Category: WOODSTOWN

CJ quite a catch

Pennsville sophomore among state’s leading receivers, includes the Salem County football leaders through games of Oct. 4

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Overbrook at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 6 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Pennsville at St. Joseph (Hamm.), 6:30 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – CJ Johnson caught 10 times more passes in this year’s season opener than he had all of last season and he hasn’t slowed down yet.

The Pennsville sophomore snared 11 passes in that overtime win over Woodstown and has 42 catches on the year, tied for third most in the state regardless of classification going into this week’s games. His 630 receiving yards rank No. 1. He’s only needs nine catches to top the Eagles’ entire team total of a year ago and he’s on pace to become their most prolific receiver in more than 17 years.

Having a breakout year hasn’t surprised him, but the numbers and the exposure have.

“It definitely caught me by surprise,” he said. “I knew this year I would have to step up from all the seniors who graduated. I definitely did think I would have a good season, but this is definitely taking me by surprise.”

The Eagles have been a run-heavy offense throughout Mike Healy’s 10-year run as head coach, even with a strong-armed quarterback like Robbie McDade the last few years, but without an established returning running back and a young offensive line this year they had to find another way to move the ball. They’ve been airing it out all year with only last week’s rainy conditions crimping their style.

Junior quarterback Jake Layfield is just outside the top 10 passers in the state in his first year as a starter and is far and away the leading passer in Salem County. The top five receivers in the county all wear Pennsville blue.

“We kind of knew going into the season we weren’t going to be a run-heavy team like in the past,” Healy said. “Our experience and our older guys were more on the outside, so we were going to have to take advantage of that.

“Going into the season we had high expectations for CJ. We saw some flashes last year; we knew there was more there. Luckily it worked out. We were kind of counting on him to produce and he’s done more than we even expected, so it’s turned into a pretty good combination for us. It’s been different to watch, but it’s been exciting to see.”

The Eagles had only 50 receptions as a team last year. They’ve only had four receivers with at least 50 catches in a season since 2010. Malik Rehmer currently holds the single-season record in Healy’s tenure (50 in 2023). Logan Johnston (2016) and Drew Burdsall (2013) have the most in program history since 2010 (60). Burdsall also had 52 in 2012.

It helps that Johnson is 6-2½ and able to go high, low and across for anything thrown his way. He’s also good at getting yards after the catch. Layfield called the first of Johnson’s two touchdown grabs against Penns Grove last week a “great catch.”

“I have a lot of trust in him,” the quarterback said. “He wins his routes. He knows what he’s doing. Freak athlete. I think the combinations we set him up with play a part with his success. Always want to get the ball in his hands. He’s been put in a good spot and he’s taken every single piece of advantage that he’s had with it.”

And it hasn’t gone unnoticed. The other day a coach from Syracuse checked in with Healy about him. There’s a connection there. Johnson’s uncle Yazeed Haynes was a receiver for the Orange before retiring from football last spring.

“CJ’s a football player; that’s his thing,” Healy said. “He’s got really high goals that we want to help him achieve. He’s going to continue to get better. I don’t think he’s reached his max potential yet at all.”

Pennsville receiving leaders (since 2010)

SINGLE SEASONRECYEARTEAMYEAR
Logan Johnston6020161552013
Drew Burdsall6020131372014
Drew Burdsall5220121282011
Malik Rehmer5020231222016
Ryan Hawthorne4420111172019
Brady Locke4320171142018
CJ Johnson4220261072026
Jeremy Boucher4220151042015
Kyle Pszenny4220141012023

Salem County leaders

Rushing

Penns Grove freshman Jaivon Thomas (1) leads the county in rushing. Top photo: Pennsville sophomore CJ Johnson (9) leads the state in receiving yards and is on pace to become the Eagles’ most prolific receiver in the last 17 years.
PLAYERCAR.YARDSTD
Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove6673310
Kenny Bartee, Schalick7771410
Cashmir Parsley, Salem665204
Cole Ware, Woodstown644312
Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove593928
David Stewart, Schalick403655
Tristan Horner, Pennsville512534
Ayden Jenkins, Schalick452261
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown361905
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville181812
Desmund Thomas, Salem141043
DezYon Purnell, Schalick161022
Adrian Alleyne, Salem151010
TyRell West, Woodstown25873
Kyvion Parsons, Salem14812
Isiah Santiago, Salem20801
Savior Allah, Penns Grove6791
Zahvier Reeder, Penns Grove5730
Freddie Allen, Schalick12601

Passing

Pennsville quarterback Jake Mayfield has passed for as many yards as the next eight Salem County quarterbacks combined. (All photos by Lucky Shot Pix)
PLAYERC-A-IYARDSTD
Jake Layfield, Pennsville107-171-8125412
Mason Middlemiss, Woodstown18-32-43424
Kenny Bartee, Schalick12-31-03222
Desmund Thomas, Salem21-25-12884
Owen McDonald, Salem10-22-21051
Noah Chiu, Woodstown5-6-0631
Gabriel McFarland, Schalick3-4-0491
Damien Robinson, Penns Grove17-26-1442
Kyvion Parsons, Salem3-11-2411

