Band on the run

Schalick uses running attack, strong defense to shut down Audubon in Central Jersey playoff opener; Salem falls at South Hunterdon

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS
Friday’s games
No. 1 Schalick 35, No. 8 Audubon 0
No. 4 Shore 14, No. 5 Clayton 0
No. 3 Glassboro 28, No. 6 Keyport 0
No. 2 South Hunterdon 16, No. 7 Salem 6
Semifinals games
Shore at Schalick
Glassboro at South Hunterdon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Old habits die hard.

Whenever he was asked about it, Schalick coach Mike Wilson said the reason the Cougars invested so much time in the offseason improving their passing game was because they got exposed for the lack of one in the playoffs last year.

If you’re going to beat the better teams, especially those you’ll see in the playoffs, he said, you have to throw the football.

But two weeks after quarterback Kenai Simmons set all kinds of career highs passing the football and now in the first round of those playoffs, the Cougars were back to pounding the ground. They ran it 42 times for 269 yards Friday night and threw only five passes (completing three).

But you can’t argue with the results. They beat Audubon 35-0 for their first playoff win since 2007 and their first playoff shutout since 2003.

The undefeated top seed in the Central Jersey Group I playoffs (10-0) will now host Shore Regional (6-3) in the sectional semifinals Friday.

“It was odd because our game plan coming into this week was really to pass the ball more,” Simmons said. “We saw last year, first round of the playoffs, that’s where we failed at. We ran the ball so much and Woodstown stopped us, so we felt we had to step it up and pass the ball.

“But after we saw Reggie Allen breaking a couple plays we figured like he was hungry so let’s feed him and keep it on the ground.”

Allen led the rushing attack with 117 yards on 21 carries. He scored two touchdowns. Simmons had 98 yards, including a 60-yard dash in the fourth quarter that was more than the Green Wave rushed as a team the entire game. Levi Feeney-Childers had 44 yards on eight carries and a touchdown.

Eighteen of the Cougars’ first 19 plays were runs and they only really started throwing it on their last possession of the first half. They threw one pass in the second half, a 34-yard completion to Jake Siedlecki.

“Here’s the thing, as that game went on we threw when we had to,” Wilson said. “Last year we couldn’t do that. So it’s not the volume, it’s can we make the timely pass when you need it.

“We liked the tempo of the game, we were playing great defense, the stuff they gave us was (by) us not them; we were getting a surge all night. The gameplan was with the question mark on Kenai’s (shoulder), we’re just going to run the football this week. And then Kenai looked like his old self so the training wheels are going to come off.”

**Dylan Sheehan looks back into the field after reaching the end zone on his pick-six in the second quarter. (Photo by Heather Papiano)**

The Cougars’ defense also played a big role in the win. It was led by Dylan Sheehan’s one-handed pick-six and three sacks by freshman first-time starting nose Aiden Torres.

Wilson said the Cougars were back to the form they displayed prior to the slowdown brought on by back-to-back forfeit wins in the middle of the schedule.

“It was a good, complete first-round game,” he said.

Sheehan played with a thick black cushion wrapped around his right hand to protect a fractured knuckle in his pinky he suffered in last week’s game. It didn’t hurt his chances making the interception, though, as he snared it with his left hand and used the pad to help bring it into his body.

Then he took off down the left sideline for the first pick-six of his high school career. It gave the Cougars a 14-0 lead they carried into halftime.

“As soon as it was in my hands I knew it was in the crib,” Sheehan said.

Torres, meanwhile, had been elevated to the varsity three games ago after giving the regulars fits on the scout team and originally was used as a rotational player. He was told after last week’s regular-season finale he was going to start in the playoff game, had a whole week to mentally prepare for the biggest game of his life and made the most of his opportunity.

“First play I’m always nervous, but it wasn’t anything really big, I just had to play like I always play, do what I’ve got to do,” the 5-10, 250-pounder said, clutching a game ball in his massive hands. “It was fun. I like it. I really like it. It’s more intense, everything is more fast paced. I like it way better.”

**Schalick freshman Aiden Torres (70) wraps up Audubon quarterback Breyson McCracken for one of his three sacks in his first varsity start. (Photo by Heather Papiano)**

No. 1 Schalick 35, No. 8 Audubon 0

AUD		SCH
12	1st Downs	16
14-56	Rushing	42-269
11-22-2	Passes	3-5-0
100	Passing	46
0-0	Fum-lost	0-0
2-30.5	Punts	1-44.0
4-33	Penalties	7-62

Audubon (3-5)	0	0	0	0 –	0
Schalick (10-0)	0	14	7	14 –	35

Scoring plays:
S – Reggie Allen 12 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 7:57 2Q
S – Dylan Sheehan 64 interception return (Hunter Dragotta kick), 6:28 2Q
S – Levi Feeney-Childers 4 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 3:39 3Q
S – Reggie Allen 1 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 10:15 4Q
S – Kenai Simmons 5 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 3:07 4Q

Salem haunted by missed opportunities

LAMBERTVILLE – Salem missed several opportunities to take control of the game in the first half and it came back to bite it in the end.

Second-seeded and once-beaten South Hunterdon stopped turning the ball over in the second half and scored 16 straight points to end the Rams’ playoff dreams and first season under coach Danny Mendoza 16-6.

The Rams stopped South Hunterdon four times with takeaways in the first half, all of them setting up inside the Eagles’ 30, but had only a 6-0 lead on Jared Pew’s 13-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to show for it. The defense collected three interceptions and a fumble recovery to hold the Eagles (9-1) back. They returned one of the picks for a touchdown, but it got called back for a block in the back.

