Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County schools for the week of Sept. 25-30
Sept. 25 FIELD HOCKEY Timber Creek at Schalick, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Pitman at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m. Schalick at Overbrook, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
Sept. 26 FIELD HOCKEY Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY Tri-County Batch Meet, Kingsway
GIRLS TENNIS Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m. Vineland at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Sept. 27 BOYS SOCCER Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Wildwood at Schalick, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Penns Grove at Pitman, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m. Schalick at Wildwood, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Pitman, 4 p.m. Wildwood at Salem, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Sept. 28 FIELD HOCKEY Deptford Twp. at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Schalick at Salem, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER Highland Regional at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Clayton 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS Our Lady of Mercy at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
Sept. 29 FOOTBALL Pennsville at Cumberland Regional, 6 p.m. Lindenwold at Schalick, forfeit Salem at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER Penns Grove at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m. Pennsville at Paulsboro, 4 p.m. Salem at Haddon Heights, 4 p.m. Schalick at Palmyra, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Salem at Pennsauken Tech, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Penns Grove at Overbook, 4 p.m. Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Sept. 30 FOOTBALL Paulsboro at Penns Grove, noon
CROSS COUNTRY Shore Coaches Invitational, Holmdel Park
Rams come to life offensively in second half behind Daveon Jackson, but fall short in Rumble on the Raritan
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News PISCATAWAY — Salem’s offense was stuck in the mud in the first half, if you can really be stuck in the mud on a stormy day on artificial turf, but the Rams turned to Daveon Jackson in the second half and almost got their first win of the season.
CEDAR CREEK 20, SALEM 14 Next: at Woodstown, Friday, 7 p.m.
Jackson was involved in all but three of the Rams’ plays in the second half. He was driving them towards a go-ahead touchdown when he was intercepted at the 30 with 28 seconds left to dash the comeback bid, preserving Cedar Creek’s 20-14 win in the Rumble on the Raritan at Rutgers’ SHI Stadium.
“Pop Jackson is the heart and soul of our team,” Salem coach Danny Mendoza said. “If you want to talk about the next great back to come out of here, I think he needs to be mentioned in that right now.
“He said he wanted it and he wanted it again. When you’ve got guys who want it and want it and want it, give it to them because those guys are special players. There aren’t many ballplayers who have that mentality. You look for inspiration as a coach and what that kid did today, even with the loss, is inspirational.”
Jackson was thrust into the spotlight because quarterback Ramaji Bundy didn’t make the trip. Mendoza declined to comment on the situation except to say it’s “to be continued” this week in the run-up to the Rams’ WJFL Diamond Division game at Woodstown.
The Rams (0-5) were held to just 16 yards net offense in the first half by the deep Group III Pirates (4-1). They made adjustments at halftime that were favorable for their offense line, turned it over to Jackson and he took over.
Of Salem’s 26 plays in the second half, Jackson was in on 23 of them. He had 19 rushes and threw all four of the Rams’ fourth-quarter passes. Jarred Pew had the other three rushes and took a pass Jackson salvaged from a broken play 30 yards to keep the final possession alive.
Jackson rushed for 154 yards in the game (on 30 carries), 126 in the second half and 78 in the fourth quarter. He got the Rams on the board with a 1-yard run in the third quarter and scored their second touchdown on a 26-yard run two plays into the fourth quarter.
He also had a 68-yard touchdown run in the second quarter called back for a hold the Rams are still trying to find on the film and was the subject of a questionable spot midway through the fourth quarter that forced the Rams to turn it over on downs at the Pirates’ 15.
Cedar Creek took advantage of the short field in the first half to open a 20-0 halftime lead. The Pirates ran only three plays on their side of the 50 in the half.
But the Rams shut them out in the second half and held them to 56 net yards to give themselves a chance.
“We finally played four quarters of effort football,” Mendoza said. “You’re talking about Cedar Creek, one of the top teams in Group III and a two-platoon team and we’re a team with a ton of guys going both ways and we stood toe-to-toe with them. You’re never happy with a loss, but if you’re going to lose, lose the right way.
“If you looked at the effort from our team and how we rallied around and the type of defense we played against a high-powered offense, this was the team we were waiting to see. We fought our tails off. The sky’s the limit for what we do when we play that way.”
