Fierce familiar foes

Woodstown, Woodbury expecting another epic battle as they meet for South Jersey Group I title in a rematch of the 2021 sectional final

GROUP I SECTIONAL FINALS
Friday’s Games
South: Woodbury Thundering Herd (6-3) at Woodstown Wolverines (8-2), 7 p.m.
Central: Glassboro Bulldogs (7-3) at Schalick Cougars (11-0), 7 p.m.
North I: Mountain Lakes Herd (8-2) at Hawthorne Bears (8-2), 6 p.m.
North II: Shabazz Bulldogs (7-3) at Butler Bulldogs (9-1), 7 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Every year it seems the Woodstown football season has been on a collision course with Woodbury.

The Wolverines are either thinking about playing the Thundering Herd, preparing to play the Thundering Herd or playing the Thundering Herd.

It’s been that way ever since they hastily put together a late-season game in 2018, but it has become even more meaningful for the Wolverines since the Herd broke their heart in the 2021 South Jersey Group I finals.

And they meet again in the same situation Friday. Senior quarterback Max Webb last week called it “the biggest game of my lifetime.”

“We have a chance at revenge on the team that beat us two years ago,” he said. “I can’t be more excited for me, for this team, for this town.”

As if the game needed any more hype, the Wolverines plan to break out an orange-on-orange uniform color scheme for the first time this season and the spirited student section plans on white-out conditions.

The Wolverines gained a small measure of that revenge they’re looking for earlier this year when they beat the Herd 27-21 in overtime in a game that got contentious at the end. That feeling probably won’t be complete, however, until they knock them off in a game as meaningful as the one in 2021 that comes Friday.

It’ll be a little different Woodbury team than the Wolverines faced five weeks ago. Quarterback Dante Viccharelli didn’t play because of a shoulder injury and running back Anthony Reagan Jr. was limited after getting hurt early in the second half.

Both are back at full strength, but Viccharelli is at wide receiver as Jayden Johnson has grown in the quarterback role. Over the last four games he has thrown for 820 yards and 12 touchdowns. In that same period, Ibn Muhammad has caught 19 passes for 459 yards with a pair of touchdowns in each of the last three games. Marquis Taylor has caught 12 passes for 339 yards and five touchdowns in the same stretch.

“They’re a tough physical team that can do it both through the air and on the ground,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “Just like last week, another hard rematch. It’s just a big game.

“The kids know it’s going to be a heavyweight fight. I think our kids are amped up for it.”

The Wolverines have gone through their share of adversity as well. They started the year with the anticipation of getting injured running back James Hill back, but Hill injured his other knee the week he was expected to return.

But Bryce Belinfanti has emerged as a game-breaking lead back, rushing for 1,459 yards and 20 touchdowns. And Webb gives them a dual threat as a rusher (393 yards) and passer (698 yards, 8 TDs), spreading it around to Zach Bevis (12-189), Belinfanti (15-182) and Anthony Ford Dale (12-145).

It’ll be the Wolverines’ fourth trip to the sectional finals in school history and third under Adams. They’re still looking for their first win having suffered losses to Delsea, Haddonfield and Woodbury.

“We want to get over that hump and get a win in this game,” Adams said. “The history of Woodstown has never had a sectional championship in this game. That’s over 100 years of football. I know the playoffs were only as recently as the 80s, but that’s a lot of time we haven’t had a sectional championship here. In the past it’s been can we get to this game. Now we need to get over that hump.”

They appeared headed that way in the game with Woodbury until the Herd snatched it away with the go-ahead touchdown on fourth-and-1 with 3:55 to go and then an interception with 1:35 left.

“It’s been in all our heads since then,” Webb said earlier this summer.

“We still talk about it,” Adams said. “We talk about things that happened in the past. Like last week we talked about we lost a rematch with Paulsboro (last year) and we’re still talking about that. We’re still talking about (Woodbury) beat us in this game 8-6 and we felt like we let it slip away because we were up at halftime. We want to keep that motivation going.”

The survivor draws the winner of the Glassboro-Schalick Central Jersey final in the state semifinals. It sets up the Wolverines to play a third Salem County team this season or their third regular-season rematch in as many weeks.

“We won’t worry about that until after (this game) and if we’re moving on we’ll put our attention on that,” said Adams, who did allow in a general sense he was impressed with what both those teams have done. “But right now there’s no game next week without getting past Woodbury.”

Battle royal

The last five games between Woodstown and Woodbury

DATE	WINNER	SCORE
Oct. 6, 2023	Woodstown	27-21 (OT)
Oct. 8, 2022	Woodbury	28-6
Nov. 20, 2021	Woodbury	8-6
Nov. 14. 2020	Woodstown	6-0
Nov. 8, 2018	Woodbury	28-21

Never forget

Schalick senior standout Siedlecki reflects on the Cougars’ journey from winless afterthought to undefeated contender for section championship

GROUP I SECTIONAL FINALS
Friday’s Games
South: Woodbury Thundering Herd (6-3) at Woodstown Wolverines (8-2), 7 p.m.
Central: Glassboro Bulldogs (7-3) at Schalick Cougars (11-0), 7 p.m.
North I: Mountain Lakes Herd (8-2) at Hawthorne Bears (8-2), 6 p.m.
North II: Shabazz Bulldogs (7-3) at Butler Bulldogs (9-1), 7 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Jake Siedlecki is one of those players who believes nothing worth having comes without hard work. And it has taken a lot of work to get where the Schalick senior and his teammates find themselves today.

Although it seems like a lifetime ago now, it was really only four years ago, when Siedlecki was a wide-eyed freshman, the Cougars football team was a winless afterthought in the landscape of South Jersey football.

Siedlecki was in his first year playing football recovering from a baseball elbow injury, Mike Wilson was just coming aboard as the head coach, COVID was creating chaos with everyone’s workout regimens and the roster was as small as the program’s current freshman group is large.

The Cougars were getting beaten like a rented mule. Their scores were ridiculously one-sided. They were one of 23 teams that played in 2020 that didn’t win a game.

