Mighty Oaks come through open week after making corrections, adjustments to inaugural game loss, ‘host’ Nassau CC at Schalick Saturday

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Everyone knows the adage: A team makes its greatest improvement from Game 1 to Game 2. Salem CC football coach Jay Accorsi is hoping that’s the case with his new team as it has spent the last two week trying to make that a reality.

The Mighty Oaks have come through the most important open week in the program’s young history in preparation for its second ever game, a “home” date Saturday against Nassau CC at Schalick High School. Kickoff has been moved back to 12:30 p.m.

Salem lost its inaugural game 26-18 to now-No. 4 Hudson Valley and spent most of the last two weeks making the necessary corrections and invariable changes.

“We started Aug. 3, that was a long time up to the (first) game time,” Accorsi said. “There’s a lot of days there, so it was a lot. It was grind for the new coaching staff, new players, it was a lot.

“So, when I created the schedule I wanted to get an open date (early) just to assess where we were, where do we need to go, what do we need to work on. Just to take a breath of fresh air and get the players and coaches time off. I think we all needed to take a step back and take a deep breath and kind of assess where we’re at and what we’re doing and fix as many things as we can.”

The first game taught them a lot of things about the team and game operations that only a first game can To that end, perhaps the most recognizable change is the decision to bring offensive coordinator Chris Crowley down on the field to call plays and move offensive line coach Nick Santosuosso to the press box.

“We changed practice around,” Accorsi said. “It’s a new coaching staff. Montclair was a false sense of security for coaches because it was really just offense and defense and punt, so there wasn’t a lot of changeover. It wasn’t like a real game, it was kind of like a practice, which I look back and kind of regret, because there are lot of things as coaches we need to fix and I need to fix. Being in charge of special teams one of the things I need to do communication wise with offense and defense. There’s a lot of that behind-the-scenes stuff I think you do as coaches just to make the overall operation clean.”

Player decisions continue to be work in progress. A starting quarterback hadn’t been determined at the beginning of the week and it’s likely they’ll play multiple QBs against the Lions (1-1), who are coming off a 28-0 loss to an Army Prep team the Mighty Oaks will play at West Point Sept. 25.

Cam Wright was the last-minute starter in the inaugural game and he played the first quarter, moving the offense between the 30s in the most sustained drive of his appearance. Malakhai McKenzie entered in the second quarter, scored a touchdown and played all the way to the final two minutes, when Aidan Hill sent the crowd home buzzing over a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jahfarri Payne on the final play of the game.

Still, the offense generated just 163 net yards, was 4-of-13 on third down and gave up six sacks. They ran 10 fewer plays than Hudson Valley, but held the ball two minutes longer.

“Playing three quarterbacks the first game is kind of a juggling act,” Accorsi said. “You’re trying to see what they can do, what they can’t do, what they’re good at, what you’re asking them to do, where they are with other players. I thought we’d probably play three, might play three again, that’s just the nature of it. Offenses this time of year are always behind the defense. I think that’s just going to be the nature of what we’re trying to do is figure that out. That’s going to be one of those things game day or right around game day.”

The way the Mighty Oaks played in the second half and fought through what could’ve been a demoralizing stretch in the third quarter when the Vikings answered Salem’s touchdown to regain a 14-point lead was Accorsi’s biggest takeaway from the game. “I thought we were competitive,” he said.

“That last play kind of shows the character of our team,” offensive lineman Jacob Hand said. “Even thought we’re in the last seconds, we’re down by two touchdowns, like we know we’re not coming back to win this game, but it’s a win with pride type of thing to really stick it to them. Yeah, we lost to you guys, but you know who we are.”

The Mighty Oaks are expecting a team similar to what they faced in Hudson Valley. The Lions started their season with a win over the Wagner JV in which quarterback Elijah Outlaw threw for 288 yards four touchdowns and the defense came up with four interceptions. Army Prep held them to 34 yards rushing and 110 yards of net offense.

