WOODSTOWN – Woodstown split two wrestling matches in its first competition after Christmas Wednesday and both came down to the final bout.
The Wolverines fell to Northern Burlington 39-35 when Hayden Joyce pinned Brett Rowand in 3:38 at 150. Willem Groom turned it into a winner-take-all bout when he put Woodstown up 35-33 with an 8-6 decision at 144.
They salvaged the day with a 42-37 victory over Audubon when Zach Bevis pinned Gabriel McCracken in 4:29 at 165.
Greyson Hyland (175), Paul Banff (190), Mateo Vinciguerra (285) all scored a pair of pins for the Wolverines. Bevis and Travis Balback (120) both scored a pin and a major decision.
In the other match of the day, Northern Burlington defeated Audubon 36-31, with a pin in the final bout.
NORTHERN BURLINGTON 39, WOODSTOWN 35 157: Jayden Donohue (NB) pinned Joseph Gervasi, 5:23 165: Zach Bevis maj. dec. over Brendan Goldmacher, 10-1 175: Greyson Hyland pinned Andrew Hanson, 3:42 190: Paul Banff pinned Griffin Goldmacher, 1:03 215: Michael Milewski (NB) pinned Josiah Mejias, 4:33 285: Mateo Vinciguerra pinned Manuel Saenz, 3:00 106: Drew Campbell (NB) pinned Chase Blandino, 5:57 113: Landen Knox (NB) won by forfeit 120: Travis Balback maj. dec. over Michael McGarigle, 13-0 126: Nicholas Bruno (NB) dec. Carson Bradway, 5-1 132: Justin Marcello (NB) pinned Ryan Polk, 2:52 138: Galiano Zeppadoro (NB) won by forfeit 144: Willem Groom dec. Trent Villabon, 8-6 150: Hayden Joyce (NB) pinned Brett Rowand, 3:38
WOODSTOWN 42, AUDUBON 37 175: Greyson Hyland pinned Georgios Kappatos, 0:31 190: Paul Banff pinned Christian Burton, 0:21 215: Sam Myers (A) pinned Josiah Mejias, 1:01 285: Mateo Vinciguerra pinned Jacob Dutill, 0:53 106: Chase Blandino pinned Josephine Albanese, 3:48 113: Nicholas Sassany (A) won by forfeit 120: Travis Balback pinned Rocco Monteferrante, 4:19 126: Lucas Stinger (A) pinned Carson Bradway, 1:25 132: Blaise LaFrance (A) pinned Ryan Polk, 1:46 138: Tyler Perrozi (A) pinned Willem Groom, 5:35 144: Brett Roland pinned Noah Battillo, 0:26 150: Pedro Marte (A) maj. dec. over Laitton Roberts, 10-2 157: David Borodziuk (A) dec. Jayden Donohue, 1-0 165: Zach Bevis pinned Gabriel McCracken, 4:29
Cover photo: Travis Balback puts the finishing touches on his pin against Audubon. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)
Holiday tournaments highlight the schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Dec. 25-30
DEC. 26 BASKETBALL Girls Battle of the Boards Wildwood Convention Center Salem vs. Millville, 1 p.m.
DEC. 27 BASKETBALL Girls Battle at Buena Pennsville vs. Pemberton, 11 a.m.
Battle of the Boards Wildwood Convention Center Salem vs. Oakcrest, 11:30 a.m.
ACIT Tournament Salem Tech vs. Camden Tech, 10 a.m. GCIT vs. ACIT, 1 p.m.
Boys Battle at Buena Pennsville vs. Camden Academy Charter, 1 p.m.
ACIT Tournament Salem Tech vs. Camden Tech, 11:30 a.m. GCIT vs. ACIT, 3:30 p.m.
Bayonne Tournament Salem vs. Charlestown, 4 p.m. West Orange at Bayonne, 5:30 p.m.
Warrior Classic, New Egypt Pinelands at New Egypt, 3:30 p.m. Woodstown vs. Steinert, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Audubon, Northern Burlington at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
INDOOR TRACK Woodstown at Ocean Breeze Complex, Staten Island, N.Y.
DEC. 28 BASKETBALL Girls Battle at Buena Pemberton vs. Buena Pennsville vs. Camden Academy
ACIT Tournament Consolation: Salem Tech vs. GCIT, 10 a.m. Championship: Camden Tech vs. ACIT, 1 p.m.
Wolverine Holiday Tournament at Woodstown Highland vs. Paulsboro, 10 a.m. Bridgeton vs. Woodstown, noon
Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Penns Grove vs. St. Dominic, 5:45 p.m.