Cedar Creek 20, Salem 14
CC (20)
SAL (14)
14
1st Downs
11
37-143
Rushing
41-142
7-14-0
Passes
1-6-1
74
Passing
30
5-1
Fum-lost
3-1
4-26.7
Punts-avg
4-15.3
5-50
Penalties-yds
5-25
Cedar Creek (4-1)
6
14
0
0 –
20
Salem (0-5)
0
0
8
6 –
14
Scoring plays C – Jahmir Campfield 17 run (run failed), 5:59 1Q C – Alim Parks 10 pass from Billy Smith (PAT kick), 8:32 2Q C – Aamir Dunbar 2 run (PAT kick), 3:37 2Q S – Daveon Jackson 1 run (Daveon Jackson run), 3:55 3Q S – Daveon Jackson 26 run (run failed), 11:33 4Q
Roundup features boys and girls soccer, field hockey and girls tennis; Schalick’s Miller continues her goal-scoring tear
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – A long hard week caught up to the Pennsville soccer team in the end.
The Eagles tried to mount an attack Friday, but three grueling matches in five days left them with nothing in the tank and they lost to Haddon Heights 4-0.
The Garnets (5-1) scored a pair of goals in each half. Evan Rasicci, known for his powerful throw-ins, was credited with a pair of goals, including one that deflected in off a Pennsville player. Jack Kominos and Nolan Lachall scored their other two goals.
In their three games this week, the Eagles lost a one-goal game at Woodstown after opening a 2-0 lead, then suffered shutouts to Glassboro and Haddon Heights on consecutive days.
“I think Coach Joe (Mecholsky) put it on the head really well at halftime,” Eagles head coach Derek Foglein said. “If you looked at our schedule this week … our schedule was not our friend.
“We had a really, really tough schedule, but we’re going to come back out and we’ve got three big games next week – hopefully, three winnable games. Penns Grove is going to be a fight, it always is, but then we look at positives later in the week with Salem and Paulsboro, so we could very easily turn around and go three wins in a row next week. That’s what I’m positive about and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
The Paulsboro game will have a little extra incentive for the Eagles head coach. It’ll be the fourth installment of the Foglein Bowl, the head-to-head matchup with his brother Doug.
“It’s going to be a fun one,” Derek said.
GIRLS SOCCER WOODSTOWN – Emily Miller put on a dazzling display of speed and skill, scoring five goals, including a natural hat trick in the second half, to lead Schalick to its third straight shutout win, 6-0 over Woodstown.
Miller scored the Cougars’ first two goals, then collected three in the second half. Cali Fisler scored their other goal in the first half, on an assist by goalie Carly Hayman
The Cougars have outscored their last three opponents 19-0. Miller has scored 12 of her 18 goals in those games.
“Emily is a dynamic player who uses her technical ability to beat players,” Schalick coach Will Kemp said. “She is clinical in front of the net and has finished her opportunities when given one.”
FIELD HOCKEY Salem 8, Bridgeton 0: The Rams scored their fifth straight victory, fourth shutout and third in a row. Morgan VanDover had two goals and two assists and seven players scored in total. Dominique Lewis posted nine saves in recording the shutout. The Rams (5-0) have outscored their five opponents this season 33-1.
Washington Twp. 6, Schalick 0: Meghan Sheldrick and Ava Porreca scored two goals each for the Minutemen. GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville 5, Glassboro 0: Regan Witt took a hard-fought 6-4, 6-2 win over Ella Killelea at No. 1 singles to send the Eagles on their way. Woodstown 5, Salem 0: The Wolverines improved to 7-0, dropping only four games the entire match. Nos. 1 and 2 singles, Abigail Melle and Gabby Kurpis, both won 6-0, 6-0.
Schalick visits Pennsville Friday in its only scheduled game with Salem County foe this season; where once everybody played each other, only five such matchups are scheduled this season
SALEM COUNTY FOOTBALL Friday’s games Glassboro at Woodstown, 7 p.m. Schalick at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Saturday’s games Penns Grove at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m. Salem vs. Cedar Creek at SHI Stadium (Rutgers), 3 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – There are certain games on everybody’s football schedule that bring a little more anticipation than others; the ones that draw that big, bold circle as soon as its announced.
Maybe it’s a game that got away the year before. Maybe it’s a key game with a division rival and playoff implications. Or one with all the pageantry, like Homecoming or Senior Night.
Schalick and Pennsville play one of those games Friday night that carries even more importance and intensity.
It’s a game between county rivals and when there are only five teams in the county those games mean just a little bit more.
“These kids know each other playing sports against each other their whole lives,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “You usually feel like it’s a little more competitive in terms of the environment and atmosphere.
“It is really for bragging rights because they play each other in everything, especially with social media now, how connected some of these kids are. It’s really important to us. We want respect in general, but having the bragging rights in the county is always something you want to have. You want to be the best of the bunch, for sure.”
Sadly, while there are enough teams and enough slots on the schedule to play an annual county series, they don’t all play each other anymore. Used to, but not anymore.
Everybody has at least one in-county game this season. Penns Grove plays the most – three, the first of which was last week at Salem. Penns Grove, Salem and Woodstown all get at least two because they’re all in the West Jersey Football League Diamond Division.
