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.
WOODSTOWN 5, WEST DEPTFORD 0
Gabby Kurds (Wo) def. Gianna Concordia, 6-0, 6-0
Camille Osborn (Wo) def. Alyssa Taylor, 6-2, 6-2
Aubrie Rennie (wo) def. Carly Zanolle, 6-0, 6-1
Julianna Lindenmuth-Alyssa Berry (Wo) def. Lily Avila-Anastasia Besar, 6-2, 6-0
Noelle Neron-Nathalie Neron (Wo) def. Jumanna Abdelhamid-Hayley Dobbins, 6-0, 6-2.
Records: Woodstown 8-12, West Deptford 1-12.
LOWER CAPE MAY 5, SALEM 0
Maddie Gilbert (L) def. Cassidy Werkheiser, 6-0, 6-0
Ainsley Reed (L) def. Tytiana Miller, 6-0, 6-0
Bryn Popdan (L) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-0, 6-0
Mia Gilbert-Kayla Heinold (L) def. Destiny Carr-Heaven Jones-McCullough, 6-1, 6-0
Reilly Fitzpatrick-Melanie Ortiz-Moreno (L) def. Bianca Gibson-Tahirah Davenport-White, 6-0, 6-3
Records: Lower Cape May 10-2, Salem 0-6.
Category: SCHALICK
Don’t sleep on Schalick
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.
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.
Schalick 4, Hammonton 2
| Hammonton (9-1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0- | 2 |
| Schalick (8-0) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1- | 4 |
GOALS: H-Gabrielle Childs, 7:47 1Q; S-Ava Scurry (Phoebe Alward), 3:45 1Q; S-Ava Scurry (Phoebe Alward), 14:41 2Q; S-Phoebe Alward (Lena Virga), 8:44 2Q; H-Gabriella Teti, 7:03 2Q; S-Phoebe Alward, 0:01 4Q
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.
This week’s schedule
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.
Cover photo by Heather Papiano
Salem Saturday
BOYS SOCCER
CINNAMINSON 2, SCHALICK 1: Owen Digney broke a 1-1 tie with a goal in the second half, sending the Cougars to their first loss of the season and freezing coach Joe Mannella at 298 career wins. The earliest Mannella can reach the milestone is Oct. 2 at Wildwood.
GIRLS SOCCER
CINNAMINSON 5, SCHALICK 0: Shiloh Moore had a hat trick for the Pirates.
CROSS COUNTRY
Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield continued to dominate her field, winning the Girls Varsity D race at the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational. Hadfield ran 18:21.37 and hit the tap 10 seconds ahead of Dagny Shiffler of Shipley School. It was the 10th fastest time among all varsity girls at the meet.
Matinee madness
Schalick gets a Saturday afternoon win, but Salem gets something out of it, too — an emerging quarterback
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM — Mike Wilson still isn’t a big fan of Saturday morning/afternoon football games, but he’ll certainly take the result of his latest one.
Now that his team is playing at least for the next two years in the WJFL Diamond Division where some opponents don’t have lights, the Schalick coach will have to live with these weekend matinees. The Cougars answered the alarm Saturday and were sharp out of the gate on the way to a 37-14 win over Salem.
Early games haven’t been kind of Wilson’s teams in the past. He came into this game 1-4 as a head coach in Saturday Morning Specials (1-5 if you want to count the Cougars’ 9:30 a.m. Friday loss to Cedar Grove in this year’s Battle of the Beach).
As a staunch traditionalist, it’s just not Wilson’s way. But he could be persuaded if he keeps getting results like this.
“If you win, yeah, I love ‘em,” he said. “Just my coaching experience and playing experience, I have coached and played in very little Saturday games.
“We’ll play football whenever you want to play football. Just me, traditionally, I’m just used to playing Friday night. I coached that for 20 years and even when I was in high school we played Fridays.
“But we had a good week of practice and the kids locked in, so we came out and played like I thought we would play. Overall, it’s probably the best game we played all year.”
The Cougars (3-2) may have still been asleep when they played Cedar Grove in the BOTB at Egg Harbor Twp. in their last daytime start, but they were wide awake and ready for this one.
They scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and three of their first four. Five of their first six plays went for 10 yards or more. They had nine plays in the game that covered 15 yards or more. Quarterback Kenai Simmons, another non-fan of early games, made a statement to future opponents about his ability to pass by completing his first four throws in the first quarter for 98 yards.
“Three alarms helped me out,” Simmons said. “I might sleep through the first one, but I’m not going to sleep through three. I woke up wanting to make my grandpop (who he lost to COVID in 2020) proud today.”
“Any day I could play football is a good day,” running back Reggie Allen Jr. said. “I went to bed early last night. I woke up at 5 in the morning with so much energy it was like I took a 5-Hour Energy.”
