Here is the weekend schedule for the West Jersey Football League, Diamond and Independence Divisions games listed first; scores will be updated throughout the day
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Ironton (Ohio) 55, Salem 14
Clayton 28, Riverside 6
Paulsboro 40, KIPP 17
Steinert 47, Burlington City 12
Lenape 26, Seneca 20
Southern 34, Bridgeton 14
Atlantic Tech47, Lakewood 6
Morris Knolls 49, Hamilton West 7
Simon Gratz (Pa.) 37, Camden Eastside 28
Cedar Grove 35, Gloucester 14
Pinelands 40, Collingswood 6
Monsignor Farrell (NY) 28, Holy Spirit 14
Camden at Imhotep Charter (Pa.)
Erasmus Hall (NY) vs. Millville
Winslow vs. Neptune
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Woodstown at Pennsville, ppd.
Haddonfield 34, Overbrook 12
Pitman 28, Wildwood 0
Brick 34, Allentown 7
Cherry Hill West 20, Pemberton 0
Delsea 12, Vineland 6
Donovan Catholic 51, Kingsway 7
Eastern at Hunterdon Central, ppd.
Gateway 34, Middle Twp. 7
Gloucester Catholic at Paul VI, ppd.
J.P. Stevens 21, WW-Plaiinsboro 6
Lacey 12, Lawrence 0
Lower Cape May 28, Cinnaminson 7
Mainland 7, Pleasantville 6
Ocean City 39, Princeton 0
Pt. Pleasant Boro 24, Sterling 10
Rahway 30, Willingboro 28
St. John Vianney 29, Cedar Creek 28
Seneca at Lenape, ppd.
Shabazz 32, Atlantic City 19
Washington Twp. 14, Pope John 6
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Pennsville 28, Woodstown 21 (OT)
Schalick 63, Maple Shade 6
New Egypt 23, Buena 22
Deptford 30, Woodbury 6
Barnegat 26, Absegami 7
Cherokee 42, Middletown South 28
Clearview 27, Cumberland 8
Conwell-Egan (Pa.) 39, St. Joe (Hamm.) 7
Delran 24, Cherry Hill East 17
Eastern 17, Hunterdon Central 14
Egg Harbor 35, Robbinsville 0
Ewing 33, Franklin 21
Glassboro 40, Immaculata 20
Haddon Heights 40, Mastery Camden 6
Hammonton 47, Long Branch 0
Holmdel 45, Hightstown 14
Hopewell Valley 34, Montgomery 0
Moorestown 40, Bishop Eustace 0
Northern Burlington 51, Nottingham 0
Notre Dame 23, St. Mary (Ruth.) 0
Oakcrest 18, Highland 0
Passaic Tech 49, Burlington Twp. 36
Pennsauken 55, Camden Catholic 0
Pennsbury (Pa.) 14, Trenton 0
Rancocas Valle 23, Wayne Valley 0
St. Augustine 24, Bonner Predergast (Pa.) 20
Shawnee 43, Old Bridge 35
Simon Gratz (Pa.) 37, Camden Eastside 28
West Deptford 49, Kinnelon 3
Williamstown 20, Timber Creek 14
Category: WOODSTOWN
Pennsville wins a thriller
Eagles beat Woodstown in overtime, Layfield passes for 300 yards in first career start at quarterback
FRIDAY’S WJFL SCORES
(Diamond, Independence Divisions)
Pennsville 28, Woodstown 21 (OT)
Schalick 63, Maple Shade 6
New Egypt 23, Buena 22
Deptford 30, Woodbury 6
| WHAT TO KNOW |
| Pennsville’s Tristan Horner scores go-ahead TD in OT, defense holds on through Woodstown’s attempt to match |
| Pennsville QB Jake Layfield passes for 320 yards and 3 touchdowns (0 INTs) in first start |
| Woodstown had won last 4 openers, had 5-game win streak in series, Healy beats them for first time since his first game as Eagles head coach |
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Tristan Horner blasted in from the 2 at the start of overtime and Pennsville’s defense knocked away a fourth-down pass in the end zone to deny Woodstown’s bid to tie and outlasted the Wolverines 28-21 in a weather-delayed season-opener for both teams.
It was Pennsville coach Mike Healy’s first win over the Wolverines since his first game as the Eagles’ head coach in 2017.
“This was a monumental win,” Eagles defensive back Lucas Thomas said.
Indeed. The Wolverines had won the last five games in the series and seemingly had their way in everything in the rivalry the last couple years. This game originally was scheduled for Thursday night, but was postponed to Friday in the fallout of the day’s storms. It gave a handful of Pennsville players a chance to rewatch the 2023 playoff game between the teams together, firing them up even more for a game they’ve had circled on their calendars for a while.
“There’s no other game I wanted to win this year,” quarterback Jake Layfield said. “If we win one, I want it to be Woodstown. Between this and Homecoming. I don’t even care about Senior Night. It was just Woodstown. If anybody I wanted to beat it was Woodstown and we came out here and did it. There’s just no better feeling than beating a county rival.”
