Woodstown field hockey ramps it up in second half, puts away Maple Shade in sectional tournament; Salem falls in its opener
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I First-round games Haddon Twp. 3, Salem 1 Woodstown 2, Maple Shade 1 Collingswood 8, Gateway 1 Middle Twp. 6, Audubon 0 Schalick 3, Bordentown 0 Gloucester 5, Lower Cape May 0 Florence 6, New Egypt 0 Quarterfinals Haddon Twp. at West Deptford Woodstown at Collingswood Schalick at Middle Twp. Gloucester at Florence
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Most teams when they break it down to take their game to the field usually shout out something like their school’s name or mascot.
The Woodstown field hockey team chooses its word with purpose.
The word of the day to start the second half Friday was “intensity,” and the Wolverines brought a lot more of what they already had.
They scored both of their goals in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter to fuel a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Maple Shade in the South Jersey Group I playoffs. The Wolverines now will play at No. 4 Collingswood in the quarterfinals. Collingswood beat Gateway 8-1.
“There’s a lot behind the word intensity,” Wolverines coach Bryanna Roberts said. “The second half is when you really have to come out. Obviously you want it in the first half, but it’s now or never at this point.
“As far as the word intensity, all the girls show it and that’s the word that we use because going into that second half it’s now or never and you’ve got to work hard for it.”
It’s not like they weren’t intense in the first half. They actually dominated the play with more corners (11-1) and shots on goal (5-1), but they trailed the Wildcats 1-0.
Lexi Andrada scored on a shot from the top of the circle with 4:26 left in the first quarter to give the Wildcats the lead. Woodstown’s Megan Donelson had the tying goal disallowed by a foot foul in the goalmouth with two minutes left in the half and that seemed to inspire using the key word even more.
“It just gets us all fired up,” Donelson said.
“It really does motivate us to keep moving forward,” goal-scorer Brea DiGregorio said. “If we put that in the air, then it shows on the field.”
Shyann Higinbotham tied the game with a shot from the right side of the circle with only 1:53 gone in the third quarter. The Wolverines continued to press the attack and DiGregorio scored the game-winner with 5:33 left in the quarter.
“I saw the ball coming towards me and I knew I had to be ready and get my stick down in order to hit it back because that was my responsibility,” DiGregorio said. “(Coming from behind) shows our grit and our toughness that we ‘re able to bring it back after they score. We responded.”
HADDON TWP. 3, SALEM 1: The Hawks took control with two goals in the first quarter, added a third before halftime and kept the Rams at arm’s length in the second half. Anna Buzby scored Salem’s goal in the third quarter.
Haddon Twp. now travels to rested West Deptford for the quarterfinals. The top-seeded Eagles drew a first-round bye.
Cover photo: Woodstown’s Taylor Predergast (6) tries to steer clear of the pressure being applied by Maple Shade’s Rachel Loomis during Friday’s South Jersey Group I field hockey tournament game.
Top-seeded Woodstown routs Dunellen, sets up SJ semifinal rematch with Penns Grove; Red Devils edge previously unbeaten Florence for first road playoff win since 2011 and fourth in program history
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I PLAYOFFS Friday’s games No. 1 Woodstown 42, No. 8 Dunellen 6 No. 5 Penns Grove 6, No. 4 Florence 3 No. 7 Burlington City 60, No. 2 Middlesex 15 Saturday’s game No. 3 Woodbury 40, No. 6 Riverside 8 Semifinals games Penns Grove at Woodstown, Friday, 7 p.m. Burlington City at Woodbury
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The Woodstown football team got to wear its black jerseys again Friday night – this time with orange britches in honor of Halloween – and it was truly a scary sight for the visitors.
The Wolverines got a big Homecoming win when coach John Adams surprised them with the black jerseys for the first time against Salem and they worked like the charm they were again, this time in a 42-6 rout of Dunellen in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
“That pretty much set up the night,” running back Bryce Belinfanti said.
As if the Halloween-themed garb wasn’t scary enough, Belinfanti struck fear in the Destroyers’ defense every time he touched the ball. He scored five touchdowns, two of which covered 85 and 50 yards on successive possessions in the second quarter. He also scored on runs of 11 and 8 yards and a 24-yard pass from Max Webb.
The 80-yarder came shortly after Webb had a long touchdown run recalled by a holding penalty.