Allen rushed for 127 yards and scored three total touchdowns. He caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from Simmons on the second play of the game and had scoring runs of 38 and 55 yards. Simmons also had a 12-yard touchdown run.
“That was the idea, we wanted to manufacture big plays today,” Wilson said. “That’s what the offense has been missing the first month of the season. We’ve been moving the ball, scoring points and stuff like that, but we wanted to manufacture big plays.”
Actually, both teams got something out of the game. The Cougars (3-2) found a way to win a division game in the daylight and despite the loss Salem found a way to get into the end zone, although at a cost.
The Rams (0-5) had been shutout in each of its last two games and scored only seven points all season, but freshman quarterback Quimere Bergen threw touchdown passes to Kaden Robinson on back-to-back possessions in the second half to lift that dark cloud.
Bergen was thrown into the action when junior starter Troy Carrey sustained a hand/wrist injury trying to recover a fumble that was eventually smothered by Schalick’s defensive MVP Riley Papiano on the Rams’ second series of the game. Papiano had 10 tackles and two sacks.
Bergen was 12-of-23 for 173 yards passing. He had played in some of the Rams’ earlier games, but had never thrown a varsity pass until Saturday.
“I just wanted to help my team score,” Bergen said. “We haven’t scored all season but I just wanted to do my part, help my team. I was nervous the first two drives, but then something started clicking; I was doing good. I wanted to catch up (on the scoreboard), but today wasn’t that day, but at least we scored.”
“He showed poise,” Salem coach Kemp Carr said. “Any time a young kid comes in and he plays with that type of poise when he’s under duress and he’s still able to make a couple plays – sometimes with his feet, sometimes with his arm – and move the chains and move the ball … it’s a win for him.”
For the better part of three quarters the Rams looked in danger of being shut out for a third straight game, something that hasn’t happened in the program in more than 20 years. Their only touchdown of the year was a first-quarter 62-yard Pop Jackson dash that opened the scoring in their 14-7 loss to Cinnaminson in Game Two.
They did threaten at the end of the first half, but ran out of time after two failed shots at the end zone from the 19 in the final 10 seconds. They didn’t miss in the second half. Bergen hit Kaden Robinson on a 7-yard touchdown pass with 41.6 seconds left in the third quarter to end the 13-quarter scoreless drought and lift all their spirits.
“That was a great feeling,” Robinson said. “It was like a relief. It was like, ‘finally,’”
“Everyone felt it,” senior edge rusher Tyler Taylor said.
Bergen connected with Robinson for an 8-yard score on the next drive. They also hooked up for a 57-yard play on the first snap of the next possession, but that drive ended when Bergen was sacked by Aiden Torres and friends on fourth down.
Robinson caught six passes for 100 yards.
“I feel like me and Q we’ve got a good connection,” Robinson said. I feel like him coming in as a freshman and me being an upperclassman I feel like it’s my job to get his confidence built up. He’ll probably be the starting quarterback for the rest of his years in high school, I feel like I have to build his confidence up.”
Carr said he’d wait until Monday before making any determination on position going forward.
Schalick, meanwhile, has one more Saturday morning game this regular season and won’t have to step out of their comfort zone to prepare for it. It’s a cross-division matchup next week at Paulsboro in a game that carries major South Jersey Group I playoff seeding implications. The two teams went into the week ranked 7 (Schalick) and 8 (Paulsboro) in the section’s power points standings and both won Saturday.
“It’s nice we’re playing it back to back,” Wilson said. “We can stay on the same schedule. We get a routine. As coaches, we’re creatures of habit and culture and structure, so to be able to stay on the schedule for the week is nice.”
Cover photo: Schalick linebacker Riley Papiano (16) points the way to another Cougars victory. (Photo by Heather Papiano)
Schalick 37, Salem 14
| SCH (37) | SAL (14) | |
| 16 | 1st Downs | 12 |
| 39-250 | Rushing | 24-12 |
| 6-7-0 | Passes | 13-25-1 |
| 98 | Passing | 190 |
| 0-0 | Fum-Lost | 2-1 |
| 1-22.0 | Punts | 3-33.0 |
| 11-129 | Penalties | 13-80 |
| Schalick (3-2) | 14 | 9 | 7 | 7- | 37 |
| Salem (0-5) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8- | 14 |
SCORING SUMMARY
SC-Reggie Allen 59 pass from Kenai Simmons (Hunter Dragotta kick), 11:11 1Q
SC-Kenai Simmons 12 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 7:11 1Q
SC-Reggie Allen 38 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 9:05 2Q
SC-Safety, Nick Lopergolo blocks punt out of end zone, 7:14 2Q
SC-Roneem Thomas 31 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 6:37 3Q
SA-Kaden Robinson 7 pass from Quimere Bergen (pass failed), 41.6 3Q
SA-Kaden Robinson 8 pass from Quimere Bergen (Pop Jackson pass from Quimere Bergen), 7:36 4Q
SC-Reggie Allen 55 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 7:25 4Q
| WJFL DIAMOND DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Glassboro (4) | 3-0 | 4-0 |
| Woodstown (1) | 3-0 | 4-0 |
| Schalick (7) | 2-1 | 3-2 |
| Woodbury (13) | 1-2 | 1-3 |
| Salem (21) | 0-3 | 0-5 |
| Penns Grove (19) | 0-3 | 1-4 |
NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power ranking through Sept. 21
SATURDAY’S GAME
Schalick 37, Salem 14
NEXT WEEK’S GAMES
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Deptford at Glassboro
Penns Grove at Pennsville
Pleasantville at Woodstown
Woodbury at Gateway
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Schalick at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m.
