Here are the 2024 football schedules for the Salem County high school teams. Unless noted, the games run through the weekend of Sept. 6-7 through Oct. 25-26 without a break
WOODSTOWN
(Diamond Division)
Wolverines open the season with three straight home games
Sept. 6: Delsea, 7 p.m.
Sept. 13: Schalick, 7 p.m.
Sept. 20: Woodbury, 7 p.m.
Sept. 27: at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 4: Pleasantville, 7 p.m.
Oct. 12: at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.
Oct. 19: at Salem, noon
Oct. 25: at Glassboro, 6 p.m.
SALEM
(Diamond Division)
New Rams coach will open his tenure at home, not as much travel as last year
Cinnaminson
at Woodbury
at Glassboro
Schalick
Middle Twp.
at West Deptford
Woodstown
at Penns Grove
PENNS GROVE
(Diamond Division)
Red Devils alternate road, home every weekend; play all 4 other county teams
Week 0: TBA
at Deptford
Glassboro
at Schalick
Woodstown
Oct. 4: at Pennsville
Delran
at Woodbury
Salem
SCHALICK
(Diamond Division)
Cougars open season in Battle at the Beach, have three straight road games late in season
Aug. 30: Cedar Grove (Battle at the Beach)
Sept. 6: Cumberland
Sept. 13: at Woodstown
Sept. 20: Penns Grove
Sept. 28: at Salem
Oct. 5: at Paulsboro
Oct. 11: at Gloucester
Oct. 18: Glassboro
Oct. 25: Woodbury
PENNSVILLE
(Patriot Division)
Eagles move to new division that better reflects their program’s improvement
at Gloucester City
West Deptford
at Overbrook
Audubon
at Camden Catholic
Oct. 4: Penns Grove
at Paulsboro
at Lawrence
Oct. 25: Collingswood
Month: January 2024
Feels good to finish
Penns Grove finally pulls out close game, edges Woodstown to snap five-game losing streak; Salem slams Salem Tech, shorthanded Pennsville beats Schalick in OT
TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Pennsville 42, Schalick 37
Penns Grove 47, Woodstown 42
Salem 83, Salem Tech 41
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – That Penns Grove won a basketball game for the first time in two weeks was cause enough for celebration in the locker room after it was over, but the way it won the game might have been the most welcoming news of all.
The Red Devils snapped a five-game losing streak – their longest slide in seven years – Tuesday night with a 47-42 win over Tri-County Diamond Division rival Woodstown. They did it by outscoring the Wolverines 7-2 over the final minute and hitting five of six free throws down the stretch.
Exactly a week ago they lost a game they were leading by three with less than a minute to go.
“We needed it bad,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “The five-game losing streak was really rough. To get this win today against a good Woodstown team is very important for us. It gives us confidence.
“The guys work so hard and it hurts when you have those close losses because you want the kids to have success. I want them to have the success and feel the success because they work for it.”
Now, teams win games with late runs all the day, but if you knew anything about the Red Devils’ recent history, you knew endgame scenarios haven’t been kind to them.
The losses on the front and back ends of the five-game losing streak were hopeless blowouts, but in each of the three in the middle – in a span of four days – they had legitimate chances to win and couldn’t finish.
They lost at Clearview on a steal and layup with 12 seconds left and missed two shots to win or tie it. They got beat at home by Glassboro on a buzzer-beater 3 in a game they were leading by three with a minute left. And then they lost at home to Wildwood in overtime when they just ran out of gas.
“I think the fact of winning a close game that came down to when it was winning time (was the big thing),” Ware said. “I tell the kids all the time the thing with winning and losing is it’s one possession here or there. Everything has to be solid.
“You can’t try to be fancy because that one possession could be the one that we needed at the end of the game. I try to make them value every single possession and we’re starting to get to that point.”
Neither team would let the other get too far ahead. The way they were going after it defensively, a six-point lead felt like it was a lot bigger than it actually was.
Early in the game Rocco String gave the Wolverines an edge with his commanding inside presence. But soon both he and Max Webb would be in foul trouble and sat most of the second quarter. Penns Grove’s Mr Peterson was there to take advantage of the opening and command the respect his name demands.
Peterson had six points and two rebounds in an 11-2 run that gave the Red Devils the lead early in the quarter. The Wolverines followed with their own rally to cut Penns Grove’s halftime lead to 20-19. It stayed close like that the rest of the game.
“Tonight was all about playing harder than I did last night,” Peterson said, referring to the Red Devils’ 40-point to Salem. “So, I came out and did it. To be honest, it felt good.”
With the game tied at 40, Penns Grove guard KaRon Ceaser made a basket around String and then stole the inbounds pass like a defensive back. He got it to Mekhi Ballard who was fouled and hit the first two of his four free throws with 41 seconds left to give the Red Devils a four-point lead.
“Coach called the press and I got the middle,” Ceaser said. “It’s like playing safety in football, so I just reacted when the ball was in the air. I had to go get it and make a play.”
“The last couple days at practice we’ve been doing situationals,” Ware said. “I think we’re starting to understand what it takes at the end of games to win, especially when we’re in these close games. I’m glad we got one today.”
“It feels like we just broke the spell, so we’re just going to keep winning from here on,” Mekhi Ballard said.
Woodstown’s Garrett Leyman converted a crisp pass from Alejandro Vazquez into a layup to make it 44-42 with 25 seconds left. The Wolverines called time to set up their end game, then came out of the break and fouled Ballard in the backcourt. The Red Devils’ guard, the player Ware wants at the line down the stretch of a close game, made those two to make it 46-42.
The Wolverines missed three shots to get closer – 3-pointers by Blake Bialecki and Webb and a wild turnaround jumper in the lane by Connor Sanderson – then fouled Willie Slocum on the defensive rebound. Slocum made one of two for the final margin.
The Red Devils were 7-of-10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. They were 6-for-10 in the first three, usually making the first and missing the second.
“I remember going to the line thinking I’ve got to make these free throws if we want to win this game,” Ballard said. “I think in the clutch we come through as a team and we end up making our free throws.
“Sometimes in the beginning of the game we start off real shaky. In the beginning of the game I don’t think we really try as hard to make our free throws as at the end of the game. When it’s time to win the game I think we come through as a team and make our free throws.”
While it may be debatable just how good a win it was for the Red Devils, there’s no denying it was a bad loss to for the Wolverines.
Woodstown is currently one of the bubble teams in the South Jersey Group I power points standings. The Wolverines went into the game as the only team between No. 10 and the bottom (No. 23) with a winning overall record, but they were No. 15 in the standings.
PENNS GROVE 47, WOODSTOWN 42
WOODSTOWN (8-6) – Manny Ortega 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 3 1-2 8, Alejandro Vazquez 1 0-0 2, M.J. Hall 4 0-0 8, Connor Sanderson 0 0-0 0, Garrett Leyman 3 0-0 6, Anthony Bokolas 1 0-0 2, Max Webb 1 1-2 3, Rocco String 5 0-0 10, Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 2-4 42.
PENNS GROVE (6-11) – Roman Gipson 0 0-0 0, Giomar Conrad 7 0-0 16, KaRon Ceaser 1 4-10 6, Willie Slocum 1 3-4 5, Mekhi Ballard 3 4-4 12, Camron Thompson 0 0-0 0, Khiry Higgs 0 2-2 2, Mr Peterson 3 0-0 6. Totals 15 13-20 47.
| Woodstown | 9 | 10 | 10 | 13 – | 42 |
| Penns Grove | 6 | 14 | 13 | 14 – | 47 |
SALEM 83, SALEM TECH 41: One night after senior Anthony Farmer became the latest member of the school’s 1,000-point club and they nearly turned over the scoreboard, the Rams poured it on again. They opened a a 60-15 halftime lead and cruised to their fourth straight win and 13th in a row over Salem County competition.
Freshman Tymear Lecator led three Salem scorers in double figures with 19 points. Jabez DeJesus had 11 and Davonte Jackson doubled his season output with a career-high 10, and four other Rams had at least eight points. Farmer saw limited action after scoring 36 points in each of his previous two games.
Salem has won four in a row.
SALEM 83, SALEM TECH 41
SALEM TECH (1-14) – Chase Wills 3 0-0 7, Haneef Frisby 3 2-6 8, Joseph Hayes 4 1-2 9, Daviontae Russell 1 0-0 2, Tyler Zampino 3 0-0 6, Antoine Robinson 3 3-5 9, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 6-13 41.
