Category: RUNNING

Best foot forward

Woodstown’s boys going back to states after third-place finish at sectionals; Schalick also qualifies in boys race

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

LOGAN TWP. – It wasn’t necessarily a drought, but it was a dry spell like this past month of October that Woodstown boys cross country coach Steve New really wanted to end.

It had been three years since the Wolverines’ boys team made it to the state meet, but they ended the dry spell Saturday with a third-place finish in the South Jersey Group I sectional race at DREAM Park.

The Wolverines placed three runners in the top 10 and all five in the top 25 to score 63 points for a solid third behind winner Glassboro and Haddon Twp. Schalick finished fourth and also qualified for next week’s state meet in Holmdel.

“I thought we had a shot (to win), we’d have to have all things line up for us, but I can’t be upset with them,” New said. “That’s the best we’ve finished since I’ve been coaching. My 1 through 7 were all under 18:40. I’ve never had a team do that.”

The Wolverines’ Big 3 – Salem County champion Karson Chew, Jacob Marino and Cole Lucas – finished third, sixth and seventh, respectively, just three seconds apart. They’re other two counters, Jon Farrell and David Farrell, were 24th and 25th, respectively, separated at the wire by one second.

“We told them don’t worry about the clock, worry about people,” New said. “You can’t be worried about your watch, you’ve got to worry about passing people. If you want to go out fast, it’s got to be controlled chaos, settle in to where you think you need to be. They were right where I wanted them to be.”

“This is the first year in a long time our whole team was able to make it to state and it’s the first year in a long time we’ve had a chance at winning (sectionals),” Chew said as he tried calculating team scores as runners crossed the finish line. “It’s a maybe right now, but we’ll figure it out. I’m super happy either way, if we win or not. It was a super good race from everyone. I’m super proud of them, super proud of myself and can’t wait to run in the states.”

Woodstown’s fate was sealed when the fifth counters from Glassboro and Haddon Twp. both finished in the top 17 before the Wolverines’ last two runners crossed the line.

“It was a hard race,” Marino said. “Our whole team fought to the end.”

Glassboro’s Ty Blackman blew the field away winning in 15:42.62. Shaun Maloney of Haddon Twp. was second (16:47.34). Chew was only six seconds behind, just missing a PR, holding off Haddon Twp.’s Manolo Foote and Glassboro’s Jaeden Wesley at the finish.

“My whole thing when I’m racing against Ty, second place becomes first place,” Chew said. “It ends up being a race for second between everybody, just because he’s so much ahead. That way it’s made it easier to not get discouraged or feel bad during the race.”

Schalick scored 123 points. Salvatore Longo was the first Cougars’ runner across the line, coming in 13th (17:19.71). Collin Bittle was 22nd (18:05.06). Six of the Cougars’ runners posted season-best times.

Salem’s Sam Cooke was 27th (18:28.03). The Rams finished eighth as a team.

Pennsville didn’t have enough runners to post a team score, but Logan Brumbaugh and Logan Cowperthwait were the Eagles’ top finishers at 51st and 57th.

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
BOYS XC CHAMPIONSHIP
TEAM SCORES: Glassboro 42, Haddon Twp. 44, Woodstown 63, Schalick 123, Maple Shade 140, Audubon 177, Pitman 182, Salem 215, Cape May Tech 242, Clayton 282, Riverside 309, Pt. Pleasant Beach 370.

INDIVIDUAL TOP 5: Ty Blackmon, Glassboro, 15:42.62; Shaun Maloney, Haddon Twp. 16:47.34; Karon Chew, Woodstown, 16:53.02; Manolo Foote, Haddon Twp., 16:53.21; Jaeden Wesley, Glassboro, 16:53.50.

Cover photo: Woodstown’s Karson Chew holds off runners from Glassboro and Haddon Twp. to finish third in the South Jersey Group I boys race Saturday.

Putting the fun in the run

Both teams from Woodstown, Schalick qualify for state cross country championship with top 5 finishes at DREAM Park; Wildwood’s McCracken upsets Hadfield in girls G1 race

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

LOGAN TWP. – Every team that qualified for the state cross country meet from the South Jersey sectional at DREAM Park Saturday will be going forward with an abundance of momentum and confidence. It’s doubtful, though, many will be bringing as much fun to Holmdel as the Woodstown girls team.

Woodstown coach Michelle Williams holds the book she reads passages from to inspire her girls cross country team.

The Wolverines have so much fun inside their ranks they just might need an extra trailer to carry it all with them.

The Woodstown girls are heading to the state meet as a full team for the first time since 2016 after finishing third in the South Jersey Group I race here, just a few points from second.

To help them keep the pressure down and their focus up, there are a couple extra items in and around their tent to keep the juju positive. 

Consider:

First-year coach Michelle Williams gave each of her runners a hand-made bracelet with their name on one side and the team motto on the other — “F-E-A-R”, not a call for something to be overcome, but rather something to redefine: “Forget Everything And Run.”