Boys Penns Grove vs. Vineland at Delsea, 4 p.m. Battle at Buena Pennsville vs. Buena Camden Academy vs. LEAP
Warrior Classic, New Egypt Pinelands vs. Steinert Woodstown vs. New Egypt
ACIT Tournament Consolation: Salem Tech vs. ACIT, 11:30 a.m. Championship: Camden Tech vs. GCIT, 3:30 p.m.
Salem in Bayonne Tournament Consolation: Salem vs. West Orange, 2 p.m. Championship: Charlestown (Mass.) vs. Bayonne, 3:30 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville in Overbrook Tournament Schalick in Clayton Classic
DEC. 29 BASKETBALL Girls Wolverine Holiday Tournament at Woodstown Consolation game, 10 a.m. Championship game, noon WRESTLING Pennsville vs. Barnegat
DEC. 30 BASKETBALL Girls Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Penns Grove vs. Ocean City, 2:30 p.m. Boys Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Penns Grove vs. Lower Cape May, 5:45 p.m.
Girls roundup: Sophomore-laden Schalick uses big second half to take down LEAP; Woodstown, Pennsville, Penns Grove all win with big second halves or fourth quarters
THURSDAY GIRLS SCORES Salem County Schalick 51, LEAP 28 Penns Grove 52, Cloucester Co. Christian 36 Pennsville 47, GCIT 35 Woodstown 57, Clearview 54
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – John Whalen saw the future of Schalick girls basketball in the second half of Thursday night’s game and he had to admit it looked pretty good.
The Cougars have a young team, but they played like veterans on this night. They already led by five at halftime, but outscored LEAP Academy 33-15 in the second half to earn their first win of the season 51-28.
“That showed the potential this group has,” Whalen said. “They pretty much are all sophomores. They’re very young so I think that highlights the potential this team can have.”
Their 33 second-half points were more than the Cougars (1-2) had scored in their first two games of the season combined.
“The talk at halftime was just picking up some aggression and communication on defense and looking to get the ball inside on offense,” Whalen said. “We came out the second half and the girls did an excellent job jumping passing lanes, getting a lot of steals, some fast-break layups. We started to transition a lot more, get the ball up the floor, and find Ava (Scurry) and Cianna (Gaines) inside for some layups.”
Scully and Cali Fisler shared team scoring honors with 14 points each. Scully scored 10 of her points in the second half and Fisler had nine. Carly Vicente had 13.
“The future is bright,” Whalen said. “I think if the girls stick with it … the next couple years down the road could be where we are back to our competitive years where we have been in the past.”
WOODSTOWN 57, CLEARVIEW 54: Talia Battavio hit two free throws with less than five seconds left on the clock to seal the Wolverines’ second straight victory in a game that had more ups and downs than an elevator.
The Wolverines trailed by 10 at halftime, but opened the third quarter with a 16-0 run and took a nine-point lead into the fourth. The Pioneers rallied to tie the game at 50, but the Wolverines made the last push.
Leading scorers Battavio (26 points) and Megan Donelson (20) both hit field goals to move the Red Devils out front and then they hit three of four free throws to lock it down.
Shannon Pierman kept the ball alive with an offensive rebound on the missed free throw with five seconds left and the Wolverines up by a point. The ball got to Battavio, who was fouled and went to the line for the free throws that sealed the game.
PENNS GROVE 52, GLOUCESTER CHRISTIAN 36: The teams were locked in a tight battle for three quarters, but the Red Devils pulled away by outscoring the Conquerors 21-2 in the fourth quarter for their fourth straight win to remain undefeated.
The Red Devils got 45 points from their three big weapons. RaNiyah Wilson led the way with 17 points, Brianna Robbins had 16 and Meely Horace had 12 (all in the second half). They combined for 17 points in the fourth quarter.
3-point goals: GCC 2 (Karamisakis 2); Penns Grove (Wilson 2, Robbins). Total fouls: GCC 9, Penns Grove 8
PENNSVILLE 47, GCIT 35: The Eagles got off to a fast start, then survived a scare in the third quarter before pulling away.
Nora Ausland led three Pennsville scorers in double figures with 17 points. Marley Wood had 15 and Bella Farina, scoring for the first time this season, had 10. Ausland had eight of her points in the fourth quarter.
