FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown 9, Overbrook 0: The Wolverines erupted for five runs in the third quarter to pull away from a 3-0 halftime lead. Seven players scored goals in the game with Megan Donelson and Kayla Brown each getting a pair. The Wolverines (3-0) have outscored their three opponents this season 22-1.
Salem 4, Gloucester Catholic 0: Rhionna Timmons scored two goals in the first quarter and Morgan VanDover had the other two to help keep the Rams unbeaten (4-0). The Rams have outscored their opponents 25-1.
Schalick 5, Deptford Twp. 0: Phoebe Alward scored twice, Ava Scurry had a goal in two assists and the Cougars (3-1) posted their second straight shutout since suffering their first loss of the season.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, Glassboro 0: The Wolverines ran their record to 6-0 with a straight-set sweep. No. 2 doubles team of Alyssa Berry and Nathalie Neron won 6-0, 6-0.
Pennsville 5, Gloucester Catholic 0: The Eagles (5-1) swept their second straight opponent and fourth of the season.
Category: WOODSTOWN
It’s Bryce, twice
Tuesday roundup: Woodstown soccer finds a way to close out opponent; Penns Grove, Schalick do not, suffer one-goal losses; also includes girls soccer and girls tennis
TUESDAY’S SALEM COUNTY SCORES
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton 3, Salem Tech 1
Glassboro 1, Schalick 0
Overbook 2, Penns Grove 1
Woodstown 3, Pennsville 2
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 6, Glassboro 0
Woodstown 4, Pennsville 1
Penns Grove at Overbook
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, Overbook 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – There was a lot of activity around the scorer’s table Tuesday afternoon when Woodstown scored twice in a little over 90 seconds late in the second half. Everyone was trying to figure out who got the goals. Was it Bryce Ayars?
“Yes, it was Bryce – on both,” one of the coaches said from the bench area. “He’s everywhere.”
Indeed. The slender sophomore with the orange headband started the game at center back, but when the Wolverines needed him most he inched his way into the offense and scored twice in rapid succession to turn a halftime deficit into a 3-2 victory over Pennsville at the Ronald Udy Soccer Complex.
“With every team I’ve ever played with if we’re down goals and my offense isn’t making things happen, I go up there and help them up out a little bit,” he said. “Mostly it pays off.
“Even though I’m not a captain I normally help my team out as much as I can. Say we’re down 2-0 and I know my offense isn’t sparking anything, I try to push them to keep going and potentially win the game.”
Ayars’ first two goals this season came in the Penns Grove game under similar conditions to Tuesday. He scored the tying goal in the second half and game-winner in overtime after the Wolverines fell behind 2-0.
His game-tying goal Tuesday came with 11:12 to play. He took a pass from the corner, got around one defender, avoided a second and then banged it home into the upper left corner.
No sooner had things settled back down, he found the back of the net again, this time as a striker with 9:24 left on a header off a free kick by Dante Holmes from 35 yards out. All three goals Ayars scored last year came off set pieces.
“We’ve done this before, so it wasn’t something brand new where he was thrown into a space he wasn’t familiar with,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “He’s comfortable up there. He’s one of our better defenders, so it could be a little risky at times because what we lose on one end we might gain on another and vice versa.
“As coaches we have to make sure we stay within our frame and balance and sometimes we have players who because of their aggressiveness will go out of that space you really don’t want them to. It’s a gamble because sometimes it’ll work out and sometimes it can hurt you, but everything worked out in the second half for us today, which was nice.”
Pennsville, meanwhile, couldn’t have had a better start. The Eagles (1-4) went up 2-0 in the first 10 minutes on goals by Stone Mumink and Dylan Waller four minutes apart.
Mumink beat a defender to a 50-50 ball in the box and tucked a shot just inside the right post with just 5:13 gone in the game. Waller took a pass from Maddox Efelis and scored from the left side less than five minutes later.
