Category: WOODSTOWN

How quickly things turn

Saturday football: Pennsville’s loss at Paulsboro turns on three big miscues in second half; Woodstown hits 6-0 for first time since 2013, but facing adversity

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PAULSBORO – Pennsville came out for the second half Saturday brimming with confidence. After a flat first half and long halftime, they were convinced things were going to be different.

And they did start fast, getting two long touchdown bursts from Rylan Hardy to take their first lead of the game. Sure, it was only a two-point lead, but momentum was building on their side. Even their sideline sounded louder after the first score tied the game.

But then things went south. In a hurry. Like a Jenga tower when the wrong block gets pulled.

The Eagles gave up a big play and a touchdown on the next possession to lose the lead and then made three huge mistakes over the next five minutes of game clock they couldn’t recover from and lost to Paulsboro 36-24.

They gave up a 48-yard run to Sawyer Cabanas on the first play after Hardy’s 65-yard touchdown run and Robbie McDade’s conversion pass to Malik Rehmer gave the Eagles a 16-14 lead with 4:39 left in the third quarter. That eventually led to Aundre Hill’s second touchdown of the quarter to put the Red Raiders back on top.

But it got worse. It was still only a six-point game, but the Eagles mishandled a bouncing ball on the ensuing kickoff and Paulsboro recovered. They made the Red Raiders work for it, but Jahsir Johnson tossed a 2-yard TD pass to Jeremiah Carr on fourth-and-goal to stretch the lead.

On the next possession Hardy had a for-sure 47-yard touchdown run, but it was called back by a holding penalty. The Eagles started going backwards after that and then on fourth down they snapped a ball over the punter’s head for a 23-yard loss.

Paulsboro took over in the red zone and Cabanas eventually scored on a 1-yard run.

“You can call it bad luck, but you’ve got to make your own luck also in football, and we just didn’t do some things right today,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “It kind of started compounding and we weren’t able to settle down and get control of the game again. We just kept making mistakes one on top of the other and that’s what happens.

“It’s frustrating but at the same time we put ourselves in that position by not playing well in the first half.”

The first half was kind of a snoozefest with very little action, but that changed in the second half. The teams traded touchdowns on the first four possessions and then it broke on the mishandled kickoff.

The play happened on the far side of the field and Healy didn’t get a clear look at it so he deferred comment except to chalk it up to cascade of mistakes that was to come.

“We’ve got to coach that up better,” Healy said. 

The loss spoiled a big game from Hardy. The junior running back came to life in the second half and picked up 127 of his 145 yards rushing in the third quarter with runs of 28, 29 and 65 yards. And he was denied another 47 yards in the fourth.

Paulsboro, meanwhile, spread the wealth. KyAire Harvey rushed for 113 yards in the first half, including a 64-yard touchdown for the only points of the half. He finished with 193 yards rushing. Cabanas had 73 yards and Hill had 70.

The Eagles did salvage a bit of pride when they drove 45 and scored on Robbie McDade’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Malik Rehmer with just under a minute to play.

“I was glad to us playing there til the end,” Healy said. “Defensively we were still trying to get after kids. It’s frustrating all around, but it’s always good to see kids are still trying to move the ball and do what they’re supposed to do. You’re still to coach ‘em the whole time even when it’s in a situation like that.”

Paulsboro 36, Pennsville 24

PENNPAUL
81st Downs12
22-161Rushing40-343
6-11-0Passes5-8-0
67Passing29
2-1Fum-Lost2-1
3-28.7Punts1-25.0
7-45Penalties7-50
Pennsville (3-4)00168-24
Paulsboro (5-2)801414-36

SCORING SUMMARY
PB-KyAire Harvey 64 run (Jeremiah Carr pass from Jahsir Johnson), 6:36 1Q
PV-Rylan Hardy 29 run (Malik Rehmer pass from Robbie McDade), 7:18 3Q
PB-Aundre Hill 30 run (pass failed), 5:36 3Q
PV-Rylan Hardy 65 run (Malik Rehmer pass from Robbie McDade), 4:30 3Q
PB-Aundre Hill 9 run (Jeremiah Carr pass from Jahsir Johnson), 1:10 3Q
PB-Jeremiah Carr 2 pass from Jahsir Johnson), 10:21 4Q
PB-Sawyer Cabanas 1 run (kick failed), 4:14 4Q
PV-Malik Rehmer 9 pass from Robbie McDade (Robbie McDade run), 58.1 4Q

Woodstown backup quarterback Lucas Fulmer (2) watches starter Jack Holladay throw a pass in the first half against Haddon Heights. Fulmer directed the offense in the second half after Holladay got hurt late in the second quarter. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)

Wolverines win, but face adversity

HADDON HEIGHTS – Throughout his first season as Woodstown’s head coach, Frank Trautz has preferred to focus on the progress of his players and their team above any buzz their season-opening winning streak is creating.

The Wolverines won again Saturday, beating Haddon Heights 17-8 to reach 6-0 for the first time since 2013, but they’re about to face the first real challenge to that all-for-one mindset they’ve embraced.

Senior quarterback Jack Holladay suffered an upper body injury in the collarbone/shoulder area late in the second quarter and didn’t play the second half. The extent of his injury won’t be known until further evaluation Monday. 

The Wolverines are currently tied with Glassboro for the WJFL Diamond Division lead and are the No. 1 team in the latest South Jersey Group I power points standings, meaning they would be a No. 1 South or Central Jersey seed for the third year in a row if the playoffs started today.

Holladay was in his first year as the Wolverines’ starter, stepping into the role following the graduation of his four-year starter cousin, Max Webb. In the first five games of the season he completed 17 of 35 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns. He was 3-for-3 for 53 yards, including a 42-yard pass to Garrett Leyman shortly before getting hurt.

“I think you know what I’m going to say about (the winning streak) – we’ll enjoy the win, let’s get ready for next week,” Trautz said. “We’re just a complete team. We can do it in a lot of different ways. The kids just pick each other up and it doesn’t matter really who’s doing it. We find a way to get it done.”

With Holladay on the sidelines, the Wolverines turned to backup quarterback Lucas Fulmer to run the offense in the second half. The junior has been the Wolverines’ JV quarterback and his appearance in the second half was his first varsity action.

“In my opinion in sports that’s one of the toughest spots to go in as a backup quarterback,” Trautz said. “He handled the offense well. He got us in and out of the huddle, controlled everything. I was very proud of the way he handled himself out there today.”

Of course, the playbook shrunk “a lot” with Fulmer in the game and the second half became more about “grind it out and get the win any way necessary,.”

“Football is all about facing adversity,” running back Bryce Belinfanti told Brian Tortella of South Jersey Glory Days after the game. “That’s what we had to do is face adversity. It’s a football game and at the end of the day we still had to go out and win the second half.”