“So much of this is the mental part and just leaving it all behind and coming out and doing the job you know you can do,” Williams said. “When you get on the line, when you’re a teenager, you’ve got school and you’ve got relationships and you’re worried about college and all these other things. Then you get out here and the beauty of running is you can forget about all that stuff and just go. It’s all about the running when you get out here.”

She reads them passages from a book she picked up on Amazon, “Mindful Thoughts for Runners,” for inspiration while they huddled in their blankets waiting for the day to begin. The messages Saturday were Pace and The Power of Breath. It’ll be part of their routine going forward. 

Wolverines boys coach Steve New lovingly calls them “turkeys” and they’ve embraced it. They have two turkey pillows – one named Fred – a turkey doll in a Woodstown XC shirt, a handful of turkey feathers from their last meet and a working turkey call among their effects.

“Because we’re all so close, it’s just a fun silly time,” said sophomore Lilian Norman, the Wolverines fastest finisher Saturday in her first race back since early October. “We don’t judge each other because we’re all cross country kids and we’re all silly.”

The Woodstown girls cross country team has been redefining fear this season and wears this bracelet for motivation.

In addition to the fun stuff, they’ve gone through a Cross Country Psych 101, a classroom exercise a couple weeks ago that was basically a blind walk through the virtual meet, to convince the runners they really do belong among the contenders. The actual numbers were better than what the runners presumed. 

Seeing those actual numbers gave them the realization they could actually do it and that belief, Williams said, was a “huge factor” in getting through the race Saturday. It didn’t hurt their motivation the Woodstown boys qualified for state an hour earlier.

It’s all just Williams playing to her strength.

“I’m actually not historically a coach,” she said. “I’m not an athlete. I’m a scout leader. I’m a science teacher. I’m a lot of other things. I’m a 26-year veteran of high school teaching in the state of New Jersey. I know how relationships with kids work and I know how to motivate kids to do things they don’t think they can do.

“That was kind of my thing. I told Steve at the beginning of the season you’ve got all the cross-country knowledge. The thing I can bring to the table is the communication, organization and just understanding how to mold the kids into their potential … because so much of this is definitely appreciating and trusting the fact you can do this.”

Sophomore Lilian Norman and friend.

The Wolverines placed three of their runners among the top 10 counters (top 12 overall), four of their six set PRs – counters Norman (20:26.75), Anabel Schaal (21:29.53) and Samantha Sterner (23:27.01) and Arianna Mott (24:50.62) – and they scored 69 points, just three behind runner-up Haddon Twp. 

It was their best sectional finish since a runner-up in 2016, the last time they took a full team to the state. Their fourth-place finish in 2020 would have qualified, but they didn’t run a state meet that year due to COVID.

“Historically we’ve always had trouble having enough girls to qualify – to have five finish,” Williams said. “This year we struggled, too, just with the six we have with injuries and illness.

“This is actually the first race all season all six girls started and finished the race. That was my goal for today. I wanted all six of us to start and finish the race because as a team I feel like they just needed to feel like they accomplished something this season together.”

Schalick grabbed the final qualifying spot with a fifth-place finish. Audubon took the girls title with 53 points. Wildwood’s Macie McCracken won the race (18:38.27), holding off Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield down the stretch 

McCracken said it was both exciting and surprising to win. She had been chasing Hadfield all season and finally caught her in the biggest race of the year to date. She took the lead coming out of the woods with about a mile left and never let it go. She won by 16 seconds.

“That was my best run all season,” she said. “I’ve been racing Jordan probably every week since the season started. She’s been obviously really good competition and beats me by a good amount every time, but today I just really, really was feeling good and felt like I could beat her.

“I did not expect to beat her. She definitely ran well, but I also think that this is a one-time thing. I wouldn’t beat her again. I definitely ran well for myself today.”

Hadfield was visibly upset at the finish and politely declined requests for post-race interviews.

Salem Tech’s Sarah Seiden was hoping to earn a spot at the state meet out of the stacked Group 2 race after not finishing the race last year. The senior came up short on that goal, finishing 18th overall, but she run a PR and set the school record (21:01.01). The Chargers finished ninth as a team.

