South Jersey high school football roundup for Week 1

Friday marked a significant day in the history of the Cedar Creek football program. It was the first time in school history the Pirates hosted a game under the lights. It’s only fitting that they came out victorious in dramatic fashion.

Jamal McClellan played hero as he ran in the game-winning, 6-yard touchdown with 3:44 remaining as Cedar Creek topped Absegami, 50-48.

The Pirates opened the scoring with an Aamir Dunbar 3-yard run and went up 12-0 after Gyan King caught a touchdown pass from Billy Smith.

Absegami refused to give up though. Quarterback Kendall Armstrong did his part to keep the Braves alive, tossing five touchdown passes (two to Zach Parmer) on the evening. Donald Johnson scored twice for ‘Gami, with one receiving TD and another score on a 62-yard run to put his team up 48-44 late in the third quarter.

Cinnaminson 26, Collingswood 7: Backup quarterback Michael Beers found Gavin Prendergast for a 34-yard touchdown with 7 minutes remaining to give the Pirates some breathing room as they escaped Collingswood with the victory Friday. Cinnaminson was clinging to a 12-7 advantage before the score.

Prendergast had a huge evening, catching 4 passes for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns. Starting signal caller Brian Finerghty shined as well before leaving the game with a leg cramp. He ran 14 times for 63 yards and was 8-of-13 passing for 127 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Kyle Willis added 84 yards and 2 TDs on 15 attempts.

No apology needed: Finerghty shines despite injury, Cinnaminson football tops Collingswood

Rancocas Valley 32, Paterson-Eastside 14: Jameer Bellamy had touchdown runs of 46 and 10 yards to help the Red Devils improve to 2-0 on the year.

Nick Marco opened the scoring with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Brody Deiter with 8:54 left in the first quarter. Rancocas Valley’s Malachi Castle barreled his way to a 15-yard touchdown run up the middle to give his team a 22-7 lead at halftime.

Haddonfield 35, Paulsboro 7: Charlie Klaus and Dominic Hahn each rushed for two touchdowns as the Haddons recorded over 240 yards on the ground en route to a home win over Paulsboro. Haddonfield improved to 2-0.

Woodbury 31, West Deptford 0: Anthony Reagan ran for 213 yards and five touchdowns as the Thundering Herd trampled West Deptford to open their season with a victory.

Middle Township 7, Oakcrest 0: Mike Zarfati returned an interception 94 yards for the game’s lone score during a strong defensive game from both teams. The Panthers improved to 2-0 with the win and have outscored both their opponents by a combined total of 47-0 so far this season.

Holy Spirit 43, Egg Harbor Township 0: Jahcere Ward had two first-quarter rushing touchdowns to put the Spartans up 14-0 early and Ty Costabile tossed three second-quarter touchdowns to three different receivers (Tahmir Jones, Ryan Mallen, Ty Mercado) to go up 35-0 at halftime.

Freshman Jack Burns ran in the final touchdown of the game in the second half as the Spartans’ defense held strong. Holy Spirit is now 2-0 while Egg Harbor falls to 0-2.

Mainland 35, Ocean City 0: Stephen Ordille scored two rushing touchdowns while Cohen Cook and Rocco DeBiaso both ran in one each to pace the Mustangs’ scoring attack. Quarterback John Franchini threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Liam Kennedy late in the third quarter to close out the scoring. Mainland’s defense forced two red-zone turnovers, one fumble and one interception, as the Mustangs remain undefeated at 2-0 this season.

Kingsway 28, Williamstown 0: Neumann Rojas scored four rushing touchdowns as the Dragons shut out Williamstown to improve to 2-0 on the year. Kingsway has won its first two games by a combined 73-0 this year.

Vineland 53, Bridgeton 0: Charles Clark had three rushing touchdowns and Nasir Lewis scored two as Vinelnd gave new coach Jose Guzman his first victory.

Josh Cephas and Prince Bortey each added a rushing touchdown of their own and Colin Griaff split the uprights on a 35-yard field goal.