Penns Grove has been shuffling lineups all season in hopes of finding the right combination; freshman’s defense sparks Pennsville’s fourth-quarter comeback, Woodstown wins, Schalick falls
THURSDAY’S BOYS SCORES LEAP 52. Schalick 44 Penns Grove 69, Salem Tech 56 Pennsville 61, GCIT 52 Woodstown 59, Cumberland 24
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Damian Ware is still trying to get a handle on his young Penns Grove basketball team and that usually means a plethora of starting lineups before hitting on the one that sticks for the rest of the year.
Ware rolled out his fourth different starting lineup in as many games Thursday night and it produced the Red Devils’ second win of the season, 69-56 over Salem Tech.
“We’re just tooling around with stuff early in the season, plus giving guys an opportunity to play who really haven’t played that many minutes yet,” Ware said. “I’m figuring guys out. I’m figuring out who can play well with who. I’m figuring out whether we should play with two bigs or one big.
“It’s all experimental at this point in the season. It’s really an extended preseason of sorts. I just want to see what all my guys got. I got 14 guys on the team, so I want to see what all of them got in extended minutes, so that’s what we were all about today.”
Up to now, Ware has been starting any combination of four guards with one big. One game he started all guards. The lineup against Thursday featured two bigs for the first time and it gave the Red Devils a defensive bent against their hosts. They held the Chargers to 16 points in the first half while building a 34-16 halftime lead.
The same group started the second half.
The new starter in this mix was Jaden Sorrell, a 6-4 senior who “did a decent job” playing the 5 alongside 6-3 senior Willie Slocum. Sorrell scored four points — all in the second half — grabbed a couple rebounds and blocked a couple shots before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Slocum scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
“It was good because I had more opportunities because I was the 4,” Slocum said. “Other games I was the 5, so it was nice.
“We’ve just got to find the five toughest guys. To me, if I’m not playing that way, the next man up. If somebody else is not playing that way, next man up. We’ve got to five tough guys.”
As that search continues, Ware said it was “very possible” the Red Devils will start even another combination when they host Cherokee Saturday afternoon.
Salem Tech coach Bryan Riley expected to see Roman Gipson among their starters as he was when Riley saw them in the all-guard lineup in person last Saturday, but he didn’t sweat it. He still had to send his guys out there against whomever was on the floor.
The Chargers fell behind 55-30 after three quarters, but they brought it back in the fourth against the Red Devils’ young reserves. Haneef Frisby led the charge with 13 of his game-high 21 points.
“He and Antoine Robinson go back and forth,” Riley said. “We just played Gloucester Catholic, Antoine was the guy that game (16 points). The game before we played GCIT, Haneef was the guy (14). We played Schalick for opening day, Antoine was the guy (19). So, those two just go back and forth.
“I need them both on the same level and once we get that it’s going to be special.”
3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (Conrad, Spence, Robbins); Salem Tech 2 (Hayes, Robinson). Fouled out: Sorrell. Total fouls: Penns Grove 25, Salem Tech 17. Officials: Woody, McGough.
PENNSVILLE 61, GCIT 52: If you’re occupying a seat on the Pennsville varsbench you’re expected to contribute when your name is called.
Eagles coach Joe Mecholsky called upon Mason O’Brien for a very specific task in the fourth quarter and the freshman delivered in a veteran way.
It was O’Brien’s job to put a wrench in GCIT scoring machine Mark Hallman as the “one” in the rare box-and-one the Eagles threw out there when nothing else seemed to work. O’Brien held Hallman scoreless the entire quarter and it helped the Eagles rally from five points down to snap a two-game losing streak.
“We put freshman Mason O’Brien on him and we said, ‘Son, you’ve got one job – lock him down,’” Mecholsky said. “He held the kid scoreless in the fourth quarter, let us get our feet and then we came down and executed on offense.
“I went with him because he’s fast afoot, he knows the game of basketball. He’s a freshman by grade … but he’s a little bit older than a freshman (in game sense), but we made it very simple for him. We said stay between (Hallman) and the ball and he was awesome.”
Hallman, who went for 30 against Salem Tech on Monday and was averaging 19.5 coming into the game, had 14 points with four 3-pointers over the first three quarters, but he got nothing in the fourth. Pennsville, meanwhile, outscored GCIT in the quarter 26-12 to beat the Group IV Cheetahs and gain a lot of valuable power points.
“(Mecholsky) told me to do one thing and not allow him to score a point,” O’Brien said. “I tried my best and I exactly did what he asked me to do.
“I just had to stay really close to him, had to follow him around. I tried my best not to let him get the ball. He didn’t do anything against me.”