The traditionalist in Schalick coach Mike Wilson, a self-proclaimed history nerd, would like to see all five county teams play each other, but the realist in him understands with the WJFL’s desire for competitive balance in scheduling it’s not possible.
Woodstown was the last team to schedule all four of the other county teams and made it a point to play all four every year but one from 2004 to 2020. All five programs did it in 2018 and 2019, with Penns Grove going 10-0 over that stretch (including playoffs), Woodstown 6-5 and Salem 6-4.
“County games are always bigger than other games because these kids grow up playing each,” Wilson said. “It’s just a county thing. It’s county bragging rights. I think it’s huge that way.
“And the kids know each other. When kids really know each other it’s different. When we play at Riverside, they don’t know who Riverside is. When we play Wildwood, they don’t know Wildwood kids. We play Cape May, they don’t know Cape May kids. But these kids they know, so anytime you know the kids it’s a bigger game to them. A lot of these kids have probably been playing football against each other since they were 8 years old.”
There’s a lot on the line for both teams, too.
Schalick, No. 2 behind Woodstown in the South Jersey Group I power rankings, is looking to keep the train rolling and its undefeated record intact on the road against a team that’s improved from the one it beat by five touchdowns a year ago.
But they’re likely to be doing it without leading rusher Reggie Allen Jr., who took a big hit in last week’s win over Riverside. Wilson declined to comment on the status or availability of the player who called just last week the backbone of his team.
Pennsville, meanwhile, is looking to take another step forward after bouncing back from a flat second game to get its second win last week, doubling its win total of a year ago.
“Last year we didn’t put forth what we wanted to so there’s a little extra to this because we’re trying to get back to where we want to be and expect to be,” Healy said. “To be able to do it against a county team would just be that much better. Not only that, the kids are aware this is a 4-0 team we’re playing and No. 2 in the UPR rankings, so getting this win would be huge for us for what our goals are at the end of the season.”
Wilson knows that makes the Eagles a dangerous team.
“We are truly the hunted and we have to learn how to take that now,” he said. “We’re no longer the underdog in a lot of these games. The kids have to understand how to handle success and how to take care of business. It’s a huge game for us.”
Salem County Head-to-Head
TEAMS
PGRV
PVILLE
SALEM
SCHAL
WOODS
PENNS GROVE
—
10-4 (36-27-4)
9-8 (56-45-6)
9-0 (27-7)
8-6
PENNSVILLE
4-10 (27-36-4)
—
5-7
4-2 (16-8)
6-7
SALEM
8-9 (45-56-6)
7-5
—
3-4 (24-13-1)
9-5 (64-39-10)
SCHALICK
0-9 (7-27)
2-4 (8-16)
4-3 (13-24-1)
—
1-11 (9-24)
WOODSTOWN
6-8
7-6
5-9 (39-64-10)
11-1 (24-9)
—
Since 2010, includes playoffs; all-time series in parenthesis
GLASSBORO (1-2) at WOODSTOWN (3-0): The Wolverines, the No. 1 team in the South Jersey Group I power rankings, face their most physical opponent to date without their most dynamic player. Senior running back James Hill, a 3,000-yard career rusher, underwent surgery Thursday for a non-contact, non-football knee injury and will miss the rest of the season just when he was set to return from surgery on the other knee.
The Wolverines’ approach really doesn’t change much with the news. They went into the season with Bryce Belinfanti and Alex Torres the Nos. 1 and 2 running backs until Hill’s return and have elevated their games in the meantime. The only difference now is they’ll remain in those top tier spots the rest of the year.
Belinfanti has rushed for 413 yards and six touchdowns in the Wolverines’ first three games. Torres went for a career-high 120 yards and two touchdowns last week at Deptford.
“I don’t think it changes much because we had to prepare for not having (Hill) starting the season,” Adams said. “Bryce came into the season knowing he was the first running back and Torres knew he was the second running back and that’s been their mindset all along, so I don’t think anything really changes in that aspect.
“We said going into the season we needed to be able to execute the passing game better and last week we really showed that. We just need to keep that going and doing what we’re doing.”
As for being the early No. 1 in the SJ-I power rankings, the potential No. 1 seed in the sectional playoffs, Adams said the Wolverines don’t get caught up in all that, but admits it does change the way future opponents look at them.
“We don’t get wrapped up into it too much,” Adams said. “What it does for us is we know our opponents are looking at that going if we beat Woodstown we can get a lot of power points.
“We kind of talk to it from that aspect. We’ve got a bulls eye on our back and people are looking to beat us to jump up in their rankings … It’s a long season. We use it as everybody’s going to give you their best because they know it’s worth a lot to them if they can get a W over us.”
