Here are the leaders among Salem County’s five football teams based on statistics posted to the state sports reporting service
Rushing
PLAYER, SCHOOL
ATT
YDS
TD
Rylan Hardy, Pennsville
130
889
12
Robbie McDade, Pennsville
108
704
8
Kenny Bartee, Schalick
86
503
7
Cashmir Parsley, Salem
65
368
2
Troy Carey, Salem
35
326
4
Desmund Thomas, Salem
48
308
2
Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove
73
293
2
Jameel Horace, Penns Grove
45
290
1
David Stewart, Schalick
51
269
3
Frank Hoerst, Woodstown
54
224
6
Evan Elliot, Schalick
42
166
0
Adrian Alleyne, Pennsville
31
165
3
Zane Thomas, Penns Grove
41
158
0
Torryn Ransome, Salem
31
153
3
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville
27
108
3
Passing
PLAYER, SCHOOL
COM
ATT
INT
YDS
TD
Desmund Thomas, Salem
80
144
4
1114
13
Frank Hoerst, Woodstown
31
72
1
510
4
Robbie McDade, Pennsville
47
85
6
484
6
Kenny Bartee, Schalick
13
48
9
302
2
Gary Simonini, Schalick
21
41
2
177
1
Receiving
PLAYER, SCHOOL
REC
YDS
TD
Kaden Robinson, Salem
19
353
6
Kyvion Parsons, Salem
19
239
1
Rylan Hardy, Pennsville
17
164
0
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
11
107
1
Adrian Alleyne, Pennsville
9
90
2
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville
7
50
0
Jerry Wooten, Penns Grove
7
44
0
Quimere Bergen, Salem
6
118
2
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
6
118
1
KaiSiere Muhammad, Salem
6
107
2
Ayden Jenkins, Schalick
6
67
0
David Stewart, Schalick
5
108
1
Ahmad Tucker, Salem
5
60
1
Cashmir Parsley, Salem
5
35
0
Tackles
PLAYER, SCHOOL
S
TFL
TOT
Dezyon Purnell, Schalick
3.5
13
80
Antwuan Rogers, Salem
13
13
74.5
Troy Carey, Salem
0
11
69
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
1
7
63
Kemal Chatum, Salem
6
11
60
Isaiah Upshur, Penns Grove
0
6.5
55
Gary Simonini, Schalick
1
6.5
53.5
Luis Colon, Penns Grove
1
10
52
Ray Brown, Penns Grove
4
11
49
Torryn Ransome, Salem
0
5
40
Robert Daly, Schalick
0.5
4
39
Dante Cummings, Pennsville
0
0
38
Nazeer Painter, Penns Grove
1
3
38
JaKai Ingrim, Penns Grove
2
9
37
Mahkye Murray, Salem
2
8
37
Rylan Hardy, Pennsville
1
3
34
Eric Sulik, Schalick
3.5
4.5
33
Kaden Robinson, Salem
0
0
32
Aiden Torres, Schalick
3
2
31
Jovanni Rios, Salem
3.5
6
31
TACKLES FOR LOSS 13: Dezyon Purnell, Schalick; Antwuan Rogers, Salem 11: Ray Brown, Penns Grove; Troy Carey, Salem; Kemal Chatum, Salem 10: Luis Colon, Penns Grove 9: JaKai Ingrim, Penns Grove 8: Mahkye Murray, Salem 7: Dylan Sheehan, Schalick 6.5: Isaiah Upshur, Penns Grove; Gary Simonini, Schalick 6: Jovanni Rios, Salem 4.5: Eric Sulik, Schalick 4: Ray Brown, Penns Grove; Evan Elliot, Schalick; Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove;
SACKS 13: Antwuan Rogers, Salem 6: Kemal Chatum, Salem 3.5: Dezyon Purnell, Schalick; Jovanni Rios, Salem; Eric Sulik, Schalick 3: Aiden Torres, Schalick
INTERCEPTIONS 3: Dylan Sheehan, Schalick; David Stewart, Schalick 2: Savior Allah, Penns Grove; Quimere Bergen, Salem; William Dunn, Salem; Jerry Wooten, Penns Grove
First round of the South Jersey Group I football playoffs, sectional XC at DREAM Park highlight the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Oct. 27-Nov. 2
MONDAY, OCT. 27 FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Paulsboro, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Triton, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Triton at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCT. 28 FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Audubon at Schalick, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Paulsboro at Pennsville, 4 p.m. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Highland at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29 FIELD HOCKEY Vineland at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Mainland at Schalick, 4:15 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Gateway at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at West Deptford, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCT. 30 FOOTBALL South Jersey Group I playoffs Audubon at Glassboro, 6 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Woodstown at Gateway, 4 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 31 FOOTBALL South Jersey Group I Playoffs Schalick at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOV. 1 FOOTBALL South Jersey Group I Playoffs Salem vs. KIPP Woodbury at Paulsboro, noon CROSS COUNTRY NJSIAA Sectionals at DREAM Park
