No. 2 Mighty Oaks stay undefeated, women remain winless
By Riverview Sports News
PARAMUS – Team after team this season have threatened Salem CC’s status as one of the nation’s undefeated men’s basketball teams and time after time the Mighty Oaks have stood up to the challenge.
Bergen CC was the latest take a run at Salem, but after tying the game twice early in the second half, the second-ranked Mighty Oaks went back up by 12 and stayed comfortably ahead the rest of the night en route to a 90-78 win that ran their record to 11-0.
The Bulldogs had the game tied at 48 five minutes into the second half and at 52 with 13:45 to play, but the Mighty Oaks hit a 3-pointer and dropped in a layup off a steal and pulled away.
“We are getting teams’ best shots,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said.
Jarrell Little had another big game offensively, leading the Mighty Oaks with 29 points and hitting five 3-pointers. In the four games this week, Saturday to Saturday, Little scored 112 points and hit 20 3-pointers. He is averaging 20.9 ppg for the season.
Wright had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Saaid Lee had 13 points and Qua Smith had 11 points.
“Jarrell is the hot hand right now and our guys are doing a great job of finding (him) while still being offensive threats,” Green said.
Salem CC(11-0)
44
46-
90
Bergen (5-6)
38
40-
78
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union (4)
8-0
9-0
6-0
SALEM CC (2)
6-0
11-0
5-0
Northampton (5)
6-0
10-0
Montgomery (11)
4-0
5-1
Brookdale
8-2
8-4
4-2
Camden
6-3
6-3
4-2
Ocean
6-3
6-3
3-2
RCSJ-Cumberland
4-3
5-3
4-1
Thaddeus Stevens
2-2
4-5
Bergen
4-6
5-6
2-4
RCSJ-Gloucester
3-5
3-6
1-3
Sussex
2-6
3-7
1-5
Atlantic Cape
2-6
2-6
1-6
Passaic
2-6
2-7
2-6
Harrisburg Area
1-4
1-9
Philadelphia
1-7
3-7
Delaware County
1-8
2-8
Luzerne
0-5
2-6
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 90, Bergen 78 RCSJ-Gloucester 85, Mercer 80 (OT) Union 89, Sussex 51 Montgomery 95, Luzerne 66 Ocean 99, Harrisburg Area 77 Bucks at Thaddeus Stevens Delaware County 61, Williamson Trades 59 Brookdale 73, Camden 70 RCSJ-Cumberland 83, Passaic 78 Monroe at Morris Lackawanna 82, Middlesex 73 TUESDAY’S GAMES RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC Bergen at Camden Sussex at Brookdale Atlantic Cape at RCSJ-Cumberland Middlesex at Raritan Valley Westchester at Morris Luzerne at Delaware County Mercer at Lackawanna Thaddeus Stevens at Northampton
Women’s game
BRANCHBURG — The Salem CC women held their own in the first half, but Raritan Valley came out after the break and hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter and five in the second half to send the Mighty Oaks to another loss, 65-45.
Tanijya Shaw kept Salem (0-7) in the game in the first half with 14 of her 25 points, but the Mighty Oaks gave up too many points and too many 3s in the third quarter. Maria Eguizabal Ruales broke out in the third quarter with two 3-pointers and 12 points and the Lions outscored Salem 25-13 to pull away.
The Mighty Oaks will look to get their first win and then some next week with three home games against teams with a combined record of 2-17.
SALEM CC (0-7): RayNescia King 1 2-4 4, Tanijya Shaw 8 7-10 25, Kasey Oliver 1 0-0 2, Jayda Hunter 4 0-0 8, Janice Cardona 0 1-3 1, Dani Gustin 1 0-0 2, Paula Wilson 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 10-17 56. RARITAN VALLEY (3-5): Julia Sole Pons 2 8-10 12, Maria Eguizabal Ruales 8 0-0 20, Paula Aguilera Ortega 3 2-2 8, Elizabeth May 4 0-0 11, Saionni Patrick 0 0-0 0, Aviva Palms 0 1-2 1, Jayla McNeil 2 0-1 4, Telma Comba 3 3-5 9. Totals 22 14-20 65.
Salem CC
9
14
13
9-
45
Raritan Valley
14
11
25
15-
65
3-point goals: Salem CC 3 (Shaw 2, Wilson); Raritan Valley 7 (Eguizabal Ruales 4, May 3). Total fouls: Salem 15, Raritan Valley 16
Region XIX Women’s Standings
DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union (4)
6-0
12-0
5-0
Harcum (8)
4-0
9-1
Mercer (RV)
4-1
8-2
2-0
Essex
3-1
6-2
3-1
Lackawanna
2-2
2-6
Delaware Tech
1-2
2-8
Raritan Valley
1-3
3-5
1-2
Middlesex
1-4
5-8
0-3
Morris
0-3
0-3
0-2
SALEM CC
0-5
0-7
0-3
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking
SATURDAY’S GAMES Raritan Valley 65, Salem CC 45 Passaic 95, RCSJ-Cumberland 26 Mercer 104, RCSJ-Gloucester 64 Union 1, Morris 0, forfeit Brookdale 69, Camden 56 Middlesex 74, Lackawanna 59 TUESDAY’S GAMES Morris at Salem CC Bergen at Camden Middlesex at Raritan Valley Ocean at Northampton Harcum at Essex Atlantic Cape at RCSJ-Cumberland Sussex at Brookdale Passaic at Montgomery Philadelphia at RCSJ-Gloucester Mercer at Lackawanna Union at Delaware Tech
Smith comes off the bench to spark 10-0 closing run that lifts No. 2 Salem CC over Thaddeus Stevens for tenth win of season
THURSDAY BASKETBALL Salem CC 89, Thaddeus Stevens 79
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – As a role player, Qua Smith doesn’t get the kind of minutes in a Salem CC box score the way the starters do, but he knows when he does get time he has to be ready for it. Head coach Mike Green expects it.
The 6-4 freshman from Philadelphia only got nine minutes in the Mighty Oaks’ 89-79 win over Thaddeus Stevens Thursday night, but it’s what he did in the final two that made all the difference in keeping his team undefeated.
His defense and athleticism sparked second-ranked Salem’s 10-0 closing run after the Bulldogs tied the game at 79. He scored only three points, but it was a three-point play with 1:20 left that gave the Mighty Oaks a five-point lead, and after that came up with a rebound, two assists and a big steal to keep the Bulldogs from threatening again.
“I just make sure when I get in to grab rebounds and do whatever my coach tells me to do,” Smith said. “The mindset is just compete. No matter how many minutes you get, give 100 percent, the whole time.
“You’ve just to stay calm and stay confident. It doesn’t matter how many minutes you get, you’ve just got to go there and do what you have to do for the team. It’s a team thing. It’s not about yourself. That’s how we got the win today.”
It was just a couple weeks ago Green gave his reserves some extended minutes in a blowout win and lamented their play demonstrated they didn’t “appreciate” the opportunity. Smith was locked in when he went into a much tighter game this time.
The Mighty Oaks never trailed in the game and led by as many 16 in the second half. But the Bulldogs (4-5) started hitting the shots they were missing in the first half and eventually tied it at 79 on leading scorer Kneco Hill’s 3-pointer with 2:12 to play. The battle-tested Mighty Oaks weren’t worried.
“You just had to stay calm,” Nasseem Wright said. “Calm men always win through adversity like that. It was just staying calm, staying poised and finishing the game up.”
That’s just about when Smith reentered the game. No sooner had he checked in then Jerrell Little blocked a shot, collected the loose ball and fed Smith for a three-point play at the other end to make it a five-point game with 1:20 left.
From there to the end, Smith had a defensive rebound, made a steal that Little converted into a layup and assisted on Little’s final bucket of the game.
“He turned the game,” Green said. “There are times when he’s locked in and we got lucky it was the last two minutes tonight. We’ve just got to do a better job getting him locked in more often.
“If Quade’air’s locked in he’ll play a lot more minutes for us. It’s hard to keep him locked in. You’ve got classes on Monday and Wednesday, you play Tuesday and Thursday, and he just was sick so we haven’t played him since the Essex game (Nov. 22). We’ve got to get him locked him,. Same with Jaiayre (Wright). Once we get them locked in they give us another push and we needed that push tonight. Jayaire did it early and Qua did it late.”