As the seventh seed in the Central Jersey Group I bracket, the Rams (2-8) were destined to play on the road throughout the playoffs. But it wouldn’t have fazed them. They played four of their previous, but were only scheduled for two before their old field was reopened after undergoing repairs.

South Hunterdon 16, Salem 6

Salem (2-8)	0	6	0	0 –	0
South Hunterdon (9-1)	0	0	7	9 –	16

Scoring plays:
S – Jared Pew 13 run (run failed)
SH – Ryder Manfready 14 run (PAT kick)
SH – Safety, Ramaji Bundy tackled in end zone
SH – Ryder Manfready 12 run (PAT kick)

Quick strike Cougars

Schalick’s attacking style rewarded with quick goals at the start of each half in sectional field hockey opener

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
First-round games
Haddon Twp. at Salem, Fri., 2 p.m.
Maple Shade at Woodstown, Fri., 2 p.m.
Gateway at Collingswood, Fri., 2 p.m.
Middle Twp. at Audubon, Fri., 2 p.m.
Schalick 3, Bordentown 0
Gloucester 5, Lower Cape May 0
Florence 6, New Egypt 0
Second-round games
Haddon Twp.-Salem winner at West Deptford
Woodstown-Maple Shade vs. Gateway-Collingswood
Middle Twp.-Audubon vs. Schalick
Gloucester at Florence

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — If you were late getting to your seat at the start of Schalick’s South Jersey Group I playoff opener or getting back to it at the start of the second half, you missed a lot of the home team’s scoring Thursday.

The Cougars came out fast at the start of each half and rode that momentum to a 3-0 victory over Bordentown.

Proving they mean business in this year’s playoffs, the Cougars scored just over a minute into the match and extended their lead with a goal 30 seconds into the third quarter.

“The girls are pumped up,” Cougars coach Heather Cheesman said. “We always try to go out with intensity and be the aggressors and have pressure on goal constantly.

“We’ve always been a second half team, but this team’s different. This team is not like that. I’ve been coaching 10 years now and Schalick has always been a second half team, but this team is different.”

Leading scorer Phoebe Alward announced the Cougars’ presence in the playoffs. The fans sitting across the way hardly settled into their seats when the sophomore banged home a cross from Ava Scurry 62 seconds into the match. It was her 16^th goal of the season, a surprising number to her that matches her jersey number.

Cheesman couldn’t ever remember scoring that quickly to open a game, regular season or playoffs.

“I was excited,” she said. “I like getting the first goal because it gets them pumped up. They were excited.”

Scurry gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead when she scored with 2:46 left in the first half. It was her 12^th goal, to go with 16 assists.

“I knew this could have been our last game because the playoffs are single elimination,” Scurry said. “So I put it all out there and tried to do what was best for the team.”

Lucy Virga didn’t waste any time when the teams came out the break. She got the Cougars’ third goal being “in the right place at the right time” to bang home a rebound 30 seconds into the second half.

“Our plan is to come out really strong and just not let up after any restart,” Scurry said.

The Cougars, the sixth seed, now play the winner of today’s Middle Twp.-Audubon game at a site and date to be determined. Middle is the third seed.

Record smasher

Schalick’s Miller sets school’s single-season goal-scoring record with five in Cougars’ 7-0 win over Salem

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Thursday’s games
Audubon 9, Penns Grove 0
Clayton 2, Glassboro 1
Pitman 5, Gateway 0
Maple Shade 8, Buena 0
Schalick 7, Salem 0
Haddon Twp. 6, Pennsville 0
Gloucester 4, Woodstown 1
Palmyra 9, Woodbury 0
Second-round games
Clayton at Audubon
Pitman at Maple Shade
Haddon Twp. at Schalick
Gloucester at Palmyra

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – For a player who didn’t want to be a striker, Schalick’s Emily Miller has sure made the most of it playing there.

Miller has turned into a veritable goal-scoring machine this season for the Cougars. She scored five goals Thursday in their 7-0 rout of Salem in the South Jersey Group I girls soccer tournament and set the school record in the process.

The senior now has 45 goals on the season, breaking the record of 43 set by Kerri Jackson last year. It was the second time this season she has scored five in a game.

It was her 14th multi-goal game this year and seventh with three goals or more. She has scored 23 goals in the 10 games since the Cougars (14-4) were shut out by Sterling on Sept. 29, the only game she hasn’t scored in this season.

“She definitely fell into the role,” Schalick coach Will Kemp said. “She had this inside her last year, but I think was a little timid. She had just returned last year (after missing the previous two seasons) and when one of our strikers went out for an injury we moved her there.

“She never wanted to be a striker. I told her she was going to be and she is one, and now she loves it.”

The Cougars scored their seven goals in 15 minutes.

Miller scored their first two to inch closer to the record. She tied the mark by converting a cross from Olivia Bergholz into the upper corner to make it 4-0 and then broke on the goal that made it 5-0.

They stopped the game after she got the record-setting goal and Schalick thletics director Doug Volovar presented her the game ball on the spot. Her teammates all gave her a hug.

“It was a great, great moment,” Kemp said.

But Miller wasn’t finished. She punched in goal No. 45 moments later to make it 6-0.

The Cougars’ other two goals were scored by Cali Fisler and Karlie Bakley.

“Our girls played at the top of their game today,” Kemp said. “I was really impressed with them.”

The third-seeded Cougars will host fourth-seeded Haddon Twp. (8-9-2) in the second round Monday.

Asked if he thought his record-breaking scorer had 50 goals in her, Kemp didn’t hesitate.

