Hawks win conference championships
Hawks win conference championships
P . 66
Wednesday , November 2 , 2016 Volume 20 • Issue 44
Lady Blue Devils cruise in playoff opener
by Dan Russoman
GAzETTE STAff WRITER
HAMMONTON — Hammonton High School ’ s field hockey team has spent much of this season searching for consistency , and midway through the South Jersey Group III playoffs , head coach Rosie Santiago is hoping her team has finally found some as it chases its first sectional title since 1996 .
“ That ’ s the goal , definitely . We ’ ve been all over the place this season . One game , we look awesome , then the next we play like we don ’ t know what we ’ re doing . Hopefully , we can put it all together now ,” Santiago said .
Santiago feels her team has the potential to be a champion , and the Lady Blue Devils played like one in their quarterfinal win against Absegami last weekend , topping the visiting Braves 4-0 .
Hammonton dictated much of the action , moving the ball well to set up strong scoring opportunities while frustrating Absegami with tight defensive play . Confidence has also been an issue for the
HAMMONTON — A tough rebuilding season ended with on a high note for St . Joseph High School ’ s boys soccer team last week as the Wildcats snapped a 14-game losing streak with a 4-1 win against Paulsboro .
St . Joe has fought through adversity this season , as the Wildcats
St . Joe soccer earns an important late-season win
Dan Russoman
Perhaps no local high school team needed a win last week as much as St . Joseph ’ s boys soccer squad .
The Wildcats have battled a short-handed roster and key injuries all season , but last week against a winless Paulsboro team , St . Joe did what it hadn ’ t done since early September : win a game .
That victory , in the final game of the season , snapped a 14-game losing streak and sent the Wildcats into the offseason on a positive note . first-year head coach Dave Scott hopes that the momentum from that victory can help form the foundation for improvement next season .
“ This was huge for us ,” Scott said after
Lady Blue Devils this season , but against Absegami , an early goal gave Hammonton the boost it needed , helping carry them to the win .
“ I think that ’ s our biggest thing . We always need to have that thought that we actually can do it and getting that first goal really helped us have that confidence today . Once we get one goal , it kind of lifts us and they all want to be the next one to score ,” Santiago said .
Hammonton ’ s first goal came less than five minutes into the game off the stick of Jianna Lamanteer , who grabbed a deflected shot off a penalty corner and slipped the ball into the left side of the cage for a 1-0 Hammonton lead .
Twelve minutes later , the Lady Blue Devils were back on the scoreboard , as Domenica Rehmann fired a shot at Absegami goalie Alyssa DeStefano , who blocked it . The ball rolled to Nikki Silipino , whose shot found the net to put Hammonton ahead 2-0 .
With four minutes left in the half , Rehmann scored , giving Hammonton a
began the year with a short-handed varsity roster made even smaller with the loss of a few players to serious injuries . first-year head coach Dave Scott praised his team ’ s work ethic as well as its determination to compete in spite of the obstacles it faced in nearly every game this season .
“ That ’ s one thing I can say about our team , we ’ re playing with 10 men almost all season and
See HHS , Page 63
HHS keeps playoff hopes alive
by Dan Russoman
GAzETTE STAff WRITER
EGG HARBOR TWP .— Needing a win to keep its slim state playoff hope alive , Hammonton High School ’ s football team delivered , cruising past a winless Egg Harbor Township ( EHT ) team 42-3 last week to even its record to 4-4 this season .
After being upset at Kingsway a week earlier ,
Hammonton was forced into a must-win situation at EHT . Even with the victory , the Blue Devils need help if they are to avoid missing the South Jersey playoffs for the first time since 1997 .
“ It ’ s a long shot [ making the playoffs ], but we did what we needed to do . Now , we just have to wait and see ,” Hammonton head coach Jim Raso said .
After struggling offensively against Kingsway , Hammonton came out strong at EHT last weekend , taking a 7-0 lead when Ron Gibson capped a solid
THG / Kelly Hunt .