Receiving

PLAYERNO.YARDSTD
Chase Johnson, Pennsville426307
Lucas Thomas, Pennsville181432
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville111440
Tristan Horner, Pennsville11431
Jacob Kimani, Pennsville101261
Andrew White, Woodstown92755
Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove81302
Danny Knight, Pennsville81180
Quemere Bergen, Salem7932
KaiSiere Muhammad, Salem6980
Ahmad Tucker, Salem6812
Isiah Santiago, Salem5450
Cole Ware, Woodstown5300
Omari Robinson, Penns Grove4601
Savior Allah, Penns Grove4260
Shawn Kelly, Schalick31452
David Stewart, Schalick3651
Gio Alicea, Schalick3561
Nehemiah Carter, Woodstown3530
Evan Elliott, Schalick3401
Javion Sydnor, Pennsville3260
Dante Cummings, Pennsville3131

Defense

SACKS —7: Tony Merendino, Salem; 6.5: JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove; Omari Robinson, Penns Grove; 6: Omari Robinson, Penns Grove; 5.5: Myshion Barnes, Salem; 4: Mahkye Murray, Salem; Bradley Snitcher, Woodstown; 3: Xavier Csaszar, woodstown; Evan Elliott, Schalick; Nick Lopergolo, Schalick; Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove; 2.5: Rex Hannah, Woodstown; 2: Raymond Brown, Salem; Kamal Chatum, Salem; Dillon Garrity, Woodstown; Maliq Reddick, Penns Grove; Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove; Aiden Torres, Schalick; Isaac Wright, Penns Grove

INTERCEPTIONS — 5: Jacob Kimani, Pennsville; 4: Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove; 3: Grady Sanders, Pennsville; David Stewart, Schalick; 2: Gio Alicea, Schalick; Noah Blunt, Schalick; Jaivon Thomas, Penns Grove; Danny Knight, Pennsville; Jerry Wooton, Penns Grove

Team Leaders

TEAMRUSHC-A-IPASSPFPA
PENNS GROVE (4-1)124319-30-121316952
PENNSVILLE (3-3)415107-171-8125413197
SALEM (3-3)98034-58-5434138105
SCHALICK (6-0)149918-40-040520549
WOODSTOWN (3-3)74323-40-4405111131

Wolverines sweep

Farrell, repeat winner Marino lead Woodstown to its first boys-girls team sweep in Salem County Cross Country Championship since 2011

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – After dutifully following the leaders for three years waiting for his turn, David Farrell has finally become the leader of Woodstown’s cross country pack and has embraced the role and all of its responsibilities.

Where once he was making his way behind two or three older veterans, he’s the one bringing them along now. He was right where he was supposed to be Wednesday, leading the Wolverines across the line to win the Salem County Cross Country boys race and lead them to another team championship.

Farrell ran the 5K course at Salem Tech in 16:38.89. Woodstown won the team title for the third year in a row, placing all five counters in the top 10 and trimming runner-up Salem Tech by 13 points.

Abby Marino ran away with the girls race despite battling seasonal stuffiness, winning in 18:51.24, a time that was five seconds faster than the PR she ran finishing second at the Osprey Invite two weekends ago and nearly two and a half minutes ahead of race runner-up Sawyer Slad of Pennsville. It was more than a minute faster than her winning time a year ago at Schalick.

She also led the Wolverines to their first girls county team title since 2015, edging Schalick in what became a head-to-head team competition by 13 points and ending the Cougars’ seven-year stranglehold on the crown.

It was the first time since 2011 the Wolverines swept both team county titles.

In his first three years in the program, Farrell was always among the Wolverines’ top runners, but in the pecking orderthe he was always a follower. As a freshman, he was behind Karson Chew and Jake Marino. As a sophomore it was Chew, Marino and Cole Lucas, and then last year it was back to Chew and Marino. Always a vital cog, even to the decorated 4×800 relay team in the spring, but always deferring to the captains.

With all of them now gone, he was now the alpha with a county title within his grasp, but he was always cognizant of his responsibility.

“It sort of felt like the team was handed over to me, like I have to be responsible now,” Farrell said. “Being a captain is a little different. I was always with those guys and they were always pushing me (to succeed), so I’m doing the same thing to rest of the team.

“(Coach Steve New) said a team is only as good as its captain allows it to be. That requires whoever is captain to uplift the rest of the team. I want to see them do well, so I try to push them every day. The biggest difference is now I’m the one getting asked the questions, so I have to know those things more and lead the team. Every other race before this I would just look at our captain. I’d try to stick to them. Now I’m trying to push the other guys.”

New never doubted Farrell had the wherewithal to assume the leadership position.

“Dave puts all the work in, so I’m not worried about that,” New said. “That kid works his tail off. You don’t have to worry about him ever putting in the necessary work to get the job done, so I’m not concerned about his training ever and he’s a smart kid. He understands how to race. He’s been in so many high-pressure situations this past winter on that 4×8 that like any race he comes to now it’s almost lower pressure even though it’s just on him. He knows how to handle it. He knows how to deal with it. He’s battle tested.

“He knew what he needed to do. He was around hard workers when he came in. He’s a hard worker himself. I don’t think it was a difficult transition for him because he works so hard on his own anyway. Getting him to run hard is not a challenge.”