The Wolverines were leading 10-0 at the time Holladay got hurt. Belinfanti capped their first possession with a 2-yard touchdown run and Jake Ware kicked a 25-yard second-quarter field goal. Belinfanti rushed for 98 yards in the game.

It stayed that way until the final minute of the game when Bobby Donahue scored from two yards out. The Garnets returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to avoid the shutout.

“That was huge to get that extra touchdown there at the end,” Trautz said.

If Holladay can’t go next Saturday at Salem Trautz has “complete faith” in Fulmer stepping up and doing the job. The 2013 team whose start this year’s team matched started 11-0.

“These guys play for one another and they pick each other up,” Trautz said. “I have no doubt if Jack can’t go next week then these guys will be ready to go.”

Woodstown 17, Haddon Heights 8

WOODHH
81st Downs7
43-138Rushing25-35
3-3-0Passes5-8-1
53Passing11
4-20PenaltiesNA
Woodstown (6-0)7307-7
Haddon Heights (1-5) 0008-8

SCORING SUMMARY
WO-Bryce Belinfanti 2 run (Jake Ware kick)
WO-Jake Ware 25 FG
WO-Bobby Donahue 2 run (Jake Ware kick)
HH-Camaj Matthews 75 kickoff return (Damier Outterbridge-Ali pass from Amare Ridley)

Lucas Fulmer (2) turns to hand the ball to Bryce Belinfanti in the second half against Haddon Heights. Belinfanti rushed for 98 yards in the game. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)

WJFL Standings

DIAMOND DIVISIONDIVALL
Woodstown (1)3-06-0
Glassboro (4)3-06-0
Schalick (6)2-15-2
Woodbury (11)1-22-4
Penns Grove (20)0-31-6
Salem (23)0-30-7

NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power ranking through Oct. 12

THURSDAY’S GAME
Glassboro 40, Cinnaminson 10
Delran 38, Penns Grove 8
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 28, Gloucester City 21
West Deptford 58, Salem 19
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Willingboro 43, Woodbury 30
Woodstown 17, Haddon Heights 8

PATRIOT DIVISIONDIVALL
Camden Catholic (NPB-3)4-06-0
Paulsboro (5)4-15-2
West Deptford (G2-13)3-14-3
Pennsville (12)2-33-4
Audubon (13)1-32-3
Collingswood (G2-16)1-33-4
Overbrook (G2-25)0-42-4-1

NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power rankings through Oct. 7 (G2-Group 2, NPB-Non Public B)

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Audubon 7, Collingswood 0
West Deptford 58, Salem 19
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Camden Catholic 41, Overbrook 6
Paulsboro 36, Pennsville 24

Thursday sports report

Here are scores and highlights from Thursday’s high school action involving teams from Salem County

BOYS SOCCER
Schalick 2, Woodstown 0: Louis Sepers and Brad Foster scored the goals and keeper Ben Stengel made seven saves for the Cougars’ first shutout in the series since 2021. “This was the first time this group has shut them out, which is something we wanted to do,” Schalick coach Joe Mannella said.

Pennsville 3, Salem 0: Griffin Hern and Shane Puckett scored goals three minutes apart in the first half for the Eagles (8-6) and Evan Pessoa extended the lead seven minutes into the second. The victory matches the Eagles’ single-season high in coach Derek Foglein’s tenure; they were 8-10 in 2022.

Penns Grove 2, Glassboro 1: Edward Swank scored with nine minutes left in the second half to break a 1-1 tie. It was his second game-winner of the season. The Red Devils lost a 2-1 game to the Bulldogs earlier this year and lost a pair of 1-0 games to them last season. Goalie Dwayne Guzman made three big saves in the final 15 minutes to keep the game tied or preserve the lead.

Wildwood 6, Salem Tech 1: NuNu Bedderi scored three goals for the Warriors, playing their first game since losing to Schalick 3-2 in Cougars coach Joe Mannella’s 300th career win Oct. 2. Sophomore Christian VanTonder scored his first career goal for the Chargers in the first half.

SJ GROUP I POWER POINTS STANDINGS (Top 16 thru Oct. 10): Schalick (10-1), Audubon (9-2), Palmyra (9-3), Haddon Twp. (7-2-2), Woodstown (9-4), Riverside (7-4-1), Pitman (6-5-1), Wildwood (8-3), Maple Shade (7-4-1), Glassboro (5-5-1), Penns Grove (5-6), Gateway (5-7), Pennsville (8-6), Clayton (6-6), Woodbury (3-7), Buena (0-9-1).

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 3, Woodstown 1: Quinn Berger scored twice and Olivia Vanacker scored once as the Cougars (9-2) won their fourth in a row and completed a season sweep of the Wolverines.

Pennsville 3, Overbrook 2: Riley Bowman had a goal and two assists as the Eagles opened a 3-0 lead and held on to avenge a loss to the Rams earlier in the season. Bowman assisted on goals by Kallie Morrison and Taylor Bass in the first half.

Pitman 6, Salem 0: Teagan Canna scored the first two goals of the match and the Panthers pulled away. Emery Sharpnack had a goal and two assists.

Glassboro 3, Penns Grove 0: Alana Figueroa, Marianna Dempster and Tamia Smith scored for the Bulldogs in the first half.

Wildwood 3, Salem Tech 2: The Warriors scored two goals in the second half to win. Goals by Ava Robinson and Julia Hewitt Friebel staked the Chargers to a 2-1 halftime lead.

SJ GROUP I POWER POINTS STANDINGS (Top 16 thru Oct. 10): Audubon (11-1), Schalick (9-2), Haddon Twp. (7-4-1), Riverside (9-4), Palmyra (10-2), Gateway (9-2), Woodstown (7-4-1), Clayton (7-3-1), Glassboro (6-3-2), Pitman (8-5), Maple Shade (3-7), Buena (6-6), Pennsville (4-9), Penns Grove (1-9-1), Wildwood (3-9), Cape May Tech (1-11).

FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 4, Mainland 3: The Cougars jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead and held on to remain undefeated (13-0). Luci Virga, Ava Marynowicz and Ava Scurry all scored in the first half. Caylen Taylor scored with 1:58 left in the third quarter after Mainland cut it to 3-2. It was the Cougars’ third one-goal win of the streak and sixth decided by two goals or less.

Gateway 5, Pennsville 0: Bella Fini scored a hat trick for the Gators (10-2).

Maple Shade 4, Salem 0: Sophia Weisler and Rachel Loomis each scored twice for the Wildcats. The Rams are winless in their last four with only one goal after starting the season 4-0.