Middle Twp. at Salem. noon
| WJFL PATRIOT DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Camden Catholic | 3-0 | 4-0 |
| West Deptford | 3-1 | 3-2 |
| Paulsboro (6) | 3-1 | 4-1 |
| Pennsville (10) | 2-2 | 2-3 |
| Collingswood | 1-2 | 2-3 |
| Audubon (14) | 0-3 | 1-3 |
| Overbrook | 0-3 | 2-3 |
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Haddon Twp. 20, Collingswood 14
Paulsboro 38, Overbrook 26
West Deptford 42, Audubon 3
NEXT WEEK’S GAMES
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Haddon Heights at Camden Catholic
Penns Grove at Pennsville
Sterling at Collingswood
West Deptford at Haddonfield
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Schalick at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m.
Clayton at Overbrook, 11 a.m.
Woodstown gets leg up
Woodstown kicker Jake Ware keeps Wolverines in front until they get a TD late in the fourth quarter to put away Penns Grove; Pennsville misses chance to get back in Patriot race; Schalick, Salem go head to head Saturday
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – In the football land where yards were hard to come by, a player with a big leg is king.
Woodstown kicker Jake Ware was the biggest element for the longest time for the Wolverines Friday night.
The senior kicked an extra point that gave his team its halftime margin and nailed a not-so-routine field goal in the third quarter before Bryce Belinfanti put it away with his second touchdown of the game late in the fourth and the Wolverines turned back Penns Grove 17-6 to remain undefeated (4-0).
“Coming into this game I knew it was going to be tough, but once I saw how the first half was going I knew it was going to come down to a pretty close game and the kicks were going to be crucial,” Ware said. “You saw in the first half we were leading by one and getting that field goal in there helped us separate our lead a little bit more and build some momentum.”
“Having Jake is a huge weapon for us,” Wolverines coach Frank Trautz said. “I’ve said that since the beginning of the season. He just gives us a dynamic that can win us football games. That (field goal) was a huge kick and it was not a short kick. It’s a big-time kick in a big-time moment and he delivered. And I have complete confidence he will.”
Yards were at a premium in the rare Friday night game at Jim Devonshire Field. Penns Grove got the best of it in the second quarter behind Karon Ceaser, putting together two time-consuming possessions for 124 total yards.
The first one, which would have answered Woodstown’s first touchdown, ended in a costly fumble in the red zone — one of three turnovers they had in the game. The other did produce their touchdown in the final minute of the quarter, but the Red Devils failed on the extra point to leave it 7-6 at halftime.
Each drive had a big run – a 36-yarder by Karon Ceasar on the first play of the first and a 26-yarder by Tre Brown midway through the second.
“I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage fairly well defensively, but you can’t turn the ball over against good teams,” Penns Grove coach Mark Maccarone said. “You can’t lose the turnover battle against bad teams, but you really can’t lose the turnover battle against good teams.
“Obviously things are starting to click (offensively). Last week we were missing five starters. It’s tough to win when you’re missing five starters. This week we had all of our starters back, but, again, turnovers are our killers. If we don’t have turnovers, maybe the outcome comes in our favor.”
Woodstown didn’t fare much better moving the ball in the first half. The Wolverines scored their touchdown on the first play of the second quarter when Belinfanti worked through some traffic in the backfield and then raced 44 yards to the end zone, but they only had 16 more yards and one other first down the rest of the half.
“Yards were hard,” Belinfanti said. “If I made a move somebody else was there, and then the hard yards were there, but I was getting hit hard every time.”
The Wolverines had better luck in the second half. Their defense got even stronger, holding Penns Grove to zero first downs and 22 net yards while holding their opponent out of the end zone in the second half for the third week in a row. Ceaser rushed for 83 yards in the first half, but had none in the second.
“I think we played really good,” senior defensive lineman Braden Gould-Rugenus said. “Everyone was where they were supposed to be. No one tried to do something they weren’t supposed to. We just played as a unit and together we can stop any team.
“(Ceaser) was the main threat. We had to watch him, make sure we didn’t give him any open looks. Besides that second quarter I think we stopped them really good.”