And New thinks the senior still has more to show. He sometimes goes out a little more conservative than the coach would like and the day he goes out fast the coach is convinced “he’s going to light it up.”

On Wednesday he led a tight group off the start line as the Wolverines tried to pack run early to establish control. About a mile into the race Farrell figured he could take it from there and proceeded to stretch it out. He finished 32 seconds ahead of runner-up teammate Pacey Hutton.

Marino, meanwhile, just didn’t feel good all day, but nothing was going to keep her from going to the start line and give it all she had. It was simply, as always, a case of mind over matter – if she didn’t mind, it didn’t matter.

She broke out early and was never threatened. Her lead was so large for so long, she was appreciative of the coaches and teammates finding her at various points on the course to offer encouragement and keep her engaged. She admitted if they weren’t there she would’ve sat back a lot more.

“The temperature change has been rough,” she said. “I really couldn’t breathe through my nose the whole race. It definitely didn’t feel good. It made it super hard, but it’s more of a mental (challenge) than anything. If you believe you can do it, you can do it. I have a job to do and I’m going to do it to my best ability.”

All in all, it was a day that put her beliefs in competition to the test and confirmed her approach to the sport.

“If you put your mind to it, you can do anything, especially cross country along with a lot of other sports,” she said. “It’s all mental and once you realize if you believe in yourself you can really push your limits so much more.”

SALEM COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

BOYS SCORES: Woodstown 25, Salem Tech 38, Schalick 80, Pennsville 112, Salem 119
GIRLS SCORES: Woodstown 21, Schalick 34
BOYS TOP 15GIRLS TOP 10
David Farrell, Woodstown16:38.89Abby Marino, Woodstown18:51.24
Pacey Hutton, Woodstown17:10.49Sawyer Slad, Pennsville21:15.60
Levi Seals, Salem Tech17:17.95Reese Madiraca, Woodstown21:55.48
Torsten Duva, Woodstown17:22.83Peyton Michel, Pennsville21:55.95
Carter Marts, Pennsville17:23.14Helen Lillia, Schalick22:47.71
Anthony Morano, Salem Tech17:50.23Emma Wilbur, Schalick22:57.17
Jean-Pierre Pozo, Salem Tech17:55.19Anabel Schaal, Woodstown23:08.10
Joseph MacNeil, Salem Tech17:56.69Lucianna Mannella, Woodstown23:38.60
Nicolas Law, Woodstown18:03.74Harper Mulford, Pennsville23:41.48
Michael Turner, Woodstown18:10.40Kiera Porch, Woodstown23:55.34
Collin Bittle, Schalick18:17.10
Aidan Cain, Schalick18:17.37
Aidan Dominguez, Penns Grove18:27.60
Chase Pompper, Salem Tech18:35.25
Jackson Perry, Woodstown18:36.65
Woodstown’s Abby Marino checks her watch as she hits the finish line first in the Salem County girls race. Top photo: Woodstown’s David Farrell wins the county boys race.

Hall inducts new class

Eclectic class of inductees to be enshrined in the Salem County Sports Hall of Fame in ceremonies at Salem CC in January

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

This year’s Salem County Sports Hall of Fame induction class has it all. It covers a variety of sports, a cross-section of the high schools in the county and even some international flair.

It features a legendary coach, one of the most prolific scorers in county basketball history, an athlete whose success reaches from the field to the sidelines, one of the best athletes the county ever produced, a World Cup soccer player and an administrator who raised the entire athletics profile at his school.

This year’s Hall of Fame induction class features – drum roll, please – Geoff Shute, Joe Hickman, Sean Collins, Steve Ware, Tierrny Wiltshire and community honoree Jack Swain.

“It’s an extraordinary group of athletes and coaches, a well-deserved honor and I’m privileged to be able to do this,” said Salem Community College president and SCSHOF committee member Mike Gorman, “When you look at Shute and Collins, they have coaching resumes that are extraordinary. Collins also has a player’s resume that is well deserving. Hickman was a legend in basketball in the county.

“Look at Steve Ware. I was his assistant principal at that time, so I knew that Class of ’85 very well – and it’s one of the few times that Woodstown beat Delsea. And Tierrny –the World Cup. Most of us didn’t even have tickets to the World Cup much less be playing in it.”

Shute was Pennsville’s cross country coach from 2001 t0 2016, compiling a dual meet record of 114-15 with 77 wins in a row between 2004 and 2016. He won 11 Tri-County Conference division titles, nine Salem County crowns and the 2006 state championship among his eight top-five finishes at the state meet.

Hickman is Woodstown’s all-time leading scorer in basketball (1,726 points) and tied for fourth on the Salem County all-time list. He remembered for being a leader on some Wolverines teams in the early ’70s that endured some tough times.

“I’ve had an opportunity to talk to a lot of people in the community that know him,” Woodstown athletics director Joe Ursino said. “Obviously I don’t know him well because my time started after his involvement, but there’s more than just the basketball side of it. From the stories I hear and the teams he was on, some of the things, just the way the world was, that that team went through, the first thing everybody will tell you is he was a leader of that team. On top of that, his play made it evident he was going to lead the team.