South Jersey XC Sectionals

SJ GROUP I BOYSBOYS TOP 10
Glassboro42Ty Blackman, Glassboro15:42.62
Haddon Twp.44Shaun Maloney, Haddon Twp.16:47.34
Woodstown63Karson Chew, Woodstown16:53.02
Schalick123Manolo Foote, Haddon Twp.16:53.21
Maple Shade140Jaeden Wesley, Glassboro16:53.50
Audubon177Jacob Marino, Woodstown16:55.60
Pitman182Cole Lucas, Woodstown16:56.06
Salem215Logan Camm, Audubon16:57.92
Cape May Tech242Joseph Saicic, Glassboro16:57.95
Clayton282Jason Martin, Glassboro17:00.71
Riverside309
Pt. Pleasant Beach370
SJ GROUP I GIRLSGIRLS TOP 10
Audubon53Macie McCracken, Wildwood18:38.27
Haddon Twp.66Jordan Hadfield, Schalick18:54.75
Woodstown69Crystal Benito, Maple Shade19:44.30
Maple Shade94Juliana Catalani, Maple Shade20:20.40
Schalick104Lilian Norman, Woodstown20:26.75
Pitman145Abby Marino, Woodstown20:43.96
Cape May Tech166Sophia Brassill, Audubon20:58.99
Leiah Pawlus, Wildwood21:01.76
Blake Kemery, Haddon Twp.21:04.62
Tanner Lajoie, Haddon Twp.21:13.77
NOTE: Top 5 teams and individuals from non-qualifying teams in race top 10 qualify for state meet

Cover photo: Wildwood’s Macie McCracken comes to the finish line after her best run of the year wins the South Jersey Group I girls cross country sectional race.

This week’s schedule

The first round of the NJSIAA football playoffs highlights the schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Oct. 28-Nov. 2

MONDAY
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Penns Grove
Salem Tech at Schalick
GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Salem
Pennsville at Wildwood
Schalick at Salem Tech
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Highland

TUESDAY
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Pennsville
Glassboro at Woodstown
Millville at Schalick
GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Salem Tech

WEDNESDAY
FIELD HOCKEY
Oakcrest at Pennsville
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
GIRLS SOCCER
Vineland at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Penn State Brandywine at Salem CC, 5:45 p.m.

FRIDAY
FOOTBALL
South Jersey Group I playoffs
Point Pleasant Beach at Glassboro
Audubon at Schalick
Central Jersey Group I playoffs
KIPP Cooper Norcross at Woodstown
Pennsville at Burlington City
Woodbury at Middlesex
New Egypt at Shore

BOYS SOCCER
Schalick at Cumberland

SATURDAY
FOOTBALL
South Jersey Group I playoffs
Riverside at Haddon Twp.
Manville at Paulsboro
CROSS COUNTRY
Sectionals at Dream Park

Hadfield wins TCC race

Schalick senior getting back on track after stretch of illness slowed her down, now turns her attention to sectionals, state

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SEABROOK – Jordan Hadfield is starting to feel like her old self again – just in time for the biggest races of the year.

HADFIELD

The Schalick senior had been fighting through an illness she knows not what that combined with a heavy race schedule impacted her from being in top form.

She was still feeling some of it Wednesday at the Tri-County Conference Showcase, but felt a lot closer to being back, winning the girls race for the second year in a row. She covered the Cumberland Regional course in 18:57.51.

“I’m definitely a little bit more happy about where we’re heading toward sectionals,” she said. “Just from getting over being sick it’s hard to get back into it, so running high 18s just for getting back is not bad. 

“With the sectionals coming up (at Dream Park) I have a week and a half to get myself together. I’ll definitely have to focus in training. Now that I feel better we’ll definitely do better.”

Race followers sensed something was wrong at the Salem County Championship when Hadfield ran a 19:15.79 to win the race and was physically upset about it. It was part of a grueling stretch of three races in eight days. 

It was such a grind she sat out last week’s TCC Batch Meet in which the Cougars clinched their division championship in order to be ready for Wednesday and the rest of the season.

“I typically am not like the person to be sick all the time, I kind of get lucky with that stuff, and this part of the season is not a good time to get sick,” she said. “I’m so thankful it was not during sectionals and things. 

“Today’s race was just about seeing where we are after you’re being sick and just getting back into it, and running somewhat close to what you used to be able to so that this week and a half will be just refining that.”

Hadfield went out in Wednesday’s race “a little slower than I would’ve preferred,” but still at a pace she felt comfortable. The contenders ran together for about the first two miles, then she picked up the pace because she didn’t want it to come down to a big push at the end and led the rest of the race.

She beat runner-up Sophia Aldridge of Williamston to the wire by nine seconds. Wildwood’s Macie McCracken was third, another 16 seconds back.

The next fastest Salem County finisher after Hadfield was Woodstown’s Abby Marino, who finished 11th (20:31.07). Salem Tech’s Sarah Seiden was 21st (21:21.04).

Schalick finished sixth as a team. Delsea won the girls team title, squeezing all its counters in a tight 78-second pack between sixth and 15th.

Glassboro’s Ty Blackman won the boys race in 15:49.74. Highland Regional won the team title, placing four of its five counters among the top 13.

Woodstown’s Cole Lucas and county champion Karson Chew finished 11th and 17th, respectively, to help the Wolverines to a fifth-place team finish. Schalick was 11th, Salem Tech 14th and Salem 16th.

Hadfield is still trying to decide her college future, but her choice appears to be coming down between St. Joe’s and the University of Rhode Island.

