Woodstown strikes in final minute of first half, beats Pennsville in opening round of South Jersey Group I girls soccer tournament; top-seeded Schalick draws first-round bye
SJ GROUP 1 GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENT
FIRST ROUND GAMES
SATURDAY QUARTERFINALS
Schalick bye
Glassboro at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Glassboro 2, Pitman 0
Audubon at Palmyra
Audubon 6, Buena 0
Haddon Twp. at Clayton, 2:30 p.m.
Palmyra 7, Wildwood 0
Woodstown at Gateway
Clayton 9, Woodbury 1
Haddon Twp. 8, Maple Shade 0
Woodstown 2, Pennsville 0
Gateway 7, Cape May Tech 0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — The two teams on the pitch were locked in a scoreless tug-of-war. Woodstown was getting the best of it but after repeated attacks had nothing to show for it. As the clock hit the final minute Wolverines coach Kieran Keyser was starting to make mental plans for the second half.
Then in the blink of an eye the whole complexion of the match changed.
Sophie Wells sent a bouncing ball towards the goal that the Pennsville keeper couldn’t corral and just that quickly the Wolverines had the lead 30 seconds before halftime.
It was the kind of jolt that energized the Wolverines and sent the Eagles, who had thought they were holding their own, into the break looking to regroup.
With a renewed sense of fire, Woodstown kept the pressure up in the second half, added a more conventional goal from freshman Hailey Kucharczuk in the eighth minute of the half and went on to win 2-0 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group 1 girls soccer tournament.
“Our first half we started off really strong, really fast,” Keyser said. “We came out firing right away and I think our girls maybe got a little frustrated when we didn’t score when we had a couple chances early and I thought we deflated a little bit about halfway through the first half. We didn’t have that intensity.
“Having that goal right before the half gave us the momentum we needed. It was a lucky goal. Sometimes you gotta get shots, sometimes you get lucky. That carried us into the second half and I thought we played way better in the second half. We played our game the second half.”
Wells admitted it was weird goal and a shot she didn’t expect to go in. “I thought it was just going to be an ordinary shot,” she said. She agreed it did bring the Wolverines energy after a “stressful” first half.
Pennsville’s Marley Wood clears away another first half Woodstown threat.
As shocking as the goal was in its arrival, it didn’t devastate the Eagles as much as one might think. They created more chances in the second half although the Wolverines were successful keeping the ball down in Pennsville’s end.
The Eagles got their first real shot of the game three minutes into the second half when Marley Wood broke in on the keeper and Ellie Wygand saved a soft shot. Wygand turned back a sharper shot from Taylor Bass 10 minutes later and went on to complete her ninth shutout of the season.
“At halftime we just needed to get the girls’ heads back in the game, get them to lock in and refocus,” Pennsville coach Casey Slusher said. “They kept playing the whole game; they played the whole game. They didn’t give up. At all.”
Kucharczuk gave the Wolverines a little more breathing room with her 10th goal of the season. She took a throw-in from Ally Sheppard, deked around several defenders in the box and put one inside the near post from the 6.
“When I have the chance I definitely take them and it’s definitely great when it all works out,” Kucharczuk said.
The seventh-seeded Wolverines (14-3-1) now play at Gateway (16-1) in Saturday’s quarterfinals. The second-seeded Gators routed Cape May Tech Wednesday 7-0.
Pennsville’s Cameron Robbins (3) keeps an eye on Emma Perry as the Woodstown senior tries to take the ball down the sideline. (Top photo) Woodstown’s Hailey Kucharczuk takes a shot in the first half.
Penns Grove freshman takes game to next level in playoffs; Red Devils, Pennsville score historic wins in SJ Group I boys soccer tournament; also includes opening round of field hockey tournament
SJ GROUP I BOYS SOCCER
SJ GROUP I FIELD HOCKEY
Tuesday’s first round
Tuesday’s first round
Haddon Twp. 5, Woodbury 0
Shore 6, Collingswood 0
Pennsville 1, Glassboro 0
Haddon Hts. 2, Woodstown 0
Pitman 2, Clayton 0
S. Hunterdon 2, Bordentown 1
Palmyra 1, Woodstown 0
Gloucester 5, Lower Cape May 0
Audubon 4, Wildwood 0
Haddon Twp. 6, New Egypt 0
Riverside 2, Maple Shade 0
Schalick 2, Florence 1
Penns Grove 3, Gateway 1
Gateway 1, Audubon 0
Schalick 2, New Egypt 0
West Deptford 11, Pennsville 0
Friday’s quarterfinals
Thursday’s quarterfinals
Pennsville at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Shore
Palmyra at Pitman
S. Hunterdon at Gloucester
Riverside at Audubon
Schalick at Haddon Twp.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 2 p.m.
Gateway at West Deptford
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – Prince Ledbetter came off the pitch with about 10 minutes to play and a two-goal lead to series of high fives on his way to the bench. The celebration started early, but coach Mano Massari warned his players it wasn’t over.