“My hope is some of the breakdowns we had defensively will correct and we can get an offense that’s more fluid and can be more consistent,” Accorsi said. “It’s going to be a challenge for us to see where we have improved, if we have from Week 1 to Week 2, and can we play a little bit cleaner. That’s going to be the key for us.

“I’ve always believed I don’t think it’s so much the other team it’s more of what your team does, how they perform and how they play. That’s just going to be the difference for us. Can we play more cleaner offensively. Can we play more cohesively. Can we generate some drives. Can we not turn the ball over. Can we not put ourselves in harm’s way by taking large sacks. Part of that is us learning what we need to be.”

NASSAU	Saturday, 12:30 p.m.	SALEM
1-1	Record	0-1
42-49	Points	18-26
57-173	Rushing	36-46
26-53-3	Passes	8-17-0
364	Passing	117

Mighty Oaks lose the inaugural game in their football program’s history, but they send their fans home with something to cheer about

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — After three hours of watching the first-year college football team trying to find its way in its first-ever game, upstart Salem CC sent the crowd home with a game-ending play that laid the claim to their head coach’s desire of being a legitimate college football program.

The Mighty Oaks were going to lose their inaugural game as a program to Hudson Valley regardless what happened when they lined up for a final play from the Vikings’ 44 with eight seconds left on the clock. Aidan Hill, the third quarterback they used, rolled out to his left and with the clock just about to zero found Jahfarri Payne in the end zone to make it a 26-18 final instead of the 14-point deficit it was headed to before the play.

No, it wasn’t a game-winning play, but it may have won something bigger.

HV (26)		SCC (18)
19	First Downs	14
29-149	Rushes-yards	46
18-34-2	Passes (C-A-I)	8-17-0
239	Passing	117
1-1	Fumbles-lost	3-2
4-26.3	Punts-avg	7-27.4
15-155	Penalties	10-68
5-16	Third downs	4-13
28:51	Possession	31:09

“I think it just shows the team understands we’re just going to have to play every game to the bitter end,” Mighty Oaks head coach Jay Accorsi said. “I think we easily could have packed it in when they got a pretty good lead, when we gave up the score down there and it was looking bleak, but the coaches didn’t, the players didn’t. We went right down to the end, fought for every last second.

“I think it makes us a legitimate junior college football program, and we did that within less than a year. That one play (did that). But I think it gets when they got up on us. we could’ve easily folded, we could’ve given up, we could’ve stopped. We’re playing (three) different quarterbacks, we’re playing different backs, we’re all trying to figure it out. I think it makes the program legitimate and we’re competitive and the future is really bright. My goal was for this program to be competitive early and I think today we were competitive.”

It was a winnable first game but the Mighty Oaks simply made too many mistakes, first game or otherwise, to keep it from happening. 

The offense and special teams fumbled the Mighty Oaks into some tough spots early in the game, but luckily the defense kept them it in by holding the Vikings to only one field goal in three possessions inside the 17. The first produced the field goal after three straight plays from the 6 netted nothing and the Oaks created a turnover at the 4 to end the second. On the next one the Vikings took themselves out of easy field goal range with a delay penalty on fourth down from the 26.

“It says a lot about our heart up front and as a defensive unit in general,” cornerback Jerrell Burks said. “We’re there to help the offense. We have their back when they slip up and make mistakes just like they’re there for us when we make mistakes. It just showed our heart, man, our heart and how mentally strong we have been, bend but don’t break.”

“We talked all camp that we were going to be the backbone of the team,” linebacker Ben Secouler said. “It confirmed with me that we knew what our identity was as a team and as a defense we knew this unit was going to be big for us.”

Burks scored the Mighty Oaks’ first official touchdown in program history when he returned an interception 85 yards to get his team within 12-6. He had a second pick in the end zone late in the third quarter to keep the Vikings from extending their lead.

“It meant a lot to contribute to the team in general, but it gives you a little bit more to toot your own horn to score the first program touchdown ever,” he said. “I was on a blitz and I saw the QB step back and pop it up. It was in the air for a little bit, so I was waiting for it, caught it and the rest is a done deal.