SATURDAY’S GAMES PENNS GROVE (1-3) at HADDON HEIGHTS (2-1): The Red Devils go into another game with playoff implications experiencing life the week after playing a longtime rival and coming off a win.
it’s the first time this year they go into a game after a win and they did that only twice last year. They haven’t won back-to-back games since Oct. 30-Nov. 6, 2021.
And every game they’ve played this year seems to carry some kind of playoff implication. The opener against Burlington City has tiebreaker potential because the winner last year eventually was in and the loser was out. It was suggested the winner of last week’s game with rival Salem was in a good spot to make the playoffs. It’ll be more of the same this week.
The Red Devils are currently No. 18 in the South Jersey Group I power ratings, right behind Pennsville and currently on the outside of the playoff cutline. Haddon Heights is No. 20 in SJ-II.
“It’s a huge game, both teams need the game,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “I’m telling our kids with our schedule we win this game we’re clinching a playoff spot. We got in last year with two (wins) and to get two this early in the season and having a heads-up win over Salem and over Haddon Heights with three wins we can start working toward getting a home playoff or some of the goals we set throughout the year.
“I know our kids are excited to be coming off a win. It’s been a while since we came off a win, so I’m excited with how hungry our kids show up to be Saturday.”
The Garnets have a dynamic passer in Drew Harris who three for three touchdowns last week and is expected to provide a big test for the Red Devils’ young secondary of freshmen Karon Ceaser and Jayden Days, Knowledge Young and Kylee Goodson.
“We’re better than we’ve been the last couple years on the back end, but we’re young,” Emel said. “Those guys have gotta play big for us to have a chance to win.”
A late-developing intangible impacting the game is the weather. Haddon Heights officials have been considering an alternate site or moving the date if it looks like the expected weekend storms will make it too difficult to play the game as scheduled. A decision is likely to come sometime Friday.
(UPDATE: At 10:20 a.m. Friday, Haddon Heights officials told Riverview Sports News the game will be played as scheduled.)
SALEM (0-4) vs. CEDAR CREEK (3-1): The Rams will be seeking their first victory of the season against the No. 7 team in the South Jersey Group III power rankings in the Rumble on the Raritan at Rutgers’ SHI Stadium. It’ll be their second game in a college facility this season, having opened the year against Executive Education Academy at Lafayette College.
2023 SALEM COUNTY SHOWDOWNS Penns Grove 21, Salem 6 Schalick at Pennsville, Friday Salem at Woodstown, Sept. 29 Pennsville at Penns Grove, Oct. 13 Woodstown at Penns Grove, Oct. 21
Fisher’s fast foot from in front of the net delivers first-half goal to send Schalick past hard-luck Penns Grove
THURSDAY’S BOYS SOCCER Glassboro 3, Pennsville 0 Schalick 1, Penns Grove 0 Wildwood 4, Salem Tech 0 Gloucester Catholic 4, Salem 0 Woodstown 5, Overbrook 2
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Seth Fisher couldn’t believe the good fortune that fell at his feet in the first half Thursday afternoon.
The Schalick sophomore just happened to be in the right place at the right time when a ball off a free kick landed at his feet an empty section of goal staring him right in the face. All he had to do was not mess it up.
Fisher couldn’t have finished it off any more solid and drilled the ball into the back of the net for the only goal in the Cougars’ 1-0 victory over Penns Grove. It was the center midfielder’s second goal of his career – he scored the second goal against Gateway Sept. 9 – and his first game-winner.
“It was like this natural instinct,” he said. “I just saw the ball pass on my right side, it bounced off the keeper and it was right there on my right foot right in front of the goal. I couldn’t believe it was there. It fell right to me.”
The Cougars (5-2) were carrying the play, spending most of the game in the attacking end, but Fisher’s goal with 15:22 left in the first half was the only ball they could get past Penns Grove keeper Dwayne Guzman. They had several chances, but couldn’t cash in, thwarted either by Guzman or the Red Devils’ defense, led by first-year starting stopper Erlin Mondragon and sweeper Jason Cisneros.
Their best chance for a second goal came with 21 minutes to play when Bradford Foster hit the crossbar and Cooper Willoughby headed the rebound into the chest of Guzman. But all you have to do is score one more than the other team to win and the Cougars, thanks to Fisher’s fast foot, got that one.
“Tuesday (a 1-0 loss to Glassboro) was a physical beating so I really wasn’t sure how much we had left and we had some guys have to come off the bench and give minutes,” Cougars coach Joe Mannella said. “They have to get comfortable playing in close games, there are going to be a lot of them, and this is a good step forward to do that.”