Tri-County Showcase

BOYS TEAM SCORES: Highland 63, Williamstown 89, Kingsway 96, Glassboro 119, Woodstown 159, Delsea 167, Clearview 172, Washington Twp. 176, Timber Creek 186, GCIT 205, Schalick 306, Pitman 350, Deptford 360, Salem Tech 406, Cumberland 412, Salem 438, Clayton 505.
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Delsea 57, Williamstown 71, Washington Twp. 74, Kingsway 78, Clearview 79, Schalick 156, Pitman 197, GCIT 204, Cumberland 256.

BOYS TOP 15TIMEGIRLS TOP 15TIME
Ty Blackman, Glassboro15:49.74Jordan Hadfield, Schalick18:57.71
Matthew Littlehales, Delsea16:00.24Sophia Aldridge, Williamstown19:06.74
Ryan Duffy, Kingsway16:17.03Macie McCracken, Wildwood19:22.13
Mason Wassell, Highland16:26.16Kaylee Russen, Wash Twp.19:34.49
Dominic Burgio, Williamstown16:29.94Rachael Wilson, Wash Twp.19:50.63
Ethan Worst, Clearview16:33.71Aubrey Bishop, Kingsway19::59.63
Hunter Bostwick, Wash Twp16:36.96Lyana Gutierrez, Highland20:03.21
Dylan Saber, Williamstown16:40.63Juliana Sieminski, Delsea20:11.15
Andrew Dopkin, Highland16:49.61Delaney Harbison, Williamstown20:14.38
Logan Pavelik, Williamstown16:52.78Alaina Zabielski, Kingsway20:20.04
Cole Lucas, Woodstown16:54.94Abby Marino, Woodstown20:31.07
Andrew Kellem, Highland17:10.19Laney Vecchio, Delsea20:34.33
Colin Roznowski, Highland17:10.57Lilla Porter, Clearview20:46.91
Ryne Handley, Clearview17:15.45Julia Burgio, Williamstown20:52.87
Jaeden Wesley, Glassboro17:18.16Emily Luther, Triton20:57.50

Girls tennis

WOODSTOWN 5, GLASSBORO 0
Gabby Kurpis (Wo) def. Ella Killelea, 6-0, 6-1
Camille Osborn (Wo) def. Kaylee Johnson, 6-1, 6-1
Aubrie Rennie (Wo) def. Halle Lazarus, 6-0, 6-0
Leah Waterman-Julianna Lindenmuth (Wo) def. Alana Killelea-Taylor Adcock, 6-1, 6-0
Melissa Hassler-EvaLouisa Thomsen (Wo) def. Virginia Tarasevich-Alice Dinzeo, 6-0, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 15-5, Glassboro 5-10

Repeat performance

Rich, VanHorn repeat as NJTAC cross country champions; Passaic Tech boys, Morris County girls win team titles; also, Monday’s Salem County results

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Julian Rich of Camden County Tech and Morris Tech’s Maya VanHorn repeated as individual champions at the NJTAC Cross Country Championships Monday and did it in the same fashion they won here at Salem Tech a year ago.

RICH

Rich won the boys race with a sprint to the finish, hitting the tape in a PR of 16:40.79 – six-tenths of a second ahead of Victor Mielnik of Passaic Tech. Rich won last year’s race by an even closer margin – 0.32.

VanHorn won her third straight tech school state title, going wire-to-wire and finishing in 18:46.20, 11 seconds faster than last year’s winning time and more than 90 second better than runner-up Micah Dilello of Sussex Tech. She beat Dilello by more than two minutes last year.

Rich, Mielnik and GCIT’s Connor Auge broke out of the pack early and stayed out front the whole race. Rich had given some thought to ripping it off the start and hoping the other contenders wouldn’t follow, but when they stayed together through the first half mile he decided to hang back and let the race play out.

It came down to Rich and Mielnik down the stretch. Mielnik pulled slightly ahead just as they got to the final rise and Rich picked it up to stay with him. Well aware of Mielnik’s strong finishing kick, Rich sprinted down in the finishing chute to pull it out at the end, putting him in a good place for Thursday’s Olympic Conference meet at Dream Park

“I was coming into this race for a confidence booster,” Rich said. “I’ve been a little down on the last races, but after today I feel so much better. My confidence in high again.

“I’ve had quite a few races like that, more in track than cross country because I’m a better 3200 runner than a 5K runner. I’ve done that quite a lot of times. I’ve been doing that since like fourth grade. It’s definitely fun doing that. It puts on a show for everyone. I love doing what I do. I’ve figured out how to run these finishes.”

There was no such drama in the girls race. VanHorn quickly moved to the front of the pack at the start and steadily stretched the lead. It was her seventh win in eight races this year.

The high heat and low humidity made the run a little more difficult but she tried to build momentum in the shady portion of the Salem Tech course. With the Morris County Championships the next day, she was trying her best to run hard and smart.

Morris County Tech’s Maya VanHorn shows off her medal after winning a third straight NJTAC cross country title.