It was necessary to do, but it really wasn’t.
Necessary because only three weeks ago the Red Devils held a two-goal lead on a high-powered opponent with a lot less time remaining and left with a draw that felt a lot worse. Unnecessary because they played a strong second half and continued to after their flashy freshman came off the field, putting away Gateway 3-1 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I boys soccer tournament.
It was the Red Devils’ first win in the tournament since 2022. They now travel to second-seeded Schalick Friday for the quarterfinals.
“The history is we were up 2-0 on a very good team (Woodstown), dominated that game for a while, but we took our foot off the gas and got comfortable, complacent, and you know how that ended,” Massari said. “It ended in a tie with a good team, but it felt like a loss to us.
“All season long they’ll say we’ll fix it tomorrow, we’ll fix it tomorrow, and the message today was there is no tomorrow. I’ve got a good team, but they’re very inconsistent at times and to be the best you’ve got to be consistent.”
The Red Devils (9-5-3) had a lot of messages sent their way during the game.
Huddled in the goal at halftime trailing 1-0, Massari told them to just take a breath and “clear the mechanism.”
They had the best of the opportunities, but still were behind. Watching Mario Fuentes’ penalty kick slam off the crossbar in the 19th minute got them out of sorts and their fears intensified when Gateway’s Max Hohl parked a shot just out of the reach of PG keeper Dwayne Guzman Silva 17:38 before halftime. They needed to regroup.
They got it back together in the second half. They continued to have the best of the chances, but this time they finished, scoring three goals in 17 minutes.
“I wanted them to fight out of a hole and they did,” Massari said.
Ledbetter had a part in all three goals, but a more direct one in the second two.
Poyrez Erdonmez got the equalizer three minutes into the second half off a rebound of a Ledbetter shot. The freshman put the Red Devils ahead with a bullet into the upper left corner on a free kick from just outside the box nine minutes later and then made a nifty side-boot flick to set up Erdom Yardim’s insurance goal with 20:24 to play.
“I saw the open gap and saw the keeper was off his line a little bit and I took a hard rip to the top corner and it went in,” Ledbetter said of his goal. “I was anticipating (the final goal). I was waiting for the perfect moment (to make the pass). I knew that play was going to happen and it just came out how I wanted it and we got the goal.”
Ledbetter figures his freshman season is “going pretty well.” His goal is to become the best player he can. Massari believes he went to a another level Tuesday.
“I’ve been praising this kid since August,” Massari said. “I said to my assistant coach (Jesus Lopez) today this is the day Prince is going to take over this game and take over this team, and I really do believe he just did that.
“He is a special kid. If he can get out of his own way at times and make smart decisions, my God is he going to be a problem for the next couple years. He is going to be a problem in this conference, I really do think that.
“I am petrified to lose Dwayne next year, but having a kid like Prince kind of softens the blow a little bit.”
This defense doesn’t rest
GLASSBORO – Pennsville just keeps checking off historical boxes.
The Eagles won their first division title in 32 years earlier this season and Tuesday they picked up their first playoff win in 11 years with a 1-0 victory over eighth-seeded Glassboro. It also was coach Derek Foglein’s first playoff win as head coach.
The ninth-seeded Eagles (11-6-2) now travel to top-seeded Haddon Twp. for Thursday’s quarterfinals.
“Today just solidifies how hard this year’s team has worked, especially this group of seniors,” Foglein said. “Even these guys have been working in May, but Coen (Rinnier) and Steve (Fatcher), in particular, have been working their butts off all four years. It’s really nice to see them kind of get something out of all that labor and everything that they’ve put into the program.
“Yeah, it feels nice to win this game today, but it really is a win for Pennsville soccer and that, to me, is bigger than anything else, for sure.”
It was the first time the Eagles have beaten Glassboro in nine games since the teams began playing regularly in 2018, including a 1-0 own-goal loss earlier this season. They had been 0-9 against the Bulldogs since 2010, the first year records are publicly available.
“It feels really good to get it done especially after the season we are having and especially on Glassboro because that’s a team me and my coaches, I’m pretty sure, have never beaten,” Fatcher said. “We had lost to them in the summer league championship and earlier in the season so it felt like we had a little something to prove as well as continuing me and the other seniors’ careers.”
Sam Hassler scored the game’s only goal two minutes before halftime, cashing in a free kick by Edwin Castaneda-Sanchez from 35 yards out.
“We’ve been focusing on set pieces all year,” Foglein said. “We got plenty of opportunities in the first half and we took advantage of the one that we needed.”
Much of the credit for the historic victory goes to the Eagles’ defense, led by stopper Fatcher and defensive mid J.P. Laughrey. Rinnier was credited with seven saves in goal, but thanks to the play of the back line he was rarely tested. It was their 11th shutout in 19 games.
“Coen’s leadership and his calm demeanor at the back was super helpful for us, for sure, but overall this was our best team defensive effort of the season and it wasn’t even close,” Foglein said. “Once we scored that goal, in the second half everybody on the field was committed to defending as a team and making smart choices when they were on the ball.”