But their offense came to life. They amassed 144 net yards in the half, largely behind the running of Belinfanti.
Ware kicked a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter complicated by a bad snap to extend the lead to 10-6 and Belinfanti bounced in from the 3 with four minutes left (and Ware hit the PAT) for the final margin. Belinfanti had 107 of his 169 rushing yards and one of his two touchdowns in the second half.
“From the first half we kind of came out dry,” Belinfanti said. “We just have to step it up and not feel our opponent out; we’ve got to come out and just work, really. So at halftime we just had a gut check, really, to see who we were and it was just ground and pound from there.”
Trautz agreed with his senior running back’s terminology.
“I like the word ‘gut check,’” he said. “They’re a tough defensive line. They were tough coming in, they do a lot of tough things to pick up. We made some slight adjustments but ultimately our kids answered the bell. They came out I think with a little attitude in the second half and they were ready to go. I challenged them to come out in the second half and play Woodstown football and that’s what they did.”
Cover photo: Woodstown kicker Jake Ware connects on his 35-yard field goal that gave the Wolverines a 10-6 lead in the third quarter. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)
Woodstown 17, Penns Grove 6
| WOODS (17) | PG (6) | |
| 11 | 1st Downs | 5 |
| 36-183 | Rush-yards | 23-148 |
| 2-6-0 | Passing (C-A-I) | 2-8-1 |
| 21 | Passing yds | 13 |
| 1-0 | Fum-lost | 4-2 |
| 4-33.5 | Punts-avg | 3-34.3 |
| 3-30 | Pen-yds | 3-20 |
| Woodstown | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7- | 17 |
| Penns Grove | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0- | 6 |
SCORING SUMMARY
WO-Bryce Belinfanti 44 run (Jake Ware kick), 11:47 2Q
PG-Melo Erickson 6 run (kick failed), 1:03 2Q
WO-Jake Ware 35 FG, 7:17 3Q
WO-Bryce Belinfanti 3 run (Jake Ware kick), 4:07 4Q
Bad night in a big game
CHERRY HILL – Pennsville had an opportunity to turn the WJFL Patriot Division into a bottleneck and climb back into the title chance, but Camden Catholic never gave the Eagles a chance.
The Irish jumped out to a 30-0 halftime lead and carried on to complete the shutout 44-0.
Had they won, the Eagles (2-3) would have turned the division race into a four-way tie at the top with all the contenders having one division loss. Instead, they are two games down to the division-leading Irish in the loss column.
“They are a really good football team (and) we did not play our best game today, for sure,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “We’re a better team than that.”
About the only highlight from the Pennsville perspective was freshman Kane Green had his first career interception. The Irish, meanwhile, had two quarterbacks throw for 227 yards and three touchdown and Michael Moritz rushed for two scores.
“We just were not able to get going on offense, get the ball moving, and defensively we weren’t able to get off the field on third and fourth down,” Healy said. “We didn’t get done what we had to get done tonight.
“Obviously, this is a road bump for us, but we still have a good amount of season left; we can still do a lot of good things. We wanted a chance at the division, which is now out of our hands and going to be tough to do, but there’s still a lot to play for in terms of playoffs and seedings and all that stuff. It was a frustrating night, but I still believe in our kids and what we’re doing and can bounce back.”
| WJFL DIAMOND DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Glassboro (4) | 3-0 | 4-0 |
| Woodstown (1) | 3-0 | 4-0 |
| Schalick (7) | 1-1 | 2-2 |
| Woodbury (13) | 1-2 | 1-3 |
| Salem (21) | 0-2 | 0-4 |
| Penns Grove (19) | 0-3 | 1-4 |
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Glassboro 34, Woodbury 0
Woodstown 17, Penns Grove 6
SATURDAY’S GAME
Schalick at Salem, noon
| WJFL PATRIOT DIVISION | DIV | ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Camden Catholic | 3-0 | 4-0 |
| West Deptford | 2-1 | 2-2 |
| Paulsboro (6) | 2-1 | 3-1 |
| Pennsville (10) | 2-2 | 2-3 |
| Collingswood | 1-2 | 2-2 |
| Audubon (14) | 0-2 | 1-2 |
| Overbrook | 0-2 | 2-2 |
FRIDAY’S GAME
Camden Catholic 44, Pennsville 0
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Collingswood at Haddon Twp., 10:30 a.m.
Overbrook at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
West Deptford at Audubon, 11 a.m.
Pennsville a 2 seed
Despite being lone undefeated team in group section, Pennsville installed as No. 2 seed in girls tennis tournament; Salem Tech’s Seiden wins South Jersey Vo Tech girls race; includes results of Thursday’s high school games involving teams from Salem County
By Riverview Sports News
The Pennsville girls tennis team, despite being the only undefeated team in South Jersey Group I, one of three statewide in Group I and one of six in all of South Jersey, was installed as the No. 2 seed in the South Jersey Group I girls tennis tournament Thursday. Pitman bumped the Eagles for the No. 1 spot.