“It feels awesome to win it for a third time,” she said. “I wanted a three-peat. I wanted my three trophies. I already have two in my room. Three is my lucky number.”

She was especially happy about the win because it got her team off to a good start. The Devils won the girls teams title, placing three runners in the top five and four in the top 10. Passaic Tech won the boys title, putting three runners in the top 10. 

Salem Tech’s Sarah Seiden was the top finisher among local runners. The senior maneuvered around a pack early in her race and finished fifth (22:27.53), three spots better than her finish here last year. She runs again Wednesday in the Tri-County Conference Showcase at Cumberland.

“I won’t ever take it easy; you should go all out no matter what,” she said. “Tomorrow is for rest and then I’ve got to bring it again Wednesday. Today’s time was definitely not my best – I like to be in the teens – but, again, I race on Wednesday and that one is very important to me.”

Salem Tech finished seventh in the boys standings; Dominic Militti was their top finisher (19:17.41, 29th). The Chargers girls didn’t have enough runners to post a team score.

Cover photo: Camden Tech’s Julian Rich (L) sprints past Passaic’s Victor Mielnik down the stretch to win the NJTAC boys race.

NJTAC Championship

BOYS TEAM SCORES: Passaic Tech 47, GCIT 56, Morris Tech 70, Camden Tech 114, Sussex Tech 124, Medford Tech 148, Salem Tech 185, West Tech 234, Cape May Tech 266, West Caldwell 268, Warren Tech 288, ACIT 296, Newark Tech 357, East Brunswick Magnet 389.
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Morris Tech 37, GCIT 58, Passaic Tech 109, ACIT 123, Camden Tech 131, Sussex Tech 142, Warren Tech 147, Cape May Tech 168.

BOYS TOP 10TIMEGIRLS TOP 10TIME
Julian Rich, Camden16:40.79Maya VanHorn, Morris18:46.20
Victor Mielnik, Passaic16:41.39Micah Dilello, Sussex20:25.86
Connor Auge, GCIT16:53:27Aditi Mukundhan, Morris21:05.19
David Cunha, Sussex17:32.96Jordan Moczydlowski, GCIT21:43.41
Tejas Panwar, Morris17:35.08Sarah Seiden, Salem22:27.53
Michael DeCarlo, Passaic17:37.28Grace Corcoran, Morris22:30.23
Owen DeLuca, GCIT17:39.15Grace Napoli, Passaic22:45.66
Vansh Patel, Morris17:40.96Natalie Pandolfo, GCIT22:52.75
John Swaney, Passaic17:44.76Janelle Sanabria, West22:56.63
Kevin Feaster, W. Caldwell17:55.87Olivia Davis, Warren23:08.14

Monday’s sports report

Here are the scores and highlights from Monday’s high school action involving Salem County teams

FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown 6, Overbrook 0: Brae DiGregorio scored two goals and assisted on three others as the Cougars’ offense came back to life, snapping a four-game winless and goal-less slump.

Schalick 10, Deptford 0: Ava Scurry and Phoebe Alward both scored hat tricks as the Cougars (15-0-1) hit double digits for the second time this season and clinched the Tri-County Diamond Division title. Scurry’s hat trick gave her a single-season school record 34 goals. Addi Shimp, Carlen Taylor, Luci Virga and Alexa Shimp also scored goals.

Salem 3, Gloucester Catholic 0: Kashira Patterson scored two goals and freshman Samiyah Moore scored the first goal of her career to lead the Rams (7-4-1). Ava Rogers faced just one shot in posting her sixth shutout.

GIRLS TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 4, SCHALICK 1
Ally Green (S) def. Gabby Kurds, 6-0, 6-4
Camille Osborn (Wo) def. Miya Watkins, 6-3, 7-5
Aubrie Rennie (Wo) def. Macy Clow, 6-1, 6-0
Julianna Lindenmuth-Alyssa Berry (Wo) def. Julia Langley-Helana Tyers, 7-5, 6-1
Noelle Neron-Nathalie Neron (Wo) def. Kayleigh Veach-Annie Podehl, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 13-5, Schalick 9-7

PENNSVILLE 5, OVERBROOK 0
Megan Morris (P) def. Keira Riess, 6-2, 6-3
Regan Witt (P) def. Nesrine Fosso, 6-2, 6-2
Lily Edwards (P) def. Sophia Burgos, 6-2, 6-0
Emma Cornette-Morgan Holt (P) def. Jennifer Giovanni-Gianna Hardy, 6-2, 6-0
Naomi Hess-Izzy Schrenker (P) def. Madison Rikard-Gianna Hardy, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 19-1, Overbrook 5-14