SALEM (11-6) – Anthony Farmer 0 0-0 0, Donovan Weathers 1 0-0 2, Ramaji Bundy 3 0-0 6, Jabez DeJesus 4 0-1 11, Paul Weathers 2 3-4 8, Tymear Lecator 8 0-0 19, Xavier McGriff 3 0-0 8, Antwone Rogers 4 1-2 9, Marshall Stephens 4 0-0 8, Joseph Tunis 1 0-0 2, Davante Jackson 4 0-0 10. Totals 34 4-6 83.
| Salem Tech | 11 | 4 | 15 | 11 – | 41 |
| Salem | 32 | 28 | 12 | 11 – | 83 |
PENNSVILLE 42, SCHALICK 37 (OT): The Eagles were down three starters and had only eight varsity players available, but found enough within themselves to win for the second night in a row, this time in overtime.
Jayden Thomas, Danny Saulin and Malik Rehmer all missed the game for various reasons and probably won’t be available when the Eagles go to Woodstown Thursday. Coach Joe Mecholsky pulled up two junior varsity players to make sure he had two full units
The Eagles led most of the game, but fell behind 30-29 with 1:47 left before Cohen Petrutz put them back on top with a 3-pointer.
Schalick’s Danny Lis’ tip-in off a missed 3 with 4.8 seconds left tied the game at 33. The Eagles had a shot to win it in regulation and got what they wanted with Petrutz driving the lane. There was contact, but no foul and the game went to overtime.
Petrutz and Mason O’Brien gave the Eagles the lead in overtime and their defense did the rest.
“When you give up 36 points you’ve done something right,” Mecholsky said.
Peyton O’Brien led the Eagles with 13 points. Petrutz had 12. Luke Wood had all nine of his points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Reggie Allen led Schalick with 13 points – all in the second half – and Lis had 12.
“To be shorthanded and to pull through the adversity will make us tougher for the stretch run,” Mecholsky said.
PENNSVILLE 41, SCHALICK 37 (OT)
SCHALICK (5-9) – Reggie Allen 5 0-4 13, Levi Feeney-Childers 1 1-2 3, Dan Lis 6 0-0 12, Nylan Sutton 3 0-2 7, Nasir Sutton 0 0-0 0, Jake Siedlecki 0 0-0 0, Ryan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Dylan Sheehan 1 0-2 2, Jase Volovar 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 1-10 37.
PENNSVILLE (8-10) – Luke Wood 2 5-5 9, Peyton O’Brien 6 1-4 13, Cohen Petrutz 5 1-2 12, Mason O’Brien 2 0-0 4, Connor Starn 1 0-0 3, Cole Johnston 0 0-0 0, Carlos Merendino 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 7-11 41.
| Schalick | 6 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 4 – | 37 |
| Pennsville | 8 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 8 – | 41 |
Tri-County Conference
| CLASSIC | ALL | DIV | DIAMOND | ALL | DIV |
| Pitman | 14-4 | 6-0 | Overbrook | 13-5 | 6-1 |
| Gloucester Cath. | 10-7 | 5-3 | Glassboro | 8-10 | 5-2 |
| Salem | 11-6 | 4-3 | Penns Grove | 6-11 | 4-2 |
| Wildwood | 11-7 | 4-3 | Woodstown | 8-6 | 3-4 |
| Clayton | 3-14 | 1-5 | Pennsville | 8-10 | 2-5 |
| Salem Tech | 1-14 | 0-6 | Schalick | 5-9 | 0-6 |
Shannon steps up
Tuesday’s girls roundup: Pierman produces in a big way on Woodstown’s Senior Night, Pennsville sees what its full complement can do, Salem back in win column
TUESDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Woodstown 60, Penns Grove 44
Pennsville 49, Schalick 16
Salem 52, Salem Tech 32
By Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Shannon Pierman enjoyed a big Senior Night and juniors Megan Donelson and Talia Battavio both moved within 40 points of 1,000 for their careers Tuesday leading Woodstown’s girls to a 60-44 victory over Penns Grove.
Pierman had 14 points and 10 rebounds for her third straight double-double and ninth of her career. It was the seventh time in the last eight games she has had 10 or more rebounds and the 10th time all season. She has averaged 12.7 points and 11.7 rebounds over the past three games, the best three-game stretch of her career.
“Shannon played her butt off,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “She is by far the best center in Salem County.”
Donelson and Battavio, meanwhile, both continued their march to a milestone. Donelson led the Wolverines’ offense with 23 points and now stands at 971 for her career. Battavio added 16 points and is now at 960.
The Wolverines (13-3) opened the game on a 16-2 run, led 24-18 at halftime and pulled away in the third quarter.
“The girls played solid, composed team ball,” Straughn said, “and that’s what wins us games over and over.”
Penns Grove’s Meely Horace also is on track to reach the 1,000-point plateau. She scored 15 points in the game and now had 959. RaNiyah Wilson was the Red Devils’ leading scorer with 22 points.
WOODSTOWN 60, PENNS GROVE 44
PENNS GROVE (7-8) – RaNiyah Wilson 9 1-2 22, Meely Horace 7 0-0 15, Brianna Robbins 2 0-2 5, Amani Taylor 0 0-0 0, Zoey Caesar 0 1-2 1, JaNiyah Cummings 0 0-0 0, Rolande Delva 0 0-0 0, Semijah Hines 0 1-2 1. Totals 18 3-8 44.
WOODSTOWN (13-3) – Talia Battavio 6 4-4 16, Megan Donelson 7 9-13 23, Gianna Maiorini 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Baber 2 1-2 5, Shannon Pieman 4 6-8 14, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Lauren Hengel 0 0-0 0, Jala Thomas 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 20-29 60.
| Penns Grove | 6 | 12 | 9 | 17 – | 44 |
| Woodstown | 16 | 8 | 19 | 17 – | 60 |
SALEM 62, SALEM TECH 32: Nine players scored and four players flirted with double-doubles as Salem bounced back from a Monday loss to Penns Grove to pick up a win that moved it into third place in the Tri-County Classic Division behind two of the best teams in South Jersey.
Ameriyona Hunter led the Rams with 11 points. She also had seven rebounds and seven steals. Ryann Foote had nine points and 10 boards. Ava Rogers had eight points and nine rebounds. NaeNae Logan had seven points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots (raising her season total to 74).
SALEM 52, SALEM TECH 32
SALEM (7-9) – Ameriyona Hunter 4 0-0 11, Ryann Foote 4 1-3 9, Lyric Hayes 1 0-0 3, Carlysia Pierce 1 1-2 3, Madison Dixon 1 0-0 2, Ava Rodgers 4 0-0 8, NaeNae Logan 3 1-2 7, Kaela Nichols 1 1-1 3, Dakirah Gray 0 0-0 0, Nevaeh Hickman 3 0-0 6, Zaniyah Freson 0 0-0 0, Marjziah Bundy 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 4-8 52.
SALEM TECH (1-12) – Hanna DeWitt 0 0-4 0, Morgan VanDover 3 0-0 7, TiRonna McGaha 2 1-1 5, Kaylin Beardsley 1 0-2 2, Rylee Doerr 2 1-2 5, Shelby Drummond 2 2-2 6. Totals 10 4-11 25.
| Salem | 15 | 6 | 18 | 13 – | 52 |
| Salem Tech | 6 | 5 | 6 | 15 – | 32 |
PENNSVILLE 49, SCHALICK 16: Nora Ausland had the best game of the two she’s played since returning from a foot injury and hit five 3-pointers on the way to leading the Eagles with 19 points. Marley Wood had 15 points.
The Eagles held their hosts scoreless in the second quarter and without a field goal in the second and third quarters.
“It was a much-needed win,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said.
The Eagles had lost four in a row.
PENNSVILLE 49, SCHALICK 16
PENNSVILLE (7-10) – Nora Ausland 7 0-0 19, Taylor Bass 3 1-2 7, Karsen Cooksey 0 0-0 0, Bella Farina 0 2-4 2, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Izzy Saulin 3 0-0 6, Marley Wood 7 0-0 15. Totals 20 3-6 49.