SJ GROUP I POWER POINTS STANDINGS (Top 16 thru Oct. 10): Shore (14-1), Schalick (13-0), West Deptford (9-3), Haddon Heights (6-5-1), Gateway (10-2), Gloucester (8-5), Woodstown (8-3), Collingswood (5-5), Bordentown (5-6), Florence (5-7-1), Haddon Twp. (4-8), Salem (4-3-1), South Hunterdon (8-5), Lower Cape May (5-6-2), Audubon (6-4), Pennsville (4-7-1).

VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech 2, Gloucester Catholic 1: The Chargers won a tight third set to follow their first win of the season with their second in a row, 25-16, 23-25, 25-23. It’s the first time since 2021 they have won back-to-back matches.

Cori Farnkoph had 13 kills and eight aces. Tiara Bazemore had four kills, 13 assists and eight aces. Alan’s James had five kills and eight assists.

Staying unbeaten

Wednesday’s sports report: Schalick field hockey (12-0) blanks Woodstown; Pennsville tennis (14-0) tunes up for semifinals with sweep

By Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Caylan Taylor capped a strong field goal with a third-quarter goal, Ava Scurry had a goal and an assist and Lydia Gilligan came up with another shutout as Schalick’s best-ever start hit 12 in a row Wednesday in a 2-0 victory over Woodstown.

The Cougars are now 12-0, besting their previous best start of 11-0 in 2020. They are one of only two remaining undefeated teams in Group I, one of four in the state and the only one in South Jersey.

The other remaining undefeateds are Madison (NJ G1), Northern Highlands (NJ G3) and East Brunswick (NJ G4).

“I’m not surprised, but I am surprised,” Schalick coach Heather Cheesman said. “I don’t want the girls to get too comfortable. They know they have to work hard every single game. We try not to focus on records. We just want them to work hard every game because when you relax, that’s when the other team swoops in and takes a win.”

Woodstown actually had the best of it early in the game, but Scurry broke the scoreless tie with her 26th goal of the season in the second quarter. Taylor gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead in the third quarter off an assist from Scurry.

“Caylan killed it,” Cheesman said. “She was getting back, everywhere the ball was when it was around here she seemed to pick it up. The field was tough to adjust to. She did such an amazing job.”

Gilligan again was steady in the cage. She made 10 saves in recording her third straight shutout and fifth of the year. She has allowed only three goals in her last seven games.

PENNSVILLE 2, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1: Laura Tamberella and Sophia Marandola scored goals for the Eagles (4-6-1).

Girls tennis

Pennsville coach Dan LaMont was really glad his team had a match between its two South Jersey Group I playoff matches Wednesday to give his new doubles teams some work and they both came through with straight set victories in the Eagles’ 5-0 win over Haddon Heights. They host Haddon Twp. in the semifinals Thursday, 3 p.m.

PENNSVILLE 5, HADDON HEIGHTS 0
Megan Morris (P) def. Mariah Stacker, 6-1, 6-1
Regan Witt (P) def. Ellie Mazzuco, 6-2, 4-6, 10-7
Lily Edwards (P) def. Sophia Aceto, 6-1, 6-0
Emma Cornette-Izzy Schrenker (P) def. Ellie Clapper-Molly Walker, 6-1, 6-3
Morgan Holt-Naomi Hess (P) Nora Miller-Lucy Durand, 6-3, 6-4
Records: Pennsville 14-0, Haddon Heights 8-11

WOODSTOWN 4, MILLVILLE 1
Julissa Mateo (M) def. Gabby Kurpis, 6-2, 6-2
Camille Osborn (Wo) def. Rebecca Lore, 6-1, 6-2
Aubrie Rennie (Wo) def. Jasmine Negron, 6-1, 6-4
Julianna Lindenmuth-Alyssa Berry (Wo) def. Sydney Ambrose-Ryleigh Sharretts, 6-3, 6-1
Nathalie Neron-Noelle Neron )Wo) def. Bridig Humphreys-Isabel Keer, 7-5, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 10-4, Millville 7-11

OLMA 5, SALEM 0
Sara Wojtkowiak (O) def. Cassidy Werkheiser, 7-5, 6-4
Evangeline Catanese (O) def. Tytiana Miller, 6-1, 6-0
Summer Baylock (O) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-4, 6-1
Sara Weiss-Reese Hetzer (O) def. Heaven Jones McCullough-Tahirah Davenport White, 6-3, 6-2
Sarina Tortella-Leah Calderon (O) def. Bianca Gibson-Destiny Carr, 6-1, 6-2
Records: OLMA 4-9, Salem 0-8.

All about perspective

Woodstown’s Chew wins Salem County Cross County boys race, Schalick’s Hadfield wins girls race, their squads win team titles

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Two races. Two winners. Two vastly different reactions.

Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield repeated as the Salem County girls cross country champion and Woodstown’s Karson Chew made his first varsity win a big one in the boys race, but the reactions to their victories couldn’t have been more different.

CHEW

Chew was over the moon after he won the boys race at Salem Tech in 17:00.79, while Hadfield was visibly upset walking away from the finish after winning the girls race in 19:15.79. 

Woodstown won the boys team title for the first time since 2021 with 17 points. Schalick edged Woodstown by nine points in what amounted to a dual meet for the girls crown.

Chew admitted he wasn’t a very good classmate or student for much of the school day because he was so locked in to winning the race. He’d come up short each of the last two years, finishing fifth as a freshman and second last year, and wasn’t sure how he’d finish this year because his teammates were equally strong, but he was determined to go for it.

He was the fastest Salem County boys runner in a Tri-County Conference batch meet on the Salem Tech course Oct. 1 (seventh overall).

“I came into it today thinking I need a win, so I went for it and here we are,” Chew said. “Honestly, this year has been rocky for me. I’ve had a couple meets where I didn’t do my best; I had one DNF, which has never happened to me before. A couple meets before this I ran my PR for the season and I was like I know I can do this.

“I knew in my heart, in my head and my legs that I could do it and I did it and I’m super proud of myself for that. I love the energy that all gave me. I’ve been in the top 25 since my freshman year, this year I’m top seven, and I was like, county, this is it, I’m going to win it.”

He’s the first Woodstown boy to win the county crown since John Turner ran a 17:58 to lead a 1-2-4 Wolverines finish in 2021 at Schalick.

He went out in a pack with several teammates, but quickly separated himself with teammate Jacob Marino. They came through the midpoint of the race stride for stride, but then halfway through the second loop he went for it and eventually beat his teammate to the line by 15 seconds. Wolverines senior track captain Cole Lucas, running cross country for the first time, was third.

“I was in my own world the whole day; I was thinking to myself about this meet the whole day,” Chew said. “This is a big thing for me. I needed this so much.

“This was the meet that my coach was hyping me up about. He was like, ‘Who’s it going to be, you or Jacob, who’s it going to be? I kept thinking to myself I need this to be me. For the rest of my season to go well, I need this to be me.”