SUNDAY, NOV. 2 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC Alumni Game, noon
Here are the weekend scores in the West Jersey Football League for the final week of the regular season before the power points cutoff; Salem County games in bold
SATURDAY’S GAMES Burlington City 66, Palmyra 0 Cherry Hill West 37, Vineland 13 Delran 38, Moorestown 7 KIPP Cooper Norcross 22, Bishop Eustace 12 Maple Shade 7, Florence 6 Mastery Charter 52, Gloucester Catholic 14 Paulsboro 42, Clayton 6 Rancocas Valley 34, Lenape 0 Riverside 26, Lawrence 22 Salem 27, Penns Grove 6 Schalick 24, Woodbury 12 Steinert 16, Nottingham 13
FRIDAY’S GAMES Bordentown 35, Pemberton 0 Buena 41, Wildwood 0 Cherry Hill East 29, Bridgeton 20 Cumberland 13, Absegami 10 Delsea at Mainland, 6 Eastern 33, Highland 12 Ewing 30, Hamilton West 24 Gateway 28, Pitman 16 Glassboro 47, Woodstown 0 Haddonfield 24, Paul VI 7 Holy Cross 15, Lindenwold 12 Hopewell Valley 34, Hightstown 16 Kingsway 43, Williamstown 20 Lower Cape May 28, Oakcrest 20 Millville 28, St. Augustine 21 Northern Burlington 28, Haddon Heights 17 Notre Dame 38, Allentown 6 Ocean City 20, Cedar Creek 17 Pennsville 36, Collingswood 15 Pleasantville 34, Gloucester 23 Princeton 35, WW-Plainsboro South 0 St. Joseph 41, Middle Twp. 0 Sterling 28, Haddon Twp. 8 Trenton 28, Robbinsville 0 Triton 35, Deptford 0 Washington Twp. 38, Timber Creek 0 West Deptford 21, Overbrook 6 Winslow 41, Cherokee 6
Thomas perfect in second half, finishes game with 4 TD passes, surpasses 1,000 season yards, as Rams solidify playoff spot; Penns Grove coach says he’s not returning
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM — The Tush Push is beloved in Philadelphia and generally reviled by everyone else who follows the NFL. But that’s just the thing: It’s a play for the NFL and doesn’t fly in the high school game.
Not that folks won’t try it, or something that looks like it.
Salem lined up at the 10 on its first play of the third quarter Saturday looking to grab some second-half momentum against Penns Grove and sent wrecking ball running back Troy Carey careening towards the end zone.
Carey was surrounded by a mass of bodies as he got closer to the goal line and the surge pushed him into the end zone for an apparent score to extend his team’s slim lead.
Not so fast. The flags came out and the Rams were called for assisting the runner. Yet another Salem touchdown called back by a penalty.
No matter. The Rams were back in the end zone the next play, this time without a helping hand, as Desmund Thomas hit Kaden Robinson for a 12-yard score that pushed their tushes to their fourth win in five games, 27-6.
“I definitely felt a little push at the end,” Carey said. “We kind of joked about it a little bit. He said they flagged him for pulling the pile or whatever. I couldn’t really tell. But I ended up punching it in on another two-point conversion, which was way harder than the first one.”
“It wasn’t like a Tush Push,” Thomas said. “It was like our teammate needed help (and) we had his back.”
Rams coach Kemp Carr agreed it wasn’t a Tush Push, because center Wyatt Irvine was caught pulling the running back into the end zone instead of nudging him in from behind, and got off his tush to set the record straight. Still, it was hard not to make the Eagles’ connection seeing the play unfold.
“You’re allowed to push,” Carr said. “Assisting the running is when he grabbed him by the uniform and tried to pull him in. You can push from behind. As you’ve seen, not many times the pile stops and then guys go up and push in high school. It wasn’t that. He didn’t push him from behind. He picked him up and took him in the end zone. I thought the Tush was only from the tush.”
Nevertheless, it was a big play and a big win for the Rams. It got them over .500 for the first time since 2022 and earned them the ninth spot in this year’s South Jersey Group I power points standings and a No. 5 seed in the South Jersey playoff bracket. They are slated to play at KIPP in the opening round.