“Yes, I definitely believe so,” he said.

GLOUCESTER 4, WOODSTOWN 1: Anabelle Conley scored in the first half to snap a 1-1 tie and the seventh-seeded Lions ((14-5) added two goals in the second half to put away the Wolverines, who had been unbeaten in their last six games.

Talia Battavio scored the tying goal for Woodstown (9-8-1). It was her 15th goal of the season and 10th in the last five games.

AUDUBON 9, PENNS GROVE 0: Nine different players scored for the top-seeded Green Wave (16-1-2). Erin Connelly, Molly Sullivan and Emily Powers all had a goal and an assist. Morgan Wiltsey had a goal and two assists.

HADDON TWP. 6, PENNSVILLE 0: The sixth-seeded Hawks (8-9-2) scored all their goals in the first half with Emerson McDonald getting three. McDonald has 16 goals this season.

On a roll

Monday roundup: Woodstown boys soccer heading into sectional tournament on five-game winning streak; roundup includes girls soccer, field hockey

MONDAY’S SCORES
BOYS SOCCER
Woodstown 2, Glassboro 1
Pennsville 4, Salem Tech 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown 2, Glassboro 2
Pitman 5, Salem 0
Pennsville 7, Salem Tech 0
FIELD HOCKEY
Clearview 2, Woodstown 0
Gloucester City 7, Pennsville 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick 5, Woodstown 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

GLASSBORO – The Woodstown soccer team goes into the South Jersey Group I tournament feeling good about the turnaround it has put together during the season and on a roll after beating Glassboro 2-1 in its final regular-season game Monday.

Adrian Ibarra and Kaleb Gerace each scored a goal in the second half for the Wolverines in the battle of top four sectional seeds.

Ibarra opened the scoring seven minutes into the second half. Gerace made it 2-0 13 minutes later. Emirhan Kir’s penalty kick off an “unfortunate foul” in the box with 11 minutes left was the only thing that kept the Wolverines from posting a fifth straight shutout.

It was, however, their fifth win in a row, their second over Glassboro in the last four days and their sixth in the eight games (with one tie) since a 6-2 Alumni Night loss to Schalick in the football stadium.

“We had a lot of games over the last two weeks, so it’s been a grind, but we came in and kind of came out on top,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “We didn’t play well against Audubon (the only loss in the home stretch), but when you play Schalick and two Colonial Conference teams, it wasn’t so much about wins and losses in that one, it was to see how we were going to battle and compete.

“We circle the wagons and bring them all back and remind them what the big picture is and remind them how one game doesn’t identify you in a good way or a bad way; let’s stay focused on what we need to do and they responded. I’m happy with my goalkeeper, how he responded from that tough night against Schalick, and defensively I’m happy with where we’re at right now.”

That would be 13-3-1 and the No. 3 seed in the SJ-I tournament;. A year ago they were 5-10-3 with seven one-goal losses and were something like 3-27 in the offseason going all over South Jersey playing larger schools. But they were playing and learning and growing.

Huck never lost faith and he was grateful the players didn’t either.

“I told them it’s not about the now, it’s preparing guys for the future,” he said. “I need all of you to believe and I will take you there, but do not lose confidence in what we’re doing.

“I had a parent today say I remember what you said in August in that last tournament; you said we’ll be just fine. I’m glad it worked this way. It made them believe they believed in me. I said this was going to happen.”

Ibarra’s goal was his 23rd of the season and 30th of his career. The nephew of Woodstown’s all-time leading goal scorer, Oscar Hernandez, Ibarra now has the second-most goals in a season by a junior in school history and has moved into the top 15 on the Wolverines’ all-time goals list.

“He’s really put it together,” Huck said. “He takes a lot of pride in being a complete soccer player, not just a scorer. He’s on the other end of assists, gets back defensively to help out. A lot of times he’ll ask me if I want him to drop back to help out the defense. He’s willing to take himself out of a scoring opportunity so we can get a win.

“He puts a tremendous amount of time into it. Many, many times I can go up to the park and he’ll be out there all by himself with a bag of soccer balls and some cones and he’s just working on his game. It’s good to see it all pay off for him.”

While Woodstown is going into the playoffs on a roll, Glassboro is looking to get back on track. The Bulldogs (12-5) have lost five of their last eight against some of their toughest opposition of the year after starting the season 9-0.

“We had a good regular season,” Huck said. “We can look back and say we had a nice season. We know the second season starts (Wednesday) and we’re going to try to go as far as we can.”

Pennsville 4, Salem Tech 1: Jake Isaac scored two first-half goals and assisted on the Eagles’ other two goals. It was his third multi-goal game of the season and fifth of his career. Stone Mumink gave the Eagles (6-12) a 3-0 lead and Kameron Brown got the Chargers (3-13-1) on the board before the end of the half. Shane Puckett scored Pennsville’s final goal in the second half.

GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown 2, Glassboro 2: Emma Perry and Talia Battavio scored goals for the Wolverines (9-7-1), but Glassboro scored a goal in the second half to tie the match.

Pitman 5, Salem 0: Emery Sharpnack scored her 15th goal of the season to open the scoring and assisted on Alaina Williams’ goal in the second half. The Classic Division champion Panthers (13-4-1) are one of two teams to go through their Tri-County Conference schedule undefeated (10-0).

Pennsville 7, Salem Tech 0: Reagan Wariwanchik, Molly Gratz and Karsen Cooksey scored first-half goals and Cooksey completed the hat trick in the second half.

FIELD HOCKEY
Clearview 2, Woodstown 0: Marley Dutch scored a goal and assisted on Destiny Joseph’s score. The Group III Pioneers (12-5) peppered Woodstown goalie Shelby Foote with 29 shots.

