Here is the Salem County sports schedule for Oct. 7-12, featuring Schalick’s rescheduled football game, SJ girls tennis tournament and County XC Championship; all events 4 p.m. unless noted
MONDAY FOOTBALL Schalick at Paulsboro, 4 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Salem Schalick at Glassboro Woodstown at Deptford BOYS SOCCER Pennsville at Gloucester City Woodstown at Gateway GIRLS SOCCER Paulsboro at Penns Grove Pennsville at Gloucester City, 7 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Schalick at Mainland Woodstown at Kingsway
TUESDAY GIRLS TENNIS South Jersey Group I quarterfinals Woodstown at Haddon Twp., 3 p.m. Schalick at Pennsville, 3 p.m. Lower Cape May at Gateway, 3 p.m. Audubon at Pitman, 4 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Overbrook at Schalick Penns Grove at Woodstown Pennsville at Salem Tech Salem at Clayton, 6 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Clayton at Salem Glassboro at Pennsville Salem Tech at Pitman Schalick at Overbrook Woodstown at Penns Grove VOLLEYBALL Highland at Salem
WEDNESDAY FIELD HOCKEY Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville Schalick at Woodstown GIRLS TENNIS Haddon Heights at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Millville, 3:45 p.m. OLMA at Salem CROSS COUNTRY Salem County Championship, Salem Tech, 3:30 p.m.
THURSDAY FOOTBALL Delran at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS South Jersey Group I semifinals Woodstown-Haddon Twp. winner vs. Schalick-Pennsville winner Lower Cape May-Gateway winner vs. Audubon-Pitman winner BOYS SOCCER Glassboro at Penns Grove Pennsville at Salem Salem Tech at Wildwood Schalick at Woodstown GIRLS SOCCER Penns Grove at Glassboro Overbrook at Pennsville Salem at Pitman Wildwood at Salem Tech Woodstown at Schalick FIELD HOCKEY Gateway at Pennsville Salem at Maple Shade Schalick at Mainland, 4:15 p.m. VOLLEYBALL Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech
FRIDAY FOOTBALL Audubon at Collingswood, 6 p.m. Glassboro at Cinnaminson, 6 p.m. Schalick at Gloucester City, 6 p.m. Salem at West Deptford, 7 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Cumberland at Salem Woodstown at Ocean City, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Audubon at Schalick Salem at Gateway BOYS SOCCER Haddon Heights at Salem Schalick at Audubon GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Bridgeton Vineland at Woodstown
SATURDAY FOOTBALL Willingboro at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m. Camden Catholic at Overbrook, 11 a.m. Woodstown at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m. Pennsville at Paulsboro, noon CROSS COUNTRY SJCTA Meet at Dream Park
Rams score first and hold first halftime lead, but fall in first-ever meeting with Middle Twp.; Schalick-Paulsboro to be played Monday, 4 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAMES Middle Twp. 13, Salem 7 Clayton 42, Overbrook 42 Schalick at Paulsboro, ppd.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM — Kemp Carr looked over his Salem football team during pre-game warmups Saturday and thought this was going be a different team this week.
“At times” it was different as the Rams returned several injured regulars to the lineup and have grown closer after a 16-hour Friday bonding experience. But, alas, they still can’t shake some of the shortcomings that have plagued them throughout the season and lost to Middle Twp. 13-7 to remain winless through six games.
“I’m looking for 48 minutes to be a different team,” Carr said. “We got three guys back. The guys we started with at the beginning of the summer are finally starting to get here, and that’s huge when you don’t have personnel issues.
“That’s the first thing: Do I line up with the strongest team I can possibly line up with? Two is can we execute? Three, can we go win the game?”
If Saturday is any indication, the Rams are getting closer to No. 1, but they have work to do on the other two elements – and No. 2 directly impacts No. 3.
The most frustrating element to the Rams’ start is their ability to move the ball between the 30s, but can’t punch it into the end zone. They’ve scored only four touchdowns all season.
They got the ball inside the 10 twice, inside the 20 three times and had five plays inside the 30 in the fourth quarter and had only seven points to show for it. That was Pop Jackson’s 6-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter that gave the Rams their second lead of the season.
They missed a field goal attempt and turned it over on downs in the other two situations.
“We can’t move the ball inside the 10 and don’t score,” Carr said. “We just ran the ball all the way down the field with no problem. We did a lot of good things to get down there. We’ve got to compound those things and do them even better.
“We’ve got to block better, we’ve got to run harder and that’s the things that we’re not sustaining and finishing drives. It’s been an all-year situation. We get down there and don’t complete the task. I don’t just want to flip field position and pin a team back. We need to come out with bonus points on the scoreboard saying we got seven points.”
The way the game started it looked like the Rams were shifting the focus of their offense to Pop Jackson the way it did last season. Last season, coach Danny Mendoza looked to Jackson on a rainy day at Rutgers to jump start his struggling offense. Jackson responded with 249 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries and it stayed The Jackson Show the rest of the year.
On this day, he ran it six times for 60 yards on the Rams’ second possession of the game and pin-balled his way into the end zone from the 6 for the first touchdown of the game and their first lead since scoring first on Cinnaminson in their second game. He wound up with a season-high 146 yards on 22 of the team’s 35 carries. He also went 42 yards with one of Quimere Bergen’s jump passes, bouncing off multiple defenders and dragging several others inside the 15.
Kemp was quick to caution reading anything more than the Rams taking what they were given in the game.
