Pennsville scores 3 TDs in first quarter, but can’t hold the lead, falls to Overbrook to remain winless
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Things couldn’t have started better for the Pennsville Eagles in their quest for a first win of the season and then the well went dry.
The Eagles looked well on their way to securing their first Friday night. They scored three touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of the game and opened a 21-point lead in the first quarter, then the points stopped coming and they lost to a Overbrook 22-21 at Lou D’Angelo Stadium.
The Rams (2-1) took the lead on Axcel Bailey’s 14-yard touchdown run and quarterback Tariq Moore’s two-point conversion run 62 seconds into the fourth quarter.
The Eagles (0-3) had three possessions to retake the lead but couldn’t find the end zone. They had two shots to the end zone from the 34 in the final eight seconds and both fell incomplete.
The Eagles took advantage of Overbrook mistakes to set up short fields and scored touchdowns on their first three possessions for a 21-0 lead with 2;22 left in the first quarter.
A botched punt snap set them up at the 10 and moments later Aiden Collazo scored from the 5.
The Rams failed to cover the ensuing kickoff and Pennsville set up at the 26 Six plays later Robbie McDade hit Adrian Alleyne with a 14-yard TD pass. McDade needed 101 passing yard to reach the 3,000-yard career mark and he threw for 53.
The Rams fumbled their next snap at the 30. Five plays and a fourth-down penalty later Rylan Hardy scored from the 5.
The Rams came to life at that point and scored on their next two possessions to make it 21-14 with 7:35 left in the second quarter.
It stayed that way to halftime even though the Eagles had another possession that reached the Overbrook 21 before stalling.
Pennsville’s first 15 plays of the game and 23 plays in the half came in Overbrook territory.
Overbrook 22, Pennsville 21
OVER (22)
PMHS (21)
10
1st Downs
12
34-165
Rushing
38-122
5-10-0
Passing (C-A-I)
7-19-0
13
Passing yds
53
2-1
Fumbles-lost
0-0
3-28.0
Punts-avg
4-24.0
8-85
Penalties
3-20
Overbrook (2-1)
8
6
0
8-
22
Pennsville (0-3)
21
0
0
0-
21
SCORING SUMMARY P-Aiden Collazo 5 run (Adrian Alleyne kick), 9:25 1Q P-Adrian Alleyne 14 pass from Robbie McDade (Adrian Alleyne kick), 5:42 1Q P-Rylan Hardy 1 run (Adrian Alleyne kick), 2:22 1Q O-Tariq Moore 21 run (Nicholas Duval pass from Tariq Moore), 1:38 1Q O-Axcel Bailey 23 run (run failed), 7:35 2Q O-Axcel Bailey 14 run (Tariq Moore run), 10:58 4Q
Saturday’s Games Bordentown at Audubon, 11 a.m. Hightstown at Steinert, 11 Rancocas Valley at Eastside, 11 Allentown at Nottingham, noon Burlington City at Pemberton, noon Woodbury at Salem, noon Atlantic City at Cedar Creek, 1:30 p.m. Ewing at Princeton, 2 p.m. Trenton at Hamilton, 2 p.m.
Thursday roundup: Schalick field hockey rallies behind injured coach, blanks rival Woodstown; Salem Tech makes it two in a row; Woodstown tennis edges Pennsville
FIELD HOCKEY Gloucester Catholic 1, Pennsville 0 Deptford 7, Salem 2 Salem Tech 1, Clayton 0 Schalick 3, Woodstown 0 GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown 3, Pennsville 2
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The day didn’t start out great for the Schalick field hockey team, but it sure ended that way.
Cougars coach Heather Cheesman slipped exiting the team bus upon its arrival for Thursday’s game at rival Woodstown and chipped a bone in her right ankle. While she coached her team from a seated position using a field hockey stick as a cane, her players rallied around her to claim a 3-0 win.
“The girls made it easy,” Cheesman said. “Every time we needed to talk they would come in, they’d get around me, we would come in tight and talk low because we couldn’t go to the goal cage like we usually do. When the quarters ended we couldn’t go out in the field like we normally do, so we were kind of closer to the other team than we would have liked, but they made it pretty easy.”
The Cougars (3-1) were charged up to play for their coach. They came out fast and dominated the action. Goalie Lydia Gilligan only had to touch the ball once.
Lena Virga slipped a pass from Ava Scurry into the back of the cage in the first quarter to open the scoring. Scurry scored two goals in the second half on passes from Phoebe Alward and Ella Cheesman.
“The last couple games the girls have been coming out slow,” Cheesman said. “They’re flat, they’re not talking, they don’t look like they’re jelling on the field. It never happened in this game. They came out strong to begin with. Their passes were so good. Everything we’ve been working on just kind of came together.”