Playing just a half, he had 168 yards rushing (on only eight carries) and the TD catch was his only reception. Webb rushed for 62 yards. Alex Torres had 47 yards and their last touchdown on 10 carries.
Unlike the first time when Adams sprung the black jerseys on the players at the mid-day pep rally, this time he gave them a heads up on the color combination.
“I loved it,” Belinfanti said. “I thought it was going to be really cool. Like October 27th, black and orange, and our student section is great, so …
“I knew if we made it to the playoffs and if we were the first seed we’d probably break them out one more time. Not with the orange pants, I didn’t think. It looked pretty cool. The black jerseys had some orange on them, so it matched up pretty well.”
The Wolverines had another thing going for them. They were playing for a long-time booster and Woodstown alum Jimmy Lee Brooks who was recovering from injuries suffered in a recent car accident. Brooks, Class of ’72 and grandfather of former Woodstown captain Abu Hall, rarely missed a game, but being away for this one he requested whoever scored the first touchdown hold the ball up in salute.
Belinfanti honored the request when he scored on the opening drive and did it at least one other time in the game. It is said Brooks saw the gesture from his room in the rehab center where he was recovering.
With all that going for the Wolverines, the Destroyers, who passed Pennsville on the final weekend of the regular season for the final SJ-I playoff spot, didn’t stand a chance.
“It was a great night,” Belinfanti said. “All week we studied how their defense was going to act and what they were going to run to us. A lot of it had to do with game-planning. We knew the cutback was going to be there all night. It was a good night.”
The win sends the top-seeded Wolverines (7-2) to face fifth-seeded county rival Penns Grove (5-5) for the second time in three weeks. The Wolverines won the first meeting 21-6 to clinch the Diamond Division title, their first outright division title since 2013.
“I’m excited for it, to see how they play us differently,” Belinfanti said. “It’ll be a good game, yeah.”
Woodstown 42, Dunellen 6
Dunellen (5-4)
0
0
0
6 –
6
Woodstown (7-2)
14
21
7
0 –
42
Scoring plays: W – Bryce Belinfanti 11 run (Jake Ware kick) W – Bryce Belinfanti 24 pass from Max Webb (Jake Ware kick) W – Bryce Belinfanti 8 run (Jake Ware kick) W – Bryce Belinfanti 85 run (Jake Ware kick) W – Bryce Belinfanti 50 run (Jake Ware kick) W – Alex Torres 1 run (Jake Ware kick) D – Chiekezie Ogbuewu 16 run (run failed)
Woodstown’s Zach Bevis and Bump Carter (71) made life miserable for the Dunellen offense Friday night. (Photos by Ellen Sickler)
PG scores rare road playoff win
FLORENCE – A lot of special things have to happen for a team to win a playoff game on the road, especially against an undefeated team with a lot of emotion and history behind it.
But Penns Grove got a lot of special things to happen. The Red Devils scored the game’s only touchdown in the third quarter and their defense was its typical unyielding self as they handed Florence its first loss in the final playoff game of Flashes coach Joe Frappoli’s 50-year tenure, 6-3.
Penns Grove coach John Emel (R) made it a point after the game to grab a picture with retiring Florence coach Joe Frappolli. (Submitted photo)
Freshman Karon Ceaser scored the game’s only touchdown on a 38-yard run on the opening series of the second half. The Penns Grove defense allowed only 82 net yards. It was the third time in four games they have allowed their opponents three points or less.
“The defense played well,” Emel said. “Once we got the lead I felt like our defense played really well. That was the difference in the game – our defense in the second half and our ability to move the ball a little bit, enough to kind of shorten the game and work the clock. We’re going to have to clean up the penalties.”
The Red Devils overcame 90 yards in penalties in the first half (including offsides on the opening kickoff) to score their first playoff road win since 2011, a 36-8 first-round win at Paulsboro, and fourth in the history of the program. It was the first of coach John Emel’s 11 career playoffs wins to come on the road.
“We’re not real happy because we played fairly sloppy, but it’s our first road playoff win as a program since 2011,” Emel said. “We’ve won some neutral games and things like that, but that’s our first road win in the playoffs.”
Ceaser finished with 77 yards rushing on 11 carries and had an interception on defense. Bryce Wright had 102 yards on 23 carries and completed a pass to Knowledge Young for 18 yards.