Both teams had chances to win the game that Healy said held “the highest of highs and lowest of lows.”.
Woodstown led 14-0 a minute into the second quarter and then 21-14 early in the fourth on Mason Middlemiss’ 33-yard run during which at least two officials’ whistles were heard when the Wolverines quarterback ran into traffic. Layfield brought the Eagles right back with three straight completions, highlighted by a 52-yard throw to C.J. Johnson and capped by a 15-yard scoring pass to Jacob Kimani.
The Eagles had the ball at the end of regulation, but Layfield’s pass to Johnson in the back of the end zone on the final play was incomplete.
Layfield completed 23 of 37 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in his first career start at quarterback. That would translate to a 161.6 NCAA passer rating. Johnson caught 11 balls for 196 yards and a touchdown in what he called “my wakeup game,” his indication of how the season is going to go..Kimani caught four for 68 and a score. Dante Cummings caught the other touchdown pass
“We have 72 plays on the wrist band and all three of those plays (on the tying drive) are plays we don’t normally run,” Layfield said. “Coach (Ryan) Wood says it in the headset and we’ll run it on to the field. I feel like sometimes you kind of just know when things are going to go well.
“Kimani was telling me, we watched film on them and someone caught a 10-yard in, and he said if I ever catch a ball over the middle in the end zone I’m going to dunk it on the goalpost. I think he forgot to dunk it on the goalpost and got hit pretty hard.
“Sometimes you just know when you’ve got two guys who know they can go up and get the ball the confidence is there. The line was giving me time. CJ, dawg on the outside, he was there for me all game, and then Kimani just finishing in the end zone. I knew he would win the route.”
Pennsville got the ball first in overtime and needed just two plays to score and take their first lead of the game. Layfield hit Kimani for 23 yards and then Horner punched it in.
“We were pretty efficient in the passing game today so that’s what we wanted to start it with,” Healy said. “We felt those fourth down stops early in the game we actually had the opportunity for the first down but one or two little things (got in the way), so we felt good going with that play. Tristan ran hard, ran into contact. Coach Wood always tells the kids ‘run through the smoke.’ He did it and got in the end zone .”
Woodstown’s bid to tie got off to a balky start with a holding penalty on its first snap. The Wolverines fumbled but recovered the next play. Thomas stopped Cole Ware for a 2-yard gain on the next play and then Middlemiss threw incomplete on third down.
On the final play of the game, Middlemiss rolled right and found Ware in the end zone, but Thomas, Danny Knight and David Biddle converged on the receiver to knock the ball free and seal the victory
“Honestly, the best thing about it was how we all swarmed to it,” Thomas said. “The QB was rolling out, we already knew it was a pass play –they had to get in the end zone — and we just put our best players in the right positions and broke down the pass. It was the best feeling in the world. I honestly just wanted to lay down there on the ground for a second, that was the best feeling, but I wanted to celebrate with my boys so I was running around the field.”
In the early going it was Pennsville that struggled on fourth down. The Wolverines denied them three times on the make-or-break down in consecutive possessions in the first half and scored their second touchdown of the game on a fourth-down Middlemiss pass to Andrew White to take a 14-0 lead. They also had four sacks between Rax Hannah and Xavier Csazar in the second quarter to disrupt the Eagles even more.
“I was happy with how we played in the first half; we’ve just got to be able to put a full game together,” Woodstown coach Frank Trautz said. “I know it’s an old saying, but it is what it is. You can’t just win on a half of football. We had too many busted coverages and missed assignments and things like that that came back to bite us.”
| WHS | PMHS | |
| 9 | First downs | 11 |
| 27-137 | Rushing-yards | 21-13 |
| 6-11-2 | Passing (C-A-I) | 23-37-0 |
| 54 | Passing yards | 320 |
| 3-0 | Fumbles-lost | 2-1 |
| 3-26.0 | Punts-average | 1-36.0 |
| 5-55 | Penalties-yards | 4-30 |
| Woodstown (0-1) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0- | 21 |
| Pennsville (1-0) | 0 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7- | 28 |
SCORING SUMMARY
WO-Mason Middlemiss 14 run (Jack Bucksar kick), 4:44 1Q
WO-Andrew White 28 pass from Mason Middlemiss (Jack Bucksar kick), 11:01 2Q
P-CJ Johnson 33 pass from Jake Layfield (kick failed), 1:01 2Q
P-Dante Cummings 3 pass from Jake Layfield (Lucas Thomas run), 6:45 3Q
WO-Mason Middlemiss 33 run (Jack Bucksar kick), 10:41 4Q
P-Jake Kimani 15 pass from Jake Layfield (Dante Cummings kick), 8:56 4Q
P-Tristan Horner 2 run (Dante Cummings kick), OT
Wednesday roundup
Woodstown, Schalick girls tennis teams suffer losses on the road
GIRLS TENNIS
Ocean City 4, Woodstown 1
Middle Twp. 5, Schalick 0
By Riverview Sports News
OCEAN CITY — Woodstown suffered its second loss of the girls tennis season, 4-1 at Ocean City, but the Wolverines did collect their first point of the year when their first doubles team won a pair of tiebreakers to take a straight-set win.
