Wolverines take control of opener with early turnovers, seal the victory with solid second half

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – When Woodstown coach John Adams talks about Garrett Leyman being a possession guy for the Wolverines, he means for the offense. A down-the-field threat who’ll catch anything thrown remotely in his direction a veritable frisbee-catching-dog kind of receiver.

But the junior was a pretty good possession guy for the Wolverines’ defense in Thursday night’s opener, too, and at point was the opponent’s most reliable receiver.

He intercepted two of Haddon Heights’ first four passing attempts and a had fumble recovery in the first 14 minutes of the season to give the Wolverines short fields to work with on the way to a quick 20-point lead en route to a 34-7 victory.

“Just in the right place at the right time,” Leyman said. “I would have never imagined it happening. It was fun to finally be that guy.”

“People forget he’s really solid on defense; that’s where we actually started him first in our program,” Adams said. “Right away they ran that RPO and we were worried about that and Garrett was right there, played it perfect, got the pick. That was awesome.”

The Wolverines turned their visitors over on each of their first three defensive series and four of the first five times the Garnets attempted to possess the ball. Leyman spoiled two of the Garnets’ first three series with interceptions and later recovered a fumbled kickoff.

With the help of the takeaways, the Wolverines ran their first 25 plays of the game inside Haddon Heights territory, only two outside the 25. They didn’t run their first play in their own end until 4:30 remained in the first half. 

They scored 17 points off the first-half turnovers and came within two yards of adding another touchdown off one of them

“If you can win the turnover battle, you usually win the game, and that’s what we did tonight,” Adams said.

Meanwhile, kicker Jake Ware had a big night making his varsity debut on the field that bears his grandfather’s name.

He kicked field goals of 33 and 22 yards in the first half and his first three kickoffs found the end zone. His next kickoff was not quite as long, but the Garnets fumbled the return with Leyman there to fall on it. Another kickoff in the half found the end zone but was negated by a penalty. Altogether, he accounted for 10 points.

“It was great,” Ware said. “Once I got my groove, I was not missing; it felt great. It was as good as it could have been. It could have looked prettier, but everything went in.

“I thought I was going to get that much (work), but throughout the whole game not primarily in the first half, first quarter. It definitely helped me get my groove early and after those first couple kicks I was in my groove.”

It could have been a night for nerves. Ware went to the Woodstown schools through eighth grade, then transferred to Salesianum in Delaware to participate in that school’s nationally ranked soccer program. But he returned to his roots last winter to play on the field that bears his Hall of Fame coach grandfather Clint’s name and rejoin all his childhood friends.

“There was a little bit of emotion,” he admitted, “but I didn’t try to think about too much because I was trying to focus on doing my thing and not messing up at all.”

The Wolverines hadn’t attempted more than three field goals in any season over the last 10 years, but they almost tried that many in the first half. Adams thought about giving his new weapon a shot at a longer one when a first-and-goal got pushed back to the 25 by penalties, but recanted because of the distance (potentially 42 yards). The Wolverines almost scored when they went for it anyway, but Zach Bevis was stopped just short of the goal line on a pass from Max Webb.

For all that went the Wolverines’ way in the first half, it wasn’t a sharp half. Webb delivered an impassioned speech to the players at halftime about doing better, followed by a similar message from Adams, and the Wolverines were much cleaner in the second half.

They got two more takeaways and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The first score was a pass from Webb to Bevis and the other was a 58-yard dash from Bryce Belanfanti.

The Wolverines were looking for someone to help keep their running game viable while they await the return of James Hill from offseason surgery. Belanfanti answered that call with 125 yards and two touchdowns Thursday night. Woodstown rushed for 206 yards as a team.

“I took a lot of responsibility in it,” Belanfanti said. “I know people didn’t believe in us without James, but we did what we could.”

And when Hill, a 3,000-yard career rusher, does get back sometime after Sept. 13, what then?

“It’s going to be hard for defenses,” Belanfanti said. “We’ll be running all over them, really.”