“He was one of our workhorses, of course, but he’s not the only guy,” Kemp said. “We’ve got other guys. We want to utilize everybody. We’re a more dangerous team when we use a lot of guys. If you put all your eggs in one basket and just have one donkey you’re going to be in trouble. You have to be versatile.”
Even Jackson disputed the notion.
“The offense has weapons; I’m just a weapon to the offense,” he said.
Middle Twp. took the lead with two third-quarter touchdowns. The Panthers tied the game on a short-field touchdown, then after holding the Rams on downs near midfield set off to get the go-ahead score.
Salem’s defense made three fourth-down stops in the first half (including a missed field goal attempt) and appeared to have stopped the Panthers at the 13 with another one. Quarterback Tommy Gontz appeared down short of the line to gain, but stretched and made it less than the length of the football.
On the next snap, Remi Rodriguez changed into the end zone from the 14 with 23.9 seconds left in the quarter. Rodriguez rushed for 140 yards on 22 carries.
“I thought he (Gontz) was well short of the line,” Kemp said. “The film may say different, but my eye at real speed tells me I thought he was short.”
Bergen drew his first career start for the way he played in relief of injured Troy Carrey last week against Schalick and the moment was a little too big for the freshman. Carrey returned under center in the third quarter right after the Panthers got the go-ahead score. The junior got the Rams in position to get the tying touchdown – twice – but neither drives came to fruition.
Carrey took a big shot on the first drive but his pass to the end zone, one of the best he’s thrown all year, was just off the fingertips of Kaden Robinson. The second drive ended when Middle tipped away a fourth-down pass intended for Omarion Pierce.
The Panthers took over with 4:01 to play and held it the rest of the game.
If the Rams looked like a closer bunch during their Senior Day game, credit the trip Kemp took them on Friday. After being in school all day, the Rams went to a gaming education center in Wilmington, had a nice meal together, then went to the Penns Grove-Pennsville game as a team.
“I saw something magical last night,” Kemp said. “We spent all day together. That’s what matters to me, the brotherhood outside the game. To me, that’s magical. That’s where the stuff happens. The Xs and Os are going to come. You know, you only need one spark to start a wildfire, you only need one snowflake to have an avalanche. You just have to get there.”
Middle Twp. 13, Salem 7
MT (3-2)
SAL (0-6)
12
1st Downs
9
35-176
Rushing
34-156
5-13-0
Passes
1-10-2
67
Passing
42
0-0
Fum-Lost
0-0
2-20.5
Punts
2-28.0
4-40
Penalties
8-60
Middle Twp.
6
0
6
0-
13
Salem
7
0
0
0-
7
SCORING SUMMARY S-Pop Jackson 6 run (Andrew May kick), 33.6 1Q MT-Ayden Howell 18 pass from Tommy Gantt (PAT kick), 8:47 3Q MT-Remi Rodriguez 14 run (kick failed), 23.9 3Q
Schalick game on again
PAULSBORO — The first-ever regular season meeting between Schalick and Paulsboro is on again and it has been rescheduled for 4 p.m. Monday.
The game was originally scheduled for Friday night, but was postponed due to a security concern being investigated by the host school district. Paulsboro officials learned of a threat specific to the football game circulating on social media and took action. The perpetrator reportedly has been arrested.
Now, the game will go forward at Paulsboro without restrictions.
“The waiting game is over, so now we can get ready to play a football game,” Schalick coach Mike Wilson said. “The waiting is the horrible part.”
It’ll put the Cougars is a short week – they play at Gloucester City Friday – but Wilson said none of their plans with change.
“You control the controlables, so we play Paulsboro on Monday and we move forward from there,” he said. “We’re going to keep our same schedule on game day. We’re going to keep everything as normal as possible.”
The teams have met four times previously, all in the South Jersey Group I playoffs. Monday’s game carries serious playoff seeding implications as both teams are currently in the top seven of the SJ Group I power points standings.
WJFL DIAMOND DIVISION
DIV
ALL
Glassboro (4)
3-0
5-0
Woodstown (1)
3-0
5-0
Schalick (7)
2-1
3-2
Woodbury (12)
1-2
2-3
Salem (23)
0-3
0-6
Penns Grove (18)
0-3
1-5
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power ranking through Sept. 28
SATURDAY’S GAMES Schalick at Paulsboro, ppd. Middle Twp. 13, Salem 7 NEXT WEEK’S GAMES MONDAY Schalick at Paulsboro, 4 p.m. THURSDAY Delran at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. FRIDAY Glassboro at Cinnaminson, 6 p.m. Schalick at Gloucester City, 6 p.m. Salem at West Deptford SATURDAY Willingboro at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m. Woodstown at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.
WJFL PATRIOT DIVISION
DIV
ALL
Camden Catholic
3-0
5-0
West Deptford
3-1
3-3
Paulsboro (5)
3-1
4-1
Pennsville (14)
2-2
3-3
Collingswood
1-2
3-3
Audubon (20)
0-3
1-3
Overbrook
0-3
2-3-1
SATURDAY’S GAMES Schalick at Paulsboro, ppd. Clayton 42, Overbrook 42 NEXT WEEK’S GAMES FRIDAY Audubon at Collingswood Salem at West Deptford SATURDAY Pennsville at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m. Camden Catholic at Overbrook, 11 a.m.
Eagles end seven-year drought with Penns Grove to take the Wildman Willey Boot; Woodstown handles Pleasantville to go 5-0 for second time in three seasons; Saturday’s Schalick-Paulsboro game postponed due to security threat
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Mike Healy has been trying to get his hands on The Boot his entire coaching career.