Gloucester City 7, Pennsville 0: Lauren Perry scored four goals to lead the Lions (12-4).

Sectional tournaments

Here are the first-round pairings in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group I tournaments; boys soccer becomes official at noon Tuesday

BOYS SOCCER
Oct. 25
No. 16 Pennsville (6-12) at No. 1 Schalick (14-4), 4 p.m.
No. 9 Pitman (12-5-1) at No. 8 Maple Shade (10-7), 3 p.m.
No. 12 Penns Grove (6-9-1) at No. 5 Audubon (11-5-2), 2 p.m.
No. 13 Haddon Twp. (5-10-2) at No. 4 Glassboro (12-5), 2 p.m.
No. 14 Burlington City (6-10) at No. 3 Woodstown (13-3-1), 2 p.m.
No. 11 Wildwood (11-5-1) at No. 6 Buena (12-4), 2 p.m.
No. 10 Gateway (9-8-1) at No. 7 Riverside (13-3-2)
No. 15 Woodbury (8-8) at No. 2 Palmyra (15-2-1), 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Oct. 26
No. 16 Penns Grove (1-11-1) at No. 1 Audubon (15-1-2)
No. 9 Clayton (10-5-1) at No. 8 Glassboro (9-6-2)
No. 12 Gateway (7-9) at No. 5 Pitman (13-4-1)
No. 13 Buena (6-9) at No. 4 Maple Shade (11-4)
No. 14 Salem (4-13-1) at No. 3 Schalick (13-4)
No. 11 Pennsville (6-9-3) at No. 6 Haddon Twp. (7-9-2)
No. 10 Woodstown (9-7-1) at No. 7 Gloucester (12-5)
No. 15 Woodbury (1-14-1) at No 2 Palmyra (14-3)

FIELD HOCKEY
Oct. 26
No. 11 Bordentown (4-11-1) at No. 6 Schalick (11-5-1)

Oct. 27
No. 12 Maple Shade (8-4) at No. 5 Woodstown (12-3-1)

Oct. 28
No. 1 West Deptford (10-3-3) bye
No. 9 Haddon Twp. (7-8) at No. 8 Salem (11-4)
No. 13 Gateway (5-10) at No. 4 Collingswood (9-5-2)
No. 14 Audubon (8-6) at No. 3 Middle Twp. (13-2-1)
No. 10 Lower Cape May (6-6-4) at No. 7 Gloucester (12-4)
No. 15 New Egypt (7-5) at No. 2 Florence (13-2-1)

County leaders

With the football playoffs beginning this week, here is a look at the Salem County leaders in rushing, passing and receiving through the end of the regular season

Rushing

PLAYER	ATT	YDS	TD
Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown	149	1146	14
Pop Jackson, Salem	131	1023	8
Bryce Wright, Penns Grove	155	847	9
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove	119	743	5
Reggie Allen, Schalick	92	588	10
Sky Eppes, Pennsville	109	547	9
Jared Pew, Salem	83	385	3
Kenai Simmons, Schalick	79	344	8
Robbie McDade, Pennsville	76	330	6
Levi Feeney-Childers, Schalick	50	301	2
Max Webb, Woodstown	61	265	5
Ramaji Bundy, Salem	47	260	1
Alex Torres, Woodstown	38	230	3

Sophomore quarterback Robbie McDade will have a chance to give Pennsville its first 1,000-yard passer since 2019 Thursday when the Eagles host New Egypt in the regional consolation tournament. Top photo: Bryce Belinfanti and Max Webb give Woodstown a dynamic backfield combination. (Photos by Lorraine Jenkins, Ellen Sickler)

Passing

PLAYER	COMP	ATT	INT	YDS	TD
Robbie McDade, Pennsville	70	136	4	948	6
Kenai Simmons, Schalick	33	52	0	715	7
Max Webb, Woodstown	44	74	5	555	5
Ramaji Bundy, Salem	15	53	5	236	1

Receiving

PLAYER	NO.	YDS	TD
Malik Rehmer, Pennsville	39	604	5
Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown	13	129	0
Zach Bevis, Woodstown	12	189	3
Ty Young, Pennsville	12	118	1
Terrence Smith, Salem	11	146	1
Sky Eppes, Pennsville	11	128	0
Jake Siedlecki, Schalick	9	268	3
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick	9	140	2
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove	8	113	0

Kicking

PLAYER	FGM-FGA	XPM-XPA	PTS
Jake Ware, Woodstown	3-4	25-27	34
Hunter Dragotta, Schalick	2-4	25-27	31
Jackson Leino, Pennsville	4-6	15-19	27

Defense

SACKS
6.5: Dameon Wilson, Penns Grove
5.5: Bobby Donahue, Woodstown
4: Nasir Stewart, Penns Grove
3: Jermaine Loney, Schalick; Mando Johnson, Salem
2.5: Zach Bevis, Woodstown; William Slouch, Penns Grove

TACKLES FOR LOSS
17: Bryce Wright, Penns Grove
15: Nasir Stewart, Penns Grove
11: Dameon Wilson, Penns Grove
9: William Slocum, Penns Grove
8: Justin Martin, Penns Grove
6.5: Bobby Donahue, Woodstown
6: Zach Bevis, Woodstown; Walter Carter, Woodstown; Mando Johnson, Salem
5.5: Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown
5: Max Webb, Woodstown; Thomas Hymer, Schalick
4.5: Pop Jackson, Salem
4: Jack Knorr, Woodstown; Najee Panter, Penns Grove

INTERCEPTIONS: 2: Malik Rehmer, Pennsville; Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove; Bryce Wright, Penns Grove

FUMBLE RECOVERIES: 2: Connor Ayers, Pennsville; Cole Campbell, Pennsville

This week’s schedule

The opening round of the NJSIAA fall sports playoffs highlight the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Oct. 23-28

FOOTBALL
Oct. 26
South Jersey Group I Consolation Tournament
New Egypt at Pennsville, 5 p.m.
Keansburg at Manville

Oct. 27
South Jersey Group I playoffs
Dunellen at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Penns Grove at Florence, 7 p.m.
Burlington City at Middlesex, 7 p.m.