“I talked to the boys before the game and said we need to win me and the other seniors another game because this team deserves that,” Fatcher said. “I also felt a little bit of pressure being that this could have been my last high school soccer game so I felt like I had to prove something any way I could and tried my best to limit shots on goal. It feels really good to know that me and the team left everything out on the field and won.”
Cougars find a way
PITTSGROVE – Schalick ran into another team that didn’t want to play with them, but the Cougars still had plenty of firepower to overtake their opponent’s conservative approach.
The second-seeded Cougars scored two goals in the second half to push past No. 15 New Egypt 2-0. They now host Penns Grove in the quarterfinals Friday.
The Warriors seemed not to want to push the ball forward , instead just nudging it up towards the front and hoping to capitalize on a Schalick mistake. But once Nolan O’Toole broke the ice it opened things up for the Cougars.
“When teams are playing like that, (if) you get that early goal that kind of opens things up and makes it less frustrating,” Schalick coach Joe Mannella said. “We didn’t do that, so we did a good job of just continuing to play at it and keep poking away until we found a breakthrough and then it clearly opened up after that.”
Jaxon Weber had a hand in both goals. He assisted on O’Toole’s goal and then scored the insurance goal on an assist from Tyler Vanlier.
Mannella expects “a lot of teams” to take a conservative approach against his team the deeper they get into the playoffs.
“We’re still trying to find our way without Luke (Price) and with some young guys, figuring out a way to integrate some of the other guys whose roles have now changed,” Mannella said. “We need Jaxon Weber to get more involved in the offense.”
No pal of theirs
WOODSTOWN – An old nemesis did it to Woodstown again.
Palmyra, the team that knocked the Wolverines out in the sectional semifinals three times in the last four years, did it to them again, this time in the opening round, 1-0 in overtime.
The Panthers beat them in a shootout last year and with shutouts in 2021 and 2023.
“I guess we’re just destined to run into them,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “For a while there when I was in Group 2 it always seemed like we were going against Cinnaminson. Then the one year we didn’t have Cinnaminson, we had Delran. For us right it’s just that Palmyra is the team we’re running into.
“When you look at South Jersey Group 1, I’ve said it for many years, the team that wins it they have to go through either Palmyra, Woodstown, Haddon Twp. or Schalick. If you want to win it, you have to beat one of those teams or we’re all beating each other, that’s what it comes down to.”
Patrick Broadbelt scored the golden goal two minutes into overtime when he ran onto a bending free kick Kian Briant sent into the box and headed into the goal.
The fourth-seeded Wolverines (11-4-4) had several good chances in the first half that keeper Deakon Haines came out to stop. Meanwhile, they played their typically gritty defense to keep the Panthers out of the goal through regulation.
“Disappointed we lost, but all in all, looking back on it, we played 19 games this year and only lost four of them,” Huck said. “I’m proud of that. I’m proud of the 4-seed. Who else would have to play a 13-seed Palmyra team. If anybody would have said that in the soccer world they would have gone that must be a different sport than boys soccer.”
Field Hockey
SCHALICK 2, FLORENCE 1: Caylen Taylor and Luci Virga scored goals in the first quarter and goalie Lydia Gilligan made 15 saves to help the sixth-seeded Cougars hang on. Ryann Smith scored in the second quarter for Florence and the teams battled through a scoreless second half.
“It was a tough one, for sure,” Schalick coach Heather Cheesman said. “I don’t think the girls were expecting Florence to come out like they did. They were fast and aggressive.”
HADDON HEIGHTS 2, WOODSTOWN 0: Abigail Lovelidge and Lily Paul scored goals in the second quarter and the Garnets completed the shutout to bring the curtain down on Gloria Byard’s first season as the Wolverines’ head coach. The loss snapped Woodstown’s four-game winning streak
WEST DEPTFORD 11, PENNSVILLE 0: The Eagles were just too strong and overpowered Pennsville in coach Lisa Doran’s return to the sideline. Avery Gasparovic, Isabella Gibbons and Julia Barger scored two goals apiece and five other players had individual goals
Woodstown gets fourth-down stop at the 5 in final minute to preserve 21-14 win over Clayton in final game of a tough season
WJFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Woodstown 21, Clayton 14 Wildwood 22, Haddon Twp. 8
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CLAYTON — Aiden Taulane and Liam Reed were determined not to lose the final game of their high school careers. The two linemen did everything in their power to make sure they won the last game of a tough senior season Monday night and at the crucial moment they delivered in a game-saving way.
The moment of truth came in the final minute of their final game. Taulane batted down a fourth-down pass from the 5 and Reed crushed the unfortunate lineman who caught the deflection to preserve Woodstown’s 21-14 win over Clayton at Haupt Field.