On Friday, when they host Glassboro in the Central Jersey Group I championship game, they will be one of 10 remaining undefeated teams in the state and their journey to get there will have come full circle. Ironically, the Bulldogs, now with a former Schalick player at the helm, was the first team the Cougars played in that dreadful 2020 season, losing 54-7.

Most people would want to forget that whole experience, but the Cougars embrace it as part of their journey back to respectability.

Siedlecki doesn’t have to go far to find a reminder of those difficult days. Every day before he leaves for school he sees a Senior Night picture of brother Mack, a senior on that 2020 team, in the No. 2 jersey Jake proudly represents today.

“Even though it seems like a long time ago, I think it’s important for me and the leaders of the football team and Coach Wilson, obviously, to keep what happened that freshman year and coach’s first year fresh in our minds,” the 6-1, 180-pound tight end/safety said. “That gives us an edge over a lot of these other teams in the playoffs that are expected to win.

“We’re not expected to be here. No one believes in us. No one wants to give us any credit. Knowing where we came from gives us an edge against the other teams because we know what it’s like to be at the bottom.

“When I see that picture I know that’s where we were. That’s the jersey my brother wore and he fought in. Now I’m No. 2. Now I’m a senior. Now I get to fight for a championship. Every day I see that picture in the house it reminds me of the struggle, the work my brother put in and he never got to experience where I’m at right now. He would have done anything to be where I’m at right now. I don’t take that for granted.”

Similarly, Wilson has a picture of that first team in his classroom along with the three that have followed it and uses the images to reflect on the progress of what he has been given credit for building. None of the other teams in the state that were oh-for that year are undefeated in 2023. Only seven have winning records.

“I’ve said this to people multiple times,” Wilson said. “When I took over the program my goal wasn’t to build a team, my goal was to build a program. We want to build a lasting program where what we’re doing this year needs to become the new normal. We want to be involved in sectional championship conversation every year.

“We want every year that we’re not rebuilding, we’re reloading. The standard needs to become sectional championships, where if you don’t get there, then we’re going why didn’t you get there. I want the expectations that we’ve got to be there.”

The Cougars have five seniors on this year’s roster, but Siedlecki and tight end/defensive end Ryan Johnson are the only two who were on that first team. Receiver and cornerback Nasir Sutton came out as a freshman, but wasn’t able to play.

Wilson praised their resiliency and commitment to something bigger than themselves. And it has been rewarded in their play. In his last four games alone, Siedlecki has caught seven passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns and had 18 tackles and three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown against Gloucester Catholic and one in the final minute that sealed their second-round win over Shore Regional.

It was tough that first year. The Cougars’ approach was no different than it is now and they tried real hard, but undermanned as they were they lost by scores of 54-7, 49-6, 48-6, 56-14 right out of the gate. They actually lost their first 11 games over two seasons – scoring only eight touchdowns – and 13 of their first 14. Opponents were making fun of them and getting louder each week.

That was “probably the most difficult thing to go through as a group,” Siedlecki admitted. But he stuck with it, he said, because of the optimism and leadership Wilson demonstrated through it all. It was the kind of thing, reflecting on it now, that makes them even prouder of where they are today on the cusp of a sectional title.

With their coach’s enthusiasm to guide them, they knew the worm would turn – and it did. The Cougars won their last three games of that second season and now have the last laugh, going 21-3 in their last 24 games.

“It was unfortunate we got our butts kicked, but the whole time we knew if we just kept our head down, kept pushing forward, we’d be in a better place,” Siedlecki said. “We knew at the time if we just trusted in coach Wilson and gave it 110 percent in the weight room that over the course of time we’d get better and that’s what ended up happening.

“We knew what was coming. I didn’t know that we knew how fast it would come. It was hard then losing every game, sometimes it was frustrating, but we held together and it paid off.”

From oh-for to undefeated

A progression of teams statewide that were winless in 2020 to this season

TEAM	2020	2021	2022	2023
Schalick	0-7	4-6	7-3	11-0
Barringer	0-3	0-10	4-6	3-6
Bergen Tech	0-2	1-7	3-4	1-8
Chatham	0-7	6-4	6-4	4-7
Ferris	0-4	0-9	0-9	0-8
Hunterdon Cent.	0-6	2-8	4-6	6-4
Immaculata	0-7	7-3	4-6	6-3
Indian Hills	0-5	4-5	4-5	5-4
J.P. Stevens	0-4	0-9	0-8	0-11
Kearny	0-4	1-7	2-6	1-8
Lindenwold	0-8	1-8	0-9	1-9
Manchester Reg.	0-6	3-7	0-9	4-4
Manville	0-5	6-3	8-2	3-7
Metuchen	0-7	4-7	4-7	5-5
Morristown	0-3	1-9	3-7	4-6
Newark Cent.	0-6	2-8	3-7	5-4
Oakcrest	0-7	3-7	7-4	5-5
Paramus Cath.	0-6	0-9	2-7	3-8
Pascack Hills	0-4	4-6	7-1	8-2
Ridgefield Park	0-3	8-3	4-5	2-7
St. Mary (Ruth.)	0-4	1-5	2-6	6-5
Sussex Tech	0-5	3-7	2-8	7-4
Westfield	0-2	4-6	8-3	5-5

This week’s schedule

FOOTBALL
Friday
South Jersey Group I Championship
Woodbury at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Central Jersey Group I Championship
Glassboro at Schalick, 7 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Monday
Group I Sectional Championships
South: Schalick at Audubon, 3 p.m.
Central: Shore vs. Pt. Pleasant Beach
North I: Pequanock vs. Lenape Valley
North II: Mountain Lakes-New Providence

Wednesday
Group I state semifinals
Pequanock-Lenape Valley winner at Mountain Lakes-New Providence winner
Shore-Pt. Pleasant Beach winner at Schalick-Audubon winner

Sunday
Group I state championships
Franklin HS, Somerset, 12:30 p.m.

FIELD HOCKEY
Tuesday
Group I Sectional Championships
South: Schalick vs. West Deptford at Gateway, 2 p.m.
North: Boonton at Shore

Saturday
Group I state championship
At Bordentown
Boonton-Shore winner vs. West Deptford-Schalick winner, noon

CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday
Meet of Champions, Holmdel Park

Woodstown wins rematch

Wolverines going back to sectional final after methodically putting down Penns Grove, awaits opponent

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Friday’s game
Woodstown 34, Penns Grove 14
Saturday’s game
Burlington City at Woodbury

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Max Webb and his Woodstown teammates have been wanting to get back to the sectional final for two years.