The loss, meanwhile, left Penn Grove 0-9 for the season, its first winless campaign in modern memory. After the game, Red Devils coach Mark Maccarone told his players he was not returning next season. Not because of the 0-9, but because of the demands of his day job.
The Red Devils played like they wanted their coach to stay on. Defensive back Messiah Allah snatched a ball out of the air that caromed hard off Carey’s pads and raced 95 yards for the game’s first touchdown. There were other situations that gave the impression fate was smiling on them this day. They only trailed at halftime 7-6.
“It was a hard fought game; they didn’t quit,” Maccarone said. “It was a ball game. Two big pass plays changed the dynamic of the game.”
The pick-six and a 2-for-9 second quarter did something to Thomas. The junior quarterback came out in the second half and was perfect. He was 7-of-7 through the air for 113 yards and three more touchdowns – a 377.03 passer rating – surpassing 1,000 yards passing for the first time in his career in the process.
He threw the second-half touchdown passes to Robinson, Quimere Bergen and Ahmad Tucker in the half. The Rams outgained Penns Grove 132 yards to 45.
“The second half was just me not being focused on all the stuff that was being said and me getting into my game,” Thomas said. “Not to let anything get in my way, not to let anything get in our team’s way. It was just clearing everything up, being empty-minded and playing my game.”
The TD pass to Robinson after the helping penalty put him over the 1,000-yard plateau, and that made Robinson happy. He’s the Rams’ first 1,000-yard passer since Jahki Coates in 2022.
“Me being a senior and the No. 1 wide receiver, I wanted him to hit his 1K with me,” Robinson said.
Once the Rams grabbed the momentum, they never let it go.
“I wasn’t happy at all with how we played the first half, but we played in the second half a lot better,” Carr said. “We played good, solid Ram football in the second half and we were able to dictate what we wanted.
“It’s a game for 48 minutes; the last 24 we played well enough to be a decent football team. The first half we looked like we were chasing our own tails. We can’t do that. Football is a game of momentum. We want to grab it, hold onto it, and never let it go.”
Photos by Julliana Love
Salem 27, Penns Grove 6
PG
SAL
5
1st Downs
8
26-20
Rushing
18-89
3-10-1
Passing
10-18-1
2
Passing yds.
157
2-2
Fumbles-lost
1-1
5-20.0
Punts-avg
3-25.3
14-78
Penalties
12-110
Penns Grove (0-9)
6
0
0
0-
6
Salem (5-4)
7
0
14
6-
27
SCORING SUMMARY PG – Messiah Allah 95 interception return (run failed), 8:42 1Q S – Kaden Robinson 34 pass from Desmund Thomas (Johnathan Bower kick), 8:06 1Q S – Kaden Robinson 12 pass from Desmund Thomas (kick failed), 9:23 3Q S – Quimere Bergen 41 pass from Desmund Thomas (Troy Carey run), 2:12 3Q S – Ahmad Tucker 35 pass from Desmund Thomas (kick failed), 2:00 4Q
WJFL Standings
DIAMOND
ALL
DIV
Glassboro
9-0
5-0
Salem
5-4
4-1
Schalick
2-6
2-2
Woodbury
3-4
2-2
Woodstown
2-7
1-4
Penns Grove
0-9
0-5
PATRIOT
ALL
DIV
West Deptford
8-1
6-0
Paulsboro
8-1
5-1
Overbrook
6-3
3-3
Pennsville
5-4
3-3
Collingswood
5-4
2-4
Audubon
2-5
1-4
Camden Catholic
0-8
0-5
FRIDAY’S GAMES Pennsville 36, Collingswood 15 Glassboro 47, Woodstown 0 West Deptford 21, Overbrook 8
SATURDAY’S GAMES Paulsboro 42, Clayton 6 Salem 27, Penns Grove 6 Schalick 24, Woodbury 12
Here are the projected South Jersey Group 1 Tournament pairings, based on the power points standings at Saturday’s cutoff; NJSIAA has the final say on the brackets; Salem County matchups in bold
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 1 PAIRINGS SOUTH JERSEY FOOTBALL (8) Audubon (2-5) at (1) Glassboro (9-0) (5) Salem (5-4) at (4) KIPP (6-2) (6) Schalick (3-6) at (3) Pennsville (5-4) (7) Woodbury (3-6) at (2) Paulsboro (8-1) Football practice projections by Central Jersey Sports Radio and the GridironNJ rankings, the official rankings of the NJSIAA, match; NJSIAA listing comes out Sunday, brackets become official Monday. BOYS SOCCER (16) Woodbury (5-9-2) at (1) Haddon Twp. (11-5-1) (9) Pennsville (10-6-2) at (8) Glassboro (7-10-1) (12) Clayton (11-7) at (5) Pitman (9-5-2) (13) Palmyra (8-6-3) at (4) Woodstown (10-2-4) (14) Wildwood (7-9) at (3) Audubon (13-2-1) (11) Maple Shade (8-5-2) at (6) Riverside (10-3-2) (10) Gateway (9-6-2) at (7) Penns Grove (8-4-3) (15) New Egypt (7-12) at (2) Schalick (12-3-2)
