Simmons a ‘Shore’ thing

Quarterback scores on a 63-yard scramble in the final two minutes to lift Schalick past Shore Regional and into the Central Jersey Group I finals

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP I
Friday’s games
Schalick 16, Shore Regional 14
Glassboro 20, South Hunterdon 0
Championship
Friday
Glassboro at Schalick, 7 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Kenai Simmons has learned to be a quarterback and passer this season, but his bread and butter has always been his legs. And when it came down to having to make something happen Friday night he used those legs to carry Schalick to a place it hasn’t been in two decades.

With the Cougars whole undefeated season on the line, Simmons pulled it down on a pass play that wasn’t there and scrambled 63 yards for the touchdown with 1:20 to play to give the Cougars a 16-14 win over Shore Regional and a spot in the Central Jersey Group I finals.

The Cougars (11-0) will host Glassboro Friday in their first sectional final appearance since 2004.

“Kenai just took over the game,” Schalick coach Mike Wilson said. “It was reminiscent of the Gloucester City game, throwing, running; he just flat out took over the game. He wasn’t going to lose.

“You’re right, he’s evolved as a passer, but he’ll break your back with his legs.”

The Cougars opened a 10-0 lead in the first quarter but had several opportunities to add a lot more and those missed chances came back to haunt them as they fell behind 14-10 midway through the third quarter.

They got their chance to win it at the end after stopping the Blue Devils (6-4) on fourth down at the 5, one of four fourth downs they won in the game. Actually, they had to cover 97 yards to get the winning score after a false start on the first snap had the back of their britches backed up to the goal line.

“There was no panic,” Wilson said, the Cougars just put their fate in the hands of their playmakers.

Reggie Allen got them some breathing room with a nice run and then Simmons hit Levi Feeney-Childers with a pass to create some more space. Then the quarterback lowered the boom.

The Cougars wanted to throw a play-action pass, but all the receivers were covered. The Blue Devils had been blitzing all night and Simmons knew it coming on that play. That’s when he pulled it down and tried to get as much as he could.

Once he got to midfield and the sideline everyone thought he was going to step out, but when Nylan Sutton and Nyzier Wynder cleared a path on the right side he saw nothing but green grass in front of him and raced to the end zone.

“I had to get in there,” Simmons said. “It was definitely a do-or-die. We had to get it done.

“You know our school’s history. They call us ‘the same old Schalick,’ ‘scrubs,’ whatever. It meant a lot (to score there) for a lot of the guys, especially our four-year seniors. They went through a lot their freshman year, getting blown out almost every game. It also meant a lot to Reggie Allen’s family. All the Allens went through Schalick and we were seeing them at the game tonight and putting on for them.”

The touchdown scramble gave him 105 rushing yards in the game, putting him at 883 for the season. He also threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jake Siedlecki in the first quarter and completed 9-of-15 passes for 122 yards.

“My history was about me using my legs a lot, not me throwing the ball, not me being a quarterback or a leader of a team,” Simmons said. “I think people have to respect that. I call it pick your poison. Whatever one you pick, you better try your hardest to stop it. I don’t want to be that quarterback who guys are like ‘this guy is gonna run.’ I definitely look at my wide receivers before I think about running.”

The Cougars still had some work to do after the touchdown and the Blue Devils didn’t make it easy for them. The visitors moved the ball downfield against the nickel package, but Siedlecki ended any threat with an interception inside the final minute.

“We found a way to win tonight,” Wilson said. “It wasn’t a perfect game by any stretch, it was a good, hard football game, but they found a way to win. That’s a characteristic of this team. We have games where we’re not playing perfectly, but we find a way to win football games.”

As for next week, the Cougars have played Glassboro only once before in Wilson’s four years as their head coach. It was his first game as their coach and the Cougars got crushed 54-7. In their last 24 games, however, they are 21-3.

“I feel like this is a challenge,” Simmons said. “I feel like everyone doubts us, you know how they get. We’re going to come out there and ball and give it our all and we’ll see the results. We believe in ourselves. I don’t know about anybody else.”

Schalick 16, Shore 14

SHORE		SCHAL
9	1st Downs	17
40-143	Rushing	32-175
10-16-1	Passes	9-15-1
112	Passing	122
0-0	Fum-lost	0-0
3-23.7	Punts-avg	1-39.0
5-37	Penalties	6-48

Shore Regional (6-4)	0	7	7	0 –	14
Schalick (11-0)	10	0	0	6 –	16

Scoring plays
S – Hunter Dragotta 26 FG, 6:57 1Q
S – Jake Siedlecki 26 pass from Kenai Simmons (Hunter Dragotta kick), 2:41 1Q
SR – Lucas White 5 run (Cyrus Unangst kick), 2:01 2Q
SR – CJ Sears 16 pass from Josh Moeller (Cyrus Unangst kick), 6:54 3Q
S – Kenai Simmons 63 run (pass failed), 1:20 4Q

Logan Hancock (62) leads the Schalick football team off the field after the Cougars clinched their 16-14 victory over Shore Regional. Top photo: Quarterback Kenai Simmons glides into the end zone at the end of his 63-yard touchdown run that gave the Cougars the lead. (Photos by Heather Papiano)

Cougars roll on

Goalie Gilligan, defense shine to lead Schalick field hockey past Florence and into the South Jersey Group I final

FIELD HOCKEY
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Semifinals
Schalick 4, Florence 1
West Deptford 2, Collingswood 1
Championship
Tuesday at Gateway
Schalick (14-5-1) at West Deptford (13-3-3), 2 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

FLORENCE – Defense, they say, wins championships. It definitely propelled Schalick to the championship game of the South Jersey Group I field hockey playoffs.

The Cougars turned back 22 corners from Florence and pushed in four goals on the other end to beat the third-seeded Flashes 4-1. They’ll now play top-seeded West Deptford Tuesday at Gateway in the sectional final.

