ABOUT THE COVER SOUTH JERSEY
Every team that loses in the NJSIAA state football playoffs vows to return the following year and hoist that coveted trophy. But few teams have the talent, burning desire and consistency throughout the offseason to come back prepared to go even further than they did the year before. Graduation takes its toll and typically teams have to rely on a lot of unproven varsity starters after making a deep state playoff run. This fall, both Winslow and Glassboro took losses from 2023 as fuel and put together two of the most dominant seasons South Jersey has ever seen. It’s time to celebrate these as two of the up-and-coming programs in the area, and now both can claim a state championship on their resume. The scary thing is, with young coaches and young talent, the Eagles and Bulldogs might just be getting started! Read more in our Vic’s Subs Cover Story on Page 10 of this digital edition.
General contact information:
Publisher Dave O’Sullivan:
Email: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
On X @GDsullysays
@sjglorydays on Instagram
Contributors:
Mark Trible, Senior Football Writer (@MTrible on X)
Brian Tortella, Correspondent (@tortreports on X)
Ben Hale, Social Media & Web Development
VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1/ DECEMBER 2024 (ISSUE NO. 171)
DECEMBER 2024 u SOUTH JERSEY GLORY DAYS
HEADLINES
PRESENTED BY BUNTING FAMILY PHARMACY
HOT START
Luke Tjoumakaris? Josh Lenko? Tighe Olek? Raise your hand if you’re a South Jersey high school basketball fan and you’ve ever heard of these guys.
The Ocean City boys lost four of the Red Raiders’ starting five from last year to graduation, yet somehow John Bruno’s boys have raced out to a 5-1 start that includes wins over St. Augustine Prep, Holy Spirit, Wildwood Catholic, Williamstown and Glassboro.
So how are the Raiders doing it? By getting everyone involved. So far, 11 different players have scored for Ocean City, and the Raiders are getting nearly 30 points per game from Ben McGonigle, the lone returning starter from last year, and Tjoumakaris, a junior who scored just 20 points all of last year.
The Raiders can’t rest on their laurels, though, because the schedule gets a whole lot tougher in January, including road games at Holy Spirit, Middle Township and Millville, as well as home tilts against the likes of St. Augustine Prep, St. Joseph Academy, Lower Cape May and Wildwood Catholic.
LIONS ROARING
The Cherry Hill West girls basketball team has had just one slip-up so far this season, falling to Middle Township at the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament Holiday Showcase, but other than that the Lions have been rolling. They have scored 50-plus points in half their six games, including 67 in a recent win over rival Cherry Hill East. The Lions boast one of the top guard duos in South Jersey in sophomore shooting guard Kirsten Gibson and senior point guard
Lewis
above). They are averaging 18 and 12 points per game, respectively.
CLIMBING THE RANKINGS
The Paul VI girls basketball team has had just a few games so far, but one was a huge win over St. John Vianney, which was ranked No. 4 in the state at the time. That jumped the Eagles all the way up from No. 11 to No. 5 in the latest statewide rankings. Lenape, currently 3-1, checked in at No. 11 in the state. These teams will do battle at Paul VI on Jan. 19.
Julia
(pictured
The long road to victory GIRLS SOCCER
It has taken more than a decade, but Pleasantville can now call itself a winning program
By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
Erik Clark’s morning coffee tastes a whole lot better these days. If you see him in traffic and he gets cut off by the car in front of him, he’ll probably just smile and laugh it off. A neighbor blowing leaves onto his front lawn? No biggie, he’ll go ahead and bag those up. These days, the sun is shining every afternoon, nary a cloud in the sky, no threat of rain or storm.
Life is just a whole lot different when the team you pour your heart and soul into coaching is winning — finally.
“It’s bizarre,” Clark said after a win over Buena Regional in October. “I’m used to losing, so this is a totally different feeling. Sometimes I’m still shook with how to react with stuff like this, but it definitely feels good and I’m so proud of the girls.”
Clark took over the Pleasantville High girls soccer program 10 years ago, and the Greyhounds struggled mightily during the first decade of his tenure. Most coaches would have thrown in the towel coaching a team that went 0-and-48 his first three seasons.
Things didn’t get much better after that. With not much of a feeder program, Clark’s soccer players came into high school with very little experience, and early on he rarely had any club level players. In the 2014 season, the Greyhounds went 0-15 and scored just four goals all season while allowing 97. In 2015, Pleasantville didn’t score a goal until its final game, a 4-1 loss to Bridgeton. The Hounds were outscored that season 127-to-1 and went 0-18.