And to think it took an injury to their coach to bring it out of them.
She went to the emergency room to have her ankle checked during the JV game and returned home wearing a temporary cast. She’ll follow up with the orthopedist in 3-5 days, but has no plans to stop coaching while she’s on the mend.
“Maybe it’s not as bad as they think and they can put me in a boot or something,” she said. “It’s OK, I’ll survive. It could always be worse.”
SALEM TECH 1, CLAYTON 0: The Chargers followed up the first win in their program’s history with another one-goal win. The Chargers scored the only goal of the match in the second quarter.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1, PENNSVILLE 0: Alana Belian scored the game’s only goal less than three minutes into the match and teams battled it out the rest of the way.
DEPTFORD 7, SALEM 2: The Spartans scored four goals in the first quarter and maintained control the rest of the match. Julliana Love and Jared Weathers scored goals for the Rams.
GIRLS TENNIS
WOODSTOWN — Senior Noelle Neron took an intense three-set victory over Morgan Holt at No. 3 singles to clinch the Wolverines’ 3-2 victory over Pennsville.
Neron dropped the first set 7-5, but won the second 6-4 to even the match and then took it with a 10-7 win in the tiebreaker. It was her second three-set win of the season.
“The two girls really battled it out,” Woodstown coach Jesse Stemberger said. “In the end, three points playing out differently and there could have been a different result. Both girls gave it everything and we were fortunate to pull it out.
“It’s always competitive when we play them … Noelle dug deep when she needed to. She’s dedicated to the sport and it was great to see her hard work pay off.”
Salem Tech field hockey beats the clock in regulation and overtime, turns back Paulsboro for program’s first win in first official home game; includes Wednesday’s Salem County roundup, Thursday’s schedule
FIELD HOCKEY Salem Tech 4, Paulsboro 3 (OT)
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — When superintendent Jack Swain started sports at Salem Tech in a time that wasn’t really that long ago, it was with the vision of giving its students the chance to make lifelong memories beyond the classroom. Chances are no one connected with the school will forget what took place Wednesday.
The Chargers’ fledgling field hockey team played its first official home game in program history and made it a memorable one. They rallied from two-goal deficits in the first and fourth quarters, beat the clock at the end of both regulation and overtime and dramatically turned back Paulsboro 4-3 for their first win in school history.
Sophomore forward Adessa Plum scored two goals on her 15th birthday, the first one in program history in the second quarter and the game-tying goal 10 seconds before the end of regulation on the officials’ watches. Freshman Hazel Eachus slipped the game-winner through right at the whistle to end overtime.
“I’m just so proud of the girls,” Chargers coach Maureen Lewis said. “I feel like they deserve this win because of how hard they have worked and they worked so hard on the field during this game.
“I think I’ll always remember it. I remember these kinds of moments from when I played, so I feel like I’ll remember it. To do it on our home turf for the first, it’s truly special.”
Salem Tech added field hockey to its varsity offerings this year and will have 14 sports when baseball and softball come on line in the spring. They will play as an independent this year because the Tri-County Conference is in the middle of a two-year scheduling cycle, but will be eligible for the Group 2 playoffs.
The field hockey team debuted last Thursday and lost to Sterling 4-0. All four goals came in the first six minutes of the season, then the teams played even the rest of the game.
The Chargers seemed destined for a similar fate Wednesday when the Red Raiders scored in the opening minute and grabbed a 2-0 lead after the first quarter. Lewis gathered the team after the second goal and before the quarter break and encouraged them to keep fighting.
“Our girls just didn’t give up,” she said. “That’s what’s so special about them, they don’t give up and don’t let it get to their head and they just keep working hard. Sometimes we just need to adjust and they need some talking to and that will usually get it done.”
Plum had the honor of scoring the first goal in school history when she knocked in a pass from Eachus on the right side of the cage with 8:50 left in the second quarter. It stayed 2-1 through halftime.
“Adessa, sometimes she just comes out of nowhere,” Lewis said. “She surprises us often.”
Adessa Plum has the distinction of scoring the first goal in Salem Tech field hockey history. She scored two in the game.
Paulsboro regained a two-goal lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Chargers scored twice in the final five minutes of regulation to force 7v7 overtime. Abigail Beals got them within one and then Plum tied it off a pass from Shelby Drummond.
The Red Raiders questioned whether time had expired prior to Plum’s goal, but the officials said there was a lag between the clock at the scoring table and their official watches and by their count there were enough seconds remaining to score the goal. Plum was unaware of how little time remained and just kept attacking the cage.