Timber Creek 68, Camden Catholic 0: Timber Creek quarterback Reilly Hoffacker connected with receiver Karon Brookins for a 60-yard touchdown for the game’s first score and the Chargers simply overpowered the Irish from then on out. Creek is now 2-0 on the season.

Gloucester 54, Buena 14: Mason Widman had three first-quarter rushing touchdowns of 2, 61 and 44 yards to help the Lions go up 21-0 after one. The big plays kept coming as Jake Zearfoss ran in touchdowns of 70 and 41 yards, while Jaydon Tilman scored a 49-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Jake Seibert had two passing touchdowns, one to Joey MacDonald and another to Ibyn Obey as Gloucester earned its first win of the season in dominating fashion.

Delsea 49, Delran 13: Zach Maxwell had four first-quarter touchdowns (three passing and one rushing) to help the Crusaders dominate the Bears. Wayne Adair added a rushing and receiving score of his own. Delsea did most of its damage in the first half, leading 42-0 at the intermission.

St. Augustine 51, St. Joseph’s 15: Julian Turney had touchdown runs of 55, 31 and 2 yards to lead the Hermits’ ground attack.

St. Augustine’s Tristan McLeer scored on a 14-yard run and a 58-yard kickoff return, Ty Watson added a 6-yard TD run and Paris Pratt caught a 14-yard TD pass from Ryan Gambill. St. Joseph’s scoring came on a Shane Reed 90-yard kickoff return and an Ismal Cotto 40-yard pass from Anthony Salamone.

Washington Township 50, Eastern 6: The Minutemen earned a convincing victory over Eastern to pick up their inaugural win of the season. They’re now 1-1 on the year and will look to get above .500 next week against Kingsway.

Burlington Township 36, Nottingham 0: The Falcons executed on both sides of the ball to improve to 2-0 on the year. This was the second straight week they put up more than 30 points on offense, and their first shutout since defeating Delran 21-0 on Sept. 9, 2022.

Shore Regional 48, KIPP Cooper Norcross 18: KIPP fell to 0-2 on the season against a tough Shore Conference opponent.

Atlantic City 28, Clearview 12: The Vikings put up 28 points for the second week in a row to advance to 2-0 on the year. This was Clearview’s first game of the season, and the Pioneers will face a tough Vineland team in Week 2.

Bishop Eustace 22, Holy Cross 18: The Crusaders edged out the Lancers in a battle between South Jersey Non-Publics. This was the first game of the season for both teams.

Paul VI 35, Highland 6: After opening its season with a tough 42-7 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas at the Battle at the Beach in Week 0, Paul VI righted the ship with a dominating 35-6 win on Friday night.

Moorestown 16, Cherry Hill East 0: The Quakers picked up their first win of the season with a dominating defensive performance over Cherry Hill East.

Schalick 14, Pitman 13: Schalick improved to 2-0 with a one-point victory over Pitman. After defeating Gloucester 17-14 last week, the Cougars have now won both their games by a combined margin of four points.

Kevin Kolodziej compiled these reports for Friday's games

Saturday, Sept. 2

Willingboro 55, Mastery Camden 0

Riverside 14, Princeton 7: Justin Mary and John Boston each ran for touchdowns to power the Rams to a season-opening victory.

Boston led all rushers with 110 yards on 26 carries and his 3-yard TD in the fourth quarter would end up being the decisive score. Mary ran 10 times for 89 yards, including a 69-yarder.

Palmyra 26, Gloucester Catholic 21: The Panthers bounced back from a season-opening loss in Week 0 with a road win over the Rams. Jaleel Lattimore opened the scoring with a 58-yard TD run and gave Palmyra the lead for good when he returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Evan Montgomery threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score for Palmyra.

Camden 34, Salem 0

Millville 34, Irvington 0: The Thunderbolts' defense produced two touchdowns as Joseph Zamot returned a fumble recovery 11 yards for a score and Lotzeir Brooks took a lateral of an interception to the house. The game was played at Vineland's Gittone Stadium as Millville's Wheaton Field is still under construction.