“I saw the quarterback pick his arm up and I jumped,” Taulane said. “It wasn’t very high, but I tried to jump and I ended up hitting it and then the emotions just flipped and it was straight excitement. I gave it everything to make sure we could all have one last win.”
“We all knew this was it,” Reed said. “It’s been a long four years … Adversity kept coming this season. This was kind of our chance to prove that we could overcome adversity. We just came together. We just made sure we could lock you down.”
Reed was in on another big stop in the third quarter when he and Mason Middlemiss sandwiched Clayton running back Willie Weathers short of the goal line to deny a two-point conversion that would have given the Clippers the lead. Instead, the stop kept the game tied at 14.
The Wolverines (3-7) had one chance to go out on a good note after a season beset with injuries left them out of the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. They went out fast, scoring on two of their first three possessions to take a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Cole Ware scored the first touchdown on a 43-yard burst up the middle and Middlemiss scored the second on a 24-yard run in the first minute of the second quarter. Ware rushed for 79 yards on 10 carries and Middlemiss rushed for 88 yards on 13 carries.
The Clippers (4-5) started getting Michael Ball involved in the offense in the second quarter and they answered Middlemiss’ touchdown with a 65-yard drive that ate up five and a half minutes. Quaddy Walls’ 7-yard run and quarterback Gabriel Hill’s two-point conversion got them on the board.
Woodstown had a chance to extend its lead right before halftime, but missed a 33-yard field goal attempt in the final minute of the half.
Clayton opened the second half with a 66-yard scoring drive that consumed nearly eight minutes with Weathers scoring on a 12-yard run to tie the game.
Middlemiss put the Wolverines up 21-14 on a 4-yard run with 9:02 left in the game. Clayton held it virtually the rest of the game.
The Clippers kept the ball from the time Middlemiss scored to 48 seconds left when the Wolverines forced Hill to his right on fourth down, Taulane batted the pass and Reed crushed Roderick Harper after the Clayton lineman came down with the rebound.
“He was not getting that ball,” Reed said. “He was not scoring.”
“We just knew if we didn’t give everything we had they were going to get in,” Taulane said. “So, we left it all on the field.”
The drive covered 75 yards in 16 plays and was nearly flawless until the end.
The Clippers converted three third-down plays to keep the chains moving, including a 17-yard run by Deron Williams to get the ball inside the 10. The next two plays got them to the 5. They took a shot on third down, but Middlemiss and Bryceton Rooney broke up a pass intended for Michael Bull just inside the goal line. Taulane and Reed then sealed the victory on the next play.
“It just shows the resilience and toughness of this group,” Wolverines coach Frank Trautz said. “It’s the bones of this program. They were going to do whatever it took to get that stop and sometimes that’s all it comes down to, just the will to compete and the will to win.
“They gave it everything they had all year. That was the message all week – win it for the seniors. Give them what they deserved. We didn’t have the season we wanted to but these guys have worked their tails off for this program. They worked so hard and they deserve this and I’m just super proud they got to go out their last high school game with a win.”
Woodstown senior linemen Aiden Taulane (77) and Liam Reed (68) share a special moment with coach Frank Trautz after Monday night’s win. (Top photo) Mason Middlemiss (3) and Sincere Cook-Reese celebrate after scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Woodstown 21, Clayton 14
WOOD
CLAY
9
1st Downs
12
26-204
Rushing
48-232
0-3-0
Passing
2-4-0
0
Passing yds
(-3)
2-2
Fumbles-lost
1-0
0-0
Punts-avg
0-0
4-30
Penalties
4-40
Woodstown
7
7
0
7-
21
Clayton
0
8
6
0-
14
SCORING SUMMARY W-Cole Ware 43 run (Anthony Costello kick), 6:46 1Q W-Mason Middlemiss 24 run (Anthony Costello kick), 11:01 2Q C-Quaddy Walls 7 run (Gabriel Hill run), 4:35 2Q C-Willie Weathers 12 run (run failed), 4:05 3Q W-Mason Middlemiss 4 run (Anthony Costello kick), 9:02 4Q
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Nov. 3-8
MONDAY, NOV. 3 FOOTBALL Woodstown at Clayton, 6 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER South Jersey Group I Tournament Wildwood at Palmyra, 2 p.m.
TUESDAY, NOV. 4 BOYS SOCCER South Jersey Group I Tournament Woodbury at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m. Pennsville at Glassboro, 2 p.m. Clayton at Pitman, 2 p.m. Palmyra at Woodstown, 2 p.m. Wildwood at Audubon, 2 p.m. Maple Shade at Riverside, 3 p.m. Gateway at Penns Grove, 2:30 p.m. New Egypt at Schalick, 2 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY South Jersey Group I Tournament Collingswood at Shore, 6 p.m. Woodstown at Haddon Heights, 2 p.m. Bordentown at South Hunterdon, 2 p.m. Lower Cape May at Gloucester, 3 p.m. New Egypt at Haddon Twp., 2 p.m. Florence at Schalick, 2 p.m. Gateway at Audubon, 2 p.m. Pennsville at West Deptford, 1 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Hagerstown at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 5 GIRLS SOCCER South Jersey Group I Tournament Glassboro at Pitman, 2 p.m. Buena at Audubon, 3 p.m. Woodbury at Clayton, 3 p.m. Maple Shade at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m. Pennsville at Woodstown, 2 p.m. Cape May Tech at Gateway, 2 p.m.