“I just kept going,” she said. “I didn’t hear a horn.”
The Chargers had several good chances in overtime but were turned away. Conversely, Salem Tech goalie Caroline Tighe kicked out a serious threat by Paulsboro early in the extra period.
On Tech’s winning rush, Jessilyn Chambers sent the ball across from the right wing and Beals got it to Eachus down by the left post. Paulsboro goalie Amelia Lyons came out to challenge, but Eachus pushed it past her and off the inside of the right post for the game-winner.
“I didn’t realize (how much time was left) at all,” Eachus said. “I was just trying to score a goal and win the game. We push ourselves to the limit no matter what.”
And on this day the Chargers pushed themselves to an historic win.
“It was really memorable,” Eachus said. “I’m glad to be a part of this.”
Salem Tech freshman Hazel Eachus (12) celebrates after scoring an overtime goal to give the Chargers their first-ever win in field hockey.
Wednesday roundup
BOYS SOCCER
PENNS GROVE – Penns Grove and Glassboro have staged some epic battles in recent years and Wednesday was another of them. In a series that seems to go back and forth, this edition went to the Red Devils.
Rooby Dorival was brought up from the midfield to give the Red Devils a little more punch in overtime and the moved worked as he converted Louby Guerrier’s pass about seven minutes into the extra session for the game-winner in a 3-2 victory.
“I made the decision to take him out from the back and put him up with another striker; they both have a lot of speed and it paid off big time,” Penns Grove coach Mano Massari said. “I talked to the guys in overtime and asked do we want to go for it and they all said yeah we want to go for it. We put them up top and it paid off big time.
“They’re from Haiti;. I call them the Haitian Sensations. They really do a nice job together.”
The game went back and forth. The Red Devils took a 1-0 lead on Mario Fuentes’ penalty kick, but Glassboro tied it. The Bulldogs went ahead 2-1, then senior captain Joey Schultz made a ”great shot” off a cross from Guerrier with about 10 minutes left to retie it.
Seven of the last eight games between the teams have been decided by one goal. The other was a tie.
“Every time we play them it’s a battle,” Massari said. “This was pretty big for us. We did not show up against Pitman on Tuesday. We moved some things around last minute and it just didn’t work; the guys were flat. Today was the polar opposite. They fought hard.
“It showed grit, character, things we want and things we need. Definitely taking us in the right direction. We’ve just got to keep it going.”
Woodstown 3, Overbrook 2: The Wolverines fell behind early, then scored three straight goals to take control. Bryce Ayars got the equalizer on a penalty kick, Jake Lewis gave them the lead and Landon Guglielmo added a necessary insurance goal on a left-foot shot from 20 yards. Schalick 3, Pitman 1: Luke Price broke a 1-1 tie in the 71st minute with his second goal of the game off a rare goalie assist from Evan Sepers and Marco Spinnato put it away three minutes later. Pennsville 3, Wildwood 0: Danny Bunny Coronel scored in the eighth minute and Lucas Cooksey and Justin Michaca scored two minutes apart in the second half. Coen Rinnier made 11 saves in posting his second straight shutout and had a goalie assist on Coronel’s goal. Salem Tech 6, Salem 0: Kameron Brown had a hat trick, Logan Pace scored twice and James Welch had the goal of the game off a Daniel Marandola corner kick. Aiden Bobo earned the shutout.
GIRLS SOCCER Schalick 6, Pennsville 0: Abby Willoughby scored four goals, one in the opening minute and three in the second half, to lead the Cougars. Olivia Vanacker and Karlie Bakley had the other two goals. Cali Fisler picked up the assist on Willoughby’s last two goals and is now two shy of the school’s all-time record. Woodstown 7, Overbrook 1: Gina Murray scored twice, while Emma Perry, Sophie Wells, Hailey Kucharczuk, Aubree Covely and Evelyn Walker each scored once. Glassboro 5, Penns Grove 0: Amina Brown had a hat trick for the Bulldogs.
GIRLS TENNIS Schalick at Pennsville Woodstown at Penns Grove Salem at Overbrook
Thursday’s schedule
WJFL FOOTBALL Penns Grove at Glassboro, 7 p.m. Eastern at Vineland, 6 p.m. Gateway at Wildwood, 6 p.m. Highland at Pennsauken, 6 p.m. KIPP Cooper Norcross at Buena, 6 p.m. Riverside at Maple Shade, 6 p.m. West Deptford at Collingswood, 6 p.m. Haddon Township at Clayton, 7 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Salem at Deptford, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Clayton, 6 p.m. Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Penns Grove at Palmyra, 4 p.m.