HADFIELD

Winning races might be a new experience for Chew, it’s a regular occurrence for Hadfield. So much so that the quality of the run is as important as the finish.

And that’s what had her coming out of the finishing chute with her face in her hands on the verge of tears and then walking across the field to be consoled by coach Missy Pine. She led wire-to-wire without much push and won by more than a minute, but the 19-minute run over the flat course just wasn’t up to her standard.

She was hoping for something closer to the 18:22 she ran while winning her race Six Flags on Sept. 28 as she prepares for a run at states.

“It should not have been that,” the Cougars senior said. “I’m trying to be better each time and today I guess wasn’t me. I just wasn’t feeling good or something, I don’t know. We need to look forward to Saturday (at Dream Park) and forget about this and just focus on that.”

In her defense she was running her second race in five days and ran into a strong headwind several times along Wednesday’s route. She finished third in her race at Holmdel Park last Saturday. 

“It’s definitely a lot racing multiple times a week, it definitely gets you for sure this part of the season,” she said. “You definitely felt the wind. I don’t know if that was a part of it. My first mile was fine and then after that, that’s when I fell off.”

In the team standings, Woodstown put five of the first six runners across the line in the boys race. Salvatore Longo of Schalick finished fourth to prevent them from scoring a cross country shutout. Schalick’s girls placed seven runners in the top 12 overall and had five of the first eight counters.

“It’s a small county but these small programs have always had quality teams,” Woodstown coach Steve New said. “You might think that winning Salem County is small and not that big of a deal, but I think beating some of these teams that are around here is impressive. I don’t think it’s a small feat to win this county title. It takes a lot of work to do it.”

Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield comes across the finish line to win the Salem County Cross Country girls race. On the cover, Woodstown’s Karson Chew made the boys race his first varsity win.

Salem County XC Championship

BOYS TEAM SCORES: Woodstown 17, Schalick 41, Salem Tech 77, Salem 101, Penns Grove 141.
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Schalick 25, Woodstown 34.

BOYS TOP 15 (56 runners)TIMEGIRLS TOP 10 (20 runners)TIME
Karson Chew, Woodstown17:00.79Jordan Hadfield, Schalick 19:15.79
Jacob Marino, Woodstown17:15.21Abby Marino, Woodstown20:34.29
Cole Lucas, Woodstown17:27.94Sarah Seiden, Salem Tech 22:08.78
Salvatore Longo, Schalick17:50.39Anabel Schaal, Woodstown23:08.61
David Farrell, Woodstown18:02.19Jordan Goode, Schalick23:40.48
Jon Farrell, Woodstown18:42.64Emma Cain, Schalick24:35.15
Chase Walker, Schalick18:49.31Arianna Mott, Woodstown25:00.72
Collin Bittle, Schalick18:58.64Ava Melnick, Schalick25:06.85
Sam Cooke, Salem19:01.62Gabriella Bartlett, Salem25:20.72
Chase Riley, Schalick19:05.91Olivia Hill, Schalick25:31.60
Larry Pompper, Salem Tech19:10.72
Joshua Weiner, Schalick19:10.94
Dominic Militia, Salem Tech19:38.22
Chase Pompper, Salem Tech19:46.36
Michael Turner, Woodstown19:50.84

Tuesday sports report

Schalick’s Price on hot streak, Willoughby erupts for five goals in girls game, Salem Tech gets first volleyball win of the season, and more

BOYS SOCCER
Schalick 7, Overbrook 1: Luke Price scored three goals and Anthony Sepers and Connor Jackson both had a pair of assists at Schalick. Price has scored eight goals during the Cougars’ current four-game winning streak.

Woodstown 3, Penns Grove 1: Blake Bialecki and Bryce Ayars scored second-half goals to snap a 1-1 tie and hand Wolverines coach Darren Huck career win No. 295.

Pennsville 3, Salem Tech 0: Shane Puckett, Sam Hassler and Evan Pessoa all scored and Coen Rinnier made seven saves in posting the shutout.

Salem at Clayton

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 9, Overbrook 1: Abby Willoughby erupted for five goals and Gia Martellacci scored twice to lead the Cougars to their third straight win. Willoughby has scored nine goals against the Rams in two games.

Woodstown 4, Penns Grove 0: Talia Battavio, Blair Baldi, Emma Perry and Gina Murray all scored for the Wolverines.

Clayton 10, Salem 2: Diondria Simon and Ava Delaney both had hat tricks for the Clippers.

Glassboro 3, Pennsville 0: Amina Brown scored two goals and Tamia Smith had the other.

Salem Tech at Pitman

VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech 2, Highland 0: Cori Farnkoph delivered nine aces and Tiara Bazemore had four kills and nine assists to lead the Chargers (1-6) to their first win of the season, 25-16, 25-10. Valeria Camacho-Martinez had five kills and Alanis James had five assists. The Chargers didn’t win their first match last season until their 14th match.

Doubles delivery

Pennsville’s reworked doubles teams sweep to clinch undefeated Eagles SJ Group I quarterfinals win over Schalick; Woodstown eliminated by Haddon Twp.

South Jersey Group I Tournament
Tuesday’s quarterfinals
No. 3 Haddon Twp. 3, No. 6 Woodstown 2
No. 2 Pennsville 3, No. 7 Schalick 2
No. 4 Gateway 3.5, No. 5 Lower Cape May 1.5
No. 1 Pitman 4, No. 9 Audubon 1
Thursday semifinals
Haddon Twp. at Pennsville, 3 p.m.
Gateway at Pitman, 3 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – When a team is on the kind of roll Pennsville’s girls tennis team is enjoying the absolute last thing it needs is any kind of disruption. Especially in the doubles department in its sport where chemistry is everything.

The Eagles faced a potentially big disruption last week when they lost one of their steadiest doubles player to an injury. But coach Dan LaMont pulled out the depth chart, shuffled the deck and the Eagles haven’t missed a beat.

And it was one of those shuffled doubles teams that came through for them in a big way Tuesday, winning a super tiebreaker at No. 2 doubles to clinch their 3-2 win over Schalick in the South Jersey Group I quarterfinals.

The second-seeded Eagles, now 13-0 and one of two remaining undefeated teams statewide in Group 1, will host third-seeded Haddon Twp. in the sectional semifinals Thursday.

“It wasn’t the prettiest,” LaMont said. “There were times we were good. There were times we were not so good. And there were times we were able to pull it out.

“We’ve been finding ways all year and that’s what I keep on telling them. Who’s going to be the next hero? Who’s the one who’s going to pull out (the match)?”

That would be the No. 2 double teams of Naomi Hess and Morgan Holt, first-time partners who regrouped after losing the second set and won the clinching point 6-0, 2-6, 10-5 over Kayleigh Veach and Annie Podehl.