“Our defense was hot today,” Cougars coach Heather Cheesman said. “Our defense was just on fire. It was a team effort. (Goalie) Lydia (Gilligan) was on her game. The defense was on their game. There was a girl on their team who had (21) goals this season (Katie Studzinski) and we marked her hard as soon as she got past the 25, so she got nothing from us.

“Our defense is pretty good anyway, but this is the best game by far that our defense has had. They were great.”

The Flashes (15-3-1) may have had 22 corners, but they only managed to put 10 shots on Gilligan in those situations. More often than not, defenders Ella Cheesman, Hannah Widdifield and Natalie May cleared the ball from harm’s way.

“Our defense really killed it today,” Gilligan said. “I’m so proud of them.”

Cheesman, a freshman, made one of the biggest plays of the game, coming back to the cage after Gilligan got caught a little too far off her line and couldn’t get back in time to make a defensive save.

“I didn’t think I was going to save the ball,” Cheesman said. “I was facing the goal and (she put her chances at) like 40 out of 100 percent, but I trusted my instincts and hit it out.”

The Cougars (14-5-1) didn’t have nearly as many corners (3) or shots (6), but they made them count. They got goals from Phoebe Alward, Lucy Virga, Ella Shimp and Ava Scurry. They opened a 4-0 lead before Florence’s Kierra Rivera finally got one behind Gilligan.

Schalick, the sixth seed, has beaten the 3 and the 2 in its last two matches to reach the sectional final for the first time since 2018 when lost to Woodstown. West Deptford is in the finals for the second year in a row.

Both sectional finalists take a five-game winning streak into the match and are unbeaten in their last six games. Schalick, however, has allowed only three goals on its current streak, while West Deptford has given up at least one goal in each game on its stretch run and eight total.

WEST DEPTFORD 2, COLLINGSWOOD 1: Kaylee Wonsetler and Zoey Gibbons gave West Deptford a 2-0 lead, but Peyton Ryan made it interesting with a goal with 1:08 left.

This story will be updated.

Tri-County All-Stars

Here are the 2023 fall sports all-star teams for the Tri-County Conference divisions containing Salem County teams

GIRLS SOCCER

POS	CLASSIC DIVISION	SCHOOL
F	Emery Sharpnack	Pitman
F	Ariana Barrett	Clayton
F	Alaina Williams	Pitman
M	Riley Sharpnack	Pitman
M	Ava Delaney	Clayton
M	Frankie Fiore	GCHS
M	Ryann Foote	Salem
B	Audrey Duffield	Pitman
B	Jayda Chambers	Clayton
B	Karima Davenport-White	Salem
GK	Miya Villari	Pitman

SECOND TEAM
FORWARDS: Joie Connelly, Clayton; Remi Wicken, GCHS; Ameriyona Hunter, Salem.
MIDFIELDERS: Ella Wentzel, Pitman; Deondria Simon, Clayton; Kaitlyn Capalbo, GCHS; Natalie Layton, Salem Tech.
BACKS: Leah Kling, Clayton; Hailey Molis, GCHS; Demajae White, Salem.
GOALKEEPER: Lauren Narolewski, GCHS.

POS	DIAMOND DIVISION	SCHOOL
F	Emily Miller	Schalick
F	Talia Battavio	Woodstown
F	Riley Bowman	Pennsville
M	Amina Brown	Glassboro
M	Cali Fisler	Schalick
M	Calie Hunt	Woodstown
M	Molly Gratz	Pennsville
B	Delaney Walker	Woodstown
B	Jael Winnberg	Schalick
B	Marley Wood	Pennsville
GK	Carly Hayman	Schalick

SECOND TEAM
FORWARDS: Alana Figueroa, Glassboro; Quinn Berger, Schalick; Karly Bakley, Schalick.
MIDFIELDERS: Gianna Simon, Overbrook; Sunny Moore, Glassboro; Ella Price, Schalick; Emma Perry, Woodstown.
BACKS: Sanaa Thomas, Glassboro; Athena Eberl, Schalick; Victoria Bupp, Overbrook.
GOALKEEPER: Megan Keating, Glassboro.

**Adrian Ibarra set a Woodstown junior class record with 26 goals this season.**

BOYS SOCCER

POS	CLASSIC DIVISION	SCHOOL
F	Charles Duffield	Pitman
F	Nate Holland	Clayton
F	Ryan Cruz	Wildwood
M	Kelan Miller	Wildwood
M	Owen Boulton	Pitman
M	Gavin Burns	Wildwood
M	Graham Fields	Salem Tech
B	Ben Newcomb	Pitman
B	MarcAnthony Muhaw	Clayton
B	Clinton Bobo	Salem Tech
GK	Joshua Trinidad	Salem Tech

SECOND TEAM
FORWARDS: Dan Sanzone, Wildwood; Jaiden Ammons, Pitman; Nick Renz, Gloucester Catholic.
MIDFIELDERS: Maddox marker, Pitman; Logan Williams, Pitman; Zack Payne, Gloucester Catholic; Decland Cronrath, Salem.
BACKS: Erick Lara-Gil, Wildwood; Cole Kelly, Pitman; Jaxon Grauel, Wildwood.
GOALKEEPER: Billy Stuski, Gloucester Catholic.

POS	DIAMOND DIVISION	SCHOOL
F	Adrian Ibarra	Woodstown
F	Atakan Ozdemir	Glassboro
F	David Ayala Rivas	Overbrook
M	Emirhan Kir	Glassboro
M	Angel Meija Castro	Overbrook
M	Mike Nelson	Schalick
M	Bradford Foster	Schalick
B	Elijah Cummings	Schalick
B	Manuel Varcarcel	Glassboro
B	Dante Holmes	Woodstown
GK	Ben Stengel	Woodstown

SECOND TEAM
FORWARDS: Anthony Sepers, Schalick; Steven Chomo, Schalick; Desmond Vassell, Glassboro.
MIDFIELDERS: Erich Lipovsky, Woodstown; Kaleb Gerace, Woodstown; Jake Isaac, Pennsville; Grant Prater, Woodstown.
BACKS: Hayden Manning, Pennsville; Tyler Blaylock, Overbrook; Jaxon Weber, Schalick.
GOALKEEPER: Marcus Brown, Glassboro.