“I ain’t gonna lie, I’m tired. Once I hit the end zone I was tired. When I came to sideline, it was like being in a room full of little kids yelling. I’m definitely excited about it. I will say I called those shots this whole week, and I called it before the game even started. I told coach I was getting a pick-six today.”

He was reminded that most people don’t believe it when players make those type of predictions. Burks scoffed.

“I know they do now,” he said.

Secouler believed.

“Right before I walked out I told Eric Worley we’re going to get one of them for us and – boom – he picks it off, takes it all the way to the house,” he said.

The offense, meanwhile, struggled. It had only 48 yards rushing in the first half and surrendered a safety in the second quarter that made it 5-0.

Despite all it did to keep the Mighty Oaks in it, the defense had its problems, too. The Mighty Oaks scored their first two touchdowns of the season, but each time the Vikings answered within two minutes as blown assignments led to big plays.

“I felt, as players, we were better than them, but the mistakes we made were just so major it changed the game,” Secouler said. “We’ve just got to fix that this week.”

The Mighty Oaks used all three quarterbacks. Cam Wright was the surprise inaugural game starter, getting the call about 20 minutes before kickoff. He played the first quarter and put together a drive that ran between the 30s, but that was the extent of his appearance.

“Honestly, it was pretty cool,” he said. “They were very closed off about who was going to be the guy because I’m sure they wanted us all to try our best to compete for that spot. I ended up getting it, so that was very cool to be able to start. I went out there and tried to do my best. I obviously need to do a little better; there’s always room for improvement.”

Malakhai McKenzie followed him and played the second, third and most of the fourth quarters. He wasn’t all that effective – his first series ended with the safety – but he did score their first offensive touchdown on a quarterback sneak in the third quarter. He was 5-of-11 for 41 yards passing and netted minus-15 yards rushing on 10 carries.

“It means something to me to be the first person (on offense) to score from Salem,” McKenzie said. “I was looking to get one. I told them to get me that.”

On the offense’s struggles he said, “there’s definitely room for improvement. We’re going to get it together, though.”

Hill got his shot to run the offense when the Mighty Oaks took over at their own 30 with 1:31 to play. He got them across midfield with a 17-yard run and an 18-yard pass to Jeremiah Russell. He then took a 9-yard loss that set the Mighty Oaks on the 44 with only a few seconds left.

They sent everybody out hoping to find just one to make a play. Payne and HV’s Christopher Festa were hand-fighting all the way down the sideline, but Payne wrestled the ball away in the back corner of the end zone for the score that changed everybody’s mood.

“I was just ready for my opportunity,” Hill said. “I knew I wasn’t playing, they told me I wasn’t playing because I had mistakes in the scrimmage. Once my time came, I had to do what I’ve been asked, had do my job. I knew I had to throw a touchdown. That play, it was literally everybody go deep, whoever I see.”

“It was just get it in the end zone, do what you can to be a playmaker,” Payne said. “I just wanted to get down the field as fast as possible. I know he was a little physical, but I just used all my speed and I just made a play. Be a playmaker. It was like don’t drop it, ice in my veins, finish it off strong and make everybody leave excited.”

And he means everybody.

“I was ready to run to the end zone myself it was a great catch,” Burks said.

All in all, the inaugural game “exceeded my expectations,” Accorsi said. “They’re a really good program, established program, it’s one of the better junior college football teams you’ll play against and, shoot, we lost by eight, so in the grand scheme of things, after Montclair (scrimmage), after this, I’m extremely pleased.

“I asked the team, did they beat us or did we beat ourselves. All of them said we beat ourselves. Too many mistakes, too many penalties, too many miscues, too many assignments blown, too many missed calls. Those things are just going to catch up to you when you play a really good team.”

The Mighty Oaks have two weeks to figure it out. They’re open this week before returning to action Sept. 12 against Nassau CC at Schalick High School.