SCHALICK (5-9) – Ava Scurry 2 1-3 5, Gianna Gaines 0 0-2 0, Taylor Sparks 2 1-4 7, Abby Willoughby 0 0-0 0, Carly Vicente 0 0-0 0, Cali Fisler 1 2-4 4, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0, Kyleigh Cutler 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 0 0-0 0. Totals 5 4-11 16.
| Pennsville | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 – | 49 |
| Schalick | 6 | 0 | 2 | 8 – | 16 |
Tri-County Conference
| CLASSIC | ALL | DIV | DIAMOND | ALL | DIV |
| Wildwood | 13-4 | 6-0 | Woodstown | 13-3 | 6-0 |
| Gloucester Cath. | 13-5 | 5-1 | Glassboro | 10-5 | 5-2 |
| Salem | 7-9 | 3-3 | Pennsville | 7-10 | 4-3 |
| Pitman | 8-7 | 2-4 | Penns Grove | 7-8 | 2-4 |
| Clayton | 7-9 | 2-4 | Schalick | 5-9 | 1-5 |
| Salem Tech | 1-12 | 0-6 | Overbrook | 3-12 | 1-5 |
Farmer hits 1,000
Salem senior puts up 36 for second straight game, reaches milestone at home in fourth quarter; Pennsville’s Brooklyn-born bomber has breakout game in Eagles win
MONDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Pennsville 68, Gateway 46
Salem 96, Penns Grove 52
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM — Anthony Farmer wanted to get his 1,000th career point Monday night in the worst of ways — and for a lot of reasons.
The game against Penns Grove was at home in front of all his friends, fans and family. And it was against a respected county rival. If he could pull it off, chances are it would have come in another victory to move his Salem basketball team forward and, after weeks of it dangling out there, the chase would finally be over and they all could starting thinking of bigger things.
But 35 points is a big ask, especially in a rivalry. That’s what he needed coming into the game. Yet he was confident.
The senior guard got his 35 Monday and then some. He maxed out at 36 — for the second game in a row — in the Rams’ 96-52 win.
“I wanted to get it tonight bad,” he said, while his teammates hovered around chanting 1K, 1K as he spoke. “This is a rivalry game. Since my sophomore year these games are big. We always look forward to playing Penns Grove and I really wanted it here at home against them.
“(The milestone) has been on my mind for weeks now, so I’m excited to get it over with and move on with the season. We’ve got a whole lot of season left. I know my dad’s (Rams coach Anthony Farmer) happy to get it out the way. I’m done talking about it. We can move on now.”
Anticipation for the milestone built throughout the second half, especially after Farmer scored 17 in the first half to cut his target in half. It was absolutely tingling after he scored eight straight points for his team across the third and fourth quarters to get the target within single digits.
About the only disappointing part of it all was he got the historic point on a mundane free throw with 7:09 left in the fourth quarter when he was fouled driving to the basket after missing two 3-pointers.
Both teams retreated to mid-court when Farmer went to the line standing at 999, partly out of respect for the player and the moment and partly because there was a technical foul called right after the original foul.
When he drained the first of the free throws — there were four altogether — for points 35 and 1,000, he raised his arms in relief and triumph and the crowd rushed the floor. The mass of humanity eventually carried him into a dogpile in the corner of the gym near the DJ stand. There were T’s for that, too.
“It was just a great moment; one he’ll remember forever,” Coach Farmer said. “And it wasn’t scripted.”
“It happened all so fast,” young Anthony said. “Like snapping your finger, I’m crowded.”
Farmer’s heart still was racing when order was restored and he returned to the line with free throws to take. He’s a good free throw shooter as it is — 78 percent this year — and was working on 11 in a row and 24 of his last 25 at the time of his 1,000th point, but understandably he was short on the second free throw and the first tech.
But he added point 1,001 to complete the sequence and retired for the evening cheering enthusiastically from the bench while the rest of his teammates attempted to break the scoreboard. The Rams had 90 points with three minutes left in the game.
“I’m really happy about it; he deserved it,” said teammate Jabez DeJesus, one of the first to mob him after the milestone point. “I was really excited because I assisted a lot of those points of his. It means a lot. Now his name is going to be on the banner up there so it means a lot to the city, the school. I’m happy for him.”
The milestone might have been on everyone’s mind, but so was the game. The Rams were looking to extend their season winning streak to three games and winning streak against county competition to 12 straight. (Penns Grove was the last county team to beat them, Feb. 16, 2021). Farmer the player admitted he wanted to be “a little more aggressive than usual” because of the circumstances, but everything he did in the high-scoring night was done within the context of the game.
He wasn’t forcing shots. If he were all about getting the points he needed for the milestone he would’ve taken it to the hole both times he made steals at midcourt on the back of that eight-point second-half run. Instead, he fed Xavier McGriff and Tymear Lecator for fast-break layups that extended the Rams’ lead.
“I wasn’t concerned about that,” his father said. “I’ve been telling him if you go out there and you don’t play the right kind of basketball you’re going to sit next to me. The 1,000 will come. We’re trying to string together wins, we’re trying to play the right way of basketball to get ready for next month, to try to make a run in Group I; that’s our goal.
“I didn’t think he’d actually do it tonight, but we realized at halftime he was halfway there, so he went for it.”
Farmer is the 27th player in Salem history to reach the milestone, 17th boy, and first since Gage Ausland in 2020.
And he’s the second player in his house with 1,000. His father and coach, Anthony Farmer, scored more than 1,700 points at St. Augustine as a high schooler and 1,000 at Rutgers.Little Anthony was at the game dad scored his 1000th for Rutgers (against DePaul), so it was only fitting his dad was there when he made it.
“It’s a tremendous honor,” the elder Farmer said. “I don’t know how many duos in South Jersey, father-son, (have done it), let alone I had a chance to coach the kid to his 1,000; it’s really special. It’s a great honor. He gets to go down with some of the greats in the state. I’m proud of the kid.”
SALEM 96, PENNS GROVE 52
PENNS GROVE (5-11) – Brandon Robbins 2 0-0 5, Roman Gipson 1 1-4 3, Giomar Conrad 2 2-6 6, KaRon Ceaser 2 3-6 7, Willie Slocum 2 4-6 8, Mekhi Ballard 4 1-2 12, Camron Thompson 0 0-2 0, Luis Colon 1 0-0 2, Mr Peterson 0 0-0 0, Neziah Spence 1 2-4 5, Will Roe 2 0-0 4. Totals 17 13-30 52.
SALEM (10-6) – Anthony Farmer 11 12-14 36, Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Jabez DeJesus 5 1-2 14, Paul Weathers 3 0-2 6, Tymear Lecator 7 3-3 20, Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 4, Donovan Weathers 1 0-0 2, Antwone Rogers 0 0-0 0, Marshall Stephens 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 2 2-2 6, Davonte Jackson 2 0-0 6. Totals 34 18-23 96.
| Penns Grove | 14 | 10 | 12 | 16 – | 52 |
| Salem | 22 | 24 | 25 | 25 – | 96 |
PENNSVILLE 68, GATEWAY 46: The Eagles have been waiting for Jayden Thomas, their Brooklyn-born bomber, to have a game like this. The senior put 25 points on the hapless Gators (1-16) to help his team snap a four-game road losing streak.
Thomas had put together three straight double-figure games last week, but his big night Monday beat his previous Pennsville best by eight points. It was a painful night in some respects, however, as he rolled an ankle late in the game and left on crutches.
Pennsville junior Luke Wood, the first Salem County player to reach the 1,000-point mark this season, added to his total with 18 points.
PENNSVILLE 68, GATEWAY 46
PENNSVILLE (7-10) – Luke Wood 7 2-3 18, Jayden Thomas 9 5-7 25, Peyton O’Brien 2 3-7 7, Mason O’Brien 4 1-3 9, Cohen Petrutz 3 0-0 6, Connor Starn 1 0-0 3. Totals 26 11-20 68.
GATEWAY (1-16) – A’Key Talley 2 1-4 5, Peter Frombach 2 1-4 5, Benji Bontarino 2 0-0 4, Steven Moriachetta 4 0-0 8, Sean Simmons 8 3-5 22, Sean Cawley 1 0-1 2. Totals 19 5-14 46.
| Pennsville | 10 | 13 | 25 | 20 – | 68 |
| Gateway | 12 | 11 | 10 | 20 – | 46 |
Devilish defense
Monday girls roundup: Penns Grove uses strong defense to dump Salem, Woodstown dominates Delran, Pennsville falls to Glassboro
MONDAY GIRLS SCORES
Glassboro 47, Pennsville 41
Penns Grove 66, Salem 31
Woodstown 65, Delran 31
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – The Penns Grove girls are at their best when their defense is running hot and Monday it was as good as it has been all year – especially in the first half.
