Milestone in OT

Two of the highest scoring field hockey teams in region play to scoreless tie in regulation, then Schalick gets game-winner on rebound in OT, hands Salem first loss, Cheesman 100th win

THURSDAY’S RESULTS
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville 8, Deptford 0
Schalick 1, Salem 0 (OT)
Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, ppd.
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton 5, Penns Grove 0
Highland Regional 1, Woodstown 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, OLMA 0
Vineland 3, Schalick 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Heather Cheesman couldn’t tell you her Schalick field hockey team’s record in overtime games or even if they were going to play one Thursday as regulation was winding down, so when the Cougars went to extra time she came up with the fastest strategy that came to mind.

Put the players who had been playing the best in the game and just have at it.

What is it they say? The first instinct is usually the right one? After the teams played to a spirited scoreless tie in regulation, Phoebe Alward banged home a doorstep rebound just over two minutes into sudden death overtime giving the Cougars a 1-0 victory over Salem and handing Cheesman her 100th career victory.

It was the first overtime game either team has played this season, a testament to their dominance over their opponents this year. The Cougars (6-2) had played three previously since the sport went to a four-quarters format in 2020 and were 1-1-1 in those games.

“I put our most skilled players in, they weren’t actually our most skilled, but they were the kids who were playing really well today,” Cheesman said. “I think our team is very skilled, but I picked the girls who were having a good game today and then we took it from there.”

With only 10 extra minutes to get something done, you have to be aggressive and the Cougars were. They never gave the Rams a chance.

“That’s the way I am,” Cheesman said. “I said if we win the toss to get possession; we want to start off with the ball. We have to beat them to the ball. Once we get in the circle we’ve got to shoot and we’ve got to get a stick on it.”

The goal came just that way. Caylan Taylor sent a ball to Ava Scurry who had gotten well behind the defense. Scurry broke in alone on the goal, Salem keeper Dominique Lewis stood her ground and made the initial save with her pads, but the rebound came right to Alward and she sent it back into the cage for her county-leading 10th goal of the year.

It took all of 2 minutes and 3 seconds of sudden death.

Both teams are among the most prolific-scoring squads in the region, but curiously they couldn’t put one home in regulation. That’s not to say they didn’t have chances on the windy, blustery day. The action was end-to-end and both goalies were excellent in keeping their opponent out of the net.

Schalick finished with 14 shots and 12 penalty corners. Salem had 11 shots and 11 corners. Cougars keeper Lydia Gilligan made 12 saves and got help from defensive stops by Hanna Widdifield and Ella Cheesman. Lewis has 14 saves.

The one that got through was only the second goal the Rams (5-1) have allowed this season. They’d outscored their first five opponents 33-1.

“I think we were pretty evenly matched,” first-year Salem coach Shanna Scott said. “We were capitalizing on their weaknesses and they were capitalizing on ours.

“Our goalie played great. This is the best she’s played.”

Reaching the milestone victory was special for Cheesman. She’s been coaching at Schalick 10 years and reached the mark in her eighth season as head coach.

“It was amazing,” she said. “It helped me reflect on all the athletes present and previously who played for me (and) all the triumphs and heartbreaks we experienced as a team.”

It’s been a good 24 hours of overtime experience in the Cheesman household. The night before her daughter Emmi scored the game-winner for her Cedar Crest College team in a penalty-stroke shootout.

“I watched it, they stream everything; it was exciting,” Heather said. “Now I’m going to have to call her and be like, ‘We went to overtime.’”

PENNSVILLE 8, DEPTFORD 0: Sophia Marandola had a hat trick and Isabelle Saulin had two goals and an assist as the Eagles (2-6) won their second straight.

**Schalick’s Ava Scurry (R) tries to advance the ball against Salem’s Michele Brittingham during Thursday’s field hockey game.**

Girls tennis

WOODSTOWN 5, OLMA 0: Gabby Kurpis prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker 10-2 to win at No. 2 singles and complete the undefeated Wolverines’ sweep. The Wolverines (9-0) have won each of their last five matches 5-0.

VINELAND 3, SCHALICK 2: Once-beaten Vineland (12-1) snapped the Cougars’ six-match winning streak. No. 3 singles Allyson Green and the No. 1 doubles team of Katelyn Little and Emma Adams won matches for Schalick (9-2).

Lighting it up

Wednesday roundup: Pennsville, Woodstown boys soccer score big in their first halves, also includes girls soccer and girls tennis

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – When the train comes in, everybody rides.

Pennsville scored seven goals on 10 shots in the first half Wednesday in a 7-2 boys soccer rout of Salem.

Six different players found the back of the net for the Eagles, and one of the goal was particularly special.

Senior Stathis Efelis has been playing with the varsity for the past three years and scored his first goal since his sophomore year in the first-half onslaught. Actually, he had a goal and an assist in the game.

“To get a goal today felt incredible,” he said. “The assist and the build up was very intense and I was so glad to be able to celebrate it with my teammates.”

Stathis assisted on Maddox Efelis’ goal shortly after scoring his own. Shane Puckett got the first two followed by Stone Mumink, then John Thomas and Jake Isaac scored after the two Efelises’ goals.

It was the Eagles’ most prolific half of goalscoring in Derek Foglein’s tenure as head coach.