But Clark just kept on plugging along, hoping that one day things would turn around and he could feel what it’s like to go home every night as the coach of a winning team. Pleasantville had just a single win in 2017, 2018 and 2019, went winless in 2020, then won
South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully
Players such as Bella Alvarez, left, and Diana Ruiz (2) helped elevate Pleasantville to Cape-Atlantic League United Conference champions this season.
one game each in 2021 and 2022. But last year, the tide finally started to turn, as The Ville went 5-9-2.
Clark finally had a couple of club players to build around in Diana Ruiz and Darexy Monroy, and this year he got the powerful midfielder he’d been missing all these years in the form of freshman Isabella Alavarez.
It all added up to a season that saw the Greyhounds go 14-5, win the Cape-Atlantic League United Division title for the first time ever, qualify for the CAL Tournament for the first time in program history and earn a berth in the state playoffs.
“This is huge. It’s game changing,” Clark said af-
ter his team beat Buena to wrap up the division title. “This program has been around for 11-plus years and I’ve been around for 10 of them. We were used to losing, so this is definitely a game changer. We finally have the right players at the right time. I always say it’s like a puzzle. Now we have the midfielder in place, we have offensive players in place, we have key defenders in place — it all finally came together at the right time, that’s what happened.
DECEMBER 2024 u SOUTH JERSEY GLORY
“We have a few key players. Diana Ruiz came in four years ago, we got Darexy Monroy three years ago and this year we added Alvarez. With them as a core, the girls can build around that and there has been tremendous improvement this year.”
Those three players were stalwarts for the Greyhounds this past season. Ruiz led the team with 34 goals and added 12 assists while Monroy scored 32 goals and had 23 assists for a teamhigh 87 points. Alvarez has been the key though, setting things up through the midfield while also adding a scoring threat from set pieces. She’s the high-level club player Pleasantville has been missing all these years. She scored 23 goals as a freshman and added 18 assists in the regular season.
“Her coming here (instead of a private school) is like the Bat Signal,” Clark said. “Her coming here is a signal that we’re ready to compete. Hopefully now we can attract more players like her instead of watching them walk away.”
Senior Nayeli Soriano said she was so excited about soccer this fall that she found it hard to pay attention in class, even on days when it’s just practice after school.
“I’ll be thinking that I don’t want to be in class, I want to be out here (on the soccer field). You’ll be doing work in class and just be thinking about the game. It makes it tough to focus on your school work,” she said. “My first year, we were really bad, but we’ve gotten so much better. We’ve been working and communicating. Sophomore year things started turning around, and junior year we got even better. And this has been our best year ever. It’s amazing (to win a division title).”
“We’ve never been this good before, it feels really good,” Ruiz added. “I feel proud, not only of me but of all the girls and all the work we’ve put in. It shows out on the field. It’s been a lot of dedication and hard work, summer practices, everything. I’m so happy and proud of every single girl on this team.”
South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com VICTORY, From Page 6
Soriano specifically thanked Ruiz for helping to provide such a memorable
Senior striker Diana Ruiz (34 goals) helped lead a Pleasantville offense that scored 97 goals this season. When Ruiz was a freshman, the team scored just one goal all year.
senior year.
“Diana has been scoring half the goals for our team, I’m so proud of her,” she said. “I’m proud of my whole team because we’ve all worked hard for this. I never thought I’d have a senior year like this.”
Ruiz said she’s equally as thrilled that she’s ending her high school career on a high note. Her freshman year the team went 1-13 and she scored just one goal (the Greyhounds had just two that season), but she finished her career with 40 goals and 22 assists.
“I never could have imagined (the success this season) because our team was never like this. But we have some
new girls and they’ve really made a big difference on our team. I believe in myself more and I believe in my teammates. We have an amazing bond, we get along really well,” Ruiz said.
“We’re also getting a lot of congratulations around school, and it’s the first time we’ve gotten that, so it feels nice.
As a team, we’ve gone from so many losses to winning so many games, I feel like that’s going to continue to motivate the girls to keep going and never give up.”
So what kept coach Clark going through all those years with hardly any success?
“Hope.
“You keep holding out hope. I had the hope that it would eventually turn around, and it did,” he said. “(Not winning) is definitely taxing. We’re playing against girls who have been playing since they were 3 or 4 years old, so building them up to compete against that is a huge undertaking. We have to work that much harder, and this year, they did. They put in all the work, and it’s paying off. We’re putting more work in and we now have numbers, finally. We’re getting more girls out and we’re putting in the work.”