THURSDAY, NOV. 6 FIELD HOCKEY South Jersey Group I Tournament Collingswood-Shore vs. Woodstown-Haddon Heights Bordentown-South Hunterdon vs. Lower Cape May-Gloucester New Egypt-Haddon Twp. vs. Florence-Schalick Gateway-Audubon vs. Pennsville-West Deptford COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Atlantic Cape, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOV. 7 FOOTBALL South Jersey Group I Playoffs Salem at Glassboro Schalick at Paulsboro BOYS SOCCER South Jersey Group I Tournament Woodbury-Haddon Twp. vs. Pennsville-Glassboro Clayton-Pitman vs. Palmyra-Woodstown Wildwood-Audubon vs. Maple Shade-Riverside Gateway-Penns Grove vs. New Egypt-Schalick
SATURDAY, NOV. 8 GIRLS SOCCER South Jersey Group I Tournament Glassboro-Pitman winner at Schalick Audubon-Buena vs. Palmyra-Wildwood Clayton-Woodbury vs. Maple Shade-Haddon Twp. Woodstown-Pennsville vs. Cape May Tech-Gateway COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Delaware County
Woodstown, Schalick boys and girls advance to Group I state race after top five finishes at DREAM Park
By Riverview Sports News
LOGAN TWP. – The boys and girls teams from Woodstown and Schalick and an individual runner from Pennsville all advance to the Group I cross country state championship meet after posting qualifying finishes in the South Sectionals at DREAM Park Saturday.
Woodstown and Schalick finished 3-4 in the boys standings, while they went 4-5 in the girls standings.
Woodstown’s Jacob Marino finished sixth overall in the Boys Group I race and the Wolverines placed all five counters in the top 15 to score 75 points. Chase Riley was Schalick’s fastest runner, finishing 10th. Collin Bittle was 15th.
Woodstown’s Abby Marino finished second overall in the girls race, running 19:44.80. Teammate Anabel Schaal was seventh. The Wolverines finished two points behind third-place Maple Shade. Helen Lillia led Schalick across the line with an 11th overall finish.
Pennsville’s Sawyer Slad qualified individually after finishing 13th in the girls race.
The top five teams and individual runners in the top 15 not already qualified advance to the state meet. The top 10 runners received medals.
The championship meet is Nov. 8 in Holmdel. The Meet of Champions is there Nov. 15.
Group I South Sectional
BOYS TEAM SCORES: Glassboro 25, Haddon Twp. 58, Woodstown 75, Schalick 117, Audubon 127, Pitman 173, Maple Shade 184, Cape May Tech 253, Riverside 276, Buena 280, Paulsboro 315, Salem 330, Pt. Pleasant Beach 367, New Egypt 378.
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Audubon 43, Haddon Twp. 61, Maple Shade 86, Woodstown 88, Schalick 108, Pitman 135, Cape May Tech 163,
Woodstown soccer, Schalick field hockey head into their respective SJ Group I tournaments off shutout victories in their regular-season finales; Salem Tech field hockey wraps its inaugural season with a win
WEDNESDAY’S SCORES BOYS SOCCER Woodstown 3, Gateway 0 West Deptford 5, Penns Grove 0 KIPP at Salem GIRLS SOCCER Salem at Gloucester Catholic FIELD HOCKEY Schalick 4, Mainland 0 Salem Tech 2, Burlington City 0 Vineland at Woodstown
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Can you imagine what was going through Woodstown soccer coach Darren Huck’s mind when the South Jersey Group I tournament brackets came out Wednesday afternoon. Given the time of day, he might have choked on his lunch.
The Wolverines were expecting to pull down a No. 4 seed and host nemesis Palmyra in the opening round, based on the close of the power points standings. Imagine the coach’s surprise when he looked at the official pairings and saw his team on the other side of the bracket, a 6 seed and hosting Clayton.
“I knew right away that they made a mistake,” Huck said. “I knew something was not right. I got a text from another coach and it was like, ‘Have you seen the bracket? I hadn’t at the time, but I open it up and see us at 6, playing Clayton as an 11.
“Right away, I go maybe I’m not on the right year. No, this is right. How was that possible that Haddon Twp. dropped to 3, (listed No. 1) Audubon’s biggest win of the year was against us and after they beat us they still didn’t have enough to jump Schalick or Haddon Twp. I knew something was not right. There was something rotten in Denmark.”
He expressed his uncertainty to athletics director Joe Ursino, but discouraged him from calling the NJSIAA office because he was certain plenty of others already had and he was confident “they’ll figure it out.”