PITMAN 5, SALEM 0
Anna Fisicaro (P) def. Cassidy Werkheiser, 6-0, 6-0
Colette Rollins (P) def. Tytiana Miller, 6-0, 6-0
Ava Mollehhauer (P) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-0, 6-1
Kendall Bennett-Amanda Bradley (P) def. Tahirah Davenport White-Heaven Jones McCullough, 6-1, 6-0
Megan Mazzola-Ella Ralph (P) def. Destiny Carr-Bianca Gibson, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Pitman 20-4, Salem 2-10

BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove 2, Bridgeton 0: The Red Devils scored a goal in each half and junior keeper Dwayne Guzman made 12 saves to preserve the shutout in what coach Mano Massari called “our biggest win of the season.” The Red Devils (7-7) moved into ninth place in the South Jersey Group I power points standings with the victory over the Group 4 Bulldogs. (See related story)

VOLLEYBALL
Cape May Tech 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-21, 25-20)

This week’s schedule

Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Oct. 21-26

OCT. 21
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
Schalick at Deptford
Woodstown at Overbrook
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Overbrook, 3:45 p.m.
Pitman at Salem
Woodstown at Schalick
BOYS SOCCER
Bridgeton at Penns Grove
Salem at Camden County Tech
CROSS COUNTRY
State Tech Championship at Salem Tech
VOLLEYBALL
Cape May County Tech at Salem Tech

OCT. 22
BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro at Woodstown
Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech
Overbrook at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Clayton
Pitman at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Salem at Wildwood
GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Overbrook
Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic
Schalick at Pennsville
Wildwood at Salem
Woodstown at Glassboro
GIRLS TENNIS
Overbrook at Penns Grove
Woodstown at Wildwood
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Overbrook
Woodstown at St. Joe (Hamm.)
VOLLEYBALL
Washington Twp. at Salem Tech
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Cecil College at Salem CC, 6 p.m.

OCT. 23
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Schalick
GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Woodstown
Salem at Overbrook
Wildwood at Penns Grove
CROSS COUNTRY
Tri-County Showcase at Cumberland

OCT. 24
FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown at Hammonton
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville
Woodstown at Pitman
Salem Tech at Salem
Schalick at Penns Grove
GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Schalick
Salem at Salem Tech
Pennsville at Woodstown
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Pennsville (conclusion of susp. match), 3:45 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Timber Creek at Salem Tech

OCT. 25
FOOTBALL
Woodstown at Glassboro, 6 p.m.
Audubon at Camden Catholic
Paulsboro at Clayton, TBA
Collingswood at Pennsville
Overbrook at West Deptford
Woodbury at Schalick, 6 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville at Overbrook
Salem Tech at Wildwood Catholic
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem at Paulsboro
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Pennsville
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester Catholic at Salem
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic

OCT. 26
FOOTBALL
Salem at Penns Grove, noon
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Williamstown, 10 a.m.
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Baltimore JUCO Jamboree
Salem CC vs. Anne Arundel, noon
Salem CC vs. Southern Maryland, 6 p.m.

Tuesday sports report

Here are the results of Tuesday’s high school action involving Salem County teams

GIRLS TENNIS
Group I Sectional Finals
Pitman 4, Pennsville 1 (see related story)
Regular Season
Schalick 3, Wildwood 2
SALEM 5, PENNS GROVE 1
Cassidy Werkheiser (S) def. Amaris Butler, 6-3, 6-3
Tytiana Miller (S) won by forfeit
Tahirah Davenport-White (S) def. Janiyah Cummings, 6-3, 6-4
Destiny Carr-Heaven Jones-McCullough (S) def. Emma Griffin-Makala Washington, 6-1, 6-0
JaNye Hubbard-Bianca Gibson (S) def. Elif Sagir-Gabriela Roman, 6-0, 6-1
Records: Salem 1-8, Penns Grove 0-10.

FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville 2, Deptford 0: Kylie Harris and Makenzie Widener scored first-half goals for the Eagles (5-7-1)
Glassboro 2, Salem 1: Jocelyn O’Brien scored her second goal of the game with 6:03 left in the third quarter to snap a 1-1 tie. Kashira Patterson gave Salem (5-4-1) a 1-0 lead with a first-quarter goal.
Schalick 2, St. Joe (Hamm.) 2: Ava Scurry (28th) and Phoebe Alward (15th) scored goals as the Cougars remained unbeaten (13-0-1).

CROSS COUNTRY
Calhoun County boys champion Karson Chew of Woodstown finished second in the boys race at the TCC Batch Meet at Kingsway. He ran 18:16.07. Teammate Jacob Marino was sixth (18:31.61).

Woodstown’s Abby Marino, the county runner-up, was the fastest Salem County finisher in the girls race, coming in fourth at 21:04.09. Salem Tech’s Sarah Seiden was eighth (22:45.31).

This week’s schedule

Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Oct. 14-19

MONDAY, OCT. 14
BOYS SOCCER
Palmyra at Schalick
Woodstown at Clayton, 11 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown at Clayton, 1 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCT. 15
GIRLS TENNIS
Salem at Penns Grove
Wildwood at Schalick, 4:15 p.m.