Central Jersey Group I playoffs
Audubon at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Clayton at Shore, 7 p.m.
Keyport at Glassboro, 7 p.m.
Salem at South Hunterdon, TBA

Oct. 28
South Jersey Group I playoffs
Riverside at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.

FIELD HOCKEY
Oct. 23
Woodstown at Clearview, 3:45 p.m.
Gloucester City at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

Oct. 26
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 11 Bordentown at No. 6 Schalick, 2 p.m.

Oct. 27
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 12 Maple Shade at No. 5 Woodstown, 2 p.m.

Oct. 28
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 1 West Deptford bye
No. 9 Haddon Twp. at No. 8 Salem
No. 13 Gateway at No. 4 Collingswood
No. 14 Audubon at No. 3 Middle Twp.
No. 10 Lower Cape May at No. 7 Gloucester
No. 15 New Egypt at No. 2 Florence

GIRLS TENNIS
Oct. 23
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.

Oct. 24
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.

Oct. 26
Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m.

Oct. 27
Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Oct. 23
Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Pennsville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 24
Paulsboro at Salem, 4 p.m.

Oct. 25
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 16 Pennsville at No. 1 Schalick, 4 p.m.
No. 9 Pitman at No. 8 Maple Shade, 3 p.m.
No. 12 Penns Grove at No. 5 Audubon, 2 p.m.
No. 13 Haddon Twp. at No. 4 Glassboro, 2 p.m.
No. 14 Burlington City at No. 3 Woodstown, 2 p.m.
No. 11 Wildwood at No. 6 Buena, 2 p.m.
No. 10 Gateway at No. 7 Riverside
No. 15 Woodbury at No. 2 Palmyra, 4 p.m.

Oct. 28
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Second round games

GIRLS SOCCER
Oct. 23
Woodstown at Glassboro, 3:30 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Pennsville, 5 p.m.

Oct. 26
South Jersey Group I Tournament
No. 16 Penns Grove at No. 1 Audubon
No. 9 Clayton at No. 8 Glassboro
No. 12 Gateway at No. 5 Pitman
No. 13 Buena at No. 4 Maple Shade
No. 14 Salem at No. 3 Schalick
No. 11 Pennsville at No. 6 Haddon Twp.
No. 10 Woodstown at No. 7 Gloucester
No. 15 Woodbury at No 2 Palmyra

CROSS COUNTRY
Oct. 28
Sectionals, DREAM Park

Playoff pairings

Four of five Salem County teams qualify for Group I football playoffs; non-football playoff projections based on power points also listed

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

Four of the five football-playing schools in Salem County are in the NJSIAA Group I playoffs this year and two have pulled down No. 1 seeds.

In the final regular-season UPR ratings produced by the gridironnj website and released this evening, Woodstown and undefeated Schalick pulled down the Nos. 1 and 2 spots in the South Jersey Group I top 16 and will be the No. 1 seeds in the South Jersey and Central Jersey brackets, respectively, when the NJSIAA makes it official.

Only two-tenths of a UPR point separated the two teams. Schalick had the winningest team in South Jersey Group I (9-0), but Woodstown (6-2) had the highest OSI.

Horizon Division champion Schalick, with its first undefeated regular season since 2006, had been in line for the overall No. 1, but Woodstown overtook it after Saturday’s 21-6 win over Penns Grove for the Diamond Division title.

We’re guaranteed home field advantage through the sectional final,” Schalick coach Mike Wilson said. “Strength of schedule is a very important indicator. From where we went from last year – we were the 15th seed last year now we’re the No. 2 seed – that’s a huge improvement in one year.”

Penns Grove (4-5) came in at No. 9 and sets up a potential second-round rematch with Woodstown. Salem (2-7) came in at No. 14. Both will open the playoffs on the road.

“We would’ve liked to been home but obviously too many times we came up a little short,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said.

Pennsville wound up being the county’s odd-man out. The Eagles came in at No. 17, 1.8 UPR points behind the final qualifying spot, which went to Dunellen. They went into the week as the No. 16 team, then lost Friday night at Pitman.

It would have been the first time since 2017 all five county teams made the field. Four teams have made it four of the six years since.

“We didn’t take care of business last night so it’s on us,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “We didn’t get the job done. We still improved a ton this year but obviously would have loved a shot in the playoffs.”

The Eagles will now play in the four-team sectional consolation tournament.

The playoff bracket did undergo some changes after the original 1-16 standings were posted due to various tiebreakers. South Hunterdon and Middlesex switched places due to South Hunterdon’s head-to-head win; Woodbury, Glassboro and Shore tied for fifth and shuffled by the OSI tiebreaker; as did Clayton and Keyport, who were tied for 10th.