“I had an opportunity to sit next to him at the playoff game when we went to Salem last year. I don’t know if he knew who I was, but I knew who he was and for me, as a former basketball coach, a former coach at Woodstown, it was a neat experience, because you could still see his passion for Woodstown, you can see his passion for the game. When you’re a basketball player and you know how to play the game, it doesn’t matter what year the game is being played in you can find the intricacies of it and you could see him recognizing them. It was just neat to be part of that.”

Ware was a three-sport athlete at Woodstown who went on to set football records at Trenton State (now TCNJ). In 1984 he set the school’s single-game rushing record that stood until 2022 and in 1985 set the single-season rushing record that also stood until 2022. 

Collins enjoyed success both as a player and a coach. He was a multiple all-star in football, baseball and basketball, His 1,393 career points in basketball ranks in the top 20 on the county list. As a coach he won more than 100 games and two different schools (111 at Schalick). He has now been inducted into six Halls of Fame.

Wiltshire was born in Elmer and played three seasons at Schalick, where she also played basketball and ran track. After high school she played a Rutgers, then played professionally overseas and in the NWSL ultimately competing for Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The sixth member of the class, Swain, is the retiring superintendent of Salem County Vocational Technical Schools. During his tenure Salem Tech has built an entire athletics program at the school, providing its student-athletes the chance to play for the school they attend. After bringing field hockey, baseball and softball on line last year, about the only sports missing from the school’s lineup is football and wrestling.

The committee also will be recognizing Pennsville’s 2006 cross country state championship team coached by Shute, as well as this past academic year’s state champions.

This Hall of Fame class will be enshrined in Salem CC’s Davidow Theatre on Jan. 15, 2027, a seasonal date that will remain consistent on the Hall calendar going forward. The event is free and open to the public.

Tough tennis draw

Wolverines run into a buzzsaw in SJ Group 1 tennis quarters; also, Woodstown girls soccer blanks Overbrook on Senior Day, Schalick’s Spinnato scores twice on Penns Grove again, and more

GIRLS TENNIS
SJ Group 1 Quarterfinals
Pitman 5, Roselle Park 0
Haddon Twp. 3, Gateway 2
Metuchen 5, Woodstown 0
New Providence 4, Woodbridge Magnet 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The seedings said Woodstown was the favorite, but the Wolverines looked very much like the underdog.

Metuchen came to the Woodstown Tennis Complex Tuesday with a one-loss record and No. 6 seeding, but headed back up the turnpike after sweeping the third-seeded Wolverines 5-0 in the quarterfinals of the South Jersey Group 1 tennis tournament.

“It’s a little curious; they probably should’ve been a lower number,” Wolverines coach Jesse Stemberger said. “In a match like that you’ve got to play perfect and you’ve got to play perfectly in at least three positions to get that done and we didn’t do that. I think we left some points out there.

“They came out fast and once you find yourself down it’s tough. It’s tough to climb out of.”

The Bulldogs (11-1) clinched the match with wins at both doubles and No. 1 singles. The Wolverines (8-7) didn’t go quietly, though. Even though the match was decided, No. 3 singles Angelina Lindenmuth came from 6-5 down in the second set to win the set in a tiebreaker (7-2) before losing the 10-point match tiebreaker 10-0.

“I thought she did a nice job; I thought she battled,” Stemberger said. “The tiebreakers are obviously tough. The last three matches we played some pretty tough teams and sometimes you gotta look for a break and I knew I wasn’t going to get one today.”

The loss doesn’t end Woodstown’s season. They get right back at it Thursday in a TCC Diamond Division showdown with Schalick. The Wolverines hold a one-game lead on the Cougars in the standings and would go up by two games on everybody with two to play if they win.

“Where we are from where we started I think we’re improving and we’re doing well,” Stemberger said. “Just trying to get better every day.”

Top photo: Woodstown’s Madison LaPalomento returns a shot to Metuchen’s Chelsea Lu during their No. 1 singles match in the South Jersey Group 1 Quarterfinals Tuesday.

SJ Group 1 Quarterfinals
METUCHEN 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Chelsea Lu (M) def. Madison LaPalomento, 6-2, 6-2
Julia Armour (M) def. Emma West, 6-3, 6-1
Veronica Bazko (M) def. Angelina Lindenmuth, 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 10-0
Sarah Gonzalz-Sofia Gonzalez (M) def. Emilee Kehr-Elliana Norman, 6-2, 6-2
Fatima Rizwan-Ameera Basha (M) def. Eleanore Lawson-Isabella Lindenmuth, 6-2, 6-0
Records: Metuchen 1101, Woodstown 8-7

Girls soccer

TUESDAY’S SCORES
Woodstown 3, Overbrook 0
Clayton 6, Pennsville 0
Salem Tech 4, Salem 2
Schalick 7, Penns Grove 0

WOODSTOWN – And the young ones led them on Senior Day.

Freshman Mariah Hyman had a goal and an assist, sophomores Hailey Kucharczuk and Genevieve Flynn each scored and the defense was impenetrable as Woodstown blanked Overbrook 3-0 before celebrating its four seniors. It was the seventh time this year the Wolverines (9-2-1) rendered an opponent scoreless.

Hyman assisted on Kucharczuk’s goal midway through the first half and scored her own with 14 minutes left in the match. Flynn scored on a long shot 10 minutes before halftime.