O’Brien didn’t get a lot of playing time in the first half, but the Eagles were getting players in foul trouble and needed a fresh body. With Chase Burchfield out with a separated shoulder, O’Brien was the next man up.
“It felt great because I’m a freshman and people don’t think I’m that good or anything and I cone through and helped my team get a big win in the early-season going to Christmas break,” he said. “It felt amazing helping my team and my teammates out today.”
O’Brien’s older brother, Peyton, had a three-point play in the rally that extended the Eagles’ lead to five. They were his only points for the game, but he ripped down 14 rebounds. Jayden Thomas led the Eagles with a career-high 17 points, 10 coming in the fourth quarter.
Pennsville had been mired in a shooting slump during its two-game losing streak, but broke out in this one. The Eagles were 18-for-42 from the field (2-of-12 from 3-point range) and 23-for-31 from the foul line, a product of their attacking the rim.
PENNSVILLE 61, GCIT 52 GCIT (2-3) – Trent Phillips 4 3-4 11, Michael Stanwood 8 0-0 17, Mark Hallman 5 0-0 14, Charles Donaldson 1 0-2 2, Patrick Monaghan 1 0-0 2, Carl Schmidt 0 0-0 0, Ian Malgapo 2 0-0 6, Brady Johnson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 3-6 52 PENNSVILLE (2-2) – Luke Wood 5-5-15, Cohen Petrutz 1-3-5, Peyton O’Brien 1-1-3, Daniel Saulin 2-3-7, Jayden Thomas 6-13-17, Malik Rehmer 1-7-9, Mason O’Brien 2-1-5. Totals 18 23-31 61.
WOODSTOWN 59, CUMBERLAND 24: Rocco String started fast, scoring eight in the first quarter and 10 in the first half, as the Wolverines built a 15-point halftime lead and added to it.
String, a 6-6 junior, was among three Wolverines to score in double figures and had his second double-double in as many games with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Blake Bialecki had 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals and Max Webb had 10 points, seven boards and five assists.
WOODSTOWN 59, CUMBERLAND 24 WOODSTOWN (2-0) – Manny Ortega 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 6 0-0 14, Alejandro Vasquez 1 0-0 2, M.J. Hall 3 0-0 9, Garrett Leyman 3 0-0 6, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 3, Max Webb 4 0-0 10, Rocco String 5 3-6 13, Zyaire Caesar 0 0-0 0, Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 3-6 59. CUMBERLAND (0-2) – Kaleb Green 3 2-2 9, D.J. Mosley 3 0-0 6, Stephen Wilchensky 1 2-2 4, Jalen Stewart 0 0-0 0, Marcus Fortune 0 0-0 0, Deshaan Williams 0 2-2 2, Dumajze Cartwright 0 0-0 0, James Guaciaro 0 0-0 0, Khalif Dawkins 1 0-0 3, Kevin Fiorani 0 0-0 0, Kam Fiorani 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 6-6 24.
Woodstown’s Garrett Leyman (10) puts up a shot in the lane against the pressure of two GCIT defenders. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)
LEAP 52, SCHALICK 44: LEAP Academy hasn’t won many games in recent years, so any victory is reason to celebrate.
The Lancers won only two games last season, but they won their second game this season with their come-from-behind victory over the Cougars.
Schalick had an early lead in the game, but LEAP rallied and seized control in the second quarter. Xavion Ayala led LEAP with 22 points. Nylan and Nasir Simmons led Schalick with 12 points apiece.
WOODSTOWN – Kara Straughn and her dad, longtime Woodstown coach Dave Wildermuth, have spent a lot of time over the years just talking ball. Most of the time it’s been father to daughter, coach to player, head coach to assistant, but now they’ve got some common ground.
Wildermuth has won a mountain of games in various sports as a head coach and an assistant, but now when they talk about coaching legacies his daughter can speak with a similar frame of reference having experienced victory as a head coach.
Straughn won her first game as a head coach Tuesday night when she guided the Woodstown girls basketball team to an easy 60-18 victory over Schalick.
“It’s over, I did it,” she said while gathering her things by the bench well after the gym had cleared. “I like that I did it at home. I grew up on this court, I played on this court, so it was nice to get my first win as a head coach on this court.”
And she did it with her former basketball coach, current Woodstown AD Joe Ursino, and about a dozen former players and teammates in the stands and her dad at her side.
Wildermuth has coached a number of sports in a variety of capacities at Woodstown for 21 years. Just as a head coach alone he won 50 games in four seasons as the boys basketball coach (2018-2022) and he’s working on 35 wins as the Wolverines head softball coach the last two years (42, if you count his year at Salem).