“One of the things I’ve been preaching to this team all season is there are going to be a lot of tough games where you’re going to look at the score lines and you’re going to look at the two rosters (and) we’re probably not going to be favored,” Eagles coach Derek Foglein said, “but those are the games if we play like we want to win, we will win and we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“I think the guys really showed today that they played like they wanted to win and I think the first 15 minutes showed that. I think they showed that they wanted to win and it was just a matter can we be good enough defensively. A few bounces don’t go our way, but overall the start was really, really positive and that’s the thing I’m going to take away from this game as we move forward.”
After watching the Eagles get the better of his team in the first half, Huck got his players’ attention during the break. The Wolverines (4-1) picked up their attack in the second half and went on to win their fourth straight game and third by one goal.
“I had to wake them up a little bit,” Huck said. “I had to shake the bed and they responded.”
Glassboro 1, Schalick 0: The young Cougars were an early-season surprise, overcoming the loss of their senior striker 15 minutes into the season opener and winning their first four games by large margins and back-to-back shutouts, but now they’re facing a bit of adversity after two straight one-goal losses.
It’s just a matter of finishing, coach Joe Mannella says. The Cougars (4-2) had a goal disallowed in first half and it changed the momentum. After Glassboro (6-0) capitalized on a defensive mistake to score early in the second half, Schalick had several chances for the tying goal, but just couldn’t connect to light the lamp.
“It seems to be a team the last two games where we’re not able to finish,” Mannella said. “You let teams hang around and we’re not finding a way to win right now. It’s kind of tough, but I thought the boys played well.”
The Cougars started the year by outscoring their opponents 16-3, but in their last two games, even though the defense was stout, they’ve been held to one goal by Buena and Glassboro.
“We do have a very young team, so ups and downs are sort of expected,” Mannella said. “You build confidence, but it only takes a couple bad outings to kind of start to take that away from you. Goal scoring, like anything, when it dries up, sometimes it just dries up, and you just need that one lucky break here and there that we’re not getting to really get you kick started.”
Their first chance to snap out of it comes Thursday when they host Penns Grove, a team going through some of the same trials the Cougars are.
Overbook 2, Penns Grove 1: The Red Devils can feel the Cougars’ pain. All three of their losses this season are of the one-goal variety and the last two have come after they’ve had the lead.
Jayden Merga put the Red Devils (1-3) on top with a penalty kick. Overbrook (3-2), which won only four matches a year ago and didn’t get their third until the 12th game, tied it on what PG coach Mano Massari called “the best goal I’ve seen all season so far” and got the game-winner on a shot from outside the box that keeper and newly appointed captain Dwayne Guzman couldn’t see.
“Our guys just seemed to take their foot off the gas pedal after taking the lead,” Massari said. “We’re still trying to work a lot out and this is what happens with a young team.
“We’ll get there. We just have to stay calm. We’re not hitting the panic button … We just need to close.”
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 6, Glassboro 0: Emily Miller scored four goals, three in the second half, as the Cougars (3-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season. Freshman Karlie Bakley and Cali Fisler had Schalick’s other goals and Carly Hayman posted her second shutout. Miller leads Salem County girls with 10 goals in four games.
Woodstown 4, Pennsville 1: Emma Perry scored twice and Lia Covely and Sophie Wells had one goal apiece for the Wolverines (2-3). Marley Wood scored the Pennsville (0-4-1) goal.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, Overbook 0: After winning their last three matches 3-2, the Wolverines cruised to their second sweep of the season to remain undefeated (5-0). They won all five matches in straight sets with both doubles teams never dropping a game.
Hill suffers setback
Just when Woodstown senior running back appeared set for a courageous return from knee surgery, he faces injury to other knee
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Just when it looked like Woodstown running back James Hill was all set for a courageous return from off-season knee surgery, an injury to his other knee has surfaced to threaten his senior season.
The 3,000-yard career rusher was set to make his 2023 debut Friday night at Deptford, but he watched from the sidelines in street clothes as the coaches held him out for precautionary reasons after feeling something uncomfortable in his left knee jumping over a ball in a mid-week gym class.
The rumor making the rounds is a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but Wolverines’ coach John Adams urges caution and await the results of additional tests that could come as early as Monday.