“Qua always changes the game for us with his athleticism and rebounding at the end,” Little said. “Our coach always says there’s no garbage minutes on our team because everybody needs to come to play all the time. We need every single person on our team from first to last on the bench. He came in a changed the game.”
Little led the Mighty Oaks with 27 points .Wright came within one assist of a triple double, finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Point guard Saaid Lee had 16 points in 37 minutes.
SALEM CC 89, THADDEUS STEVENS 79 THADDEUS STEVENS (4-5): William Fowlkes 2-9 3-3 7, Levon Brown 3-10 2-2 8, Kneco Hill 9-20 6-6 27, Isaiah Diggs 5-9 0-1 10, Tyree Banks 4-7 0-0 11, Luis Torres 0-2 1-2 1, Willie Hashamy 4-8 0-0 8, Anthony Henson 1-3 0-0 2, Jesse Smith 1-4 0-0 3, Travis Turner 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 30-74 12-14 79. SALEM CC (10-0): Jarrell Little 11-22 2-3 27, Saaid Lee 6-9 1-2 16, Zyaire Gibson 1-8 1-2 3, Nasseem Wright 9-13 3-8 21, Stefan Phillips 3-4 0-0 7, Jahseir Sayles 2-4 0-0 5, Jaiayre Wright 1-3 2-2 4, Quadeair Smith 1-1 1-3 3, Idris Rines 1-5 1-2 3. Totals 35-69 11-22 89.
Thaddeus Stevens
32
47-
79
Salem CC
41
48-
89
3-point goals: Thaddeus Stevens 7-19 (Fowlkes 0-2, Hill 3-8, Banks 3-5, Henson 0-1, Smith 1-3); Salem CC 8-28 (Little 3-9, Lee 3-4, Gibson 0-7, N. Wright 0-1, Phillips 1-1, Sayles 1-2, Rines 0-4). Rebounds: Thaddeus Stevens 38 (Brown 8, Diggs 7); Salem CC 41 (N. Wright 11, J. Wright 6). Technical fouls: Thaddeus Stevens bench, Salem CC coach Green. Total fouls: Thaddeus Stevens 17, Salem CC 15.
Salem CC’s Nasseem Wright came within one assist of a triple-double Thursday night against Thaddeus Stevens. He had 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. The top photo is Qua Smith at the foul line. (Salem CC photos)
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union (4)
7-0
7-0
5-0
SALEM CC (2)
6-0
10-0
5-0
Northampton (5)
6-0
10-0
Montgomery (11)
3-0
4-1
Brookdale
7-2
7-4
3-2
Camden
6-2
6-2
4-1
Ocean
5-3
5-3
3-2
RCSJ-Cumberland
4-3
4-3
3-1
Thaddeus Stevens
2-2
4-5
Bergen
4-6
5-6
2-4
RCSJ-Gloucester
3-5
3-6
1-3
Sussex
2-5
2-6
1-4
Harrisburg Area
1-3
1-8
Atlantic Cape
2-6
2-6
1-6
Passaic
2-6
2-6
2-5
Philadelphia
1-7
3-7
Delaware County
1-8
1-8
Luzerne
0-4
2-5
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 89, Thaddeus Stevens 79 Union 66, Essex 64 Camden 61, Atlantic Cape 55 Philadelphia 64, Delaware County 59 RCSJ-Cumberland 82, Luzerne 77 Raritan Valley 74, Morris 72 Northampton 83, Harrisburg Area 74 Brookdale 79, Bergen 71 FRIDAY’S GAMES Baltimore City at Harcum Eastern JV at RCSJ-Gloucester Mercer vs. Manor Philadelphia at Lancaster Bible JV SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem at Bergen RCSJ-Gloucester vs. Mercer/Manor Mercer vs. RCSJ-Gloucester/Eastern JV Union at Sussex Luzerne at Montgomery Ocean at Harrisburg Area Bucks at Thaddeus Stevens Williamson Trades at Delaware County Brookdale at Camden RCSJ-Cumberland at Passaic Monroe at Morris Middlesex at Lackawanna
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union (4)
5-0
11-0
4-0
Harcum (8)
4-0
8-1
Mercer (RV)
4-1
7-2
2-0
Essex
3-1
6-2
3-1
Lackawanna
2-2
2-5
Delaware Tech
1-2
2-8
Morris
0-2
0-2
0-1
Raritan Valley
0-3
2-5
0-2
Middlesex
0-4
4-8
0-3
SALEM CC
0-4
0-6
0-2
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem CC at Bucks, cancelled Harcum 86, Lackawanna 29 Union 76, Monroe 66 Montgomery 83, Ocean 40 Atlantic Cape 63, Camden 36 Brookdale 66, Bergen 50 Northampton 64, Sussex 22 Johnson County 99, Raritan Valley 48 CCBC Catonsville 61, Essex 59 FRIDAY’S GAME Baltimore City at Harcum SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC at Raritan Valley RCSJ-Cumberland at Passaic Mercer at RCSJ-Gloucester Union at Morris Brookdale at Camden Middlesex at Lackawanna
No. 4 Union women overwhelm Salem CC, remain undefeated while Mighty Oaks remain winless
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — The game was only four minutes old and his team was in the middle of a 20-0 run that gave it control of the game, but UCNJ women’s coach Jaleel Taylor was seeing something he didn’t like.
During a 30-second time out he barked to the trainer to “rub some BioFreeze” on his players’ arms to get them talking because he knew that would get them going.
There wasn’t enough time during the timeout to get the gel distributed, but the mere suggestion was enough for the fourth-ranked Owls to change their approach. They came out of the pause and continued to pour it on, eventually routing winless Salem CC 98-32.
“It was a fear factor, that’s simply what it is,” Taylor said. “Just to get our girls to talking.
“We’ve been trying to get them to talk since the beginning of preseason. They love each other off the court. They love each other in the classroom. But on the court we’ve got to become a better communicating team, because we know if we’ve got communication we can be better on both ends of the court, so the BioFreeze is like a funny scare tactic to them.”
Even without the icy-hot, the Owls (10-0) were pretty good on both ends of the floor Monday. They forced the Mighty Oaks (0-6) into 38 turnovers – 26 off steals – off which they scored a whopping 55 points. There were only nine possessions in the first three quarters they failed to convert a turnover into points while building a 85-24 lead.
And when they weren’t rolling in layups off the turnovers, they were hitting from the outside. The Owls hit a season-best 9-of-23 from 3-point range, 6-of-12 in the first half.
“I think the break helped,” Taylor said. “We were coming off a very hectic November. We played nine games in November (all on the road) and we had three days off for break. I think those three days for them just to go home, relax, not even think about basketball, they came back rejuvenated and worked really well. The girls got their feet back under them.”
The Mighty Oaks didn’t make a field goal in the first quarter (0-for-7) and hit only one — Paula Wilson’s 3-pointer — in the final eight minutes of the second quarter. Union scored 38 points in the half off turnovers.
“In watching film against Union, they get a majority of their points off turnovers and runouts and in the first half that’s exactly what they did,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said. “They’re ranked nationally, they’re a really good team … but you just don’t to play to those strengths.
“I wanted to slow it down a little bit, make them work for shots because they’re typically not a great shooting team (but) they shot really well today. You’ve got to give them some credit, they’re a good team for a reason, but there are some things we need to work on.”
It was a little better in the second half. The Mighty Oaks gave up 18 fewer points in the second half than the first, cut their turnovers from 24 to 14 and gave up only two second-chance points.
“The one thing I really liked about my team is we never quit,” Marsh said. “Down 50, 60 points we kept fighting hard, so that’s something we can build upon. In a game like this you’ve got to find things that you can build upon, that you’re proud of, and I’m proud that they never stopped working hard.”