GIRLS SOCCER (16) Penns Grove (2-13) at (1) Schalick (12-5-1) (9) Glassboro (8-8) at (8) Pitman (10-6-1) (12) Maple Shade (3-13-1) at (5) Audubon (9-8-1) (13) Buena (7-8-2) at (4) Palmyra (10-5-1) (14) Wildwood (5-8-2) at (3) Clayton (12-5) (11) Riverside (5-10) at (6) Haddon Twp. (7-9-1) (10) Pennsville (8-8) at (7) Woodstown (12-3-1) (15) Woodbury (4-8-2) at (2) Gateway (14-1)
FIELD HOCKEY (16) Collingswood (3-12-1) at (1) Shore (18-0-1) (9) Gateway (8-7-2) at (8) Haddon Heights (8-8-1) (12) Bordentown (8-9) at (5) South Hunterdon (13-3) (13) Lower Cape May (6-6-1) at (4) Gloucester (11-8) (14) New Egypt (7-9-1) at (3) Haddon Twp. (11-6) (11) Florence (7-7) at (6) Schalick (12-6) (10) Woodstown (9-7-1) at (7) Audubon (11-5-2) (15) Pennsville (7-8-1) at (2) West Deptford (15-2)
Schalick projected the South Jersey Group I girls soccer top seed after beating Clayton; Woodstown eyes a home game after edging Pennsville; includes boys tennis, field hockey, tennis results
FRIDAY’S SCORES GIRLS SOCCER Woodstown 2, Pennsville 1 Schalick 4, Clayton 1 BOYS SOCCER Penns Grove 3, Wildwood 1 Pennsville 3, Gloucester City 0 South Jersey Coaches Tournament Shawnee 1, Schalick 0 FIELD HOCKEY Overbrook 3, Salem Tech 2 Woodstown 1, Gloucester Catholic 0 GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown 4, Cumberland 1
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – The prospect of waking up Saturday morning as the No. 1 team in South Jersey Group I makes Schalick girls soccer coach Will Kemp smile.
The Cougars moved into the top spot overnight after taking down Clayton 4-1 Friday behind Emily Miller’s first career hat trick.
The TCC Diamond Division champions jumped over once-beaten Gateway in the sectional power points standings and if they hold their two-point lead through Saturday’s cutoff, they will earn their first No. 1 seed since 2018. They were No. 2 in 2024 and 2021.
“I’m quite sure we got it, it just switched up,” Kemp said after checking the standings. “It feels great. If that happens and that’s our official spot, it’s exactly where I believe we belong and then now it’s time to handle business because it’s the business end of the season.
“It’s something the girls deserve; they’ve worked hard all season. Being the No. 1 seed is not the end all, be all, but it sets us up nicely for the actual playoff run. It gives our girls that confidence boost that they actually need going into the playoffs.”
Miller scored all three of her goals on headers off corner kicks by Quinn Berger. Berger scored the Cougars’ other goal and with her five scoring points in the game she is now four points shy of joining Cali Fisler in the 100-Point Club this season.
“I think Quinn played the perfect ball and I was just in the right spot,” Miller said. “It’s worth the headache after the game.”
Miller isn’t as prolific a goal scorer as the other Emily Miller that roamed the pitch for the Cougars a couple years ago, but she sure knows how to use her head to get the job done. She ran through two defenders to win the header on her first goal. The second came by redirecting a rebound off the post and the third came after losing her mark and heading it home.
Berger, meanwhile, distributes it as well as she scores. The three corner assists Friday gave her 16 this season and 36 in her career. The goal, which came off a pass from Fisler and gave the Cougars a 3-1 lead, was her 13th of the season and 30th of her career.
“Quinn’s service today was phenomenal,” Kemp said. “I know she was striking the ball extremely well, whether it was in play or from a restart. And Emily Miller is probably one of our best players in the air; she loves going for any type of aerial challenge and she was consistent with winning the ball.
“Quinn continued to find her every single time, so it was just a great combination today. A mix of wanting to get the ball and wanting to get the ball to the right place.”