Emilee Kehr and Elliana Norman scored the Wolverines’ point when they outlasted Annabelle Terruso and Isabella Bailey 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (9-7). The Woodstown juniors fought back in both sets to take 6-5 leads before being extended to the tiebreakers.
“They really pushed through,” Woodstown coach Jesse Stemberger said. “It was a see-saw match with both teams having opportunities, but we were able to win the big points. It was another tough team, but I saw improvement from the first match to the second.”
OCEAN CITY 4, WOODSTOWN 1
Cecelia Mirsky (OC) def. Madison LaPalomento, 6-1, 6-0
Anna Wisnefski (OC) def. Emma West, 6-1, 6-1
Sydney Halliday (OC) def. Angelina Lindenmuth, 6-1, 6-1
Emilee Kehr-Elliana Norman (WO) def. Annabelle Terruso-Isabella Bailey 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (9-7)
Megan Hope-Bridget Higgins (OC) def. Isabella Lindenmuth-Eleanore Lawson, 6-3, 6-3.
Records: Ocean City 1-0, Woodstown 0-2.
MIDDLE TWP. 5, SCHALICK 0: The Cougars were swept in straight sets in their season opener in Cape May Court House.
MIDDLE TWP. 5, SCHALICK 0
Ella Leahy (MT) def. Olivia Lunemann, 6-0, 6-0
Morgan Sharpe (MT) def. Sebrina Bradford, 6-1, 6-3
Lyndsey McDevitt (MT) def. Jasmine Hunt, 6-3, 6-1
Alex Grier-Julianna Sittineri (MT) def. River Wojcik-Janae White, 6-1, 6-1
Casey Day-Blake Barnoski (MT) def. Abigail Sotela Hernandez-Jazmin Perez, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Middle Twp. 3-0, Schalick 0-1.
It’s on
Regular season high school sports action in Salem County got underway Monday with the Woodstown girls tennis team dropping a 5-0 match to Clearview. The high school football regular season starts for county teams Thursday with Pennsville hosting Woodstown.
Clearview won all five matches in straight sets.
“Clearview is a very strong team, possibly the strongest in our area,” Wolverines coach Jesse Stemberger said. “I was pleased overall with the effort of our girls. The Pioneers were just better than we are.”
GIRLS TENNIS
CLEARVIEW 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Serena Huang (CV) def. Madison LaPalomento, 6-2, 6-1
Amelia McLoughlin (CV) def. Emma West, 6-0, 6-0
Ingrid Homann (CV) def. Angelina Lindenmuth, 6-0, 7-5
Helena Homann-Lily Culling (CV) def. Emilee Kehr-Elliana Norman, 6-2, 6-3
Taylor Cossaboon-Katherine Cianfrani (CV) def. Eleanore Lawson-Isabella Lindenmuth, 6-2, 6-2.
Records: Clearview 1-0, Woodstown 0-0.
This week’s schedule
The start of regular-season high school football and Salem CC’s inaugural game highlights the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Aug. 24-29; football games from WJFL, x-scrimmage
MONDAY, AUG. 24
BOYS SOCCER
x-Penns Grove at Deptford, 10 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
x-Deptford at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
Woodstown at Lower Cape May, 10 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Clearview at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
TUESDAY, AUG. 25
FIELD HOCKEY
x-Audubon at Schalick, 10 a.m.
x-Highland at Salem Tech, 10 a.m.
x-Salem at West Deptford, 10 a.m.
BOYS SOCCER
x-Vineland at Schalick, 9:30 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
x-Salem at Cumberland, 10 a.m.
x-Schalick at Vineland, 10 a.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Schalick at Buena
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 26
BOYS SOCCER
x-Medford Tech at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
x-Camden Academy Charter at Salem Tech
GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown at Haddon Twp., 9 a.m.
x-Bridgeton at Salem, 10 a.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
x-Williamstown at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
x-Pennsville at Vineland, 10 a.m.
Woodstown at Ocean City, 11 a.m.
Schalick at Middle Twp.
VOLLEYBALL
x-Lindenwold at Salem Tech, 10:30 a.m.
THURSDAY, AUG. 27
FOOTBALL
Pitman at Wildwood, 11 a.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
Riverside at Clayton, 6 p.m.
Overbrook at Haddonfield, 7 p.m.
Pope John vs. Washington Twp, 1 p.m.
Princeton vs. Ocean City, 4 p.m.
Donovan Catholic vs. Kingsway, 5:30 p.m.