Hudson Valley (1-0)	3	16	7	0-	26
Salem CC (0-1)	0	6	6	6-	18

SCORING SUMMARY
HV-Samuel Locarno 24 FG, 11:18 1Q
HV-Safety, Malakhai McKenzie tackled in end zone, 13:50 2Q
HV-Jayden Hines 29 pass from MaKao Taylor (Connor Jackson kick), 7:08 2Q
SCC-Jerrell Burks 85 interception return (run failed), 2:13 2Q
HV-Julian Colon 12 pass from MaKao Taylor (Connor Jackson kick), 0:20 2Q
SCC-Malakhai McKenzie 2 run (run failed), 6:17 3Q
HV-Tevonte Williams 53 pass from MaKao Taylor (Samuel Locarno kick), 4:23 3Q
SCC-Jahfarri Payne 44 pass from Aidan Hill (no attempt), 0:00 4Q

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Hudson Valley: Tyquan Rush-Esdale 13-103, MaKao Taylor 3-34, Aaron Barnes 3-15, Dylan Maye 2-5, Daniel Olmstead 3-4, Cartier Joshua 1-0, Alex Lenoir 2(-1), Jayden Hines 2-(1-11); Salem CC: Tre McCloud 6-35, Kahmaj Kearney 7-30, Demetris Williams 5-9, Aidan Hill 2-8, Brian Pritchett 1-0, Jamar Smith 4-(-5), Malahkai McKenzie 10-(-15), Team 1-(-16).
PASSING — Hudson Valley: MaKao Taylor 14-28-2, 181 yards, 3 TDs; Daniel Olmstead 4-6-0, 58 yards. Salem CC: Aidan Hill 2-3-0, 44 yards, 1 TD; Malakhai McKenzie 5-11-0, 41 yards; Cam Wright 1-3-0, 14 yards.
RECEIVING — Hudson Valley: Trevonte Williams 1-53-1, Cartier Joshua 5-51, Jayden Hines 3-39-1, Dylan Maye 2-35, Julian Colon 3-30-1, Cameron Margeson 2-15, Raymere Mahadeo 1-15, Myquan Rush-Edsaile 1-1; Salem CC: Jahfarri Payne 1-44-1, Darion Joyner 2-21, Jeremiah Russell 1-18, Lamar McCoy 1-16, Kahmaj Kearney 2-12, Jon Pettigrew 1-6.

Mighty Oaks still making personnel decisions as they approach Saturday’s historic inaugural football game

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – It was four days before the biggest day in Salem CC athletics history and there was still so much to do the architect of the day didn’t have time to think about how historically significant it is.

“I’ll feel a lot better when Saturday’s over,” Mighty Oaks head coach Jay Accorsi said. “We just still have a lot to do to get to Saturday.

“There’s just still so much to do and so little time. I haven’t really thought about that part of it, to be honest with you. When Saturday’s over, then I can take a look back and reflect on those things, but there’s just still so much to do … in a short period of time.”

Indeed. The Mighty Oaks have done a lot of heavy lifting since college administrators approved starting a football program last fall green-lighting Accorsi’s vision of bringing junior college football to South Jersey, but there remains a lot of details to fall into place and to those doing it there just never seems to be enough time.

The players have been practicing for the team’s inaugural game against Hudson Valley CC at Pennsville High’s Lou D’Angelo Stadium, but on Tuesday at least the Mighty Oaks didn’t have a posted roster or depth chart. First- and second-team groups have been put together, but the pieces change because the coaches learn something new every day. Gameday festivities were still being planned.

It’s truly a work-in-progress, but such is the nature of a program where everything is new.

“I don’t think we know enough about this team and all the positions and all the players; I think it’s something we learn during games,” Accorsi said. “Normally teams don’t do that. I think with a new program it makes everything really difficult. You’re trying to prepare a lot of players. You’re trying to prepare a lot of positions. You’re trying to see what fits and what works. Usually in an established program you don’t have to do that. We do because we’re not an established program.