Woodstown 34, Haddon Heights 7

HHTS (7)		WOOD (34)
9	1st Downs	11
22-72	Rushes-yds	36-206
8-20-3	Passes	3-9-0
73	Passing yds	38
3-3	Fumbles-lost	0-0
3-34.0	Punts-avg	3-34.0
3-42	Penalties-yds	9-100

Haddon Heights (0-1)	0	7	0	0 —	7
Woodstown (1-0)	10	10	0	14 —	34

Scoring plays
W – Bryce Belanfanti 3 run (Jake Ware kick), 10:27 1Q
W – Jake Ware 32 FG, 8:45 1Q
W – Jake Ware 22 FG, 11:19 2Q
W – Max Webb 8 run (Jake Ware kick), 10:10 2Q
HH – Damier Outterbridge-Ali 7 pass from Drew Harris (Drew Harris kick), 4:39 2Q
W – Zach Bevis 9 pass from Max Webb (Jake Ware kick), 8:18 4Q
W – Bryce Belanfanti 58 run (Jake Ware kick), 6:43 4Q

Woodstown kicker will extend a family legacy when Wolverines open season Thursday, provides a needed piece to offense 

SALEM COUNTY SCHEDULE
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
Thursday
Pleasantville at Penns Grove, 10 a.m.
Pennsville at Lindenwold, 6 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Friday
Pitman at Schalick, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Camden at Salem (Walnut Street), noon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The first game of every team’s season is always an exciting time, some more than others. Woodstown kicker Jake Ware has been looking forward to Thursday night’s season opener against Haddon Heights since the day he came back to the school last January.

Of all the places the junior could think of to play his first varsity game, the Wolverines’ Clint Ware Field could not be more appropriate or special. The place has his grandfather’s name on it. His father ran into the school record books there. It’s the reason he wanted to transfer back to Woodstown to finish his high school football career.

Jake has kicked on the field already this summer – in the Wolverines’ two home scrimmages against St. Joe (Hammonton) and Delsea – but this time it’ll mean a little more because now it’s for real.

“It’s going to be really cool,” he said. “My grandfather coached for over 20 years, my dad (Steve) had the running record, he still might have it.

“With all the history of my family being here for so long and then my dad playing here being coached by his dad, I think it’s just cool. I think it will be very exciting. I’m not too nervous about it because if I’m nervous about it I’ll think about it too much and I’ll get out of my flow of hitting it normal every time.“

Jake didn’t ever know his grandfather; he was born in 2007 and Clint died in 2001 at age 59 of complications from ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease. But through all the stories he’s heard over the years he knows his granddad was a giant in the community.

Clint was the longest tenured coach in Woodstown’s history, leading the football team to a 164-139-10 record over a 34-year Hall of Fame career. As a player, he starred in football, basketball and baseball in high school and went on to play college football at the University of Delaware. He also was active in the community, serving as a Salem City Councilman for six years and a county freeholder for more than a quarter-century, initiating numerous programs that are still in force today.

“I just know he used to be really nice, and a really good coach,” Jake said. “I don’t really know too much.”

Jake went to the Woodstown schools through the eighth grade, then transferred to Wilmington’s Salesianum School to be part of the Sallies’ nationally ranked soccer program. He was still living in Woodstown and regularly attended Wolverine games on Friday nights, but drove back and forth across the bridge every day to go to school. 

Actually, he never started kicking a football until about a year ago and when he kicked for Salesianum it was on the junior varsity and only extra points. It wasn’t the commute to Delaware every day that ultimately led to his return, but rather a return to his roots to fulfill his destiny and rejoin his childhood friends.

“I’m just really excited to be able to start my first varsity game and it makes it even better that it’s here with all my friends I grew up with,” he said.

When Woodstown coach John Adams learned of Ware’s return in January, it was like getting a late Christmas gift. The kicker immediately brings the Wolverines an element they haven’t had in a while.

They could have used a reliable leg in each of their last two playoff losses. He’s true on PATs, regularly kicks off into the end zone and is comfortable kicking field goals from beyond the 30; he’s kicked a 55-yarder once in a private workout. And he can punt it high and deep depending on the need.

The Wolverines were just 8-of-16 on PATs last season and had no field goals. They didn’t even attempt to kick an extra point the year before. Over the past 10 seasons they’ve only attempted 10 field goals. Ware kicks that many every practice.

It was a real shortcoming in the biggest games of the year. They missed their two-point conversion attempt in last year’s 15-6 sectional semifinal upset to Paulsboro. It was an even more glaring deficiency the year before when they lost to Woodbury 8-6 in the sectional final. They missed a two-point conversion in the second quarter and were in the red zone two other times and came away with no points.