Emel said his players are fired up to play Woodstown again.
“It’s good,” he said. “We’ve given ourselves an opportunity to play them again. Obviously we weren’t happy with way things went last week. Usually when that happens you’ve got to wait a while, you’ve got to wait until next season (to try again). It’s hard to beat a team twice. It’s hard to beat a good team once, so we’ll have our hands full.”
Penns Grove 6, Florence 3
PG
FLO
12
1st Downs
7
37-169
Rushing
32-77
1-2-0
Passes
1-6-1
18
Passing
5
0-0
Fum-lost
0-0
5-31.8
Punts
3-39.3
9-93
Penalties
9-44
Penns Grove (5-5)
0
0
6
0 –
6
Florence (7-1)
0
3
0
0 –
3
Scoring plays: F – John Dodge 32 FG P – Karon Ceaser 38 run (run failed)
Schalick’s attacking style rewarded with quick goals at the start of each half in sectional field hockey opener
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I First-round games Haddon Twp. at Salem, Fri., 2 p.m. Maple Shade at Woodstown, Fri., 2 p.m. Gateway at Collingswood, Fri., 2 p.m. Middle Twp. at Audubon, Fri., 2 p.m. Schalick 3, Bordentown 0 Gloucester 5, Lower Cape May 0 Florence 6, New Egypt 0 Second-round games Haddon Twp.-Salem winner at West Deptford Woodstown-Maple Shade vs. Gateway-Collingswood Middle Twp.-Audubon vs. Schalick Gloucester at Florence
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — If you were late getting to your seat at the start of Schalick’s South Jersey Group I playoff opener or getting back to it at the start of the second half, you missed a lot of the home team’s scoring Thursday.
The Cougars came out fast at the start of each half and rode that momentum to a 3-0 victory over Bordentown.
Proving they mean business in this year’s playoffs, the Cougars scored just over a minute into the match and extended their lead with a goal 30 seconds into the third quarter.
“The girls are pumped up,” Cougars coach Heather Cheesman said. “We always try to go out with intensity and be the aggressors and have pressure on goal constantly.
“We’ve always been a second half team, but this team’s different. This team is not like that. I’ve been coaching 10 years now and Schalick has always been a second half team, but this team is different.”
Leading scorer Phoebe Alward announced the Cougars’ presence in the playoffs. The fans sitting across the way hardly settled into their seats when the sophomore banged home a cross from Ava Scurry 62 seconds into the match. It was her 16th goal of the season, a surprising number to her that matches her jersey number.
Cheesman couldn’t ever remember scoring that quickly to open a game, regular season or playoffs.
“I was excited,” she said. “I like getting the first goal because it gets them pumped up. They were excited.”
Scurry gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead when she scored with 2:46 left in the first half. It was her 12th goal, to go with 16 assists.
“I knew this could have been our last game because the playoffs are single elimination,” Scurry said. “So I put it all out there and tried to do what was best for the team.”
Lucy Virga didn’t waste any time when the teams came out the break. She got the Cougars’ third goal being “in the right place at the right time” to bang home a rebound 30 seconds into the second half.
“Our plan is to come out really strong and just not let up after any restart,” Scurry said.
The Cougars, the sixth seed, now play the winner of today’s Middle Twp.-Audubon game at a site and date to be determined. Middle is the third seed.
Schalick’s Miller sets school’s single-season goal-scoring record with five in Cougars’ 7-0 win over Salem
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Thursday’s games Audubon 9, Penns Grove 0 Clayton 2, Glassboro 1 Pitman 5, Gateway 0 Maple Shade 8, Buena 0 Schalick 7, Salem 0 Haddon Twp. 6, Pennsville 0 Gloucester 4, Woodstown 1 Palmyra 9, Woodbury 0 Second-round games Clayton at Audubon Pitman at Maple Shade Haddon Twp. at Schalick Gloucester at Palmyra
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – For a player who didn’t want to be a striker, Schalick’s Emily Miller has sure made the most of it playing there.
Miller has turned into a veritable goal-scoring machine this season for the Cougars. She scored five goals Thursday in their 7-0 rout of Salem in the South Jersey Group I girls soccer tournament and set the school record in the process.
The senior now has 45 goals on the season, breaking the record of 43 set by Kerri Jackson last year. It was the second time this season she has scored five in a game.