Both teams were coming off a spate of one-goal losses. The Cougars had lost two in a row. All four of the Red Devils’ losses (1-4) have been by one goal. It might be the kind of thing that could get a team down, but first-year Penns Grove coach Mano Massari remains positive.
“I have a very young team, a very green team,” Massari said. “We’re keeping up with these top-tier teams in our division and conference, so, yeah, it stings now, but the optimism in me is looking towards the future and thinking, man, we’re going to be a force to deal with for the next couple years.”
WOODSTOWN 5, OVERBROOK 2: Adrian Ibarra scored a hat trick for the Wolverines (5-1).
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 4, SALEM 0: Trey Battle and Zack Payne scored two goals apiece for the winning Rams. Both of Battle’s goals came in the first 17 minutes of the game.
GLASSBORO 3, PENNSVILLE 0: Emirhan Kir scored a goal in the first half and Christopher Martinez and Atakan Ozdemir found the back of the net in the second as the Bulldogs remained unbeaten (7-0). It was their third straight shutout.
Schalick’s Luke Price (3) controls the ball deep in Penns Grove’s end. Top photo: Cougars’ goal-scorer Seth Fisher (16) tries to move around Penns Grove’s Jayden Murga Santos.
PENNS GROVE – Whenever presented a chance to do something nice for one of his players, Will Kemp will never hesitate.
The Schalick girls soccer coach got the chance to give career keeper Carly Hayman the chance to fulfill a goalie’s dream. He brought the senior into the field with about 15 minutes left and she scored the final goal of the Cougars’ 7-0 win over Penns Grove.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just scored my first goal;’ it was awesome,” Hayman said. “I’ve wanted to score for the last four years I’ve been there, so it was definitely great to score.”
it wasn’t just one of those right place, right time kind of things. She took a pass from Mikayla Caputo, dribbled past a couple defenders and fired into the upper corner. When the ball finally settled into the back of the net she sat there stunned before realizing what just happened and then it touched off a wild celebration.
“(The girls) went ballistic,” Kemp said. “That was the most important goal of the entire game. Forget everything else. That’s the most important goal of the entire season pretty much right there.”
Hayman had scored goals in scrimmages before and she’s assisted on other goals, but Thursday was her first goal in a formal game setting. She came out of the goal with the Cougars leading 6-0, pulled freshman Kyleigh Cutter’s No. 3 jersey over her shoulders and headed out to the midfield. She was excited when Kemp gave her a chance to come off the line and made the most of it.
“I definitely give players opportunities inside matches like that just to get on the board, get some stats, make them feel great about themselves, because they deserve it,” Kemp said. “Like last year I moved one of my center backs up to playing a striker role, giving them some up-top time, and they ended up scoring a goal.
“Carly is a good field player; I know she wanted to score. Of course we were all happy (when she did). She always smiles, but seeing her smile as big as it was today, it means the world to her and, of course, to me, too.”
Before Hayman lit the lamp, Emily Miller scored a natural hat trick in the first half – giving her 13 goals for the season – and Abby Willoughby, Jael Winnberg and Quinn Berger scored goals.
Now that she’s gotten a taste for the goal, she hopes to score at least one more time this year, perhaps in her Senior Night game. Kemp already has shown he’s willing to give it a shot.
The Cougars (4-1) have been a scoring machine this season. They’ve scored at least three goals in every game, have outscored their opponents 26-8 and have won their last two by a combined 13-0.
WOODSTOWN 4, OVERBROOK 0: Emma Perry scored twice for the second game in a row and Ellie Wygand posted a shutout as the Wolverines won for the third time in their last four games to even their record for the first time this season. Ally Sheppard and Lia Covely scored Woodstown’s other goals. The future looks bright: All of their goals came from freshmen and sophomores.
GLASSBORO 2, PENNSVILLE 1: Amina Brown scored two goals in the first half and Glassboro held on through the second half. Molly Gratz scored for the Eagles.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 9, SALEM 0: Hailey Molis and Lauren Narolewski both scored a pair of goals for the Lady Rams. Narolewski made five saves before coming out of the goal.
FIELD HOCKEY Woodstown 9, Overbrook 0: The Wolverines erupted for five runs in the third quarter to pull away from a 3-0 halftime lead. Seven players scored goals in the game with Megan Donelson and Kayla Brown each getting a pair. The Wolverines (3-0) have outscored their three opponents this season 22-1.
Salem 4, Gloucester Catholic 0: Rhionna Timmons scored two goals in the first quarter and Morgan VanDover had the other two to help keep the Rams unbeaten (4-0). The Rams have outscored their opponents 25-1.