“To be completely honest, if you asked the team they’d say we started slow,” the coach said. “Once we got those (first) two, they settled down and moved the ball.

“The thing I’m really pleased about today is the fact the team did a great job moving the ball as the first half developed and as the score line showed we got everyone involved.”

Jose Vilalplando scored both Salem goals in the second half.

WOODSTOWN 9, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 0: Bryce Ayars banged home a header 30 seconds into the game and the Wolverines (6-1) went on to pump in nine goals on 16 shots in the first half to win their sixth straight.

Adrian Ibarra scored the first of his two goals 40 seconds after Ayars’ header and the rout was on. They had another flurry later in the half in which they scored four goals in four minutes. Ibarra also recorded three assists.

“We’re not a team that scores a lot of goals traditionally,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said, “but today things were clicking and we got on them early.”

Freshman Ayden Ellis, sophomore assist machine Blake Bialecki and senior Dalton Berry all scored their first varsity goals, while Ben Lippincott (on the first goal), Dante Mistichelli, Nick DiTeodoro and senior Eddie Whelan all recorded their first varsity assists.

The Wolverines’ final goal of the half was the play that brought Berry and Whelan their first varsity marks and the crowd to its feet.

“That was kind of a nice moment,” Huck said. “They’d been together for four years and been total team players; it’s always been the team first. They were with the JVs last year, but decided to come back and be part of everything and they were able to reap the rewards today, which I was happy about.

“The whole team was cheering for (Berry), the whole place got excited. He does work hard and always gives 100 percent and he was able to put one in today.”

PITMAN 2, PENNS GROVE 1: The Red Devils (1-6) have to be the hardest-luck team in South Jersey. All six of their losses this season have been of the one-loss variety. They fell behind 2-0 nine minutes into the second half, got a goal from Ashton Harris four minutes later and just couldn’t get the equalizer.

“We’re doing the best we can,” Penns Grove coach Mano Massari said. “The guys fought hard today; you can’t ask anymore than that. We’re fighting and taking punches with some really good teams. We just need to be more consistent.”

SCHALICK 3, WILDWOOD 0: Nolan O’Toole, Bradford Foster and Elijah Cummings scored goals and Evan Sepers was a rock in goal as the Cougars (7-2) won their third in a row.

**Pennsville’s Riley Bowman (5) and Reagan Wariwanchik celebrate another Eagles goal in their match with Salem Wednesday. (Photos by Lorraine Jenkins)**

Girls soccer

PENNSVILLE 8, SALEM 1: The Eagles found the scoring touch for the second straight game, this time scoring four goals in each half. They have scored 15 goals in their two games this week.

Riley Bowman scored her first hat trick, which included a penalty kick late in the first half. Karsen Cooksey had the first goal of the second half and assisted on the other three goals. Gabby Marandola scored her first career goal 90 seconds into the game, while Molly Gratz, Kallie Morrison and Marley Wood had the other goals. The Eagles had 27 shots and eight corner kicks in the game.

“The girls are distributing the ball well and looking for opportunities for each other to score,” Eagles coach Sam Trapp said. “They are gaining more confidence as a unit each game.”

Ryann Foote scored Salem’s goal on a free kick in the first half.

GLASSBORO 7, SALEM TECH 0: Marianna Dempster and Emma Mattox both scored twice for the Bulldogs (4-2-1).

PITMAN 5, PENNS GROVE 0: Emery Sharpnack had two goals and an assist and Riley Sharpnack had a goal and two assists for Pitman.

Girls tennis

PITTMAN 4, PENNSVILLE 1: Megan Morris won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 2 singles to pick up Pennsville’s only point. Morris is 9-0 this season and has not lost a set.

WOODSTOWN 5, PENNS GROVE 0: The Wolverines went to 5-0, losing only two games the entire match. Noelle Neron and Aubrie Rennie at No. 2 doubles scored their first career win.

THE big game

Foglein Bowl IV kicks off Friday when Pennsville visits Paulsboro in soccer match pitting brother against brother

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Forget the Super Bowl or Wrestlemania or whatever event with a long series of Roman numerals after its name. There is only one Big Game that matters at this Maple Street homestead.

It’s the Foglein Bowl, the yearly soccer matchup now in its fourth year that pits coaching brother against coaching brother for family bragging rights on the pitch.

Foglein Bowl IV is Friday at Paulsboro when older brother (by four years) Doug hosts little brother Derek and his Pennsville side at 4 p.m. Derek leads the series 2-1 and isn’t keen to give up his lead.

“It’s always super exciting,” Derek said. “Growing up as brothers, we were always competitive in just about everything we did. I know it’s really exciting for both programs. I think both programs really enjoy the camaraderie and the matchup and really buy into it. I know his guys are always excited and looking up to this game. I know my guys are really looking forward to it, too.

“It’s a lot of fun when you get these out of division, even out of conference games, that mean a lot more because of the matchup. It’s just been a lot of fun and really helps the kids get motivated for a game that on paper might not look like it doesn’t matter, but it really matters to these kids and it really matters to us.”

Both teams are looking for something to get them going. Paulsboro entered the week 0-7, stuck in a 26-match losing streak and hasn’t won since its next to last game in 2021. Pennsville went into a week that had three winnable games 1-6.