It was her 14th multi-goal game this year and seventh with three goals or more. She has scored 23 goals in the 10 games since the Cougars (14-4) were shut out by Sterling on Sept. 29, the only game she hasn’t scored in this season.
“She definitely fell into the role,” Schalick coach Will Kemp said. “She had this inside her last year, but I think was a little timid. She had just returned last year (after missing the previous two seasons) and when one of our strikers went out for an injury we moved her there.
“She never wanted to be a striker. I told her she was going to be and she is one, and now she loves it.”
The Cougars scored their seven goals in 15 minutes.
Miller scored their first two to inch closer to the record. She tied the mark by converting a cross from Olivia Bergholz into the upper corner to make it 4-0 and then broke on the goal that made it 5-0.
They stopped the game after she got the record-setting goal and Schalick thletics director Doug Volovar presented her the game ball on the spot. Her teammates all gave her a hug.
“It was a great, great moment,” Kemp said.
But Miller wasn’t finished. She punched in goal No. 45 moments later to make it 6-0.
The Cougars’ other two goals were scored by Cali Fisler and Karlie Bakley.
“Our girls played at the top of their game today,” Kemp said. “I was really impressed with them.”
The third-seeded Cougars will host fourth-seeded Haddon Twp. (8-9-2) in the second round Monday.
Asked if he thought his record-breaking scorer had 50 goals in her, Kemp didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, I definitely believe so,” he said.
GLOUCESTER 4, WOODSTOWN 1: Anabelle Conley scored in the first half to snap a 1-1 tie and the seventh-seeded Lions ((14-5) added two goals in the second half to put away the Wolverines, who had been unbeaten in their last six games.
Talia Battavio scored the tying goal for Woodstown (9-8-1). It was her 15th goal of the season and 10th in the last five games.
AUDUBON 9, PENNS GROVE 0: Nine different players scored for the top-seeded Green Wave (16-1-2). Erin Connelly, Molly Sullivan and Emily Powers all had a goal and an assist. Morgan Wiltsey had a goal and two assists.
HADDON TWP. 6, PENNSVILLE 0: The sixth-seeded Hawks (8-9-2) scored all their goals in the first half with Emerson McDonald getting three. McDonald has 16 goals this season.
Chomo’s hat trick lifts Schalick soccer to opening-round victory over Pennsville and a tasty reward
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Wednesday’s first-round games Schalick 9, Pennsville 0 Pitman 2, Maple Shade 1 Aubudon 1, Penns Grove 0 Haddon Twp. 1, Glassboro 0 Woodstown 4, Burlington City 0 Wildwood 2, Buena 1 Riverside 9, Gateway 1 Palmyra 5, Woodbury 0 Second-round games Pitman at Schalick, Friday, 2 p.m. Haddon Twp. at Audubon Wildwood at Woodstown, Friday, 3 p.m. Riverside vs. Palmyra
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — For the record, Steve Chomo likes his steak medium rare.
That otherwise trivial piece of information became an important detail Wednesday after the top-seeded Schalick soccer team swamped Pennsville 9-0 in the opening round of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group I playoffs.
That’s because steak is on the menu after Chomo continued his current goal-scoring tear with his first career hat trick.
It’s all about motivation and Schalick assistant coach Mike D’Orio, a former Cougars striker, delivered a prime cut of it when he told Chomo before the game a steak dinner was in the offing if he scored a hat trick against the Eagles.
“I love steak,” Chomo said. “I think he wanted me to show out today and I just went out there and did my best.
“It was just out of nowhere, before the game, he said it. I think back when Mr. (Bruce) Konyak was coaching, he used to say if you had a diving header you got a steak dinner. I guess D’Orio continued that one.”
Chomo admitted he started thinking about a juicy ribeye “a little” after he scored two goals off rebounds in the first 22 minutes of the game to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead.
D’Orio and head coach Joe Mannella added the garnish at halftime when they reinforced the deal and the sophomore got his steak 10 minutes into the second half. He almost added the baked potato three minutes later with a bicycle kick that just went wide.
“It’s definitely some motivation,” D’Orio said. “Chomo’s starting to get out of his shell a little bit. I always hype him up at practice to try to do the best he can, so having that added motivation makes a player hungry on the field. And when you get that confidence from your coach it makes you want to play a lot better.
“He went out there, he got the job done and I’ll gladly pay up.”