He checked it again about a half hour before the Wolverines went out for their 3-0 shutout of Gateway in their regular-season finale and found the bracket taken down, so he knew someone was working on it. A short time later, it was back up and the Wolverines were back on the favorable 4-line hosting Palmyra in Tuesday’s opening round.
The other three Salem County teams in the field kept their projected places – Schalick (No. 2), Penns Grove (No. 7) and Pennsville (No. 9). Schalick and Penns Grove will have opening-round home games, while Pennsville will be on the road.
Ironically, Huck caught a mistake in the bracket last year as it related to the Wolverines. He said he hadn’t gotten any explanation for the initial miscalculation this year.
“We were talking about it briefly in the locker room prior to the game and were wondering what had happened as we thought we had the 4-seed secured,” said senior Josef Hummel, who scored the Wolverines’ third goal against Gateway. “But we knew we had to focus on the match at hand against another playoff-bound team.
“We were glad to hear after the game that we are back in the 4 seed, and we are looking forward to our game against Palmyra on Tuesday.”
It’ll be the third year in a row the Wolverines will face Palmyra in the playoffs, but the first time in the opening round. The Pals knocked them out in the third round each of the last two years.
“Talk about of all the possible teams to face as a 13th-seed it’s Palmyra of all things; I mean, come on,” Huck said. “At some point I always say in the playoffs you either have to go through Haddon Twp., Palmyra, Schalick. If you want to win South Jersey you’re going to have to beat one or two of those are some point.”
The Wolverines (11-3-4) go into the playoffs off what Huck called “a nice, solid win from start to finish.”
Nick DiTeodoro and Jake Lewis scored goals in the first half with Bryce Ayars getting both assists. DiTeodoro beat the keeper to the far post from the left side and Lewis scored what Huck called “one of the best goals I think we’ve had this year,” a rocket that he tucked inside the right post.
Hummel finished off the scoring in the second half with his second career goal. It came on a cross from Brendon Curtis that he squared up and buried from about 10 yards.
“I had seen (Curtis) attacking the corner really well and I knew the cross was coming in,” Hummel said. “I tried to position myself on the backside of the center back and as the cross came in I was able to get a quick, one-time shot off into the bottom corner away from the keeper. I’m glad I was able to contribute to the team’s win against a playoff quality team like Gateway.”
Meanwhile, Trey Markward and his reliable backline teamed up for the Wolverines’ ninth shutout of the season.
“The defense really stood out today,” Huck said. “The starting defense was back in there today and they just cut down the shots and the opportunities. We haven’t given up many goals this year. We’ve been stingy that way.”
WEST DEPTFORD 5, PENNS GROVE 0: The Eagles scored four goals in the first half and then closed out the Red Devils. Five different players scored in the game.
With their first home playoff game since 2022 on the horizon, the Red Devils played their varsity about 20 minutes. In that opening salvo Juan Ortiz nearly scored a goal. For the junior varsity players who went the rest of the game it was a chance to show what they’ll bring to the table next season when there will be plenty of spots available.
FIELD HOCKEY SALEM TECH 2, BURLINGTON CITY 0: Olivia Lydon had a goal and an assist as the Chargers wrapped up a successful inaugural season with a shutout. Lydon assisted on Hazel Eachus’ first goal of the game and then converted a pass from Abigail Beals for the second goal. Caroline Tighe posted her eighth shutout, The Chargers were eligible for the Group 2 playoffs in their first varsity season, but didn’t make it, and finished their year 9-5, one of 26 South Jersey Group 1 or 2 teams with a winning record. SCHALICK 4, MAINLAND 0: Ava Scurry and Lucy Virga each scored two goals for the Cougars in their regular-season finale. They finished the schedule with five straight wins, four straight shutouts. Goalie Lydia Gilligan hasn’t given up a goal since the third quarter of 10-2 rout of Glassboro (17 consecutive quarters). The Cougars host Florence in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I tournament Tuesday.