As the projected No. 1 seed, the Cougars would line up with a first-round game against No. 16 Penns Grove, but school officials have said the Red Devils were opting out of the playoffs. If they draw a bye, the Cougars’ first tournament game would be against the winner of the 8-9 game, currently Woodstown and Glassboro.
Whoever it’s against, as the No. 1, the Cougars will be home all the way through the sectional playoffs.
“It makes me feel great that we will be the No. 1 seed because I think home field advantage will be good for our soccer team,” Miller said.
Covely’s left is all right
WOODSTOWN 2, PENNSVILLE 1: Lia Covely found the upper left corner from the middle of the box with 9:12 to play to give the Wolverines a two-goal lead and they survived a late goal by Taylor Bass to win their first match since falling to Schalick in the division title match eight days ago.
Covely could’ve picked any corner when she got the ball on a throw in the dead center of the box, but chose the upper left to prove a point to her teammates.
“I saw the defender go for it and I knew I could beat her there, so I just got my foot on it, looked for the top left corner and that’s where it went,” Covely said. “They make fun of me for not knowing my left from the right.”
Covely has known right where to go in the last couple weeks. She has had three two-goals games in her last four, the best run of her career., and has scored from all three forward spots.
“It’s my team,” she said of her recent success. “I wouldn’t be able to score if it wasn’t for them. I just happened to be the one who finished today. We just really know how to work the field and I’ve been able to find the back of the net, which I have not in the beginning of the season, so we finally turned that around.”
The Wolverines needed the game to get some separation from the Eagles; the teams were ranked eighth and ninth in the South Jersey Group I power points standings. With the win, the Woodstown remained eighth – the final spot for an opening-round home playoff game – but closed to within 0.167 of a more favorable seventh. Pennsville dropped to 10th ahead of Saturday’s cutout date.
“An eighth seed is fine, “ Wolverines coach Kieran Keyser said. “We’re happy with having a home game, but I think that seed is not reflective of how our season has gone. We’re probably a little better than that, but that’s how it goes.”
The Wolverines dominated the play, but both teams’ defenses kept either team from getting an upper hand. Pennsville kept Woodstown’s threats at bay and Woodstown kept the Eagles’ attack from getting going.
Covely scored the first goal of the match on a bouncy ball she redirected that got away from Pennsville keeper Tatyana Crawford. She made it 2-0 in the second half.
“She’s one of the hardest workers we have in the field,” Keyser said. “It’s not just right place, right time; she’s making things happen for us.”
The Eagles closed to 2-1 on Bass’ goal with 5:10 to play. Her initial shot was stopped by Woodstown keeper Ellie Wygand, but the momentum of the play left the goal open and Delia Hahn came in to clear away the rebound.
But Bass flagged it down and the angle of her shot back towards the goal was just steep enough to catch the net inside the far post.
Boys soccer
SHAWNEE 1, SCHALICK 0: Cooper Adinolfi’s goal in the 77th minute was the only goal in the South Jersey Coaches Cup opening-round match. The fourth-seeded Renegades (9-4-2), the defending tournament champions, now play fifth-seeded Egg Harbor in the quarterfinals. The Cougars (12-3-9) are currently No. 2 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings going into Saturday’s cutoff.
PENNS GROVE 3, WILDWOOD 1: Stuart Mondragon, Juan Ortiz and Mario Fuentes scored goals for Penns Grove. The Red Devils (8-4-3) look solidly in command of a first-round home playoff game as they currently sit seventh in the South Jersey Group I power points standings going into Saturday’s cutoff.
PENNSVILLE 3, GLOUCESTER CITY 0: Justin Michaca scored three second-half goals to help the Eagles wrap up the TCC Classic Division title they clinched earlier in the week. Coen Rinnier made 10 saves in recording the shutout. The Eagles (10-6-2) are currently ninth in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, but are hoping to secure a home game going into Saturday’s cutoff.
Field hockey
OVERBROOK 3, SALEM TECH 2: Argenita Llugani, Amani Grace and Lucylaine Bannan scored goals as the Rams snapped a seven-game losing streak. Reagan Gillespie and Olivia Lydon scored for Salem Tech. The Chargers (8-5) are eligible for postseason play, but are currently 19th in South Jersey Group 2 going into Saturday’s cutoff.
WOODSTOWN 1, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 0: Estella Hitchner’s converted a pass from Zoe Lipovsky in the second quarter for the only goal of the game. The Wolverines (9-7-1) go into Saturday’s cutoff date No. 10 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings.