His hat trick was Schalick’s third this season. Anthony Sepers got one against Woodstown and Louis Sepers got one against Penns Grove. But apparently previous purchases are not included in the deal.
“This was the first time I brought it up,” D’Orio said. “It might be a new thing we do for the year, we’ll see, I don’t know.”
Chomo has been on a roll of late. He has scored six of his 12 goals this season in the Cougars’ last three games. He’s scored six against Pennsville this season.
It’s been a combination of getting more opportunities with injuries to other strikers, getting more aggressive, his teammates getting him the ball and being in the right place at the right time.
“I don’t have anything against the Pennsville people,” Chomo said. “It may have felt like that, but I’ve got to give it really all to my teammates. They set me up with some great balls and I’ve just done my job.”
“With (Luke) Price going down and Lance (Creighton) not playing the whole season, Steve was going to have to step up and score goals for us and so far he has,” Mannella said. “Just keeping him hot and confidence is kind of what it’s all about right now. Any goal scorer being confident is huge and they’re confident in him. They know if they put it in front of the net, he’s going to deliver for them.”
The Cougars controlled the action from the opening kickoff. Chomo’s first two goals helped them build a 6-0 halftime lead. Louis Sepers opened the scoring five minutes into the game. Jaxon Weber, Reyli Reyes and Ethan Suppi also scored in the first half.
Bradford Foster, who assisted on Chomo’s third goal, made it 8-0 and keeper Evan Sepers came out of the goal to net the final goal of the match.
“You don’t want to come out and be sluggish and play down to the opponent and have to spend the next two days trying to get sharp,” Mannella said. “We had worked on some things in practice and they brought it right out to the field and their intensity was good. Everything was good, so now you just have to keep it sharp and focus on the next opponent.”
The Cougars (15-4) will host Pitman in the second round Friday at 2 p.m. The Panthers (13-5-1) beat Maple Shade 2-1 on Charlie Duffield’s goal two minutes into the second overtime.
Pennsville (6-13)
0
0 –
0
Schalick (15-4)
6
3 –
9
GOALS – S: Steve Chomo 3, Evan Sepers, Louis Sepers, Bradford Foster, Jaxon Weber, Ethan Suppi, Reyli Reyes.
WOODSTOWN 4, BURLINGTON CITY 0: The third-seeded Wolverines (14-3-1) won their sixth in a row with leading scorer Adrian Ibarra scoring twice in the first seven minutes of the game and Ben Stengel posting the shutout. Five of the Wolverines’ wins in their current winning streak have come by shutout.
“We were at home and we wanted to establish that we can control the tempo and the pace and we did that right from the start,” Wolverines coach Darren Huck said. “Adrian found the back of the net early and that set the tempo even more for us.”
Ibarra scored his first goal off a cross from Blake Bialecki. His second came on a penalty kick after the Blue Devils knocked down a shot by Ibarra that was headed to the net with a hand. Ibarra now has 25 goals on the season, moving within one of tying Geoff Schaefer’s 2014 school record for goals by a junior.
Grant Prater moved back to the midfield upon the return of center back Dante Holmes and scored the first goal of the second half off a pass from Bialecki. Cole Lucas scored the Wolverines’ final goal. Bialecki has 14 assists this season.
With Holmes back in the lineup and directing the defense, keeper Stengel was rarely tested. “He controlled everything,” Huck said of Holmes.
The Wolverines now host No. 11 seeded Wildwood (12-5-1) at 3 p.m. on a busy Friday in Woodstown.
Burlington City (6-11)
0
0 –
0
Woodstown (14-3-1)
2
2 –
4
GOALS – W: Adrian Ibarra 2, Grant Parker, Cole Lucas.
AUDUBON 1, PENNS GROVE 0: Ronald Homa’s first goal of the season was the game’s only goal in a match Penns Grove controlled much of the day. The goal came eight minutes before halftime.
That’s how the season has gone for the Red Devils (6-10-1). Of their 10 losses this year, eight have been decided by one goal.
Schalick girls tennis completes home-and-home sweep of Woodstown to win Diamond Division title
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – The Schalick girls tennis team may have come up short in its bid to win a state championship, but the Cougars did secure the last goal open to them Tuesday when they edged rival Woodstown 3-2 to win the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division crown.