They did their part to make it happen Friday night. Now they wait to see who they’re playing and finish the job.

The Wolverines punched their ticket to the South Jersey Group I final Friday night by beating Penns Grove 34-14 for the second time in three weeks.

They won’t know who they’re playing until Saturday afternoon, but more than a few are not-so-secretly hoping it’s Woodbury, the team that broke their hearts the last time they played in the sectional final in 2021. Woodbury and Burlington City play Saturday morning and many of Woodstown’s players are expected to be there.

The Wolverines hoped to get back there last year for a rematch, but they were knocked out in this game by Paulsboro.

“The biggest game of my lifetime right here,” Webb said. “Next week and here, as a matter of fact. Only one other time being in this position, maybe against the team we’re about to play next week, depending on what happens. We have a chance at revenge on the team that beat us two years ago. I can’t be more excited for me, for this team, for this town. It’s awesome.”

“After our lost against Paulsboro last year we were pretty down, but this year it feels really, really good,” two-way lineman Bump Carter said.

It’ll be their fourth trip to the sectional finals since the playoff format begin in 1984 and third under coach John Adams. They are looking for their first win (Delsea, Haddonfield, Woodbury).

“I told the kids right before the game you go through life to make mistakes and learn from them,” Adams said. “We came out here last year in the rematch against Paulsboro and we made mistakes; I said we have to learn from that. I thought the kids did a pretty good job learning from that and capitalizing on getting the W today.”

But it wouldn’t have happened if they weren’t sharp against the Red Devils, a team they beat in the final week of the regular season to win the WJFL Diamond Division title outright.

This one kind of followed the same script. It was a run-dominated first half with limited possessions. The Wolverines (8-2) put together methodical drives behind its offensive line and those same linemen kept the Red Devils (5-6) from getting anything going. As a result, the Wolverines had a 14-0 lead at halftime.

Quarterback Webb mixed the run and pass well. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Bryce Belinfanti rushed for two scores, including a 61-yard burst in the fourth quarter to seal the win on a play the Wolverines had only put in prior to the last Penns Grove game.

Belinfanti finished with 145 yards. Webb rushed for 63 yards and completed 6 of 8 passes for 119 yards. He had 56 yards rushing in the first half, mostly bursting up the middle as the Wolverines exploited the Red Devils’ tendencies.

“They were real sharp on offense,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “Even though we didn’t give up a ton of huge plays, they were just really efficient. Our strategy was to try to take away Belinfanti and even though he had the big run the quarterback game was there and they took advantage of it.”

The Wolverines had three possessions in the first quarter and a half. They scored on the first one – on Webb’s first TD pass – and their next two were basically one 19-play touchdown drive that was split by the first of Garrett Leyman’s two first-half interceptions on the only play Penns Grove ran in the quarter to that point.

Woodstown’s Bryce Belinfanti tries to get around Penn Grove’s Justin Martin (9) during Friday night’s South Jersey Group I semifinal game. On the cover, quarterback Max Webb shows his running skills for another gain in the first half. (Photos by Ellen Sickler)

The Red Devils wanted to start fast and be within one score at halftime, but to that point in the game they had run only eight plays and trailed by two touchdowns.

While the Wolverines took their time getting to the end zone in the first half, they struck quickly in the second half. Webb hit Anthony Ford Dale on a 55-yard pass play on their first snap of the third quarter and Belinfanti broke off his 61-yarder on the first play after they regained possession.

“As soon as we got in the second half we wanted the hard play-action out of the gate and see if we could get the deep one on them, which we did,” Adams said. “And then we saw them adjust to no high safety and we were like if we can break Bryce through there he could be gone. Bryce hit that seam and he was gone.”

Penns Grove’s offense came to life in the second half, putting together two long touchdown drives that while impressive weren’t exactly conducive to driving a comeback.

Bryce Wright got the Red Devils on the board at the end of a 12-play, 68-yard drive that alternated runs between him and Karon Ceaser. And Ceaser scored their second touchdown at the end of a 10-play, 82-yard drive that featured the same two players.

Wright rushed for 116 yards on 24 carries and finished with 1,082 for the season. He’s the Red Devils’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2020. Ceaser, a freshman, finished with 58 yards on 14 carries to surpass 900.

“I thought we played better in the second half; we kind of figured some things out,” Emel said. “We’re not a passing team and we threw two picks in the first half and they threw two touchdowns … and that was really the difference in the game.

“To win in the second round in the playoffs and to win a championship you’ve got to be a complete team and those guys were a complete team tonight.”

Woodstown 34, Penns Grove 14

PG		WOOD
12	1st Downs	15
41-170	Rushing	29-200
2-5-2	Passes	6-8-0
3	Passing	119
1-0	Fum-Lost	0-0
4-18.7	Punts-avg	0-0
3-30	Penalties	3-30

Penns Grove (5-6)	0	0	8	6 –	14
Woodstown (8-2)	7	7	6	14 –	34

Scoring plays
W – Bobby Donahue 27 pass from Max Webb (Jake Ware kick), 8:38 1Q
W – Bryce Belinfanti 2 run (Jake Ware kick), 4:34 2Q
W – Anthony Ford Dale 45 pass from Max Webb (kick failed), 9:23 3Q
P – Bryce Wright 5 run (KaRon Ceaser pass from Bryce Wright), 2:11 3Q
W – Max Webb 1 run (Jake Ware kick), 8:06 4Q
W – Bryce Belinfanti 61 run (Jake Ware kick), 5:56 4Q
P – KaRon Ceaser 17 run (pass failed), 1:34 4Q

**Woodstown quarterback Max Webb tosses the ball back to an official after scoring his touchdown in the fourth quarter. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)**

Tri-County All-Stars

Here are the 2023 fall sports all-star teams for the Tri-County Conference divisions containing Salem County teams