The Eagles’ lineup had been steady all season until Gabi Forino turned her right knee crashing into the fence before the Overbrook match. It forced LaMont to reshuffle his deck, but luckily he had cards to play.

He initially moved Holt into Forino’s spot at first doubles with Emma Cornette and they played together for two matches. He put Izzy Schrenker in that spot Tuesday and placed Holt with Hess, who had been paired with Schrenker for six matches. 

“We really consider our top eight, nine our varsity,” LaMont said. “We always get them ready. I made a little decision, almost like a rotation with Morgan and Naomi, but they each always got matches in.

“A couple weeks ago (Forino) also had a little nagging injury, so we had a feeling; I don’t know why. But we got a challenge match in, so we have it all legal. I know they can play together. Even though they haven’t done much we have to make it work. We don’t have any other choice in the matter.”

Holt and Hess breezed through the first set like they were long-time partners, but Veach and Podehl evened the match with a big second set.

In the super tiebreaker, the first team to 10 was going to win it. The Schalick side went up 3-1 and 5-3, but Holt and Hess figured it out on their own – the changeover was still four points away – and won the next seven points to secure the win.

“We knew we had to win the tiebreaker,” Hess said. “We did everything we could to win the tiebreaker.”

“It was definitely scary,” said Holt, “because you really don’t want to lose. You don’t want to let your coach down and you don’t want to let your team down because everybody tries so hard. You just want to win. You want to win for everybody. I just didn’t want to lose.”

The match was just more of the same nailbiters the teams had been playing during the season. Pennsville won the first meeting 3-2 with Edwards clinching the match at No. 3 singles. The second meeting was suspended by weather with Schalick leading 2-1, but Pennsville leading in both doubles matches; that match is scheduled to resume Oct. 24.

There were still two points up for grabs as No. 2 doubles battled it out Tuesday. Pennsville won at No. 1 doubles (Cornette-Schrenker) and No. 3 singles (Edwards). Schalick won at No. 1 singles (Emma Adams) and Ally Green was leading at No. 2 singles making the doubles match the swing point.

The Cougars were the seventh seed, but a win would keep alive their hope of returning to the State Final Four. They lost in the state semifinals last year, but were looking to write their own history this year.

“I wanted to talk to them before we came out on the court and I told them I felt like all year long we hadn’t really put a full match together,” Cougars coach John Romano said. “We had spots here and there and, sure, we were beating people, but I told them you’re not riding the coat tails of last year’s team. You have your own legacy to set and today is going to be that day.

“We did really well. We were up 5-3 and had a shot to win it in the tiebreak and it just didn’t fall our way; kudos to them. I went over after and asked (Veach and Podehl) if they were OK and they said yes. I said I thought they played really well. I thought they both played a great tiebreak early on and then they both said they don’t know what happened.”

PENNSVILLE 3, SCHALICK 2
Emma Adams (S) def. Megan Morris, 6-2, 6-1
Ally Green (S) def. Regan Witt, 6-2, 6-4
Lily Edwards (P) def. Miya Watkins, 6-3, 6-1
Emma Cornette-Izzy Schrenker (P) def. Julie Langley-Helana Tyers, 6-1, 6-3
Naomi Hess-Morgan Holt (P) def. Kayleigh Veach-Annie Podehl, 6-0, 2-6, 10-5.
Records: Pennsville 13-0, Schalick 6-5

HADDON TWP. 3, WOODSTOWN 2
Ellie Smith (HT) def. Gabby Kurds, 6-0, 6-0
Kiersten Callahan (HT) def. Camille Osborn, 6-3, 6-4
Tessa Dybus (HT) def. Aubrie Rennie, 6-3, 6-1
Julianna Lindenmuth-Alyssa Berry (Wo( def. Sydney Troncone-Ani Piernola, 7-6 (10-8), 6-2
Nathalie Neron-Noelle Neron (Wo) def. Lily Steele-Olivia Fleming, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 10-8
Records: Haddon Twp. 12-6, Woodstown 9-4

Pennsville tennis coach Dan LaMont visits with Naomi Hess (R) and Morgan Holt after the doubles team won the clinching point in Tuesday’s South Jersey quarterfinals match with Schalick.


Monday’s sports report

Here are the results and details of Monday’s high school sports action involving Salem County teams

FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville 0, Salem 0: Kelsey Cook made 12 saves to keep Salem out of the net and Ava Rogers made two saves in Salem’s goal. It was Pennsville’s first tie since 2022 and the Eagles’ first scoreless tie since before 2010. It was Salem’s first tie and scoreless tie since a match with Glassboro in October 2022.
Schalick 5, Glassboro 0: Ava Scurry had a hat trick and Phoebe Alward scored twice as the Cougars ran their record to 11-0. It’s their best start since 2020 when they also opened 11-0 before falling to Delsea. They were unbeaten in their first 11 matches in 2019 (10-0-1).

BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville 1, Gloucester 0: Maddox Efelis scored in the 27th minute and Coen Rinnier stoned nine shots in the goal to make it stand.
Woodstown 2, Gateway 0: Landon Guglielmo and Bryce Ayars scored goals, and Ben Stengel made four saves for his fourth shutout of the season.

GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester 6, Pennsville 0: Bailey Schoenfeldt scored two goals in the first half and Meghan Gorman scored two in the second half. Ava Rodgers had a goal and two assists.

GIRLS TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 3, KINGSWAY 2
Skylar Grabarski (K) def. Gabby Kurpis, 6-1, 6-3
Abby Malesich (K) def. Camille Osborn, 6-4, 6-4
Aubrie Rennie (Wo) def. Molly Baldino, 6-2, 6-2
Alyssa Berry-Julianna Lindenmuth (Wo) def. Krishani Parikh-Mishi Chaturvedi, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7)
Nathalie Neron-Noelle Neron (Wo) def. Sophia Campbell-Kelsey Dion, 6-1, 6-3
Records: Woodstown 9-3, Kingsway 5-8.