“He jumped up in phys-ed and just felt like some grinding and it freaked him out because of what he just went through with his other knee,” Adams said. “We’re playing it cautious. We’re playing it very, very cautious. One doctor saw him and then referred him to go get evaluated again; let’s go get it double checked.
“There are some rumors flying around school. Guys, just pump the breaks. Let’s make the doctors make decision … but it’s up in the air right now is it good or bad news.”
Hill suffered a torn ligament in his right knee jumping in the wrestling room last winter, then spent the last six months aggressively rehabbing after surgery and beat the traditional timeline for such an injury by nearly three months. His teammates were amazed with the regimen he put himself through to be there for his team.
If a similar surgery is required for this latest injury, provided he’s up for a similarly aggressive rehab program, he would miss all of the football season and most of the wrestling season. The typical timeline for such an injury is six to nine months.
The impact any of that would have on his college recruitment is uncertain.
The running back was excited about the prospects of returning to the field earlier in the week, but Adams described him as “in the dumps a little bit” Thursday when he was held out of practice. By Friday night he was on the sideline excitedly supporting his team in a 49-7 victory, a game he likely would have been out by halftime given the nature of the game.
“I just feel bad; it’s a setback for him again,” Adams said. “We were really, really excited to get him back and now we don’t have him right now. You feel more for him as a player. He was itching to get back. Even last year it was always get back for the Glassboro game and then when we saw he could get back earlier it was (exciting), and then to have something come up again you feel bad. How many setbacks can a kid handle?”
While Hill’s presence is a big piece of the Wolverines’ offense, softening the blow of his now extended absence is the productivity of the backs who have kept them moving while they awaited his return.
Bryce Belinfanti has rushed for 413 yards and six touchdowns on 46 carries in the Wolverines’ first three games. He only had six carries Friday because they had gotten so far ahead so early. Back Alex Torres had a career-high 120 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries against Deptford.
“I even said that to the team,” Adams said. “It’s different when you won several games and then you lose a guy and then you have that will the players be able to understand they can win without that guy in there? For us to start the season off without him and win, not having him last night, it wasn’t a foreign thing for them. They already prepared coming into the season knowing they weren’t going to have him. It was like let’s go to work – and obviously we did last night.
“I’ve been through seasons where midway through or towards the end of the season you lose a guy and it mentally can take a whole toll on the team and take the wind out of your sails. But for us, we’ve had to step it up without James, we had no other choice. Our team had time mentally to prepare to be playing without him and I think they’ve done a good job since.”
Complete domination
Wolverines strike quickly, take control early, get starters out and turn it over to the rest; Hill held out for precautionary reasons
By Riverview Sports News
DEPTFORD – Woodstown went on the road, took control of the game early and got the chance to get a lot of players meaningful minutes.
The Wolverines scored four touchdowns on their first six plays and rolled over Deptford 49-7 for their third straight win.
“Complete execution like I have never seen us have,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “It was insane. I was like we just scored four touchdowns in six plays; we don’t even do that in practice.”
The Wolverines’ starters played most of the first half, with the second unit going in late in the second quarter and playing the entire second half.
That situation gave cousin quarterbacks Max Webb and Jack Holladay the chance to play significant minutes in the same game. Webb completed all six of his pass attempts for 140 yards and three touchdowns.
“Max Webb was just on fire,” Adams said. “Orlandini the one time was wide open, but all the other ones Max just like threaded the needle. They had good coverage on us, he just made the right decisions, stepped up in the pocket and then halfway through the second quarter the varsity was out.”
While the starters were in the game, lead back Bryce Belinfanti had six carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Backup Alex Torres followed him with 12 carries for a career-high 120 yards and two touchdowns. Zach Bevis caught two touchdown passes and the Wolverines’ defense collected four takeaways, including opening the game with an interception.
“It was awesome,” Adams said of getting so many players in the game. “We got to get our next quarterback in for a series with our varsity guys and then we started subbing in a lot of other seniors who we have who don’t start. And then our JVs were in there for a good portion of the second half and they played really well, too.”