“We possessed super well in the first half,” Woodstown coach Kieran Keyser said. “Overbrook packed it in pretty good; they were blocking shots left and right. We got a ton of shots on goal, couldn’t convert. It took us 20 minutes to break in. Once we scored the first goal we kind of relaxed and settled in.

“It’s great to get a win on Senior Night. We have four seniors. Huge part of the program and sad to see them go, but happy to get a win on Senior Night.”

The Wolverines’ four seniors are Ally Sheppard, Delia Hahn, Sadie Moore and Reese Venable. They were recognized with posters behind the dugout and their jersey numbers stenciled along the sideline, and honored in ceremonies after the game.

“Our seniors played well,” Keyser said. “We don’t have a senior goal-scorer, not that we don’t have scorers who are seniors, but we have more underclassmen and both our senior starters are backs and one of them works in at the middie. We had to get the job done and the freshmen pulled through.”

SCHALICK 7, PENNS GROVE 0: Olivia Vanacker scored twice and Mackenzie Talarico had a goal and two assists to lead the Cougars (8-2). Giuliana Martin, Kassady Sickler, Karlie Bakley and Nicolette Bloomer each had one goal. The Cougars’ last seven wins have all been by shutout.

CLAYTON 6, PENNSVILLE 0: Nicole Lemon and Mikaela Sciubba both had hat tricks and the Clippers scored three goals in each half.

Boys soccer

TUESDAY’S SCORES
Clayton 4, Pennsville 2: 
Schalick 6, Penns Grove 0
Woodstown 3, Overbrook 0

PITTSGROVE – Marco Spinnato continued his scoring assault on Salem County teams in general and Penns Grove in particular when he scored a pair of goals in Schalick’s 6-0 win over Penns Grove.

Spinnato, a junior, scored both of his goals in the first half. It was the second time this year he’s scored a pair against the Red Devils. Of his 18 career goals, 11 have come against Salem County opponents, nine in five games against Penns Grove.

Tim Koering also scored twice. Tyler Vanlier and Ryan Loper each scored once.

WOODSTOWN 3, OVERBROOK 0: Ayden Ellis scored twice and Landon Gugliemo once and the Wolverines’ defense kept the Rams off keeper Lee Coombs to snap a three-game losing streak, their longest since 2022.

Power play

Holmes’ big shot helps Woodstown beat Schalick for second time this season; Salem Tech just about seals up division title

TUESDAY FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville 3, Salem 0
Salem Tech 3, Gloucester Catholic 1
Woodstown 3, Schalick 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Lux Holmes couldn’t say she was surprised by the first question in her post-game interview. Woodstown had just scored a huge TCC Diamond Division win over archrival Schalick 3-1 with Holmes scoring the final goal, but instead asking about the impact of the game the inquisitor wanted to know the impact she had on the ball.

How hard do you hit that field hockey slap shot?

Holmes hit a rocket from the top of the circle with 10:33 left in the third quarter that would make Alex Ovechkin feel proud. The ball made a loud bang in the back of the cage after it whizzed past Schalick goalie Jayonna Johnson’s left shoulder in a blur.

“It’s probably like 90 percent of the things they say about hockey; it’s always about my hits,” the junior back said. “It’s pretty much everything they bring up. They usually ask how I do it and if I can pass it down. Usually they wonder how I do it and I couldn’t tell you.”

They can’t argue with the results.

Counting the one she got Tuesday, Holmes has scored four goals in her high school career and they’ve all come off big hits, usually with somebody getting it to her off a corner. “I’ve never been one of the ones to tap it in,” she said.

She’s never had her shot measured and Wolverines coach Gloria Byard never thought to do it. “That’s a good idea, though; I think I should figure it out,” Holmes said. Suffice to say you don’t want to stand in front of it without goalie pads, and even then it doesn’t tickle.

“I’ve always said when we do corners I want the ball to go to Lux,” Byard said. “Lux, Brooke (Dillon) too at times, Shyann (Higinbotham), because they’re very difficult to see. With a hit like that, I have no guess as to miles per hour or anything, but it’s very strong very powerful, very accurate.

“But they’ve gotta feel they can do it. It’s hard to convince kids today you’re in control. At times they panic, I wouldn’t ask you take the shot or do what I’m asking you to do if I didn’t have trust in you or think you can do it. They want to do a lot of these fancy plays. Get a shot off. I’m old school – get the ball to the top of the circle, get a shot off, and I think that happened twice for us.”

There was a lot on the line in the game. Schalick was riding a seven-game winning streak after a balky start and one game behind the Wolverines in the loss column in the division standings. Woodstown was looking to snap a two-game losing streak and complete a season sweep of their rival, getting a bit of payback after the Cougars beat them twice the year before. The teams started the day 6-7 in the South Jersey Group 1 power points standings.

“We just wanted to pay them back from last year; they beat us twice last year,” Byard said. “I know they lost a few key players, so did we, but it was a little rivalry thing here and paybacks. I told them they beat us twice last year, so let’s return the favor.”

The Wolverines scored twice in the first quarter and never looked back. Talia Guardascione scored five minutes into the game and Joey Foote scored off a corner as time was expiring. Paisley Warner got Schalick within 2-1 when she made a spin move in front of an open net and scored 2:46 before halftime.