Here are the results of Tuesday’s high school sports action in Salem County; includes Wednesday’s schedule
TUESDAY’S SCORES FIELD HOCKEY Schalick 8, Glassboro 0: Ava Scurry scored two goals and assisted on four others. Luci Virga also scored two goals. Woodstown 7, Deptford 0: Zoe Lipovsky scored twice as the Wolverines won the first game in Gloria Byard’s tenure as coach. GIRLS TENNIS WOODSTOWN 5, WEST DEPTFORD 0 Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Gianna Concordia, 6-1, 6-0 Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Alyssa Taylor, 7-5, 6-3 Noelle Neron (WO) def. Jody Wu, 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Lily Avila-Hayley Dobbins, 6-3 Records: Woodstown 2-1, West Deptford 2-6. CROSS COUNTRY TCC Batch Meet at Cumberland BOYS TOP 20 Dominic Burgio, Williamstown 16:12.59; Logan Pavelik, Williamstown 16:14.25; Trevor Szilier, Washington Twp. 16:15.72; Michael Beaver, Kingsway 16:35.04; Andrew Dopkin, Highland 16:36.39; Jacob Marino, Woodstown 17:00.72; Colin Roznowski, Highland 17:08.61; David Farrell, Woodstown 17:16.87; Wyatt Evans, GCIT 17:20.29; Rhys Blackman, Pitman 17:23.92; Ryan DeVecchis, Washington Twp. 17:27.28; Matthew Littlehales, Delsea 17:37.11; Duke Snyder-Shellito, GCIT 17:37.49; Daniel Gee, Highland 17:38.39; Karson Chew, Woodstown 17:38.66; Oluwanifemi Fadulu, Highland 17:51.16; Tyler Altman, Clearview 17:52.94; Chase Riley, Schalick 17:55.00; Jonathan Delicate, Williamstown 17:55.19; Jayden Denton, Washington Twp. 17:55.95. GIRLS TOP 20 Sophia Aldridge, Williamstown 18:53.69; Aubrey Bishop, Kingsway 19:24.49; Abby Marino, Woodstown 20:29.48; Julia Burgio, Williamstown 20:59.32; Yazmire Bonhomme, Williamstown 21:18.99; Brooke Mashburn, Delsea 21:36.71; Olivia Mashburn, Delsea 21:37.01; Jordan Muczydlowski, GCIT 21:37.31; Isabella Moran, Delsea 21:40.50; Anabel Schaal, Woodstown 21:43.70; Julia Blanchard, Washington Twp. 21:51.95; Dakota Milou, Washington Twp. 22:08.80; Rhea Remaly, Clearview 22:11.01; Sofia Moran, Delsea 22:25.00; Lyana Gutierrez, Highland 22:31.55; Allison Reinherz, Washington Twp. 22:34.24; Ava Buchanan, Kingsway 22:36.59; Kate Yanek, Clearview 22:42.65; Layla Chain, Washington Twp. 22:48.94; Carli Sciotto, Washington Twp. 22:58.51. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE FIELD HOCKEY Paulsboro at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Wildwood, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m. Schalick at Pitman, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Overbrook, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Overbrook at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Schalick at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Penns Grove, 3:45 p.m. Salem at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Monday roundup: Schalick scores 5 quick goals, gives senior three good chances to close it out; includes soccer, field hockey, tennis
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – There’s nothing more rewarding for a coach or energizing to a team than to get a well-liked deep reserve into a game and give them a chance to make something memorable happen.
John Egan V, a career JV player up with the varsity as a senior, didn’t score a goal in Schalick’s 5-0 soccer win over Overbrook Monday, but it wasn’t for his or his teammates’ lack of trying to make it happen.
Egan started the second half on the right wing and it was a popular substitution, not one just for appearances. He led the team’s breakdown coming out of halftime and whenever the Cougars got control of the ball while he was in the game somebody on the pitch would say “Get it to John.”
“He hadn’t scored one in the three years I’ve been here and we tried getting him a goal today the best we can,” senior midfielder Anthony Sepers said. “I think I had an open shot but I tried to pass it to him and it just didn’t really work out. I’m sure we’re going to try the rest of the season to get him a goal.”
“For four years he’s been with us doing all the hard work that everybody else is doing; they know how far John has come and how hard he works in practice,” Cougars coach Joe Mannella said. “He’s got a lot of good players in front of him. We saw other kids in his situation go leave to play another sport … but he loves soccer, he loves the team. I know the guys wanted to get him a goal and they got him a couple chances.”
Schalick senior John Egan (18) awaits a pass from teammate Luke Price in the second half of Monday’s game against Overbrook.