It wasn’t all rosy, however. Wolverines’ star running back James Hill was on the sideline in street clothes and did not play. He was set to start Friday in his first game back from off-season surgery on his right knee, but the coaches held the 3,000-yard career rusher out for precautionary reasons after he felt something uncomfortable in his left knee jumping to avoid a ball in gym class earlier in the week.
Woodstown 49, Deptford 7
| Woodstown (3-0) | 28 | 14 | 0 | 7 – | 49 |
| Deptford (0-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 – | 7 |
Scoring plays
W – Carter Orlandini 38 pass from Max Webb (Jake Ware kick)
W – Bryce Belinfanti 12 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Bryce Belinfanti 51 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Zach Bevis 46 pass from Max Webb (Jake Ware kick)
W – Zach Bevis 8 pass from Max Webb (Jake Ware kick)
W – Alex Torres 13 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Alex Torres 24 run (Jake Ware kick)
D – 57-yard run (kick good)
He’s ba-a-a-ck
County football preview: Woodstown’s Hill eager to play first game; Schalick, Pennsville focused on the details
SALEM COUNTY FOOTBALL
Friday’s games
Riverside at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford, 6 p.m.
Gateway at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s game
Penns Grove at Salem, noon
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Woodstown running back James Hill has been looking forward to Friday night’s game at Deptford for six months. So has Wolverines’ coach John Adams. The rest of the WJFL, because they know the impact, not so much.
Hill makes his long-awaited season debut against the Spartans, six months removed from the knee injury and surgery during wrestling season.
He was cleared to return for football with limitations in late August and was cleared for full contact last week in time to fulfill his six padded practice embargo in time to play Friday night.
“I’m looking forward to it – a lot,” Hill said. “It’s been the last 6-7 months of rehabbing really strong. Every day I look at the clock and it just inches closer and closer. It’s kind of like Christmas and a birthday put together. No one wants to get older, but everyone wants to get the gifts.”
The plan is to rotate him between inside and outside linebacker this week and ease him into the offense where they need him. Hill has repped at multiple positions this week and, coach John Adams says, “knows the playbook from couple different spots.” Just don’t look for him to be running between the tackles on the Spartans’ artificial turf in his first game back.
He has rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns over the last two seasons.
“It’s tremendous (to get him back),” Adams said. “He’s a two-time captain, so getting his athleticism on the field is going to be phenomenal, him getting some of the rust out and stuff like that and get some confidence back in his leg will be big for him, but for us, having that leadership on the field is huge.
“The last two weeks he’s been doing everything he could from the sideline and having that leadership on the field is going to be really, really big for us.”
Hill said he has “no fear in playing football” coming back and is hoping for a big game capped by a victory.
“I just want to individual feel 100 percent confident in everything,” he said. “I don’t want to have any worries about making a cut. I just want to go out there and run around and play a high school football game and not have two thoughts of my ACL was torn seven months ago.”
RIVERSIDE (2-0) at SCHALICK (3-0): In an early-season battle of unbeatens this week is all about details for the Cougars – the I-dotting and T-crossing things that take a good team to great and a great team to special.
It’s things like finishing drives and finishing blocks that lead to bigger runs, winning first down, locking up on tackles and reading keys, and staying focused on extra points.
“That’s what we’ve been preaching all week in practice and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish,” Cougars coach Mike Wilson said. “Getting better at the little things.”
Through three games, junior running back Reggie Allen is emerging as the backbone of the team. He rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s victory at Wildwood and has done most of the heavy lifting on the Cougars’ scoring drives.
He now had 246 yards on 52 carries this season after his 144-yard, three touchdown game last week. He already has half as many touchdowns as he had a year ago, when losing two games to an injury robbed him of a 1,000-yard season.
“Reggie is legitimately our unsung hero,” Wilson said. “I said this his freshman year: Reggie gets lost in the shuffle a little bit, and I don’t know why. Reggie is the backbone of this team. I know a lot of people talk about (quarterback) Kenai (Simmons), but Reggie is the lynchpin of this team, I really believe that.”
Depending on what else happens around the division, this winner could come out of the week in sole possession of first place in the Horizon Division and be its last undefeated team standing.