The Red Devils forced a ton of turnovers and cleared most of the boards on both ends of the floor while dominating Salem 66-31 to snap a three-game losing streak in which they didn’t really have their best defensive player.
“They did pretty good with the defense,” Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby said. “They did OK.”
The Red Devils were particularly sharp in the first half. They had 12 steals in the first 12 minutes to fuel a 25-5 lead that became 29-5 at the half. The only two baskets they allowed in the half were a bucket down low by Ava Rodgers in the first quarter and a 3-ball from Carlysia Pierce in the second.
“I feel like we could do better, but it was pretty good at the start,” guard Amani Taylor said.
Taylor was the catalyst. She missed significant minutes or altogether games during the losing streak after taking a shot in the nose during the Pennsville game, but she was back Monday wearing a plastic faceguard and was eager to make up for lost time.
“She was our missing (piece to the) puzzle,” Denby said. “We need her on the floor. She’s our general on the floor.”
Taylor had four steals in the first quarter and seven in the first half, whether it was with quick hands at the front of the press, sealing off the back door in the trap or just being disruptive in the middle of the floor. She finished with eight steals in the game.
“I really missed playing defense knowing my team was struggling a little bit,” she said. “I just like being aggressive.”
All coaches hope their defense leads to offense and it did for the Red Devils. RaNiyah Wilson led them in scoring with 28 points; she had 10 in the first quarter and 14 in the fourth.
Meely Horace put a dent in her bid to reach the 1,000-point plateau with 17; she needs 56. She also had 16 rebounds.
PENNS GROVE 66, SALEM 31
SALEM (6-9) – Ameriyona Hunter 2 0-2 4, Carlysia Pierce 1 0-0 3, Marjziah Bundy 1 0-0 2, Ryann Foote 4 2-4 10, Lyric Hayes 0 0-0 0, NaeNae Logan 1 0-0 2, Madison Dixon 0 0-0 0, Neveah Hickman 0 0-0 0, Kaela Nichols 1 4-4 6, Ava Rodgers 2 0-0 4. Totals 12 6-8 31.
PENNS GROVE (7-7) – Brianna Robbins 4 1-2 9, RaNiyah Wilson 11 4-6 28, Amani Taylor 1 0-0 2, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0, Meely Horace 7 3-6 17, Rolande Delva 0 0-0 0, Zoey Caesar 3 2-5 8, JaNiyah Cummings 1 0-4 2. Totals 27 10-23 66.
| Salem | 2 | 3 | 14 | 12 – | 31 |
| Penns Grove | 14 | 15 | 9 | 28 – | 66 |
WOODSTOWN 65, DELRAN 31: Megan Donelson and Talia Battavio moved closer to the 1,000-point plateau with 22 and 21 points, respectively and Shannon Pierman passed 500 career rebounds with 15 in the game.
Both Donelson and Pierman enjoyed double-doubles. Donelson had 10 steals to go with her points and Pierman had 12 points to go with her rebounds. Pieman now has 503 career boards.
Donelson is now 52 points shy of the milestone. Battavio needs 56.
WOODSTOWN 65, DELRAN 31
WOODSTOWN (12-3) – Talia Battavio 7 5-7 21, Megan Donelson 8 4-10 22, Gianna Mairoini 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Baber 2 0-0 4, Shannon Pierman 4 4-6 12, Lauren Hengel 1 0-0 2, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 1 0-0 2, Jala Thomas 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 13-23 65.
DELRAN (4-12) – Alexis Wachter 1 1-2 3, Ashley Doyle 3 3-8 9, Abby Shaeffer 4 0-0 9, Sienna Weaver 0 0-0 0, Madeline Speigel 1 1-2 3, Isabella Nunes 0 2-2 2, Lily Theis 1 0-1 2, Gianna Spinelli 0 0-0 0, Ellie Haskell 0 0-0 0, Chloe Canicci 0 0-0 0, Ava Kelly 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 7-15 31.
| Woodstown | 24 | 11 | 16 | 14 – | 65 |
| Delran | 8 | 11 | 6 | 6 – | 31 |
GLASSBORO 47, PENNSVILLE 41: Nora Ausland returned to the Pennsville lineup for the first time in 10 days and scored six points, but the Eagles didn’t quite have enough to offset a pair of 20-point Glassboro efforts in their first game since coach Sam Trapp announced her decision to step away from coaching at the end of the season.
Kezia Brackett and Tamia Smith had 22 and 20 points, respectively, to lead the Bulldogs. Bella Farina led Pennsville with 13 points.
GLASSBORO 47, PENNSVILLE 41
GLASSBORO (9-5) – Sanaa Thomas 0 3-4 3, Tamia Smith 6 5-8 20, Kezia Brackett 8 2-5 22, Sianna Wedderburn 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 10-17 47.
PENNSVILLE (6-10) – Nora Ausland 3 0-0 6, Calli Ausland 2 0-0 5, Taylor Bass 0 3-4 3, Bella Farina 5 3-5 13, Izzy Saulin 3 0-0 6, Marley Wood 3 2-2 8. Totals 16 8-11 41.
| Glassboro | 9 | 10 | 13 | 15 – | 47 |
| Pennsville | 6 | 13 | 11 | 11 – | 41 |
Cover photo: Penns Grove’s Amani Taylor (5) comes up to play defense on Salem’s Ameriyona Hunter during their game Monday. Taylor led a defense effort that was strong all game and held the Rams to two field goals in the first half.
This week’s schedule
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 29-Feb. 3; SJIBT Elite 8, four county basketball players could reach 1,000-point milestone among this week’s highlights
Monday
BASKETBALL
Girls
Glassboro at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Delran, 6:30 p.m.
Boys
Penns Grove at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Gateway, 5:30 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Schalick vs. TBA, Toms River
SWIMMING
Salem vs. Woodstown at GCIT, 8:15 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem vs. Kingsway, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at West Deptford, 4 p.m.
WRESTLING
Deptford Twp. at Schalick, 5 p.m.
Tuesday
BASKETBALL
Girls
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Schalick at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Salem, 7 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Men
CC of Philadelphia at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
Women
Salem CC at Harcum College, 5 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem Tech at Lindenwold, 4 p.m.
Wednesday
WRESTLING
Cumberland at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville, Glassboro at Clayton, 6 p.m.
SWIMMING
Tri-County Conference Showcase at GCIT, 3 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem vs. Salem Tech, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Thursday
BASKETBALL
Girls
Overbrook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Clayton, 5:30 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Clayton at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Women
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 5 p.m.
Men
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 7 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem vs. Hammonton, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Kingsway, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Friday
BASKETBALL
Girls
St. Joe (Hamm.) at Salem Tech, 5 p.m.
Gateway at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Salem Tech at Riverside, 5:15 p.m.
Schalick at Gateway, 5:30 p.m.
West Deptford at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
Salem, Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Timber Creek, 5 p.m.
Pennsville at Burlington Twp., 6 p.m.
Schalick at Absegami, 6 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK
NJSIAA Sectionals, Toms River
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Haddon Heights at Giant Fitness, 6 p.m.
Saturday
BASKETBALL
Girls
Pennsville at West Deptford, 11:30 a.m.
South Jersey Invitational Tournament
at Eastern HS
Paul VI vs. Timber Creek, 5:45 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Cherokee, 7:30 p.m.
Boys
Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 11:30 a.m.
Salem vs. Paulsboro at Atlantic City, 6:30 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Women
Raritan Valley CC at Salem CC, noon
Men
Salem CC at Luzerne County CC, noon
WRESTLING
Bordentown, Vineland at Penns Grove, 9 a.m.
Clearview, Hammonton, Central Regional at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
Woodstown, Lacey, Pennsauken at Burlington Twp., 10 a.m.
Saturday roundup
Here is a complete look at Saturday’s sports action in Salem County, includes basketball, wrestling, track; will be updated throughout the day
Wrestling
WOODSTOWN – Woodstown’s impressive second-half turnaround continued Saturday morning as the Wolverines won three dual matches to get back to .500 for the season and put themselves in a position to host part of the first two rounds of the South Jersey Group I tournament.