GIRLS SOCCER

POS	CLASSIC DIVISION	SCHOOL
F	Emery Sharpnack	Pitman
F	Ariana Barrett	Clayton
F	Alaina Williams	Pitman
M	Riley Sharpnack	Pitman
M	Ava Delaney	Clayton
M	Frankie Fiore	GCHS
M	Ryann Foote	Salem
B	Audrey Duffield	Pitman
B	Jayda Chambers	Clayton
B	Karima Davenport-White	Salem
GK	Miya Villari	Pitman

SECOND TEAM
FORWARDS: Joie Connelly, Clayton; Remi Wicken, GCHS; Ameriyona Hunter, Salem.
MIDFIELDERS: Ella Wentzel, Pitman; Deondria Simon, Clayton; Kaitlyn Capalbo, GCHS; Natalie Layton, Salem Tech.
BACKS: Leah Kling, Clayton; Hailey Molis, GCHS; Demajae White, Salem.
GOALKEEPER: Lauren Narolewski, GCHS.

POS	DIAMOND DIVISION	SCHOOL
F	Emily Miller	Schalick
F	Talia Battavio	Woodstown
F	Riley Bowman	Pennsville
M	Amina Brown	Glassboro
M	Cali Fisler	Schalick
M	Calie Hunt	Woodstown
M	Molly Gratz	Pennsville
B	Delaney Walker	Woodstown
B	Jael Winnberg	Schalick
B	Marley Wood	Pennsville
GK	Carly Hayman	Schalick

SECOND TEAM
FORWARDS: Alana Figueroa, Glassboro; Quinn Berger, Schalick; Karly Bakley, Schalick.
MIDFIELDERS: Gianna Simon, Overbrook; Sunny Moore, Glassboro; Ella Price, Schalick; Emma Perry, Woodstown.
BACKS: Sanaa Thomas, Glassboro; Athena Eberl, Schalick; Victoria Bupp, Overbrook.
GOALKEEPER: Megan Keating, Glassboro.

**Adrian Ibarra set a Woodstown junior class record with 26 goals this season.**

BOYS SOCCER

POS	CLASSIC DIVISION	SCHOOL
F	Charles Duffield	Pitman
F	Nate Holland	Clayton
F	Ryan Cruz	Wildwood
M	Kelan Miller	Wildwood
M	Owen Boulton	Pitman
M	Gavin Burns	Wildwood
M	Graham Fields	Salem Tech
B	Ben Newcomb	Pitman
B	MarcAnthony Muhaw	Clayton
B	Clinton Bobo	Salem Tech
GK	Joshua Trinidad	Salem Tech

SECOND TEAM
FORWARDS: Dan Sanzone, Wildwood; Jaiden Ammons, Pitman; Nick Renz, Gloucester Catholic.
MIDFIELDERS: Maddox marker, Pitman; Logan Williams, Pitman; Zack Payne, Gloucester Catholic; Decland Cronrath, Salem.
BACKS: Erick Lara-Gil, Wildwood; Cole Kelly, Pitman; Jaxon Grauel, Wildwood.
GOALKEEPER: Billy Stuski, Gloucester Catholic.

POS	DIAMOND DIVISION	SCHOOL
F	Adrian Ibarra	Woodstown
F	Atakan Ozdemir	Glassboro
F	David Ayala Rivas	Overbrook
M	Emirhan Kir	Glassboro
M	Angel Meija Castro	Overbrook
M	Mike Nelson	Schalick
M	Bradford Foster	Schalick
B	Elijah Cummings	Schalick
B	Manuel Varcarcel	Glassboro
B	Dante Holmes	Woodstown
GK	Ben Stengel	Woodstown

SECOND TEAM
FORWARDS: Anthony Sepers, Schalick; Steven Chomo, Schalick; Desmond Vassell, Glassboro.
MIDFIELDERS: Erich Lipovsky, Woodstown; Kaleb Gerace, Woodstown; Jake Isaac, Pennsville; Grant Prater, Woodstown.
BACKS: Hayden Manning, Pennsville; Tyler Blaylock, Overbrook; Jaxon Weber, Schalick.
GOALKEEPER: Marcus Brown, Glassboro.

**Schalick’s Charles Fuerneisen (L) and Jordan Hadfield after winning their respective Salem County Cross Country Championship races.**

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

CLASSIC DIVISION
FIRST TEAM	SCHOOL	SECOND TEAM	SCHOOL
Jorge Cruz	Wildwood	Alexis Huerta	Wildwood
Colton DiRenzo	Salem Tech	Brian Cunniff	Wildwood
Dominic Militti	Salem Tech	Tyler Zampino	Salem Tech
Larry Pompper	Salem Tech	Colin Finney	Salem Tech
Sean Gallo	Clayton	Chase Pompper	Salem Tech
Jason Martin	Pitman	Gradin Buzby	Salem
Samuel Cooke	Salem	Michael Chollis	Salem

DIAMOND DIVISION
FIRST TEAM	SCHOOL	SECOND TEAM	SCHOOL
Karson Chew	Woodstown	David Farrell	Woodstown
Jacob Marino	Woodstown	Sal Longo	Schalick
Charles Fuerneisen	Schalick	Wyatt Juczak	Schalick
Matthew Tozer	Schalick	Chase Walker	Schalick
Gary Schwegel	Pennsville	Tim Steele	Overbrook
Elijah Whitaker	Glassboro	Asher Fithian	Glassboro
Ty Blackman	Glassboro	Chase Cline	Glassboro

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

CLASSIC DIVISION
FIRST TEAM	SCHOOL	SECOND TEAM	SCHOOL
Macie McCracken	Wildwood	Rebecca Benichou	Wildwood
Leiah Pawlus	Wildwood	Jordan Goode	Schalick
Makayla Butz	Pennsville	Aubree McKishen	Schalick
Jordan Hadfield	Schalick	Ava Melnick	Schalick
Elizabeth Petrunis	Schalick	Olivia Hill	Schalick
Sarah Seiden	Salem Tech	Evelyn Wiseley	Pitman
Savannah Johnson	Salem Tech	Mackenzie Whilden	Pitman