GATEWAY (1-1) at PENNSVILLE (1-1): The Eagles stand in a bit of a crossroad. A year ago, they won their opener, lost their second game and didn’t win again. They face the same scenario this week after a flat game in their home opener, but this time are confident of flipping the script with the proper approach.
It’s all about players doing their job and trusting the player next to them. Last week’s 28-7 loss to Lower Cape May was about a lot of players trying to do too much that took them out of position.
This week, back to a regular practice schedule in the first full week of school, it’s all about getting back to basics.
“This whole year is really about getting respect back for the program and we need to show we can consistently play at a high level and go out there and compete like we can as opposed to last week,” Healy said. “We did not show who we really were, I felt like.”
Last year’s Gateway game got away from them and was the turning point in their season. It has the potential to be the springboard for this year as well.
“They’re 1-1 right now, same as us, so we can’t go in there, especially after last week how we played, thinking too much of ourselves,” Healy said. “We’ve got to understand we’re both even going into this game so we’ve got to show up.”
Coming next: Penns Grove’s Emel reflects on Salem’s Walnut Street Field on the eve of its final game
Eagles trio ‘on’
Tuesday roundup: Pennsville boys erupt for three rapid-fire goals to get first W of the season, Penns Grove coach gets first win, Schalick goes to 4-0; Salem, Penns Grove, Salem girls play to draws
WEDNESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville 5, Clayton 0
Penns Grove 6, Salem 2
Schalick 3, Gloucester Catholic 0
Woodstown 7, Salem Tech 0
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville 2, Clayton 2
Salem 3, Penns Grove 3
Schalick 4, Gloucester Catholic 1
Woodstown 6, Salem Tech 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Salem 0
Schalick 5, Glassboro 0
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – One minute the game is scoreless and the next time Pennsville boys soccer coach Derek Foglein looked his team had a three-goal lead. Things can happen that quickly when you have the kind of strikers the Eagles have.
After a slow opening 10 minutes, the Eagles erupted for three goals in the 10 minutes before the first half water break and went on to beat rebuilding Clayton 5-0 for their first win of the season.
Shane Puckett and Jake Isaac both scored twice in the first half and Dylan Waller scored in the second.
“I felt like I blinked and we were up 3-0; it was like three in a matter of five minutes,” Foglein said. “It’s definitely not typical, but when you look at Stone (Mumink), Shane and Jake, they have the quality, they have the talent and they have the offensive vision from working together for a few years, and they’ve got speed, too. If they’re on, they’re on and just like that a game can really turn positively for us.
“I know we have quality offensive pieces. With those front three, that’s really where our offense is going to be from and they were quality today. They worked hard on the ball. They worked hard off the ball. They connected passes and (when you do that) you find yourself in spaces and they found their spaces and they finished. So that was really awesome.”
Puckett scored his two goals around Isaac’s first counter in that rapid-fire stretch. Isaac notched his second goal shortly after the water break. Puckett, Isaac and Mumink each had two assists.
The Eagles (1-2) already had control of the game, but turned up the defense in the second half and the back line helped keeper Coen Rinnier nail down the shutout.
PENNS GROVE 6, SALEM 2: After two gut-wrenching overtime losses to open the season, the Red Devils got goals from five different players to give new coach Mano Massari his first victory.
Junior Sebastian Hernandez scored twice to lead the charge. Captains Ashton Harris and Joey Schultz, Edward Swank and Jayden Merga had the other goals.
“It was really good to get the win; not for me, but for the guys, they deserve it,” Massari said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but a win is a win and we’ll take it.”
As with any new coach and a new team, it took a little time to adjust the pieces. Massari moved junior Frankie Juarez Reynosa to center midfield and the offense blossomed. The six goals were the most the Red Devils have scored in a game since beating Gloucester 7-1 in their final regular-season game last year. Juarez Reynosa had two assists.
“After the first two losses I needed to move some guys around and it really helped open the offense up; Frankie being a huge reason for that,” Massari said. “He started the first two games as a striker but wasn’t getting the ball enough, so I dropped him to a center midfielder and he really controlled the game. He really excelled in that position.”