SALEM TECH 3, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1: The Chargers all but locked up their first TCC Classic Division title in their first year eligible. Their seventh straight win left them 6-0 in the division, two games ahead of each Pennsville and the Rams and they handed those teams both their division losses.

“I didn’t think it was going to be a long time (before they won a division title), but I didn’t think it was going to be as short as the time was,” junior forward Gina LaRosa said Monday. “I think we really came together as a team and made it happen.”

Getting out fast has been a key element for the Chargers (8-2) during their seven-game winning streak, but it was the Rams (2-4) who struck quickly in this one as Alana Bellan found the back of the goal 20 seconds into the game. 

Abby Beals got the equalizer and Hayden Crispin made it 2-1 before the first quarter ended. Araya DiGregorio scored the final goal in the third quarter.

PENNSVILLE 3, SALEM 0: Laura Tamberella, Toni Tobin and Polina Wright all scored goals as the Eagles (3-7) snapped a six-game losing streak. Kendall Hoyt had two assists.

Top photo: Schalick’s Genevieve Smith (R) tries to turn the ball away from Woodstown’s Margaux Lipovsky during Tuesday’s field hockey game.

Woodstown field hockey coach Gloria Byard gives a little advice to senior Talia Guardascione during Tuesday’s game against Schalick.


Standings

Here are the WJFL Diamond/Independence and TCC Diamond/Classic division standings through Oct. 3

WJFL Football

DIAMONDALLDIVINDEPENDENCEALLDIV
Schalick6-03-0Woodstown3-33-0
Paulsboro4-21-`Penns Grove4-12-0
Overbrook2-42-1Clayton4-11-1
Burlington City2-41-2Woodbury2-41-2
Salem3-31-2Pitman2-30-2
Pennsville3-30-3Buena2-40-3

TCC Boys Soccer

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Clayton5-54-0Schalick6-25-0
Pennsville3-52-1Overbrook5-43-2
Salem Tech6-42-2Penns Grove6-2-12-2-1
Salem0-50-2Woodstown5-5-12-3
Glou Cath0-80-3Glassboro4-4-11-3-1
Pitman3-6-11-4

TCC Girls Soccer

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Pitman5-45-0Schalick7-24-0
Glou Cath4-33-1Woodstown8-2-13-1
Pennsville5-43-2Overbrook4-52-2
Clayton5-42-3Penns Grove2-50-3
Salem Tech1-61-4Glassboro0-80-3
Salem0-80-4

TCC Field Hockey

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Salem Tech6-24-0Woodstown6-34-0
Pennsville2-62-1Schalick7-22-1
Glou Cath2-31-1Overbrook5-32-1
Salem1-81-3Glass/Pit2-41-3
Clayton0-40-3Deptford4-70-4

TCC Girls Tennis

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Pitman11-44-0Woodstown8-55-0
Pennsville9-42-2Schalick8-54-1
Glassboro6-52-2Timber Cr4-62-2
Glou Cath0-00-0Overbrook2-71-4
Salem0-70-5Penns Grove0-80-5

This week’s schedule

Here is this week’s Salem County sports calendar for the week of Oct. 5-10

MONDAY, OCT. 5
BOYS SOCCER
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Salem
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Salem Tech
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Moorestown Friends, 3:45 p.m.
Salem at Cumberland
Schalick at Vineland
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Triton, 5:15 p.m.
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Salem CC at Cecil, 6 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Bucks County at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m.


TUESDAY, OCT. 6
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Salem
Schalick at Woodstown
Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech, 4:15 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Pennsville
Penns Grove at Schalick
Woodstown at Overbrook
GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Woodstown
Pennsville at Clayton
Salem at Salem Tech
Schalick at Penns Grove
GIRLS TENNIS
Regular season
Salem at Triton
SJ Group 1 Quarterfinals
Roselle Park at Pitman
Gateway at Haddon Twp.
Metuchen at Woodstown
Woodbridge Magnet at New Providence 


WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7
BOYS SOCCER
Camden Academy Charter at Salem
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Highland, 5:15 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
Salem County Championship, Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
West Deptford at Schalick
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 7 p.m.


THURSDAY, OCT. 8
WJFL FOOTBALL
Robbinsville at Bordentown, 6 p.m.
Mainland at Millville, 6 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Burlington City at Salem Tech
Deptford at Woodstown
Pennsville at Clayton
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
Schalick at Haddon Heights
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem Tech
Glassboro at Woodstown
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic
Pitman at Penns Grove
Schalick at Overbrook, 4:15 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville
Overbrook at Schalick
Salem at Pitman
Salem Tech at Clayton
Woodstown at Glassboro
GIRLS TENNIS
Regular season
Penns Grove at Timber Creek
Woodstown at Schalick
SJ Group 1 Semifinals
(at higher seed)
Roselle Park-Pitman winner vs. Gateway-Haddon Twp. winner
Metuchen-Woodstown winner vs. Woodbridge Magnet-New Providence winner
VOLLEYBALL
LEAP at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.