Egan had never scored a goal in his high school career, at least not one that stuck. He’s had a couple JV goals called back for offsides and he buried a penalty kick against Penns Grove last year that got waved off because someone breached the box during the kick.
He had three good chances against the Rams. He had a shot off a run about six minutes into the half that went right of the post. Luke Price crossed it over to him moments later and he just missed again. His best chance came when he took a feed from Price on a 2-on-1 and shot it over the crossbar.
“John went in there and really did some nice things,” Mannella said. “Really what I liked is the way everybody supported him. That team sense was important.”
“I was kind of surprised it would be today that he’d put me into a varsity game as a varsity player; I’m very, very happy about that,” Egan said. “It was very amazing (the scoring opportunities he had), but you get nervous when you’re about to shoot the ball into the goal. I got nervous.”
Had any of the shots found the back of the net it would have set the Cougars (1-0-1) up for a mercy-rule win since they already had a 5-0 lead.
The Cougars, who came from behind twice to tie Washington Twp. in their season opener, were forced to play their home opener on their practice field because of poor conditions in the middle of their regular pitch. They didn’t have any problem making the last-minute adjustment.
They literally scored early and often. All five of their goals came over an 11-minute stretch in the first 17 minutes of the match.
Nolan O’Toole opened the scoring in the sixth minute, followed by Anthony Sepers’ first goal a minute later. Sepers notched his second goal in the 14th minute, with Steve Chomo and Mikey Nelson following in rapid fashion. Jaxon Weber had three assists.
“It was all about getting on them,” Sepers said. “We don’t want to take them easy and then they come in here and score a goal on us and then we’re on our toes the entire rest of the game trying to win and score.”
“They did the things that we’re trying to do in games and they executed,” Mannella said. “That was good to see.”
BOYS SOCCER Pennsville 5, Salem Tech 0: Samuel Hassler had a goal and two assists and five different players scored as the Eagles won their season opener. Coen Rinnier recorded six saves in posting the shutout. Woodstown 1, Glassboro 0: Bryce Ayars converted a pass from Aaron Flynn in the first five minutes for the game’s only goal. Pitman 3, Penns Grove 0: Jonas Trum scored three minutes into the match and the Panthers tacked on two goals in the second half to spoil the Red Devils’ season opener. Clayton 9, Salem 0: The Clippers scored eight goals in the first half.
GIRLS SOCCER Pennsville 3, Penns Grove 0: Molly Gratz scored two goals and assisted on the other (Taylor Bass) as the Eagles improved to 2-0. Schalick 7, Overbrook 0: Quinn Berger had a hat trick and Cali Fisler had two assists to move within four of the all-time school record (44). Woodstown 7, Glassboro 1: Freshman Hailey Kucharczuk came off the bench to score the first two goals of her career and Emma Perry had two goals and an assist as the Wolverines scored their first win of the season. Ellie Wygand made seven saves in the net before giving way to Mazie Mazzoni. Pitman 7, Salem Tech 0: Carly Razze and Emery Sharpnack each scored twice for Pitman.
FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville 3, Absegami 2: Kendall Hoyt knocked in the game-winner with 5:06 to play as the Eagles improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2018, when they opened the season 3-0. They were 1-0-1 after two games in 2019. Mia Runkiewicz tied the game with 9:44 to play, then Hoyt won it with her second goal of the game. GIRLS TENNIS PENNSVILLE 4, WILDWOOD 1 Lily Edwards (P) def. Angela Wilber, 6-1, 6-2 Izzy Schlenker (P) def. Cydnee Kilian, 6-3, 6-4 Morgan Holt (P) def. Estella Robinson, 6-0, 6-0 Emma Hankin-Naomi Hess (P) def. Antoinette Cooper-Selin Ogden, 6-0, 6-0 Charlotte Baetz-Emma Contreras (WI) def. Yerlian Charon-Graillyn Weber, 2-6, 6-0, 10-5 Records: Pennsville 4-2, Wildwood 2-3.