Schalick 5, Deptford Twp. 0: Phoebe Alward scored twice, Ava Scurry had a goal in two assists and the Cougars (3-1) posted their second straight shutout since suffering their first loss of the season. GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown 5, Glassboro 0: The Wolverines ran their record to 6-0 with a straight-set sweep. No. 2 doubles team of Alyssa Berry and Nathalie Neron won 6-0, 6-0.
Pennsville 5, Gloucester Catholic 0: The Eagles (5-1) swept their second straight opponent and fourth of the season.
Penns Grove wins final high school football game on Salem’s Walnut Street Field, beating the Rams with a former Salem starter at the helm
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Penns Grove football coach and Salem alum John Emel did not pick up a handful of dirt or stick a commemorative clump of turf in his pocket on the way out of Walnut Street Field Saturday. The good feeling of getting the team’s first win of the season would have to be a sufficient enough memento of the historic day.
PENNS GROVE 21 NEXT: Penns Grove at Haddon Heights, Saturday, 11 a.m.
Emel’s Red Devils took control of the game early and then closed out the Rams 21-6 in what likely will be the final high school football game played at Walnut Street Field, where Emel played his home games as a Salem starting lineman back in the day.
The Rams are scheduled to move into a new on-campus stadium next month, a project precipitated by the city condemning the decades-old wooden bleachers at The Nut. City officials were working to bring the field back for its youth teams, but ramped up their work for the high school after the Rams ran into a conflict with a Labor Day weekend neutral site game.
SALEM 6 NEXT: Salem vs. Cedar Creek, Rumble on the Raritan, SHI Stadium, Rutgers, Saturday, 3 p.m.
The facility held up well enough for the Rams to move their Penns Grove game back there with, ironically, Emel providing the opposition for the venue’s final high school game. Salem’s on-campus stadium is schedule to host its first game Oct. 7.
“I did not grab any dirt in the moment,” Emel said. “Like I said before, it’s not something I make a habit of. My AD (Anwar Golden, also a Salem alum) came up to me at halftime and said it’s kind of sad this is the last game here, right. I said yeah, but we want to go out with a win.”
The Rams wanted to lock the gates for the final time with the same reward.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t get it done for the city and our seniors’ last ride there,” first-year Salem coach Danny Mendoza lamented.
Penns Grove took advantage of Salem’s continuing shortcomings on special teams to build a 15-0 halftime lead.
The Red Devils (1-3) blocked two punts. Isaiah Upshur snuffed one on the first series and almost returned it for a touchdown. Bryce Wright caught the second one in midair and he did return it for the game’s first score and then ran in the conversion to make it 8-0.
Wright scored the second touchdown with less than 90 seconds left in the half on a short run that capped a long drive. Anthony Brown kicked the extra point. Freshman Karon Ceaser scored their final touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Wright finished with 118 yards rushing on 18 Carrie’s. Ceaser had 109 yards on 17 carries.
“Every time we’ve gone there, whether it was a big win or a heartbreaking loss, we always started fast and, really, that’s the key to beating those guys every time, because Salem is known to be a second-half team,” Emel said. “So, you have to really jump out on them and then hang on for dear life. That’s always how we played them.”
The Rams (0-4) made it interesting when Daveon Jackson scored on a short run with 10:01 to play. Jackson also recovered a fourth-down fumble on Penns Grove’s ensuing drive, but the Rams couldn’t take advantage of the turnover.
“Daveon Jackson is probably the heart and soul of our team and we should be inspired by his play,” Mendoza said. Expect to see more of Jackson next Saturday when the Rams play Cedar Creek in the Rumble on the Raritan at Rutgers’ SHI Stadium, he added.
“They’re athletic, they’re dangerous, so keeping those guys out of the red zone is a big key to defending them,” Emel said. “When you’re playing Salem, they’re notorious for big play.”
But the Rams couldn’t turn any on this historic day. They’ve scored only two touchdowns in their last three games. The biggest play they made Saturday was Ramaji Bundy’s run on third-and-9 from the 13 to keep the chains moving on their touchdown drive.
“We’re just so hot and cold,” Mendoza said. “We just haven’t put together four quarters of football. We have to understand it’s an 11-man game; sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t.
“We’ve just got to keep chomping at the bit. We’ve got to understand it’s a four-quarter game. The fun part of the game is the battling, it’s the fight, and we’ve got to learn to keep fighting. I still think this team has the talent to win some games and beat some teams on our schedule, but we’ve got to do our talking with our pads and play for four quarters. That’ll be the make or break.”