**Schalick’s Charles Fuerneisen (L) and Jordan Hadfield after winning their respective Salem County Cross Country Championship races.**

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

CLASSIC DIVISION
FIRST TEAM	SCHOOL	SECOND TEAM	SCHOOL
Jorge Cruz	Wildwood	Alexis Huerta	Wildwood
Colton DiRenzo	Salem Tech	Brian Cunniff	Wildwood
Dominic Militti	Salem Tech	Tyler Zampino	Salem Tech
Larry Pompper	Salem Tech	Colin Finney	Salem Tech
Sean Gallo	Clayton	Chase Pompper	Salem Tech
Jason Martin	Pitman	Gradin Buzby	Salem
Samuel Cooke	Salem	Michael Chollis	Salem

DIAMOND DIVISION
FIRST TEAM	SCHOOL	SECOND TEAM	SCHOOL
Karson Chew	Woodstown	David Farrell	Woodstown
Jacob Marino	Woodstown	Sal Longo	Schalick
Charles Fuerneisen	Schalick	Wyatt Juczak	Schalick
Matthew Tozer	Schalick	Chase Walker	Schalick
Gary Schwegel	Pennsville	Tim Steele	Overbrook
Elijah Whitaker	Glassboro	Asher Fithian	Glassboro
Ty Blackman	Glassboro	Chase Cline	Glassboro

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

CLASSIC DIVISION
FIRST TEAM	SCHOOL	SECOND TEAM	SCHOOL
Macie McCracken	Wildwood	Rebecca Benichou	Wildwood
Leiah Pawlus	Wildwood	Jordan Goode	Schalick
Makayla Butz	Pennsville	Aubree McKishen	Schalick
Jordan Hadfield	Schalick	Ava Melnick	Schalick
Elizabeth Petrunis	Schalick	Olivia Hill	Schalick
Sarah Seiden	Salem Tech	Evelyn Wiseley	Pitman
Savannah Johnson	Salem Tech	Mackenzie Whilden	Pitman

DIAMOND DIVISION
FIRST TEAM	SCHOOL	SECOND TEAM	SCHOOL
Lyana Gutierrez	Highland	Priscilla Fuerrero Sanchez	Highland
Audrey Musmeci	Highland	Elexis Swan	Highland
Addy Costello	Highland	Toni-Loren Powell	Highland
Jules Sieminski	Delsea	Kayla Ayars	Woodstown
Olivia Mashburn	Delsea	Samantha Sterner	Woodstown
Isabella Moran	Delsea	Sarafina Cavagnaro	Delsea
Sofia Moran	Delsea	Keira McQuaid	Delsea

FIELD HOCKEY

DIAMOND DIVISION	SCHOOL
Karli Pritchett	Glassboro/Pitman
Phoebe Alward	Schalick
Taylor Prendergast	Woodstown
Anna Wisniewski	Glassboro/Pitman
Braeley DeGregorio	Woodstown
Victoria Tullio	Glassboro/Pitman
Ava Scurry	Schalick
Caylen Taylor	Schalick
Megan Donelson	Woodstown
Angelina Lindner	Glassboro/Pitman
Hanna Juma (GK)	Glassboro/Pitman

SECOND TEAM
Chloe Eachus, Woodstown; Ariana Cole, Overbrook; Tyra Cream, Deptford; Sophia Longo, Schalick; Zena Alaruzrei, Deptford; Shelby Foote (GK), Woodstown.

CLASSIC DIVISION	SCHOOL
Veronica Pfeifer	Clayton
Emily McGinn	Gloucester Cath.
Bridget Taney	Gloucester Cath.
Sienna Gianotti	Gloucester Cath.
Kiley Niederman	Gloucester Cath.
Casey Green	Gloucester Cath.
Cara Hoyt	Pennsville
Kylie Harris	Pennsville
Isabelle Saulin	Pennsville
Morgan VanDover	Salem
Dominique Lewis (GK)	Salem

SECOND TEAM
Ruby Hassler (GK), Pennsville.

GIRLS TENNIS

CLASSIC DIVISION
FIRST TEAM
Singles
Anna Fisicaro, Pitman
Regan Witt, Pennsville
Megan Morris, Pennsville
Doubles
Abbey Pagan-Jess Bretz, Pitman
Emma Cornette-Fanta Kone, Pennsville

SECOND TEAM
Singles
Mandarin Castellanos, Salem
Lily Edwards, Pennsville
Colette Rollins, Pitman
Doubles
Amanda Bradley-Kendall Bennett, Pitman
Sophia Wilber-Angela Wilber, Wildwood

DIAMOND DIVISION
FIRST TEAM
Singles
Rachael Irizarry, Schalick
Abby Melle, Woodstown
Grace O’Neill, Schalick
Doubles
Katie Little-Emma Adams, Schalick
Vivian Ward-Camille Osborn, Woodstown

SECOND TEAM
Singles
Madi Newbold, Overbrook
Gabby Kurpis, Woodstown
Ally Green, Schalick
Doubles
Miya Watkins-Rachel Goranson, Schalick
Molly Curtis-Julianna Lindenmuth, Woodstown

Hayman saves the day

Schalick goalie turns back penalty kick, helps Cougars blank Palmyra to reach SJ Group I girls soccer final

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Semifinals
Schalick 2, Palmyra 0
Audubon 4, Maple Shade 0
Championship
Monday
Schalick (16-4) at Audubon (18-1-2), 3 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PALMYRA – Will Kemp knew the exact moment it was going to be his Schalick girls soccer team’s day.

It was the moment early in the second half when senior goalie Carly Hayman turned away a penalty kick by Palmyra’s all-time leading goal scorer Julia Ostroff to maintain the Cougars’ one-goal lead in an eventual 2-0 victory in the South Jersey Group I semifinals.