It was pretty much a no-brainer to put the game on the schedule when both brothers got to be head coach. The first time they played it in 2019, it was a really big deal. Doug back then was coaching at Clayton, where both boys went to school. They played it at night. On the football field. On Senior Night. And it had all the feel of a Hollywood premier. Even though the teams were on opposite ends of the standings, the game matched the hype.

COVID protocols forced them off the pitch the next year, but the series resumed in 2021 after Doug moved to Paulsboro. And now they see the series continuing, as Doug says, “as long as we’re coaching together and it’s a game that’s good for both of us.”

Ditching their hoodies and athletics attire, the brothers show up on the sidelines in suits and ties like they were Diego Simeone or Pep Guardiola, two of the most fashion-chic managers in the game. It’s still the only time they wear a suit for a game.

The whole family gets involved. The first year of the game mom made “Clay-Ville” T-shirts for everybody, a mash up of the Clayton and Pennsville names with logos of each team. There’s a picture of the battling brothers striking a boxing pose and used it as their Christmas card. Sister Dawn even gets in the act while remaining neutral with shirts that say, “My favorite brother is your coach.”

“We love playing this up in our family and making it a big deal, for sure,” Derek said.

“It gets to show all the players on both teams how soccer can really kind of transcend whatever is going on,” Doug said. “It’s really great. You see two brothers who love each other to death, except for those 80 minutes in the middle.”

There is no familial bet – at least not one the brothers are keen to admit publicly – but you know it means something to both of them.

Doug won that inaugural game, but Derek has had the best of it in the last two. There was something not quite right after his first win in the series, something not even last year’s 7-1 rout could fix, something he hopes to set straight in this year’s game.

“We won that game 3-1 on two very soft penalty kick calls that went our way, so even though (the series) is 2-1, it’s 2-1 with an asterisk,” Derek said. “I’m really looking forward this year to firmly hopefully taking that winning record and not having to worry about the contingencies any more.

“We did not deserve to win that game two years ago. I’ll even say we should have played better and we kind of got the luck of the draw that day, so we really want to prove that it wasn’t a fluke two years ago and we’re really moving the program forward.”

That’s about the closest you’re going to get to bulletin board material from these two. Whenever they do have conversation about the game at the family picnic in Clayton, it’s usually about trying to pry secrets out of each other to gain an edge.

If the game ends it a tie, the result their mom always bets on, that’s how it will go in the NJSIAA record. But don’t be surprised if, with a wink and a nod, they put together some sort of PK shootout after the referees disappear in their cars to bring the match to an outcome. That’s how much it means.

“Our teams have almost come to fisticuffs once or twice,” Doug said. “The teams buy in. They know at the beginning of the season – I tell my boys the same thing and he tells his boys the same thing – this is the one game we want. If we go 1-17 this is the one I want.”

The Foglein Bowl
(Derek 2, Doug 1)

YEAR	PLACE	WINNER	SCORE
2019	Clayton	Clayton (Doug)	5-2
2021	Paulsboro	Pennsville (Derek)	3-1
2022	Pennsville	Pennsville (Derek)	7-1
2023	Paulsboro	Friday, 4 p.m.

Dawn Foglein plays no favorites as she stands with brothers Doug (L) and Derek (R) after last year’s Paulsboro-Pennsville Foglein Bowl soccer match. Top photo: Dawn steps in to separate the two combatants prior to the first game of the series in 2019. (Submitted photos)

Coen saves Eagles

Pennsville boys start important week with 2-1 win over Penns Grove, keeper Rinnier turns back late threats, hands Red Devils another one-goal loss

SALEM COUNTY SOCCER
Monday’s games
Pennsville 2, Penns Grove 1
Pitman 6, Salem Tech 0
Schalick 6, Overbrook 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – In what just might be the most important week of their season and in miserable conditions to play a game, it’s vital to have a goalkeeper who can be counted on as the last line defense.

Pennsville keeper Coen Rinnier was fighting a cold and nerves from the opening kick, but he was the rock the Eagles needed in a 2-1 victory over Penns Grove Monday.

Rinnier, a sophomore playing goalie on the varsity level for the first time, made 18 saves and turned back several attacks the Red Devils (1-5) mounted in the final 20 minutes to keep it a one-goal game. All five of Penns Grove’s losses have been one-goal decisions.

Perhaps his biggest save of the game came with less than 10 minutes to play when he came off his line to make a sliding kick save on the right side of the box to deny Edward Swank a game-tying goal.

“On a messy day like today any shot can take a weird bounce, take a weird deflection, but it’s very simple: Coen won us the game today,” Pennsville coach Derek Foglein said. “You look at the stats, Coen had 15, 16, 17 saves, that’s a lot, but it also speaks a lot to the fact we know we can trust Coen.

“There were a lot of chances today where they were taking shots from 25. We know he’s a good keeper back there with a good head on his shoulders, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that Coen made some phenomenal saves today that won us the game.”

The teams played the first half in a cold rain that was blowing across the field in sheets. When the rain stopped, the wind kept blowing across the field making any ball in the air difficult to play.

The Red Devils got one past Rinnier with 25 minutes to play when Sebastian Hernandez blasted a ball that carried into the upper left corner just inside the post.