ACORNS: Because its gym is undergoing renovations, Union will play all of its games this season on the road. That means the women’s team will travel 4,548 round trip bus/van miles during the regular season. “That’s a lot of miles,” Taylor said. The Owls’ mens team is in the same boat … In five games since the revival of Salem’s program, the average margin in the series has been 60 points
UNION 98, SALEM CC 32 UNION (10-0): Jasmin Mckay 7-10 5-5 19, Zakiyyah Lindsey 6-14 5-6 20, Jada Rodgers 1-3 2-2 4, Darrian Jackson 2-5 0-0 5, Zanaya Parsons 6-6 0-0 12, Aaliyah Littles 3-9 1-1 7, Gracie Cruz 2-6 0-0 4, Gianna Papineau 5-9 0-0 12, Emani Resto 2-5 0-0 4, Maria Paula Urena Rojas 3-9 0-0 9, Brianna Patterson 0-3 0-0 0, Asia Kirkpatrick 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 38-82 13-14 98. SALEM CC (0-6): RayNescia King 0-10 1-2 1, Tanijya Shaw 3-15 5-8 11, Kasey Oliver 2-3 1-4 5, Dani Gustin 0-2 3-6 3, Jayda Hunter 0-5 3-4 3, Justine Cardona 1-5 2-3 4, Americana Hunter 0-2 0-0 0, Paula Wilson 2-6 0-0 5. Totals 8-48 15-27 32.
Union
32
26
27
13-
98
Salem CC
7
8
9
8-
32
3-point goals: Union 9-23 (Mckay 0-1, Lindsey 3-4, Rodgers 0-1, Jackson 1-2, Cruz 0-1, Papineau 2-3, Urena Rojas 3-8, Patterson 0-3); Salem CC 1-15 (King 0-3, Shaw 0-3, Hunter 0-2, Cardona 0-2, Hunter 0-1, Wilson 1-4). Rebounds: Union 46 (Mckay 7, Resto 7); Salem CC 35 (Shaw 9, Hunter 8). Total fouls: Union 21, Salem CC 13.
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union (4)
5-0
10-0
4-0
Harcum (8)
3-0
7-1
Mercer (RV)
3-1
6-2
2-0
Essex
2-1
5-1
2-1
Lackawanna
2-1
2-4
Delaware Tech
1-1
2-7
Morris
0-2
0-2
0-1
Middlesex
0-3
4-7
0-2
Raritan Valley
0-3
2-4
0-2
SALEM CC
0-4
0-6
0-2
Number in parenthesis is Division II national ranking.
MONDAY’S GAMES Union 98, Salem 32 TUESDAY’S GAMES Middlesex at Essex Raritan Valley at Lackawanna Mercer at Delaware Tech Northampton at Camden Harcum at Morris Sussex at Passaic Ocean at Atlantic Cape RCSJ-Gloucester at Bergen Brookdale at Delaware County
No. 2 Salem CC men stay unbeaten with road win at Camden; women still seeking first win after loss at Delaware Tech
TUESDAY BASKETBALL Salem CC 69, Camden CC 59 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Delaware Tech 64, Salem CC 53
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
BLACKWOOD – At the start of each of the last two seasons Salem CC basketball coach Mike Green and assistant Scooter Wilkerson got together to plot the worst-case scenario for the first month of the season. Green wouldn’t disclose his projection except to say it was better than his assistant’s – and that one was pretty good.
Suffice to say, the team is “way ahead of schedule.”
The second-ranked Mighty Oaks head into Thanksgiving 9-0 after a 69-59 win at Camden County College Tuesday night.
“I thought we’d be pretty good,” Green said after pushing his career coaching record to 44-17 (.721) with the strong start. “I thought we’d struggle at a couple places, but we’re way ahead of Scooter’s (projection) and we’re ahead of mine, let’s put it that way.”
The players expected to have success this year, even though the roster is completely new, but being undefeated might have caught some of them by surprise.
“I didn’t think we were going to be bad, but undefeated was unexpected, I’m not going to lie,” point guard Saaid Lee said. “But for us to be that way I think we’re way ahead of the curve where we’re supposed to be right now.”
“To be honest, I felt like we were going to be right where we’re at right now,” Nasseem Wright said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in my guys. We’re not looking past anybody, we’re just executing the job. It’s cool (to be undefeated), but there’s more to do, for sure.”
The Mighty Oaks took control of the game with a 17-0 run in the middle of the first half. And although the players never felt uncomfortable even when the Cougars made a couple runs at them, it just had that kind of feel about it.
They led by 16 after that initial outburst and maintained the lead throughout. The Cougars rode some intense defense to draw within six with five minutes left. Green called time at that point and the Mighty Oaks returned to the floor with renewed energy and scored the next six points to push their lead back to double digits.
Second-chance buckets by Lee and Stefan Phillips and Zyaire Gibson’s layup after a Wright steal made it 62-50 with 3:22 left. The lead slipped below 10 only once the rest of the way.
“They don’t let you breathe,” Green said. “They’ve got a toughness about them. Our kids again answered the bell.
“We just had to reset the group. Let them know we’re still winning, it ain’t the end of the world. Let’s put something on top of it.”
The Mighty Oaks put five scorers in double figures. Jarrell Little, the newly-minted Region 19 Division III Player of the Week, and Lee led the way with 14 points apiece. Wright, Idris Rines and Stefan Phillips had 10 points apiece.
Lee scored all his points in the second half. He also had five rebounds and five assists, including the alley-oop pass that produced Wright’s thunderous dunk at the end of the game. Wright also had 10 rebounds and five assists, and once again Phillips didn’t miss a shot.
“The more weapons we’ve got, the better it is, and we’ve got a good amount of weapons,” Green said. “Nobody has successfully taken all of them out yet.”
The good thing about having a brand new team is it isn’t burdened by history. The win was the Mighty Oaks’ first in six games at Camden since the revival of the program (0-5). Green was 0-2 and had 13-point leads in both games.
The players were aware of all that, prompting Wright to call Tuesday night’s game “personal.”
“Any time you lose in overtime or you got a lead you surrender, you don’t forget that,” Green said.
One piece of history the new Mighty Oaks won’t want to forget is they have now won 11 in a row going back to last year and 17 of their last 18 (with only loss to national champion and current No. 1 Mohawk Valley in the national tournament). They’re now 7-0 away from home this season, 6-0 in true road games.
So they’re undefeated going into Thanksgiving. Going into Christmas without a loss — a joyous No-L, get it — that would be something. They play seven games in December, two against teams they’ve already beaten and none against the other three nationally ranked teams in the league.
“It’s tough, you’ve got to stay healthy,” Green said of the prospects. “Hopefully our guys stay healthy. If you stay healthy, anything can happen.”
SALEM CC 69, CAMDEN 59 SALEM CC (9-0): Jarrell Little 5-15 0-0 14, Saaid Lee 6-10 2-4 14, Nasseem Wright 4-6 2-2 10, Idris Rines 4-7 0-0 10, Stefan Phillips 5-5 0-0 10, Zyaire Gibson 3-12 0-0 7, Lenar Anderson 1-2 0-2 2, Jaiayre Wright 1-2 0-0 2, Jahseir Sayles 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-59 4-8 69. CAMDEN (5-2): Cam Rembert 6 0-0 12, Su Allyene 2 6-9 10, Mikey Campbell 3 0-0 6, Kyree Henry 0 0-0 0, Zhamere Crawford 1 1-2 4, Christian Durham 3 0-0 6, Sami Singletary 0 2-2 2, Istavan Norwood 8 0-2 16, Ayden Chopstick 1 0-0 3. Totals 24 9-15 59.
Salem CC (9-0)
31
38-
69
Camden (5-2)
20
39-
59
3-point goals: Salem CC 7-26 (Little 4-11, Lee 0-1, N. Wright 0-2, Rines 2-3, Gibson 1-8, Anderson 0-1) Camden 2 (Crawford, Copestick). Rebounds: Salem CC 33 (N. Wright 10). Total fouls: Salem 13, Camden 15.