Here are the projected first-round matchups (lower seeds at home). All games Friday unless indicated otherwise:

No. 1 Woodstown (1) vs. No. 8 Dunellen (16)
No. 4 Florence (8) vs. No. 5 Penns Grove (9)
No. 2 Middlesex (4) vs. No. 7 Burlington City (13)
No. 3 Woodbury (5) vs. No. 6 Riverside (12), Saturday

No. 1 Schalick (2) vs. No. 8 Audubon (15)
No. 4 Shore (7) vs. No. 5 Clayton (10)
No. 2 South Hunterdon (3) vs. No. 7 Salem (14)
No. 3 Glassboro (6) vs. No. 6 Keyport (11)
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR rank

Soccer, field hockey projections

Based on the power points in each sport posted Saturday, here are the projected first-round pairings in the South Jersey Group I tournament for boys soccer, girls soccer and field hockey. The NJSIAA will determine the official brackets later.

BOYS SOCCER
No. 1 Schalick (14-4) vs. No. 16 Pennsville (5-12)
No. 8 Maple Shade (10-6) vs. No. 9 Pitman (12-4-1)
No. 5 Audubon (11-5-2) vs. No. 12 (Burlington City (7-10)
No. 4 Glassboro (12-4) vs. No. 13 Penns Grove (6-9-1)
No. 3 Woodstown (12-3-1) vs. No. 14 (Haddon Twp. (5-10-2)
No. 6 Buena (12-4) vs. No. 11 Wildwood (10-5-1)
No. 7 Riverside (12-3-2) vs. No. 10 Gateway (9-8-1)
No. 2 Palmyra (14-2-1) vs. No. 15 Woodbury (8-8)

GIRLS SOCCER
No. 1 Audubon (15-1-2) vs. No. 16 Penns Grove (1-11-1)
No. 8 Glassboro (9-6-1) vs. No. 9 Clayton (10-5-1)
No. 5 Pitman (12-4-1) vs. No. 12 Gateway (7-9)
No. 4 Maple Shade (11-4) vs. No. 13 Buena (6-9)
No. 3 Schalick (13-4) vs. No. 14 Salem (4-12-1)
No. 6 Haddon Twp. (6-9-2) vs. No. 11 Pennsville (5-9-3)
No. 7 Gloucester (12-5) vs. No. 10 Woodstown (9-7)
No. 2 Palmyra (13-3) vs. No. 15 Woodbury (1-14-1)

FIELD HOCKEY
No. 1 West Deptford (9-3-3) vs. No. 16 New Egypt (7-5)
No. 8 Salem (11-4) vs. No. 9 Haddon Twp. (7-7)
No. 5 Woodstown (12-2-1) vs. No. 12 Bordentown (4-10-1)
No. 4 Collingswood (8-5-2) vs. No. 13 Gateway (5-9)
No. 3 Middle Twp. (12-2-1) vs. No. 14 Pennsville (5-10)
No. 6 Schalick (11-5-1) vs. No. 11 Maple Shade (8-4)
No. 7 Gloucester (11-4) vs. No. 10 Lower Cape May (6-6-4)
No. 2 Florence (13-2-1) vs. No. 15 Audubon (7-6)

Cover photo: Riley Papiano (16) and Reggie Allen celebrate a touchdown in Schalick’s win over Gloucester Catholic Friday night. (Photo by Heather Papiano)

How they stand

Here are the standings for the three WJFL divisions holding the Salem County football teams; records are overall, division; division games in bold

Diamond Division

WOODSTWN (6-2, 4-0)	WOODBURY (4-3, 3-1)	SALEM (2-7, 1-3)	PAULSBORO (1-7, 0-4)	PENNS GRV (4-5, 2-2)
OPEN	OPEN	Executive (Pa.) L 42-19	OPEN	Burl. City L 33-22
Haddon Hts. W 34-7	W. Deptford W 31-0	Camden L 34-0	Haddonfield L 35-7	Pleasantville L 14-6
Paulsboro W 28-7	Penns Grove W 42-6	Pleasantville L 35-6	Woodstown L 28-7	Woodbury L 42-6
Deptford W 49-7	Paulsboro W 48-12	Penns Grove L 21-6	Woodbury L 48-12	Salem W 21-6
Glassboro L 13-7 (OT)	Haddonfield L 21-6	Cedar Creek L 20-14	W. Deptford L 14-13	Haddon Hts. L 14-0
Salem W 27-0	Gloucester L 14-8	Woodstown L 27-0	Penns Grove L 22-19	Paulsboro W 22-19
Woodbury W 27-21 (OT)	Woodstown L 27-21 (OT)	Paulsboro W 28-8	Salem L 28-8	Glassboro W 6-0
Haddonfield L 48-16	OPEN	W. Deptford W 38-14	Camden L 41-6	Pennsville W 32-3
Penns Grove W 21-6	Salem W 49-14	Woodbury L 49-14	Audubon W 14-7 (OT)	Woodstown L 21-6
	Gateway