Salem scores again
UPDATED
Rams field hockey team has scored 15 goals in two games, Schalick, Woodstown open their seasons with a win; cross country off and running
TUESDAY’S FIELD HOCKEY SCORES
Salem 5, Pennsville 1
Schalick 5, Gloucester Catholic 1
Woodstown 9, Deptford 0
By Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Shanna Scott’s tenure as Salem’s field hockey coach certainly has gotten off to an explosive start.
Scott was elevated to the head coach this year. In her first two games her Rams have presented her with two explosive victories. They beat Pennsville Tuesday 5-0.
The Rams rushed right out of the gate, scoring four goals in the first quarter. Tamya Driver, who assisted on Boggs’ goal that opened the scoring, scored in fourth quarter to make it 5-0.
Isabella Saulin scored Pennsville’s goal.
The Rams peppered Pennsville keeper Kylie Harris with 33 shots. They took 29 shots in their win over Clayton.
“Our goal is to work hard and do our best,” Scott said. “It sounds cliche, but coach Kayla Chapman and I spend a lot of time laying a firm foundation of what is expected on and off the field, how we aim to carry ourselves as a team, together and in unity. In order for us to prosper, we must be united as one and we must respect one another.
“While our aim is to come out aggressive with anticipation of winning, it is also important to do so humbly … We don’t expect to be perfect and we may not always do the best, but how the girls respond to that is what is important to us … We are very proud of them so far and cannot wait to see what the remainder of the season looks like.”
SCHALICK 5, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1: Phoebe Alward had a hat trick, and Ava Scurry and Lucianna Virga had the other goals as the Cougars opened their season with a victory. Caylen Taylor assisted on the Cougars’ first two goals of the game and Ella Shimp had the assists on Alward’s last two goals. Lydia Gilligan made five saves in posting the shutout.
WOODSTOWN 9, DEPTFORD 0: Braeley DiGregorio had a hat trick and Tulana Mingin scored twice as the Wolverines opened their season in a big way.Hannah Hitchner, Kayla Brown, Megan Donelson and Val Treijo had the other Woodstown goals.
Cross country
SEABROOK – Schalick junior Jordan Hadfield and Kingsway freshman Ryan Duffy were first across the line in their respective races in Tuesday’s Tri-County Batch Meet at Cumberland Regional.
Hadfield won the girls race in 19:56.32, eight seconds ahead of Williamstown senior Alyssa Boucher. Woodstown freshman Lillian Norman was ninth in the race (21:19.99).
Duffy won the boys race in 16:25.69. Schalick’s Charles Fuerneisen was ninth (17:44.46).
Chargers on 3
Salem Tech flexes its sports footprint with the first varsity boys soccer game in school history, a 2-0 win over Salem
MONDAY’S COUNTY SOCCER SCORES
Boys Games
Salem Tech 2, Salem 0
Woodstown 3, Penns Grove 2
Schalick 5, Pennsville 0
Girls Games
Salem 5, Salem Tech 0
Schalick 6, Pennsville 0
Woodstown at Penns Grove, ppd.,
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Salem Tech may have only had a soccer team for two years, but in truth Monday’s match was five years in the making.
When school administrators green-lighted an athletics program five years ago, the plan was to play two major sports in each of the academic year’s three sports seasons.
They steadily put teams on the field and Monday was the first varsity boys game in school history. And it was a strong debut, a 2-0 shutout of Salem.
“I was happy with the way the guys played; they played hard for each other,” Chargers coach Rob Polk said. “I think they had a sense coming in of what this meant for the school. The effort they showed kind of put that all on display that they understood the meaning of today’s game.
“This is definitely a good start. I couldn’t have asked for a better start. Maybe a couple more goals.”
As satisfying as the outcome was for the Chargers, the day ended on a somber note. The game was halted with three minutes to play due to weather issues and was called altogether a few minutes later when a Salem player collapsed coming off the field.
Trainers raced to the aid of midfielder Christian Hymer in the Rams’ bench area. After working on him on the field, they lifted him onto the back of a golf cart and rode off to the school to await an ambulance. He was reported to be alert in a locker room off the gym as Mannington Fire Rescue prepared to transport him from the scene.