With more than 100 fans ringing the courts on Senior Day, the Cougars won the first three points to clinch their 10th division title all-time and sixth under coach John Romano. They locked it up with a 6-3, 6-2 win by senior Rachel Goranson and Miya Watkins at No. 2 doubles.
“This is icing on the cake,” Romano said. “Like we said yesterday, it was one of those short term goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year, a stepping stone. Obviously it came after they crowned a state champion, but it’s still sweet.”
The Cougars earned at least a share of the division title with a 5-0 sweep of the Wolverines on Monday. The clincher got tighter when the Wolverines’ 1 and 3 singles both won 10-point tiebreakers after the match was decided.
“Jesse (Stemberger) had them coached up, ready to go,” Romano said of his Woodstown counterpart. “I think they felt they left a little on the court yesterday. They have two seniors in those spots and those girls were a little bit better than us today.”
The win was Schalick’s 21st of the season. They are one of only three teams in the state (any classification) currently with 20 wins. It’s the second time in three years and the third time since 2015 they’ve had a 20-win season.
“And it’s not like we’re playing any cupcakes,” Romano said. “When you pick up 20 wins with the schedule we had, it’s definitely another feather in the cap that this program is where it needs to be and now we need to keep it there.”
This story will be updated.
SCHALICK 3, WOODSTOWN 2 Singles Abigail Mille def. Rachael Irizarry, 4-6, 6-3, 10-4 Grace O’Neill (S) def. Gabby Kurpis, 6-1, 6-0 Cara Delia def. Ally Green, 1-6, 6-3, 10-8 Doubles Emma Adams-Katie Little (S) def. Vivian Ward-Nathalie Neron, 6-2, 6-0 Miya Watkins-Rachel Grandson (S) def. Julianna Lindenmuth-Molly Curtis, 6-3, 6-2 Records: Schalick 21-3, Woodstown 18-3.
Cover photo: Schalick’s No. 2 doubles team of Miya Watkins and Rachel Goranson won the match that clinched the Diamond Division title.
Schalick girls tennis team bounces back from Final Four loss to sweep rival Woodstown, rematch Tuesday for division title
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The Schalick girls tennis team bounced back from a loss in the state semifinals to move a step closer to a division title and coach John Romano never doubted it would.
The Cougars grabbed at least a share of the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division crown Monday with a 5-0 sweep of Woodstown in the much-delayed and much-anticipated home-and-home series with the Wolverines.
They can clinch the division outright by beating the Wolverines at home Tuesday. A Woodstown win would create co-champions.
“The girls played really well, they did bounce back nicely,” Romano said. “Woodstown is a very good team. I expect them to come back (Tuesday) even tougher than they played us today. I don’t think it’ll be easy by any stretch of the imagination. We’ll go about it business as usual, like we did all year long.”
The last time the Cougars (20-3) were on the court, they were swept by eventual state champion New Providence 5-0 in the Group I state semifinals. They had beaten post-season nemesis Gateway and top-seeded Haddon Twp. in the last two matches to get there, but were a different environment at the Mercer County Tennis Center.
“It’s no knock (on who they played along the way), but you’re playing a top-caliber team in New Providence; it’s just a different level,” Romano said. “We had a fantastic win against Haddon Twp., a fantastic win against Gateway and we weren’t ready for it (the Final Four).
“Coming back down to the level we are here, we knew what to expect. We knew they were going to put their best foot forward. It was pretty straightforward. We handled business and that was it.”
The teams were supposed to get the series started at the beginning of the season, but that match got postponed by weather. It later was postponed to accommodate the opening round of the sectional tournament, and then the sectional finals.
They knew the high-intensity rivalry would be squeezed into a couple days and now the division will be decided after a state champion was crowned.
“In the beginning of the year we have short-term goals and this is one of them,” Romano said. “Long term is try to win a state championship. The first one to be checked off we hoped would be the division and now it’s the last one.
“It makes it just as sweet. We’re just as happy for it as if this would’ve been in September. We’re happy to get a chance to lock this up tomorrow.”
Woodstown (18-2) had won five in a row – all by 5-0 sweeps – after bowing out in the second round of sectional tournament.