To purchase photos in The Gazette , call ( 609 ) 704-1940 .
Christian Weissman looks for running room during last week ’ s game at EHT . See DEVILS , Page 62
Wildcats end season with a win
by Dan Russoman
GAzETTE STAff WRITER
HAMMONTON EHT
42 3
nine of them quit , none of them left the team . They all played 80 minutes of every game and I ’ m proud of them for that ,” Scott said . Against Paulsboro last week , a team that is also rebuilding , St . Joe turned in perhaps its best performance of the season . The Wildcats dominated much of the action , firing numerous shots at the Indians ’ goal .
Josh Kahler gave St . Joe a 1-0 See WIN , Page 57
THG / Dan Russoman . To purchase photos in The Gazette , call ( 609 ) 704-1940 .
Hammonton ’ s Domenica Rehmann , left , moves the ball past Absegami ’ s Ruth Tedla late in last week ’ s South Jersey Group III quarterfinal game .
Prep blasts St . Joe
by Dan Russoman
GAzETTE STAff WRITER
RICHLAND — few expected St . Joseph High School ’ s football team to win its game at St . Augustine Prep last week . But even fewer predicted that the Hermits would completely dominate the Wildcats in handing St . Joe its worst loss since 1993 .
The Prep ’ s 42-0 win last week matched Hammonton ’ s 1993 win by the same score as the worst shutout defeat of head coach Paul Sacco ’ s career . And it wasn ’ t the win against Paulsboro last week .
“ The guys have been working so hard all year , so to end the season like this is really great for all of them ,” he said .
Despite finishing the year with a 2-15 record , St . Joseph showed improvement throughout the season . The Wildcats faced some of the better teams in the area and were able to contend in several games .
The biggest issue this year was the fact the team never had enough players to be competitive in every game .
“ We started with 13 guys , and then , we lost one to an injury and another to a concussion . So , we played with 10 players most of the season , sometimes with nine ,” Scott said .
It ’ s tough for a coach to turn to the bench and see no one there , and even more difficult for the players on the field , who know they have to play the entire game without any rest .
“ for a team that had every guy play 80 minutes each game , I think we did a pretty good job . That says a lot about the kind of kids we have . They never gave up , and they always came out ready to play . It ’ s tough when we play teams , and they ’ re substituting three and four players at a time and we know our guys have to just stay out there an play ,” Scott said .
Scott was an assistant last season when the Wildcats won just two games , and he was pleased the team was able to match that mark this year with fewer players and less experience .
“ We ’ re building . It ’ s a slow process , but there were a lot of positives this season ,
ST . JOSEPH 0
ST . AUGUSTINE 42 even that close .
St . Augustine held St . Joe to just 125 yards of total offense and eight first downs , most of those in the second half , as it seized control less than six minutes into the game and never let up , sending a message that it has passed the Wildcats as the top non-public program in southern New Jersey .
“ They ’ re a better football team than we are . Hats off to them ,
See WILDCATS , Page 60
THG / Dan Russoman . To purchase photos in The Gazette , call ( 609 ) 704-1940 .
St . Augustine quarterback Joshua Zamot ( 4 ) is tackled by St . Joseph ’ s Mike Mascioli ( left ) and Sencere Tapp ( right ) during last week ’ s game .
We only lose a couple of guys [ to graduation ], so we should be OK next year ,” he said .
Scott added that he was encouraged by a recent open house where close to a dozen students said they wanted to attend St . Joe and play soccer . And the coach said he also expects a few transfers next fall .
“ If we can build the roster up , it ’ ll make a huge difference . I just hope some of them are really good soccer players ,” Scott said .
Rebuilding at a small school is always tough , but St . Joe looks to be headed in the right direction .
Dan Russoman is the sports editor of The Gazette . Watch him on “ Gazette Sports Week ” every Wednesday afternoon and “ Gazette High School Football Report ” on Thursdays at www . hammontongazette . com . Follow Russoman on twitter @ DanRussoman .