Nottingham at Northern Burlington, 6 p.m.
Seneca at Lenape, 6 p.m.
WW-Plaiinsboro at J.P. Stevens, 6 p.m.
Cinnaminson at Lower Cape May, 6 p.m.
Middle Twp. at Gateway, 6 p.m.
Pemberton at Cherry Hill West, 6 p.m.
Eastern at Hunterdon Central, 6 p.m.
Rahway at Willingboro, 6 p.m.
Middletown South at Cherokee, 6 p.m.
Lawrence at Lacey, 6 p.m.
Pleasantville at Mainland, 6 p.m.
Vineland at Delsea, 6 p.m.
Burlington Twp. vs. Passaic Tech, 6:15 p.m.
Hightstown at Holmdel, 6:30 p.m.
Sterling at Pt. Pleasant Boro, 6:30 p.m.
Shabazz vs. Atlantic City, 7 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
x-KIPP at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
x-Millville at Schalick, 10 a.m.
x-Pennsville at Palmyra, 10 a.m.
x-Penns Grove at Highland, 10 a.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
x-Friends Central at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
x-Salem, Bridgeton, Nottingham at Cumberland, 10 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
x-Bridgeton at Salem, 10 a.m.
FRIDAY, AUG. 28
FOOTBALL
Maple Shade at Schalick, 6 p.m.
New Egypt at Buena, 6 p.m.
Woodbury at Deptford, 6 p.m.
Kinnelon vs. West Deptford, 10 a.m.
Camden Catholic vs. Pennsauken, noon
Wayne Valley vs. Rancocas Valley, 1 p.m.
Delran vs. Cherry Hill East, 2:30 p.m.
Shawnee vs. Old Bridge, 4 p.m.
Ewing vs. Franklin, 4 p.m.
Mastery Camden at Haddon Heights, 4:30 p.m.
Barnegat at Absegami, 5 p.m.
Williamstown vs. Timber Creek, 5 p.m.
Highland vs. Oakcrest, 6 p.m.
Conwell-Egan (Pa.) at St. Joe (Hamm.), 6 p.m.
Moorestown at Bishop Eustace, 6 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Paul VI, 6 p.m.
Bonner Predergast (Pa.) at St. Augustine, 6 p.m.
Clearview at Cumberland, 6 p.m.
Long Branch at Hammonton, 6 p.m.
Hopewell Valley at Montgomery, 6 p.m.
St. Mary (Ruth.) at Notre Dame, 6 p.m.
Trenton at Pennsbury (Pa.), 7 p.m.
Warren Hills at Voorheen, 7 p.m.
New Hope-Solebury (Pa.) at South Hunterdon, 7 p.m.
Egg Harbor at Robbinsville, 7 p.m.
Glassboro vs. Immaculate, 8 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
x-Salem at Camden Academy Charter, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
x-Pennsville at Gloucester, 9 a.m.
x-Woodstown at Deptford, 9 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Cedar Creek at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Woodstown at Audubon, 10 a.m.
SATURDAY, AUG. 29
FOOTBALL
Salem at Ironton (Ohio), 1 p.m.
Paulsboro at KIPP, noon
Burlington City vs. Steinert, 5 p.m.
Southern vs. Bridgeton, 10 a.m.
Skyridge (Utah) at Hun, 11 a.m.
Atlantic Tech at Lakewood, noon
Hamilton West vs. Morris Knolls, noon
Simon Gratz (Pa.) at Camden Eastside, 1 p.m.
Cedar Grove vs. Gloucester, 1 p.m.
Collingswood vs. Pinelands, 2:30 p.m.
Monsignor Farrell (NY) vs. Holy Spirit, 4 p.m.
Camden at Imhotep Charter (Pa.), 6 p.m.
Erasmus Hall (NY) vs. Millville, 7 p.m.
Winslow vs. Neptune, 8 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
x-Woodstown at Williamstown, 9 a.m.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Hudson Valley CC vs. Salem CC, Pennsville H.S., 1 p.m.
Preseason Strength Index
Here is the preseason Strength Index for the Salem County high school football teams and their divisions in the West Jersey Football League. The SI is a schedule strength component in the formula for the United Power Rank (UPR) used to seed the NJSIAA playoffs. Power points supposedly will be made available by the protectors of the data after Week 2.