And after that they kept coming. Rinnier turned back at least 10 shots after the goal, including four tough chances in the final five minutes as the speedy and skilled Red Devils pressed hard for the tie. He’s been an active keeper all season, recording 105 saves in eight games, by far the most of any keeper in Salem County.

“It was just so nervous, the most nervous feeling ever, but I think it’s all worth it after the game,” Rinnier said. “The nervousness goes away after the game.

“It was pretty intense because I’ve never played goalie for this team and this was the biggest test because we lose this game our season’s over. It was nerve-wracking, honestly, but as soon as I made that (save on Swank) I think I knew we were going to win this game. As soon as I made that save I was not nervous at all.”

The win over Penns Grove snapped a four-game losing streak and got a big week for the Eagles (2-6) off to a good start. They play three winnable games against teams with one combined win and if they sweep the week they could find themselves right in the mix for a South Jersey Group I playoff berth after starting the season against arguably the toughest schedule in the section.

Their six losses have been to teams from Group II and Group III, three of the top four teams in SJ-I and a season opener without a scrimmage.

But you can’t win all three unless you win the first one.

“I told them before we started we can go 3-0 this week but it’s got to start today,” Foglein said.

The Eagles grabbed their 2-0 lead by being aggressive at the start of each half. Shane Puckett scored the first goal on an assist from Stone Mumink five minutes into the match. Dylan Waller made it 2-0 less than 90 seconds into the second half when he scored from in close off a pass from Jake Isaac.

PITMAN 6, SALEM TECH 0: Ben Newcomb and Maddox Marker each scored twice for Pitman. For Newcomb, they were his first goals in two years after missing almost all of last season with a knee injury. He scored three goals as a sophomore. It was Pitman’s third straight win – all by 6-0 scores.

SCHALICK 6, OVERBROOK 2: Luke Price and Oscar Hernandez each scored twice for the Cougars (6-2).

Pennsville 2, Penns Grove 1

Pennsville (2-6)	1	1 –	2
Penns Grove (1-5)	0	1 –	1

Goals: PV – Shane Puckett (Stone Mumink), 5:00; PV – Dylan Waller (Jake Isaac), 41:20; PG – Sebastian Hernandez (unassisted), 55:39

Much-needed win

Pennsville girls erupt for six goals in second half, crush Penns Grove 7-0 for first win of season; Miller scores 4 more in Schalick rout

SALEM COUNTY GIRLS SOCCER
Monday’s games
Pennsville 7, Penns Grove 0
Schalick 7, Overbrook 0

PENNSVILLE – The Pennsville girls soccer team needed a win in a bad way and the players knew it. So, they took matters into their own hands.

Sparked by the good feeling of two players-only dinners over the weekend and a pre-game pow-wow before Monday’s game, the Eagles took self-reflection to another level. It paid huge dividends as they erupted for six goals after a messy first half and crushed Penns Grove 7-0 for their first win of the season.

The first half was played in miserable wind-blown rain. Riley Bowman scored the only goal when she banged home the rebound of a Karsen Cooksey shot 3 minutes and 13 seconds into the match.

The weather broke at halftime and the Eagles broke out. Cooksey scored twice, Bowman picked up a second goal and Anikka Macalino, Molly Gratz and Kallie Morrison each scored once in clearly their most prolific half of the season.

It led to their most goals in a game since a 9-2 win over Salem on Oct. 26, 2021, and their highest scoring half since putting up six in the first half of that same game.

“It was needed, it was so, so needed,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said of the win. “It was just a morale booster for the team; the girls needed to win and to feel confident in themselves and believe in themselves again.

“This was huge for us, this win today. We have a chance for the win Wednesday (at Salem) and a chance for the win Friday (Camden Tech) and I told them today’s the day we need to change the season around, change the trajectory of what the rest of the looks like.”

Barring a tie, one of these teams was going to get its first win of the season.

The Eagles (1-5-1) were winless in their first six games of the season against teams of varying skill sets, with a 2-2 tie with Clayton the only positive result. They began to see progress by winning the second half of their 2-1 loss to Glassboro Thursday, and it started to register when they went to dinner after the game at Gus’ Pizzeria on South Broadway, followed by another get-together over the weekend at captain Bowman’s house.

Trapp was invited to both gatherings, but gave the players their space. She didn’t know about the meeting before Monday’s game until the players came out of the locker room, but she was happy to see the players take the initiative.

“I’m always proud to see the captains are stepping up and taking leadership responsibilities and taking accountability to get their team focused back on the energy,” Trapp said. “I always say the captains are a reflection of me and they saw what was needed and they went and implemented it.

“I love that they took the initiative. They didn’t really have to check in with me. They know it’s something I’m going to support, so I loved that they did that on their own.”

And it just might be the thing that turned their season around.

SCHALICK 7, OVERBROOK 0: Emily Miller scored four more goals, running her season total to 22, just over half of last year’s school record (43) set by Kerri Jackson. Miller has scored at least two goals in every game this season and has scored 16 goals in her last four games.

Pennsville 7, Penns Grove 0

Penns Grove (0-3-1)	0	0 –	0
Pennsville (1-5-1)	1	6 –	7

Goals: P – Riley Bowman (unassisted), 3:13; P – Riley Bowman (penalty kick), 54:10; P – Karsen Cooksey, 58:00; P – Anikka Macalino (unassisted), 61:16; P – Molly Gratz (unassisted), 69:14; P – Karsen Cooksey (Kallie Morrison) 73:26; P – Kallie Morrison (unassisted), 74:53.