Shawnee 28, Eastside 7: Joe Papa rushed for two scores, Nick Rusinski ran for a TD and Jack Connors returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdowns as Shawnee knocked off Eastside for the first time ever in Camden. Rusinski finished with 81 yards on the ground while Papa added 67.

Thursday, Aug. 31

PENNS GROVE – The last thing the Pleasantville High School football team wanted to be was 0-2 before the calendar even flipped to September.

That’s why Thursday’s 14-6 win at Penns Grove was so important, but it doesn’t mean they were happy.

Instead of celebrating their first victory, the Greyhounds spent about 20 minutes running sprints under the watchful eye and relentless whistle of head coach Malachi Timberlake.

“We’re not playing our best brand of football,” said the second-year head coach, who clearly wanted to send a message to his players. “It’s the same mistakes week after week. We’re going to be in dogfights every single week until we get batter.

“I’m proud of them, we got the win. It’s just not good enough. Our standard, they’re not reaching it. It’s not showing on the field.”

Pleasantville’s defense forced five turnovers, including an interception and a fumble recovery by senior Dwayne Carter and a fumble recovery by Gabriel Rodriguez in the end zone in the fourth quarter. The Greyhounds have yielded 20 points in their first two games.

“It was a big game, we couldn’t start off 0-2,” Carter said. “We would have played better, we left a lot of plays on the field. It’s a win, but we have to get better.”

Carter accounted for Pleasantville’s lone offensive touchdown with a 19-yard reception on a fourth-down throw by sophomore southpaw Ahmad Jones in the second quarter.

Penns Grove fell to 0-2 with defending state champion Woodbury up next on the schedule. The Red Devils were without two starting lineman and loss a third to injury during the game.

“We’ve got to find a way to win these types of games,” Penns Grove head coach John Emel said. “Six turnovers last week (in a 33-22 loss to Burlington City) and five more today. You’re not going to win with five turnovers.

“We’ve got to find a way to punch two or three touchdowns in on offense and we’ll be tough to beat.”

Junior Bryce Wright had an interception and scored the Red Devils' lone touchdown on a 25-yard run.

Audubon 31, Maple Shade 0: Luke Hoke has played wide receiver. He’s also played running back.

It doesn’t matter what position he lines up at, when the 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior has the football in his hands, he has the knack to create plenty of havoc.

Hoke recorded over 250 total yards and three touchdowns as Audubon opened its season with a 31-0 rout over Maple Shade, a team that played for a sectional title last season.

“I was a wide receiver as a sophomore and a running back as a junior,” who scored Audubon’s first TD f the season on an 86-yard TD from Breyson McCracken. “I like to think I can do it all. Wherever you put me, I can run, I can catch. I just believe in myself and know I can get the job done.”

Coming into this season, Hoke compiled over 1,100 yards on the ground with 10 touchdowns and more than 1,200 receiving yards with 12 more touchdowns.

Hoke’s production in different ways isn’t a surprise to anyone around town, including head coach Dan Reed.

“He’s really special, he’s a lot of fun to coach and a lot of fun to watch,” Reed said. “It’s great when your probably best player is also your hardest work. He runs a lot at practice and never looks slower.”

Junior quarterback Breyson McCracken shined in his first start, throwing for 200-plus yards with two scores.

“He’s really took a huge leap this year,” Hoke said about the QB. “He’s gotten a lot better in his passing and making his reads.

“We always have the next-man-up mentality here. Everyone knows their role and we need guys to step up this year.”

Gateway 19, Haddon Twp. 0: Andrew Daley’s coaching debut at Gateway was a rousing success as the Gators earned a home shutout.

“I told the guys from Day 1, I didn’t come in there for a rebuild,” said Daley, who went 9-27 in four seasons at Cherry Hill East. “We have talent on this team, I knew that and these guys gutted out a victory.

“We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do here.”

Gateway has won seven of the last eight meetings against Haddon Township, but got revenge for a 33-16 loss in last year’s contest.

Senior Sean Simmons played a pivotal role in all three phases. The quarterback rushed for a touchdown, had a key interception at linebacker and blocked a punt for a safety on special teams. About the only thing he didn't do was carry about the water bucket.