“Ever since we lost Conner Batten, our kicker who went to Rowan to kick, we struggled with kicking,” Adams said. “Last season we had to go with two-point plays and spent a lot of practice time on all that. To have a guy transfer in who’s a great kid, who’s a really good kicker and only going to be a junior, we were like this is awesome.

“It filled a need for us and he works on his craft every day out here. We’re excited to have him because in Group I that can be a blessing for you. We’re excited that if it gets to be fourth down and we’re in the red zone we can go get points now and that changes how defenses have to play you and all that stuff. It’s going to be huge for us.”

Jake has been aware the name on the scoreboard is his grandfather’s from the time he was in first grade, so the charge of seeing it has worn off a little. But that doesn’t diminish the strong sense of pride he carries every time he goes on the field. It’ll just be a lot stronger Thursday.

Adams called the chance for Ware to kick on the field that bears his granddad’s name “special for him, special for his family” and there will be many members of the family on hand to witness it.

The coach will feel something, too.

“For him to come and kick on the field that’s named for his grandfather is just unreal,” he said. “It’s a great story.”

Woodstown RB Hill will rejoin team Tuesday without contact, isn’t likely to play until third game

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The news wasn’t exactly what James Hill hoped to hear, but it was at least on the positive end of what he could have expected.

The senior Woodstown running back was cleared by his doctors Monday morning to return to football practice, but without contact. He was hoping to return without restrictions, but he also could have been held out longer.

“I got cleared to go to practice and everything, but me and my mom and my family and my doctor have waited on a decision of returning ASAP,” Hill said.

Hill, a 3,000-yard career runner, tore an ACL jumping in the Wolverines’ wrestling room this past winter. Typical recovery time is between six and nine months. His aggressive approach to recovery, which impressed both his coaches and his teammates, got him back on the front end of the window.

Wolverines coach John Adams was the first person Hill called after getting the report. He was “very excited” about the news Hill can return.

Despite taking the conservative approach, Hill called it “definitely a great day.”

“For the past couple weeks, all camps, I’ve been sitting at practice watching everybody,” he said. “Now I’m able to participate and push everybody else hard as I want to push. Push but don’t push over their limits.”

He plans to be at 8 a.m. practice Tuesday and participate in non-contact drills and be in uniform with his team for Thursday’s home scrimmage with Delsea, but it’ll be at least three weeks before he’ll see live action. His next doctor’s appointment is Sept. 13 and that, he says, is “my (date to) go play high school football.”

That means he’ll miss at least the Wolverines’ first two games against Haddon Heights and Paulsboro. He rushed for 540 yards and five touchdowns on 56 carries in those two games last season. In that scenario, his season debut would be Sept. 15 at Deptford.

“I said before Bryce (Belinfanti) and Bobby (Donahue) and everybody can take care of them, so I really didn’t need to rush myself back for them,” he said. 

Adams has said throughout Hill’s rehab the plan was to go slow with the player’s return. Hill was expected to start out playing defense before being thrown into the rigors of the Wolverines’ WJFL Diamond Division schedule.

“When he first got surgery they said probably Week 4 as a timeline of getting him back and then he was doing great so we got our hopes up for Week 1,” Adams said. “The doctor said he looks amazing, but doesn’t want to jump the gun and now we are looking at having him out only two games, which is still tremendous and ahead of the original timeline.

“It gives us a chance to ease him back in more and make sure he’s ready. In the end I think it is what is best for him and his future.”

Dynamic Woodstown running back looking forward to a positive report from doctor for return to practice from offseason knee injury

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — James Hill is looking forward to Monday as much as any Opening Day he’s ever had before.

That’s the day he, his coaches and the South Jersey football world should learn whether the dynamic Woodstown running back gets to return to the field for his senior football season — six months after a devastating knee injury that threatened his high school playing career.

If he gets the positive report, the 3,000-yard career rusher could be back on the field as soon as the Wolverines’ Monday afternoon practice — 10 days before their season opener against Haddon Heights.

The options are return to football with no restrictions, return to football with no contact, or wait a while longer. He anticipates a good report and is eager to return.