Group I Sectional Finals
Pennsville at Pitman, Shertel Park, 3 p.m.
Glen Ridge at Hanover Park
New Providence at Highland Park
Pascack Hills at Glen Rock
CROSS COUNTRY
TCC Batch Meet at Kingsway, 3:30 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford at Pennsville
Glassboro at Salem
St. Joe’s at Schalick
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Highland
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Cape May Tech

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 3:30 p.m.
Pitman at Salem
Woodstown at Salem Tech
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester at Schalick
Penns Grove at Paulsboro
Salem at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
Salem Tech at Woodstown
GIRLS TENNIS
Haddon Heights at Schalick
Pennsville at Millville, 3:45 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCT. 17
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Schalick
Pennsville at Bridgeton
Salem at Clayton
Woodstown at Clearview
GIRLS TENNIS
Overbrook at Woodstown
Penns Grove at Schalick
Salem at Glassboro

Group I Final Four
Mercer County Park
Semifinals, 11 a.m.
Championship Match, 1 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Pitman, 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 18
FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Lawrence, 6:30 p.m.
Collingswood at Camden Catholic
Glassboro at Schalick
Paulsboro at West Deptford
FIELD HOCKEY
Egg Harbor Twp. at Woodstown
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem Tech
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
Schalick at Glassboro
Woodstown at Overbrook
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem Tech
Gloucester Catholic at Salem
Pennsville at Penns Grove
Overbrook at Woodstown
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Salem, 3:45 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pitman
Schalick at Glassboro
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Triton

SATURDAY, OCT. 19
FOOTBALL
Penns Grove at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Audubon at Overbrook, 11 a.m.
Woodstown at Salem, noon
GIRLS SOCCER
Cherry Hill West at Schalick

All about perspective

Woodstown’s Chew wins Salem County Cross County boys race, Schalick’s Hadfield wins girls race, their squads win team titles

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Two races. Two winners. Two vastly different reactions.

Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield repeated as the Salem County girls cross country champion and Woodstown’s Karson Chew made his first varsity win a big one in the boys race, but the reactions to their victories couldn’t have been more different.

CHEW

Chew was over the moon after he won the boys race at Salem Tech in 17:00.79, while Hadfield was visibly upset walking away from the finish after winning the girls race in 19:15.79. 

Woodstown won the boys team title for the first time since 2021 with 17 points. Schalick edged Woodstown by nine points in what amounted to a dual meet for the girls crown.

Chew admitted he wasn’t a very good classmate or student for much of the school day because he was so locked in to winning the race. He’d come up short each of the last two years, finishing fifth as a freshman and second last year, and wasn’t sure how he’d finish this year because his teammates were equally strong, but he was determined to go for it.

He was the fastest Salem County boys runner in a Tri-County Conference batch meet on the Salem Tech course Oct. 1 (seventh overall).

“I came into it today thinking I need a win, so I went for it and here we are,” Chew said. “Honestly, this year has been rocky for me. I’ve had a couple meets where I didn’t do my best; I had one DNF, which has never happened to me before. A couple meets before this I ran my PR for the season and I was like I know I can do this.

“I knew in my heart, in my head and my legs that I could do it and I did it and I’m super proud of myself for that. I love the energy that all gave me. I’ve been in the top 25 since my freshman year, this year I’m top seven, and I was like, county, this is it, I’m going to win it.”

He’s the first Woodstown boy to win the county crown since John Turner ran a 17:58 to lead a 1-2-4 Wolverines finish in 2021 at Schalick.

He went out in a pack with several teammates, but quickly separated himself with teammate Jacob Marino. They came through the midpoint of the race stride for stride, but then halfway through the second loop he went for it and eventually beat his teammate to the line by 15 seconds. Wolverines senior track captain Cole Lucas, running cross country for the first time, was third.

“I was in my own world the whole day; I was thinking to myself about this meet the whole day,” Chew said. “This is a big thing for me. I needed this so much.

“This was the meet that my coach was hyping me up about. He was like, ‘Who’s it going to be, you or Jacob, who’s it going to be? I kept thinking to myself I need this to be me. For the rest of my season to go well, I need this to be me.”

HADFIELD

Winning races might be a new experience for Chew, it’s a regular occurrence for Hadfield. So much so that the quality of the run is as important as the finish.

And that’s what had her coming out of the finishing chute with her face in her hands on the verge of tears and then walking across the field to be consoled by coach Missy Pine. She led wire-to-wire without much push and won by more than a minute, but the 19-minute run over the flat course just wasn’t up to her standard.

She was hoping for something closer to the 18:22 she ran while winning her race Six Flags on Sept. 28 as she prepares for a run at states.

“It should not have been that,” the Cougars senior said. “I’m trying to be better each time and today I guess wasn’t me. I just wasn’t feeling good or something, I don’t know. We need to look forward to Saturday (at Dream Park) and forget about this and just focus on that.”