VIC’S SUBS COVER STORY
2 of a kind
The Winslow and Glassboro football programs have a lot in common, including dominant 2024 seasons
By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
In November of 2023, the Winslow Township High football team won the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional championship and the Eagles started daydreaming about winning a state championship, getting fitted for that coveted ring they could show off to their grandkids someday.
But then, in the state semifinals, the Eagles got their doors blown off by a Mainland team that went on to finish 14-0 and win the state title with a blowout win over Ramapo. Winslow got thumped by the Stangs, 41-7; the game was pretty much over by halftime, as Mainland raced out to a 27-7 lead.
Winslow coach Bill Belton knew after that game that his team wasn’t ready to be a champion. Not quite yet. But they would be, sooner rather than later. He wanted to know everything he could about the Mainland program so he could teach his players how to walk, talk, act and play like champions. He did some research and tweaked a few things to fit the Winslow style, and what followed in 2024 was an equally dominant, 14-0 season capped off by Winslow winning the state championship.
“I think for us, we needed that,” Belton said of the crushing loss that ended the Eagles’ 2023 season. “We needed to see Mainland, what a championship team and a championship program looks like. What did they do that separated them from everybody else? I didn’t care what it was, I needed every single detail. I had conversations with different people and figured it out. We had to find out what worked for us, and that’s pretty much what we did. Getting beat like that is needed. Sometimes you walk around thinking that you’ve arrived. That was the biggest loss of my career as a coach and definitely what we needed as a program. I understand now (Mainland’s) attention to
South Jersey Glory Days photos/Sully
Trying to score against a defense filled with guys such as (from left) Jasiah Bullock, Rob Carstarphen, Nahmir Tucker, Ausar Heard and Ben Carter was a losing proposition for most teams when facing Winslow this season.
detail, how they work day in and day out. It’s not necessarily a scheme thing, it’s more of what they do on a day-to-day basis to get their kids prepared.”
Winslow attacked the offseason prior to the 2024 campaign the way piranhas attack their prey.
So did the Glassboro Bulldogs.
In 2023 they made it to the state championship, but lost to Mountain Lakes. The Bulldogs — who per-
haps have the most talented skill position players in Group I in the entire state — got to work on their own redemption tour, and they, too, capped it off with a 14-0 mark and a state championship.
See DOMINANT, Page 11
DECEMBER 2024 u SOUTH JERSEY GLORY
DOMINANT
, From Page 10
These two South Jersey programs are on the rise, and they dominated their competition from start to finish in 2024. Think about this — only Mainland and Highland scored more than eight points against Winslow the entire season, and those two teams lost by a combined 62 points. Glassboro was just as good, as the Bulldogs had five shutouts and held four other teams to less than 10 points. Glassboro also had two 1,000-yard quarterbacks and rushed for more than 2,500 yards. Kenny Smith, a senior transfer from Hammonton, had more than 1,800 yards and 23 touchdowns despite missing the first three games because of the transfer rule.
“We had some hiccups early this season, but against Salem, we ended up blowing that game open, 46-0. Seeing the plays that were made and how the boys were coming together, that was special to see,” said Bulldogs coach Timmy Breaker. “Kenny is a superb ball player, a gamer, for sure. He’s a hard-nosed kid and one of the hardest
workers I’ve seen. He has innate leadership abilities just by the example he sets, and vocally he helped the team a lot. It doesn’t hurt that he’s one of the best backs in New Jersey.
“They had a lot of experience coming back and they all had the same mentality to do one thing,” he continued.
“Adding Smith and seeing the camaraderie and brotherhood they built, all working toward the same thing, it was really special to see. They set goals for themselves throughout the offseason, and then you see it all come to fruition. They didn’t stop, they stayed locked in the entire year and that’s every coach’s dream.”
These two teams had a lot of similarities, not the least of which are young, passionate coaches who played at a high level and who have surrounded themselves with up-and-coming coaching talent. They are also home grown.
Belton starred at Winslow before heading to Penn State, while Breaker was a standout player at Glassboro before a
See DOMINANT, Page 12
Xavier Sabb is just a sophomore but already has more than 1,400 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns in his career.
DECEMBER 2024 u SOUTH JERSEY GLORY
, From Page 11
solid career at the University of Delaware.
“We have a group of coaches who are hungry to prove themselves across the board. We’re not a very old staff, we have a bunch of former college players who either worked for someone else or people told them that they weren’t good enough, or not ready (to be a head coach),” Belton said. “They never got a chance to showcase what they could do, so those guys are extremely hungry to prove their work to everybody, across the board. And I was extremely hungry to prove that I belonged (among the best coaches).”