Horizon Division

SCHALICK (9-0, 5-0)	GL CATH (2-5, 2-3)	WILDWD (1-6, 0-4)	EUSTACE (4-4, 3-2)	RIVERSIDE (6-1, 4-1)	LNDNWLD (0-9, 0-5)
Glou City W 17-14	OPEN	OPEN	OPEN	OPEN	Sterling L 19-0
Pitman W 14-13	Palmyra L 26-21	Cumberlnd W 28-21	Holy Cross W 22-18	Princeton W 14-7	Pennsville L 49-6
Wildwood W 25-0	Eustace L 36-0	Schalick L 25-0	Glou Cath W 36-0	Lindenwold W 59-0	Riverside L 59-0
Riverside W 47-18	Lindenwold W 54-6	Eustace L 13-7	Wildwood W 13-7	Schalick L 47-18	Glou Cath L 54-6
Pennsville W 38-20	OPEN	L. CapeMay L 34-0	Princeton L 24-0	Pitman W 30-21	Holy Cross L 54-6
Lindenwold W, forfeit	Wildwood W 7-0	Glou Cath L 7-0	Riverside L 46-8	Eustace W 46-8	Schalick L, forfeit
Eustace W, forfeit	Riverside L 50-7	x-KIPP Cooper L 12-6	Schalick L, forfeit	Glou Cath W 50-7	x-Wildwood L, forfeit
Cumberlnd W 35-8	Holy Cross L 32-27	HaddnTwp L 20-0	Florence L, forfeit	OPEN	Overbrook L 48-12
Glou Cath W 42-20	Schalick L 42-20	Riverside L 38-8	Lindenwold W 32-28	Wildwood W 38-8	Eustace L 32-28
	Gloucester		Collingswd	Palmyra	Pitman
				Florence

Royal Division

PENNSVILLE (4-4, 2-2)	PITMAN (3-4, 2-2)	L. CAPE MAY (7-1, 4-0)	CUMBERLND (3-6, 2-2)	GATEWAY (1-7, 0-4)
OPEN	OPEN	Bridgeton W 44-6	Middle Twp. L 40-0	OPEN
Lindenwold W 49-6	Schalick L 14-13	Clayton L 26-21	Wildwood L 28-21	Haddon Twp. W 19-0
L. Cape May L 28-7	Cumberland L 6-0	Pennsville W 28-7	Pitman W 6-0	Collingswood L 19-14
Gateway W 23-7	Buena W 41-0	Cumberland W 40-0	L. Cape May L 40-0	Pennsville L 23-7
Schalick L 38-20	Riverside L 30-21	Wildwood W 34-0	Bridgeton W 37-27	Middle Twp. L 40-7
Cumberland W 25-12	OPEN	OPEN	Pennsville L 25-12	Keyport L 39-6
Overbrook W 42-18	L. Cape May L 46-22	Pitman W 46-22	Gateway W 26-20	Cumberland L 26-20
Penns Grove L 32-3	Gateway W 20-6	Buena W 60-0	Schalick L 35-8	Pitman L 20-6
Pitman L 35-14	Pennsville W 35-14	Gateway W 48-2	Clayton L 40-14	L. Cape May L 48-2
	Lindenwold			Woodbury
	Clayton

The final push

All 5 Salem County football teams playing to nail down playoff spots; Woodstown, Penns Grove playing for division title, Schalick chasing an undefeated season, No. 1 seed

SALEM COUNTY FOOTBALL
Friday’s games
Gloucester Catholic at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Salem at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, noon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

All any team wants is to have a chance to play for something at the end of the season. All five Salem County football teams will be playing for something this week.

Above all, they’ll all be playing for their playoffs lives or at the very least to better their positions in the Group I South/Central Jersey bracket.

Penns Grove and Woodstown will be playing Saturday morning for the Diamond Division title. A Woodstown win would give the Wolverines the title outright. A Penns Grove win could give the Red Devils a share and Woodbury beats Salem (also on Saturday), it would be a three-way tie.

But like Penns Grove coach John Emel said, “I don’t think anybody goes around saying we were co-champs. We’ll let the naysayers worry about the technicalities.”

A potential No. 2 overall seed (and No. 1 in Central Jersey) could also be awaiting the Woodstown-Penns Grove winner.

Salem will be looking to enhance its playoff position. According to the latest South Jersey Group I UPR ratings, the Rams are in, it’s just a matter of where they’ll place.

Pennsville is looking to nail down its place in the bracket as well. The Eagles are No. 16 this week and a win at Pitman would solidify its spot.

Schalick has a lot on the line. When the Cougars play Gloucester Catholic at Homecoming, they will be looking to complete their first undefeated regular season since 2006, secure the most wins in a season since 2004 (12-0), close out the Horizon Division title undefeated for the second year in a row and nail down the No. 1 seed for complete home-field advantage in the South Jersey playoffs.

“If we win Friday night I don’t see us dropping,” Cougars coach Mike Wilson said.

Schalick was last a No. 1 playoff seed in 2006. In the wacky world of mathematics that now controls the playoff criteria, there’s speculation the Cougars could get jumped if a couple things happen over the weekend. A big consideration is if Shore Regional upsets undefeated Group III Holmdel.

“I think it’s wide open, really,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “When they started using this method I told our coaches you can’t even predict who you’re going to play anymore, so go out and try to take care of what you can control and hopefully go out a win and hope it falls right when they do the seedings.”

WOODSTOWN (5-2) at PENNS GROVE (4-4): Even when his team was 1-4 and trailing by 19 at halftime in its sixth game, Penns Grove coach John Emel believed his team had what it took to be a viable playoff team in Group I. They were skilled enough in most areas, all they had to do was tighten up a couple things.

The Red Devils have come around, justifying their coaches belief, and in the final game of the season have a chance to do what many didn’t think possible a month ago – win the WJFL Diamond Division and secure a prominent position in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

The Red Devils have won three in a row to get to .500 for the first time since the second game of last season. They’ve gotten healthy and all their players available, cut down on their turnovers and have held the opposition out of the end zone the last 10 consecutive quarters. If they win Saturday, they’ll claim a share of the Diamond Division title.

“The big one for us was having Woodstown beat Woodbury and now we have an opportunity to, depending on what happens, earn a share of the division,” Emel said. “It’s just exciting to be playing well at the right time of year and to be able to play for a lot of things. This is a one-game season with an opportunity to win a division championship. For us, this is our Super Bowl.