Once he finally got his mitts on it Friday night and raised it above his head during the joyous post-game celebration, he said it was “a little bigger than I thought,” but beyond that, holding the trophy was “just perfect.”
Pennsville claimed the Pennsville Lions Club Award that goes to the winner of the Pennsville-Penns Grove game – better known as the Norm Wildman Willey Boot – for the first time since 2016 Friday when it made big play after big play on critical downs, especially in the second half, to secure a 19-12 victory.
It was the first time Healy had won it in his seven-year coaching tenure with the Eagles. The Red Devils’ seven-game winning streak in the Riverview Rivalry was the longest by either team in the series.
“It was awesome to finally do it,” said Healy, who also got soaked by the ice bucket in the celebration. ‘This game means so much to our kids and our town.
“We had our pep rally today and everyone was excited. Everyone kept asking me ,‘Are we going to get it? Are we going to get it?’ I felt good, but just to finally get that feels so good. There’s not much else I can say.”
It means a little more residing in the Eagles’ trophy case. Willey was a three-time Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro way back in the day and a teacher in the Pennsville school district for more than 30 years. One of his original game cleats adorns the top of the trophy.
The trophy was a late arrival at Lou D’Angelo Stadium. The Red Devils left it back at school and Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden drove back to retrieve it, returning with trophy in hand just as they started playing the national anthem, and it stayed on their sideline until it wound up in the Eagles’ hands at the end of the game.
“It was everything I thought it would be,” quarterback Robbie McDade said. “We came in here wanting to get The Boot, knowing we had to get The Boot. It’s been so long, it felt really good.”
The Eagles never trailed in the game, but they never could relax.
Penns Grove closed to within 13-12 on MahKye Murray’s 40-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. But Pennsville answered it with another long touchdown drive to push its lead to 19-12.
The Eagles went 73 yards in 10 plays that included three long completions on crucial downs to move the chains.
McDade hit Luke Wood in stride down the sideline on a 48-yard pass on third-and-21. He hit Rylan Hardy for 24 yards on third-and-20. And the Eagles scored on an 18-yard pass to Wood on fourth-and-17 with 8:10 to play. They ran the same play to Wood on the snap before, but to the other side of the field, that was out of his reach.
The Eagles converted a fourth-down situation in each of their two touchdown drives in the first half, too.
“That’s what we’ve been looking for on offense,” Healy said. “When we’re in those big moments are we going to step up and get it done and tonight we stepped up and got things done. We know our kids are capable of it. They’ve just got to constantly believe they can do it. If they buckle down they’re capable of doing anything.”
“It’s just all about trusting your guys,” McDade said. “You’ve got to trust your receivers, you’ve got to trust the offensive line. I trusted myself to make that play all the time. We’ve just got to do our job and I think we did that and we got big plays out of it.”
McDade was 9-of-14 for 146 yards passing. Wood, a senior playing his first year of varsity football, caught four balls for 81 yards.
“They used to play this game on Thanksgiving Day and the centerpiece of our table would be The Boot whenever my dad would win it,” said Wood, whose dad Ryan was a longtime Eagles head coach and now a Healy assistant. “So, if there was one game I had to win it was this one.
“I grew up every Thanksgiving looking at that in the middle of my table and we haven’t had it in so long it feels so good.”
There was still plenty of time after Pennsville scored for the Red Devils to come back and retain The Boot.
They got it down in the red zone, but Melo Erickson’s fourth-and-5 pass to KaRon Ceaser from the 10 with less than four minutes to play fell incomplete.
“That’s me; I’m an athlete, I can make a play,” Ceaser said. “That’s on me. The quarterback put in a route to get it. I should’ve went to go get it.”
Ceaser was a big part of the Red Devils’ offense all night. He had two 11-yard runs and a 17-yard catch to keep that drive moving. He finished with 107 yards rushing and 17 yards receiving.
There was some confusion late in the drive that may have cost the Red Devils a down. The pass to Ceaser gave the Red Devils a first down at the 15. Erickson ran for 2 yards on the first-down play, then the Red Devils were flagged for delay of game. The next play they ran was third down.
Erickson hit Knowledge Young for 8 yards, but it left the Red Devils to face what the down marker read as fourth-and-5 for The Boot.
They lost another scoring chance at the end of the first half on a similarly confusing situation. Erickson looked like he spiked the ball at the 8 to stop the clock with 15.8 seconds left, but it later was explained to Healy the quarterback took too long making the spike and that’s what drew the flag for grounding.
The Red Devils lost yardage, lost the down and eventually time expired.
Pennsville 19, Penns Grove 12
PG (12)
PV (19)
10
1st Downs
16
22-134
Rushing
36-148
7-14-1
Passes
9-14-0
86
Passing
146
1-0
Fum-Lost
1-1
2-34.5
Punts
2-29.5
5-36
Penalties
6-45
Penns Grove (1-5)
6
0
6
0-
12
Pennsville (3-3)
7
6
0
6-
19
SCORING SUMMARY PV-Malik Rehmer 8 run (Luke Wood kick), 4:02 1Q PG-KaRon Ceaser 39 run (kick failed), 2:22 1Q PV-Robbie McDade 1 run (kick failed), 4:03 2Q PG-MahKye Murray 40 pass from Melo Erickson (pass failed), 2:17 3Q PV-Luke Wood 18 pass from Robbie McDade (pass failed), 8:10 4Q
Woodstown’s Bryce Belinfanti is about to leave the Pleasantville defense in the dust on the way to his game-breaking 50-yard touchdown Friday night. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)
Woodstown remains undefeated
WOODSTOWN — Bryce Belinfanti rushed for 189 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns and went 60 yards on a screen pass to set up their first score as Woodstown handled winless Pleasantville 24-12 to go 5-0 for the second time in three seasons.