| OVERALL STATE | SI | OVERALL WJFL | SI |
| 1. Winslow | 92.84 | 1. Winslow (1) | 92.84 |
| 2. Don Bosco | 89.71 | 2. Glassboro (4) | 88.12 |
| 3. Bergen Catholic | 88.47 | 3. Washington Twp. (5) | 87.49 |
| 4. Glassboro | 88.12 | 4. Camden (7) | 86.55 |
| 5. Washington Twp. | 87.49 | 5. Cedar Creek (10) | 85.20 |
| 6. St. Joe (Mont.) | 87.37 | 6. Kingsway (15) | 81.81 |
| 7. Camden | 86.55 | 7. Atlantic City (17) | 80.51 |
| 8. Ramapo | 86.18 | 8. Millville (21) | 78.99 |
| 9. Old Tappan | 85.62 | 9. Mainland (28) | 76.17 |
| 10. Cedar Creek | 85.20 | 10. Haddonfield (30) | 75.81 |
| SALEM COUNTY | SI |
| 92. Salem | 67.48 |
| 121. Pennsville | 64.24 |
| 122. Schalick | 64.21 |
| 272. Woodstown | 50.03 |
| 283. Penns Grove | 48.10 |
| WJFL DIAMOND | SI | INDEPENDENCE | SI |
| 40. Burlington City | 73.69 | 237. Clayton | 53.37 |
| 81. Paulsboro | 68.66 | 255. Buena | 52.15 |
| 92. Salem | 67.48 | 256. Woodbury | 52.10 |
| 113. Overbrook | 65.08 | 272. Woodstown | 50.03 |
| 121. Pennsville | 64.24 | 280. Pitman | 48.46 |
| 122. Schalick | 64.21 | 283. Penns Grove | 48.10 |
Hitting the field
Four of Salem County’s five high school football teams scrimmage for first time in training camp, results predictable
By Riverview Sports News
Four of Salem County’s five high school football team hit the field for their first scrimmages of training camp. It went about the way you’d expect. There was some good, there was some bad and there was a lot of think about. Here are the coaches’ impressions.
PENNS GROVE vs. Gateway
The Red Devils hosted a team that returns a lot of starters from a team that went 7-3 and held their own. Each team scored once and JaKai Ingram forced and recovered a fumble that would’ve set up the offense in the red zone.
“it was great for us,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “Honestly, it was really good. I was talking to their coach and he expects them to do well this year and we pretty much hung with them. They scored once, we scored once; it was pretty even all the way through the scrimmage. The key for us is playing solid and keeping everything in front of us.“
The Gators had two big runs, but one called back due to a holding penalty. The Red Devils scored their touchdown on a long run by freshman Jaivon Thomas.
“The main thing for us is figuring out who the quarterback is because that’s still an open competition right now,” Ware said. “Once we figure out the quarterback then that’s when we’re going to lock in. All three of them (Avery Batts, Damion Robinson, Brayden Lattig) played today and nobody stood out; they were all kind of the same. They have some promise and they’re going to be solid; they’ll be fine.
“The good thing is we don’t have a Week Zero game so that gives us time. We don’t have to rush into doing things. We can figure things out that next week and figure out what we’re going to do and how we’re going to move forward.
The Red Devils scrimmage again at 10 a.m. Thursday at home against Wildwood.
PENNSVILLE vs. Triton
Pennsville coach Mike Healy called it an overall good day. Jake Kimani and C.J. Johnson both had a touchdown catch. Tristan Horner didn’t score a touchdown, but had several tough, physical runs.
“I take away a lot of positives from first scrimmage,” Healy said. “We’ve got a lot of new faces out there. Not that it’s a rebuild for us, but there are going to be some growing pains, but I saw a lot of positives. We’ve got to clean some things up, but overall it was a good day.
“We moved the ball, had some nice stops, hurt ourselves with some penalties and mistakes we have to clean up, but I think overall it was a real positive day, a step forward for us.”
The Eagles scrimmage again Friday 4 p.m. at home against Poly Tech (Del.).
WOODSTOWN vs. Clearview
The Wolverines are looking to put a tough 2025 season behind them and Monday’s scrimmage was a good first step. Cole Ware and Ty West scored rushing touchdowns and Andrew White caught a touchdown pass from Mason Middlemiss.
“It was a good first scrimmage for us,” coach Frank Trautz said. “It was structured more like a practice than it was a game. Overall, the object for today was just let’s go out, let’s compete, let’s play with effort. First time against a different opponent here, so I was happy with all that.
“Of course, we did some good things, we did some bad things, lots of stuff to work on, but overall happy with the kids’ effort and what they were able to do today. It was a good start. I was happy. Overall, happy with the direction we’re going.”
The Wolverines scrimmage again 6 p.m. Thursday at home against Audubon.
SALEM vs. Absegami, Pt. Pleasant Boro, Rahway
The Rams played these three teams in this order because what they do was supposed to give the Rams a look at what they’re expected to see in their opener at Ironton (Ohio).
“We took care of business,” Rams coach Kemp Carr said. “We went down there looking for work. We got good work.”
The Rams scrimmage again Friday at Camde
Woodstown: New season, fresh start
Wolverines eager to put last season behind them with lots of new elements, but the same lofty goals
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – By all measurable standards last season was not a good one for the Woodstown football team. It was a bad dream the Wolverines would just as soon forget.