In their last three matches before Saturday’s state cutoff, the Wolverines dominated Clayton/Glassboro 51-13, Penns Grove 54-18 and Millville 57-18, running their winning streak to seven in a row.
They are now back to .500 for the season, 10-10. At one point they were 2-9.
They started the day T-2 with Audubon in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, but were the virtual No. 2 having beaten the Green Wave head-to-head in one of their early-season victories. If it holds through the calculations of the other Saturday matches, as the No. 2 seed they will host 7, 3 and 6 when the tournament opens Feb. 5.
Woodstown’s Mateo Vinciguerra pinned at 215 to clinch the Wolverines’ win over Millville, locking up a 3-0 sweep of the day and the presumptive No. 2 seed. Paulsboro currently holds the No. 1 spot.
With the best information currently available, Woodstown would host Haddon Twp. and No. 3 Audubon vs. No. 6 Palmyra. The other side of the bracket at Paulsboro projects No. 5 Pennsville vs. No. 4 Gloucester and No. 8 Pitman vs. Paulsboro. The seeds become official Monday.
In the Group IV bracket, Schalick/Cumberland is projected No. 7.
WOODSTOWN 51, CLAYTON/GLASSBORO 13
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned William Camp, 1:02
138: Conrad Raynor (CG) maj. dec. over Willem Groom, 11-2
144: Shawn McKellick (CG) pinned Angel Hernandez, 1:24
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Sam Raynor, 0:56
157: Zayden Donahue (Wo) dec. Brodie Carey, 3-1
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Colby Carr, 3:26
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Jamal Brown, 0:41
190: Karsten Hantho (Wo) dec. Jeffrey Smith, 11-6
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) won by forfeit
285: Luciano Mazzeo (CG) dec. Andre Sinou, 5-0
106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit
113: Double forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Ryan Bivens, 1:13
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) dec. Ryan McKellick, 5-2
WOODSTOWN 54, PENNS GROVE 18
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) dec. Devine Arce, 7-0
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Raeed Clark, 1:03
138: Willem Groom (Wo) won by forfeit
144: Nasir Garris (PG) pinned Angel Hernandez, 2:53
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) dec. Anthony Brown, 12-8
157: Jayden Owens (PG) pinned Zayden Donahue, 0:16
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Antonio Garris, 1:39
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Clinton Bobo, 3:04
190: Isaiah Underwood (PG) pinned Karsten Hantho, 1:41
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Sumir Brown, 0:44
285: Andre Sinou (Wo) pinned Antonio Cooper, 0:29
106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit
113: Double forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) won by forfeit
WOODSTOWN 57, MILLVILLE 18
138: Willem Groom (Wo) pinned Marzine Johnson, 2:25
144: Laitton Roberts (Wo) pinned Alexander Mendez, 2:41
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Jacob Jones, 4:59
157: Zayden Donahue (Wo) pinned Ryan Tepper, 2:39
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Marquis Allen, 5:51
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Trystan Brooks, 2:59
190: Xavier McBride (M) dec. Karsten Hantho, 7-0
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Jayden Jones, 2:23
285: Marcus Offer (M) dec. Andre Sinou, 1-0
106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit
113: Vincent Devita (M) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) dec. John Roman, 8-1
126: Patrick Tull (M) pinned Carson Bradway, 0:38
132: Alex Torres (Wo) won by forfeit
Records: Woodstown 10-10
MILLVILLE 60, PENNS GROVE 15
132: Patrick Tull (M) pinned Raeed Clark, 1:25
138: Marzine Johnson (M) won by forfeit
144: Nasir Garris (P) dec. Alexander Mendez, 9-6
150: Tre Brown (P) pinned Jacob Jones, 1:27
157: Jayden Owens (P) pinned Ryan Tepper, 0:52
165: Marquis Allen (M) pinned Antonio Garris, 4:43
175: Trystan Brooks (M) pinned Clinton Bobo, 3:00
190: Xavier McBride (M) pinned Isaiah Upshur, 0:43
215: Jayden Jones (M) pinned Isaiah Underwood, 1:24
285: Marcus Offer (M) won by forfeit
106: Double forfeit
113: Vincent Devita (M) won by forfeit
120: Caleb Rhodes (M) won by forfeit
126: Josh Roman (M) pinned Devine Arce, 5:29
SC Wrestling Quad
VINELAND 47, SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 28
175: Noah Cruz (V) pinned Eric Sulik, 1:31
190: Gabriel Rodriguez (SC) pinned Zach Echevarria, 1:28
215: Gavin Gallo (V) pinned Dean Jost, 1:30
285: Donny St. Jean (V) dec. Noval Jenkins, UTB 3-2
106: Dentin Pickett (V) pinned Caleb Jenkins, 1:05
113: Josh Kinchen (V) maj. dec. over DeAnthony Harden, 13-4
120: Luke Silva (SC) pinned Chad Score, 0:37
126: Leland Minkowski (V) pinned Chase Williams, 4:50
132: Jayden Minkowski (V) pinned Ryan Miller, 2:56
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Everett Cronk, 0:33
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) pinned Alejandro Calderon, 4:41
150: Riley Papiano (SC) maj. dec. over Caden Barnes, 12-3
157: Lionel Powell (V) maj. dec. Anthony Deaver, 13-2
165: Matt Torres (V) over Jake Magonagle, injury
Basketball
SATURDAY’S SCORES
Girls
Woodbury 71, Penns Grove 48
Camden Tech 23, Schalick 21
Boys
Triton 63, Pennsville 42
Camden Tech 44, Schalick 43
RUNNEMEDE – Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky has never really been a big fan of these Saturday matinee games and now he has more reason to dislike them.
The Eagles went on the road and lost to Triton Regional 63-42. They have lost their last eight Saturday games going back to the 2020-21 season.
They were up by one at halftime in this one, but the Mustangs erupted for six 3-pointers and outscored them 30-8 in the third quarter to take control of the game.
Triton speared 11 3s in the game, seven in the second half. Jayon Sanders-Cash (19 points) hit all three of his 3s in the quarter, Justice Avery (15) had two of his five, and Richie Kosma had the other.
It was a costly loss for the Eagles (6-10). Post Danny Saulin is facing a two-game suspension for a flagrant foul in the game and possibly more internally. The Mustangs also held Eagles 1,000-point junior Luke Wood to only four points – all in the fourth quarter.
Malik Rehmer led Pennsville with 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting and eight rebounds. Saulin went out with five points and nine rebounds.
TRITON 63, PENNSVILLE 42
PENNSVILLE (6-10) – Luke Wood 2-15 0-0 4, Peyton O’Brien 1-4 1-3 3, Malik Rehmer 6-8 0-0 12, Cohen Petrutz 2-5 3-6 7, Daniel Saulin 1-3 3-8 5, Jayden Thomas 2-11 0-1 4, Mason O’Brien 3-5 0-0 7. Totals 17-51 7-18 42.
TRITON (10-6) – Leo Impagliazzo 3 6-10 12, Justice Avery 6 2-3 19, Jayon Sanders-Cash 5 2-2 15, Major Tomeo 1 0-0 2, Richie Kosma 3 0-0 9, Kasir Baker 1 0-4 2, Talen Walsh 0 0-0 0, Mike Campbell 0 0-0 0, Yandel Santas 2 0-0 4. Totals 21 10-18 63.
| Pennsville | 11 | 11 | 8 | 12 – | 42 |
| Triton | 12 | 9 | 30 | 12 – | 63 |
CAMDEN TECH 44, SCHALICK 43
SCHALICK (5-8) – Daniel Lis 3 2-4 9, Jordan Johnson 3 0-0 7, Jake Siedlecki 1 0-0 3, Ryan Johnson 0 1-2 1, Nasir Sutton 5 5-6 16, Nylan Sutton 1 3-10 5, Dylan Sheehan 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 11-22 43.
CAMDEN TECH (6-9) – Salvatore Algeri 3 6-8 12, Isaiah Haynes 3 2-2 8, Alex Ojeda 1 0-2 3, Evan Brummel 2 0-0 4, Xavier Figueroa 4 1-2 9, Elijah Franks 2 1-2 5, Charles Barbour 1 0-0 2, Jamal Sosa 0 1-2 1. Totals 16 11-18 44.
| Schalick | 20 | 6 | 5 | 12 – | 43 |
| Camden Tech | 15 | 4 | 6 | 19 – | 44 |
Girls games
WOODBURY 71, PENNS GROVE 48: The Thundering Herd took control of the game in the first half and put four scorers in double figures. Janessa Robinson led the winners with 18 points. Penns Grove’s Meely Horace led all scorers with 21 points and moved to within 72 of 1,000 for her career.