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
7-0
7-0
5-0
SALEM CC
6-0
9-0
5-0
Northampton
6-0
9-0
Montgomery
4-0
4-1
Camden
5-2
5-2
3-1
Brookdale
5-2
5-4
2-2
Ocean
4-3
4-3
2-2
RCSJ-Cumberland
3-3
3-3
3-1
RCSJ-Gloucester
3-3
3-4
1-3
Bergen
3-5
4-5
2-3
Thaddeus Stevens
1-2
3-4
Atlantic Cape
2-4
2-4
1-4
Sussex
2-5
2-6
1-4
Harrisburg Area
1-3
1-6
Passaic
2-6
2-6
2-5
Delaware County
1-6
1-6
Luzerne
0-3
2-4
Philadelphia
0-7
2-7
TUESDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 69, Camden 59 Northampton 98, Delaware County 51 Union 100, Passaic 50 Harrisburg Area 69, Philadelphia 54 Morris 90, Essex 73 Thaddeus Stevens at RCSJ-Gloucester RCSJ-Cumberland 79, Atlantic Cape 73 Sussex 92, Bergen 84 Montgomery 78, Lackawanna 52 Middlesex 71, Mercer 70 SATURDAY’S GAMES Williamson Trades at Harrisburg Area Morris at Allegany (Md.) DEC. 2 GAMES Philadelphia at Luzerne Brookdale at Delaware County Sussex at Passaic Middlesex at Essex Raritan Valley at Lackawanna CCBC Catonsville at Harcum Northampton at Camden Harrisburg Area at RCSJ-Cumberland Mercer at Delaware Tech Ocean at Atlantic Cape RCSJ-Gloucester at Bergen
Women’s game
NEWARK, Del. — A cold night from the floor doomed the Salem CC women to a fifth straight loss to open the season, 64-53 at Delaware Tech.
The Mighty Oaks shot 23-of-82 from the floor and 3-of-17 from 3-point range. Tanijya Shaw led the offense with 16 points. Point guard Justine Cardona returned to the lineup a missing the past three games with an ankle injury and had 11 points and five rebounds. Kasey Oliver trapped a team-high 12 rebounds.
Salem CC (0-5)
8
10
16
19-
53
Delaware Tech (2-7)
15
16
16
17-
64
SALEM CC LEADERS Scoring: Tanya Shaw 16, Justine Cardona 11, Kasey Oliver 10. Rebounding: Kasey Oliver 12, Dani Gustin 7. Steals: RayNescia King 4, Tanijya Shaw 4.
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
4-0
9-0
3-0
Harcum
3-0
7-1
Mercer
3-1
6-2
2-0
Essex
2-1
5-1
2-1
Lackawanna
2-1
2-4
Delaware Tech
1-1
2-7
Morris
0-2
0-2
0-1
Middlesex
0-3
4-7
0-2
Raritan Valley
0-3
2-4
0-2
SALEM CC
0-3
0-5
0-1
TUESDAY’S GAMES Delaware Tech 64, Salem CC 53 Harcum 70, Raritan Valley 60 Bergen 69, Sussex 59 Mercer 101, Middlesex 43 Atlantic Cape 89, RCSJ-Cumberland 37 Essex 125, Morris 20 Union 86, Lackawanna 33 DEC. 2 GAMES Union at Salem Middlesex at Essex Raritan Valley at Lackawanna Mercer at Delaware Tech Northampton at Camden Harcum at Morris Sussex at Passaic Ocean at Atlantic Cape RCSJ-Gloucester at Bergen Brookdale at Delaware County
Salem CC survives Essex in 2 OTs to remain undefeated, Little goes for 42; women remain winless
SATURDAY BASKETBALL Salem CC 109, Essex 106 (2 OT) Essex women 64, Salem CC 35
By Riverview Sports News
NEWARK – Mike Green knew his Salem CC basketball team was going to face its share of tests during the season. The Mighty Oaks faced their biggest test so far Saturday and came through it — in double overtime.
Zyaire Gibson hit a 3-pointer with 36.7 seconds left to give second-ranked Salem the lead, then hit a pair of free throws with 12.2 seconds left to seal a 109-106 road win over Essex to remain undefeated.
“Every time on the road get it and go, whether it’s by 20 or two, get it and go,” Green said. “Road wins are tough … You’ve got to win ugly.”
The Mighty Oaks (8-0), who trailed by as many as 12 in the game, had the ball at the end of regulation and the first overtime, but couldn’t get off a shot either time.
Jarrell Little led the Mighty Oaks with 42 points. He was 16-of-28 from the field, 8-of-14 from 3-point range. It’s the most points by a Salem player in the Green Era and the most since Akeem Taylor scored 33 against Camden in his Mighty Oaks debut last January. Niame Scott had 33 against Sussex in February 2024.
Lamar Woody scored 50 for the Mighty Oaks in a February 2020 game against Atlantic Cape. He was 23-of-30 from the floor in that game.
Saaid Lee had 22 points (and five assists), Nasseem Wright 18 (with 16 rebounds and six assists), and Gibson 14.
The Division II Wolverines (2-5) missed an off-balanced 3-pointer contested by Idris Rines for the tie at the end of the second overtime. The 106 points they scored were the second-most against the Mighty Oaks in the Green Era and only the third time a team has scored 100. Brookdale put 107 on them in Green’s second game as coach in 2024.
“Wild, really wild,” Green said of the game. “I’m sure it was good to watch, but it was a tough one.
“They (Essex) were protecting their home. They were up to play against the No. 2 team in the nation and our guys didn’t anticipate that. But they (his team) made winning plays at the end and we got the stop that we were begging for all game long. We finally figured it out.”
The Mighty Oaks entered the game ranked sixth in NJCAA Division III in scoring. It was their fourth game this year scoring more than 100 points and third in a row.
They’ve now won 10 in a row going back to last season. They had two six-game winning streaks last year.
SALEM CC (8-0): Jarrell Little 16-28 2-4 42, Saaid Lee 9-17 3-4 22, Nasseem Wright 6-14 6-8 18, Zyaire Gibson 3-18 5-6 14, Qua Smith 2-5 4-6 8, Stefan Phillips 1-5 1-3 3, Idris Rines 1-7 0-0 2, Jahseir Sayles 0-1 0-0 0 0. Totals 38-95 21-31 109.
Salem CC
48
39
5
17-
109
Essex
46
41
5
14-
106
3-point goals: Salem CC 12-37 (Little 8-14, Lee 1-1, Gibson 3-15, Phillips 0-2, Rines 0-4, Sayles 0-1). Rebounds: Salem CC (Wright 16, Lee 7, Rines 8). Total fouls: Salem CC 17.
.
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES IN GREEN ERA
PTS
OPPONENT, DATE
119
at RCSJ-Cumberland (53), Jan. 14, 2025
114
RCSJ-Cumberland (56), Dec. 19, 2024
113
Ocean (90), Nov. 18, 2025
112
Luzerne (67), Feb. 1, 2025
111
at Passaic (73), Nov. 20, 2025
110
Harrisburg Area (66), Feb. 10, 2024
109
at Essex (106), Nov. 22, 2025
106
Lancaster Bible JV (71), Nov. 21, 2024
106
RCSJ-Gloucester (70), Jan. 13, 2024
102
Bergen (69), Nov. 13, 2025
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
6-0
6-0
4-0
SALEM CC
5-0
8-0
4-0
Northampton
5-0
8-0
Montgomery
3-0
3-1
Camden
4-1
5-1
3-0
Brookdale
5-2
5-4
2-2
Ocean
4-2
4-3
2-2
RCSJ-Gloucester
3-3
3-4
1-3
Bergen
3-4
3-4
1-2
Atlantic Cape
2-3
2-3
1-3
RCSJ-Cumberland
2-3
2-3
2-1
Thaddeus Stevens
1-2
3-3
Passaic
2-5
2-5
2-4
Delaware County
1-5
1-5
Sussex
1-5
1-6
0-3
Luzerne
0-3
2-4
Harrisburg Area
0-3
0-6
Philadelphia
0-6
2-6
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 109, Essex 106 (2 OT) Ocean 96. Philadelphia 86 RCSJ-Gloucester 77, Harrisburg Area 72 Northampton 87, Luzerne 53 Camden 69, Passaic 50 RCSJ-Cumberland 87, Sussex 74 Bergen at Thaddeus Stevens Union 76, Delaware County 56 Morris 100, Montgomery (Md.) 88 Lackawanna 68, Delaware Tech 61
TUESDAY’S GAMES Salem CC at Camden Delaware County at Northampton Union at Passaic Philadelphia at Harrisburg Area Essex at Morris Thaddeus Stevens at RCSJ-Gloucester RCSJ-Cumberland at Atlantic Cape Bergen at Sussex Montgomery at Lackawanna Mercer at Middlesex
Women’s game
NEWARK – The Salem CC women were in a tight battle early, then Essex went on an 21-2 run on the way to an 18-point halftime lead and rolled to a 64-35 victory to keep the Mighty Oaks winless.