DIAMOND DIVISION
FIRST TEAM	SCHOOL	SECOND TEAM	SCHOOL
Lyana Gutierrez	Highland	Priscilla Fuerrero Sanchez	Highland
Audrey Musmeci	Highland	Elexis Swan	Highland
Addy Costello	Highland	Toni-Loren Powell	Highland
Jules Sieminski	Delsea	Kayla Ayars	Woodstown
Olivia Mashburn	Delsea	Samantha Sterner	Woodstown
Isabella Moran	Delsea	Sarafina Cavagnaro	Delsea
Sofia Moran	Delsea	Keira McQuaid	Delsea

FIELD HOCKEY

DIAMOND DIVISION	SCHOOL
Karli Pritchett	Glassboro/Pitman
Phoebe Alward	Schalick
Taylor Prendergast	Woodstown
Anna Wisniewski	Glassboro/Pitman
Braeley DeGregorio	Woodstown
Victoria Tullio	Glassboro/Pitman
Ava Scurry	Schalick
Caylen Taylor	Schalick
Megan Donelson	Woodstown
Angelina Lindner	Glassboro/Pitman
Hanna Juma (GK)	Glassboro/Pitman

SECOND TEAM
Chloe Eachus, Woodstown; Ariana Cole, Overbrook; Tyra Cream, Deptford; Sophia Longo, Schalick; Zena Alaruzrei, Deptford; Shelby Foote (GK), Woodstown.

CLASSIC DIVISION	SCHOOL
Veronica Pfeifer	Clayton
Emily McGinn	Gloucester Cath.
Bridget Taney	Gloucester Cath.
Sienna Gianotti	Gloucester Cath.
Kiley Niederman	Gloucester Cath.
Casey Green	Gloucester Cath.
Cara Hoyt	Pennsville
Kylie Harris	Pennsville
Isabelle Saulin	Pennsville
Morgan VanDover	Salem
Dominique Lewis (GK)	Salem

SECOND TEAM
Ruby Hassler (GK), Pennsville.

GIRLS TENNIS

CLASSIC DIVISION
FIRST TEAM
Singles
Anna Fisicaro, Pitman
Regan Witt, Pennsville
Megan Morris, Pennsville
Doubles
Abbey Pagan-Jess Bretz, Pitman
Emma Cornette-Fanta Kone, Pennsville

SECOND TEAM
Singles
Mandarin Castellanos, Salem
Lily Edwards, Pennsville
Colette Rollins, Pitman
Doubles
Amanda Bradley-Kendall Bennett, Pitman
Sophia Wilber-Angela Wilber, Wildwood

DIAMOND DIVISION
FIRST TEAM
Singles
Rachael Irizarry, Schalick
Abby Melle, Woodstown
Grace O’Neill, Schalick
Doubles
Katie Little-Emma Adams, Schalick
Vivian Ward-Camille Osborn, Woodstown

SECOND TEAM
Singles
Madi Newbold, Overbrook
Gabby Kurpis, Woodstown
Ally Green, Schalick
Doubles
Miya Watkins-Rachel Goranson, Schalick
Molly Curtis-Julianna Lindenmuth, Woodstown

Higher stakes

Woodstown, Penns Grove meet in rematch of the Diamond Division championship game two weeks ago, but it’s a whole new ball game

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Sectional semifinals
Friday’s game
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s game
Burlington City at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The stakes were high the last time Penns Grove and Woodstown played. They’re even higher now.

All that was on the line when the teams played 12 days ago was the Diamond Division title, which is really a big deal if you know the strength of the division. But Friday night, they’ll be playing to keep their seasons alive and a spot in the South Jersey Group I championship game.

Both teams understand what’s at stake so there’s no sense dancing around it.

WOODSTOWN (7-2)

“Our kids know it’s a bigger game and that’s helping them approach it that way,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “Everybody knows if you win you’re going to the South Jersey finals for Group I. A lot rides on the game. It’s not only being a division opponent, it’s a county rival. You stack it all up, the environment’s going to be fun at Woodstown Friday night.”

They say it’s tough to beat a team twice, but since 2003 when it comes to regular season rematches in the playoffs, among Salem County rivals at least, the winner of the regular-season game is 8-3. The home team in those games are 8-3 also.

That being said, the Wolverines know how difficult playoff rematches can be. Last year, they beat Paulsboro early in the regular season 18-0, then two months later had their hearts broken in the sectional semifinals 15-6.

“Our kids remember that and understand you can beat somebody in the season and the playoffs are a whole different animal and I think they’re preparing that way,” Adams said. “They’re basically preparing as if we’ve never played them before. It’s going to be a dogfight and that’s what we’re preparing for.”

The biggest battle is these type games is the psychological gymnastics that take place, especially when it’s only been a short time since they last met. You might have won the first game after a week preparing for a bunch of unknowns, but now the opponent is known, does complacency set in over the confidence of a past victory or do you fret over what that highly incentivized losing team changes from the first game.

And if you were on the losing side, do you make a bunch of changes or remain confident in the things you did in the first game and just work on fixing the mistakes that were made.

It was a battle the first time they played with the difference being three rapid-fire completions from Max Webb that produced a touchdown at the end of the half and gave the Wolverines a 14-0 halftime lead the Red Devils couldn’t overcome.

It’s doubtful the Wolverines will run their two-minute offense the whole game just because it worked in that situation two weeks ago, but it’s safe to say the Red Devils will have worked to be sharper against it this time around.

Penns Grove coach John Emel doesn’t think either team has changed “a whole lot” from that first game, but Adams expects both will throw in “a wrinkle or two” that wasn’t there the last time. That’s just the nature of the game.

“It’s way more psychological than physical with a rematch,” Adams said. “I think the team that lost the first go-round has an added incentive to win that next game. It’s like all right, you got us, we want to even the score.

“We tell our kids one of those touchdowns came because we caught them off-guard and caught them misaligned, but they’re going to be aligned this time, you’re not going to be able to catch them off-guard. That’s where it gets tough.”

PENNS GROVE (5-5)

The key for the Red Devils, Emel said, is starting fast and finishing like they have since their second half comeback on Paulsboro that launched their current 4-1 run. They’ve given up only two field goals in the last 14 quarters of those four wins.