Salem County has the real possibility of four players reaching the 1,000-point milestone this week.
WOODBURY 71, PENNS GROVE 48
WOODBURY (9-7) – Nyla Ivey 2-0-5, Janessa Robinson 8-1-18, Abby Bash 5-0-13, Dasani Talley-Dorman 4-6-14, Melannie Noel 1-2-4, Maya Braxton-Young 4-8-16. Totals 24-17-71
PENNS GROVE (6-7) – RaNiyah Wilson 4-3-13, Brianna Robbins 1-2-4, Zoey Caesar 1-2-4, Arianna Dowe 1-0-2, JaNiyah Cummings 1-0-2, Rolande Delva 1-0-2, Meely Horace 8-4-21. Totals 17-11-48.
| Woodbury | 23 | 18 | 15 | 15 – | 71 |
| Penns Grove | 12 | 8 | 15 | 13 – | 48 |
CAMDEN TECH 23, SCHALICK 21
CAMDEN TECH (5-10) – Brenna Stiles 4, Vianny Fernandez 6, Kiara Miller 3, Ericka Bennett 2, Katelyn Burns 8.
SCHALICK (5-8) – Cianna Gaines 4, Taylor Sparks 8, Carly Vicente 1, Cali Fisler 2, Abby Willoughby 1.
| Camden Tech | 4 | 8 | 9 | 2 – | 23 |
| Schalick | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 – | 21 |
SJIBT Elite Eight
Woodstown learned the identity of the final two teams joining it at Eastern High School for the quarterfinals of the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament. When Timber Ridge and Cinnaminson won Saturday morning, the Elite Eight was set. The tournament committee met Saturday to reseed the field.
The eight teams in order of seeds are Paul IV (11-4), Cherokee (11-5), Moorestown (14-3), Cinnaminson (14-5), Williamstown (11-4), Gloucester Catholic (11-4), Woodstown (11-3) and Timber Creek (10-7).
The Wolverines will play Cherokee Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Top-seeded Paul VI plays Timber Creek at 5:30. The Final Four games are Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:15. The consolation game is Super Bowl Sunday at 1 p.m. with the championship game at 3.
Indoor Track
TOMS RIVER – The Salem girls led the Salem County contingent at the Tri-County Conference Indoor Track Showcase at the Bennett Complex Bubble Friday.
Led by Anna Buzby, the Rams fiished fifth in the girls standings with 28 points. Buzby won the pole vault (8-0), finished third in the 800 (2:24.82), sixth in the 400 (1:01.14) and ran the lead leg on the third-place 4×400 relay team (4:22.57).
Buzby was joined on the relay by Karima Davenport-White, Rhionna Timmons and Sairis Jiminez. Timmons scored with a sixth-place finish in the 55 dash (7.62) and Dominique Lewis was fourth in the shot put (36-11.5).
Woodstown and Pennsville tied for 11th with two points. Woodstown’s 4×400 relay team of Kayla Ayars, Sarah Seiden, Arie Still and Jaime Deal finished fifth (4:27.66) and Pennsville’s Megan Morris was fifth in pole vault (7-6).
Penns Grove’s boys 4×400 relay of Kylee Goodson, Theus Berios, Jared Ortiz and Knowledge Young was fifth in its race (3:39.85).
Luck on their side
Woodstown wins the toss, then tosses Pennsville aside in the renewal of their wrestling rivalry that has Cowboys-Eagles vibes
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Woodstown wrestling coach Adam Hyland hasn’t had a lot of luck with the coin toss this season and, frankly, it probably kept the Wolverines from having a winning record at this point in the season.
They finally won a flip Friday night and while it wasn’t the underlying reason the Wolverines beat Pennsville 49-19, it did factor in the way the lineup unfolded in a spirited match where matchups were the key.
“Sometimes that happens in wrestling,” Hyland said. “It’s actually unfortunate, in my opinion, that that can happen. That definitely played a part.
“We won the coin toss, which we rarely have done this year. I’m telling you out of 15 matches or so, we’ve probably won three or four coin tosses all year. It’s been the other way for us quite a bit and it cost us a bunch of matches throughout this year. Sometimes it works in your favor. It did in this case and we definitely took advantage of it.”
It certainly increases the drama. The team that wins the toss decides which set of matches – odds or evens – it wants the send their man out first. It’s all about strategy and can create some anxiety if a team has limited options.
“There were certain weight classes I wanted them to throw out first and send somebody specific,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said. “At certain weight classes I wanted to see who they were going to put out because that would dictate whether or not I would initiated a bump.
“So we lost the coin toss and those key weight classes I had to either guess or just send my guy anyway because they would react to whatever I do.”
Elias Lussi is typically the Eagles’ 190, but Starcevich was confident Connor Ayars could win at 190, so he bumped up Lussi to 215. But Hyland countered with undersized 285 Mateo Vinciguerra there and sending equally undersized Andre Sinou to face Pennsville’s Trevor Waddington at 285.
Ayars won a major decision to open the match. Vinciguerra answered with a major over Lussi and Sinou got an early takedown on his way to a decision over Waddington.
But then the real chess match began. Because the Eagles lost the toss, it was their turn to throw out first at 106. They sent out Lucas Thomas and Woodstown took a forfeit to send first-year wrestler Chase Blandino out at 113. Blandino scored a first-period pin over Vincent Ciccantelli that started a run of four straight Woodstown wins for control of the match.
“That was really big for us and to get that pin was big for him,” Hyland said.
Brett Rowand clinched the victory with an 11-7 decision over Sky Eppes at 150. Rowand was down 5-0 at one point in the match.
“He did a nice job sort of battling back, one point at a time and winning convincingly at the end,” Hyland said.
The teams went into the day seeded 4-5 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings and as Saturday dawned the Wolverines rose to a virtual No. 2 seed, tied with Audubon in points but winning the head-to-head matchup. Saturday is the cutoff to determine the eight teams that will advance to the state duals tournament.
Pennsville is not wrestling Saturday, but Woodstown hosts a quad with Clayton, Millville and Penns Grove. Both teams are expected to make the field, but Penns Grove, at No. 11, needs some help.
“I don’t care where we end up,” Starcevich said. “I’m just glad my guys are getting another match. The more you compete the better you’re gonna become.”
“We’re just going to go out there and battle,” Hyland said. “This year we’re just trying to get in those playoffs, wrestle as tough as we can, try to the win that division and go into the postseason in terms of individual matchups a little bit on fire.”
WOODSTOWN 49, PENNSVILLE 19
190: Connor Ayars (P) maj. dec. over Karsten Hantho, 12-4
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) maj. dec. over Elias Lussi, 14-0
285: Andre Sinou (Wo) dec. Trevor Waddington, 6-4
106: Lucas Thomas (P) won by forfeit
113: Chase Blandino (Wo) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 0:47
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Mehki Dix, 0:49
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) dec. Christopher Daniels, 5-2
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Ayden Perez, 3:31
138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Willem Groom, 4:53
144: Angel Hernandez (Wo) pinned Maddox Efelis, 3:08
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) dec. Sky Eppes, 11-7
157: Robbie McDade (P) dec. Zayden Donahue, 3-0
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Cole Campbell, 2:56
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) won by forfeit
SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 44, PENNSAUKEN 36: The teams were trading the lead throughout the match, but Schalick/Cumberland scored pins in each of the last three bouts to rally from a 10-point deficit and pull out the victory.
285: Noval Jenkins got the raly started with a pin at 285. Caleb Jenkins gave Schalick the lead with a first-period pin at 106 – the sixth lead change of the match – and DeAnthony Harden closed it out with a first-period pin at 113.
Luke Silva (120), Daniel Lloyd (138), Jake Magonagle (165) also had pins for Schalick, Ayden Jenkins (144) had a tech fall, and Eric Sulik (175) scored a decision.
SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 44, PENNSAUKEN 36
120: Luke Silva (SC) pinned Zachary Slimm, 5:47
126: Lucas Silvestre (P) pinned Chase Williams, 0:40
132: Andrew Jamieson (P) pinned Ryan Miller, 2:56
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Amari Martinez, 2:53
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) tech fall over Derek Berry, 23-8 (4:32)
150: Romeo Aviles (P) pinned Riley Papiano, 3:06
157: Mikhi Johnson (P) pinned Michael Carastro, 4:48
165: Jake Magonagle (SC) pinned Jahky Hicks, 4:48
175: Eric Sulik (SC) dec. Kaleb Rodriguez, 12-6
190: Christopher Lamothe (P) pinned Gabriel Rodriguez, 2:33
215: Kameron Hoskins (P) pinned Evan Elliott, 2:28
285: Noval Jenkins (SC) pinned Derek Bayard, 3:29
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) pinned Julio Alvarez, 0:51
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) pinned Jovanni Hernandez, 1:02
Trapp making a move
Pennsville girls basketball coach tells team she’s leaving in March to become Triton’s vice principal and AD; also includes Friday night’s results, race for 1000
FRIDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Haddon Heights 56, Pennsville 22
Glassboro 47, Penns Grove 42
FRIDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Salem 83, Camden Academy Charter 76
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Sam Trapp knew the post-game meeting she was about to conduct Friday night was going to be different than any other she’s conducted before as a head coach.
It was going to be difficult enough to break down Pennsville’s 56-22 loss to Haddon Heights, but as soon as she announced the player of the game she called the girls together for the news that would change the room.
She tearfully informed her players that she was stepping down at the end of the basketball season to become vice principal and athletics director at Triton Regional High School.
“As soon as I waked in I gave out the player of the game award and then I said ladies can I get your attention, I need to make an announcement, and I just started crying,” Trapp said. “I felt sick to my stomach and my face was all flushed.
“They kind of all looked at me weird. They had no idea what was coming and I, obviously, had not mentioned it to anyone, so I just tried to pull it together. It was hard because I’ve been really emotional about it because I really do love the students and the staff and have built good connections with a lot of the parents, so it’s going to be really hard to walk out those doors on March 15 and know I’m leaving that chapter behind.”
Trapp, 33, had always had a role in administration as a goal and received her degree in school leadership in 2021. She wasn’t quite ready to make the move at that time and was going to be “very selective” in the opportunities she would pursue. Triton was simply the opportunity to advance her professional career she couldn’t refuse. The board approved her Thursday night.
She purposely kept it quiet until after the game to avoid becoming a distraction to the task at hand, which was the Eagles trying to snap a two-game losing streak. As it turned out, with one of their top scorer Nora Ausland still out with an ankle sprain, they didn’t have enough firepower to combat the 13 3-pointers the Garnets hit against them.
“Some of the them cried,” Trapp said describing the locker room scene. “One asked if she could get cleared to play real quick because she always wanted to play for me. There were a lot of really sweet gestures. My assistant was crying and gave me a big hug and said she was really excited for me.
“It’s a bittersweet moment because I am excited to challenge myself and take another step in my career goals, but at the same time I’ve got a lot of great relationships with the staff and the students and it’s going to be hard to walk away from such a good family dynamic here at Pennsville.”
Trapp also is the Eagles’ girls soccer coach so Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas will be looking to fill two coaching vacancies when Trapp leaves in mid-March. Because their sport is out of season, Trapp told her soccer players on the team’s social messaging page.
Thomas said Friday night he will be looking for “the best qualified applicant” for the health/PE teaching position at the school, but plans to “highlight” in the posting the Eagles will be in need of basketball and soccer coaching positions.
Trapp has been the head coach of both programs at Pennsville for three years.
The basketball Eagles were 15-11 South Jersey Group I tournament teams each of her first two years and are 6-9 so this year with at least eight more games to play. The soccer team went 29-23-5 with three South Jersey tournament appearances and a trip to the sectional final her first year.
She was the basketball assistant for two years prior to become head coach and the soccer assistant for one.
Trapp hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to coaching at some point in the future, but for now she’s concentrating on the administrative side of her career.
In the meantime, for the time they have left together, she wants her players to “make this last season a really good one.”
“Let’s go out with a bang and just have fun doing it,” she told them.
HADDON HEIGHTS 56, PENNSVILLE 22
PENNSVILLE (6-9) – Taylor Bass 2 0-4 4, Karsen Cooksey 1 0-0 2, Bella Farina 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Izzy Saulin 2 1-4 5, Avery Watson 0 2-2 2, Marley Wood 3 2-3 9. Totals 8 5-13 22.
HADDON HEIGHTS (8-8) – Lex Caraway 3 0-0 8, Kylee Ferranto 3 0-2 9, Brielle Connor 0 0-0 0, Emma Harris 5 3-4 16, Sami Szabo 2 1-2 6, Gab Diario 3 0-0 8, Zoe Fuller 2 0-0 4, Allie Agin 1 0-0 3, Payton Bailey 0 0-0 0, Cece Matthews 0 1-2 1, Katherine Campbell 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 5-10 56.
| Pennsville | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 – | 22 |
| Haddon Heights | 17 | 13 | 11 | 15 – | 56 |
GLASSBORO 47, PENNS GROVE 42
PENNS GROVE (6-6) – Meely Horace 5-3-14, RaNiyah Wilson 7-3-19, Brianna Robbins 2-0-4, JaNiyah Cummings 1-0-2, Arianna Down 1-0-3. Totals 16-6-42.
GLASSBORO (8-5) – Tamia Smith 7 2-6 16, Kezia Brackett 6 3-5 16, Sanaa Thomas 2 2-4 7, Anye Davis 0 0-2 0, Sianna Wedderburn 3 0-0 6, Kimora Miles 2 0-0 5. Totals 20 5-15 47.
| Penns Grove | 13 | 11 | 8 | 10 – | 42 |
| Glassboro | 11 | 18 | 9 | 9 – | 47 |
Boys Game
SALEM 83, CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER 76: The Rams trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter on the road but Anthony Farmer put the game on his back and delivered once again.
The senior guard scored 16 of his career-high 36 points in the fourth quarter, including 12-of-13 from the free throw line, to fuel the Rams’ comeback. He was a career-high 17-of-25 from the line for the game.
“He put us on his back tonight,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “He refused to lose in a must-win situation. We’ve been looking for one like this. We’ve been close couple times and just haven’t been able to get over the hump. That was huge.”
Over his last three games, Farmer has scored 77 points and gone 29-of-38 from the foul line. He’s averaging 19.6 ppg this season and is a 77-percent shooter from the line. He’s now 35 points shy of 1,000 points of his career, a feat he’s likely to get Tuesday against Salem Tech. His father and coach scored over 1,700 points in his prep career at St. Augustine and 1,000 later at Rutgers.
“He’s a senior, he’s put his time in,” his dad said. “The basketball gods, they reward you for doing the right things. I tell my kids that all the time, play the right way, do the right things, you’ll be rewarded. Ant is just one of those kids who puts the time in, puts the work in and the basketball gods are just shining that light on him to reward the kid.”
The Rams scored 35 points in the fourth quarter. In addition to Farmer’s eruption, Jabez DeJesus had 11 of his 24 in the fourth and Paul Weathers had six of his 13 in it. DeJesus also was 6-for-6 from the line in the quarter.
It was their highest-scoring quarter since putting 36 on Clayton in the first quarter of a wild 111-105 win on Jan. 2, 2020. It was the second time they’ve scored 30 in a quarter this season and the fifth time in the last three years.
SALEM 83, CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER 76
SALEM (9-6) – Anthony Farmer 9 17-25 36, Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Jabez DeJesus 8 6-6 24, Paul Weathers 5 3-3 13, Tymear Lecator 1 1-2 3, Xavier McGriff 0 0-0 0, Antwon Rodgers 0 0-0 0, Marshall Stephens 2 0-0 4, Joseph Tunis 0 1-2 1, Davonte Jackson 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 28-38 83.
CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER (11-4) – Julius Dominguez 8 7-10 25, Daniel Casasola 5 4-5 14, Joseph Devine 4 3-7 11, Michael Morton 4 3-4 12, Kamar Goodhall 5 2-5 14, Omar Quinones 0 0-0 0, Marcus Smith 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 19-31 76.
| Salem | 18 | 13 | 17 | 35 – | 83 |
| Camden Acad. Charter | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 – | 76 |
Chasing 1,000
| PLAYER | TEAM | TOTAL | NEEDS |
| Anthony Farmer | Salem | 965 | 35 |
| Megan Donelson | Woodstown | 926 | 74 |
| Talia Battavio | Woodstown | 923 | 77 |
| Meely Horace | Penns Grove | 928 | 72 |
Another tough loss
Penns Grove suffers third heartbreaking loss n four days; Pennsville, Salem, Woodstown all pick up wins
THURSDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Pennsville 72, Salem Tech 44
Salem 67, Schalick 32
Wildwood 66, Penns Grove 60 (OT)
Woodstown 87, Clayton 63
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – This was supposed to be a big week for the Penns Grove basketball team, a week in which the Red Devils had a chance to make a significant move in the South Jersey Group I playoff picture and Tri-County Diamond Division standings.