“Monday will be my return back to sports,” Hill said. “I knew I had a great sophomore year, junior year, and I knew my senior year would be my breakout year, my time to go rush for 2,000 yards, go break more records than I’ve already broken.

“I broke the record I set last year but that wasn’t good enough for me. I knew my senior year was a make or break year, especially recruiting. People were skittish (after the injury) but now I have to prove to them I’m the same James Hill you were recruiting my junior year. I’m actually better than I was.”

He was pretty good then, rushing for 1,636 yards and 16 touchdowns. Then a few months later it all changed.

Hill tore an ACL jumping around in the wrestling room. Conventional wisdom suggests a recovery time of six to nine months. He was in therapy the day after his surgery and has continued an aggressive rehab for a return in an amazing six months.

Coaches and teammates have marveled at his commitment to rehab, which often has included three- and four-times-a-week therapy sessions. “Crazy recovery,” quarterback Max Webb told Riverview Sports News in July. “There’s not too many guys, even at the professional level, who are recovering in six (months).”

Hill’s most recent testing indicates only a three-percent difference in strength between his two knees and if the surgically repaired knee matches or exceeds the other in Monday’s test, he should be good to go.

He got around pretty good at Thursday’s scrimmage, where he was on the sidelines serving in a support role. Shortly before the start of the exercise, he checked something on his phone, then ran as naturally as ever down the path, over the pedestrian bridge and back to the school building before returning with two racks of water bottles. 

“Right after surpery I had PT the next day and that day I knew I could make it to come back,” he said. “I knew that being James, I’m a kid of perseverance, I’ll battle through anything to get back to high school football because I love playing high school football. I love playing football in general.

“When I got told recovery time is between six and nine months I knew I’d be that type of athlete who’s gonna be making it back in six because I have trust in everybody around me. I knew it was going to be tough. It’s all a mental battle and if you’re mentally strong you’ll be able to do it and I was able to do it because I was mentally strong.

“I’ve had tons of people tell me you’re going to be able to do it James and I believed them because they believed in me.”

The plan for his return to the lineup will be a measured one. It likely will involve starting out on defense only to work back into in the game before subjecting his knee to the pounding that goes with being an elite back.

They won’t be giving him 28 carriers in each of the first two games like they did last year, when he rushed for 540 yards and five touchdowns. Saying he’s “1000 percent confident” in his knee, he’s OK with that, just as he’s confident in the other guys in the running backs room to keep the offense on track until his full return.

“We’ve got to take it day by day,” Wolverines coach John Adams said. “We’re gonna make sure he’s there by the end of it.”

“I’m fine with that; as long as I’m playing high school football,” said Hill. “Sometimes you’ve got to go slow to win the race. You can’t go speeding because if you go speeding you might blow a tire.

“I’ve got eight games. I know we’re going to make the playoffs as a good team, so there’s no reason to rush and go rush for 312 yards a game (like he did in last year’s season opener) where I know that the rest of my running back crew is going to be able to just handle it just as well.”

And just in case you’re wondering about wrestling, where he was undefeated at the time of the injury, he’ll be back on the mat this winter as well.

Photo: Woodstown running back James Hill works the Wolverines’ sideline in a support role during a recent scrimmage as he awaits his return to practice.

The James Hill File

YEAR	RUN	YDS	TD	REC	YDS	TD
2020	41	183	1	9	60	0
2021	166	1374	15	5	110	2
2022	237	1636	16	7	110	3
TOTAL	444	3193	32	21	280	5

Woodstown plans to pass the football a bit more this season and has two big targets for QB Webb to locate; RB Hill hoping for good news Monday

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The day Woodstown football coach John Adams told Max Webb he had every intention of throwing the football more this season the senior’s eyes got real wide and a broad smile crossed his face. What quarterback wouldn’t want the chance to air it out, especially when he has a couple 6-4 and 6-6 targets on either end?

It’s not like the Wolverines are going to air it out 30 times a game, maybe half that much depending on the circumstances, but enough to make opponents respect that part of the offense. They put that part on display in Thursday’s scrimmage with St. Joe of Hammonton and weren’t shy about showing it.

The most visible of their receivers is 6-foot-4 veteran Garrett Leyman and 6-6 newcomer Rocco String. If you can’t recognize them coming off the bus, you’re just not paying attention.