“We’re a second-half team and we’re probably a second-half-of-the-season team,” said Emel, whose team started the year 0-3 and 1-4. “We’re playing our best football, not just in one week but over the last month plus, and during that stretch the defense has done really good and we’ve been able to close games out in the second half.

“When you’re playing a team as good as Woodstown who has the ability to score a lot of points in spurts we’ve got to get into halftime with the game close. We played pretty well in the second half the last time we played them, but what they did in the first half was too much to overcome.

“If we play well we have a good chance to win and that’s all you want as a coach. You don’t need to dp anything extraordinary and hope for a miracle. We just have to go out and play a good Penns Grove type game and we’ll have an opportunity at the end.”

Both teams should be at full strength. The Wolverines welcomed Corbin Walz back to practice Wednesday. The Wolverines’ starting defensive end and offensive lineman dislocated his elbow against Deptford in Game 3, but Adams said he “looked really good,” but wasn’t immediately certain how he’d be used in a game where it’s all hands on deck.

There is a chance for a lot more rematches going forward as three of the four teams in the South semifinals are Diamond Division rivals and Penns Grove played the fourth, Burlington City in its season opener.

“Only one of us is going to make it through in the next 10 days,” Emel said. “My message to our guys is ‘Why not us?’ We’re here, whatever’s happened up to this point has no bearing this weekend.

“It’s two teams that played recently but you get a fresh start. That’s the way our guys look at it. Because when you walked off that field we were kind of disappointed with the way it ended and we didn’t have to wait too long, so here we go again. It’s a new game and you’ve got to go out there and you’ve got to play one play at a time.”

Stars are rising

Salem County has strong representation on the WJFL Horizon, Diamond Division all-star teams

Horizon Division

When you win the division, it’s just about a cinch you’ll have the most players on the all-star team. Undefeated two-time division champion Schalick brought in the largest haul on the Horizon Division first-team offense and defense as voted upon by the division coaches Wednesday night.

The Cougars picked up 11 total spots on the 28-man first-team roster – seven on offense and four on defense. Riverside had seven players and Gloucester Catholic had six. Wildwood had three and Lindenwald one.

The Cougars dominated the offense with quarterback Kenai Simmons, running back Reggie Allen, receivers Jake Siedlecki and Dylan Sheehan, linemen T.J. Hymer and Logan Hancock, and kicker Hunter Dragotta.

They had four players on the defense – linemen Jermaine Loney and Jake Magonagle, linebacker Riley Papiano and defensive back Levi Feeney-Childers.

Siedlecki is the only senior in the bunch.

“Players deserve the recognition and the other coaches in the division recognized their hard work,” Schalick coach Mike Wilson said.

The Cougars (10-0) host Shore Regional Friday in the Central Jersey Group I semifinals. The winner faces either Glassboro or South Hunterdon in the sectional final.

POS	OFFENSE	POS	DEFENSE
QB	Kenai Simmons, Schalick	DL	Jermaine Loney, Schalick
RB	Reggie Allen, Schalick	DL	Chris Hagan, Gloucester Cath.
RB	John Boston, Riverside	DL	Teddy Hawkins, Riverside
WR/TE	Jake Siedlecki, Schalick	DL	Jake Magonagle, Schalick
WR/TE	Dylan Sheehan, Schalick	LB	James Ayers, Wildwood
WR/TE	Kyle Guldin, Gloucester Cath.	LB	Riley Papiano, Schalick
ATH	Isiah Bookman, Lindenwald	LB	Gabe Rossett, Wildwood
ATH	Junior Hans, Wildwood	LB	Isiah Ali-Lewis, Riverside
OL	George Brandon, Riverside	DB	Levi Feeney-Childers, Schalick
OL	T.J. Hymer, Schalick	DB	Kybron Ricks, Gloucester Cath.
OL	Frank Keenan, Gloucester Cath.	DB	Carlos Mendez, Gloucester Cath.
OL	Chase Perry, Riverside	DB	J.J. Mary, Riverside
OL	Logan Hancock, Schalick	ATH	Jamir Brown, Riverside
K	Hunter Dragotta, Schalick	P	Mike Freeman, Gloucester Cath.

Diamond Division

Top overall seed Woodstown and Penns Grove, two Salem County rivals who played for the division title two weeks ago and meet in the South Jersey Group I semifinals Friday night, combined for more than half the picks on this year’s WJFL Diamond Division all-star team.

Woodstown, the champion of the toughest Group I division in the state, pulled down nine spots. division champion, nailed down nine spots: QB Max Webb, RB Bryce Belinfanti, OLs Damien Eichler and Jack Knorr, K Jake Ware, DL Bump Carter, LB Zach Bevis, DB Garrett Leyman and P James Hill.

Penns Grove had six spots: RB Karon Ceaser, OL Isaiah Upshur, DLs Dameon Wilson and Justin Martin, LB Bryce Wright and DB Knowledge Young

Salem, which made a late-season run to get in the playoffs, placed four players on the team: WR-TE Ramaji Bundy, RB Pop Jackson, OL Detric Simmons and DB Omarion Pierce.

POS	OFFENSE	POS	DEFENSE
QB	Max Webb, Woodstown	DL	Bump Carter, Woodstown
RB	Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown	DL	Dameon Wilson, Penns Grove
RB	Anthony Reagan, Woodbury	DL	Justin Martin, Penns Grove
WR	Marquis Taylor, Woodbury	DL	Javion Payne, Paulsboro
WR/TE	Ramaji Bundy, Salem	LB	Bryce Wright, Penns Grove
WR	Jayden Johnson, Woodbury	LB	Zach Bevis, Woodstown
RB	Pop Jackson, Salem	LB	Jason Solomon, Woodbury
RB	Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove	LB	Robert Meadows, Woodbury
OL	Damien Eichler, Woodstown	DB	Wilson Torres, Woodbury
OL	Detric Simmons, Salem	DB	Omarion Pierce, Salem
OL	Jack Knorr, Woodstown	DB	Garrett Leyman, Woodstown
OL	Isaiah Upshur, Penns Grove	DB	Knowledge Young, Penns Grove
OL	Bryant Banks, Woodbury	ATH	Shariff Green, Paulsboro
K	Jake Ware, Woodstown	P	James Hill, Woodstown

SJTCA Awards

Schalick’s Romano, doubles team head strong Salem County contingent in South Jersey Tennis Coaches awards

By Riverview Sports News

Schalick tennis coach John Romano and the Cougars’ once-beaten doubles team of Emma Adams and Katie Little have been named to the All-South Jersey Girls Tennis Team by the South Jersey Tennis Coaches Association.