Penns Grove 21, Salem 6
Penns Grove (1-3)
0
15
0
6 –
21
Salem (0-4)
0
0
0
6 –
6
Scoring plays PG – Bryce Wright 15 blocked punt return (Bryce Wright run) PG – Bryce Wright 5 run (Anthony Brown kick) S – Daveon Jackson 5 run (pass failed) PG – Karon Ceaser 25 run (kick failed)
Part of John Emel’s family legacy is playing football on Salem’s Walnut Street Field; Saturday he brings his Penns Grove team to play there in the facility’s final high school game
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – John Emel has never taken dirt from another team’s field either as a player or a coach, but this time he might make an exception.
The Penns Grove football coach is genuinely going to miss Walnut Street Field.
After serving as the home field for the Salem High School football team for decades, The Nut will host what likely will be the last high school football game Saturday when, ironically, Emel brings his Red Devils (0-3) to play the Rams (0-3) in what is always a big game for both teams regardless of their records.
“For starters, it’s a great place to play a game,” Emel said. “You know, people get hung up in the facilities and the weight room and the locker room and things like that and that place doesn’t have that, but it’s an awesome place to play and coach a big game. There have been a lot of big games there over the years.”
The field holds a lot of memories for him. Five generations of Emel men have played on it. His great-great grandfather, great grandfather, grandfather and dad all played there. John Emel was a starting lineman for the Rams when he played there from 1998 to 2001. His brothers played there, as well as several cousins and uncles. His uncle Dave, a two-way starting lineman on Salem’s 1983 championship team, is a member of the chain crew there now.
As other long-standing schools have moved their athletics program into more modern facilities on their campuses, facilities like Walnut Street have remained vigilant gatekeepers of bygone days. Sadly, many have fallen into disrepair.
The field has virtually been unchanged since 1962, but there was a time before that when it looked a lot different. It actually ran diagonally to its present configuration to accommodate a baseball field. The current design has the scoreboard, entrance gates and concession stand on the Walnut Street end of the stadium.
“There are just a lot of memories there,” Emel said. “I haven’t been there since the bleachers came down, but to me what made it so unique was the big old-style home bleachers.
“The field is always in awesome shape. The Salem field playing surface, to be honest, is as good as any around. I’ve played there over the years in wet, sometimes rainy, conditions, all types of conditions, and no one ever complained about the playing surface.”
Some of Emel’s fondest members as a player and a coach have been created on that field.
His two fondest memories as a player were his first-ever start against Glassboro and winning his final home game. The start came as a sophomore against one of the best Glassboro teams ever in a game that was forced to a Monday by the arrival of Hurricane Floyd; ironically, he would be blocking for his future Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden, then Salem’s senior starting running back and safety, in that game. Glassboro won 33-14, pulling away from a game that was tight for a while and going on to be 12-0, but Emel played one of his better games and it “helped further my love of football.”
His final home game was Senior Day against Pennsville. The Rams won and went on the road for the playoffs the next week. “I felt the year before against them I didn’t play that well and came back and played one of my better games,” he said. “That year I got to play with my brother on the field a little and other guys I was really close with. It was just special.”
Two of his fondest memories as a coach are the last two times he took a team to Salem. In 2016, an 0-2 Red Devils teams trekked down Rt. 49, held future NFL All-Pro Jonathan Taylor out of the end zone and beat the Rams 20-8. In 2018, they were the best two teams in Group I and the Red Devils prevailed again 26-20 and then beat their rivals in the rematch at Penns Grove for the South Jersey championship to cap an undefeated season.
In the interest of full disclosure, Emel admitted a couple of his toughest losses came on Walnut Street as well, including a playoff loss to the Rams his first year as Penns Grove’s coach.
“I want to end up a high note,” he said.
It looked like Walnut Street had seen its final days last season when the city condemned the old wooden bleachers. That decision led Salem school officials to start building an on-campus facility, but with that project on-going it also was going to force the football team with a new coach to play all of its games on the road until October.
The city continued to work to make the field ready for its youth team, but It picked up the pace when logistical issues at Abessinio Stadium in Wilmington forced Salem and Camden to pull its game out of the Mid-Atlantic Classic without a place to go. The city got Walnut Street put together well enough to host the game and it worked so well Salem moved the Penns Grove game back there as well.
The Rams are expected to open their on-campus facility Oct. 7.
Not even some off-the-field drama following the Camden-Salem game that forcing Saturday’s contest to be played without outside fans in attendance due can put a damper on the significance of the day.
“I don’t think I’m crying like (Eagles head coach) Nick Sirianni during the national anthem of the Super Bowl,” Emel said. “But football is an emotional game. You want to play with emotion and coach with emotion.
“I want to win every game, but I really want to win this one because not only is it the next one, but it’s Salem, it’s a rivalry and the fact that it’s the last game on Walnut Street it would make some of these other memories coaching that I mentioned that much sweeter. We want to close it out with a victory.”