“Any way you split it, we control our own destiny. I’m excited for our guys to be in this position. When we were 0-3, 1-4 and down at the half (against Paulsboro) and things could’ve gone the other way, we didn’t allow it to. We’re excited to play a big game. You want to be in contention; we’re in contention on the last game of the regular season … I just want our guys to be up for the task.”

Bryce Wright, the Red Devils’ leading rusher (783 yards) and tackler (48), is excited about the way the season has turned and what could be waiting for his team after Saturday’s game. It also excites him the game could turn into a Battle of the Bryces. Woodstown’s leading rusher in Bryce Belanfanti.

“They’ve got a running back named Bryce; he’s got my name, so I’m coming. I’m really excited,” he said. “I never lost faith in my team. After the first game (a turnover-laden 33-22 loss to Burlington City), that was just a battery for me being a leader on my team. I just came in on Monday and told the guys you don’t want this to happen every game, it’s not the team we’re going to be and I think they turned it around themselves.”

The Wolverines, meanwhile, have beaten the Red Devils each of the last two years. A victory Saturday, regardless of the Salem-Woodbury outcome, would give them a sweep of the Diamond Division and their first outright division title since 2013.

“Our division is like the SEC of Group I, so to be able to play a meaningful game for the division, to win it outright this late in the season, is awesome,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “We always talk to the kids about wanting to play meaningful games late in the season and we see ourselves right in front of one.

“I just love the fact we are to this game because kids specifically look past the game and look to playoffs, so having this meaningful game is something that could really help us out.”

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (2-4) at SCHALICK (8-0): This is a true Homecoming game for the Cougars. Because of the schedule and two forfeits the last two weeks, they haven’t played on home turf since Sept. 15.

The Rams provided coach Mike Wilson his first victory as Schalick’s head coach in 2020 and now they could provide him with one of his most important victories, one that would bring his program full circle.

“You look at the growth of the program, my first year we were 0-7, so we can finish three seasons later at 9-0 I think it shows the testament to the kids’ hard work over the last couple years,” Wilson said. “It just shows the growth of the program and what we’ve been able to accomplish in a short amount of time.”

But it won’t be without challenges. The Cougars lead the series 8-3 and have won the last two meetings, but last year even while rushing for 345 yards they needed to recover an onside kick in the final minute to hold off a furious fourth-quarter rally.

With all the distractions that come with the week, Wilson is trying to keep things “as normal as possible.”

“We discussed those as a team this week, but as I told the kids the most important thing is you’ve got to treat every game the same; you just have to play football,” he said. “We’re all going to be amped up, we’re all going to be excited, we’re all going to be a little stressed out this week because so much is on the line, but the sooner you get settled into a normal game the better.”

PENNSVILLE (4-3) at PITMAN (2-4): For the Eagles, the playoffs start this week. They currently occupy the 16th and final qualifying spot in the UPR, but figure they need a win to solidify their spot.

“We’ve treated this week just like a playoff week,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said. “In our mind it’s win to get in for us and that’s really the only way to approach it. With where we are in the stack and knowing the teams around us, we can’t feel safe with anything. Also part of it is let’s try and move up a couple spots if we can.”

The Eagles would be “shocked” if they won Friday and were on the outside looking in when the final numbers are crunched Saturday. They would have their winningest team since 2016 with losses coming to current SJ-1 Schalick, rapidly rising Penns Grove and once-beaten Royal Division champion Lower Cape May. They hold a four-point UPR edge over current No. 17 Dunellen, which beat No. 19 NJ-I Brearley Thursday night.

But they aren’t overlooking Pitman and they’re pulling out all the stops to make sure the math works. The Panthers may have won only two games, but the Eagles are approaching them with the respect of a team that came within a failed two-point conversion of beating projected No. 1 seed Schalick rather than the one with a losing record.

“We basically told them no one is leaving the field at all for any reason, you’re going to be out there for every play of every thing,” Healy said. “We need everyone to play every snap this week. If we don’t win this week, for us, there is really no next week because we’re not in the playoffs and that’s everyone’s goal so we have to do everything possible to get in that position.”

SALEM (2-6) at WOODBURY (3-3): There is some belief that with two wins and playing in the tough Diamond Division Salem already has a spot in the playoffs, but Rams coach Danny Mendoza is taking nothing for granted.

The Rams have their qualifying two wins, one win in the division and have played a demanding schedule even outside the division. They entered the week 15th in the South Jersey Group I UPR, nearly 5.5 points ahead of the first spot out, but until it all shakes out Saturday there’s no time to relax.

“For me, until it’s said and done you really don’t know,” Mendoza said. “Being in the bottom quarter you’re never comfortable. It’s a must win for us, for sure. This game is the biggest game of the year for us, not just because it’s the next game, but it’s an opportunity for us to show that we can still play with the big boys.”

The Thundering Herd hasn’t won a game since Sept. 16 and they haven’t been at full strength. Quarterback Dante Viccharelli hasn’t played during their three-game losing streak and running back Anthony Reagan Jr. turned an ankle in the second half of their Woodstown game two weeks ago. The Herd was open last week and Mendoza won’t know if they’re playing until Saturday morning.

“We’re going to find out like everybody else, I guess,” Mendoza said.

Meanwhile, the Rams have played their best football the last month and could be a dangerous opponent for an upper seed if they get in. The resurgence has coincided with the emergence of Pop Jackson. The junior has rushed for 868 yards in the last four games and went over 1,000 for the season last week in the win over West Deptford.

“We’re getting better day by day,” Mendoza said. “We’ve found an identity and once you have an identity you can build off of that.”