Woodstown to miss playoffs for first time since 2010 after 47-0 loss to projected No. 1 Glassboro, although coach believes it’s worthy; O’Connell sets Glassboro TD pass record in win
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Things will look a lot different around Clint Ware Field these next couple weeks than it has been at this time of year for nearly a generation of Woodstown football players.
For the first time since 2010 – before many of the current players were even born – the Wolverines will miss the South Jersey playoffs after ending their regular season Friday with a 47-0 loss to undefeated Glassboro.
It’s just been a tough season for the Wolverines (2-7). They came into the year with a young team as it was, having graduated another strong senior class that included the majority of their skill position players, and then were gutted by an historical spate of injuries.
They fell out of the top 16 of the power points standings for the first time since the inception of the OSI after their Oct. 9 loss to Haddon Heights and went into Friday night 20th in the South Jersey Group I rankings. They were last in the rankings after two games in 2018 under the old Born Power Index, but made the playoffs that year at 2-6.
“Our goal’s every year is to get to the playoffs; it’s disappointing, it really is,” Woodstown coach Frank Trautz said. “When you kind of look around at the whole landscape of football in South Jersey, I don’t think we should be out of the playoffs. Given, especially, the schedule we have played and everything, I think 100 percent we deserve a shot in the playoffs.
“I understand the system is the system and it is what it is. We’ve got to abide by it and that’s the situation. At the end of the day we’ve got to get more wins to get in. At the end of the day it’s on us. I’d love for these kids to get a shot to compete in the playoffs, but it didn’t work that way, but I’m super proud of them.
“We’ve got a lot of guys coming back and I think it’s going to be a special group. We’ll play our consolation game (likely Thursday) and hopefully try to end on a positive note.”
This Woodstown-Glassboro matchup has been one of the best games in the state the last couple years, but it wasn’t much of a contest Friday.
As if it needed any extra hype, amped by the season return of senior lineman Tyler Bright, the Bulldogs’ “stifling” defense smothered the Wolverines, holding them to minus-38 yards of net offense and one first down. That came on sophomore Mason Middlemiss’ 14-yard run in the third quarter, the Wolverines’ only play over two yards from scrimmage..
“Glassboro is a great team and we just tried our best to get the farthest we could on the field,” said Middlemiss, who played the whole game at quarterback with freshman Frankie Hoerst in concussion protocol. “Props to our line for battling. I’m really proud of them, especially Aiden (Taulane). He tried his best to protect me back there.”
“That’s one of the best front sevens you’re going to see in Group I, probably the best front seven you’re going to see in Group I football this year and they might be one of the best front sevens in most groups in New Jersey,” Trautz said. “I thought our kids fought, they were fighting and scrapping and clawing for every yard they could and that’s all we can ask of them.”
The Glassboro offense didn’t have it easy. The Wolverines held it to 139 yards and 19 points in the first half and made them look as uneasy as they did last week against Schalick. They fumbled away each of their first two possessions inside the Glassboro 25, but the Bulldogs only got one touchdown out of it and needed seven total plays in the two possessions to get that.
“It was best (effort) we’ve ever given; I was really happy about it,” said Taulane, who shut down several Glassboro plays in the first half. “Obviously, the score wasn’t too good, but it was a great defensive effort. It took everything. They just put us in tough situations.”
“That was the challenge for today, go out and fight and just keep fighting until you can’t do it anymore,” Trautz said. “The message was if you can do that for 48 minutes then you’re going to be able to look yourself and your teammates in the eyes and be proud of the job you did tonight. They answered. They came in and they were ready to fight and scrap.”
Bulldogs coach Timmy Breaker chalked up his offense’s balkiness to the learning curve that comes with getting comfortable with new plays and rotations for a long postseason run.
Glassboro quarterback Jack O’Connell threw five touchdown passes to break Sakeen Wright’s 25-year-old single-season school record for passing touchdowns (27); he now has 31, 49 in two years as a Bulldog.
He was 14-of-23 for 199 yards in the game, an NCAA-style passer rating of 205.29, 8-of-10 for 108 yards and three TDs in the second half. Amari Sabb and Xavier Sabb each caught two of the tournament passes and JoJo DeLecce ran for two scores. Amari caught six passes for 111 yards and had a 31-yard run.
“He did a great job today,” Breaker said of his quarterback. “Battled a little adversity in the beginning, but for him to battle back in that second half and have the game he did in the second half and lead that offense that was great to see. You don’t get to see that sometimes throughout the year, but to see it at the last game was beautiful because you’re going to the playoffs with that momentum. Tonight was a big night for him.”
It was the Wolverines’ fourth straight loss, by a combined score of 161-6.