South Jersey Group I playoff brackets in football, field hockey and soccer are official; some interesting matchups, for sure
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 1 PAIRINGS SOUTH JERSEY FOOTBALL (8) Audubon (2-5) at (1) Glassboro (9-0), Thursday (5) Salem (5-4) at (4) KIPP (6-2), Saturday (6) Schalick (3-6) at (3) Pennsville (5-4), Friday (7) Woodbury (3-6) at (2) Paulsboro (8-1), Saturday BOYS SOCCER (16) Woodbury (6-9-2) at (1) Haddon Twp. (13-5-1) (9) Pennsville (10-6-2) at (8) Glassboro (7-10-1) (12) Clayton (11-7) at (5) Pitman (10-5-2) (13) Palmyra (8-6-3) at (4) Woodstown (10-3-4) (14) Wildwood (8-9) at (3) Audubon (13-3-1) (11) Maple Shade (8-6-2) at (6) Riverside (11-3-2) (10) Gateway (9-6-2) at (7) Penns Grove (8-4-3) (15) New Egypt (7-12) at (2) Schalick (13-3-2)
GIRLS SOCCER (16) Paulsboro (0-17) at (1) Schalick (12-5-1) (9) Glassboro (8-8) at (8) Pitman (10-7-1) (12) Buena (7-9-2) at (5) Audubon (9-8-1) (13) Wildwood (6-9-2) at (4) Palmyra (11-5-1) (14) Woodbury (4-8-2) at (3) Clayton (12-5) (11) Maple Shade (3-13-1) at (6) Haddon Twp. (8-9-1) (10) Pennsville (9-8) at (7) Woodstown (13-3-1) (15) Cape May Tech (2-14-1) at (2) Gateway (14-1)
FIELD HOCKEY (16) Collingswood (3-12-1) at (1) Shore (18-0-1) (9) Woodstown (9-7-1) at (8) Haddon Heights (8-8-1) (12) Bordentown (8-9) at (5) South Hunterdon (13-3) (13) Lower Cape May (6-6-1) at (4) Gloucester (11-8) (14) New Egypt (7-9-1) at (3) Haddon Twp. (11-6) (11) Florence (7-7) at (6) Schalick (12-6) (10) Gateway (8-7-2) at (7) Audubon (11-5-2) (15) Pennsville (7-8-1) at (2) West Deptford (15-2)
Playing for their coach, Pennsville field hockey grabs share of first division title since 2021; Eagles’ Bass surpasses 100 career soccer points; Weber’s golden goal lifts Schalick boys over Audubon; includes TCC Classic, Diamond Division girls soccer all-star teams
TUESDAY’S SCORES FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville 6, Clayton 1 Woodstown 7, Glassboro 1 BOYS SOCCER Schalick 2, Audubon 1 GIRLS SOCCER Pennsville 7, Paulsboro 0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CLAYTON – The Pennsville field hockey team had just dispatched Clayton 6-1 with one of its most complete games of the year to win its first Tri-County Conference Classic Division title since 2021. The players had taken their victory team picture, shared a group hug and were on the bus home when they started making telephone calls.
Who was the first person the Eagles called?
Head coach Lisa Doran, of course. Doran, the Pennsville Hall of Famer who is retiring at the end of the season, has been away from the team since Oct. 23 for health reasons and the players have been playing with her in mind.
As the bus was making its way back to Pennsville, the players got Doran on a FaceTime call and gathered around to share in a group chat. She is expected to be recovering at home the rest of the week, but everyone hopes she’ll rejoin the team for its South Jersey Group I tournament opener at second-seeded West Deptford Tuesday.
They did speak briefly after Monday’s win at Gloucester Catholic that put them in position to grab a share of the division title here, but it was just to say hello. Tuesday’s conversation was a lot longer and gave the coach a chance to tell her players how proud she was of them and how bad she wants the success for them.
“It was awesome,” said assistant coach Cass Kirk, who has been directing the team in Doran’s absence. “It was awfully good to see her face and see her home and to see her normal smile. It was really good. I’m sure we’re helping her recover right now with having this win under our belt. We were all so excited to see her and make sure that she’s OK.”
“It basically makes us want to play harder and do it for her and make her happy,” said forward Gracie Mease, who scored two goals in the game, including the one deemed the game-winner.
Kylie Harris scored three more goals since her midseason move to forward and Kendall Hoyt scored the other goal.
“We came out knowing what we wanted, we wanted that win, but we also wanted to make sure we were playing as a team today and that’s exactly what we did,” Kirk said. “We passed the ball a ton, got every single person on the team on the field. It was really good to get everybody out there and working together. One of the things I said to them was make each other look better.”
The Eagles are 3-0 in Doran’s absence, including two big division wins the last two days. Harris has scored 16 goals since moving to the top, five in this emotional three-game winning streak.
“Doran being gone lit a fire under us; it was like she’s not here so we need to work extra hard for her to make her proud,” Harris said. “She does so much for us, working hard and winning was kind of our way of giving back to her knowing she couldn’t be there and experience it with us.”
The win left the Eagles 10-8-1 in the regular season, guaranteeing them a winning season. More importantly, it drew them into a tie with Gloucester Catholic for the division title.
“Now we have our names up on the board (of division champions); that’s pretty cool, especially when there hasn’t been one up there in years” Mease said. “We’re all working together as a team to win the division and it’s nice when we won the division for Doran’s last year.”
WOODSTOWN 7, GLASSBORO 1: Shyann Higinbotham had two goals and three assists and Estella Hitchner scored the first two goals of her career as the Wolverines (10-7-1) won their third straight. Lexi Taylor, Zoe Lipovsky and Kendall Young scored their other goals.
PITTSGROVE – Jaxon Weber’s golden goal in the first overtime lifted the Cougars (13-3-2) to victory in their final regular season game in a battle between projected 2 and 3 seeds in the upcoming South Jersey Group I tournament.