The Wolverines were 5-0 in 2022 as well, but coach Frank Trautz doesn’t get caught up in all that.
“Obviously it’s another win and it feels great, but we’re not looking at 5-0,” he said. “We’re not looking at 2, 3, 4 weeks down the line. We’re on to Week No. 6 and trying to get that one.
“It’s our approach and our staff’s approach to take it a week at a time and we try to do our best to win that game. It’s our goal to try to win every week. If you were to ask me at the beginning of the season, I was focused on Week No. 1. Now, I’m focused on Week No. 6. We’re not done writing the story yet. We’re focused on the next chapter.”
For Belinfanti it’s never a case of if he’s going to break a long one but when. The Homecoming crowd didn’t have to wait long on this night. The senior took a screen pass from Jack Holladay and bolted downfield 60 yards to set the stage for the Wolverines’ first touchdown. Holladay finished it off with a 1-yard run.
In the third quarter, Belinfanti scored on a 50-yard run and a 1-yard run to help the Wolverines stretch their lead to 24-6.
He had a 25-yard touchdown run in overtime to win the opener against Delsea and has had other scores of 35, 85, 37 and 44 this season.
“He’s got that big play capability,” Trautz said. “We do a good job up front with our blocking, he sees a little window and he’s got the ability to go.”
Woodstown 24, Pleasantville 12
Pleasantville (0-6)
6
0
0
6-
12
Woodstown (5-0)
7
3
14
0-
24
SCORING SUMMARY W-Jack Holladay 1 run (Jake Ware kick), 3:30 1Q P-Nazir Griffin 55 run (run failed) W-Jake Ware 37 FG, 4:56 2Q W-Bryce Belinfanti 50 run (Jake Ware kick), 7:09 3Q W-Bryce Belinfanti 1 run (Jake Ware kick), 0:57 3Q P-Dajaun Martin 6 pass from Ahmad Jones (pass failed), 8:09 4Q
Woodstown’s Rocco String (21) tries to sake off a block so he can chase down a Pleasantville ballcarrier. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)
Schalick-Paulsboro ppd.
PAULSBORO — Schalick’s first-ever regular-season meeting with Paulsboro Saturday has been postponed due to a “security concern” that is being investigated by the host school district. According to sources, Paulsboro became aware of a threat specifically linked to the football game earlier Friday and took action.
“Both school districts have collectively determined that postponing the game is in the best interest of our students and families while the investigation is underway,” Schalick principal Yvette DuBois Trembley and athletic director Doug Volovar said in a joint statement from the Cougars. “The safety of our students, staff and community remains our top priority.”
It wasn’t immediately known if or when the game would be rescheduled. The game does have South Jersey Group I playoff seeding implications as both teams are currently ranked in the top seven in the sectional power points standings.
The teams have played four times previously, all in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
WJFL DIAMOND DIVISION
DIV
ALL
Glassboro (4)
3-0
5-0
Woodstown (1)
3-0
5-0
Schalick (7)
2-1
3-2
Woodbury (12)
1-2
2-3
Salem (23)
0-3
0-5
Penns Grove (18)
0-3
1-5
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power ranking through Sept. 28
THURSDAY’S GAME Woodbury 35, Gateway 6 FRIDAY’S GAMES Glassboro 51, Deptford 0 Pennsville 19, Penns Grove 12 Woodstown 24, Pleasantville 12 SATURDAY’S GAMES Schalick at Paulsboro, ppd. Middle Twp. at Salem. noon
WJFL PATRIOT DIVISION
DIV
ALL
Camden Catholic
3-0
5-0
West Deptford
3-1
3-3
Paulsboro (5)
3-1
4-1
Pennsville (14)
2-2
3-3
Collingswood
1-2
3-3
Audubon (20)
0-3
1-3
Overbrook
0-3
2-3
FRIDAY’S GAMES Camden Catholic 48, Haddon Heights 22 Collingswood 20, Sterling 6 Haddonfield 30, West Deptford 28 Pennsville 19, Penns Grove 12 SATURDAY’S GAMES Schalick at Paulsboro, ppd. Clayton at Overbrook, 11 a.m.
Here are the scores and highlights from Thursday’s high school action involving Salem County teams
FIELD HOCKEY SCHALICK 6, PENNSVILLE 0: The Cougars scored five goals in the first quarter and cruised to their 10th straight victory to remain undefeated. Luci Virga and Alexis Smith both had a hat trick.
WOODSTOWN 4, SALEM 0: Brae DiGregorio, Shyann Higinbotham and Megan Donelson all had a goal and an assist as the Wolverines handed Salem its first loss of the season. Hannah Hitchner scored Woodstown’s other goal and Shelby Foote recorded the shutout.
BOYS SOCCER COLLINGSWOOD 3, PENNSVILLE 2: John Lara scored the game-winner in the 63rd minute. Maddox Efelis and Shane Puckett scored Pennsville’s two goals, both of which tied the game.
GIRLS SOCCER CUMBERLAND 7, PENNS GROVE 1: Alee Lorito had a hat trick and Ellie Bodine scored twice for the Colts.
SCHALICK 1, GLASSBORO 0: Abby Willoughby scored in the second half off a Quinn Berger corner kick and the Cougars won on Senior Night.