This week’s schedule

Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County schools for the week of Sept. 25-30

Sept. 25
FIELD HOCKEY
Timber Creek at Schalick, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Overbrook, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.

Sept. 26
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRY
Tri-County Batch Meet, Kingsway

GIRLS TENNIS
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
Vineland at Schalick, 4 p.m.

Sept. 27
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Schalick, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.

Sept. 28
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford Twp. at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Highland Regional at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Clayton 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Our Lady of Mercy at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.

Sept. 29
FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Cumberland Regional, 6 p.m.
Lindenwold at Schalick, forfeit
Salem at Woodstown, 7 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Paulsboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Haddon Heights, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Palmyra, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Salem at Pennsauken Tech, 3:45 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Overbook, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

Sept. 30
FOOTBALL
Paulsboro at Penns Grove, noon

CROSS COUNTRY
Shore Coaches Invitational, Holmdel Park

Cover photo by Heather Papiano

Friday roundup

Roundup features boys and girls soccer, field hockey and girls tennis; Schalick’s Miller continues her goal-scoring tear

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – A long hard week caught up to the Pennsville soccer team in the end.

The Eagles tried to mount an attack Friday, but three grueling matches in five days left them with nothing in the tank and they lost to Haddon Heights 4-0.

The Garnets (5-1) scored a pair of goals in each half. Evan Rasicci, known for his powerful throw-ins, was credited with a pair of goals, including one that deflected in off a Pennsville player. Jack Kominos and Nolan Lachall scored their other two goals.

In their three games this week, the Eagles lost a one-goal game at Woodstown after opening a 2-0 lead, then suffered shutouts to Glassboro and Haddon Heights on consecutive days.

“I think Coach Joe (Mecholsky) put it on the head really well at halftime,” Eagles head coach Derek Foglein said. “If you looked at our schedule this week … our schedule was not our friend.

“We had a really, really tough schedule, but we’re going to come back out and we’ve got three big games next week – hopefully, three winnable games. Penns Grove is going to be a fight, it always is, but then we look at positives later in the week with Salem and Paulsboro, so we could very easily turn around and go three wins in a row next week. That’s what I’m positive about and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

The Paulsboro game will have a little extra incentive for the Eagles head coach. It’ll be the fourth installment of the Foglein Bowl, the head-to-head matchup with his brother Doug.

“It’s going to be a fun one,” Derek said.

GIRLS SOCCER
WOODSTOWN – Emily Miller put on a dazzling display of speed and skill, scoring five goals, including a natural hat trick in the second half, to lead Schalick to its third straight shutout win, 6-0 over Woodstown.

Miller scored the Cougars’ first two goals, then collected three in the second half. Cali Fisler scored their other goal in the first half, on an assist by goalie Carly Hayman

The Cougars have outscored their last three opponents 19-0. Miller has scored 12 of her 18 goals in those games.

“Emily is a dynamic player who uses her technical ability to beat players,” Schalick coach Will Kemp said. “She is clinical in front of the net and has finished her opportunities when given one.”

FIELD HOCKEY
Salem 8, Bridgeton 0: The Rams scored their fifth straight victory, fourth shutout and third in a row. Morgan VanDover had two goals and two assists and seven players scored in total. Dominique Lewis posted nine saves in recording the shutout. The Rams (5-0) have outscored their five opponents this season 33-1.

Washington Twp. 6, Schalick 0: Meghan Sheldrick and Ava Porreca scored two goals each for the Minutemen.

GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Glassboro 0: Regan Witt took a hard-fought 6-4, 6-2 win over Ella Killelea at No. 1 singles to send the Eagles on their way.

Woodstown 5, Salem 0: The Wolverines improved to 7-0, dropping only four games the entire match. Nos. 1 and 2 singles, Abigail Melle and Gabby Kurpis, both won 6-0, 6-0.

Stepping up

Schalick quarterback Simmons dedicates his play to his injured running back, accounts for 5 TDs in a 38-20 win over Pennsville

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — Schalick was missing the backbone of its football team Friday night, but quarterback Kenai Simmons stepped up to play chiropractor.

With running back Reggie Allen Jr. on the sideline in concussion protocol, the Cougars needed someone to be the emotional and physical leader of the offense.

Schalick 38,
Pennsville 20
FRIDAY: Schalick vs. Lindenwold, 7 p.m.
Pennsville at Cumberland, 6 p.m.

Simmons answered the call, accounting nearly 300 yards of offense and five touchdowns in a 38-20 win over Pennsville.

The quarterback is the natural choice to assume the mantle, but Simmons took it to another level. The junior rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns and had what he called his “best throwing game” since moving to quarterback in the summer, completing six of 11 passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns.

“I really wanted to make Reggie Allen proud,” Simmons said. “Today I did everything for Reggie Allen.

“I told the line before the game Reggie was crying last night, so everything we did tonight was for Reggie Allen, my brother.”

Schalick head coach Mike Wilson called Allen the unsung backbone of the Cougars’ team between back-to-back three-touchdown games against Wildwood and Riverside, but the junior also took a big hit in the Riverside game that put him on the shelf.