SCHALICK 5, WOODSTOWN 0 Singles Rachael Irizarry (S) def. Abigail Melle, 6-3, 7-5 Grace O’Neill (S) def. Gabby Kurpis, 6-1, 6-0 Ally Green (S) def. Cara Delia, 6-4, 6-2 Doubles Katie Little-Emma Adams (S) def. Vivian Ward-Nathalie Neron, 6-0, 6-1 Miya Watkins-Rachel Goranson (S) def. Julianna Lindenmuth-Molly Curtis, 6-4, 6-4 Records: Schalick 20-3, Woodstown 18-2.
Monday roundup: Woodstown boys soccer heading into sectional tournament on five-game winning streak; roundup includes girls soccer, field hockey
MONDAY’S SCORES BOYS SOCCER Woodstown 2, Glassboro 1 Pennsville 4, Salem Tech 1 GIRLS SOCCER Woodstown 2, Glassboro 2 Pitman 5, Salem 0 Pennsville 7, Salem Tech 0 FIELD HOCKEY Clearview 2, Woodstown 0 Gloucester City 7, Pennsville 0 GIRLS TENNIS Schalick 5, Woodstown 0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
GLASSBORO – The Woodstown soccer team goes into the South Jersey Group I tournament feeling good about the turnaround it has put together during the season and on a roll after beating Glassboro 2-1 in its final regular-season game Monday.
Adrian Ibarra and Kaleb Gerace each scored a goal in the second half for the Wolverines in the battle of top four sectional seeds.
Ibarra opened the scoring seven minutes into the second half. Gerace made it 2-0 13 minutes later. Emirhan Kir’s penalty kick off an “unfortunate foul” in the box with 11 minutes left was the only thing that kept the Wolverines from posting a fifth straight shutout.
It was, however, their fifth win in a row, their second over Glassboro in the last four days and their sixth in the eight games (with one tie) since a 6-2 Alumni Night loss to Schalick in the football stadium.
“We had a lot of games over the last two weeks, so it’s been a grind, but we came in and kind of came out on top,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “We didn’t play well against Audubon (the only loss in the home stretch), but when you play Schalick and two Colonial Conference teams, it wasn’t so much about wins and losses in that one, it was to see how we were going to battle and compete.
“We circle the wagons and bring them all back and remind them what the big picture is and remind them how one game doesn’t identify you in a good way or a bad way; let’s stay focused on what we need to do and they responded. I’m happy with my goalkeeper, how he responded from that tough night against Schalick, and defensively I’m happy with where we’re at right now.”
That would be 13-3-1 and the No. 3 seed in the SJ-I tournament;. A year ago they were 5-10-3 with seven one-goal losses and were something like 3-27 in the offseason going all over South Jersey playing larger schools. But they were playing and learning and growing.
Huck never lost faith and he was grateful the players didn’t either.
“I told them it’s not about the now, it’s preparing guys for the future,” he said. “I need all of you to believe and I will take you there, but do not lose confidence in what we’re doing.
“I had a parent today say I remember what you said in August in that last tournament; you said we’ll be just fine. I’m glad it worked this way. It made them believe they believed in me. I said this was going to happen.”
Ibarra’s goal was his 23rd of the season and 30th of his career. The nephew of Woodstown’s all-time leading goal scorer, Oscar Hernandez, Ibarra now has the second-most goals in a season by a junior in school history and has moved into the top 15 on the Wolverines’ all-time goals list.
“He’s really put it together,” Huck said. “He takes a lot of pride in being a complete soccer player, not just a scorer. He’s on the other end of assists, gets back defensively to help out. A lot of times he’ll ask me if I want him to drop back to help out the defense. He’s willing to take himself out of a scoring opportunity so we can get a win.
“He puts a tremendous amount of time into it. Many, many times I can go up to the park and he’ll be out there all by himself with a bag of soccer balls and some cones and he’s just working on his game. It’s good to see it all pay off for him.”
While Woodstown is going into the playoffs on a roll, Glassboro is looking to get back on track. The Bulldogs (12-5) have lost five of their last eight against some of their toughest opposition of the year after starting the season 9-0.
“We had a good regular season,” Huck said. “We can look back and say we had a nice season. We know the second season starts (Wednesday) and we’re going to try to go as far as we can.”
Pennsville 4, Salem Tech 1: Jake Isaac scored two first-half goals and assisted on the Eagles’ other two goals. It was his third multi-goal game of the season and fifth of his career. Stone Mumink gave the Eagles (6-12) a 3-0 lead and Kameron Brown got the Chargers (3-13-1) on the board before the end of the half. Shane Puckett scored Pennsville’s final goal in the second half.