PENNSVILLE 5, GLASSBORO 0 Megan Morris (P) def. Ella Killelea, 6-0, 6-0 Regan Witt (P) def. Kaylee Johnson, 7-6 (12-10), 7-5 Lily Edwards (P) def. Halle Lazarus, 6-0, 6-0 Emma Cornette-Morgan Holt (P) def. Alana Killelea-Taylor Adcock, 6-0, 6-0 Cassandra Fortenberry-Devon Sebell (P) def. Anatasia Baratta-Amani George, 6-1, 6-2 Records: Pennsville 12-0, Glassboro 4-4. Notes: Pennsville is now off to its best start in more than 15 years. The Eagles have won 18 regular season matches in a row going back to last season.
Foster’s overtime header lifts Schalick over Wildwood to give Mannella his 300th career coaching victory – a Salem County soccer first
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WILDWOOD – Joe Mannella had been anticipating the event for weeks now, not that he was counting down the days or anything, and when the moment finally arrived Wednesday with all its celebration he almost couldn’t find the words.
Brad Foster headed home a corner kick from Jaxon Weber seven minutes into the first overtime Wednesday to give Schalick to a 3-2 victory over Wildwood and hand its head coach his 300th career coaching victory.
Mannella, in his 22nd season, is the first soccer coach in Salem County history and 59th in the state to record 300 boys-only varsity victories.
“It’s an overtime goal, it’s golden goal, so the kids are all celebrating,” Mannella said. “A couple ran over to me right away, but most of them just celebrated with each other. I just kind of sat there almost like I was watching the ending of a good movie. It was almost like an out-of-body experience. Not everybody gets to live this.
“From being able to coach where you were born and grew up and went to school and played yourself, I can’t imagine doing it any other way. There are so many things in this world that don’t go your way, I couldn’t have written a better script. I feel very fortunate to live this fairy tale.”
Mannella came into the season needing seven wins for the milestone. The Cougars (7-1) put him on the verge with a 5-0 win over Penns Grove Monday.
When Foster banged home the game-winner, the players raced to the corner flag and celebrated. They had something for their coach. They gave him a traditional ice bucket bath – he anticipated it and brought an extra change of clothes – sprayed him with silly string and presented him with balloons and a commemorative “300 Wins” soccer ball.
“It was a nice feeling seeing Coach get his big 300, especially since not a lot of coaches have that big number,” Foster said. “It’ll be a great memory.”
The Schalick soccer team gives coach Joe Mannella the traditional ice bucket celebration after presenting him with his 300th career victory Wednesday in Wildwood. (Submitted photo).
Tributes poured in after Mannella reached the milestone. His phone was full of text messages from former players, current teachers and family members. Among the well-wishers was good friend Darren Huck, the Woodstown coach. Huck is in line to become the next Salem County coach to reach 300, needing seven to hit the milestone after his team’s win at Pennsville Wednesday.
“He is Schalick soccer,” Huck said after learning of the Cougars’ result after his team’s game. “When you think of Schalick soccer you think of him. As a player and now a coach he’s had tremendous success.
“Good coaches know the game, good coaches know how to handle multiple personalties on a team and that type of thing, but he has it all. He knows his players, he has a system in place. Kudos to him.”
Luke Price scored the Cougars’ first two goals. He got the first on a header three minutes into the match and the game-tying goal on a run from midfield with four minutes left in the first half. NuNu Bedderi gave the Warriors the lead with two goals in between.
“It’s an amazing feeling, just that I contributed to the game also,” Price said. “We just kept fighting. We just had one goal and that was to win for Coach. Just knowing that my coach got 300 wins in his high school coaching career is a great feeling. As a player you have trust in him and you know he’s going to lead you on the right path.”
The teams played an even second half although Schalick, the South Jersey Group I power points leader, had the best of the play. Cougars goalie Evan Sepers made a spectacular save in overtime to keep the dream alive.
“A lot of guys contributed to this,” Mannella said. “They had a lot of fun. The bus ride was fun. I think they enjoyed being part of it as much as I was experiencing this. I’m looking forward to more wins with these guys.”
Pennsville girls tennis gets early leg up in division race after beating Woodstown, extends winning streak to 16
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The Pennsville girls tennis team remained undefeated and took the early upper hand in the TCC Diamond Division race Tuesday with a 4-1 win at Woodstown, but, befitting the rivalry, it was a lot closer than the score indicated.
A lot closer.
The Eagles fought back to win super tiebreakers at second singles and first doubles after both lost the second set and fell way behind in the 10-pointer and won at first singles after holding off a threat to create another super tiebreaker.
They now have division wins over Woodstown and Schalick but have to play them each again. Their second match with Schalick was suspended by weather with the Eagles trailing 2-1 but up a set in both doubles matches. The match is scheduled to resume in late October.
While it won’t count towards in the division race, Pennsville and Schalick are scheduled to play Oct. 8 in the second round of the South Jersey Group I tournament. The winner could potentially get Woodstown in the group semifinals.
“(Getting a leg up in the division) is all it is, the way we look at it, because we’re so close to them; all three of us (Pennsville, Woodstown, Schalick) there’s not much difference,” Pennsville coach Dan LaMont said. “I don’t even think we played great tennis, we just played scrappy. We know that’s what we’ve got to do. We just put a lot of balls back, we hustled. It was as tight as two teams can be.”
The difference on this day was the Eagles’ two super tiebreaker wins.