Simmons put the offense on his shoulders and ran for touchdowns of 9 and 8 yards. He threw touchdown passes to Jake Siedlecki (on fourth down), Levi Feeney-Childers and Dylan Sheehan.

“I believe Reggie Allen is the heart and soul of this team, but it’s also Kenai’s team and you saw that tonight,” Wilson said. “Kenai and Reggie are boys. They’ve been playing football together since they were little. They look at each other as brothers and Kenai stepped up for his brother tonight.”

Simmons ran for the Cougars’ first touchdown and threw for their second as they went up 17-0 in the first half. The touchdown pass came on fourth-and-19 as the Cougars were trying to recover from a holding penalty and fumble that lost yardage and knocked them out of the red zone.

“After we got that penalty coach was very eager to get in the end zone,” Simmons said. “I told the line we need at least two seconds, that’s all I needed to get the ball out there, and I delivered a dot to Jake Siedlecki.”

The Eagles didn’t back down. Using a no-huddle offense that harkened back to the glory days of former head coach and current OC Ryan Wood, they drew as close as 17-14 midway through the third quarter.

Robbie McDade threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Malik Rehmer in the final minute of the second quarter and Sky Eppes capped the opening drive of the second half with a 5-yard scoring run. But Simmons responded with his 65-yard touchdown pass to Feeney-Childers and the Cougars pulled away for their fifth straight win.

“We’re still taking step in the right direction, (but) they outexecuted us,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “We played a good football team, we made all the mistakes, they didn’t make mistakes and that’s what happens when you play a good football team. We’re able to match up with teams. We’ve just got to be more consistent.”

Schalick came into the game ranked second in the South Jersey Group I power ratings, and with No. 1 Woodstown’s overtime loss to Glassboro has the chance to move into the top spot this week.

“I’m proud what we have done and it’s nice for the players to have the recognition they deserve,” Wilson said.

Wherever the Cougars land in the ratings next week, they’ll get the week off and a free win as Lindenwold intends to forfeit the game.

Schalick 38, Pennsville 20

SCHAL (38)		PVILLE (20)
17	1st Downs	16
35-237	Rushing	28-131
6-11-0	Passes	9-19-0
152	Passing	111
1-0	Fumbles-lost	1-1
0-0	Punts-avg	1-43.0
4-30	Penalties-yds	3-40

Schalick (5-0)	10	7	7	14 –	38
Pennsville (2-2)	0	7	7	6 –	20

Scoring plays
S – Kenai Simmons 9 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 6:11 1Q
S – Hunter Dragotta 21 FG, 0:00 1Q
S – Jake Siedlecki 24 pass from Kenai Simmons (Hunter Dragotta kick), 3:22 2Q
P – Malik Rehmer 23 pass from Robbie McDade (Jackson Leino kick), 0:53 2Q
P – Sky Eppes 5 run (Jackson Leino kick), 7:16 3Q
S – Levi Feeney-Childers 65 pass from Kenai Simmons (Hunter Dragotta kick), 5:15 3Q
S – Dylan Sheehan 18 pass from Kenai Simmons (Hunter Dragotta kick), 10:07 4Q
S – Kenai Simmons 8 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 6:38 4Q
P – Tyree Young 20 pass from Robbie McDade (pass failed), 3:23 4Q

Schalick’s Alec Bramell (9) indicates it’s the Cougars’ ball after Riley Papiano recovered a fumble on Pennsville’s first possession. On the cover, Schalick quarterback Kenai Simmons had a big game, accounting for five touchdowns. (Photos by Heather Papiano)

Salem County showdown

Schalick visits Pennsville Friday in its only scheduled game with Salem County foe this season; where once everybody played each other, only five such matchups are scheduled this season

SALEM COUNTY FOOTBALL
Friday’s games
Glassboro at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Penns Grove at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.
Salem vs. Cedar Creek at SHI Stadium (Rutgers), 3 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – There are certain games on everybody’s football schedule that bring a little more anticipation than others; the ones that draw that big, bold circle as soon as its announced.

Maybe it’s a game that got away the year before. Maybe it’s a key game with a division rival and playoff implications. Or one with all the pageantry, like Homecoming or Senior Night.

Schalick and Pennsville play one of those games Friday night that carries even more importance and intensity.

It’s a game between county rivals and when there are only five teams in the county those games mean just a little bit more.

“These kids know each other playing sports against each other their whole lives,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “You usually feel like it’s a little more competitive in terms of the environment and atmosphere.

“It is really for bragging rights because they play each other in everything, especially with social media now, how connected some of these kids are. It’s really important to us. We want respect in general, but having the bragging rights in the county is always something you want to have. You want to be the best of the bunch, for sure.”

Sadly, while there are enough teams and enough slots on the schedule to play an annual county series, they don’t all play each other anymore. Used to, but not anymore.

Everybody has at least one in-county game this season. Penns Grove plays the most – three, the first of which was last week at Salem. Penns Grove, Salem and Woodstown all get at least two because they’re all in the West Jersey Football League Diamond Division.

The traditionalist in Schalick coach Mike Wilson, a self-proclaimed history nerd, would like to see all five county teams play each other, but the realist in him understands with the WJFL’s desire for competitive balance in scheduling it’s not possible.

