 p.m.
Burlington Twp. at Willingboro, 6 p.m.
Lower Cape May Cumberland, 6 p.m.
Cherry Hill West at Lawrence, 6 p..
Allentown at Collingswood, 6 p.m.
Palmyra at Florence, 6 p.m.
Riverside at Holy Cross, 6 p.m.
Notre Dame at Ewing, 6 p.m.
Cedar Creek at Pleasantville, 6 p.m.
Rancocas Valley at Kingsway, 6 p.m.
Atlantic Tech at Middle Twp., 6 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Maple Shade, 6 p.m.
Hammonton at Bridgeton, 6 p.m.
Holy Spirit at St. Augustine, 6 p.m.
Winslow at Glassboro, 6 p.m.
Camden Catholic at Bishop Eustace, 6:30 p.m.
Sterling at Gloucester, 7 p.m.
St. Joe (Hamm.) at Paul VI, 7 p.m.
Haddonfield at Delsea, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Bridgeton at Salem
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester at Salem
Salem Tech at Camden Academy Charter
GIRLS TENNIS
Haddon Heights at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Trenton at Penns Grove
VOLLEYBALL
Highland at Salem Tech, 5:15 p.m.
COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY
Salem CC in Bill Fritz Open, Dream Park
SATURDAY, SEPT. 12
FOOTBALL
Audubon at Salem, noon
Lindenwold at Penns Grove, noon
KIPP at Wildwood, noon
Pemberton at Nottingham, noon
FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown vs. Delsea, Rowan, 2:30 p.m.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Nassau CC vs. Salem CC, Schalick H.S., noon
WJFL scoreboard
Here is this week’s schedule and scores around the West Jersey Football League; Salem County, WJFL Diamond, Independence Division games listed first
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Paulsboro 8, Salem 6
Haddon Heights 36, Collingswood 12
Deptford 44, Mastery Camden 0
Maple Shade at KIPP, noon
Pemberton 35, Holy Cross 0
St. Augustine vs. Atlantic City
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 28, Burlington City 6
Penns Grove 48, Buena 20
Woodbury 53, Pitman 8
Bordentown 28, Florence 6
Bridgeton 35, Highland 0
Burlington Twp. 28, Cherokee 0
Camden 24, Holy Spirit 15
Camden Catholic 26, Riverside 20
Clearview 62, WW-Plainsboro 7
Ewing 56, Hightstown 10
Glassboro 38, Mainland 6
Hamilton West 25, Lawrence 16
Hammonton 21, Atlantic Tech 7
Northern Burlington 35, Lenape 0
Notre Dame 38, Nottingham 0
Princeton 17, Allentown 16
Sterling 28, Audubon 21
Rancocas Valley 47, Delsea 0
St. Joe (Hamm.) 19, Cumberland 7
Steinert 34, Robbinsville 12
Triton 20, Cherry Hill West 15
Washington Twp. 39, Millville 20
West Deptford 21, Willingboro 6
Winslow 38, Kingsway 0
THURSDAY GAMES
Overbrook 28, Pennsville 26
Woodstown 7, Clayton 6
Paul VI 13, Delran 0
Camden Eastside 35, Gloucester 0
Eastern 24, Cherry Hill East 13
Egg Harbor 28, Lower Cape May 13
Gateway 38, Bishop Eustace 37
Haddon Twp. 15, Palmyra 8
Hopewell Valley 21, Trenton 12
Middle Twp. 41, Gloucester Catholic 0
Moorestown 17, Cinnaminson 7
Oakcrest 40, Absegami 20
Ocean City 6, Cedar Creek 2
Pennsauken 14, Williamstown 6
Seneca 34, Haddonfield 0
Shawnee 28, Pleasantville 14
Vineland 40, Timber Creek 36
Muy bueno in Buena
Freshman running back, new coach made good first impression as Penns Grove overruns Buena 48-20 for first win since 2024
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
BUENA — Freshman running back Jaivon Thomas couldn’t have made a better first impression. And neither could the Penns Grove football team in its first game under coach Damian Ware.
Ware had spoken often about the potential Thomas to be a “future phenom” and he lived up that projection, rushing for 290 yards and accounting for four touchdowns as the Red Devils swamped Buena 48-20 for their first win since 2024.
“He’s amazing, man, that’s all I can say,” Ware said. “If you saw some of these runs that he had today, I don’t know how he got out of there, but he got out of there.”
The last freshman back to have such an impactful debut for the Red Devils was Karon Ceaser, who rushed for 155 yards and two scores against Burlington City in 2023. Ceaser at the time was the first starting freshman running back for Penns Grove in years.
Thomas scored on a 17-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and scoring bursts of 70 and 60 in the fourth quarter. He threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Wooton in the second quarter and also had an interception on defense.
Terrell Thomas rushed for 85 yards on nine carries and scored three touchdowns on runs of 20, 29 and 5 yards. Wooton caught four passes for 69 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, Terrell Thomas had eight tackles, a forced fumble and a recovery, and Jakai Ingram had seven tackles.
The Red Devils went 0-9 last season and hadn’t won a game since their season-finale in 2024. They got a taste of victory in a 31-6 scrimmage win over Wildwood, but Friday night’s game was the first one that counted.
“I’m going to give it all up to the kids,” Ware said. “They’re buying into what we’ve been teaching and all the things that we’ve done in the offseason, all the work we’ve been putting in since July 1 when we officially started training camp, and it kind of all came together in the first quarter.”
The Red Devils jumped out front 26-0, then ran into some adversity in the form of players cramping. Buena scored 12 points in the second quarter against a third-string defensive back and a blocked punt return to make it 26-12 at halftime. The Red Devils extended their lead with two touchdowns in the third quarter.