The Eagles are 9-0 for the first time since 2021 when they started 11-0. They were No. 1 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings before the seeding meeting.
Woodstown, defending state semifinalist Schalick and Salem also made the field. They were seeded 6, 7 and 12, respectively, and play their first matches Sept. 30.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Sept. 30 Matches
No. 1 Pitman bye
No. 9 Audubon at No. 8 Glassboro
No. 12 Salem at No. 5 Lower Cape May
No. 13 Palmyra at No. 4 Gateway
No. 3 Haddon Twp. bye
No. 11 West Deptford at No. 6 Woodstown
No. 10 Buena at No. 7 Schalick
No. 2 Pennsville bye
Second-round matches Oct. 8
Cross country
Salem Tech’s Sarah Seiden ran 22:24.14 and won the girls race in the South Jersey Vo Tech Cross Country Championships. She was nearly 45 seconds ahead of runner-up Natalie Pandolfo of GCIT.
GCIT swept the boys and girls team titles. The girls placed five runners in their top 10, while the boys’ five counters all finished in the top 12.
THURSDAY’S RESULTS
BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville 5, Clayton 0
Penns Grove 2, Overbrook 1
Schalick 2, Pitman 0
Wildwood 9, Salem 0
Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 4, Pennsville 0
Woodstown 2, Glassboro 2
Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech
Salem at Wildwood
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Penns Grove 0
Schalick 5, Overbrook 0
Woodstown at Cedar Creek
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Kingsway at Salem Tech
CROSS COUNTRY
South Jersey Vo Tech Championship
BOYS
GCIT 32, Medford Tech 53, Camden 63, Salem 105, Cape May 129, Westhampton 130
GIRLS
GCIT 31, Atlantic 54, Camden 72, Cape May 100, Salem 113
Big scorer Bedderi
Algerian import scores 4 more goals in Wildwood’s soccer win over Pennsville; includes results, details of Tuesday games involving Salem County high school teams
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton 3, Salem Tech 0
Penns Grove 3, Pitman 1
Salem 1, Gloucester Catholic 0
Schalick 8, Glassboro 0
Woodstown 1, Overbrook 0
Wildwood 6, Pennsville 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton 7, Salem Tech 0
Gloucester Catholic 7, Salem 0
Pennsville 2, Penns Grove 0
Schalick 2, Glassboro 0
Woodstown 3, Overbrook 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, Salem 0
Glassboro at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic
Pitman 5, Schalick 0
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville 4, Bridgeton 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – You know you’ve got to be living right when a generational talent lands on your doorstep to add to an already generational team.
That’s just how Wildwood soccer coach Sal Zamperri must have felt this summer when Noureddine Bedderi decided to stay in the States, enroll in school and sign on to the Warriors’ soccer team.
“Nunu” has scored at least one goal in six of Wildwood’s first seven games. He scored a career-high four Tuesday – two in each half – as the Warriors overwhelmed Pennsville 6-1 and had several good chances for more.
“Nunu’s a great player, but I would say as a whole we kind of had a generational thing,” Zamperri said. “Nunu’s a new face for us and he just happened upon us and we got lucky with that, but as a class, this senior group that we have I would call generational as a group.
“But Nunu is a fantastic player and we are very fortunate to have come upon him via one of our boys.”
Bedderi had been working in a bike shop right off the boardwalk during the summer and went back to his native Algeria when the Jersey Shore tourist season ended. This year he stayed in town and the Warriors have reaped the benefit.
His impact was felt almost immediately, scoring his first goal in the third minute of the Warriors’ season opener and he hasn’t stopped scoring since. His four goals against the Eagles gave him 12 this season. Their leading scorer last year only had 13 goals.
“I’m really happy about today and there’s more to come this season,” Bedderi said with Warriors center back Ahmed Djellal, his cousin, serving as interpreter. “Over here, I have a lot more motivation to play at the game and I want to go far here. I just want to play.”
The match was arguably the Eagles’ biggest of the season. A win would have kept them in the hunt to win the Tri-County Classic Division crown. Instead, they didn’t answer the bell, giving up two quick goals and falling behind 4-0 in the first 11 minutes.
“The reality is we knew coming in that they jumped on us in the first one and we had to be ready to go; we were down 4-0 in the first 12 minutes of the game,” Pennsville coach Derek Foglein said. “We knew No. 9 (Bedderi) was a player. We had multiple conversations about it. He had four goals and an assist today.
“Those were the things we talked. We didn’t execute on the things we talked about, so we have to get better. We’ve still got a long season ahead of us. We have to keep getting better.”