Boys and girls soccer are the newest varsity sports at Salem Tech. When they first rolled out the ball, the Chargers offered just cross country and basketball. Today, the school sponsors varsity teams in cross country, volleyball and basketball for boys and girls, bowling and golf. Officials are now exploring the possibility of adding baseball and softball in Spring 2025.
“It wasn’t even rooted in competition, it was rooted more in student involvement,” principal Jason Helder said of the introduction of athletics. “We wanted there to be structured activities that kids could be involved in after school, where they could work with mentors and coaches and teachers and see them in a different capacity.
“I think it’s remarkable this is our first varsity soccer game. It’s significant because it was literally something that even five years ago didn’t exist and the fact now we’re here playing soccer against a county rival on a home field is significant.
“The establishment of sports gave us an identity we didn’t have. There was no Chargers. Sports gave us a reason to solidify our identity.”
The soccer teams debuted on the junior varsity level last year, then jumped right into varsity play. Polk’s boys team was supposed to make its varsity debut last week at Gloucester Catholic, but the game was postponed due to vandalism to the Rams’ field.
The Chargers only had one 11-on-11 varsity game together before Monday, but they dominated on both ends in their regular-season debut. Most of the match was played in the Salem end until the Rams picked up their attack in the second half.
Sophomore Graham Fields scored both goals for the Chargers. He scored the first varsity goal in school history seven minutes into the match when he took a through ball from Travis Hagan and beat Rams keeper Eithan Longo to the upper right corner. He put home an insurance goal right before the game was called.
He scored the first goal for the JV Chargers last year, too.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was like 2 or 3 and I’m 15 now so it really does mean a lot to me,” Fields said. “The second I got that goal I was so happy. I was really happy.”
Just as Fields was a force up front peppering the Salem goal at regular intervals, Clinton Bobo was just as impressive for the Chargers on the back line. The Rams didn’t mount many attacks, but when they did, Bobo usually was there to break it up and clear it away. He also won a lot of challenge balls.
“He’s the rock on our defense back there; he’s a safety net for us,” Polk said. “You got to see that a lot with his speed and his physicality. He’s really good at reading plays and timing balls. He settled a lot of things down, especially in the second half. When that ball gets played in behind and it’s a footrace with Bobo, I’m pretty confident he’s coming out on top.”
BOYS GAMES
WOODSTOWN 3, PENNS GROVE 2: Bryce Ayars scored the game-tying goal with five minutes left in regulation and then scored five minutes into overtime to lift Woodstown its first victory of the season and hand Penns Grove its second straight overtime loss.
Ashton Harris and Jayden Murga Santos staked the Red Devils (0-2) to a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Adrian Ibarra got the Wolverines (1-1) on the board 10 minutes into the second half.
SCHALICK 5, PENNSVILLE 0: Bradford Foster scored two goals and Evan Sepers made nine saves as the Cougars won their third straight game. Foster has four goals and shares the team lead with Luke Price, who scored his fourth goal to give the Cougars a 2-0 halftime lead. Steve Chomo and Jaxon Weber had second-half goals for the Cougars.
GIRLS GAMES
SALEM 5, SALEM TECH 0: Ryann Foote scored two goals, Ameriyona Hunter had a goal and two assists and Marcela Villapando made three saves in posting the shutout. Karima Davenport-White and Carlysia Pierce had the Rams’ other goals. It was the season opener for both teams and Salem Tech’s first ever girls varsity game.
SCHALICK 6, PENNSVILLE 0: Cali Fisler and Emily Miller each scored a pair of goals as the Cougars opened their season with a six-goal first-half explosion. Olivia Devoe and Kyleigh Cutler scored their other two goals.
This week’s schedule
Here is the schedule for Salem County high school sports for the week of Sept. 11-16
Sept. 11
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Sept. 12
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
Sept. 13
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Salem at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Overbook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Sept. 14
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m.