“Once that save was made, I knew the momentum was going to carry for the rest of the match,” said Kemp, a former Schalick and in-state small-college goalie. “It was just a phenomenal moment. As a goalkeeper myself it was something you cheer even more than a goal for.

“Being able to prevent that goal puts us inside the final. It’s not just a save, it’s a game-winning save. That’s exactly what that actually is.”

The Cougars (16-4) will now play at top-seeded Audubon (18-1-2) for the South Jersey Group I title Monday at 3 p.m. It will be their third trip to the sectional finals in four years. They won it in 2021 – with Hayman in the goal.

Hayman has stopped penalty shots before, but not recently and never in such a pressure-packed situation.

The penalty was set up by a foul in the box. Hayman stood her ground until it came time to act and then she dove to knock the shot away.

“I was trying to read her,” Hayman said. “She decided to go (my) right and then I went to the right. It was in the air and I knocked it away. I was like, ‘Oh my God I made the save.” I kind of got up and started screaming.

“I was a little nervous because it was only 1-0 and I was thinking they can tie it right here. But I believed in myself that I could do it.”

Kemp believed in her, too. After the save Hayman tried to retrieve the rebound but was unsuccessful, but her defenders who have been so solid in front of her all season swept it to clear the ball away.

“Carly’s strong,” Kemp said. “She’s the type of player you can feel her presence especially inside of moments like that. She’s the type of person who will get in your head, look you square in the face and then end up making the save while talking to you a little bit.”

Palmyra did hold Schalick scoring machine Emily Miller goal-less for the first time in 11 games, but the Cougars (16-4) have other scorers.

Cali Fisler, who’s regularly on the assisting side of the scoring, gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the first half when she converted a give-and-go with Karlie Bakley. It was her ninth goal of the season to go with a school-record 22 assists.

Quinn Berger sealed the Cougars’ eighth straight victory when she scored on a free kick from just outside the 18 that was deflected by a defender about 10 minutes after Hayman’s big save.

The last time Miller didn’t have a goal was when the Cougars were shutout by Sterling on Sept. 29. She did have two breakaways that were denied. She’s holding with 47 goals.

The win earned the Cougars a measure of revenge for the Panthers knocking them out in last year’s sectional semifinals.

“They played extremely well,” Kemp said. “The girls nailed their tactics right. They did everything that was asked of them. It was probably one of the best games they played and especially at this level. The girls just executed everything properly.”

Stars are rising

Salem County has strong representation on the WJFL Horizon, Diamond Division all-star teams

Horizon Division

When you win the division, it’s just about a cinch you’ll have the most players on the all-star team. Undefeated two-time division champion Schalick brought in the largest haul on the Horizon Division first-team offense and defense as voted upon by the division coaches Wednesday night.

The Cougars picked up 11 total spots on the 28-man first-team roster – seven on offense and four on defense. Riverside had seven players and Gloucester Catholic had six. Wildwood had three and Lindenwald one.

The Cougars dominated the offense with quarterback Kenai Simmons, running back Reggie Allen, receivers Jake Siedlecki and Dylan Sheehan, linemen T.J. Hymer and Logan Hancock, and kicker Hunter Dragotta.

They had four players on the defense – linemen Jermaine Loney and Jake Magonagle, linebacker Riley Papiano and defensive back Levi Feeney-Childers.

Siedlecki is the only senior in the bunch.

“Players deserve the recognition and the other coaches in the division recognized their hard work,” Schalick coach Mike Wilson said.

The Cougars (10-0) host Shore Regional Friday in the Central Jersey Group I semifinals. The winner faces either Glassboro or South Hunterdon in the sectional final.

POS	OFFENSE	POS	DEFENSE
QB	Kenai Simmons, Schalick	DL	Jermaine Loney, Schalick
RB	Reggie Allen, Schalick	DL	Chris Hagan, Gloucester Cath.
RB	John Boston, Riverside	DL	Teddy Hawkins, Riverside
WR/TE	Jake Siedlecki, Schalick	DL	Jake Magonagle, Schalick
WR/TE	Dylan Sheehan, Schalick	LB	James Ayers, Wildwood
WR/TE	Kyle Guldin, Gloucester Cath.	LB	Riley Papiano, Schalick
ATH	Isiah Bookman, Lindenwald	LB	Gabe Rossett, Wildwood
ATH	Junior Hans, Wildwood	LB	Isiah Ali-Lewis, Riverside
OL	George Brandon, Riverside	DB	Levi Feeney-Childers, Schalick
OL	T.J. Hymer, Schalick	DB	Kybron Ricks, Gloucester Cath.
OL	Frank Keenan, Gloucester Cath.	DB	Carlos Mendez, Gloucester Cath.
OL	Chase Perry, Riverside	DB	J.J. Mary, Riverside
OL	Logan Hancock, Schalick	ATH	Jamir Brown, Riverside
K	Hunter Dragotta, Schalick	P	Mike Freeman, Gloucester Cath.

Diamond Division

Top overall seed Woodstown and Penns Grove, two Salem County rivals who played for the division title two weeks ago and meet in the South Jersey Group I semifinals Friday night, combined for more than half the picks on this year’s WJFL Diamond Division all-star team.

Woodstown, the champion of the toughest Group I division in the state, pulled down nine spots. division champion, nailed down nine spots: QB Max Webb, RB Bryce Belinfanti, OLs Damien Eichler and Jack Knorr, K Jake Ware, DL Bump Carter, LB Zach Bevis, DB Garrett Leyman and P James Hill.

Penns Grove had six spots: RB Karon Ceaser, OL Isaiah Upshur, DLs Dameon Wilson and Justin Martin, LB Bryce Wright and DB Knowledge Young

Salem, which made a late-season run to get in the playoffs, placed four players on the team: WR-TE Ramaji Bundy, RB Pop Jackson, OL Detric Simmons and DB Omarion Pierce.