MAINLAND 4, SCHALICK 1
Christina Htay (M) def. Emma Adams, 6-1, 6-2
Marlee Campbell (M) def. Allyson Green, 6-0, 6-1
Miya Watkins (S) def. Lily Turner, 6-4, 6-2
Macenzi Campbell-Jessica Wise (M) def. Julia Langley-Helana Tyers, 6-1, 6-0
Daisy Turner-Dilana Erenier (M) def. Kayleigh Veach-Annie Podehl, 6-0, 6-2
Records: Mainland 9-5, Schalick 6-4.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for Oct. 7-12, featuring Schalick’s rescheduled football game, SJ girls tennis tournament and County XC Championship; all events 4 p.m. unless noted

MONDAY
FOOTBALL
Schalick at Paulsboro, 4 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Salem
Schalick at Glassboro
Woodstown at Deptford
BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville at Gloucester City
Woodstown at Gateway
GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Gloucester City, 7 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Mainland
Woodstown at Kingsway

TUESDAY
GIRLS TENNIS
South Jersey Group I quarterfinals
Woodstown at Haddon Twp., 3 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 3 p.m.
Lower Cape May at Gateway, 3 p.m.
Audubon at Pitman, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook at Schalick
Penns Grove at Woodstown
Pennsville at Salem Tech
Salem at Clayton, 6 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton at Salem
Glassboro at Pennsville
Salem Tech at Pitman
Schalick at Overbrook
Woodstown at Penns Grove
VOLLEYBALL
Highland at Salem

WEDNESDAY
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville
Schalick at Woodstown
GIRLS TENNIS
Haddon Heights at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown at Millville, 3:45 p.m.
OLMA at Salem
CROSS COUNTRY
Salem County Championship, Salem Tech, 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY
FOOTBALL
Delran at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
South Jersey Group I semifinals
Woodstown-Haddon Twp. winner vs. Schalick-Pennsville winner
Lower Cape May-Gateway winner vs. Audubon-Pitman winner
BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Salem
Salem Tech at Wildwood
Schalick at Woodstown
GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Glassboro
Overbrook at Pennsville
Salem at Pitman
Wildwood at Salem Tech
Woodstown at Schalick
FIELD HOCKEY
Gateway at Pennsville
Salem at Maple Shade
Schalick at Mainland, 4:15 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech

FRIDAY
FOOTBALL
Audubon at Collingswood, 6 p.m.
Glassboro at Cinnaminson, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester City, 6 p.m.
Salem at West Deptford, 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Cumberland at Salem
Woodstown at Ocean City, 3:45 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Audubon at Schalick
Salem at Gateway
BOYS SOCCER
Haddon Heights at Salem
Schalick at Audubon
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Bridgeton
Vineland at Woodstown

SATURDAY
FOOTBALL
Willingboro at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Camden Catholic at Overbrook, 11 a.m.
Woodstown at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.
Pennsville at Paulsboro, noon
CROSS COUNTRY
SJCTA Meet at Dream Park

Cover photo by Ellen Sickler

Pennsville finally gets The Boot

Eagles end seven-year drought with Penns Grove to take the Wildman Willey Boot; Woodstown handles Pleasantville to go 5-0 for second time in three seasons; Saturday’s Schalick-Paulsboro game postponed due to security threat

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — Mike Healy has been trying to get his hands on The Boot his entire coaching career.

Once he finally got his mitts on it Friday night and raised it above his head during the joyous post-game celebration, he said it was “a little bigger than I thought,” but beyond that, holding the trophy was “just perfect.”

Pennsville claimed the Pennsville Lions Club Award that goes to the winner of the Pennsville-Penns Grove game – better known as the Norm Wildman Willey Boot – for the first time since 2016 Friday when it made big play after big play on critical downs, especially in the second half, to secure a 19-12 victory.

It was the first time Healy had won it in his seven-year coaching tenure with the Eagles. The Red Devils’ seven-game winning streak in the Riverview Rivalry was the longest by either team in the series.

“It was awesome to finally do it,” said Healy, who also got soaked by the ice bucket in the celebration. ‘This game means so much to our kids and our town. 

“We had our pep rally today and everyone was excited. Everyone kept asking me ,‘Are we going to get it? Are we going to get it?’ I felt good, but just to finally get that feels so good. There’s not much else I can say.”

It means a little more residing in the Eagles’ trophy case. Willey was a three-time Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro way back in the day and a teacher in the Pennsville school district for more than 30 years. One of his original game cleats adorns the top of the trophy.

The trophy was a late arrival at Lou D’Angelo Stadium. The Red Devils left it back at school and Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden drove back to retrieve it, returning with trophy in hand just as they started playing the national anthem, and it stayed on their sideline until it wound up in the Eagles’ hands at the end of the game.

“It was everything I thought it would be,” quarterback Robbie McDade said. “We came in here wanting to get The Boot, knowing we had to get The Boot. It’s been so long, it felt really good.”

The Eagles never trailed in the game, but they never could relax.

Penns Grove closed to within 13-12 on MahKye Murray’s 40-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. But Pennsville answered it with another long touchdown drive to push its lead to 19-12.

The Eagles went 73 yards in 10 plays that included three long completions on crucial downs to move the chains. 

McDade hit Luke Wood in stride down the sideline on a 48-yard pass on third-and-21. He hit Rylan Hardy for 24 yards on third-and-20. And the Eagles scored on an 18-yard pass to Wood on fourth-and-17 with 8:10 to play. They ran the same play to Wood on the snap before, but to the other side of the field, that was out of his reach.

The Eagles converted a fourth-down situation in each of their two touchdown drives in the first half, too.

“That’s what we’ve been looking for on offense,” Healy said. “When we’re in those big moments are we going to step up and get it done and tonight we stepped up and got things done. We know our kids are capable of it. They’ve just got to constantly believe they can do it. If they buckle down they’re capable of doing anything.”

“It’s just all about trusting your guys,” McDade said. “You’ve got to trust your receivers, you’ve got to trust the offensive line. I trusted myself to make that play all the time. We’ve just got to do our job and I think we did that and we got big plays out of it.”

McDade was 9-of-14 for 146 yards passing. Wood, a senior playing his first year of varsity football, caught four balls for 81 yards.

“They used to play this game on Thanksgiving Day and the centerpiece of our table would be The Boot whenever my dad would win it,” said Wood, whose dad Ryan was a longtime Eagles head coach and now a Healy assistant. “So, if there was one game I had to win it was this one.

“I grew up every Thanksgiving looking at that in the middle of my table and we haven’t had it in so long it feels so good.”

There was still plenty of time after Pennsville scored for the Red Devils to come back and retain The Boot.

They got it down in the red zone, but Melo Erickson’s fourth-and-5 pass to KaRon Ceaser from the 10 with less than four minutes to play fell incomplete.

“That’s me; I’m an athlete, I can make a play,” Ceaser said. “That’s on me. The quarterback put in a route to get it. I should’ve went to go get it.”

Ceaser was a big part of the Red Devils’ offense all night. He had two 11-yard runs and a 17-yard catch to keep that drive moving. He finished with 107 yards rushing and 17 yards receiving.

There was some confusion late in the drive that may have cost the Red Devils a down. The pass to Ceaser gave the Red Devils a first down at the 15. Erickson ran for 2 yards on the first-down play, then the Red Devils were flagged for delay of game. The next play they ran was third down.

Erickson hit Knowledge Young for 8 yards, but it left the Red Devils to face what the down marker read as fourth-and-5 for The Boot.