The Mighty Oaks (0-4) are shorthanded as it is, but their options were even more limited after their two posts fouled out. Injured point guard Justine Cardona remains out, but the team is hoping to have her back for Tuesday’s game against Delaware Tech.
“Our play is very inconsistent right now,” coach Brian Marsh said. “We will keep working hard and get this straightened out.”
Salem CC
14
5
9
7-
35
Essex
14
23
13
14-
64
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
3-0
8-0
3-0
Mercer
2-0
5-1
1-0
Lackawanna
2-0
2-3
Harcum
1-0
5-1
Essex
1-1
4-1
1-1
Delaware Tech
0-1
1-7
Morris
0-1
0-1
0-0
Middlesex
0-2
4-6
0-1
SALEM CC
0-2
0-4
0-1
Raritan Valley
0-2
1-3
0-2
SATURDAY’S GAMES Essex 64, Salem CC 35 Mercer at Harcum Union 92, Middlesex 35 Philadelphia 82, Ocean 46 Passaic67, Camden 56 Montgomery 79, RCSJ-Cumberland 29 Lackawanna 68, Delaware Tech 64
TUESDAY’S GAMES Salem at Delaware Tech Harcum at Raritan Valley Bergen at Sussex Mercer at Middlesex RCSJ-Cumberland at Atlantic Cape Essex at Morris Union at Lackawanna
Accorsi hits the recruiting trail in first day as Salem CC’s interim head football coach, would like to be the permanent leader when inaugural game comes next fall
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Jay Accorsi really thought he was done with coaching. When he told the Rowan football team he coached for 30 years – the last 22 as the head coach — on the last day of spring practice 2024 he was retiring he thought that was it. When his time was done, he was done and never looking back.
ACCORSI
But like a lot of people of that certain age it didn’t take him long to get tired of being retired. Oh, the break was fun for a while, he got to follow his son’s final year of college soccer, but then he got the itch to do something familiar.
There was this little project he’d been quietly dabbling in for a while, this burning question of why there was no junior college football in New Jersey in general and South Jersey in particular when there were so many high school players either going elsewhere to play on the next level or just giving up the game (and the possibility of going to college) because they had no options.
He had been gathering information in his travels with the Profs, and his retirement days gave him a chance to do an even deeper dive on the subject. The more he worked it, the more he believed this could really work in the right environment.
He took his data to Salem Community College president Mike Gorman and, guess what, he’s back in the game.
On Thursday night, the junior college’s board of trustees approved adding a football program to the school’s lineup of sports and installed Accorsi, who had been the paid consultant in the exploration, as interim head coach (and the betting favorite to become the permanent guy when that move is made.)
Suddenly, the man with the Santa Claus look was given the gift he had always been giving.
As the interim head coach, it’ll be Accorsi’s mission to recruit players and do whatever it takes to “help the athletic director with everything that’s needed to help the program” as it moves towards a Fall 2026 Opening Day. His first task: Hit the recruiting trail Friday, starting with all the football-playing schools in Salem County (and Pennsville on Monday).
“It’s funny, I never thought I was (going to get back in); I walked away and was happy,” Accorsi said. “Everybody said I would get bored. I was OK for a while and then I got bored.
“Then the football bug hit. The concept of this idea really helped me be creative and put some information together and think if this could actually work. For me, the great part is, that was kind of validated tonight by a board to go ahead and proceed with something that I’ve thought about forever and really started to work on last winter.”
Salem athletics director Bob Hughes couldn’t be happier with the direction things are moving. The Mighty Oaks were going to announce the interim head coaching move Friday in conjunction with their classifying the sport with the NJCAA, but Hughes went ahead and pulled the trigger after Thursday’s board meeting.
“I’m excited to continue to grow the relationship with Jay,” he said. “He’s been a fantastic addition to the college and the athletic department and I’m excited with him to help us get this program truly off the ground.”
Gorman remembers that first conversation with Accorsi about the possibility of bringing football to Salem. Although he was familiar with the former coach and it was that association that got him in the door, Gorman thought they were talking about something else until about five minutes into the conversation.
“I honestly thought he was selling something,” Gorman said. “I knew of him as a football coach, but I didn’t know he was bringing in a proposal of that nature. I thought maybe he was representing a company that was doing equipment or whatever, but until we got into that conversation I didn’t know what we were specifically talking about.’
Actually Accorsi was selling something. He was selling football to a school that had never had it before.
As a former high school and college football player himself and visionary for the college, Gorman could see the merits of bringing the sport to campus. The college had done an analysis five years earlier and thought it was feasible, but with the onset of the COVID pandemic and other factors decided it wasn’t the time to proceed.
Sure, there’s is a financial risk – it’ll run nearly a half-million dollars in startup costs – but the college is said to be fiscally aligned to handle it, but in its mission of “changing lives,” as Gorman puts it, there was really no other capacity that could bring on such increased enrollment in such a rapid period of time.
(The news of the decision is spreading so quickly the athletics department received a half-dozen inquiries from prospective student-athletes before 10 a.m. Friday.)
The timing was absolutely right. As Accorsi had discovered in his research there was a plethora of underserved high school football athletes in the region and only one junior college football program between Central New York and Louisburg, N.C.
It was in that opportunity Accorsi and the college converged.
A national search will get underway to find a permanent leader of the program. It’s a safe bet Accorsi will be the odds on favorite — and he does want the job — but he knows nothing is guaranteed. And frankly he prefers it that way.
“When I was the assistant coach at Rowan and KC (Keeler) left to go to Delaware, I met with the AD several times and it was decided to do the national search and at the time I was very happy about that because I said I just don’t want you to hand me the job,” he said. “I want to earn it against everybody in the country and I feel the same way about this. I want to put myself in a position to earn the title and be able to do it down the road.
“They (Rowan) went to a national search, I had to interview, I had to go through the process. I learned a lot. I was very happy that I became head coach, but I was happy they did it that way and they didn’t hand it to me. I believe you earn things in life; you’re just not given things.”
From there he became the longest-tenured head coach in the program’s history, posting a record of 143-78 with seven conference titles and seven trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Two of his teams reached the national semifinals.
He seems to fit at least one of the criteria the policymakers are looking for in the permanent head coach.
“I want somebody who belongs to this area,” Gorman said. “I want somebody who’s really invested in Salem County and the region as a whole and believes in what we’re saying. This isn’t about the X’s and O’s about the game. This is about changing lives for young people.”
But what if he doesn’t become the guy after putting in all the legwork to get the program off the ground? As he has said nothing’s guaranteed.
“I’d still feel like I accomplished something because my main goal was to provide an opportunity for students and especially those in New Jersey to play football in an opportunity where they hadn’t,” Accorsi said. “So if I helped create that which we’re doing today then I’ve reached my goal and I helped do that.
“I firmly believe that’s why I decided to do this and be involved in this because I wanted to make sure an underserved population was getting what they needed and that’s what I’m really proud of.”
And if he doesn’t land the job he can go back into retirement mode again — until the next big thing comes along to pique his interest.
Scorching No. 2 Salem CC makes it seven in a row; women give No. 17 Palm Beach a battle, but can’t get last shot to fall
SALEM CC BASKETBALL Salem CC 111, Passaic 73 WOMENS BASKETBALL Palm Beach State 59, Salem CC 56
By Riverview Sports News
PATERSON – Salem CC enjoyed one of its best shooting nights in coach Mike Green’s head coaching career, placed six scorers in double figures and scored 67 points in the second half to beat Passaic 111-73 for its seventh win in a row.
Nasseem Wright led the second-ranked Mighty Oaks (7-0) with 20 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Zyaire Gibson and Idris Rines had 16 points apiece, Saaid Lee and Jarrell Little each had 15 and Stefan Phillips had 10 without missing a shot. Little had six assists
The Mighty Oaks shot a season-high 58.1 percent from the floor (43-of-74), the second-best night in their 2 1/2 seasons under Green. They shot .596 in a February win at Luzerne in Green’s first season.