Salem at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
Schalick at Clearview, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Palmyra, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15
FOOTBALL
Gateway at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Riverside at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Cumberland at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Buena at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Gateway at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Cherry Hill West, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Cumberland, 4 p.m.
Sept. 16
FOOTBALL
Penns Grove at Salem, noon
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Delsea, 10 a.m.
Living the dream
Woodstown’s Bump Carter lives a lineman’s dream, returning a fumble for a touchdown in Wolverines’ road win
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PAULSBORO – When Bump Carter saw the football fly into his hands and saw all that green grass in front of him, he thought exactly what you’d expect of a lineman who had the dream of a lifetime laid out in front of him.
“I was just thinking about trying to get in there for a touchdown, and try not to get tackled,” he said. “I tried not to fall over when it fell into me. I couldn’t really believe it at all.”
Paulsboro 7
NEXT: at Deptford,
Friday, 6 p.m.
The 5-foot-6, 200-pound junior reached lineman nirvana Saturday when he chugged 12 yards with a fumble in the closing seconds of the first half to score the first touchdown of his high school career in Woodstown’s 28-7 win over Paulsboro.
It couldn’t have unfolded more perfectly. The Red Raiders had just turned the Wolverines away on an end zone interception, but defensive end Corbin Walz broke in and stripped Paulsboro quarterback Roman Onorato. The ball never hit the ground. It landed right in Carter’s hands and the defensive tackle took off for the goal line.
Carter would often joke with his linemates about scoring a touchdown, but in reality he thought the only way he’d ever get close to scoring in a high school game was by getting in on a safety, but he checked all the boxes on the elements that concerned him once the ball landed in his hands. He did have a front-row seat when senior DL Shawn Gerrity returned a fumble for a touchdown in a scrimmage last year against Camden.
“Earlier in the game Bump almost picked off a screen and would’ve had a touchdown there, too,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “He just tipped it and couldn’t come down with it and we were like ‘aw, he’s so close to scoring a defensive touchdown’ and then he comes away with one at the end of the half.
“It’s huge for the whole defensive line unit. I tell those guys from Day One we have to be the hardest workers on the field and we have to set the tone every game. We literally did that drill two days ago and it was textbook execution that came to life today on the field. It was pretty neat to see that and for Bump to get that, he’s just a great kid for that ball to bounce the right way into his hands.”
Covering the 12 yards to the end zone he said felt “like I was running on air.” Once he got in to extend the Wolverines’ lead to 21-0, he was mobbed by his teammates. As he passed Adams coming off the field there might have been a side-eye suggestion about having him help out the running backs until James Hill returns to that side of the ball in a couple weeks.
“It was great,” Wolverines running back Bryce Belinfanti said. “I’ve been waiting for it all year, really, and I watched it happen right in front of my eyes (from his outside linebacker spot). We were all hyped.”
A lot of Wolverines were having fun. Quarterback Max Webb ran for 45 yards and a 1-yard touchdown that capped a 96-yard drive and passed for 57 yards. Belinfanti rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns, including a 67-yard burst in the fourth quarter with moves that had folks comparing him to Hill, a 3,000-yard career rusher due to return from knee surgery next week.
“I came down and James gave me a high-five and I was like ‘I looked like No. 22 out there,’” Belanfanti said.
It was the second game in a row Belinfanti proved to be reliable option in the running game as the Wolverines wait for the return of Hill. He had 132 yards and two touchdown in the season opener against Haddon Heights.
“I know we only have two running backs right now, me and Alex Torres,” Belinfanti said. “We knew we had to step up and we knew that we could and we were the guys to do it. A lot of the fans and people were nervous about not having James but the team knew what we had to do the first couple weeks and we did it and continue to do it.”
Woodstown 28, Paulsboro 7
| Woodstown (2-0) | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 – | 28 |
| Paulsboro (0-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 – | 7 |
Scoring plays
W – Bryce Belinfanti 6 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Max Webb 1 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Walter Carter 12 fumble recovery (Jake Ware kick)
W – Bryce Belinfanti 67 run (Jake Ware kick)
P – Sharif Green 43 pass from Roman Onorato (PAT kick)
Riverview Sports News 