Maddox Efelis scored the Eagles’ lone goal on a free kick with 4:07 left in the first half. It was his first goal of the season. He has scored one each of the last three seasons.
Wildwood 6, Pennsville 1
| Wildwood (5-2) | 4 | 2- | 6 |
| Pennsville (3-4) | 1 | 0- | 1 |
GOALS: WI-Gavin Burns (Nunu Bedderi), 2:28; WI-R.J. Blanda (unassisted), 4:05; WI-Nunu Bedderi (Gavin Burns), 7:48; WI-Nunu Bedderi (Gavin Burns), 10:56; P-Maddox Efelis (unassisted), 35:43; WI-Nunu Bedderi (Kelan Miller), 47:57; WI-Nunu Bedderi (unassisted), 60:32.
SCHALICK 8, GLASSBORO 0: Steve Chomo had a hat trick and Anthony Sepers scored twice as the Cougars rolled to their fourth straight win and moved coach Joe Mannella within three of 300 career victories. Nolan O’Toole, Luke Price and Louis Sepers had the other three goals.
PENNS GROVE 3, PITMAN 1: Freshman Juan Ortiz broke a 1-1 tie with a sliding goal of the game with just under 10 minutes left in the first half and Frankie Juarez Reynoso buried an insurance goal in the second half to lift the Red Devils out of a three-game losing streak. Pitman opened the scoring on a penalty kick, but Jayden Murga Santos tied it five minutes later. (See related story)
SALEM 1, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 0: Josthen Jimenez scored in overtime off a Jon Bower corner kick for the Rams’ first win of the season. It was the Rams’ first goal of the season after three straight shutouts and Eric Fizur’s first win as head coach.
WOODSTOWN 1, OVERBROOK 0: Blake Bialecki broke a scoreless tie when he converted a pass from Adrian Ibarra in the second half to lift the Wolverines to their second 1-0 win in a row. Ben Stengel made five saves to record his second straight shutout.
Before the game, the parents of the Woodstown program recognized coach Darren Huck for 25 years as head coach. They erected a banner behind the bench that Huck saw for the first time when he arrived at the field and presented him a plaque after the game. Now in his 26th season, Huck has 290 career wins – all at Woodstown.
Girls soccer
SCHALICK 2, GLASSBORO 0: Olivia Devoe and Abby Willoughby scored second-half goals and Eve Berger posted the shutout as the Cougars (4-1) won their fourth in a row.
WOODSTOWN 3, OVERBROOK 0: Talia Battavio scored two goals and Gina Murry scored once for the Wolverines (4-3). Ellie Wygand posted her second shutout of the season. Battavio now has 53 career goals.
PENNSVILLE 2, PENNS GROVE 0: The Eagles (2-5) won their second game in a row.
Field hockey
PENNSVILLE 4, BRIDGETON 0: Sophia Marandola scored two goals and Laura Tamberella and Kylie Harris each scored once as the Eagles (2-5) snapped a four-game losing streak. The Eagles scored a goal in each quarter. Kelsey Cook made seven saves for the shutout.
Girls tennis
WOODSTOWN 5, SALEM 0
Gabby Kurpis (Wo) def. Cassidy Werkheiser, 6-2, 6-1
Camille Osborn (Wo) def. Tytiana Miller, 6-0, 6-0
Aubrie Rennie (Wo) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-0, 6-2
Julianna Lindenmuth-Leah Waterman (Wo) def. Heaven Jones McCullough-Destiny Carr, 6-0, 6-1
Melissa Hassler-EvaLouise Thomsen (Wo) def. Tahirah Davenport White-Biance Gibson, 6-2, 6-2.
Records: Woodstown 6-2, Salem 0-5.
Cover photo: Noureddine (Nunu) Bedderi (9) scored four goals in Wildwood’s 6-1 win over Pennsville Tuesday.
Fourth in the fifth
Pennsville wins fourth straight in Foglein Bowl V between coaching brothers, Pennsville girls give Casey Slusher her first coaching win, and more; this story will be updated
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE
BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville 3, Paulsboro 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville 3, Paulsboro 1
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem 2, Clayton 0
Woodstown 5, Pennsville 0
Schalick 8, Overbrook 1
GIRLS TENNIS
Pitman 5, Woodstown 0
Schalick at Pennsville, susp.
Cumberland at Penns Grove
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Derek Foglein won another one in the annual Foglein Bowl between soccer coaching brothers Monday, and this time he won’t have to wait until the Thanksgiving family gathering to enjoy the benefits of his latest success.
Derek’s Pennsville team knocked off brother Doug’s Paulsboro squad 3-1 in Foglein Bowl V. In addition to getting another year of sibling bragging rights, when the family retired to their favorite West Deptford pizza place to revisit the match, it didn’t look like Derek was going to have to go into his pocket.