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Sept. 8-13
MONDAY, SEPT. 8 FIELD HOCKEY Absegami at Pennsville, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Pitman, 4 p.m. Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Pitman at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Schalick at Overbrook, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Wildwood, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Schalick at Salem, 4 p.m. VOLLEYBALL Schalick at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 9 FIELD HOCKEY Schalick at Pitman, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Deptford, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown at West Deptford, 3:45 p.m. CROSS COUNTRY TCC Batch Meet at Cumberland, 3:30 p.m. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10 FIELD HOCKEY Paulsboro at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Wildwood, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m. Schalick at Pitman, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Overbrook, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Overbrook at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Schalick at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Penns Grove, 3:45 p.m. Salem at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 11 WJFL FOOTBALL Penns Grove at Glassboro, 7 p.m. West Deptford at Collingswood, 6 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Salem at Deptford, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Clayton, 4 p.m. Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Penns Grove at Palmyra, 4 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 12 WJFL FOOTBALL Woodstown at Schalick, 6 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Paulsboro at Camden Catholic, 7 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Salem at Bridgeton, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Bridgeton at Salem, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Schalick at Cumberland, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Middle Twp., 4 p.m. CROSS COUNTRY Boys Showcase, White Clay Creek State Park, 2 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 13 WJFL FOOTBALL Woodbury at Salem, noon Bordentown at Audubon, 11 a.m. CROSS COUNTRY South Jersey Shootout, DREAM Park, 9 a.m.
FIELD HOCKEY Washington Twp. 4, Schalick 2 BOYS SOCCER Schalick 2, Washington Twp 2 GIRLS SOCCER Audubon 3, Woodstown 0 Bridgeton at Pennsville GIRLS TENNIS Clearview 3, Woodstown 2 Kingsway 4, Pennsville 1 Wildwood at Salem
WEST DEPTFORD — The circumstances producing it may be different, but when you look at where they stand today, the Pennsville football team is in the same spot it was this time last year and things turned out all right. So they have that to consider as they look to bounce back from another 0-2 start.
The Eagles dropped their second straight game to open the season Friday night, 42-7 at West Deptford. They started last season 0-2, too, then rebounded to get into the South Jersey Group 1 playoffs and played two rounds.
Of course, those were two close games against Gloucester and West Deptford last year. The ones this season against the same opponents were not and that’s the worrisome part.
“Record-wise, we’re in the same position, but we’ve got to figure it out as a whole unit,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said after explaining it to his team in a 20-minute post-mortem in the far end zone. “(Have to) better understand why are we out here, why are we doing what we’re doing.
“It’s very frustrating for all of us. We know deep down we are not putting out what we are right now and we’ve got to figure out how to find that within the kids, how to get the best of us on the field because right now we’re just not doing it.
“It’s a long season. We still have time to pull it together and accomplish our goals, but we’ve got to get it done. We can’t let it keep going like this. We have got to get it figured out and get started going. We don’t want to let the opportunity slip and then it be too late and we don’t have the opportunity any more.”
West Deptford, meanwhile, came into the game wanting to play better against Pennsville than it did in last year’s game when it needed a Sports Center highlight touchdown in the final minute from a backup quarterback pressed into action two minutes earlier to win.
The homestanding Eagles dominated this one for their second win of the season. They rushed for 366 yards (234 in the first half), racked up 22 first downs and held Pennsville to four first downs and less than 85 yards of net offense.
They scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions and six of nine in the game. Zamir Davis rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Cole Paskiewicz scored the first two touchdown of the game.
The seized the momentum from the very start. Pennsville fumbled the first snap of the game. West Deptford recovered and turned it into Paskiewicz’ first touchdown of the game.
“We looked for improvement from a year ago,” said West Deptford coach John Emel, who personally beat Pennsville for the ninth straight time. “A year ago they outplayed us.
“I told them before the game this year I want to play better than we did last year against them. I know we’re a better team, but our goal every day is to play better and I want to play better today.”
The highlight of Pennsville’s night was Perry’s Pic-Six, an 85-yard interception return for a third-quarter touchdown by senior defensive lineman Perry Meranti.
“That was nice,” he said. “That’s my first ever career touchdown, so that was a big moment for me. I definitely would have dreamed I was going to get (the first one) on offense more than defense.”
He certainly was in the right place at the right time, taking advantage of the coaches call to turn players loose in the second half for a chance to show what they can do.
West Deptford was on the verge of opening the second half with another touchdown, taking the kickoff and driving to the Pennsville 11. Quarterback Brady Cobb rolled right with the snap and for a moment looked like he was going to run it. Then all of a sudden he pulled up as he got closer to the line of scrimmage, tossed it and Meranti was there to pick it.
“Sometimes the only wrong decision is indecision,” Emel said. “He kind of looked like he wanted to run and at the last second tried to make a mountain out of a molehill and it cost us six points. He’s a smart kid, but that was not a smart play.”
The way the play flowed it didn’t take long for Meranti to clear traffic and once he got into the open field nobody was going to catch him.
“The wing, he rolled out trying to reach me, so I was just doing my job like we practice all week,” the senior said. “I’m trying to stretch the play out and I saw the QB cut up, so I tried to cut in and take him for a sack and he tried to dump it over the top and I kind of just caught it. It was just there.