FRIDAY, OCT. 9
WJFL FOOTBALL
Overbrook at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
Pennsville at St. Joseph (Hamm.), 6:30 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 6 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Pitman at KIPP, 6 p.m.
Lindenwold at Buena, 6 p.m.
Woodbury at Collingswood, 6 p.m.
Burlington City at Riverside, 5:30 p.m.
Paulsboro at Haddonfield
Cherry Hill East vs. Cherry Hill West, 6 p.m.
Ewing at Delran, 6 p.m.
Washington Twp. at Cherokee, 6 p.m.
Pleasantville at Lower Cape May, 6 p.m.
Eastern at Rancocas Valley, 6 p.m.
Triton at Highland, 6 p.m.
Allentown at Sterling, 6 p.m.
Gateway at Deptford, 6 p.m.
Mastern Camden at Wildwood, 6 p.m.
Vineland at Oakcrest, 6 p.m.
Lenape at Trenton, 6 p.m.
Camden Eastside at Cedar Creek, 6 p.m.
Seneca at Hammonton, 6 p.m.
Kingsway at Camden, 6 p.m.
Steinert at Hopewell Valley, 6 p.m.
Maple Shade at Palmyra, 6 p.m.
St. Augustine at Shawnee, 6 p.m.
Northern Burlington at Notre Dame, 6 p.m.
Middle Twp. at Ocean City, 6 p.m.
Nottingham at Timber Creek, 6 p.m.
Cumberland at Egg Harbor, 6 p.m.
Lawrence at Hightstown, 6 p.m.
Bishop Eustace at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
Williamstown at Delsea, 7 p.m.
Moorestown at Clearview, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Absegami
Salem Tech at Maple Shade
BOYS SOCCER
NJTAC Tournament
Salem Tech at Penn Tech, 3:45 p.m.


SATURDAY, OCT. 10
WJFL FOOTBALL
Haddonfield at Paulsboro, 11 a.m.
Princeton at Hamilton West, 11 a.m.
Gloucester at Haddon Heights, 11:30 a.m.
Absegami at Pemberton noon
Cinnaminson at Willingboro, noon
Florence at Gloucester Catholic, 1 p.m.
Bridgeton at Pennsauken, 1 p.m.
Glassboro at Burlington Twp., 1:30 p.m.
West Deptford at West. Nassau (Fla.), 6 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Mainland at Schalick, 10 a.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Nottingham, 11 a.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
South Jersey Open, Dream Park, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC Jamboree, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Felician

WJFL Scoreboard

Here are the scores from the West Jersey Football League schedule for the week of Oct. 1-3

SATURDAY, OCT. 3
Salem 40, Woodstown 7
Paulsboro 50, Woodbury 24
Pitman 48, Gloucester Catholic 8
Mastern Camden at Audubon
Bridgeton 35, Atlantic Tech 0
Pennsauken 17, Trenton 8
Ewing 44, Cherry Hill West 27
Pemberton at Hamilton West
Steinert 15, Hammonton 14
Winslow at Red Bank Catholic
Ocean City 26, Oakcrest 18
Lower Cape May 40, Middle Twp. 8

FRIDAY, OCT. 2
Pennsville 14, Penns Grove 12
Buena 28, Wildwood 14
West Deptford 59, Overbrook 8
Clayton 40, Gateway 0
WW-Plainsboro at Lindenwold
Paul VI 35, Eastern 7
KIPP at Lawrence
Holy Cross 14, Florence 6
Seneca 27, Hopewell Valley 13
Nottingham at Delran
Williamstown 15, Kingsway 14
Delsea 41, Triton 27
Notre Dame 20, Allentown 8
Shawnee 24, Lenape 23
Timber Creek 43, Absegami 0
Rancocas Valley 21, Millville 20
Maple Shade at Sterling
Lower Cape May at Middle Twp.
St. Augustine 49, Burlington Twp. 0
Atlantic City 49, Mainland 13
Holy Spirit 27, Pleasantville 22
Glassboro 43, Willingboro 19
Cedar Creek 20, Cherokee 14
Bordentown 58, Hightstown 20
Cinnaminson 20, Camden Catholic 0
Gloucester 42, Riverside 7
Bishop Eustace 34, Haddon Twp. 0
Moorestown 20, Robbinsville 14

THURSDAY, OCT. 1
Schalick 41, Cumberland 15
Northern Burlington 31, Princeton 7
Clearview 14, Highland 6
Deptford 34, Collingswood 0
Burlington City 44, Palmyra 12
Oakcrest at Ocean City
Washington Twp. 42, Cherry Hill East 13
St. Joe (Hamm.) 35, Egg Harbor 14
Permian (Tex.) 28, Camden 13

Blue Storm brewing

Salem’s defense never rests against Woodstown, combining with Thomas’ efficiency for a 40-7 win over Woodstown

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – The bad weather cleared out right before the start of the game, but luckily for the Salem football team the Blue Storm stayed around.

Rams head coach Kemp Carr put the moniker on his defense before the season started and the unit lived up to the name Saturday. They were aggressive, they were fast and they were physical. And with an offense equally impressive in the hands of Desmund Thomas, it added up to a 40-7 homecoming win over Woodstown.

The defense established its presence right from the start. On the first defensive play of the game, the Rams threw Cole Ware for a five-yard loss on a screen pass and knocked him out of the game. On the next play, Tony Merendino broke into the backfield and dropped TyRell West for a three-yard loss. Six of Woodstown’s first eight plays and seven of their first 10 were negative impact plays. The Wolverines had only six yards net rushing in the first half and 17 in the game.