They lost another scoring chance at the end of the first half on a similarly confusing situation. Erickson looked like he spiked the ball at the 8 to stop the clock with 15.8 seconds left, but it later was explained to Healy the quarterback took too long making the spike and that’s what drew the flag for grounding.

The Red Devils lost yardage, lost the down and eventually time expired.

Pennsville 19, Penns Grove 12

PG (12)PV (19)
101st Downs16
22-134Rushing36-148
7-14-1Passes9-14-0
86Passing146
1-0Fum-Lost1-1
2-34.5Punts2-29.5
5-36Penalties6-45
Penns Grove (1-5)6060-12
Pennsville (3-3)7606-19

SCORING SUMMARY
PV-Malik Rehmer 8 run (Luke Wood kick), 4:02 1Q
PG-KaRon Ceaser 39 run (kick failed), 2:22 1Q
PV-Robbie McDade 1 run (kick failed), 4:03 2Q
PG-MahKye Murray 40 pass from Melo Erickson (pass failed), 2:17 3Q
PV-Luke Wood 18 pass from Robbie McDade (pass failed), 8:10 4Q

Woodstown’s Bryce Belinfanti is about to leave the Pleasantville defense in the dust on the way to his game-breaking 50-yard touchdown Friday night. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)

Woodstown remains undefeated

WOODSTOWN — Bryce Belinfanti rushed for 189 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns and went 60 yards on a screen pass to set up their first score as Woodstown handled winless Pleasantville 24-12 to go 5-0 for the second time in three seasons.

The Wolverines were 5-0 in 2022 as well, but coach Frank Trautz doesn’t get caught up in all that.

“Obviously it’s another win and it feels great, but we’re not looking at 5-0,” he said. “We’re not looking at 2, 3, 4 weeks down the line. We’re on to Week No. 6 and trying to get that one.

“It’s our approach and our staff’s approach to take it a week at a time and we try to do our best to win that game. It’s our goal to try to win every week. If you were to ask me at the beginning of the season, I was focused on Week No. 1. Now, I’m focused on Week No. 6. We’re not done writing the story yet. We’re focused on the next chapter.”

For Belinfanti it’s never a case of if he’s going to break a long one but when. The Homecoming crowd didn’t have to wait long on this night. The senior took a screen pass from Jack Holladay and bolted downfield 60 yards to set the stage for the Wolverines’ first touchdown. Holladay finished it off with a 1-yard run.

In the third quarter, Belinfanti scored on a 50-yard run and a 1-yard run to help the Wolverines stretch their lead to 24-6.

He had a 25-yard touchdown run in overtime to win the opener against Delsea and has had other scores of 35, 85, 37 and 44 this season.

“He’s got that big play capability,” Trautz said. “We do a good job up front with our blocking, he sees a little window and he’s got the ability to go.”

Woodstown 24, Pleasantville 12

Pleasantville (0-6)6006-12
Woodstown (5-0)73140-24

SCORING SUMMARY
W-Jack Holladay 1 run (Jake Ware kick), 3:30 1Q
P-Nazir Griffin 55 run (run failed)
W-Jake Ware 37 FG, 4:56 2Q
W-Bryce Belinfanti 50 run (Jake Ware kick), 7:09 3Q
W-Bryce Belinfanti 1 run (Jake Ware kick), 0:57 3Q
P-Dajaun Martin 6 pass from Ahmad Jones (pass failed), 8:09 4Q

Woodstown’s Rocco String (21) tries to sake off a block so he can chase down a Pleasantville ballcarrier. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)

Schalick-Paulsboro ppd.

PAULSBORO — Schalick’s first-ever regular-season meeting with Paulsboro Saturday has been postponed due to a “security concern” that is being investigated by the host school district. According to sources, Paulsboro became aware of a threat specifically linked to the football game earlier Friday and took action.

“Both school districts have collectively determined that postponing the game is in the best interest of our students and families while the investigation is underway,” Schalick principal Yvette DuBois Trembley and athletic director Doug Volovar said in a joint statement from the Cougars. “The safety of our students, staff and community remains our top priority.”

It wasn’t immediately known if or when the game would be rescheduled. The game does have South Jersey Group I playoff seeding implications as both teams are currently ranked in the top seven in the sectional power points standings.

The teams have played four times previously, all in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

WJFL DIAMOND DIVISIONDIVALL
Glassboro (4)3-05-0
Woodstown (1)3-05-0
Schalick (7)2-13-2
Woodbury (12)1-22-3
Salem (23)0-30-5
Penns Grove (18)0-31-5

NOTE: Number in parenthesis is South Jersey Group I UPR power ranking through Sept. 28

THURSDAY’S GAME
Woodbury 35, Gateway 6
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Glassboro 51, Deptford 0
Pennsville 19, Penns Grove 12
Woodstown 24, Pleasantville 12
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Schalick at Paulsboro, ppd.
Middle Twp. at Salem. noon

WJFL PATRIOT DIVISIONDIVALL
Camden Catholic3-05-0
West Deptford3-13-3
Paulsboro (5)3-14-1
Pennsville (14)2-23-3
Collingswood1-23-3
Audubon (20)0-31-3
Overbrook0-32-3

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Camden Catholic 48, Haddon Heights 22
Collingswood 20, Sterling 6
Haddonfield 30, West Deptford 28
Pennsville 19, Penns Grove 12
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Schalick at Paulsboro, ppd.
Clayton at Overbrook, 11 a.m.

Great Wall of Woodstown

Wolverines soccer program to unveil Wall of Fame Saturday enshrining the all-time greats of its boys and girls teams 

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The Woodstown athletics program has a long and storied history, but much of it, it seems, is an oral history. Outside of the trophies in the case and the stories the old-timers tell in the stands, there’s not really anything that recognizes the heroes of their history.

But one of the school’s longest-tenured coaches is setting out to change that, even if it is just in his little corner of the world.

Darren Huck has a nose for these kinds of things. After putting together a comprehensive statistical history of both the boys and girls soccer teams, he set off on a project to recognize the all-time legends of those programs.

The result is a Woodstown Soccer Wall of Fame that will have its public unveiling Saturday before Huck’s Wolverines boys team plays Northern Burlington at the Ron Udy Soccer Complex. No one has seen the sign but Huck and the designers

“Almost every school out there has a Hall of Fame or a Wall of Fame; Woodstown High School does not have one,” said Huck, in his 26th season as the Wolverines’ boys coach. “When I look around at all these schools I go to, I see all these schools that have it and we don’t have anything. That’s no disrespect to people in leadership there now or in the past. For whatever reason there’s nothing there. 

“This isn’t to compare Woodstown soccer to Pennsville or Audubon or anything like that. It’s just for us to recognize these are the best players who have played at Woodstown High School and recognize and honor them.