There’s no telling how many games he’s won in various sports as the JV and freshmen coach. And Straughn has been around for most if not all of them.
“I grew up watching him coach, so it’s always been the goal to coach and then become half the coach that he was,” Straughn said. “He’s like, well, you’re gonna beat my record … and it’s only going to take you half as much time. That’s been like the joke: When you get to how many games that I won then we can talk.”.
Well, she’s only 49 away now and she’s gunning for it.
“I can do that,” she said. “I can chip away at that goal.”
The players were glad to have delivered the first one.
“I’m just very happy that she’s the coach and she truly wanted to be and I’m really happy to get a win under her,” junior Megan Donelson said. “I know she’s happy about it.”
First-year Woodstown girls basketball coach Kara Straughn makes in-game adjustments in the huddle as he dad and assistant coach Dave Wildermuth looks on from the side.
The Wolverines missed the first chance to give Straughn her first win Friday when they lost their season opener at Gloucester Catholic. They took the drama out of this one early.
They scored on their first three possessions – two on offensive rebounds – and opened a 16-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. They scored the game’s first 22 points before Carley Vicente’s 3-pointer with 1:51 left in the quarter put Schalick on the board. It was 27-3 at the end of the quarter after Donelson hit a 3 at the buzzer.
Donelson had 11 points in the quarter and finished with 14 points, four assists and eight steals. Talia Battavio was their leading scorer with 15 points, three steals and four blocked shots.
“Our main goal is to come out strong,” Battavio said. “Like what Wildo likes to say, the first four minutes is the most important part of the game, so I think we try to bring all we’ve got and get off to a good start.”
“I was proud of the fact we executed on offense,” Straughn said. “Friday night we couldn’t piece together enough, but tonight I said we really have to focus our offense and running the plays and moving the ball effectively and utilizing all five of us getting the ball in the post, not just relying on jump shots. They executed all the little things, I was really proud of them for that.”
There were a lot of other firsts in the game. It was Straughn’s first win over a Salem County opponent and extended the Wolverines’ winning streak against county opponents to 23 games. Sophomore Jala Thomas, who’d only scored one basket all last season, scored her first points of the year and raised her hands over her head as she raced back to her defensive position and sophomore Lizzy Daly and freshman Kendall Young both scored the first points of their varsity careers.
PENNSVILLE 65, OVERBROOK 35: The Eagles bounced back from a rough season-opening loss on the road to play one of their best games of the season. They looked sharp in all areas and hit shots from long range.
Salem transfer Nora Ausland hit seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points. Marley Wood had three 3s and finished with 22.
“The girls shot the lights out tonight,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said. “The offense looked good, running plays a lot more smoothly and creating an offensive threat in the half court just by identifying open space, finding good cuts and lots of pick-and-roll.
“Defensively we had a lot of good stops and grabbed several rebounds, minimizing two or three possessions in one trip down the court. Without a doubt there’s still plenty of room for growth, but the girls really bounced back and played very well tonight.”
Wood tied her career-high with the fifth 20-point game of her career. She had 22 last year against Salem. The Eagles are 7-2 when Wood scorers 18 points or more.
Ausland’s seven 3s were a career high, topping the five she had in a game against Clayton as a freshman. The 25 points were the second-best of her career.
“After I made the first 3 and then the second I knew I was going to be on tonight,” said Ausland, who hit 61 3s in the two years she spent at Salem. “When I’m hitting my 3s, my coach and my team do a great job of getting me the ball and keeping me hot.”
PENNS GROVE 66: GLASSBORO 41: The Red Devils got off to a quick start and never let the visitors get back in the battle of early-season unbeatens.
Meely Horace and RaNiyah Wilson combined for 21 points in the first quarter as Penns Grove sprinted to a 26-9 lead. Horace finished with a team-high 24 points, giving her 771 for her career, and Wilson scored a career-high 23. Wilson’s previous best was 21 last December against Hammonton when she was playing at Kingsway.
Glassboro’s Tamia Smith led all scorers with 29 points.