“We’ll be sitting right next to each,” Doug said. “We’ve got some other friends who were at the game today; I think they’re going to join us. I just know that it’s a good thing I have a black card, even though it has Darth Vader on it, because I think I’ve got the tab tonight.”
“Hey, if that’s the deal, that’s news to me, so I’ll take it,” Derek said. “I like it. I like dinner.”
That’s the fun of what this rivalry has become. It started in 2019 when Doug was at Clayton and both brothers had head coaching job and they’ve made it kind of a red-carpet event. Instead of coming out in coaching attire, they dress for success. Doug was decked out in a dark sport coat, red tie and khakis Monday, while Derek wore a dark suit with a gold patterned tie.
Doug won the inaugural game at Clayton, but Derek has had the best of it since it resumed in 2021 after Doug moved to Paulsboro. The games always made for some good banter at the holiday family gatherings.
“It’s always good fun coaching against him,” Derek said. “Soccer is the thing we’ve grown up with since we were both 5, so any time we get to interact with the game, we love it, but any time we get to interact with the game and interact with each other is even cooler.
“It’s moments like this where we’ll look back on it when we’re sitting down in our old people chairs and telling our grandkids, the next generation of Fogleins, about some of the moments we had and playing in the rain on a random Monday afternoon.”
“Soccer has given so much to my family,” Doug agreed. “A lot of good times, a lot of good memories. We really are a soccer family.”
Monday’s match was the most competitive game of the series played in misty conditions similar to the inaugural game in 2019. Pennsville scored twice in the first 10 minutes to control the scoreboard, but Paulsboro didn’t fade. The Red Raiders kept the pressure on Pennsville keeper Coen Rinnier and made it a 2-1 game early in the second half before the Eagles got an insurance goal with seven minutes to play.
John Thomas scored two goals for Pennsville in his first game back from a four-game suspension over a red card in the season opener. The senior wasted no time making an impact, scoring the first goal 3:53 into the match on a big bender from 30 yards out. He banged home the insurance goal on a rebound with 7:06 to play.
“I was telling my guys in the locker room it’s great to be back,” Thomas said. “I know I wanted to come out here and I wanted to get a couple goals, and that’s what I really did. I just wanted to accomplish something for my team because I really feel like they missed me a lot in the four games I was suspended.”
“Super happy for him,” Derek said. “Everything with that Wildwood game was pretty messy, but for a senior to learn from his mistakes, to get back on the field the way he should and then not only to do that but to come and take care of business with goals and really hold down the midfield … was really cool.”
As important as the game is to the coaching brothers, the Pennsville side has little time to celebrate the win. The Eagles play an even more important game at home Tuesday, hosting Wildwood in a game they have to win for a chance to win a division title.
“I love Foglein Bowl and I love the fact we can do this together as a family, but the reality is I have to turn my boys around for probably our biggest game of the season tomorrow,” Derek said. “We’ve got to be on tomorrow.”
But tonight was a night to relish another win in the rivalry.
Cover photo: Paulsboro coach Doug Foglein (L) settles up with Pennsville coach and brother Derek after Pennsville won the latest installment of the Foglein Bowl 3-1 Monday.
Pennsville 3, Paulsboro 1
| Paulsboro (1-6) | 0 | 1- | 1 |
| Pennsville (3-3) | 2 | 1- | 3 |
SCORING
PV-John Thomas (Shane Puckett), 3:53
PV-Sam Hassler (Shane Puckett), 10:00
PB-Matt Hill (Brandon Hampton-Beverly), 48:47
PV-John Thomas (unassisted), 72:54
Foglein Bowl
(Derek Foglein leads, 4-1)
| YEAR | PLACE | WINNER | SCORE |
| 2019 | Clayton | Clayton | 5-2 |
| 2021 | Paulsboro | Pennsville | 3-1 |
| 2022 | Pennsville | Pennsville | 7-1 |
| 2023 | Paulsboro | Pennsville | 6-1 |
| 2024 | Pennsville | Pennsville | 3-1 |
Girls soccer
PENNSVILLE 3, PAULSBORO 1: Kallie Morrison and Annabella Manning scored goals in the first half and McKenzie Scott scored in the second half as the Eagles scored their first win of the season, giving coach Casey Slusher the first victory of her coaching career. The Eagles (1-5) were aggressive, pumping 22 shots on goal.
Field hockey
SCHALICK 8, OVERBROOK 1: Luci Virga and Ava Scurry both scored a hat trick as the Cougars (5-0) remained undefeated. Alexis Ship and Lena Virga scored their other goals and Phoebe Alward recorded four assists.
SALEM 2, CLAYTON 0: Juliana Love scored a goal in the last 90 seconds of the first half and the final minute of the game. The Rams are 4-0 for the second year in a row.
WOODSTOWN 5, PENNSVILLE 0: Zoe Lipovsky and Megan Donelson scored two goals apiece. Sienna Land netted the other goal for the Wolverines.