Romano and the doubles team led the Cougars to the Group I final four, where they lost to eventual state champion New Providence in the semifinals.

The SJTCA handed out its annual awards and the Cougars and other Salem County players were prominently featured.

Schalick singles players Rachael Irizarry and Grace O’Neill and the doubles teams Adams-Little and Rachel Goranson-Miya Watkins were named SJ Group I All-Stars.

Woodstown’s Abigail Melle, Woodstown’s doubles team of Vivian Ward-Camille Osborn and Pennsville’s doubles team of Emma Cornette-Fanta One also were SJ Group I All-Stars.

Irizarry, O’Neill and Little received SJTCA Captain’s Awards; Irizarry and Melle received Career Achievement Awards; and Irizarry, who hopes to play tennis in college, earned an SJTCA scholarship.

Romano won coach of the year honors for the second time in his career. His team won a sectional and currently holds a No. 6 ranking in Group I. He also won the award in 2016, the previous time the Cougars won a sectional title. He called the award “the cherry on top” of a big year, but gave the credit to his players.

“It’s nice, just because I’m not a tennis guy,” said Romano, now in his 14th year with the team. “I’m from the John Donovan Soccer School at Schalick; we won a state championship my senior year there. I was always a soccer guy. Even before I started out, when I was at Woodbury for a year, I coached middle school girls soccer there, so tennis wasn’t even on my radar.

“Moving over and having the athletics director I had at the time, he needed somebody for the position, just kind of put me in there and it was nice to get that boost of confidence. Not only to have it come full circle back in 2016, but then to do it again seven years later and with everything this year, it’s nice.

“It’s not about the individual stuff, it’s a team thing. I’ll definitely take that sectional title over a Coach of the Year any year, but it’s nice. It’s nice to see your hard work pays off and it’s because of the girls.”

Shruti Mannan of Cherokee, the South Jersey Coaches Tournament champion, was Player of the Year.

SJTCA AWARDS
Player of the Year: Shruti Mannan, Cherokee
Coach of the Year: John Romano, Schalick; Colleen Senior, Clearview
SJTCA Scholarships: Rachael Irizarry, Schalick; Theresa Strano, GCIT; Kim Wash, Seneca
Service Award: Tony Ponzetti, Oakcrest

SJ GROUP I ALL-STARS: Singles – Morgan McNally, Gateway; Tabitha Bay, Gateway; Ellie Smith, Haddon Twp.; Brenna Bussinger, Middle Twp.; Anna Fisicaro, Pitman; Rachael Irizarry, Schalick; Grace O’Neill, Schalick; Abigail Melle, Woodstown.
Doubles – Kiersten Callahan-Shreva Raji, Haddon Twp.; Emma Cornette-Fanta Kone, Pennsville; Emma Adams-Katelyn Little, Schalick; Rachel Goranson-Miya Watkins, Schalick; Vivian Ward-Camille Osborn, Woodstown.

ALL-SOUTH JERSEY: Singles – Bryana Tigrado, Cedar Creek; Shruti Mannan, Cherokee; Sophia Liu, Cherry Hill East; Sarah Crawford, Clearview; Theresa Strano, GCIT; Ellie Smith, Haddon Twp.; Jessica Yao, Lenape; Christina Htay, Mainland; Alana Lee, Moorestown; Anna Fisicaro, Pitman; Natasha Sharnoff, Shawnee.
Doubles – Maya Pater-Ariel Ivler, Cherry Hill East; Kiera Stokes-Sophia Villare, GCIT; Emily Turnage-Marlina Kadar, Haddonfield; Elizabeth Ong-Marlee Campbell, Mainland; Emma Adams-Katelyn Little, Schalick.

SJ GROUP I CAPTAIN’S AWARDS: Catherine Smith, Haddon Twp.; Cara Mulligan, Haddon Twp.; Shreya Raju, Haddon Twp.; Morgan O’Kane, Haddon Twp.; Brielle Erickson, Haddon Twp.; Rachael Irizarry, Schalick; Grace O’Neill, Schalick; Katelyn Little, Schalick.

SJ GROUP I CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS: Catherine Smith, Haddon Twp.; Rachael Irizarry, Schalick; Abigail Melle, Woodstown.

Local playoff angle

In honor of this week’s Penns Grove-Woodstown playoff matchup, here are some notes and charts specifically for Salem County football

Making strides

Three of the five Salem County football teams this season have improved records over the year before with one basically a wash. Woodstown could match its 2022 record with a playoff win over Penns Grove this week. The chart tracks this year’s senior class.

TEAM	2020	2021	2022	2023	22-23 +/-	4YR +/-
Pennsville	2-5	3-7	1-8	5-4	+4	+2
Schalick	0-7	4-6	7-3	10-0	+3	+8.5
Penns Grove	6-3	6-5	3-8	5-5	+2.5	-1.5
Woodstown	4-4	9-3	8-2	7-2	-0.5	+2
Salem	6-1	11-2	8-5	2-8	-4.5	-5.5

Playoff head-to-head

Here are the records of Salem County teams in head-to-head playoff matchups since 2003.