“I don’t know of another high school in South Jersey – and maybe even the state – that has anything like this, their own boys and girls soccer Wall of Fame. For our school, since we don’t have anything like that, this will be a little groundbreaking and something to be super proud about.”

School officials aren’t involved in the project, but they did give their blessing. 

The list of players that will appear on the wall is more than just that year’s statistical leaders. All the inductees must meet a rigid criteria for inclusion. Huck put it together through painstaking research, checking and cross-referencing multiple sources, to devise a scorecard for everyone who has played in the program.

Through it all, 134 players have made the cut. The list goes all the way back to 1982 – 17 years before Huck became the head coach. 

He had already done a lot of the legwork while researching the complete statistical record for his boys program, a seven-year endeavor that became the all-time records board posted on the wall at the entrance of the soccer complex. And then he started on the girls program.

“In the back of my mind I always had the vision of putting a Wall of Fame together,” he said.

Huck didn’t want to have a committee to select the roster of players. Instead, he put together a scoring sheet with all the possible accomplishments a player could have in their careers. Things like captaincies, letters won, all-star recognition, and, of course, statistical credentials were considered. He plugged every player into the formula and if a player met the threshold they made the wall.

Huck, who is on the verge of becoming Salem County’s second 300-win coaching veteran, is not on the Wall. He was a very good outside back for the Wolverines back in the day, but his biggest claim as a player he says was being a three-year varsity starter on one of the program’s the top five defensive teams of all time.

He showed his grading system to several coaches for validation and without them seeing the players’ statistical component all said he was right on the mark.

“I didn’t want anyone to look at it and judge it as, well, looks like everybody got in or it was too easy,” he said. “I didn’t want it to lose its legitimacy and it didn’t. There are some good players who didn’t make it, but that’s not a bad thing, because it just shows it’s legit. If you’re good, you’re in it.”

HUCK

The 8-x-4-foot blue metal sign with orange and white lettering was designed by Glassboro’s Astro Sign Company, whose co-owner Nick Painter played for Huck. The roster of honorees wraps around the Woodstown Soccer Wall of Fame crest designed by another former Wolverine, Rylie Gantz, who is on the wall (2021).

The sign cost “a couple thousand dollars” and the program raised the funding for it. All the inductees will receive a special gift commemorating their inclusion on the Wall.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Huck spent weeks gathering contact information for all the players who qualified to be on the wall and there were only about a half dozen he was unable to reach. Almost 100 of the 134 from nearly a dozen states have RSVP’d their intention to return. Andrew Blaszczyk (2016) is coming from California on leave from the Navy. Todd Shimp in coming up from Florida with his family to honor his late brother Kevin (1992).

“People are coming up and coming down and coming over from all over; it’s pretty remarkable,” Huck said. “There are a ton of brothers on the wall, sisters on the wall, brothers and sisters, mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, fathers and sons and daughters (among the inductees).” 

Players will be added as they reach the criteria or may have been missed in the previous research. No doubt future inductees will include current Woodstown seniors Adrian Ibarra, Ben Stengle and Talia Battavio.

The unveiling and player recognition begins at 9 a.m. and will be broadcast on the new Woodstown soccer YouTube channel.

“It’s a way of almost having a reunion but also honoring the best of the best,” Huck said. “The only thing that could ruin it maybe is rain and I’m telling you right now even the rain I don’t think can dampen the enthusiasm that’s around all this.”

WOODSTOWN SOCCER WALL OF FAME
1982: Brian Udy, Doug Hathaway
1983: David J. Fedora Sr., Mike Bickford
1984: Eric Sigurdson
1985: David “Mugsy” Nathans, Kevin Udy, Magnus Ramquist, Robert Hammond, Steve Demarest, Tom Boger
1987: Jack Reistle
1988: Cherie Hill Lombardo, Jon Gonzalez
1989: Amy K. Hill, Bobbi Andrews Elwell, Scott McCall
1990: Brian Ritchie, Daniel Emmans, Sean Weiser
1991: Becky Gantz Blum, John Burger, Thanh Mai
1992: Dr. Kevin M. Shimp
1993: Lauren Eichmann Morgan, Lauren Weaver, Raechelle Hatchell
1994: Amy Bender McGroarty, Amy Gray, Bill Olbrich, Carrie Ann Flemming, Craig Patterson
1995: Laura Flitcraft Merkle, Lauren Weist, Matt Foote
1997: A.J. Washington, Jeff LaPalomento, Kim Merkle-Souder
1998: Brian Bender, Bruce L. Bobbitt Jr., Laura J. Sanderlin
1999: Paul Hughes
2000: Amanda Clark Rondon, Amy Wasersztein Fredrick, Brian Roberts, Oscar Hernandez
2001: Bleigh Ahl Garcia, Bradford L. English, DR Ayers, Jessica Coles, Randall Clark
2002: Christine Monforto, Lauren Tavani, Lindsay Thompson, Rebecca Callen Iacovone
2003: Dana Ayars Hitchner, David Roman, Rob Polk
2004: Jenny Finocchiaro, Jillian Sigars, Leslie Long, Probyn Allen
2005: Ashley Jones, Julia Godsmark, William Layton
2006: Corie Coles, Craig Bober, Lucia V. Allen, Megan Beal, PJ Tucker, Randy Wickersham, Ta-Monica Moore
2007: Brynn Really Bross, Elena Layton, Emma Geiger, Greg Tavani, Kathryn LaPann, Lindsey Butler
2008: Ethan Kavanagh, Travis Goss
2009: Noelle Kitchin, Tori Malpezzi
2010: Alexander Zeidler, Chelsea Norbuts, Drew Geiger, Michael Love, Rachel Norbuts, TJ Schaefer
2011: Fran Smith, Jacob Allen
2012: Greg Conner, Jon Robbins, Marlyn Malpezzi, Zachary Smick
2013: Bonnell Reynolds, Dillon Martell, Victoria Smick
2014: Alexandra Sottile, Astasia K. Williams-Bertles, Brandon Dean, Clark Hathaway, Eric Hepler, Fallon Secaur, Kelly O’Kane, Lexi Brown, Matthew Simmermon
2015: Alex Norbuts, Cole Kugler, Mickey Demarest, Tom Brady
2016: Andrew Błaszczyk, Dylan Varner, Geoffrey Schaefer, Paige Rodriguez
2017: Brice Monefeldt
2019: Chris Williams
2020: Maddy Hunt, Nathan Hitchner, Sadie Boatright, Shaye Kelly, Trevor Lodge, Zac Moore
2021: Ava Lammersen, Jake Moore, Justin Olbrich, Rylie Gantz
2022: Chase Prater, Dean Sorantino, Will McQueston
2023: Elizabeth Morgan, Ellen Olbrich, Gabrielle Saia, Jordana Fredo, Tatum DeVault