Their first losing season since 2018 left them out of the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. They had no first-team all-stars within the division and just two senior honorable mentions. There were injuries that put nine starters on the sidelines and disrupted any consistency they hoped to develop. As a result, they were ushered out of the WJFL’s top small-school division for the first time in league history, relegated to the Independence Division for the next two years.
All that to say it’s a new year and a new approach in the house. Call what happened last year a wakeup call for a team that had been a South Jersey contender for the last four full cycles of senior classes.
| WOODSTOWN WOLVERINES |
| Aug. 27 – at Pennsville, 6 p.m. |
| Sept. 3 – at Clayton, 6 p.m. |
| Sept. 11 – Schalick, 6 p.m. |
| Sept. 19 – at Woodbury, 11 a.m. |
| Sept. 25 – Buena, 6 p.m. |
| Oct. 3 – at Salem, noon |
| Oct. 9 – Overbrook, 6 p.m. |
| Oct. 17 – at Penns Grove, 11 a.m. |
| Oct. 23 – Pitman, 6:30 p.m. |
Like most coaches, Woodstown head coach Frank Trautz will tell you each season is an entity unto itself and what happens one season has no bearing on the next. But to the returning players who endured the pain of last season – literally and emotionally – it’s the motivation to return the program to the form they all remember.
“It’s definitely was like a reality check for me, experiencing that after two years of playing really good football,” defensive back/tight end Noah Chiu said. “Now coming into my senior year I don’t want to lose again. That just kind of rubs off on the whole team. I can look at the guys next to me and we can just see the intensity and desire to play that we didn’t have last year. I don’t want to say it’s anger. There’s a lot more energy, there’s a lot more want to be out here and do great things. We all want to get our get-back from last year. We want to go out and make the school proud.”
From the moment you walk into practice you can tell the Wolverines are trying to put last season as far behind them as possible. Upbeat music from either Bradley Snitcher or Cole Ware’s playlist blasts from the rolling speaker on the sideline during drills (but not during line ball scrimmage periods).
That never used to happen.
“I’ve always wanted music,” Trautz said. “When I played, when I coached previously at Haddonfield, we always had music at practice. I like it. I didn’t want to be the one carrying the speaker out here, so I would kind of get upset when the kids wouldn’t bring it. We’ve got two speakers now, so we have one designated just to come out on the field. I like it because I like the energy being up and I think music helps with that, especially in these summer days.”
“It kicks our mood up,” junior quarterback Mason Middlemiss said.
They’re also wearing new white helmets with the blue W, replacing the blue helmets and orange W they wore last season. Another Trautz call. “I just wanted to do something different from last year,” he said. “New season. Fresh start.”
“I actually like them; I think they’re pretty cool,” Middlemiss said. “Coming in here I kind of liked the blue-and-white helmets combined, but last year was obviously new with just all blue. Now, we have all white, which I really like because my favorite NFL team is the Denver Broncos and they have the white alternate helmets and this is kind of that.”
But the differences go beyond the tangible. The players say they are more connected this year and have adopted the motto “One Team, One Sound.” To that end, they do all their practice activities to a 14 count, representing the 14 games it takes to win a state championship. Additionally, the offensive line has devised a chant when the team approaches midfield — “All Aboard, Choo Choo” – that can be interpreted as the Wolverines are approaching the scoring zone, climb on the train to Touchdown Station.
“We all sat down and talked with one another and said we were each going to take responsibility for everybody,” Middlemiss said.
“This team this year, we’re all friends,” junior lineman Rax Hannah said. “Last year I feel like the whole team we dreaded coming out here; when a team doesn’t want to succeed they’re never gonna succeed. it was crazy coming into this year. We felt we were going to be good, but we didn’t know what we were going to have. Once we got the pads on and starting working out I was really like, Oh my God, this is gonna be a great year. It’s a new division, a new team. I think it’s a good reset for us.”
What they have is a roster of players who gain earned their experience through tough times. Last year they were forced into situations because of the injuries without much prior experience. The returnees who might not have gotten in the game otherwise, are now among the most veteran.
The offense rests in the hands of Middlemiss. The junior shared the role last year with Frankie Hoerst, a freshman with a lot of potential who has since transferred to St. Augustine. Middlemiss rushed for 177 yards and brought the Wolverines a win at Clayton to end the season on a high note. And he’s surrounded by athletes at all the skill positions who are interchangeable so they’re versatile. Expect a lot from Ware and receiver Andrew White.
“I’m ready to take over and ready to lead this team to where we aspire to be,” Middlemiss said. “I got a lot to take in last year. It wasn’t the kind of season we wanted … but we’re coming into this season with a mentality that we’re going to forget about what happened last year, we’re going to forget about everything and start our own rebuild and nothing is going to happen like last year.”
“He’s a natural leader,” Trautz said. “He’s completely taken ownership; he’s taken this role seriously. Listen, the kid can flat out play. I’m excited for him because a lot of people are going to know his name at the end of this season because of what he can do. I’ve coached a fair share of quarterbacks (and) he’s up there with some of the hardest-working guys that I’ve had.”