But now, after a third heartbreaking loss in four days, they’re left to think about what might have been and what can they do to bounce back from it.
The Red Devils lost to Wildwood Thursday night 66-60 in a game that went to overtime. Stack that on top of losing to Clearview on a steal and layup with 12 seconds left Monday and then losing to Glassboro the next night on a buzzer-beating 3 in a game they led by three with a minute to play and it’s enough to make any sane person lose it a little.
Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said he’s never gone through a stretch like that before, at least not one with three losses in a row like that.
“It’s tough,” he said. “because the kids are playing so hard and they’re playing so well. In the beginning of the season we were struggling a little bit, but now we’re playing at a high level and we’re hanging right with the teams that are the cream of the crop. It’s encouraging for me, but at the same time disappointing because we’re not getting the wins.
“It’s a double-edged sword. It’s rough, but at the same time I see the light at the end of the tunnel. If we could just finish a little bit better or not make a couple mistakes that we’re making here and there we can really get over the hump and really start challenging and be one of the teams that’s going to be there at the end of the season.”
The game against the current No. 3 team in the South Jersey Group I power points standings was close throughout. The Warriors jumped out 9-0, but the Red Devils brought it back with their own seven-point run and no one led by more than five the rest of regulation.
Penns Grove’s Giomar Conrad sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer at the buzzer; it was his third 3 of the fourth quarter. Conrad lhad four 3s in the game and led the Red Devils with 22 points. Mekhi Ballard had three 3s – two in overtime – and finished with 11 points and Karon Ceaser had 13.
Brian Cunniff led Wildwood with 25 points, including nine in overtime. Junior Hans had 14 of his 15 in the second half and overtime. They were a combined 7-of-9 from the free throw line in overtime.
“We just ran out of steam,” Ware said. “We fought so hard to get back and tie the game … all that energy might have tapped us out.”
Energy was a key element during one portion of the game. There was a 10-minute delay in the second half when the gym lost power with 5:08 left in the third quarter. Ware believes the stoppage hurt the Red Devils as they had just cut the margin to two and were about to take the momentum.
“I told them in the locker room, we’re 5-10, but we’re not a 5-10 team,” Ware said. “Our record does not define us, that’s not who we are. Who we are right now is we see we’re right there with the best teams in the league, the best teams in the division and playing right there with all the top teams.
“We’re just trying to get to their head and help them understand that even though we’re losing these games I want them to understand the progress we’re making and by the end of the season I think we’re going to turn the corner all the way and we’ll be right there.”
WILDWOOD 66, PENNS GROVE 60 (OT)
WILDWOOD (10-6) – Junior Hans 5 5-14 15, Ryan Troiano 1 2-4 4, Jordan Fusik 3 1-2 8, Brian Cunniff 9 7-11 25, Josh Pintella 1 0-2 2, Harley Buscham 1 0-0 2, Lukas Basile 4 0-0 10, James Wyers 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 15-33 66.
PENNS GROVE (5-10) – Roman Gipson 3 0-0 6, Giomar Conrad 8 2-2 22, Karon Ceaser 6 0-2 13, Willie Slocum 0 1-4 1, Mehki Ballard 4 0-0 11, Camren Thompson 1 0-0 2, Mr Peterson 2 1-4 5. Totals 24 4-12 60.
| Wildwood | 14 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 16 – | 66 |
| Penns Grove | 12 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 10 – | 60 |
WOODSTOWN 87, CLAYTON 63: Rocco String returned to some early-season form, scoring a career-high 24 points and grabbing 14 rebounds while leading the Wolverines to their highest scoring game in three seasons. It was String’s fifth double-double. He had four in the first five games this season, but had scored only 39 points in his previous seven games.
Four Wolverines scored in double figures. Blake Bialecki had 12, Garrett Leyman 11 and Manny Ortega 10. Leyman had 16 rebounds and Max Webb distributed 11 assists.
The 87 points were the most the Wolverines have scored in a game since they put 90 on Camden Academy Charter in early January 2022. It’s the second time they’ve scored in the 80s in coach Phillip Campbell’s two-year tenure.
CLAYTON (3-12) – Dillon Jones 5 2-4 12, Nazir Davis 3 0-0 7, Demetris Williams 5 2-4 12, Jon Cox 2 0-1 5, Ashaud Hines 2 0-0 4, Nasir Carter 2 0-0 6, Fareed Mamah 3 2-2 8, John Carter 2 0-0 6, Deion Scott 1 0-0 3. Totals 25 6-11 63.
WOODSTOWN (8-5) – Manny Ortega 4 0-0 10, Blake Bialecki 5 0-0 12, Alejandro Vazquez 2 0-0 5, M.J. Hall 4 0-0 8, Connor Sanderson-Dick 1 0-0 2, Garrett Leyman 5 1-1 11, Anthony Bokolas 3 0-0 6, Lucas Fulmer1 0-0 2, Max Webb 2 0-0 4, Rocco String 12 0-0 24, Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 3. Totals 40 1-1 87.
| Clayton | 18 | 14 | 7 | 24 – | 63 |
| Woodstown | 21 | 27 | 18 | 21 – | 87 |
SALEM 67, SCHALICK 32: Jabez DeJesus led three Rams in double figures with 19 points. Anthony Farmer and Paul Weathers each tossed in 12.
Nylan Sutton (11 points) was the only scorer in double figures for the Cougars, who were without top scorer Reggie Allen for the second straight game. Allen took a shot above his left eye near the end of the Cougars’ game with Clayton Monday at the Wells Fargo Center and went for further attention when the team returned home.
SALEM (8-6) – Tymear Lecator 3 0-0 8, Jabez DeJesus 7 3-3 19, Anthony Farmer 4 3-3 12, Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Paul Weathers 5 2-2 12, Xavier McGriff 1 0-0 3, Antwan Rodgers 2 0-0 4, Marshall Stephens 2 3-5 7, Davante Jackson 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 11-13 68.
SCHALICK (5-7) – Jordan Johnson 2 0-0 4, Jake Siedlecki 1 0-0 3, Nasir Sutton 3 0-0 7, Nylan Sutton 4 1-2 11, Levi Freeney-Childers 1 4-11 6, Dylan Sheehan 0 1-2 1. Totals 11 6-15 32.
| Salem | 16 | 21 | 17 | 13 – | 67 |
| Schalick | 4 | 10 | 7 | 11 – | 32 |
PENNSVILLE 72, SALEM TECH 44: Daniel Saulin had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed six rebound as the Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak with their fourth straight win over the Chargers.
The Eagles scored the first 12 points of the game to take control and carried it to a 35-17 halftime lead. Luke Wood (14) and Jayden Thomas (12) also scored in double figures for Pennsville. All 11 players scored for the Eagles. Josh Muntz led Salem Tech with 10.
SALEM TECH (1-12) – Chase Willis 2 0-2 4, Haneef Frisby 2 5-9 9, Joseph Hayes 3 0-0 5, Josh Muntz 3 4-8 10, Tyler Zampino 4 0-0 9, Antoine Robinson 2 0-0 5, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Chase Ayars 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 9-19 44.
PENNSVILLE (6-9) – Luke Wood 6-12 2-3 14, Peyton O’Brien 3-4 0-2 6, Daniel Saulin 6-7 4-6 16, Jayden Thomas 4-6 4-6 12, Malik Rehmer 2-6 1-2 5, Cohen Petrutz 2-6 1-3 5, Mason O’Brien 2-4 1-2 5, Connor Starn 1-1 0-0 2, Logan Hill 0-0 1-2 1, Carlo Merindino 1-2 0-0 3, Cole Johnston 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 28-51 14-28 72.
| Salem Tech | 8 | 9 | 14 | 10 – | 44 |
| Pennsville | 21 | 14 | 15 | 22 – | 72 |
Riverview Sports News 