GIRLS SOCCER Woodstown 2, Glassboro 2: Emma Perry and Talia Battavio scored goals for the Wolverines (9-7-1), but Glassboro scored a goal in the second half to tie the match.
Pitman 5, Salem 0: Emery Sharpnack scored her 15th goal of the season to open the scoring and assisted on Alaina Williams’ goal in the second half. The Classic Division champion Panthers (13-4-1) are one of two teams to go through their Tri-County Conference schedule undefeated (10-0).
Pennsville 7, Salem Tech 0: Reagan Wariwanchik, Molly Gratz and Karsen Cooksey scored first-half goals and Cooksey completed the hat trick in the second half.
FIELD HOCKEY Clearview 2, Woodstown 0: Marley Dutch scored a goal and assisted on Destiny Joseph’s score. The Group III Pioneers (12-5) peppered Woodstown goalie Shelby Foote with 29 shots.
Gloucester City 7, Pennsville 0: Lauren Perry scored four goals to lead the Lions (12-4).
With the football playoffs beginning this week, here is a look at the Salem County leaders in rushing, passing and receiving through the end of the regular season
Rushing
PLAYER
ATT
YDS
TD
Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown
149
1146
14
Pop Jackson, Salem
131
1023
8
Bryce Wright, Penns Grove
155
847
9
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove
119
743
5
Reggie Allen, Schalick
92
588
10
Sky Eppes, Pennsville
109
547
9
Jared Pew, Salem
83
385
3
Kenai Simmons, Schalick
79
344
8
Robbie McDade, Pennsville
76
330
6
Levi Feeney-Childers, Schalick
50
301
2
Max Webb, Woodstown
61
265
5
Ramaji Bundy, Salem
47
260
1
Alex Torres, Woodstown
38
230
3
Sophomore quarterback Robbie McDade will have a chance to give Pennsville its first 1,000-yard passer since 2019 Thursday when the Eagles host New Egypt in the regional consolation tournament. Top photo: Bryce Belinfanti and Max Webb give Woodstown a dynamic backfield combination. (Photos by Lorraine Jenkins, Ellen Sickler)
Passing
PLAYER
COMP
ATT
INT
YDS
TD
Robbie McDade, Pennsville
70
136
4
948
6
Kenai Simmons, Schalick
33
52
0
715
7
Max Webb, Woodstown
44
74
5
555
5
Ramaji Bundy, Salem
15
53
5
236
1
Receiving
PLAYER
NO.
YDS
TD
Malik Rehmer, Pennsville
39
604
5
Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown
13
129
0
Zach Bevis, Woodstown
12
189
3
Ty Young, Pennsville
12
118
1
Terrence Smith, Salem
11
146
1
Sky Eppes, Pennsville
11
128
0
Jake Siedlecki, Schalick
9
268
3
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
9
140
2
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove
8
113
0
Kicking
PLAYER
FGM-FGA
XPM-XPA
PTS
Jake Ware, Woodstown
3-4
25-27
34
Hunter Dragotta, Schalick
2-4
25-27
31
Jackson Leino, Pennsville
4-6
15-19
27
Defense
SACKS 6.5: Dameon Wilson, Penns Grove 5.5: Bobby Donahue, Woodstown 4: Nasir Stewart, Penns Grove 3: Jermaine Loney, Schalick; Mando Johnson, Salem 2.5: Zach Bevis, Woodstown; William Slouch, Penns Grove
TACKLES FOR LOSS 17: Bryce Wright, Penns Grove 15: Nasir Stewart, Penns Grove 11: Dameon Wilson, Penns Grove 9: William Slocum, Penns Grove 8: Justin Martin, Penns Grove 6.5: Bobby Donahue, Woodstown 6: Zach Bevis, Woodstown; Walter Carter, Woodstown; Mando Johnson, Salem 5.5: Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown 5: Max Webb, Woodstown; Thomas Hymer, Schalick 4.5: Pop Jackson, Salem 4: Jack Knorr, Woodstown; Najee Panter, Penns Grove
INTERCEPTIONS: 2: Malik Rehmer, Pennsville; Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove; Bryce Wright, Penns Grove
def. Rachael Irizarry, 4-6, 6-3, 10-4
Riverview Sports News 