A lot of the offensive starters also play on defense. Trautz said he was “excited” to see what this year’s defense can develop into and believes it will return to playing “traditional Woodstown defense.” Chiu will be one of the players to watch, having gone through a dynamic growth spurt since last season and is now 6-1, 170 pounds of intensity.
From the look and sound of things, the Wolverines are firmly focused on looking forward.
“This is a new year, this is a new team and we’re going to face a new set of challenges and highs and lows; that’s all were focused on,” Trautz said. “To be successful in this sport you always have to operate that way. If you’re hanging on things you’ve done in the past, it’s gonna hurt you in the future.
“They’re hungry because they want to prove themselves and show everybody what we can do. I agree with that. We’re excited to get the season started and make a new story for ourselves this year.”
This week’s schedule
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Aug. 17-21; x-scrimmage
MONDAY, AUG. 17
FOOTBALL
x-Clearview at Woodstown, 9 a.m.
x-Haddon Twp. at Penns Grove, 9 a.m.
x-Salem, Rahway, Pt. Pleasant Boro at Absegami, 10 a.m.
x-Triton at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
TUESDAY, AUG. 18
FOOTBALL
x-Delsea at Schalick, 10 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
x-Pennsville at Middle Twp., 10 a.m.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 19
GIRLS TENNIS
x-Clearview at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Woodstown at Sterling, 10 a.m.
THURSDAY, AUG. 20
FOOTBALL
x-Wildwood at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
x-Audubon at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, AUG. 21
FOOTBALL
x-Salem at Camden, 10 a.m.
x-Schalick at Buena, 9 a.m.
x-Poly Tech (Del.) at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
x-Schalick at Cumberland, 9:30 a.m.
x-Millville at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
x-Salem CC at Montclair, 5 p.m.
The World (Cup) view
Salem County soccer coaches weigh in on Sunday’s World Cup final. Is it Spain or Argentina? It’s a split decision
All the world’s a stage and the biggest stage in the futbol world is set. The FIFA World Cup final.
Spain v. Argentina. Euro champs v defending World Cup champs. Yamal v Messi. Prodigy v Legend.
One can argue whether it’s the best matchup for this year’s final, but after 39 days and 103 matches it’s the one they’ve got. The game already has been dissected and analyzed from every angle in every corner of the globe, and no doubt will be in the weeks that follow.
Riverview Sports News reached out to some of Salem County’s high school soccer coaches to bring some local flavor to the international analysis and provide their pick to raise the golden trophy Sunday night in MetLife Stadium. The consensus is as close as the game is expected to be. Here are their insights, and picks, as told to Al Muskewitz.
Mano Massari, Penns Grove: Passing the torch
THE PICK: Spain.
THE REASON: Spain is going to win the game because of their dominance in their possession and build up play. They are patient with their attack and really do a nice job with their positional rotations. Their midfielders control the pace and tempo of the game. Rodri, Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz, they are great at overloading and work around compact defenses. I also think Lamine Yamal is going to really control the right side of the pitch on the attacking side.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP MOMENT: It’ll be the passing of the torch from Messi to Lamine Yamal. I think Lamine Yamal is going to take over the game. I think he’s going to put a goal in the back of the net and have an assist as well. I think he’s going to take over. He looked really good in their semifinal game against France. This is going to be like closing the door on Messi and now it’s Lamine Yamal’s turn. I think he’s going to solidify himself in this tournament with this game. I think it’s just going to be like a passing of the torch moment.
As for the best moment of the World Cup it’s got to be the Cape Verde story, with them being the smallest island ever to get to the World Cup, making it out of the knockout round and then going toe-to-toe with Argentina. That goal that kid scored against Argentina to tie the game was absolutely electric. Cape Verde, to me, is the story of the entire World Cup. I just love it. It’s such a good message to send. I look at it like my guys are small-town players and that’s what happens when you’re believing in a goal. You guys can go toe-to-toe with the defending champs if you all believe and you all put the work in. I just think it’s a great message and why the World Cup is so great.
Will Kemp, Schalick: Always my pick
THE PICK: Spain
THE REASON: They were actually inside my original pick. I said it was either going to be Spain or France that could actually be able to win this, just because France is such a powerhouse. But it’s Spain. Their midfield is unbelievable. The same exact thing for their backline. I’m definitely nodding towards Spain.
When you have a team that has only let up two open-play goals inside the entire tournament, especially with one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Unai Simon, you have Rodri, who is probably one of the best midfielders without a doubt pulling the strings, and then you have Lamine Yamal, there are so many different variables that go into this Spanish team. It seems like they’re finally clicking, especially with the way they played against France; that was the best match that they had, they controlled it completely, shut down the best attack inside the world on the international stage and prevented them from even getting any type of hope.