“That’s what we want to be; we want to be a storm,” Carr said. “When a storm comes, people run for shelter. That storm can be many different storms. Storms come in many different volumes. It comes with violence, sometimes it comes with a lot of noise, and we want to be that.

“There are a lot of facets around that. We’ve got three things we want to do every week. We want to be disciplined, we want to communicate and we want to be violent. I think we answered all three of those bells.”

Merendino, a transfer from Woodstown, really showed out against his former team with 2.5 sacks, several other tackles for loss and a fumble recovery that led to the Rams’ fourth touchdown. Carr called it “the strongest game he’s played” with the Rams.

“This one felt extremely important to me because throughout my entire career I was always doubted upon and I took advantage of every opportunity on the field,” the edge rusher said. “I was extremely aggressive because I did understand their offense a lot more, but at the end of the day if he’s not wearing a blue, gray, white jersey or he’s not a Ram, that’s a target.

“We were all excited today. We all wanted this win. I believe we were all hungry for this. I believe this defense could really do something big and special. I believe this could be a state championship defense; we’ve just got to work on our Ps and Qs. That name, It fits the program. As a unit, as an entire team, we come, we conquer, and I believe that this team can go far with that motto.”

Salem’s Tony Merendino (50) comes out of the pile with the football after his fumble recovery in the second quarter Saturday. (Photo by Zachary Ahl)

The defense playing as well as it did made it a lot more comfortable for Thomas and the Rams’ offense to function; more pressure by their defense, less pressure on their offense. The Rams scored on six of their first seven possessions in the game, and the only one they missed was an interception in the end zone from inside the 30. They scored on all six of their meaningful possession in Thomas’ season debut last week against Overbrook.

“They’re a different team with him at quarterback,” Woodstown coach Frank Trautz said.  “He makes them a much more dangerous offense.”

Thomas completed 14 pf 18 passes for 144 yards to seven different receivers against the Wolverines and had five carries for 41 yards. He threw for two touchdowns – to Ahmad Tucker and Kyvion Parsons — and ran for two more – all in the first half. The pass to Tucker he threw sidearm. In his two games back, he is 21-of-25 passing for 285 and four touchdowns for a passer efficiency rating of 224.56.

Carr continues to say the senior is one of the top five quarterbacks in South Jersey. He cites maturity as the key to Thomas’ increased efficiency over a year ago.

“I’m just trying to do better every game,” Thomas said. “I feel like I got better this game.”

Salem’s Kamal Chatum (2) hauls down Woodstown quarterback Mason Middlemiss. (Photo by Zachary Ahl)

The Salem defense was so aggressive they left the Wolverines in a condition similar to the Thanksgiving Day Classic/Rivalry Week trophy the Rams retained for winning the game. 

Four significant Woodstown players were knocked out of the game. Ware went out with an ankle injury on that first screen pass, seriously crimped the Wolverines’ offense the rest of the day. It got even bleaker when quarterback Mason Middlemiss (ankle) and center Rex Hannah (head) went out on the same play later in the first quarter. And Asher Fitzpatrick (shoulder) joined them later.

Cole and Middlemiss both went for X-rays after the game. The images were negative, indicating sprained ankles for both. The status of the four going forward will be better determined early next week. The Wolverines host Overbrook Friday.

The Wolverines went through a similar rash of injuries last year that was so severe as many as nine starters were on the sideline at the same time.

“It’s tough when we got, again, guys in key positions go down who we rely on very much,” Wolverines coach Frank Trautz said. “We lose Cole Ware on the first play of the game. It’s tough.

“I was proud of the way the kids came back out at halftime. They battled. They stuck together. This team, we’re learning to stick together. We’re learning to win. And we’re learning to try to get to where we want to go. We’re not going to be the same team in November.”

Noah Chiu replaced Middlemiss at quarterback and directed the Wolverines to their lone touchdown, a 35-yard pass to Andrew White with 4:19 left on a running third quarter clock that capped the opening drive of the second half. Chiu was 3-for-4 on the touchdown drive and finished the game 5-of-8 for 62 yards. 

WOOD (7)SAL (40)
71st Downs13
23-17Rushing23-224
8-14-1Passes14-18-1
130Passing144
3-1Fum-Lost0-0
3-26.3Punts-Avg0-0
10-65Penalties7-80
Woodstown (3-3)0070-7
Salem (3-3)122208-40

SCORING SUMMARY
S-Desmund Thomas 11 run (pass failed), 10:18 1Q
S-Ahmad Tucker 19 pass from Desmund Thomas (run failed), 6:55 1Q
S-Izaiah Santiago 9 run (Myshon Barnes pass from Desmund Thomas), 10:32 2Q
S-Kyvion Parsons 7 pass from Desmund Thomas (Adrian Alleyne run), 6:21 2Q
S-Desmund Thomas 14 run (pass failed), 0:33 2Q
WO-Andrew White 35 pass from Noah Chiu (Jack Bucksar kick), 4:19 3Q
S-Adrian Alleyne 3 run (run failed), 8:33 4Q

The Salem football team celebrates with the trophy that goes with the rivalry after beating Woodstown for the second year in a row. (Photo by Zachary Ahl)