POS	OFFENSE	POS	DEFENSE
QB	Max Webb, Woodstown	DL	Bump Carter, Woodstown
RB	Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown	DL	Dameon Wilson, Penns Grove
RB	Anthony Reagan, Woodbury	DL	Justin Martin, Penns Grove
WR	Marquis Taylor, Woodbury	DL	Javion Payne, Paulsboro
WR/TE	Ramaji Bundy, Salem	LB	Bryce Wright, Penns Grove
WR	Jayden Johnson, Woodbury	LB	Zach Bevis, Woodstown
RB	Pop Jackson, Salem	LB	Jason Solomon, Woodbury
RB	Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove	LB	Robert Meadows, Woodbury
OL	Damien Eichler, Woodstown	DB	Wilson Torres, Woodbury
OL	Detric Simmons, Salem	DB	Omarion Pierce, Salem
OL	Jack Knorr, Woodstown	DB	Garrett Leyman, Woodstown
OL	Isaiah Upshur, Penns Grove	DB	Knowledge Young, Penns Grove
OL	Bryant Banks, Woodbury	ATH	Shariff Green, Paulsboro
K	Jake Ware, Woodstown	P	James Hill, Woodstown

Cougars golden

Nelson’s header in OT sends Schalick to SJ Group I boys soccer final; Cougars host Palmyra for title Saturday

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Semifinals
Schalick 1, Haddon Twp. 0
Palmyra 4, Woodstown 0
Finals
Palmyra at Schalick, Sat., 11 a.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – With a quick flick of the head and a nod to history, Schalick’s boys soccer team ended 10 years of playoff frustration at the hands of Haddon Twp. Wednesday.

Mike Nelson got his head on a free kick by Anthony Sepers and redirected it home with 5:19 left in the first overtime – a golden goal – to give the Cougars a 1-0 win over the defending sectional and state champions in the South Jersey Group I semifinals.

The top-seeded Cougars (17-4) will host Palmyra for the sectional title Saturday at 11 a.m. Palmyra (18-2-1) blanked Woodstown in the other semifinal, 4-0.

“When you’re making your way up the mountain you want to take down the guys who have been doing; they’ve been doing it for years now,” Schalick coach Joe Mannella said. “These guys just keep amazing me with the grit that they show and the perseverance. You can’t ask for more. It’s what it’s all about. We couldn’t have asked our guys today to do anything different. They did everything they were asked to do.”

The Cougars had been 0-4 all-time against the Hawks in a series that began in 2013. The last three meetings all took place in the South Jersey playoffs (2014, 2020, 2021). Two of the games were in the sectional semifinals, including the most recent prior to Wednesday.

The teams played to a scoreless, but entertaining tie in regulation, with attacks and counter attacks from both sides with and against the wind.

The team that had the wind had the advantage and most of the action was played in those attacking ends.

The Cougars took the wind to start overtime, just as they had in the second half, because they felt they had the momentum and it paid off.

Sepers took his free kick from midfield after Cooper Willoughby was fouled. He drove the ball into the box where Nelson’s 6-foot-2 frame rose above the crowd.

The sophomore meant to head it down towards the front of the goal, but was late to the ball. But he was able to get the back of his head on it and sent it past Hawks keeper Collin Feeley into the right side of the goal.

Feeley got a hand on the ball but not enough to deflect it away. The Schalick bench erupted in celebration and mobbed their teammates still on the field.

It was Nelson’s seventh goal of the season. He scored the only goal in the Cougars’ quarterfinal win over Pitman Friday in a similar fashion.

“I was just tired, I wanted to get it done, I wanted to get it over with,” Nelson said. “I wanted to be the one to get it. I flicked it and I didn’t see it go in, but I heard everybody screaming and then I turned around and it was in the net. I was last one that touched it, so I was very happy that I got it.”

“We practice stuff like that all the time,” Mannella said. “We know particularly in the playoffs free kicks are huge. They won their game against Audubon off two free kicks. We won our Pitman game off a free kick. Late in the season when teams are so well matched sometimes that’s the difference.”

Evan Sepers and the Schalick defense were once again brilliant on their end. Among their more memorable plays, Willoughby cleared the ball from harm’s way when Sepers got out of position early in the game, the keeper made a point blank save on Ian Hewitt midway through the first half and later tipped Gabe Chatten’s header off a corner kick over the crossbar. He was credited with five saves, but it seemed like a lot more.

The Cougars have now won eight in a row and have posted six straight shutouts. They have not allowed a goal since the second half against Glassboro, a stretch that now covers 12 straight halves and an overtime without giving up a goal.

“With the wind coming at us it wasn’t very easy to defend, especially balls played over the top, so it was a little big nerve-wracking,” Sepers said. “But our defense locked down and came up with a W.”

“They know defense wins championships,” Mannella said. “Everybody knows defense wins championships. It’s easiest if you just keep the ball out of your net.”

The Cougars played Palmyra earlier this year and lost 4-0 in a game that put them on the path to the sectional final. They have gone 10-1 since that game with a different outlook on things.

“Honestly going up there early in the season and getting our butts whupped kind of opened these guys’ eyes,” Mannella said. “They wanted that game. We’re going up there just going to play a soccer game, I think it was a Friday afternoon, let’s go have a fun soccer game, and they pushed us around. They manhandled us.

“As opposed to Haddon Twp., who I know has a young team, this is Palmyra’s year to do it. They’ve been bumping into Haddon Twp. all these years, so to them it’s their year. They’ve got a senior-laden team and they showed us how to play like you want a game. That gave us something to chase.”

PALMYRA 4, WOODSTOWN 0: The Panthers scored four goals in the first half then kept the Wolverines (15-4-1) at bay the rest of game. Jase Jennings scored twice, while Richie Butler and Luke Cannuli scored once. The Panthers (18-2-1) peppered Woodstown keeper Ben Stengel with 15 shots, while controlling the midfield and limiting the Wolverines’ possessions and counterattacks.