“I was just trying to stay ready as much as I could. The second he pulled the pin I kind of broke for it.”
Meranti knows what has to happen for his team to get back on track.
“We have a really good team this year within us,” he said, “but us seniors, even me, we need to step up and take a role of leadership. I’ll say what our coaches said: Our leadership graduated last year and we need to take a big step forward and step up. Last year it was an internal change. We had people step up.”
Top photo: Pennsville’s Perry Meranti snags the interception he returned 85 yards for the Eagles’ only touchdown against West Deptford. (Photo by Amory Alleyne)
West Deptford 42, Pennsville 7
PMHS (7)
WDEPT (42)
4
1st Downs
22
27-53
Rushing
40-366
3-8-0
Passing (C-A-I)
5-9-1
29
Passing yds
60
1-1
Fumbles-lost
1-1
4-33.8
Punts-avg
0-0
7-58
Penalties-yds
2-15
Pennsville (0-2)
0
0
7
0-
7
West Deptford (2-0)
14
14
6
8-
42
SCORING SUMMARY WD: Colę Paskiewicz 4 run (Brady Cobb kick), 8:41 1Q WD: Cole Paskiewicz 8 pass from Brady Cobb (Brady Cobb kick), 1:15 1Q WD: Zamir Davis 48 run (kick failed), 10:12 2Q WD: Zamir Davis 6 run (Colę Paskiewicz pass from Brady Cobb), 25.3 2Q P: Perry Meranti 85 interception return (Danny Knight kick), 9:33 3Q WD: Zamir Davis 2 run (kick failed), 2:20 3Q WD: Kameron Simpkins 5 run (Bryce Wynn run), 9:05 4Q
Delsea 35, Woodstown 7
FRANKLINVILLE — Delsea did what Delsea does and what it didn’t do when the teams played a year ago.
The Crusaders rushed for a whopping 465 yards as a team, with three backs each going for more than 100, to avenge their low-scoring, one-point overtime loss to the Wolverines in last year’s season opener.
Milo Gebhard led the crush with 143 yards on nine carries. He scored the first two touchdowns of the game as Delsea opened a 21-0 halftime lead. Nasir Hart had 122 yards and two TDs on five attempts, while Imair Chester had 120 yards on seven carries and the game’s final touchdown.
Freshman quarterback Frankie Hoerst scored Woodstown’s only touchdown, a 6-yard run in the third quarter that answered the coaches’ challenge at halftime. Hoerst had 25 yards rushing and completed six passes for 71 yards.
Cole Ware had an interception for the Wolverines.
“I was happy with the way our kids fought tonight,” Woodstown coach Frank Trautz said. “They (Delsea) were very physical and for our young team to get a taste of that tonight it was good for us. We can take a lot of good things away from it. I do think this will be a positive for us moving forward.”
Delsea 35, Woodstown 7
WOOD (7)
DEL (35)
10
1st Downs
17
26-62
Rushing
32-465
6-17-1
Passing (C-A-I)
1-2-1
71
Passing yds
23
2-0
Fumbles-lost
1-0
2-40.0
Punts-avg
0-0
8-51
Penalties-yds
10-100
Woodstown (1-1)
0
0
7
0-
7
Delsea (2-0)
7
14
7
7-
35
SCORING SUMMARY D: Milo Gebhard 1 run (Logan Cordero kick) D: Milo Gebhard 59 run (Logan Cordero kick) D: Nashi Hart 8 run (Logan Cordero kick) WO: Frank Hoerst 6 run (Frank Hoerst kick) D: Nasir Hart 46 run (Logan Cordero kick) D: Imair Chester 37 run (Logan Cordero kick)
WJFL Standings
DIAMOND DIVISION
ALL
DIV
Glassboro
2-0
0-0
Woodstown
1-1
0-0
Penns Grove
0-1
0-0
Salem
0-2
0-0
Schalick
0-2
0-0
Woodbury
0-2
0-0
PATRIOT DIVISION
ALL
DIV
Collingswood
2-0
1-0
West Deptford
2-0
1-0
Paulsboro
1-0
0-0
Audubon
0-0
0-0
Camden Catholic
0-1
0-0
Overbrook
1-1
0-1
Pennsville
0-2
0-1
Thursday’s Games Cinnaminson 3, Salem 0 Friday’s Games Cumberland 14, Schalick 7 Delsea 35, Woodstown 7 Glassboro 52, Haddon Heights 0 Haddonfield 41, Woodbury 0 West Deptford 42, Pennsville 7 Collingswood 27, Overbrook 14 Saturday’s Games Audubon at Paulsboro Deptford at Penns Grove KIPP at Camden Catholic
Scurry, Virga each score twice as Schalick field hockey opens season of high expectations with a win; will be updated
TUESDAY FIELD HOCKEY Schalick 5, Haddon Heights 2 Pennsville 3, Bridgeton 2
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — Ava Scurry scored a school-record 40 goals on a field hockey team that set a lot of records last season and she wasted little time setting out to break that mark this year.