PENNS GROVE 66, GLASSBORO 41 GLASSBORO (3-1) – Sanaa Thomas 1 5-8 7, Tamia Smith 12 5-14 29, Kimora Miles 1 0-2 2, Anye Davis 0 0-0 0, Sianna Wedderburn 1 0-0 2, Grace Moore 0 0-0 0, Jayde Darling 0 0-0 0, Samyra Lane 0 1-2 1, Naveah Cox-Clement 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 11-26 41. PENNS GROVE (3-0) – RaNiyah Wilson 11 1-3 23, Meely Horace 10 1-2 24, Brianna Robbins 5 2-6 12, Amani Taylor 1 0-0 3, Rolande Delva 0 0-0 0, Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Arianna Dowe 0 0-0 0, Zoey Caesar 1 0-0 2, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0, Jamira Lewis 0 0-0 0, JaNiyah Cunnings 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 4-11 66.
Glassboro
9
9
7
16 –
41
Penns Grove
26
11
10
19 –
66
3-point goals: Glassboro 0; Penns Grove 4 (Horace 3, Taylor). Technical foul: Penns Grove coach. Total fouls: Glassboro 3, Penns Grove 13.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 65, SALEM TECH 14: The Rams took control early, opening a 35-2 halftime lead, and had three scorers with as many or more points than Salem Tech scored in the game.
Julianna DiFebbo scored a game-high 15 points, while Jahzara Green and Talia Schumate had 14 apiece. Morgan VanDover was the Chargers’ leading scorer with six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 2 (DiFebbo, Schumate); Salem Tech 2 (VanDover 2). NOTE: Five make a team, but only players who scored are listed in available box score.
Here is the Salem County high school sports calendar for the week of Dec. 18-23
MONDAY BASKETBALL Girls Penns Grove at Paulsboro, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Kingsway, 5:30 p.m. Pitman at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at GCIT, 5:30 p.m. Boys GCIT at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Wildwood Catholic, 6 p.m. WRESTLING Millville at Schalick, 5 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK Salem, Schalick in SJCTA Meet, Toms River
SWIMMING Woodstown vs. West Deptford at Riverwinds, 3:30 p.m.
BOWLING Salem vs. Lindenwold, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
TUESDAY BASKETBALL Girls Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Gloucester Cath. at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Boys Overbrook at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Gloucester Cath., 5:30 p.m.
BOWLING Salem Tech at Gloucester City, 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY BASKETBALL Pitman at Salem, 7 p.m.
WRESTLING Schalick, Salem, Egg Harbor Twp. at Pennsville, 5 p.m. Penns Grove at Clayton, 6 p.m.
WINTER TRACK Penns Grove, Salem in Polar Bear Meet, Pennsville, 3:30 p.m.
BOWLING Salem in Holiday Tournament, Laurel Lanes, 3:30 p.m.
THURSDAY BASKETBALL Girls Schalick at LEAP, 4 p.m. Clearview at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Gloucester Tech, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Boys Gloucester Tech at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. LEAP at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Cumberland, 5:30 p.m.
SWIMMING Schalick vs. Gloucester Cath. at GCIT, 4:45 p.m. Salem vs. Triton Regional at GCIT, 7:15 p.m.
SATURDAY BASKETBALL Boys Cherokee at Penns Grove, 1 p.m.
WRESTLING Pennsville, Penns Grove, Schalick in Cumberland Duals Woodstown, Seneca, St. Joseph at Mainland, 9 a.m.
Schalick’s Magonagle wins in SC Holiday Classic in first tournament back from a season-ending injury, Penns Grove’s Arce wins his first title in same event; Pennsville, Woodstown also in action
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – The flex Schalick junior Jake Magonagle did after winning his weight division in the SC Holiday Classic Saturday might be all the evidence one needed to prove it just might be the most satisfying title claim of the early wrestling season.
Magonagle won the 175-pound division with a 5-3 decision over Chase Hoag of Mainland. It was his first tournament back after having last season cut short by an injury. He was seeded second, drew a first-round bye, then won a pair of decisions.
“I think he needed that,” Schalick coach Joe Frassenei said. “He was definitely one of the more happy kids.
“He’s very confident to begin with, but I think the win was a nice start for him. He was super happy after the match and I was very proud of him.”
The Schalick-Cumberland co-op team finished fourth in the team race with five individual medalists (top three finishers) and eight placers (top four). DeAnthony Hardin was runner-up at 113, while Daniel Lloyd (144), Ayden Jenkins (150) and Keon Martin (165) all placed third.
Point Pleasant Beach won it handily with three individual champions and seven wrestlers in the finals.
Magonagle wasn’t the only wrestler from Salem County to bring home a title from the tournament.
Penns Grove’s Devine Arce holds his medal and his bracket after winning the SC Holiday Classic title at 120.