“They are the better team and they played really well,” Wolverines coach Darren Huck said. “Palmyra is solid at every position and play unselfish soccer. We had a very good season and when you get this far in the season you are going to face teams like that.”

The loss snapped Woodstown’s seven-game winning streak. Palmyra takes a six-game winning streak into the match with Schalick. With the loss, striker Aiden Ibarra ended his season with 26 goals, a school record for goals by a junior.

“I’m proud of my players for the season they had,” Huck said. “Well deserved because of the time and work they put in in the offseason. They understand the culture that is within this program, which I am very proud of.”

Schalick keeper Evan Sepers punches a shot over the crossbar to keep Wednesday’s game scoreless in the first half. Top photo: Schalick’s Nolan O’Toole (20) sends a header towards the net in the second half.

SJTCA Awards

Schalick’s Romano, doubles team head strong Salem County contingent in South Jersey Tennis Coaches awards

By Riverview Sports News

Schalick tennis coach John Romano and the Cougars’ once-beaten doubles team of Emma Adams and Katie Little have been named to the All-South Jersey Girls Tennis Team by the South Jersey Tennis Coaches Association.

Romano and the doubles team led the Cougars to the Group I final four, where they lost to eventual state champion New Providence in the semifinals.

The SJTCA handed out its annual awards and the Cougars and other Salem County players were prominently featured.

Schalick singles players Rachael Irizarry and Grace O’Neill and the doubles teams Adams-Little and Rachel Goranson-Miya Watkins were named SJ Group I All-Stars.

Woodstown’s Abigail Melle, Woodstown’s doubles team of Vivian Ward-Camille Osborn and Pennsville’s doubles team of Emma Cornette-Fanta One also were SJ Group I All-Stars.

Irizarry, O’Neill and Little received SJTCA Captain’s Awards; Irizarry and Melle received Career Achievement Awards; and Irizarry, who hopes to play tennis in college, earned an SJTCA scholarship.

Romano won coach of the year honors for the second time in his career. His team won a sectional and currently holds a No. 6 ranking in Group I. He also won the award in 2016, the previous time the Cougars won a sectional title. He called the award “the cherry on top” of a big year, but gave the credit to his players.

“It’s nice, just because I’m not a tennis guy,” said Romano, now in his 14th year with the team. “I’m from the John Donovan Soccer School at Schalick; we won a state championship my senior year there. I was always a soccer guy. Even before I started out, when I was at Woodbury for a year, I coached middle school girls soccer there, so tennis wasn’t even on my radar.

“Moving over and having the athletics director I had at the time, he needed somebody for the position, just kind of put me in there and it was nice to get that boost of confidence. Not only to have it come full circle back in 2016, but then to do it again seven years later and with everything this year, it’s nice.

“It’s not about the individual stuff, it’s a team thing. I’ll definitely take that sectional title over a Coach of the Year any year, but it’s nice. It’s nice to see your hard work pays off and it’s because of the girls.”

Shruti Mannan of Cherokee, the South Jersey Coaches Tournament champion, was Player of the Year.

SJTCA AWARDS
Player of the Year: Shruti Mannan, Cherokee
Coach of the Year: John Romano, Schalick; Colleen Senior, Clearview
SJTCA Scholarships: Rachael Irizarry, Schalick; Theresa Strano, GCIT; Kim Wash, Seneca
Service Award: Tony Ponzetti, Oakcrest

SJ GROUP I ALL-STARS: Singles – Morgan McNally, Gateway; Tabitha Bay, Gateway; Ellie Smith, Haddon Twp.; Brenna Bussinger, Middle Twp.; Anna Fisicaro, Pitman; Rachael Irizarry, Schalick; Grace O’Neill, Schalick; Abigail Melle, Woodstown.
Doubles – Kiersten Callahan-Shreva Raji, Haddon Twp.; Emma Cornette-Fanta Kone, Pennsville; Emma Adams-Katelyn Little, Schalick; Rachel Goranson-Miya Watkins, Schalick; Vivian Ward-Camille Osborn, Woodstown.

ALL-SOUTH JERSEY: Singles – Bryana Tigrado, Cedar Creek; Shruti Mannan, Cherokee; Sophia Liu, Cherry Hill East; Sarah Crawford, Clearview; Theresa Strano, GCIT; Ellie Smith, Haddon Twp.; Jessica Yao, Lenape; Christina Htay, Mainland; Alana Lee, Moorestown; Anna Fisicaro, Pitman; Natasha Sharnoff, Shawnee.
Doubles – Maya Pater-Ariel Ivler, Cherry Hill East; Kiera Stokes-Sophia Villare, GCIT; Emily Turnage-Marlina Kadar, Haddonfield; Elizabeth Ong-Marlee Campbell, Mainland; Emma Adams-Katelyn Little, Schalick.

SJ GROUP I CAPTAIN’S AWARDS: Catherine Smith, Haddon Twp.; Cara Mulligan, Haddon Twp.; Shreya Raju, Haddon Twp.; Morgan O’Kane, Haddon Twp.; Brielle Erickson, Haddon Twp.; Rachael Irizarry, Schalick; Grace O’Neill, Schalick; Katelyn Little, Schalick.

SJ GROUP I CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS: Catherine Smith, Haddon Twp.; Rachael Irizarry, Schalick; Abigail Melle, Woodstown.

A happy meal

Schalick field hockey edges Middle Twp., heads to a familiar McDonald’s to celebrate and chase a bad taste away

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Quarterfinals
No. 1 West Deptford 3, No. 9 Haddon Twp. 1
No. 5 Woodstown at No. 4 Collingswood (Wed.)
No. 6 Schalick 1, No. 3 Middle Twp. 0
No. 2 Florence 5, No. 7 Gloucester 4 (OT)
Semifinals
Woodstown-Collingswood winner at West Deptford
Schalick vs. Gloucester-Florence winner

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – The horn had just blown to signal the Schalick field hockey team‘s victory in the South Jersey Group I quarterfinals Tuesday and coach Heather Cheesman knew exactly where the team was going next.