Regan Witt defeated Camille Osborn 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 at No. 2 singles and the No. 1 doubles team of Emma Cornette and Gabi Forino outlasted Alyssa Berry and Julianna Lindenmuth 6-0, 3-6, 10-8.
Witt (8-2) was down 8-4 in her tiebreaker, then won every point on the other side of the net to score her second super tiebreaker win of the season. The first doubles team was down 5-1 in their third and then won all six points on the other side of the net to take control and remain undefeated as partners (8-0).
Forino has won her last 12 doubles matches going back to last season, when she played second doubles. Cornette has won her last 15.
“It hasn’t been easy for Regan,” LaMont said. “She’s getting some good players and she just persevered. That was pretty big. The first doubles we just said let’s get to Emma’s serve. If we can get to Emma’s serve then we feel pretty good and that’s what they did.
“We just found a little gear when we had to. We kind of clamped down, locked in a little more. We’ve just got to keep on getting better and better. We can’t stop.”
With the win, the Eagles improved to 10-0 this season and extended their regular-season winning streak to 16 in a row. It’s their third best start in the last 15 years and their best since 2021 when they opened the season 11-0. The 2010 team started the year 12-0. The 2011 team had a 15-match in-season winning streak.
Lamont said his current team compared favorably to the 2021 squad.
“It’s very similar,” he said. “Just typical Pennsville girls who are going to go out there, they’re going to limit their unforced errors, they’re going to hustle. We’re not going to wow anybody with our tennis skills as you’ve seen. We’re not going to wow anybody with our overall play. Same type of team.”
FIELD HOCKEY Schalick 2, Gloucester City 1: Caylen Taylor and Phoebe Alward scored goals and Lydia Gilligan made 12 saves as the Cougars followed up their big win over Hammonton with an equally big win on the road at Gloucester City to remain undefeated. Ava Scurry assisted on both Schalick goals. Woodstown 3, Glassboro 0: The Wolverines broke a scoreless halftime tie with three goals in the third quarter. Zoe Lipovsky scored twice and Hanna Hitchner scored once. Shelby Foote recorded the shutout. Pennsville 5, Clayton 1
Schalick bounces back from season’s first loss, moves Mannella to 299, Ibarra leads Woodstown past Pitman
BOYS SOCCER Pennsville 4, Gloucester Catholic 1 Salem Tech 6, Salem 0 Schalick 5, Penns Grove 0 Woodstown 3, Pitman 1 GIRLS SOCCER Schalick 5, Penns Grove 0 Woodstown 2, Pennsville 0 Salem Tech at Salem
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — Joe Mannella moved another step closer to making some Salem County soccer history Monday, but truth be told he was much happier with the way his Schalick soccer team responded to its first loss of the season.
The Cougars handed their coach career win No. 299 Monday with a dominating 5-0 win over Penns Grove. Mannella came become the first soccer coach in Salem County to reach 300 career wins Wednesday at Wildwood.
The milestone and celebration would have happened Monday had the Cougars (6-1) taken care of business Saturday in Cinnaminson. Instead, they fell 2-1 in their most physical match of the season and Mannella was keenly interested in seeing how they would respond their next time out.
They responded by playing most of the game in the offensive end, turning back every Penns Grove advance and getting goals from five separate players .
“I couldn’t have been happier (with their response),” Mannella said as he watched his Cougars of the future in the JV game. “I thought about it the whole weekend. Not that we lost and not that we played bad, it’s just when the pressure gets on and when things aren’t going your way you see little cracks in the armor.
“I told them after the game I should know by now because all last year when things weren’t going our way they rose to the occasion. They did today. Everybody did what we talked about, everybody executed the game plan. I couldn’t be happier with the way we played today.”
Each of the last eight games in the series have been decided by shutout, with Schalick winning six, including the last three. Five of the Cougars’ wins this season have been by shutout.
The Cougars got goals from Anthony Sepers (19:36), Luke Price (36:52), Seth Fisher (54:13), freshman Connor Jackson (68:26) and Nolan O’Toole (71:42).
Sepers opened the scoring when he collected a ball in the upper left corner of the penalty area, pushed it forward a couple yards, then fired a volley over Penns Grove keeper Dwayne Guzman’s outstretched arm and into the upper right corner of the goal.
Price took a through ball from Oscar Hernandez in the box and beat the keeper with 3:08 left in the first half to give the Cougars a 2-0 halftime lead. It was his first goal since sustaining a broken wrist and growth plate when he was knocked down in the box five minutes into the Pitman match last Thursday. He played with a black cast that probably will stay on the rest of the season.
“It’s just all heart,” Price said. “I wanted to get right back at the game. It’s a disadvantage, but at the same time you’ve got to use it and bring your best.
“We got away from our game (Saturday), we just got away from it, but this is a great bounce back. We needed to respond. We played our game and had so many chances.”
The Cougars really turned up the pressure in the second half.
Jackson’s goal was the first of his career and added to a family legacy. He split two defenders and moved in on the net. He almost lost the ball in the box, but gathered it back in and had a wide open net to accept his shot. It gave the Cougars a 4-0 lead.
Jackson’s father is a former Schalick player and Mannella’s younger first cousin. His uncle, Kevin, is the Cougars’ all-time leading goal scorer (100).
They all are among the many who have contributed to Mannella’s 22-year run towards 300 wins.
“I’d trade it all for a state title, even a sectional title,” he said. “When you’re here over 20 years and you coach all these good players you’re going to accumulate numbers, so you don’t want it to be a hollow – it hasn’t been – but moreso if we don’t come out of this season doing what we’re capable of, I’ll probably be disappointed.”