In her defense she was running her second race in five days and ran into a strong headwind several times along Wednesday’s route. She finished third in her race at Holmdel Park last Saturday. 

“It’s definitely a lot racing multiple times a week, it definitely gets you for sure this part of the season,” she said. “You definitely felt the wind. I don’t know if that was a part of it. My first mile was fine and then after that, that’s when I fell off.”

In the team standings, Woodstown put five of the first six runners across the line in the boys race. Salvatore Longo of Schalick finished fourth to prevent them from scoring a cross country shutout. Schalick’s girls placed seven runners in the top 12 overall and had five of the first eight counters.

“It’s a small county but these small programs have always had quality teams,” Woodstown coach Steve New said. “You might think that winning Salem County is small and not that big of a deal, but I think beating some of these teams that are around here is impressive. I don’t think it’s a small feat to win this county title. It takes a lot of work to do it.”

Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield comes across the finish line to win the Salem County Cross Country girls race. On the cover, Woodstown’s Karson Chew made the boys race his first varsity win.

Salem County XC Championship

BOYS TEAM SCORES: Woodstown 17, Schalick 41, Salem Tech 77, Salem 101, Penns Grove 141.
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Schalick 25, Woodstown 34.

BOYS TOP 15 (56 runners)TIMEGIRLS TOP 10 (20 runners)TIME
Karson Chew, Woodstown17:00.79Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 19:15.79
Jacob Marino, Woodstown17:15.21Abby Marino, Woodstown20:34.29
Cole Lucas, Woodstown17:27.94Sarah Seiden, Salem Tech 22:08.78
Salvatore Longo, Schalick17:50.39Anabel Schaal, Woodstown23:08.61
David Farrell, Woodstown18:02.19Jordan Goode, Schalick23:40.48
Jon Farrell, Woodstown18:42.64Emma Cain, Schalick24:35.15
Chase Walker, Schalick18:49.31Arianna Mott, Woodstown25:00.72
Collin Bittle, Schalick18:58.64Ava Melnick, Schalick25:06.85
Sam Cooke, Salem19:01.62Gabriella Bartlett, Salem25:20.72
Chase Riley, Schalick19:05.91Olivia Hill, Schalick25:31.60
Larry Pompper, Salem Tech19:10.72
Joshua Weiner, Schalick19:10.94
Dominic Militia, Salem Tech19:38.22
Chase Pompper, Salem Tech19:46.36
Michael Turner, Woodstown19:50.84

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for Oct. 7-12, featuring Schalick’s rescheduled football game, SJ girls tennis tournament and County XC Championship; all events 4 p.m. unless noted

MONDAY
FOOTBALL
Schalick at Paulsboro, 4 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Salem
Schalick at Glassboro
Woodstown at Deptford
BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville at Gloucester City
Woodstown at Gateway
GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Gloucester City, 7 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Mainland
Woodstown at Kingsway

TUESDAY
GIRLS TENNIS
South Jersey Group I quarterfinals
Woodstown at Haddon Twp., 3 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 3 p.m.
Lower Cape May at Gateway, 3 p.m.
Audubon at Pitman, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook at Schalick
Penns Grove at Woodstown
Pennsville at Salem Tech
Salem at Clayton, 6 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem
Glassboro at Pennsville
Salem Tech at Pitman
Schalick at Overbrook
Woodstown at Penns Grove
VOLLEYBALL
Highland at Salem

WEDNESDAY
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville
Schalick at Woodstown
GIRLS TENNIS
Haddon Heights at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown at Millville, 3:45 p.m.
OLMA at Salem
CROSS COUNTRY
Salem County Championship, Salem Tech, 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY
FOOTBALL
Delran at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
South Jersey Group I semifinals
Woodstown-Haddon Twp. winner vs. Schalick-Pennsville winner
Lower Cape May-Gateway winner vs. Audubon-Pitman winner
BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Salem
Salem Tech at Wildwood
Schalick at Woodstown
GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Glassboro
Overbrook at Pennsville
Salem at Pitman
Wildwood at Salem Tech
Woodstown at Schalick
FIELD HOCKEY
Gateway at Pennsville
Salem at Maple Shade
Schalick at Mainland, 4:15 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech

FRIDAY
FOOTBALL
Audubon at Collingswood, 6 p.m.
Glassboro at Cinnaminson, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester City, 6 p.m.
Salem at West Deptford, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Cumberland at Salem
Woodstown at Ocean City, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Audubon at Schalick
Salem at Gateway
BOYS SOCCER
Haddon Heights at Salem
Schalick at Audubon
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Bridgeton
Vineland at Woodstown

SATURDAY
FOOTBALL
Willingboro at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Camden Catholic at Overbrook, 11 a.m.
Woodstown at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.
Pennsville at Paulsboro, noon
CROSS COUNTRY
SJCTA Meet at Dream Park

Cover photo by Ellen Sickler