The Cougars dispatched Middle Twp. 1-0 and then headed off to McDonald’s on the way out of town to celebrate and exorcise some unfriendly ghosts on Halloween that have been hanging around since 2016.

The story goes that when the Cougars lost to Middle in the sectional finals that year, they went to the local Golden Arches for a post-game meal. The Panthers, meanwhile, hopped on their township fire trucks and paraded around town with the sirens blaring.

The motorcade passed right by the McDonald’s where the Cougars where eating their lunch. It was not a happy meal.

Cheesman was in her first year as the Cougars head coach that season, but she remembered and told her current team that story right before the game. She told them if they won Tuesday that’s where they were going to celebrate.

“It was just like a stab in the heart after losing the game,” Cheesman said of the parade scene. “It was a different vibe this time.”

The Cougars (13-5-1) came out aggressive and senior Sophia Longo scored the game’s only goal two minutes into the match. They scored their first goal in the opening round 62 seconds into the match.

“You’ve got to get going early, keep the pressure on and be aggressive,” Cheesman said. “We’ve been telling them play your game, be aggressive and they’ve been doing that.”

Longo is a midfielder, but found herself in the right place at the right time crashing on a corner and knocked a pass from Lucy Virga back into the cage. It was her third goal of the season.

“Honestly, I wasn’t really expecting the ball to come at me so quickly, so I just kind of just passed it in and it just rolled into the goal,” Longo said. “I was pretty excited because I don’t score a lot and it was a pretty big game.”

It was the Cougars’ fourth straight win and ninth shutout. They now play at second-seeded Florence (15-2-1), a 5-4 overtime winner over Gloucester. The game must be played by Saturday.

The team started back to Salem County shortly after the game then the bus pulled into the parking lot and the players were loving it. When it came her turn at the counter, Longo ordered four chicken nuggets and fries.

“I thought that was really fun,” Longo said. “It’s something we don’t normally do and all the team went to celebrate. It was a really great experience. It was a great way to tie up the rivalry that team had with them, us winning and then going back to that place.”

Sounds like something the Cougars might be inclined to do after every big win now.

“I think that’d be a pretty cool tradition to start, to be honest,” Longo said.

Secret’s out

People outside Salem County are starting to notice what undefeated Schalick has been putting together

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP I
Friday’s Semifinals
Shore (6-3) at Schalick (10-0), 7 p.m.
Glassboro (6-3) at South Hunterdon (9-1), 7 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — The football team at Schalick High School is quietly turning into one of the biggest comeback stories in the state.

At 10-0, the Cougars are one of four remaining undefeated teams in the West Jersey Football League and one of 16 left in the state in any classification. But outside of their community in Salem County hardly anyone is noticing.

Until now.

Where once the team’s “coverage” consisted of maybe three paragraphs off the call-in sheet on Friday nights, one of the larger media outlets in South Jersey finally stumbled upon the Cougars’ story and sent a reporter to practice earlier this week. A TV station from Philadelphia is due in Thursday on the eve of their Central Jersey Group I semifinal game against Shore Regional. There is said to be ‘mutual interest’ in playing in next year’s season opening Battle at the Beach extravaganza in Ocean City.

What makes it even more compelling is just four years ago, in coach Mike Wilson’s first season with the program, when this year’s senior class were wide-eyed freshmen, they were 0-7 with about two dozen players who probably weren’t ready for varsity competition. None of the other 15 unbeaten teams have come from that far back, although three (Weehawken in 2021, Roxbury in 2020 and Holmdel last year) have had one season of just one win at any time in the previous three years.

“I think it’s great for the kids, they’re finally getting recognition for all their hard work over the last four years,” Wilson said. “It’s new, it’s refreshing, I’m happy for the kids they’re finally going to get the recognition they truly deserve. Now they have to learn we can’t read our own press clippings. There’s still work to be accomplished.”

This undefeated stuff is relatively new to the Cougars, who haven’t been 10-0 since their 12-0 season of 2004, but Wilson has been 10-0 before. It was 2019 as an assistant coach at Mainland Regional, where the rebuild he helped undertake there was similar to what he’s done at Schalick with admittedly some of the same concepts.

That year his team got through the regular season undefeated and then lost to rival Ocean City just a week after beating it in the annual Battle of the Bridge rivalry for the division title. It’s a loss his coaching buddies talk about all the time and he admits still stings whenever they do.

The Cougars have built their success story with a genuine be-where-your-feet-are, one-game-at-a-time approach with players who have grown with the program.

And through that approach they now have an offense full of dynamic skill players, a line that allows them to control the clock and a defense that’s been hard to move on — most of whom will be back next season. They have literally outgrown the WJFL Horizon Division they’ve dominated the last two years and are prepared to be competitive on whatever stronger division they’re sure to be dispatched to in the next rotation.

“I knew we had a good group of younger, we had good kids coming up from the youth program, so we knew they were brighter days ahead, but to get as one of my assistants said this good this quick I don’t think we knew that,” Wilson said. “I knew we would be better every year but we have really exceled this year, we have really jelled as a team.

“I told the kids today in practice we have an opportunity in front of us, let’s not take it for granted. We have a very winnable game in front of us, let’s not take anything for granted right now because football is so unforgiving you may never get this chance again.”

Current Schalick athletics director Doug Volovar didn’t hire Wilson to succeed long-time coach Seth Brown, but he has had a front-row seat to the whole metamorphosis. As an assistant principal at the time he was involved in the interview process and then served as Wilson’s receivers/defensive backs coach in that difficult first year.

Among the elements Wilson brought with him from Mainland were establishing a weight room for strength training and injury prevention and a re-engagement with the booster club. Both continue to be an integral part of the program.

“It’s become not just a football team, it’s become a football program,” Volovar said. “Things have gotten so much better. The program has progressed. Mike has filled in all the pieces and pushed all the right buttons at this point in time to get us to where we’re going in this direction.