WOODSTOWN 3, PITMAN 1: Adrian Ibarra broke a 1-1 tie with a goal in the first half, then added an insurance goal in the second to help the Wolverines (6-2) to their fourth straight win. It was Ibarra’s second two-goal game in a row. Ben Stengel made four saves in the Woodstown goal and also assisted on Ibarra’s first goal.
The Wolverines have won their last 10 in a row when Ibarra scores a goal. They are 18-4-1 over the last four seasons when he scores.
The game had major playoff seeding implications. The teams were Nos. 7 and 8 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings entering the game.
The win leaves Woodstown coach Darren Huck eight shy of 300 for his coaching career.
PENNSVILLE 4, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1: Shane Puckett scored twice in the first 14 minutes of the match and got the assist on the Eagles’ next goal. John Thomas and Sam Hassler scored later in the half to give the Eagles a 4-0 halftime lead. Maddox Efelis had a pair of assists
SALEM TECH 6, SALEM 0: Aiden Bobo and Alexander Robi scored two goals apiece and Graham Fields recorded a goal and two first-half assists as the Chargers (2-6) won back-to-back games for the first time in program history. The six goals are also a program record, topping the five they put on Gloucester Catholic in their last win.
Penns Grove keeper Dwayne Guzman stops Schalick’s Brad Foster from close range in the first half Monday. On the cover, Luke Price breaks in to score the second goal of the match.
Girls games
WOODSTOWN 2, PENNSVILLE 0: Ryann Foote and Emma Perry scored goals for the Wolverines (5-3-1) and Ellie Wygand recorded the shutout.
SCHALICK 5, PENNS GROVE 0: Freshman Olivia Vanacker had the first two-goal game of her career to lead the Cougars (6-2). Abby Willoughby, Cali Fisler and Joel Winnberg netted the other Schalick goals. Freshman Jessica Fantini recorded her first shutout.
Schalick, Woodstown among top seven seeds playing in the first round advancing in the South Jersey Group I tournament South Jersey Group I Tournament First round matches No. 9 Audubon at No. 8 Glassboro No. 5 Lower Cape May 5, No. 12 Salem 0 No. 4 Gateway 5, No. 13 Palmyra 0 No. 3 Haddon Twp. 4, No. 14 Wildwood 1 No. 6 Woodstown 5, No. West Deptford 0 No. 7 Schalick 5, No. 10 Buena 0 Second round matches OCT. 8 Glassboro-Audubon winner at No. 1 Pitman Lower Cape May at Gateway Woodstown at Haddon Twp. Schalick at No. 2 Pennsville
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – The Schalick girls tennis team may still be trying to discover who they really are, but they took another positive step in that direction Monday in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I Tournament.
The seventh-seeded Cougars swept through tenth-seeded Buena 5-0 without dropping a game. The win sends them to face second-seeded Pennsville on the road Oct. 8.
“It’s important to take that step in the right direction and getting the first one out of the way is always good,” Schalick coach John Romano said. “You never know what you’re going to get with the seedings or where you’re going to wind up being. I do think my squad is better than a seventh seed, but that being said you’ve got to beat the competition that’s in front of you.”
The Cougars got straight-set 6-0, 6-0 sweeps from Emma Adams, Allyson Green and Miya Watkins in singles and the doubles teams of Julia Langley-Helana Tyers and Kayleigh Veach-Annie Podehl.
They didn’t do that at all last year when they reached the Group I Final Four and while that team was senior laden this year’s team does return some players, albeit in elevated positions, from that experience..
“I’m kind of waiting for my girls to step up,” Romano said. “We always use the term Super Bowl Hangover. It’s almost like I don’t know that they’ve really found their identity.”
He saw signs of it last week in a 5-0 loss to Pitman that was much more competitive than the score. They were only shut out in one singles set and had two other singles sets go 7-5 and 7-6.
“I felt like something kind of clicked that day where they were like, all right maybe we can do that,” Romano said.
The next step won’t be easy, but the Cougars do know they can play with their next opponent. They lost to Eagles 3-2 on Sept. 12 and are leading 2-1 in a Sept. 23 match that was suspended by weather and because of the timing may have cost both teams spots in the seedings.
“I think the girls have an idea,” Romano said. “Once they realize they can kind of play with the better teams in Group I, it’s doable. Even a Pitman that beat us 5-0, we’re so close with singles points right there, a couple balls here or there you could be looking at a 3-2.
“Sounds crazy to say that since we lost in straight sets, lost 5-0, but anything can happen and if I can get the girls to buy into that why can’t it be them, why can’t they repeat what happened from last year I think it will help. But I do think having that tight match two times with Pennsville now it does help.”
SCHALICK 5, BUENA 0 Emma Adams (S) def. Caroline Futty, 6-0, 6-0 Allyson Green (S) def. Tiffany Chen, 6-0, 6-0 Miya Watkins (S) def. Tori Thompson, 6-0, 6-0 Julia Langley-Helana Tyers (S) def. Amanda Martha-Kara Horton, 6-0, 6-0 Kayleigh Veach-Annie Podehl (S) def. Ava LoSasso-Lexi Wyckoff, 6-0, 6-0. Records: Schalick 6-3, Buena 4-6.