Girls tennis
PITMAN 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Anna Fisicaro (P) def. Gabby Kurds, 6-0, 6-1
Colette Rollins (P) def. Camille Osborn, 6-3, 6-2
Ava Mollehhauer (P) def. Aubrie Rennie, 6-1, 6-2
Kendall Bennett-Amanda Bradley (P) def. Julianna Lindenmuth-Alyssa Berry, 6-3, 7-5
Jessica Bretz-Abigail Heil (P) def. Nathalie Neron-Noelle Neron, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4
Records: Pitman 8-1, Woodstown 5-2.
Marching on a milestone
Schalick’s Mannella, Woodstown’s Huck on track to become Salem County’s only 300-win soccer coaches
| COUNTDOWN TO 300 | WINS | NEEDS |
| Joe Mannella, Schalick | 296 | 4 |
| Darren Huck, Woodstown | 289 | 11 |
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Joe Mannella and Darren Huck are intense coaching rivals. They’re also good friends that extend beyond the pitch.
They’ve played against each other in high school. They’ve coached together as assistants. They’ve gone against each other as head coaches, Mannella at Schalick and Huck at Woodstown. Their families have gone on vacation together. Last Monday, after their teams had another intense battle, Mannella walked around the corner to Huck’s house and they watched the Eagles game together.
“There’s a lot of respect there,” Huck said. “There’s a camaraderie there.”
Inexorably linked, they’re now closing in on a major coaching milestone together. If all goes well, they will both become the only soccer coaches in Salem County with 300 wins before the season ends.
Mannella, in his 22nd season, almost certainly will cross the line first. Going into this week he’s only four away. The milestone could happen as soon as Sept. 30 when the Cougars host Penns Grove. It should be safely behind him by the time he plays old friend Huck again Oct. 10.
Huck, in his 26th season, has more of a hill to climb. He needs 11 to get there (with 13 games plus the playoffs left). His entry into the 300 Club could happen as soon as Oct. 18 at Overbrook.
Interestingly, both are coaching at their alma maters. Both are the fourth coaches in the history of their programs. And both are in tenures longer (and with more wins) than their three predecessors combined.
“I always said I’d love to be able to share that within the same year of him,” Huck said. “It also means we’ve been around a long time, too. We’ve had some very good players and, if anything, 300 is just a true testament to staying consistent and doing the right things.”
The feeling is mutual.
“He’s been part of my journey for a long time,” Mannella said. “My last year I think was his first year as an assistant at Woodstown. We played against each other in high school although we didn’t really know each other then, but we share a lot of stories of common friends and stuff like that.
“Knowing it’s closer to the end, this could be the last big milestone, I kind of kept an eye on it. To get it with Huck, knowing that we’ll be done soon, to have two guys living not even a quarter-mile away from each other with 300 (will be special).”
Entering the season there were 58 soccer coaches in New Jersey with 300 or more boys-only wins. All the wins Mannella and Huck have registered have come with their current programs.
Like Huck, for Mannella the milestone is just a sign that he’s been around a while; Huck calls him “a staple here.” But the Schalick coach also said it’s a tribute to all the players and coaches who have made it possible.
“I was here for a lot of firsts,” Mannella said, recalling the days when the team played on a back field and other games were scattered throughout the community. “Winning the first division, qualifying for the first South Jersey tournament back when you had to be .500 to qualify, making our first South Jersey final. It meant a lot for me to be able to come back here and coach.
“Three hundred? I’ve had a lot of good players. I’ve been here a long time. It’s my blood. It’s in my family’s blood. All those guys who were first and got the ball rolling, they’re all part of the success we’ve had and I’m just happy to be here for this many wins.”
He said it would be especially nice to get the milestone with this current team, which won 17 games last year largely as sophomores and juniors.
“I’d like to get to 400; I think with this group of guys and the group of guys coming up I think that’s realistic,” he said. “I hadn’t really thought about that before. I figured I’ll get 300, we get another state title, I could see myself going out on top.
“This team, it’s kind of special because it’s such a great group of kids. I remember one of (the milestones), I don’t know if it was 100 or 200, I liked them … but I really like this team. I’m so glad I get to share a milestone with these guys and hopefully a lot more with them.”
In the meantime, the countdown continues. You can bet both coaches will be keeping an eye on the other’s progress.
“In the end we’re still going to remain friends, no matter what,” Huck said. “At some point we’ll be retired and who knows what we’ll do. Maybe we’ll travel or something; who knows.”
| BOYS SOCCER COACHES | |||
| SCHALICK | WINS | WOODSTOWN | WINS |
| Joe Mannella | 296 | Darren Huck | 289 |
| John Donovan | 204 | Doug Hathaway | 46 |
| Kevin Jackson | 21 | Steve Petner | 67 |
| Shawn McHugh | 12 | Glenn Merkle | 69 |