“Obviously it’s taken a lot of hard work from not only him but everybody else who’s involved. For us, being a small community, there’s a ton of buy-in from everybody that’s in the community and even in the school and we’ve gotten nothing but support. Without foundation you can’t build a house.”

All the players remember those tough early days and that’s what makes this ride so fun for them. The Cougars lost their first 11 games under Wilson and 13 of their first 14, usually giving up a lot and scoring very little. They have gone 20-3 since. It’s the best run in the program’s history since they went 29-3 between 2003 and 2006.

‘’Me and (tight end) Ryan Johnson, our freshmen year we went 0-7 and we really got our butts kicked every game,” senior receiver Jake Siedlecki said after the win over Gloucester Catholic that completed their first undefeated regular season since 2006. “This game meant a lot for both of us and the program. To go 0-7 to 9-0 in four short years, it’s unbelievable. To play a part in that … means a lot.”

Of course, with the new-found success comes a whole new set of distractions. Like the sudden media attention that’s fallen upon them in the run up to the biggest game of any of their players’ careers.

“We have to focus on the game ahead and go 1-0 every week,” Wilson said, repeating the mantra of the season. “As you stack the wins staying focused is even harder. Like I told the kids (Monday) for the first three years it was kind of nice because people kind of ignored us as a team. Now we have to learn how to ignore the distractions and how do we handle success. That’s a big learning curve right now. We’re being successful and people are noticing and that’s awesome because of all your hard work, but we have to learn how to stay focused and continue to build upon that and not get distracted by what we did last week.

“The other thing is we have to resist the temptation to do things different. Even though the competition is better, we’re getting deeper in the playoffs, we are good enough as we are right now and we have to continue to get better at the things we’re doing and eliminate the things that can beat us and avoid the temptation of trying to do something that we don’t usually do on the field and continue to get better at what we’re already doing.”

Shore makes the 100-mile drive across the state with a 6-3 record and a team that had a chance to shake up the South Jersey Group 1 seedings had they beaten undefeated Group III Holmdel in the final regular season game. They were sixth overall in the South Jersey Group I UPR.

The Blue Devils run a true Delaware Wing-T offense that confounds their opponents so close to the real thing TE-DE Jackson Whitacre has committed to the Blue Hens. The defense has shut out two of their last three opponents. Both teams are coming off first-round shutouts.

Cover photo by Heather Papiano

Cougars have it covered

Schalick girls soccer beats Haddon Twp.; Miller scores twice, Hayman gets a goalie assist and shutout

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP !
GIRLS SOCCER
Monday’s quarterfinals
Audubon 2, Clayton 0
Maple Shade 1, Pitman 0 (SO)
Schalick 2, Haddon Twp. 0
Palmyra 5, Gloucester 2
Semifinals
Maple Shade (13-4-1) at Audubon (17-1-2)
Schalick (15-4) at Palmyra (17-3)

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Emily Miller has scored a lot of goals for the Schalick girls soccer team this year – a lot of goals – but none more important than the two she got Monday afternoon.

The senior striker banged home goals 46 and 47 to lift the Cougars over Haddon Twp. 2-0 in the South Jersey Group I playoffs. The Cougars (15-4) now play at Palmyra (14-4-2) in the sectional semis Thursday.

‘These are two very important goals that I had today,’ Miller said.

Indeed. The first goal came with 4:16 gone in the match when she settled a long punt from goalie Carly Hayman and broke in untouched. She clinched the Cougars’ seventh straight victory when she took a pass from Cali Fisler, raced against the wind and beat the keeper with 23 seconds to play.

It was Fisler’s 22nd assist this season, extending her single-season school record. Fourteen of the assists have been on goals by Miller.

“This is super exciting,’ Miller said. ‘I had low hopes for today, I’m not going to lie. I had a low mindset. I wasn’t too confident, but I put it away early and I finished it off at the end of the game.”

With 47 goals, she has more goals than half the teams in the 16-team sectional field, including two that reached the quarterfinals. Fifty goals “is on the back of my mind,” she admitted, but she won’t be too upset if she misses the mark because she already has hit her main goal – breaking the single-season school record for goals.

“I think if she continues to put her head down and do the work that she knows she can do, I think the goal tally is going to be endless for her,” Schalick coach Will Kemp said.

You might say her big season is making up for lost time. She broke her collarbone as a freshman and stayed out as a sophomore (when the Cougars won the sectional), but returned to the pitch last season and “just fell in love with (soccer) again.” But it might not be her first love. When she’s not playing soccer, she’s racing dirt bikes, and that might be her true calling.

Hayman, meanwhile, usually makes her biggest contributions in the back of the field. With her hands in a game where nobody else can use theirs.

She assisted the Cougars in another way Monday — with literally a big assist.

The senior goalie drove a wind-blown punt well across the midline, sending Miller on a semi-breakaway. It was Hayman’s third assist this year – first on a punt – and seventh of her career.

“Her foot has helped us multiple times in the past,” Miller said.

“I was surprised it went that far, but I was really happy I got an assist and we got a goal early on,” Hayman said. “I knew (Miller) was going to get to it and when she had it I knew she was about to score this and I was already jumping around by the time she did.”

“Carly’s a student of the game,” Kemp said. “She understands weaknesses in teams and understands how to exploit them. Her distribution skills have always been at the top, especially with her feet, and that’s one of the reasons I put her in the field in certain matches.”

Returning to her more traditional role of stopping shots, she kept the Hawks out of the net, making 17 saves in her 12th shutout and third in a row. She took a point-blank shot in the breadbasket about nine minutes after Miller’s first goal and later watched the wind blow a Haddon Twp. shot past the right post.

She was even sharper in the second half when the Hawks (8-10-2) played with the wind. She withstood several corner kicks dodged a bullet with 17 minutes left when the Hawks got one over her head and hit the crossbar. And the defensive four in front of her turned back a final threat in the last minute, with Athena Eberl making a nice sliding tackle deep in the corner to dislodge Jaylene Peebles from the ball.

The clearing ball on that play sent Miller off to her second goal.