Phillips was 4-for-4, Lee 6-for-7 and Rines 6-for-9. Phillips is 14-of-15 from the floor in his last four games.
They scored 100 points for the second game in a row and third time this season.
Salem CC 111, Passaic 73
SALEM CC (7-0): Nasseem Wright 8-13 4-8 20, Zyaire Gibson 6-11 0-0 16, Idris Rines 6-9 2-2 16, Saaid Lee 6-7 3-3 15, Jarrell Little 5-10 3-4 15, Stefan Phillips 4-4 2-2 10, Qua Smith 3-8 2-3 8, Lenar Anderson 2-4 0-0 4, Jaiayre Wright 1-4 1-2 3, Jahseir Sayles 1-3 0-0 2, Michael Goodwin 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 43-74 17-24 111. PASSAIC (2-4):
Salem CC
44
67-
111
Passaic
31
42-
73
3-point goals: Salem CC 8-24 (N. Wright 0-1, Gibson 4-9, Rines 2-4, Lee 0-1, Little 2-3, Smith 0-2, Anderson 0-2, J. Wright 0-1, Sayles 0-1). Rebounds: Salem CC 52 (N. Wright 7, Rines 6, Lee 6, Little 6). Total fouls: Salem CC 20.
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
5-0
5-0
4-0
SALEM CC
5-0
7-0
3-0
Northampton
4-0
7-0
Montgomery
3-0
3-1
Camden
4-1
4-1
2-0
Brookdale
4-2
4-4
1-2
Atlantic Cape
2-2
2-2
1-2
RCSJ-Gloucester
2-2
2-4
1-3
Bergen
3-4
3-4
1-2
Ocean
2-3
3-3
2-2
Passaic
2-3
2-3
2-2
Thaddeus Stevens
1-2
3-3
RCSJ-Cumberland
1-3
1-3
1-1
Delaware County
1-4
1-4
Sussex
1-4
1-5
0-2
Luzerne
0-2
2-3
Harrisburg Area
0-2
0-5
Philadelphia
0-5
1-5
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 111, Passaic 73 Luzerne 95, Miseracordia JV 85 Northampton 59, SUNY-Broome 51 Middlesex 77, Bucks 67 Raritan Valley at Mercer Philadelphia at Georgian Court JV Atlantic Cape at Brookdale Ocean 80, RCSJ-Gloucester 79 Bergen 80, Sussex 74
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC at Essex Philadelphia at Ocean Harrisburg Area at RCSJ-Gloucester Luzerne at Northampton Passaic at Camden Sussex at RCSJ-Cumberland Bergen at Thaddeus Stevens Union at Delaware County Montgomery at Morris Delaware Tech at Lackawanna
Women’s game
CARNEYS POINT – The Salem women bounced back from a rough loss in its last game to give the 17th-ranked team in the country a full-game battle Thursday, but just couldn’t get their final shot to fall.
The Mighty Oaks held the halftime lead, then rallied from nine down in the fourth quarter to tie the game in the final minute, but they couldn’t get a game-tying 3-pointer with a second left to go and fell to No. 17 Palm Beach (Fla.) State 59-56.
“We gave them everything we had,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said. “They had a really good third quarter and we battled back to get back into the game.
“I’m really proud of our team. They played really hard coming off a really bad loss (at Mercer) and that’s really all you ask for. They gave me everything they had.”
The Mighty Oaks took a 29-25 halftime lead, shooting 50 percent from the field and holding Palm Beach leading scorer Janiah Suprius to 10 points, but the visitors from Florida used a big third quarter to take a 44-37 lead into the fourth. The Panthers scored the first eight points of the third quarter and 12 of the first 14.
Salem scored the first seven of the fourth quarter to tie the game with 8:01 to play. Palm Beach went up by nine three minutes later, but the Mighty Oaks rallied again and tied it at 56 on Paula Wilson’s 3-pointer with 36 seconds left.
A pair of free throws by Suprius with six seconds left made it 59-56. The Mighty Oaks called time to get the ball to midcourt. They inbounded to Shaw and got a good look, but her 3-pointer from the right side with a second left hit the back of the rim and they couldn’t get the rebound before the horn sounded.
“Being down three we wanted to get a good look at a 3-pointer and we got a good look from TJ and she just didn’t make it,” Marsh said. “I could definitely live with that shot. I thought we got the shots that we needed down the stretch. We need to make them.”
Shaw led the Mighty Oaks with 16 points. Jayda Hunter grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds. Suprius led all scorers with 31 points.
“The things that we’ve been focusing on they really took to heart tonight and put it towards the game and that’s we had the result that we did,” Marsh said. “Even though we came up short I told them I was extremely proud of the way they played. We got to shots we wanted down the stretch. The next time we’ll make them.”
3-point goals: Palm Beach 3-14 (Kline 1-1, Suprius 2-4, Kovach 0-3, Todd 0-3, Pire 0-3); Salem CC 4-11 (King 0-1, Shaw 2-6, Hunter 0-1, Wilson 2-3). Rebounds: Palm Beach 26 (Suprius 7, Nguyen 6); Salem CC 41 (Hunter 19, Gustin 9). Fouled out: Oliver. Total fouls: Palm Beach 23, Salem CC 20.
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
2-0
7-0
2-0
Mercer
2-0
5-1
1-0
Harcum
1-0
4-1
Lackawanna
1-0
1-3
Delaware Tech
0-0
1-6
Essex
0-1
3-1
0-1
Middlesex
0-1
4-5
0-0
Morris
0-1
0-1
0-0
SALEM CC
0-1
0-3
0-1
Raritan Valley
0-2
1-3
0-2
THURSDAY’S GAMES Palm Beach (Fla.) State 59, Salem CC 56 RCSJ-Gloucester 101, Ocean 38 Mercer 88, Raritan Valley 54 Northampton 80, SUNY-Broome 35 Sussex 48, Bergen 46 Atlantic Cape 67, Brookdale 62 Philadelphia 93, RCSJ-Cumberland 29 Bronx 72, Middlesex 64 Union 86, Essex 59 Five Towns 96, Lackawanna 38 Allegany (Md.) 55, Camden 51
FRIDAY’S GAME Palm Beach State at Harcum
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem at Essex Mercer at Harcum Union at Middlesex Ocean at Philadelphia Passaic at Camden Montgomery at RCSJ-Cumberland Morris at Raritan Valley Delaware Tech at Lackawanna
Former Salem High lineman Brooks excited about having the chance to play football again; he’s the type student-athlete who fits the Mighty Oaks’ mold
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – When the Salem High School football team took the final snap of the 2023 season, Darius Brooks resigned himself to the fact his playing career was over. It was great fun while it lasted, but with no immediate opportunities to play at the next level in front of him it was time to get on with the rest of his life.
BROOKS
There was a year in trade school and then enrolling at Salem Community College to start pursuing his degree. Then, the college began to explore adding a football program to its sports offerings, and when its board of trustees approved the initiative Thursday all of a sudden Brooks had a place back in the game.
“I thought it was over with, I kind of accepted that, but I always wanted to get back to it somehow, someway,” Brooks said. “I’m excited, for sure. Definitely ready to lace them back up at least one more year.”
It’s players like the former Rams lineman that interim head coach Jay Accorsi was thinking about when he pitched the idea of starting football to Salem president Mike Gorman. Accorsi, the former Rowan head coach, knew there were hundreds of players in the region who still had the ability and desire to play the game, but were shut out of places to continue after high school.
There was only one two-year college in New Jersey playing NJCAA-sanctioned football and it was way up in North Jersey. Before the Salem board green-lighted the initiative, there was no JUCO football between Central New York and Louisburg, N.C.
“Believe it or not in this (consultant’s) role I’ve had several conversations with coaches and different people specifically about several of those type of players and several of those type of players have already reached out to me,” Accorsi said. “There’s already that population that even at the beginning of this process of doing this is already reaching out.
“I already have several names on a bulletin board for that. And that just validates why I wanted to get involved in this and why I wanted to do this and why I feel so strongly about it.”