Audubon (13-3-1) took a 1-0 halftime lead, but Michael Nelson got Schalick’s equalizer when he headed home a free kick from Anthony Sepers.on a header in the second half.
Girls Soccer
PENNSVILLE – Taylor Bass recorded a goal and two assists to go over 100 career points and Karson Cooksey and Marley Wood both scored and spent time in goal as part of Pennsville’s seventh shutout of the season, 7-0 over winless Paulsboro.
Bass assisted on the Eagles’ first two goals to reach 99 points, then reached the milestone with her 43rd career goal 7:43 before halftime to give them a 3-0 lead.
Sloan Marquette, Cameron Robbins, Reagan Wariwanchik and Maura Widener scored Pennsville’s other goals. Tatiyonna Crawford started in goal for the Eagles.
Here are the leaders among Salem County’s five football teams based on statistics posted to the state sports reporting service
Rushing
PLAYER, SCHOOL
ATT
YDS
TD
Rylan Hardy, Pennsville
130
889
12
Robbie McDade, Pennsville
108
704
8
Kenny Bartee, Schalick
86
503
7
Cashmir Parsley, Salem
65
368
2
Troy Carey, Salem
35
326
4
Desmund Thomas, Salem
48
308
2
Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove
73
293
2
Jameel Horace, Penns Grove
45
290
1
David Stewart, Schalick
51
269
3
Frank Hoerst, Woodstown
54
224
6
Evan Elliot, Schalick
42
166
0
Adrian Alleyne, Pennsville
31
165
3
Zane Thomas, Penns Grove
41
158
0
Torryn Ransome, Salem
31
153
3
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville
27
108
3
Passing
PLAYER, SCHOOL
COM
ATT
INT
YDS
TD
Desmund Thomas, Salem
80
144
4
1114
13
Frank Hoerst, Woodstown
31
72
1
510
4
Robbie McDade, Pennsville
47
85
6
484
6
Kenny Bartee, Schalick
13
48
9
302
2
Gary Simonini, Schalick
21
41
2
177
1
Receiving
PLAYER, SCHOOL
REC
YDS
TD
Kaden Robinson, Salem
19
353
6
Kyvion Parsons, Salem
19
239
1
Rylan Hardy, Pennsville
17
164
0
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
11
107
1
Adrian Alleyne, Pennsville
9
90
2
Aidan Collazo, Pennsville
7
50
0
Jerry Wooten, Penns Grove
7
44
0
Quimere Bergen, Salem
6
118
2
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
6
118
1
KaiSiere Muhammad, Salem
6
107
2
Ayden Jenkins, Schalick
6
67
0
David Stewart, Schalick
5
108
1
Ahmad Tucker, Salem
5
60
1
Cashmir Parsley, Salem
5
35
0
Tackles
PLAYER, SCHOOL
S
TFL
TOT
Dezyon Purnell, Schalick
3.5
13
80
Antwuan Rogers, Salem
13
13
74.5
Troy Carey, Salem
0
11
69
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
1
7
63
Kemal Chatum, Salem
6
11
60
Isaiah Upshur, Penns Grove
0
6.5
55
Gary Simonini, Schalick
1
6.5
53.5
Luis Colon, Penns Grove
1
10
52
Ray Brown, Penns Grove
4
11
49
Torryn Ransome, Salem
0
5
40
Robert Daly, Schalick
0.5
4
39
Dante Cummings, Pennsville
0
0
38
Nazeer Painter, Penns Grove
1
3
38
JaKai Ingrim, Penns Grove
2
9
37
Mahkye Murray, Salem
2
8
37
Rylan Hardy, Pennsville
1
3
34
Eric Sulik, Schalick
3.5
4.5
33
Kaden Robinson, Salem
0
0
32
Aiden Torres, Schalick
3
2
31
Jovanni Rios, Salem
3.5
6
31
TACKLES FOR LOSS 13: Dezyon Purnell, Schalick; Antwuan Rogers, Salem 11: Ray Brown, Penns Grove; Troy Carey, Salem; Kemal Chatum, Salem 10: Luis Colon, Penns Grove 9: JaKai Ingrim, Penns Grove 8: Mahkye Murray, Salem 7: Dylan Sheehan, Schalick 6.5: Isaiah Upshur, Penns Grove; Gary Simonini, Schalick 6: Jovanni Rios, Salem 4.5: Eric Sulik, Schalick 4: Ray Brown, Penns Grove; Evan Elliot, Schalick; Terrell Thomas, Penns Grove;
SACKS 13: Antwuan Rogers, Salem 6: Kemal Chatum, Salem 3.5: Dezyon Purnell, Schalick; Jovanni Rios, Salem; Eric Sulik, Schalick 3: Aiden Torres, Schalick
INTERCEPTIONS 3: Dylan Sheehan, Schalick; David Stewart, Schalick 2: Savior Allah, Penns Grove; Quimere Bergen, Salem; William Dunn, Salem; Jerry Wooten, Penns Grove
Riverview Sports News 