Now they’re going against Argentina and arguably one of the best players ever inside this same format, a struggling Argentina that really only scores goals inside the last 15-20 minutes of a match. I think if Spain gets up early and controls the game they’re going to have a really good shot at winning this thing.
So my bet’s on Spain, just from their forward attack. You’ve got Lamine Yamal, who’s finally starting to really get back into a groove after his hamstring injury. Then you have one of the best, if this were basketball you’d say sixth man, but inside this the 12th man (Mikel Merino), with him coming off the bench and scoring vital goals; plus he’s an Arsenal player, so, of course, I’m going to root for them.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP MOMENT: I don’t think the championship moment inside this match is going to be a goal; I think it’s going to be a save. I think it’s actually going to come from the goalkeeper to actually save them and win the match. Unai Simon has been actually amazing this whole entire tournament. There’s been a debate between him and David Raya, once again an Arsenal player. I’m not showing any bias right now, but I should, but Unai Simon’s clearly better than David Raya. I think the moment of the match is actually come from a goalkeeper save – in open play. It’s definitely not going to go to PKs.
Derek Foglein, Pennsville: One more magical day
THE PICK: Argentina.
THE REASON: I honestly think it’s going to be a very close game, and it could go either way. I will definitely be watching the match up between the explosive offense of Argentina and Spain’s defense that has already set the record for most shutouts in a single World Cup. It does seem like Messi and Argentina have that something special that has helped them pull out games (maybe even when they weren’t the better team), so I’m going to take them to have one more magical day and Messi can secure his place atop soccer history.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP MOMENT: I think it’s going to be a close game, will likely go to PKs, so I’ll say the defining moment will be Lamine Yamal missing his PK and that secures the win for Argentina.
Joe Mannella, Schalick: More Messi magic
THE PICK: Argentina.
THE REASON: I think it’s really hard to pick. It can go either way. I’m going to go with Argentina just because they seem to be playing that style that gets you through this type of situation. They remind me of Haddon Twp. They play a lot of those physical mind games that you see and then they have the quality on top of it. They don’t care how they win, they just win. They just seem to get it done and I think they’ll get it done.
I don’t know if technically they’re better than Spain. They’re kind of a complete team in that they all know their roles and are crazy resilient and they just kind of wait for their opportunity. Obviously they’ve got the best player in the world. If Spain can figure out a way to neutralize him, which no one has ever really been able to do, then certainly it’ll be tough for Argentina to score.
Spain’s probably going to have the ball most of the time and it’s not like Argentina is a fast, counter-attacking team, they just kind of wear you down and punish you when you make a mistake. If I’m going to put my money on somebody, I’m going to put it on the team that’s done it and has done it the whole tournament.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP MOMENT: If you’re going to put money on anything it’s on Messi doing something outrageous. That’s the easy money on Messi scoring some amazing goal or having a ridiculous pass to set up a goal. Not on the conspiracy side, but I’ve seen VAR have too much to say in some of these games and I’d hate the thing to remember about this World Cup final is that VAR pulled a goal back that shouldn’t have been or allowed a goal that shouldn’t have been.
Argentina plays on such of an edge there could be a red card. I could see them going down to 10 men and winning anyway. Just your backs are against the wall – again – red card, a guy getting his second yellow in the second half and them just holding on, holding on and then Messi putting the ball in the box and somebody getting a head on it. Game over.
Darren Huck, Woodstown: Spain is too solid
THE PICK: Spain
THE REASON: I think Spain overall plays very well defensively and I think they’re going to be a little bit better than some of the teams so far that Messi has gone up against. I think they’re going to contain him pretty well. I think they’re going to keep him in front and I think they’re going to not let him all of a sudden break free. Defensively, they stay very tight, very organized, they don’t give up a whole lot of shots let alone goals, so I think with their defense and the way they work together as a team defensively is what’s going to do it. I think Yamal is going to score the game-winner. I think they’re going to win 2-1.
Spain plays a very simplistic game. They keep it very simple and they’re very disciplined. They’ve been through this before, they know the game is not going to be won in the first 10 minutes. It’s not going to be won in the first 20 minutes. It’s not going to be won in the first half. So, they’ve got stay organized, which they will, and they’ll stay compact and they’ll have good possession. This game is not going to be a bunch of risks. It’s not going to be like that England-France game. It’s going to be a very close game. They’re going to stay behind the ball and they’re not going to give any big transition type goals or breakaways. They’re just too good, they’re too solid. Argentina might want to open it up a little bit, but I don’t think they’re going to be able to.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP MOMENT: One of Yamal’s gifts, and he’s so young which is so impressive that he can do this, is he’s really good on set pieces. If Argentina gets a little chippy and they play a little too aggressive – it’ll be very interesting to see how the referee calls the game in the beginning – Spain’s going to be looking to take a foul 20-22 yards out and I think the game winner is going to come from something like that. I think he’s going to have a direct kick and he’s going to put it in a spot the Argentinian goalkeeper is not going to be able to get.
Riverview Sports News 