While the talk of the Mighty Oaks adding football circulated, Brooks told the many friends who asked that he’d be interested in playing if it became a reality and started “getting ready.” He hadn’t spoken to anyone in the athletic department about it, but you can bet he’ll be among the first in line when the door opens.
“I was definitely excited,” Brooks said. “Believe it or not somebody asked me if I would be interested in coaching, but I’m not old enough for that yet. If I’m doing anything I’ve got to play. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Top photo: Lineman Darius Brooks (52) is joined by some Salem High School teammates at a preseason media event before the 2023 football season.
Salem CC board of trustees OK bringing football to campus for first time, inaugural game expected in Fall 2026; Accorsi named interim head coach
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — The Salem Community College board of trustee Thursday approved the president’s recommendation to bring junior college football to the campus, an initiative the college president says will “change lives.”
The athletic department isn’t expected to formally launch the program until January, but Thursday’s vote gives the administrative green light to proceed with hiring coaches, recruiting players, buying equipment and building a schedule for the Fall of 2026.
“And the adventure begins,” president Mike Gorman said after the unanimous vote.
On Friday, the Mighty Oaks are expected to classify the sport with the National Junior College Athletic Association (Division III) and interim head coach Jay Accorsi will hit the road recruiting while a national search gets underway for a permanent leader of the program.
Accorsi, the retired Rowan University head coach, has long been intrigued with the idea of having junior college football in New Jersey. He pitched it to Gorman in the spring and has been a paid consultant on the project since August. His favorite saying throughout the process was “to make it hard for them to say no.”
“That’s kind of what I thought my job was all through the process, to help Bob (Hughes, Salem’s athletics director)) present the material with Dr. Gorman and make it really hard for them not to make the decision to do it,” Accorsi said. “That’s really what my goal was and so far we’ve done that. We’ve got a ways to go, but so far we’ve done that.”
Supporters of the initiative said adding football would, among other things, raise the visibility of the college locally and regionally and increase enrollment not just through the 80-100 student-athletes the program would attract but through the ancillary programs that go with it such as cheer, band and support groups.
To maintain Title IX balance the school will be starting women’s volleyball in the fall. The board approved the appointment of Delaware club coach Andrea Bartlett as that program’s first head coach Thursday.
With the addition of the two newest sports, Salem now offers cross country in the fall, men’s and women’s basketball in the winter, and softball and baseball in the spring.
“We’re thrilled to have the board’s support; it’s a big day for Salem athletics,” Hughes said. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring football to Salem County at the collegiate level and we’re looking forward to getting to work. The best times are ahead.”
With the board approval and Accorsi’s interim head coaching tag, the school can now begin to recruit players for spring practice, build a schedule and enter formal discussions for a permanent practice site. Among the sites being considered are the preferred Carneys Point Recreation Complex, which could become home to all the Mighty Oaks’ outdoor sports; the local YMCA fields, the Walnut Street Field in Salem City, and the middle school fields adjacent to the Carneys Point/Penns Grove School District offices.
Home games are expected to be played in the Pennsville and Penns Grove High School stadiums.
The Mighty Oaks now join Sussex CC as the only two-year colleges in New Jersey that offer NJCAA-sanctioned football, a void proponents say will help the program attract players. Additionally, two other JUCOs in the region, Lackawanna (Pa) and Monroe (N.Y.), will be reclassifying to NCAA Division II, further opening the door for players.
The team is expected to play initially as an NJCAA Division III independent with a modified seven- or eight-game first-year schedule drawn from regional NJCAA Division I and III programs, four-year junior varsities and two-year technical colleges in the area. They must play a minimum of six games against NJCAA programs to qualify for the playoffs.
The college examined the feasibility of starting a football program five years ago, but decided not to pursue it at that time. This latest exploration was a “much deeper dive.” It was anticipated the board would vote on the proposal last month, but policymakers wanted more time to digest all the information laid out in a detailed report researched by Accorsi and presented Hughes.
The success of the vote was said to hinge on the amount of risk the board was willing to take to launch a program said to have start-up costs of nearly $500,000. Gorman said the college’s budget is aligned in a manner that leaves him confident they could afford it, adding if they couldn’t afford it he wouldn’t have proposed it in the first place. Athletic department officials have said those costs could be recouped within the first two years of operation.
The result of the vote seemed to indicate the risk was acceptable.
“I think once the board realized the commitment we had made on students, not just the game and the expenses, the finances surrounding it, but the commitment we were making to young people who currently don’t have this option and are not necessarily purusing higher education, once they grasped that I really think it turned the tide on everything and they realized everything else will fall into place,” Gorman said.
“If we’re doing this for the right reasons, and I firmly believe that we are, I really look at it that it’s going to change lives and that’s what we’re in the business of doing, changing lives. The whole idea is let’s make sure we are giving as many people an opportunity to pursue their dreams as they possibly can. This is a way we can do it that can change the lives of 100 people tomorrow we couldn’t do any other way.”
Top photo: Salem CC president Mike Gorman (L) talks football with athletics director Bob Hughes (R) and interim head coach Jay Accorsi after the school’s board of trustees approved starting a program for play in the Fall of 2026.
NJCAA DIVISION III FOOTBALL Central Lakes-Brainerd (Minn.) College of DuPage (Ill.) Erie (N.Y.) CC Hocking (Ohio) College Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC Louisburg (N.C.) College Minnesota North-Mesabi Range Minnesota North-Vermilion Minnesota State C&T Minnesota West C&T Nassau (N.Y.) CC North Dakota College of Science Rochester (Minn.) C&T Salem CC
No. 2 Mighty Oaks make it six in a row, back home over Ocean; Salem women play first game in two weeks, fall at Mercer
MENS BASKETBALL Salem CC 113, Ocean 90 WOMENS BASKETBALL Mercer 88, Salem CC 39
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – One of the biggest keys to Salem CC’s deep run to the national tournament last year was its ability to get contributions from throughout the roster. The starters were the engine, but when the reserves went in the game the Mighty Oaks could count on getting something from them to keep the train rolling.
The new group of starters still make the Mighty Oaks go this year, but the new group of reserves are still trying to find their niche.
Second-ranked Salem won its sixth straight Tuesday night, returning home from a weekend away to beat Ocean 113-90.
All five starters scored in double figures (82 points) for the second time this season and had the Mighty Oaks (6-0) on pace to break the scoreboard, but when coach Mike Green gave the second group a chance to show their stuff with a comfortable lead, the Vikings kept it from getting further out of hand.
They hadn’t given up that many points in a game since a 102-93 loss at Camden in the eighth game last season.
“We gave those guys who don’t play as much … some game reps so they can help us later on down the road,” Green explained. “A few of them didn’t appreciate those minutes, so we might have to pull them back.
“We were good offensively, we were good defensive with our first five, six guys. Those guys seven, eight, nine, ten, they’ve got to give us something. If they think they’re going to outscore those starters, they got it all wrong. They’ve got to come guard, they’ve got to make that extra pass, they’ve got to come get a rebound because those five who start are going to score the ball – all year long. Last year we were good from one to 11. We’ve got to get that again.”
“Any team shouldn’t be scoring 90 points on us,” freshman guard Jarrell Little said. “Ninety points is way too much for a team like that, especially if we’re blowing them out.”
It’s not that they’re down on the non-starters, the group just didn’t deliver on this particular night.
“They’ve got it, they’ve just got to come show it,” Green said. “If they come in with the wrong mindset they’re going to struggle more and more and more. But we recruited them for a reason. They have to understand their role on the team.”
The Mighty Oaks’ shooting stroke came around. They were 38-of-132 from 3-point range coming into the game, but hit a season-high 14-of-29 against the Vikings (2-3), tying for third-most in Green’s 58-game tenure as coach. Seven players hit at least one; the starters were 11-for-16. The reason they had a 22-point halftime lead is because they had seven more 3s than the Vikings in the half.
“We want to be around double-digit 3s and we got 14 of them today – and a good percentage, too,” Green said. “We were shooting 28 percent from 3, that’s why teams were zoning us.”
“We were just shooting the ball today,” Little said. “It’s our home gym, we’re supposed to be lighting it up.”
Little was 0-for-10 from beyond the arc the last time the Mighty Oaks played at home, but he nailed the first 3 of the game from the right corner and had three on the night en route to a game-high 23 points. In the three games since that cold home debut, he’s averaging just under 22 points a game and is 8-of-21 from behind the arc.