In the three 10-and-10 segments with the first two units, the Wolverines threw it 10 times. Webb threw it five times in the opening set alone, completing three for 56 yards and had another in the numbers dropped in the end zone. His first completion was nice downfield throw to Leyman for 33 yards after just missing on the play before.

“I saw he had a step on his corner and just gave him a chance and he finally jumped for a ball and made it look easy,” Webb said.

It’s the kind of pass you can complete when you’ve got guys with that kind of size.

“They can go get it where most of the other guys in high school can’t get it,” Webb said. “They’re more open with their height, you can just put it up above everybody else.”

If you think the quarterback is excited about the prospects of bringing more passing to the offense, imagine how the receivers feel. 

“It’s going to be more exciting for all of us,” String said. “It gives us way more power, more confidence in order to go far in the playoffs and make the big step to where we’re trying to reach our goals.”

“It’s definitely going to make our offense a lot harder to defend,” Leyman said.

Leyman is a proven commodity. He played on last year’s 8-2 team and had five of the Wolverines’ 54 total receptions for 57 yards. He caught two balls from Webb Thursday for 45 yards and maybe even more impressive provided the main blocking for Bobby Donahue’s 34-yard run.

String is a little more unknown. He is back on the football field for the first time since the seventh grade. He was a 6-1 right tackle and defensive end then, but hung up the helmet through high school to concentrate on baseball. He returned this year because he “wanted to hit someone” and every day urging from Adams in Algebra II class. 

He may become even more impactful as a rush end on defense, but he’ll make an appealing option for the Wolverines to move the chains.

String hasn’t caught a ball in a game ever, but he hasn’t dropped many in practice. He caught a 5-yard pass from backup QB Jack Holladay and missed one on the next play but more because he got tangled up in his route than any hands of stone; he still got his hands on it, though.

“We knew what Leyman had, he was starter for us last year and he’s gotten faster, runs smoother, catching the ball better, so he definitely progressed as the year went on,” Adams said. “But Rocco was a big question mark. He didn’t play since middle school, we had no clue what he could do and we get him out here running routes and stuff and he’s catching everything you throw to him.

“You just put that ball up a little bit, he’s so tall he can go up over anybody and get it. He’s also coming along in the blocking game, so we’re really excited about the ability to use him.”

To the point they just moved a tight end who had been in that mix to tackle to provide more depth and competition in that slot.

As for the scrimmage, the Wolverines saw everything they wanted. They moved the ball well — through the air and on the ground) – didn’t give up much on defense, got players lined up in the right spots and even rolled out a new legacy kicker who is sure to be a weapon this season. Even though they only scored one touchdown, the 1s twice were deep inside the red zone when they ran out of plays

Even running back James Hill was on the sideline in a supporting role as he moves closer to a potential return from his offseason knee injury next week. The Wolverines are hoping for some good news on that front Monday when Hill returns to his doctor for clearance, a date he confidently calls “my return to sports.”.

He’s likely to experience a measured return when he is allowed back, but he expressed confidence in the rest of the running back corps keeping the offense moving. The Wolverines showed plenty of capable ballcarriers in the scrimmage. Donohue had 59 yards on six carries, Bryce Belinfanti had 50 and a nice spinning touchdown on seven carries and Alex Torres had 28 on four carries.

The first two defenses held St. Joe’s offense to only 28 yards in 30 plays with Torres and Anthony Ford-Dale grabbing interceptions. And kicker Jake Ware, a mid-year transfer from Delaware whose grandfather’s name is on the field, showed a big and consistent leg in both placements and kickoffs.

“I was really pleased with our guys,” Adams said. “Every set of 10 that we ran, we ran 10 different formations with different things out of them, so I was glad we got lined up right. I was glad with how fast they were coming off the ball. I thought our backs ran the ball hard. I thought Max threw the ball pretty well 

“Defensively we were flying to the ball. When they were out on defense I thought we were pretty stout against them not giving up anything big. I thought our first string on both sides did really, really well.”

The Wolverines scrimmage again Saturday at Overbrook.

Top photo: Woodstown receivers Rocco String (L) and Garrett Leyman (R) talk things over with quarterback Max Webb during Thursday’s scrimmage with St. Joe of Hammonton.