“It’s the weirdest situation I’ve ever been in my life, and I knew it would be that way. Usually you know your key guys going into games and going into the season. We and I have no idea. We’re starting to find that out, but I don’t know until we see it. This is a humbling experience.”

They caught glimpses of what it can be at the scrimmage last Friday. They scored the first touchdown of the game – their first touchdown in program history – and led 8-7 at halftime before the Red Wolves had too much for them in the second half and won 24-8.

“I felt better about where we were after that because we were competitive,” Accorsi said. “Not where I want us to be but then I’m one of those who’s always driven to be better.

“I thought we were very competitive, that’s what I was excited about. For a first year program to be able to do that, that says a lot about the players and the coaches in your program and you’re heading in the right direction. For a first year (program) to do that, it exceeded all my expectations.”

Accorsi said Malakhai McKenzie and Aidan Hill both would play at quarterback, but a definitive Opening Day starter has not been announced. McKenzie passed for 2,631 yards and 24 touchdowns in his two years as the starter at Paulsboro. Hill played multiple positions at Delaware’s Delcastle and Brandywine highs and was a player of the week multiple times his senior year once he became eligible after his transfer.

Both played significant roles in Friday’s scrimmage. McKenzie threw a long pass that nearly (should have) went for a touchdown. Hill came in down by the goal line and gave the handoff to big Brian Pritchett for the score and then threw the two-point conversion pass to tight end Robert Daly to give the Mighty Oaks an 8-0 lead.

“How many (plays) and where and what we do, we’re still trying to figure that out,” Accorsi said. “Obviously they’re two very different quarterbacks. They’re young, they’re inexperienced. We’re going to go through a lot of growing pains with them. There’s a lot we’ve got to do. I think it’s going to be a combination of those two and my guess is it’s going to be a combination of those two for a while.”

If McKenzie is the starter, he recognizes the enormity of the moment.

“It’s a big deal,” he said. “I want to do the best I can on that day, for sure, to show them what I can do. I’m taking it as an opportunity. It’s a lot of responsibility. I’ve just got to take it on my shoulders.”

Hill’s value is as a multiple threat. He has been a receiver in camp when he’s not calling signals, but he also could be a running back and a kicker.

“I played everything,” he said. “In high school I played quarterback, running back, receiver. Whatever fits me for that play is where they’re going to have me at and I’ve just got to show the best of my ability to make sure I know what I’m doing at that time. I’ve just got to be ready for my time when I come in, show them I can be the athlete I say I am. It’s really a fight (for the position); whoever does the best at the position is going to get the time.”

The Mighty Oaks have been prepping for Hudson Valley largely off what the Vikings did last season. The New Yorkers were 7-3 last season and went 3-2 against teams the Mighty Oaks play this season. They graduated a 2,100-yard passer, but return leading rushing Chanse Bonner (139-570-5).

But like their own team, there’s uncertainty.

“Coaches like schedules and things set and planned and doing all those things and I am definitely like that,” Accorsi said. “This experience has taught me you’ve got to live with what’s going on and try to make the best of it the best you can.

“When you set the bar high and your expectations are high, sometimes it’s hard to keep those. I want the players to be competitive and I want the players and coaches to have fun and enjoy this experience. If you don’t do that, then it’s not worth doing that. I can’t say the coaches and players aren’t enjoying this experience. As new and challenging as it is, 90 some guys are showing up every single day. That’s all you want. It’s a great environment and they want to be here. I think we’ve done that, so that’s a win already in my eyes.”

LOOSE ACORNS: Mighty Oaks hope to do a walk-through in Pennsville’s stadium Friday … Hill and McKenzie wore 1 and 2 red practice jerseys, but will wear 19 and 10 during games. For McKenzie, who wore 2 at Paulsboro, it’s a return to his midget football number. Hill’s number reflects his status as a receiver … Tickets will be available at the gate. General admission is $7. Children under 12 and Salem CC students with ID are free. All ticket sales are cashless … The stadium PA announcer will introduce the Salem CC defense and Hudson Valley offense before the game … The Pennsville High School pep band will play at the game.