Glassboro (9-0) has now won 22 in a row and is 30-2 since dropping back-to-back games in early 2023 – a run that started with a 13-7 overtime win at Woodstown. The Bulldogs are expected to be the overall No. 1 in the South Jersey Group I super section and the No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group I playoff bracket.
Glassboro 47, Woodstown 0
GLASS
WOOD
12
1st Downs
1
9-100
Rushing
22-(-37)
14-23-0
Passing
1-5-2
199
Passing yds.
(-1)
0-0
Fumbles-lost
2-2
0-0
Punts-avg
3-20.3
6-40
Penalties
3-30
Glassboro (9-0)
13
6
14
14-
47
Woodstown (2-7)
0
0
0
0-
0
SCORING SUMMARY G – Amari Sabb 12 pass from Jack O’Connell (Sal Esgro kick), 6:38 1Q G – JoJo DeLecce 25 run (kick failed), 1:22 1Q G – Amari Sabb 43 pass from Jack O’Connell (kick failed), 8:33 2Q G – Mekhi Parker 9 pass from Jack O’Connell (Davon Barr run), 10:18 3Q G – Xavier Sabb 12 pass from Jack O’Connell (kick failed), 2:10 3Q G – Xavier Sabb 16 pass from Jack O’Connell (kick failed), 7:00 4Q G – JoJo DeLecce 19 run (Mekhi Parker pass from Jack O’Connell), 1:14 4Q
WJFL Standings
DIAMOND
ALL
DIV
Glassboro
9-0
5-0
Salem
4-4
3-1
Schalick
2-6
2-2
Woodbury
3-4
2-2
Woodstown
2-7
1-4
Penns Grove
0-8
0-4
PATRIOT
ALL
DIV
West Deptford
8-1
6-0
Paulsboro
7-1
5-1
Overbrook
6-3
3-3
Pennsville
5-4
3-3
Collingswood
5-4
2-4
Audubon
2-5
1-4
Camden Catholic
0-8
0-5
FRIDAY’S GAMES Pennsville 36, Collingswood 15 Glassboro 47, Woodstown 0 West Deptford 21, Overbrook 8
SATURDAY’S GAMES Clayton at Paulsboro Penns Grove at Salem Schalick at Woodbury
Harris nets two as Pennsville field hockey edges Overbrook to keep playoff hopes alive, Penns Grove boys soccer wins in OT to enhance position for a home playoff game, and more
THURSDAY’S SCORES FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville 2, Overbrook 1 BOYS SOCCER Penns Grove 2, Maple Shade 1 (OT) Audubon 1, Woodstown 0 (OT) GIRLS SOCCER Salem 6, Salem Tech 0 WJFL FOOTBALL Atlantic Tech 33, Egg Harbor Twp. 7 Burlington Twp. 21, Cinnaminson 0 Pennsauken 40, Clearview 6 Seneca 28, Willingboro 21 Shawnee 21, Hammonton 0 GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Timber Creek 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-11, 25-20) GIRLS TENNIS Schalick 3, Woodstown 2
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – The Pennsville field hockey team had a lot to play for Thursday and it delivered on all counts.
The Eagles were playing in their final home game and wanted to send their seniors out on a good note. They also were playing for their playoff lives. And they were playing for their coach, Lisa Doran, a Pennsville Hall of Famer who missed the game for health reasons.
But they made good on all of it, beating a late-arriving Overbrook team 2-1. Kylie Harris scored both goals for the Eagles, slamming home the game-winner in traffic with 4:22 to play.
“They did it for a lot of reasons,” said assistant coach Cassandra Kirk, who ran the team in Doran’s absence. “They did it for the playoffs, they did it for the seniors and they did it for Coach Doran. She’s a huge missing piece right now I think the girls wanted to really step it up for her.”
“We all love Doran to bits and pieces,” Harris said. “She’s such an important person for me, in my career, so I wanted to do it for her. I wanted to do it for her, I wanted to do it for the seniors, for the underclassmen, to show them you don’t stop fighting. It was for everyone, especially for Doran, because she loves all of us to bits and pieces.”
It was a game the Eagles (7-8-1) had to have if they wanted any chance of making the playoffs. They entered the game holding the 16th and final qualifying spot in the South Jersey Group I field hockey power points standings, 0.975 points ahead of Paulsboro, idle through Saturday’s cutoff. The calculation after the win still wasn’t updated at midnight.
(As of Friday morning, the Eagles remained 16, but lost a few percentage points on their lead over Paulsboro.)
SJ GROUP i (thru Thurs.)