“My coach always gave me the confidence to shoot the ball; either way, I’m just going to keep shooting,” Little said. “That’s all he put in my brain, just keep shooting, and I worked on it the next day at practice. I was just focusing on being consistent, taking better shots and working on my game.”
He wasn’t the one who’s shot came around. Zyaire Gibson was 2-of-12 from behind the arc in the Mighty Oaks’ two wins at Penn Highlands last weekend, but he hit 4-of-5 in the first half and finished with 14 points.
“He can shoot the ball; we’re just trying to get those guys confident in the shot they’re taking,” Green said. “Saving face when you miss is when you make. You can’t go out there feeling sorry for yourself, the basketball gods don’t care. You can go 0-for-10, they don’t care.”
The Mighty Oaks also got big games from starters Nasseem Wright and Saaid Lee. Wright had 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. Lee, the point guard, bounced back from fouling out Sunday seven minutes into the second half with 15 points and eight assists
“I just wanted to make up for this week; it made me want to be there for my team,” Lee said. “I left them on the water by themselves last game, so I wanted to make sure I was there to do what I’ve got to do and be there for them.”
Salem CC 113, Ocean 90
OCEAN (2-3): A.J. Lemons 6-12 5-6 18, Myles Marabuto 2-4 2-2 7, Jamari Smith 7-10 8-10 22, Aiden Sosinov 4-6 0-0 8, James Gibbons 3-3 0-0 6, Jack Malek 2-3 0-0 4, Kai Barckley 3-5 0-0 6, Omar Hadid 1-2 0-0 2, Aiden Falduto 0-0 0-0 0, Jeremy Grospe 1-5 0-1 2, Mattox Watson 1-1 1-3 4, Tristan Ulrich 0-1 0-0 0, Mason Krye 2-6 0-0 5, Liam Yefet 2-2 0-6 4, Joseph Witter 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 35-63 16-28 90. SALEM CC (6-0): Jarrell Little 9-15 2-2 23, Saaid Lee 7-10 0-0 15, Zyaire Gibson 5-7 0-1 14, Nasseem Wright 8-15 3-5 20, Stefan Phillips 4-4 0-0 10, Jahseir Sayles 0-3 0-0 0, Jaiayre Wright 1-3 1-2 3, Qua Smith 1-4 5-8 7, Lenar Anderson 3-7 0-1 7, Idris Rines 4-9 4-4 14, Michael Goodwin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 42-78 15-23 113.
Ocean
41
49-
90
Salem
63
50-
113
3-point goals: Ocean 4-18 (Lemons 1-4, Marabuto 1-2, Sosinov 0-1, Barckley 0-2, Grospe 0-4, Watson 1-1, Ulrich 0-1, Krey 1-3); Salem 14-29 (Little 3-6, Lee 1-1, Gibson 4-5, N. Wright 1-2, Phillips 2-2, Sayles 0-3, Smith 0-1, Anderson 1-4, Rines 2-5). Rebounds: Ocean 32 (Yefet 8); Salem 38 (N. Wright 5, Smith 5, Rines 5). Technical fouls: Gibbons. Fouled out: J. Smith. Total fouls: Ocean 20, Salem 19.
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
5-0
5-0
4-0
SALEM CC
4-0
6-0
2-0
Camden
4-0
4-0
2-0
Northampton
3-0
5-0
Montgomery
2-0
2-1
Brookdale
3-2
3-4
1-2
Atlantic Cape
2-2
2-2
1-2
RCSJ-Gloucester
2-2
2-3
1-2
Bergen
2-3
2-3
1-1
Ocean
2-3
2-3
1-2
RCSJ-Cumberland
1-2
1-2
1-1
Delaware County
1-3
1-3
Passaic
1-3
1-3
1-2
Sussex
1-3
1-4
0-2
Thaddeus Stevens
0-2
2-3
Luzerne
0-2
1-3
Harrisburg Area
0-2
0-5
Philadelphia
0-4
1-4
TUESDAY’S GAMES Salem 113, Ocean 90 Prince George’s 105, Essex 94 Union 84, Atlantic Cape 66 Sussex 68, Luzerne 64 Allegany (Md.) 103, Harrisburg Area 66 Delaware County at Thaddeus Stevens Brookdale 63, Philadelphia 54 Morris 88, Lackawanna 76 RCSJ-Cumberland at Northampton Montgomery 67, Camden 65 Passaic 89, Bergen 80
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES CCBC Dundalk at Delaware Tech Harcum at Cecil
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem at Passaic Miseracordia JV at Luzerne SUNY-Broome at Northampton Bucks at Middlesex Raritan Valley at Mercer Philadelphia at Georgian Court JV Atlantic Cape at Brookdale Ocean at RCSJ-Gloucester Sussex at Bergen
Women’s game
WEST WINDSOR – The Salem CC women were playing just their second game of the season and first game in two weeks, and the layoff was evident.
The Mighty Oaks were held to 14 points in the first half and fell on the road to Mercer, 88-39.
“It helped us in a way because our players got healthy,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said of the layoff, “but (it) affected our timing, for sure.”
The Mighty Oaks were shorthanded as it was, but they already were without injured point guard Justine Cardona and Neicy King fouled out in the first half.
“It definitely affected our press break and we had 41 turnovers,” Marsh said. “But they still played hard even very short-handed.”
Mercer’s Alexandra Galan-Garcia led all scorers with 29 points. Evangelina Fransisco had 20. Kasey Oliver and Tanya Shaw led Salem with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
SALEM CC (0-2): Ray’Nescia King 0-1 0-0 0, Tanijya Shaw 4-12 4-5 12, Kasey Oliver 5-11 3-9 13, Dani Gustin 4-9 0-2 8, Breanne Ruhl 0-0 0-0 0, Jayda Hunter 0-6 3-5 3, Paula Wilson 1-8 1-2 3. Totals 14-47 11-24 49. MERCER (4-1): Evangelina Fransisco 7-14 1-2 20, Mayah Alford 6-10 0-2 12, Zaakirah Edwards 5-16 0-3 10, Gabriella Smith 3-8, 0-0 6, Qui-Mia Wilkins 2-9 1-4 5, Alexandra Galan-Garcia 13-22 2-4 29, Patricia Moore 2-5 0-0 4, Emma Wilke 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 39-91 4-12 88.
Salem CC
6
8
10
15-
39
Mercer
22
20
18
28-
88
3-point goals: Salem 0-7 (King 0-1, Shaw 0-1, Oliver 0-3, Hunter 0-2); Mercer 6-24 (Fransisco 5-9, Edwards 0-3, Smith 0-4, Wilkins 0-1, Galan-Garcia 1-2, Moore 0-1, Wilke 0-3). Rebounds: Salem 48 (Hunter 12, Oliver 6); Mercer 49 (Wilkins 10, Alford 7). Fouled out: King, Moore. Total fouls: Salem 13, Mercer 22.
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
1-0
6-0
1-0
Harcum
1-0
4-1
Mercer
1-0
4-1
0-0
Lackawanna
1-0
1-3
Essex
0-0
3-0
0-0
Delaware Tech
0-0
1-6
Middlesex
0-1
4-4
0-0
Raritan Valley
0-1
1-2
0-1
Morris
0-1
0-1
0-0
SALEM CC
0-1
0-2
0-1
TUESDAY’S GAMES Mercer 88, Salem CC 39 Essex 53, Prince George’s 46 Harcum 113, Middlesex 45 Union 84, Raritan Valley 60 Montgomery 44, Camden 43 Passaic 82, Bergen 51 Philadelphia 74, Brookdale 67 Northampton 84, RCSJ-Cumberland 23 Lackawanna 69, Morris 56 Atlantic Cape 73, Sussex 41
THURSDAY’S GAMES Palm Beach (Fla.) State at Salem CC Ocean at RCSJ-Gloucester Raritan Valley at Mercer SUNY-Broome at Northampton Sussex at Bergen Atlantic Cape at Brookdale RCSJ-Cumberland at Philadelphia Middlesex at Bronx Union at Essex Lackawanna at Five Towns Allegany (Md.) at Camden
Riverview Sports News 