Penns Grove’s Devine Arce won his first tournament title when he pinned Mainland’s Garrett Chew to win at 120. His road to the title featured an opening-round bye and two pins in two minutes of elapsed time..
“I was amazed at myself like how I did it,” Arce said. “My freshman record was 8-13. Last year I went twenty-something and four or five, and this year I’m starting off 3-0.”
With two pins.
“He’s probably our most dedicated wrestler, especially the early part of this season,” Red Devils coach John Emel said. “To be at a weight that a little higher than he’s going to wrestle later in the year and have success that’s bodes well for him going forward.”
Arce was one of four Penns Grove wrestlers place in the top three. Isaiah Upshur was runner-up at 190, while Jayden Owens (157) and Antonio Cooper (215) both won consolation finals for third. For Cooper it was the best tournament finish of his career.
“I was actually pretty excited with the way we wrestled,” Emel said. “We have a lot of kids who have never won a match in districts.
“This type of tournament experience is what we’ve tried to get them early in the season. We haven’t done an opening weekend tournament in a few years, probably pre-COVID, and we’re going to get four tournament-type atmospheres early in the season. I just hope it prepares them for districts later on. Getting in these type tournaments early in the season I think it gives our guys good experience going forward.”
SC HOLIDAY CLASSIC TEAM SCORES: Point Pleasant Beach 186.5, Haddon Heights 119, WW-Plainsboro North 117, Schalick-Cumberland 96, Mainland 83, WW-Plainsboro South 81, Penns Grove 74, Oakcrest 50.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES 106: Cole Denning (HH) tech fall over Brandon Stizza (PPB), 15-0 113: Bruce Bellace (O) def. DeAnthony Hardin (SC), med. forf. 120: Devine Arce (PG) pinned Garrett Chew (M), 1:00 126: Zachary Owens (WWPN) pinned Luke DeBenedett (PPB), 1:00 132: P.J. Niethe (PPB) dec. Ryan Brown (WWPN), 11-4 138: Jude Bowers (PPB) tech fall over Joaquin Poventud, (O) 15-0 144: Jordan Blaise (WWPS) dec. Antonio Acevedo (PPB), 10-3 150: Josh Delgozzo (HH) dec. Christian Tardieu (WWPS), 1-0 157: Evan DeJong (WWPN) pinned Liam Wikberg (HH), 1:00 165: Gary Williams (M) dec. Sam Yedman (PPB), 6-3 175: Jake Magonagle (SC) dec. Chase Hoag (M), 5-3 190: Darren DeJong (WWPN) pinned Isaiah Upshur (PG), 0:55 215: Marcos Kaiafas (PPB) dec. Jason George (WWPS), 6-0 285: Jayden Trace (HH) pinned Youssef Abouelela (WWPS), 1:10
Wendy Pandy-Leh Invitational
FRENCHTOWN – Woodstown’s Zach Bevin and Mateo Vinciguerra wrestled for championships in their weight classes at the Wendy Pandy-Leh Invitational at Delaware Valley High School and just came up short.
Bevis was pinned in the 165-pound final by Logan Wiecoreck of Voorhees and Vinciguerra lost a decision in the 285 final to Cameron Baumann, also of Vorhees.
The Wolverines had four wrestlers win consolation finals – Travis Balback (120), Carson Bradway (126), Greyson Hyland (175) and Paul Banff (190) – and two others finish fourth.
The Wolverines finished fourth in the 10-team field.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES 106: Justin Penta (OT) pinned Michael Apicelli (OT), 1:42 113: Johnny D’Andrewa (V) maj. dec. over Justin Farina (OT), 10-1 120: Jake Taylor (DV) maj. dec. over Christian Bollette (V), 13-5 126: Jaden Perez (DV) maj. dec. over Cole Rose (P), 9-0 132: Matt Roche (DV) pinned Luke Sluberski (We), 0:32 138: Blasé Mele (P) pinned Dominic Volek (OT), 1:01 144: Jackson Bush (DV) dec. Michael Volek (OT), 11-9 150: Jake Wacha (PH) pinned Ben Levy (DV), 4:33 157: James Farina (OT) maj. dec. over Jeremy Marsella (Wa), 13-1 165: Logan Wiecoreck (V) pinned Zach Bevis (Wo), 0:35 175: Kevin Roman (DV) dec. Travis Cryan (V), 10-8 190: Anderson Olcott (DV) pinned Jake Zemsky (We), 4:52 215: Trevor Zabroski (V) pinned Cody Lagun (DV), 4:50 285: Cameron Baumann (V) dec. Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo), 5-3
Howdy Duncan Classic
NEW CASTLE, Del. – Three of the four Pennsville wrestlers who reached the quarterfinals of the Howdy Duncan Classic at William Penn High School placed in the top six of their respective weight divisions Saturday.