“At the start of the third quarter we really dug deep,” Ware said. “My message to them at halftime was it’s football. It’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be a war, it’s going to be a battle and it’s going to hurt sometimes and you’ve got to just be able to fight through it and push through it.”
The last time the Red Devils won a season opener was 2022. With all the changes that took place within the program in the offseason, they were possibly the only people who believed they could do it this time. Preseason projections from the so-called experts had them finishing last in the WJFL Independence Division.
“I don’t think the hopes were high,” Ware said. “One thing I did see was they had us finishing last in our division, so obviously they didn’t think we were going to do anything. So to come out today and get this win, a pretty convincing win against a good Buena team, that was a good look for us. And a good confidence builder for the kids coming off a winless season last year to start the season with a win. Now they really believe.”
“I feel like we did what we had to do, but there definitely is room to get better,” Wooton said. “When we work together as a team, we do some good things. Last year we weren’t as disciplined, but it starts up front with the line. Without them we can’t do anything.”
Finding a way
Woodstown scores two late goals to turn back Pennsville; also includes scores and highlights from Thursday’s Salem County sports calendar
BOYS SOCCER
Woodstown 5, Pennsville 4
GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown 5, Pennsville 2
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, Penns Grove 0
Schalick 5, Overbrook 0
Pitman 4, Pennsville 1
Glassboro 5, Salem 0
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Ayden Ellis scored on a 35-yard free kick with 5:13 left in the match and Woodstown scored twice in the final 14 minutes to finally shake Pennsville 5-4 in an intense season-opener for both teams.
The Wolverines could never seem to shake their hosts until the end. Woodstown held leads at three different times in the match, but each time the Eagles tied it.
“We were really close on scoring many opportunity, but just couldn’t put it away,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “They ended up taking advantage of some mistakes we made in the back to go up and then my guys showed a lot of heart and a lot of grit and kept working.”
The Eagles looked like they had all the momentum after Lucas Cooksey and Sam Hassler scored in the first two minutes of the second half to give Pennsville its first lead 4-3 and Lachlann Hooks was turning back the Wolverines in the goal.
Jake Lewis got Woodstown’s equalizer with 13:56 to play and then Ellis won it with his second goal of the match on the free kick.
“I thought the second half we played a lot better and we had the ball down at our end most of the time, but scoring goals is not easy,” Huck said. “We found a way to score a couple goals late and pull out the victory.”
Nick DiTeodoro also scored a pair of goals for Woodstown. Hassler scored twice for Pennsville. Justin Muchaca’s header off a Cooksey corner kick was Pennsville’s other goal.
Both teams had shots hit the pipes in the first half that could’ve been their second goal. Pennsville’s John Sassi hit the cross bar midway through the half and Woodstown’s Ethan Cotton banged one off the right post seven minutes later.
Top photo: Woodstown’s Tommy Tucci brings the ball upfield under the watchful eye of the Pennsville defense.
Girls soccer
WOODSTOWN 5, PENNSVILLE 2: Freshman Korynn Hernandez burst on the local scene with a hat trick and Hailey Kucharczuk scored two goals to power the Wolverines in their first full game of the season. They opened the season with a scoreless draw with Vineland in a game that was suspended at halftime due to the excessive heat.
On this day, the Wolverines erupted for four goals in the first half. They scored their five goals on 10 shots.
“Hailey was our leading scorer last year so it was great to see her find the back of the net right away,” Woodstown coach Kieran Keyser said.
Tennis
WOODSTOWN 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Madison LaPalomento (WO) def. Adanelys Lopez Melendez, 6-0, 6-0
Emma West (WO) def. Kavila Pulchard, 6-1, 6-3
Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Valeria Torres, 6-1, 6-0
Emilee Kehr-Elliana Norman (WO) def. Andrew Chaparro-Stephani Recinos, 6-0, 6-0
Isabella Lindenmuth-Eleanora Lawson (WO) def. Cadence Jackson-Clarisleidy Smith, 6-2, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 1-2, Penns Grove 0-1.
SCHALICK 5, OVERBROOK 0
Olivia Lunemann (S) def. Isabella Sepulveda, 6-0, 6-1
Sebrina Bradford (S) def. Madison Rikard, 6-0, 6-1
Jasmine Hunt (S) def. Heaven Williams, 6-0, 6-0
River Wojcik-Abigail Sotela Hernandez (S) def. Nicola Cusato-Emma Acevedo, 6-0, 6-3
Janae White-Brooke Brown (S) def. Gianna Harding-Liana Grant-Williams, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Schalick 2-1, Overbrook 0-1.
PITMAN 4, PENNSVILLE 1
First singles not reported
Kendall Bennett (PI) def. Naomi Hess, 6-2, 6-1
Paisley Weber (PV) def. Mikaela Totora, 6-4, 2-6, 10-8
Listella Eisenhardt-Delaney Pierson (PI) def. Aubrey Hall-Juliana Thomas, 6-1, 6-0
Anna Jones-Mia Gladney (PI) def. Marissa Dowell-Yasary Clemente Brito, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Pitman 1-3, Pennsville 1-1.
GLASSBORO 5, SALEM 0
Alana Killelea (G) def. Heaven Jones-McCullough, 6-0, 6-3
Taylor Adcock (G) def. JaNye Hubbard, 6-2, 6-4
Alice Dinzeo (G) def. Evangelyn Jiminez Barreto, 6-1, 6-0
Amani George-Sofia Dungca (G) def. Erica Brewer-Aleena Allen, 6-1, 6-0
Conception Soriano-Ijeoma Ufomba (G) won by forfeit
Records: Glassboro 1-0, Salem 0-1.