Cougars knock off top-ranked South Jersey Group 3 Hammonton in battle of unbeatens, Woodstown routs Cumberland
MONDAY FIELD HOCKEY Schalick 4, Hammonton 2 Woodstown 9, Cumberland 1
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Lydia Gilligan is usually a pretty good sleeper, but with a titanic battle on her turf the next day she didn’t sleep very well Sunday night. The Schalick goalie kept tossing and turning, and when she did finally doze off a couple bad dreams shook her awake.
GILLIGAN
In one of the dreams, somebody told her the Cougars were going to lose their game with Hammonton later in the day. In the other, she gave up a goal off the side of her foot at a crucial time in the game.
It’s a good thing for Gilligan and the Cougars dreams don’t always come true.
Phoebe Alward and Ava Scurry both scored twice and Gilligan made 26 saves in goal and successfully stood her ground on a penalty stroke in the fourth quarter as the Cougars took down the previously undefeated Blue Devils 4-2 Monday to remain undefeated themselves.
“This is probably the best I’ve seen them play together as a team,” Cougars coach Heather Cheesman said. “They played really well. They knew we were both undefeated coming into it, they knew it was going to be a tough game. This was the toughest game we’ve had so far this year.”
The game had the attention of the field hockey world, at least in South Jersey. Schalick (8-0) came into the game as the No. 2 team in SJ Group I power points. Hammonton (9-1) was the No. 1 team in SJ Group 3 and had scored enough goals this season to keep even the soundest of sleepers up at night.
“I never have dreams about field hockey; I could barely sleep,” Gilligan said. “I always have a feeling we’re going to lose, but today I didn’t have that feeling and we pulled through.”
She did give up a terrible goal in the first quarter, but it was the only time the Cougars trailed. They rattled off the next three goals and took a 3-2 lead into halftime.
It stayed that way into the fourth quarter. Late in the quarter Gilligan was called for covering the ball in the crease and it set up Hammonton’s Emma Longo for a potential game-tying penalty stroke.
Gilligan hadn’t stopped one all season, but she was successful this time as Longo’s shot missed outside the left post.
“I was about ready to bawl my eyes out; my stroke game has not been good,” she said. “It was so silent after that you could hear a pin drop. I thought it went right into the net and I couldn’t hear it. Then all I see is my defense jump up and I just like fell to the ground.”
It was one of 28 shots the Blue Devils fired Gilligan’s way.
“It’s the most chaotic I think I’ve ever felt playing,” she said. “I don’t think I ever had a moment to rest. There were so many flaws and we still held it together and I was just counting the minutes, counting the minutes. I was always on my toes. I couldn’t shut up. I was either cheering or yelling.”
It remained a 3-2 game until Alward knocked one into the cage just moments ahead of the final horn. It was her 11th goal this year. Scurry, who recently notched her 100th career point, now has 19 goals on the season. She has scored multiple goals in every game this year.
WOODSTOWN 9, CUMBERLAND 1: Brae DiGregorio scored three goals and Sienna Land scored two as the Wolverines (5-2) won their fourth in a row. Hannah Hitchner, Shyann Higinbotham, Megan Donelson and Zoe Lipovsky scored Woodstown’s other goals. The Wolverines have outscored their opponents 25-2 during their current winning streak and have increased their goal production each game.
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Sept. 30-Oct. 5; events start at 4 p.m. unless noted
MONDAY FIELD HOCKEY Hammonton at Schalick Woodstown at Cumberland BOYS SOCCER Penns Grove at Schalick Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic Pitman at Woodstown Salem at Salem Tech GIRLS SOCCER Salem Tech at Salem Schalick at Penns Grove Woodstown at Pennsville GIRLS TENNIS South Jersey Group I Tournament Audubon at Glassboro Salem at Lower Cape May, 3 p.m. Palmyra at Gateway Wildwood at Haddon Twp. West Deptford at Woodstown, 3 p.m. Buena at Schalick, 3 p.m. VOLLEYBALL Timber Creek at Salem Tech
TUESDAY FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Clayton Salem at St. Joseph Academy Schalick at Gloucester City Woodstown at Glassboro CROSS COUNTRY Pennsville, Penns Grove, Salem, Schalick, Woodstown at Salem Tech, 3:30 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Cumberland at Penns Grove GIRLS TENNIS Cumberland at Schalick Pennsville at Woodstown
WEDNESDAY BOYS SOCCER Glassboro at Salem Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic Pitman at Salem Tech Schalick at Wildwood Woodstown at Pennsville GIRLS SOCCER Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove Pitman at Woodstown Salem at Glassboro Salem Tech at Pennsville GIRLS TENNIS Overbrook at Pennsville VOLLEYBALL Salem Tech at Clearview
THURSDAY BOYS SOCCER Collingswood at Pennsville GIRLS SOCCER Glassboro at Schalick, 6 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Schalick at Pennsville Woodstown at Salem GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Glassboro Wildwood at Salem
FRIDAY FOOTBALL Haddon Heights at Camden Catholic Deptford at Glassboro Penns Grove at Pennsville Pleasantville at Woodstown Sterling at Collingswood West Deptford at Haddonfield Woodbury at Gateway BOYS SOCCER Gloucester City at Salem Tech Penns Grove at Cumberland Sterling at Schalick GIRLS SOCCER Penns Grove at Cumberland
SATURDAY FOOTBALL Schalick at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m. Clayton at Overbrook, 11 a.m. Middle Twp. at Salem, noon BOYS SOCCER Northern Burlington at Woodstown, 10 a.m. CROSS COUNTRY Schalick, Woodstown at Shore Coaches Invitational, Holmdel, 10 a.m.
Riverview Sports News 