The Schalick senior scored two goals in the first 100 seconds of the season Tuesday and assisted on another goal, sending the Cougars to a 5-2 win over Haddon Heights.
“We were hyping this game up a lot because we had a target on our backs from last season so we wanted to come out and show everyone we still have it,” Scurry said. “We have our whole team from last year. It was a good way to start the season and a great way to start the game.”
Her goals came on the Cougars’ first two attacks of the season. The first came 20 seconds into the game when Luci Virga lifted a ball into the circle and Scurry knocked in a pass from Phoebe Alward. The second goal came 78 seconds later when she converted a 30-yard flick from Caylen Taylor.
The first goal came so quick Scurry worried that her mother might not have gotten to the game yet to see it.
“That was really quick,” Cougars coach Heather Cheesman said. “The girls made a commitment to themselves, they’re going full force every single time, never giving up. They don’t care how far they’re behind in a game, how far they’re ahead of a game, that was one of their goals. They’re going full force, 100 percent every single time.”
Virga, a 22-goal scorer last year, lit the lamp twice in the second quarter to give the Cougars a 4-0 halftime lead. Addi Shimp scored their final goal in the third off another assist from Alward.
“That forward line (Virga, Alward, Scurry), all three of them are a force to be dealt with,” Cheesman said. “All three of them together have their own strength and just together they get it done.”
NOTES: Lydia Gilligan made 10 saves in the cage on her 17th birthday for the keeper win … The Cougars have been invited to play in the new 16-team South Jersey Field Hockey Coaches Tournament of Championship Oct. 4 at Camden Catholic and Oct. 5 at Clearview.
PENNSVILLE 3, BRIDGETON 2: Izzie Saulin scored twice and Laura Tamburella once as the Eagles won a back-and-forth affair for their first season-opening win since 2020. Kelsey Cook posted her 100th career save during the game while preserving the victory.
Getting to know … Ava Scurry
Schalick senior talks about her love for field hockey, becoming a goal-scoring machine, the expectations for her senior season and playing with his sister.
RIVERVIEW SPORTS NEWS: You play a lot of sports at Schalick, but you’re a field hockey player first. Why did it rise to the top of your sports menu?
AVA SCURRY: I just enjoy it so much. I’ve been playing with all these people, my teammates, since I started in fourth grade. I played softball since I was like 4. (Field hockey) is just so much more fun to me.
RSN: What was the first success you enjoyed in it that told you this was the sport for you?
AS: Probably winning when we were in fourth and fifth grades, winning big games or big tournaments with all of our team, just celebrating. We made so many fond memories and had so many big moments.
My mom told me when I was like 12 I thought softball was going to be it for you and then field hockey just like kind of sucked it away.
RSN: I remember you early on as a big assist person, but last year you turned into a big goal scorer. Was that a conscious effort on your part or did it just happen?
AS: I think it just happened like that because I’m always trying to assist my teammates. I still try, but now being on the right side helps a lot and I think my teammates do great at sending balls (my way), that’s what changed.
I played on the left when I was a freshman and sophomore and I think that helped a lot with me getting a lot of assists. I moved to right last year and I think that made a huge change.
RSN: You guys had a really big year last year and everybody is back from that team, so what are your expectations for this year?
AS: Very high. I think our goal is to win state championship. It’s our last time as a group being together.
RSN: How much better is it now?
AS: I think we’ve progressed all season. We’ve been working in the offseason. We’ve been with each other all summer. We do camps together.
RSN: You’re playing with your sister Renee this year, a year delayed because of her injury, what will that be like?
AS: When we were little I didn’t really like it that much, but now I think it’s so much fun playing with her. We come to school together every day, we come to practice together, it really strengthens our bond. It’s just so much fun doing something that you love with your best friend.
RSN: What’s recruiting like for you?
AS: I’m committed to Montclair State. I’ve been committed since April. I knew I wanted to stay close to home, but not too close. I thought Rowan was way too close. Montclair is a bigger D-III. I liked the size. And the coaches and team atmosphere were really nice.
Tennis
Tuesday’s matches Pennsville 5, Penns Grove 0 Salem at Gloucester Catholic Schalick 5, Overbrook 0 Woodstown 5, Glassboro 0
Riverview Sports News 