W-L-T
POWER
15. New Egypt
6-8-1
10.280
16. Pennsville
7-8-1
10.042
17. Paulsboro
5-9-1
9.121
If the Eagles hold onto the 16th spot through Saturday, they would draw projected No. 1 Shore Regional in the tournament’s opening round. They last made the playoffs in 2021, when they went in as an eighth seed and lost in the opening round.
“I do think with this win it can push us in there, or at least keep us there,” Kirk said. “We would love to keep our season going, especially for these seniors. They’ve worked super hard, so I know having an extra game will be really important to them.”
Harris has become quite adept at scoring since the Eagles moved her big stick to the front line from the top of diamond. She has scored all 13 of her goals this season since Sept. 23 and is now the Eagles’ leading scorer. The Eagles are now 4-2 this year, 10-2 during her career, in games she has scored a goal.
She gave Pennsville a 1-0 lead with a big shot with 9:40 left in the second quarter. She was able to swing both goals despite constantly being hawked by Rams’ junior Lula Bannon.
The Rams got the equalizer literally with no time left in the third quarter when Rosie Loibman scored after the Eagles failed to clear the zone on a corner that was set on the line with three seconds left in the quarter.
“That was a huge decision that we made and I really think it was pivotal for us,” Kirk said. “Kylie is amazing in circle and has great stickwork. Even during corners we thought she was the one who knows how to carry the ball and shoot, so we just figured let’s try it up there. I know that we need her in the backfield, but we also need her up front to score some goals.”
The best part is Harris is really enjoying it.
“I really like it – a lot,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Boys soccer
PENNS GROVE 2, MAPLE SHADE 1: Juan Ortiz scored a long-distance goal with less than three minutes left in the first overtime to give the Red Devils the win and possibly a first-round home game in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
The Red Devils (7-4-3) were a solid No. 7 in the SJ Group I power points standings going into the match and beat a seven-win team that was No. 13 in the standings and remained there with one more game before Saturday’s cutoff.
If the standings remain as they are, the Red Devils would host Pennsville in the opening round. They haven’t had a home playoff game since 2022, when they host the first two rounds.
I think it would validate to this town, the community and my players that we belong at the top with the other top teams,” coach Mano Massari said of the importance of getting a home playoff game. “We’d have something other than my words telling them that they belong. Something to show for it. They deserve it.”
Prince Ledbetter gave the Red Devils a 1-0 halftime lead, also from long distance. They are 4-1-2 in their last seven games.
SJ GROUP I (thru Thurs.)
W-L-T
POWER
7. Penns Grove
7-4-3
18.573
8. Glassboro
7-10-1
15.117
9. Gateway
9-5-2
14.743
10. Pennsville
9-6-2
14.327
AUDUBON 1, WOODSTOWN 0: The teams went back and forth for nearly 100 minutes before the Green Wave (13-2-1) broke the ice on Aiden Stallard’s breakaway in the second overtime. The Wolverines (9-2-4) were headed to their fifth tie of the season before the golden goal.
Girls soccer
WOODSTOWN – Abigail Leuallen and Julia Hewitt Friebel each scored a pair of goals and Ava Robinson scored three assists as Salem Tech routed Salem, 6-0, to snap a four-game losing streak. Olivia Blais and Peyton Pratt scored the Chargers’ other goals.
Girls tennis
WOODSTOWN — Schalick won third-set tiebreakers at third singles and first doubles to edge Woodstown 3-2 and end its season with a victory.
Third singles Macy Clow and the first doubles team of Olivia Lunemann and Sabrina Bradford won their tiebreakers after dropping their second sets. Clow, in the final match of her high school career, held off Noelle Neron, 7-5, 1-6, 10-6, to clinch the victory and Lunemann-Bradford finally outlasted Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr, 6-2, 4-6, 10-3.
Lunemann-Bradford lost both of their previous matches to the Wolverine pair in third-set tiebreakers.
Second doubles Sammi Twigg and Jasmine Hunt won the Cougars’ other point. Singles players Nathalie Neron and Alyssa Berry secured Woodstown’s points.
The win avenged a South Jersey tournament loss in which Woodstown won three of its four points in third-set tiebreakers. Clow took a third-set tiebreaker from Neron for Schalick’s only point of that match.
“Every member of our team put their heart and soul into (the) match,” Cougars coach Brandi Petrunis said on the program’s Facebook page. “Their perseverance and positive mindset shined through. We are so proud of our girls, both on and off the coach. Congratulations girls! Way to finish our season with a match we’ll never forget.”
def. Mollie Willis, 6-1, 6-1
Riverview Sports News 