TEAM	PG	SAL	PVL	WOO	SCH	TOTAL
Penns Grove	—	2-1	0-1	1-0	3-0	6-2
Salem	1-2	—	1-0	1-0	1-1	4-3
Pennsville	1-0	0-1	—	1-1	NA	2-2
Woodstown	0-1	0-1	1-1	—	1-0	2-3
Schalick	0-3	1-1	NA	0-1	—	1-5

The Games

2022
Woodstown 45, Schalick 8

2019
Woodstown 47, Pennsville 14
Salem 31, Woodstown 6

2018
Penns Grove 40, Woodstown 6
Penns Grove 14, Salem 7

2017
Penns Grove 52, Schalick 30

2016
Pennsville 21, Woodstown 6

2014
Salem 22, Penns Grove 14
Salem 56, Pennsville 7

2013
Salem 41, Schalick 13
Penns Grove 22, Salem 17

2011
Pennsville 21, Penns Grove 14

2009
Penns Grove 14, Schalick 6

2006
Penns Grove 35, Schalick 34

2003
Schalick 7, Salem 0

The Rematches

When the playoff game is a rematch of a regular season meeting, the winner of the regular season game is 8-3, the home team in those playoff game are 8-3 (since 2003). Bold playoff team was at home

YEAR	REGULAR SEASON	PLAYOFF GAME
2023	Woodstown 21, Penns Grove 6	Penns Grove at Woodstown
2019	Woodstown 35, Pennsville 0	Woodstown 47, Pennsville 14
2018	Penns Grove 33, Woodstown 0	Penns Grove 40, Woodstown 6
2018	Penns Grove 26, Salem 20	Penns Grove 14, Salem 7
2016	Pennsville 28, Woodstown 7	Pennsville 21, Woodstown 6
2014	Salem 12, Penns Grove 0	Salem 22, Penns Grove 14
2014	Pennsville 23, Salem 19	Salem 56, Pennsville 7
2013	Schalick 30, Salem 18	Salem 41, Schalick 13
2013	Penns Grove 24, Salem 19	Penns Grove 22, Salem 17
2009	Penns Grove 36, Schalick 0	Penns Grove 14, Schalick 6
2006	Schalick 20, Penns Grove 8	Penns Grove 35, Schalick 34
2003	Schalick 26, Salem 0	Schalick 7, Salem 0

NOTE: The 2019 Salem-Woodstown and 2011 Pennsville-Penns Grove regular season games were played after the playoff meeting

Cover photo: Woodstown and Penns Grove will mix it up for the second time this season Friday night. The first one was for the division title, this one will be to stay alive in the playoffs. (Photo by Ellen Sickler)

Historical pursuit

Woodstown advances to boys soccer sectional semifinals, Ibarra ties junior scoring record; top-seeded Schalick survives Pitman

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Second-round games
Schalick 1, Pitman 0
Haddon Twp. at Audubon, Sat.
Woodstown 2, Wildwood 0
Riverside at Palmyra, Sat.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Adrian Ibarra tied the school record for goals by a junior and the defense posted another shutout as Woodstown blanked Wildwood 2-0 Friday in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

The third-seeded Wolverines now play the winner of Saturday’s Riverside-Palmyra game in the sectional semifinals.

Trips to the sectional semifinals are rare for the Wolverines, prompting coach Darren Huck to tell his players in the post-game huddle they were making history.

This might be the second time in three years the Wolverines have made it to the sectional semis, but it’s only the fifth time since 2010.

“We’ve only made the semifinals maybe three or four times in school history … so this is quite an accomplishment for the program,” Huck said. “I can think of many teams we come across (that have kept them out). For a lot of those years it was tough because Woodstown was a Group One school and we were in a division, conference where we had to beat Group Three and Four schools to get into it. A lot of times we’d get that 8-9 draw and then we get the No. 1 seed the next one.”

This one won’t be any easier to get through, either. Seventh-seeded Riverside put nine goals on Gateway in the opening round and Palmyra is the No. 2 seed that opened the season with a 12-game unbeaten streak and could be a No. 1 with an earlier win over Schalick.

“As a coach you’re never satisfied always looking for one more when it comes to playoffs; you hold onto it and treasure it as much as you can,” Huck said. “Am I proud of my players? Absolutely. We’re further along than I was anticipating. I knew we were going in a good direction, I knew we were going to be doing some really good things, but they’re being done a little sooner than anticipated.”

Ibarra (pictured) scored his 26th goal of the season with 8:07 left in the first half to put the Wolverines on top. He took a cross from Kaleb Gerace, settled the ball on his foot and fired a precise and powerful shot inside the left post.

He tied the record set by Geoff Schaefer in 2014 and has at least one more game left to break it. But that’s not really on his mind.

“I’m all about team wins, so I’m just grateful that we’re advancing to the semifinals,” Ibarra said. “I could care less about the record as long as we’re advancing. I hope we take the title this year.”

His uncle, Oscar Hernandez, scored 29 goals in his best season at Woodstown and Ibarra would like to top that – within the framework of helping the Wolverines advance, of course.

“I would like to score more than him,” he said softly.

It looked like it would be the only goal of the game until Bryce Ayars found the net the hardest way possible, on a cross-field shot in the final minute. Ayars had been trying all half to score and nearly got one earlier on a header that went from the ground to the crossbar before finally getting his first career playoff goal on a long shot from the left side into the upper right corner.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “This is my first playoff goal ever out of my two years. Putting the game away for my team was a relief and then my coach was nailbiting all the second half with me not finishing but I finally put it in to secure the win.

“When it came down to it, man, did he put a really nice one away,” Huck said.

The win was the Wolverines’ seventh straight. The only goal they’ve given up in the streak has been in a penalty kick. Ben Stengel collected five saves in the latest shutout.

“It’s definitely my defense,” Stengel said. “We’ve got a good line this year, a very good line. We’ve got strength everywhere. They’re all doing great for me. With them in front of me, I didn’t have to do anything, really.”

SCHALICK 1, PITMAN 0: Mike Nelson headed home a free kick from Anthony Sepers with less than three minutes left in the first half and Evan Sepers made eight saves in another shutout to help top-seeded Schalick avoid the upset and advance to the sectional semifinals.

“It was very much a defensive battle,” Cougars coach Joe Mannella said. “Both teams were fighting tooth and nail to keep the ball out of the net.”

The Cougars await the winner of Saturday’s Audubon-Haddon Twp. match to complete its semifinal matchup. Haddon Twp. is the No. 13 seed that upset No. 4 Glassboro in the first round.

“We owe Twp. after several defeats to them over the past four years,” Mannella said.

Schalick has won seven in a row, the last five by shutout. They’ve only allowed one goal during the winning streak.