Woodstown was the last team to schedule all four of the other county teams and made it a point to play all four every year but one from 2004 to 2020. All five programs did it in 2018 and 2019, with Penns Grove going 10-0 over that stretch (including playoffs), Woodstown 6-5 and Salem 6-4.

“County games are always bigger than other games because these kids grow up playing each,” Wilson said. “It’s just a county thing. It’s county bragging rights. I think it’s huge that way.

“And the kids know each other. When kids really know each other it’s different. When we play at Riverside, they don’t know who Riverside is. When we play Wildwood, they don’t know Wildwood kids. We play Cape May, they don’t know Cape May kids. But these kids they know, so anytime you know the kids it’s a bigger game to them. A lot of these kids have probably been playing football against each other since they were 8 years old.”

There’s a lot on the line for both teams, too.

Schalick, No. 2 behind Woodstown in the South Jersey Group I power rankings, is looking to keep the train rolling and its undefeated record intact on the road against a team that’s improved from the one it beat by five touchdowns a year ago.

But they’re likely to be doing it without leading rusher Reggie Allen Jr., who took a big hit in last week’s win over Riverside. Wilson declined to comment on the status or availability of the player who called just last week the backbone of his team.

Pennsville, meanwhile, is looking to take another step forward after bouncing back from a flat second game to get its second win last week, doubling its win total of a year ago.

“Last year we didn’t put forth what we wanted to so there’s a little extra to this because we’re trying to get back to where we want to be and expect to be,” Healy said. “To be able to do it against a county team would just be that much better. Not only that, the kids are aware this is a 4-0 team we’re playing and No. 2 in the UPR rankings, so getting this win would be huge for us for what our goals are at the end of the season.”

Wilson knows that makes the Eagles a dangerous team.

“We are truly the hunted and we have to learn how to take that now,” he said. “We’re no longer the underdog in a lot of these games. The kids have to understand how to handle success and how to take care of business. It’s a huge game for us.”

Salem County Head-to-Head

TEAMS	PGRV	PVILLE	SALEM	SCHAL	WOODS
PENNS GROVE	—	10-4 (36-27-4)	9-8 (56-45-6)	9-0 (27-7)	8-6
PENNSVILLE	4-10 (27-36-4)	—	5-7	4-2 (16-8)	6-7
SALEM	8-9 (45-56-6)	7-5	—	3-4 (24-13-1)	9-5 (64-39-10)
SCHALICK	0-9 (7-27)	2-4 (8-16)	4-3 (13-24-1)	—	1-11 (9-24)
WOODSTOWN	6-8	7-6	5-9 (39-64-10)	11-1 (24-9)	—

Since 2010, includes playoffs; all-time series in parenthesis

GLASSBORO (1-2) at WOODSTOWN (3-0): The Wolverines, the No. 1 team in the South Jersey Group I power rankings, face their most physical opponent to date without their most dynamic player. Senior running back James Hill, a 3,000-yard career rusher, underwent surgery Thursday for a non-contact, non-football knee injury and will miss the rest of the season just when he was set to return from surgery on the other knee.

The Wolverines’ approach really doesn’t change much with the news. They went into the season with Bryce Belinfanti and Alex Torres the Nos. 1 and 2 running backs until Hill’s return and have elevated their games in the meantime. The only difference now is they’ll remain in those top tier spots the rest of the year.

Belinfanti has rushed for 413 yards and six touchdowns in the Wolverines’ first three games. Torres went for a career-high 120 yards and two touchdowns last week at Deptford.

“I don’t think it changes much because we had to prepare for not having (Hill) starting the season,” Adams said. “Bryce came into the season knowing he was the first running back and Torres knew he was the second running back and that’s been their mindset all along, so I don’t think anything really changes in that aspect.

“We said going into the season we needed to be able to execute the passing game better and last week we really showed that. We just need to keep that going and doing what we’re doing.”

As for being the early No. 1 in the SJ-I power rankings, the potential No. 1 seed in the sectional playoffs, Adams said the Wolverines don’t get caught up in all that, but admits it does change the way future opponents look at them.

“We don’t get wrapped up into it too much,” Adams said. “What it does for us is we know our opponents are looking at that going if we beat Woodstown we can get a lot of power points.

“We kind of talk to it from that aspect. We’ve got a bulls eye on our back and people are looking to beat us to jump up in their rankings … It’s a long season. We use it as everybody’s going to give you their best because they know it’s worth a lot to them if they can get a W over us.”

SATURDAY’S GAMES
PENNS GROVE (1-3) at HADDON HEIGHTS (2-1): The Red Devils go into another game with playoff implications experiencing life the week after playing a longtime rival and coming off a win.

it’s the first time this year they go into a game after a win and they did that only twice last year. They haven’t won back-to-back games since Oct. 30-Nov. 6, 2021.

And every game they’ve played this year seems to carry some kind of playoff implication. The opener against Burlington City has tiebreaker potential because the winner last year eventually was in and the loser was out. It was suggested the winner of last week’s game with rival Salem was in a good spot to make the playoffs. It’ll be more of the same this week.