“It’s tough, I’m tired,” Simmons said with a smile talking about the heavy workload.

“You talk about a gritty player," Daley said. "He’s our starting QB and I told him when he won the job, we’re going turn him into a quarterback and not someone who just throws the ball."

The senior, who earned the starting QB job in the preseason, said there is definitely a different vibe around Woodbury Heights for the football team these days.

“It’s a whole different feeling around here, new coach, new mentality,” Simmons said. “Getting a win here, it’s a big up from last year. We lost a lot of our games in the beginning. We’re looking to switch it around this year.”

Triton 28, Deptford 14: Quarterback Michael Lewis rushed for three scores and ran for a fourth TD as the Mustangs galloped to a road win over the Spartans.

Triton started the season at 2-0 for the first time since 2014.

Lewis completed 11-of-14 passes for 133 yards, including a TD strike to Jaylen Morris. The senior QB has seven total TDs, and has completed 21-of-27 passes for 342 yards with three scores in two games.

Seneca 47, Sterling 6: Zac Fearon started the season with a bang, returning the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, the first of four scores for the senior, as the Golden Eagles soared to victory over the Silver Knights.

Fearon added TD runs of 18, 8 and 35 yards for Seneca, which had built a 41-0 lead before the intermission.

Cherokee 47, Hammonton 7: Cherokee scored 34 points in the first 9 minutes, 21 seconds of the third quarter to turn a 7-6 halftime deficit into a stunning 40-7 lead.

Ryan Bender had a 74-yard touchdown run on the opening play from scrimmage in the period and the Marlton squad never looked back. It tallied four offensive scores on six snaps – Bender also found Luke Brown for a 16-yard touchdown while Murad Campfield had 16- and 89-yard TD scampers. In addition, Leo Bluestein returned a fumble 55 yards to pay dirt.

Glassboro 27, Burlington City 7: Sophomore Amari Sabb scored two touchdowns, his freshman brother Xavier recorded his first interception and senior Caron Wright had a pick-6 – all added up to a big win in Timmy Breaker’s debut as Glassboro head coach.

Northern Burlington 41, Pemberton 0: Ronnie Borden was 12-of-19 passing for 219 yards and 4 touchdowns to lead the Greyhounds to their first win of the year. He connected with four different receivers for scores – Brandon Boldizar, Andrew Reynolds, Jordan Wilkerson and Tommy Walters. Tony Kownacki had 4 carries for 108 yards and a TD on the ground.

Manny Saenz and Jailen Lopez led the defense with a pair of sacks each.

Overbrook 36, Bordentown 34: Quarterback DeAngello Conquest ran for three touchdowns and threw for another as the Rams held off a late rally from Bordentown.

The Scotties’ closed the gap to two-points on Myles Hansford’s 27-yard TD pass to Elijah Dean with 1:25 remaining, but Overbrook broke up the two-point pass to secure the triumph.

Woodstown 34, Haddon Heights 7: Max Webb ran for a touchdown and threw for another score while Jake Ware booted a pair of field goals as the Wolverines opened their season with a home win. Bryce Belinfanti ran for a score in the first quarter to give Woodstown a lead it would never relinquish.

Florence 34, New Egypt 0: Joe Frappolli's 50th season at the helm of the Flashes started with a lopsided victory.

Clayton 26, Lower Cape May 21: Demetris Williams ran for four touchdowns as the Clippers overcame a 21-6, second-half deficit to stun the Caper Tigers.

Wildwood 28, Cumberland 21: Junior Hans’ 16-yard touchdown run with 1:02 remaining broke a 21-21 tie as the Warriors won their first opener since 2012.

Cumberland got into position to tie the game at the end, but were stopped inside the Wildwood 10-yard line.

Pennsville 49, Lindenwold 6: Skye Eppes ran for 118 yards and 4 touchdowns and Malik Rehmer added 3 receptions for 88 yards and another score as the Eagles soared to a season-opening victory.

Pennsauken 24, Cherry Hill West 7: Elijah Jennings finished with three total touchdowns as Pennsauken rallied for the win.

Winslow 34, Lenape 0

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey high school football recap for Week 1