Christopher Daniels (120) was their highest finisher, placing fourth. Kameron Drummond (126) and Elias Lussi (190) both finished sixth in their weight classes. Daniels was seeded eighth in his weight class and Drummond was seeded tenth.
The Eagles finished 13th in the 32-team field.
“It was a tough tournament, very competitive, and we got a lot of mat time,” Eagles coach John Starcevich said. “A couple guys got seven matches this weekend.”
Among those who didn’t place Sky Eppes lost in overtime in the pre-quarterfinals and just missed getting a spot and freshman Luke Thomas showed a lot of potential in going 2-2 at 106.
HOWDY DUNCAN CLASSIC TEAM SCORES: Exeter Twp. 246, Lower Dauphin 243.5, Red Lion Christian 193, New Oxford 168, St. Frances Acad. 165, Palisades 158, Central Bucks West 157.5, Milford Senior 126, William Penn 125, Unionville 100, Tower Hill 94, Middleton 85.5, Pennsville 78.5, Appoquinimink 76.5, Charter-Wilmington 74, Episcopal 68, First State MA 68, Wilmington Friends 67.5, Dickinson 57.5, Odessa 57, Christian 56, Delcastle 54.5, Conrad Science 42, Tatnall 42, Hodgson VoTech 40, Howard Tech 37, McKean 32, Archmere 30, AI Dupont 23, John Carroll 23, West Nottingham 19, Mt. Pleasant 7.
PENNSVILLE FINALS Third Place Match 120: Sam Johnson (Exeter) pinned Christopher Daniels, 4:59 Fifth Place Match 126: Kamren Griffin (St. Frances) maj. dec. over Kameron Drummond, 11-3 Fifth Place Match 190: Jacob Julier (Unionville) maj. dec. over Elias Lussi, 10-1
4 Pennsville wrestlers reach quarterfinals in Delaware tournament; Woodstown falls in its first match of the season
By Riverview Sports News
NEW CASTLE, Del. – Pennsville has four wrestlers still alive in the championship bracket of the Howdy Duncan Invitational after Friday’s first day of competition at William Penn High School.
Christopher Daniels (120), Randy Hall (132), Robbie McDade (157) and Elias Lussi (190) are all in the quarterfinals when the tournament resumes Saturday morning.
Lussi, the No. 5 seed in his weight class, advanced with a pair of pins. McDade, the 3-seed in his division, won a first-round decision and advanced in a DQ. Hall, a 6-seed, and Daniels, an 8-seed, both received first-round byes and won a second-round decision.
The Eagles have 43,5 points and are tied for 14th with Delcastle and Middletown in the team standings. Lower Dauphin (81.5) is currently in first place, 5.5 points ahead of New Oxford.
W. Deptford whacks Woodstown
WEST DEPTFORD – The Woodstown wrestling team opened its season with a 52-15 loss at West Deptford. Brett Rowand (144) and Mateo Vinciguerra (285) scored pins for the Wolverines, while Travis Balback recorded a decision at 120.
WEST DEPTFORD 52, WOODSTOWN 15 144: Brett Rowand pinned Nate Benner, 3:01 150: James Lorman (WD) maj. dec. over Laitton Roberts, 14-3 157: Nick Graziano (WD) maj. dec. over Zayden Donahue, 19-7 165: Caleb Jackson (WD) dec. Zach Bevis, 9-3 175: Chris Andujar (WD) dec. Greyson Hyland, 12-10 190: Marcus Carter (WD) won by forfeit 215: Andrew Tighe (WD) pinned Josiah Mejias, 2:49 285: Mateo Vinciguerra pinned Van Galbraith, 0:44 106: Ryan McConaghy (WD) pinned Chase Blandino, 1:36 113: Talen Terinoni (WD) won by forfeit 120: Travis Balback dec. Brayden Curcio, 12-6 126: Anthony Conway-Popeskic (WD) dec. Carson Bradway, 8-2 132: Owen Entrekin (WD) pinned Ryan Polk, 0:25 138: Trevor Lundfelt (WD) tech fall over Willem Groom, 18-1 4:40
Cover photo: Pennsville wrestling coaches plot out their lineup before a recent match.
maj. dec. over Brendan Goldmacher, 10-1
Riverview Sports News 