The Red Devils are currently No. 18 in the South Jersey Group I power ratings, right behind Pennsville and currently on the outside of the playoff cutline. Haddon Heights is No. 20 in SJ-II.

“It’s a huge game, both teams need the game,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “I’m telling our kids with our schedule we win this game we’re clinching a playoff spot. We got in last year with two (wins) and to get two this early in the season and having a heads-up win over Salem and over Haddon Heights with three wins we can start working toward getting a home playoff or some of the goals we set throughout the year.

“I know our kids are excited to be coming off a win. It’s been a while since we came off a win, so I’m excited with how hungry our kids show up to be Saturday.”

The Garnets have a dynamic passer in Drew Harris who three for three touchdowns last week and is expected to provide a big test for the Red Devils’ young secondary of freshmen Karon Ceaser and Jayden Days, Knowledge Young and Kylee Goodson.

“We’re better than we’ve been the last couple years on the back end, but we’re young,” Emel said. “Those guys have gotta play big for us to have a chance to win.”

A late-developing intangible impacting the game is the weather. Haddon Heights officials have been considering an alternate site or moving the date if it looks like the expected weekend storms will make it too difficult to play the game as scheduled. A decision is likely to come sometime Friday.

(UPDATE: At 10:20 a.m. Friday, Haddon Heights officials told Riverview Sports News the game will be played as scheduled.)

SALEM (0-4) vs. CEDAR CREEK (3-1): The Rams will be seeking their first victory of the season against the No. 7 team in the South Jersey Group III power rankings in the Rumble on the Raritan at Rutgers’ SHI Stadium. It’ll be their second game in a college facility this season, having opened the year against Executive Education Academy at Lafayette College.

2023 SALEM COUNTY SHOWDOWNS
Penns Grove 21, Salem 6
Schalick at Pennsville, Friday
Salem at Woodstown, Sept. 29
Pennsville at Penns Grove, Oct. 13
Woodstown at Penns Grove, Oct. 21

Cover photo by Lorraine Jenkins

From the doorstep

Fisher’s fast foot from in front of the net delivers first-half goal to send Schalick past hard-luck Penns Grove

THURSDAY’S BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro 3, Pennsville 0
Schalick 1, Penns Grove 0
Wildwood 4, Salem Tech 0
Gloucester Catholic 4, Salem 0
Woodstown 5, Overbrook 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Seth Fisher couldn’t believe the good fortune that fell at his feet in the first half Thursday afternoon.

The Schalick sophomore just happened to be in the right place at the right time when a ball off a free kick landed at his feet an empty section of goal staring him right in the face. All he had to do was not mess it up.

Fisher couldn’t have finished it off any more solid and drilled the ball into the back of the net for the only goal in the Cougars’ 1-0 victory over Penns Grove. It was the center midfielder’s second goal of his career – he scored the second goal against Gateway Sept. 9 – and his first game-winner.

“It was like this natural instinct,” he said. “I just saw the ball pass on my right side, it bounced off the keeper and it was right there on my right foot right in front of the goal. I couldn’t believe it was there. It fell right to me.”

The Cougars (5-2) were carrying the play, spending most of the game in the attacking end, but Fisher’s goal with 15:22 left in the first half was the only ball they could get past Penns Grove keeper Dwayne Guzman. They had several chances, but couldn’t cash in, thwarted either by Guzman or the Red Devils’ defense, led by first-year starting stopper Erlin Mondragon and sweeper Jason Cisneros.

Their best chance for a second goal came with 21 minutes to play when Bradford Foster hit the crossbar and Cooper Willoughby headed the rebound into the chest of Guzman. But all you have to do is score one more than the other team to win and the Cougars, thanks to Fisher’s fast foot, got that one.

“Tuesday (a 1-0 loss to Glassboro) was a physical beating so I really wasn’t sure how much we had left and we had some guys have to come off the bench and give minutes,” Cougars coach Joe Mannella said. “They have to get comfortable playing in close games, there are going to be a lot of them, and this is a good step forward to do that.”

Both teams were coming off a spate of one-goal losses. The Cougars had lost two in a row. All four of the Red Devils’ losses (1-4) have been by one goal. It might be the kind of thing that could get a team down, but first-year Penns Grove coach Mano Massari remains positive.

“I have a very young team, a very green team,” Massari said. “We’re keeping up with these top-tier teams in our division and conference, so, yeah, it stings now, but the optimism in me is looking towards the future and thinking, man, we’re going to be a force to deal with for the next couple years.”

WOODSTOWN 5, OVERBROOK 2: Adrian Ibarra scored a hat trick for the Wolverines (5-1).

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 4, SALEM 0: Trey Battle and Zack Payne scored two goals apiece for the winning Rams. Both of Battle’s goals came in the first 17 minutes of the game.

GLASSBORO 3, PENNSVILLE 0: Emirhan Kir scored a goal in the first half and Christopher Martinez and Atakan Ozdemir found the back of the net in the second as the Bulldogs remained unbeaten (7-0). It was their third straight shutout.

Girls tennis

Girls soccer

Girls tennis

The Foglein Bowl(Derek 2, Doug 1)

Pennsville 2, Penns Grove 1

Pennsville 7, Penns Grove 0

Schalick 38, Pennsville 20

Salem County Head-to-Head

The Foglein Bowl
(Derek 2, Doug 1)