Because the field means so much to him, perhaps when no one is looking Saturday, maybe as he walks through the gates for the final time, Emel will reach down and sneak a little souvenir to remember it by.
“I’ve never taken dirt from any other stadium,” he said. “Maybe this one should be the first.”
County football preview: Woodstown’s Hill eager to play first game; Schalick, Pennsville focused on the details SALEM COUNTY FOOTBALL Friday’s games Riverside at Schalick, 6 p.m. Woodstown at Deptford, 6 p.m. Gateway at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Saturday’s game Penns Grove at Salem, noon
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Woodstown running back James Hill has been looking forward to Friday night’s game at Deptford for six months. So has Wolverines’ coach John Adams. The rest of the WJFL, because they know the impact, not so much.
Hill makes his long-awaited season debut against the Spartans, six months removed from the knee injury and surgery during wrestling season.
He was cleared to return for football with limitations in late August and was cleared for full contact last week in time to fulfill his six padded practice embargo in time to play Friday night.
“I’m looking forward to it – a lot,” Hill said. “It’s been the last 6-7 months of rehabbing really strong. Every day I look at the clock and it just inches closer and closer. It’s kind of like Christmas and a birthday put together. No one wants to get older, but everyone wants to get the gifts.”
The plan is to rotate him between inside and outside linebacker this week and ease him into the offense where they need him. Hill has repped at multiple positions this week and, coach John Adams says, “knows the playbook from couple different spots.” Just don’t look for him to be running between the tackles on the Spartans’ artificial turf in his first game back.
He has rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns over the last two seasons.
“It’s tremendous (to get him back),” Adams said. “He’s a two-time captain, so getting his athleticism on the field is going to be phenomenal, him getting some of the rust out and stuff like that and get some confidence back in his leg will be big for him, but for us, having that leadership on the field is huge.
“The last two weeks he’s been doing everything he could from the sideline and having that leadership on the field is going to be really, really big for us.”
Hill said he has “no fear in playing football” coming back and is hoping for a big game capped by a victory.
“I just want to individual feel 100 percent confident in everything,” he said. “I don’t want to have any worries about making a cut. I just want to go out there and run around and play a high school football game and not have two thoughts of my ACL was torn seven months ago.”
Schalick’s Reggie Allen (4), coming off a game in which he rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns, is emerging as the backbone of the Cougars’ offense. (Photo by Heather Popiano)
RIVERSIDE (2-0) at SCHALICK (3-0): In an early-season battle of unbeatens this week is all about details for the Cougars – the I-dotting and T-crossing things that take a good team to great and a great team to special.
It’s things like finishing drives and finishing blocks that lead to bigger runs, winning first down, locking up on tackles and reading keys, and staying focused on extra points.
“That’s what we’ve been preaching all week in practice and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish,” Cougars coach Mike Wilson said. “Getting better at the little things.”
Through three games, junior running back Reggie Allen is emerging as the backbone of the team. He rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s victory at Wildwood and has done most of the heavy lifting on the Cougars’ scoring drives.
He now had 246 yards on 52 carries this season after his 144-yard, three touchdown game last week. He already has half as many touchdowns as he had a year ago, when losing two games to an injury robbed him of a 1,000-yard season.
“Reggie is legitimately our unsung hero,” Wilson said. “I said this his freshman year: Reggie gets lost in the shuffle a little bit, and I don’t know why. Reggie is the backbone of this team. I know a lot of people talk about (quarterback) Kenai (Simmons), but Reggie is the lynchpin of this team, I really believe that.”
Depending on what else happens around the division, this winner could come out of the week in sole possession of first place in the Horizon Division and be its last undefeated team standing.
GATEWAY (1-1) at PENNSVILLE (1-1): The Eagles stand in a bit of a crossroad. A year ago, they won their opener, lost their second game and didn’t win again. They face the same scenario this week after a flat game in their home opener, but this time are confident of flipping the script with the proper approach.
It’s all about players doing their job and trusting the player next to them. Last week’s 28-7 loss to Lower Cape May was about a lot of players trying to do too much that took them out of position.
This week, back to a regular practice schedule in the first full week of school, it’s all about getting back to basics.
“This whole year is really about getting respect back for the program and we need to show we can consistently play at a high level and go out there and compete like we can as opposed to last week,” Healy said. “We did not show who we really were, I felt like.”
Last year’s Gateway game got away from them and was the turning point in their season. It has the potential to be the springboard for this year as well.
“They’re 1-1 right now, same as us, so we can’t go in there, especially after last week how we played, thinking too much of ourselves,” Healy said. “We’ve got to understand we’re both even going into this game so we’ve got to show up.”
Coming next: Penns Grove’s Emel reflects on Salem’s Walnut Street Field on the eve of its final game
Riverview Sports News 