Other teams were impressed with these two programs, as they beat some of the top squads in South Jersey.
“They were very good on both sides of the ball and had outstanding athletes,” said St. Augustine Prep coach Pete Lancetta, referring to Winslow. “They brought it every week and had a great year. They had a nice, simple running game, they spread you out and put you in a bind. Their quarterback (Jalen Parker) has great arm strength and touch to go along with that, and he can also pull it down and take off. They were solid all over.”
Both Belton and Breaker said being able to attack defenses in a variety of ways is what they wanted out of their offenses, and boy did the numbers prove that. Parker passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 43 touchdowns for Winslow, and the Eagles had four receivers with more than 400 yards and three running backs who rushed for better than 400 yards. Glassboro and Winslow combined to score 137 touchdowns.
“We wanted to be multifaceted and find different ways to get the ball into the hands of our playmakers. Having one of the best and most experienced offensive lines helped,” Breaker said. “Jayce Grays (6-2, 275) is a three-year starter, Tyler Bright (6-0, 235) and Kyle Williams (6-5, 285) were twoyears starters; Jordan Gravener (6-3, 280) was a four-year starter, and Amon Wright (6-4, 270) is one of the brightest young offensive linemen in the coun-
South Jersey Glory Days photos/Sully Cam Miller was one of the best all-around players in the state this season, as he had more than 700 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns to go along with 28 tackles and two interceptions as a defensive back.
try. Having those guys up front helped us a lot. We wanted to get our guys in space and let them work. I always tell people you can’t coach to the philosophy that you have, you coach to the philosophy of the kids you have. Having guys at the pinnacle of their level made this year so exciting.”
“The goal for our team was to put the best product out there. It doesn’t matter who has the hot hand, you have to be happy for your teammate, celebrate them because any game could be your game. You have to maintain focus and be ready when it’s your time. I think everybody got a piece of the pie this year because we were one of the few teams that had that many playmakers. It was special — across the board — and it’s amazing what a team can do when players are unselfish,” Belton added. “This senior class was one of the best in Winslow history. They won sectional and state championships. They wanted to go out with a bang, leave their legacy on this place, and
going through all the adversity allowed them to be the leaders that they needed to be for this team.”
Another similarity? Work ethic. The boys on both of these rosters put in the time and effort during the offseason to make sure they were ready to compete hard for 14 games.
“That Monday after the state championship they were ready to get in the weight room. I actually had to slow them down,” Breaker said. We took a week off and they were itching to get back at it. They don’t stop. We preach it all the time, that there’s a next level you can get to, there’s always more you can do. They feel disrespected as far as people saying we don’t play anyone, but these kids have played against the same kids on some of those top tier teams their whole lives. Just because we’re Group 1 doesn’t mean these kids didn’t play all those (Group 4 and Group 5) kids when they were younger. Football is football, and no matter where you put that pigskin, our
boys are ready to play, for sure. They will play against anybody. They are going to play hard, and they believe in the utmost of their abilities. They’ll accept the challenge from anybody in the state. They are hard-nosed kids and they play because they love football.”
“I thought we were going to be good, I just didn’t know how good. We did a great job defensively and each week we got better and we put together some great performances. It was definitely meant to be for us,” Belton added. “My first year we were 6-4 and had a bunch of injuries. We had a solid freshman class come in and our sophomore class was really good. We just had to continue to grind through that year, and the next year we came back and went 10-3. Those guys were a year older, got a lot better and put a lot of work in. Then we come back this year and go 14-0. It’s just a product of guys buying into what we’re doing as a program.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
FOOTBALL SENIOR SPOTLIGHT Change in direction
A lifelong basketball player, Camden Catholic senior Sean Welde will be headed to Villanova to play football
By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
Sean Welde is a basketball player at Camden Catholic High. In 28 games last season as a junior, he averaged six points per game and nearly six rebounds while leading the Irish to a 17win season that included a trip to the Camden County Tournament championship game and a berth in the state playoffs.
He scored in double digits in points four times, with a season-high 16 in a win over Paul VI in late January, and hit double digits in rebounds three times.
So, um, why is he going to college to play football?
Because he is 6-foot-6, 240 pounds.
Even Welde is a little shocked about the idea of suiting up in shoulder pads and a helmet at Villanova University next fall, considering the fact that he’s only been playing football for two seasons. In real time, he’s only been a football player for a year and some change, as his first experience on the gridiron came in August of 2023.
Irish coach Wayne Gilliam II said he wasn’t sure Welde would ever come out and play football for Camden Catholic, but he’s glad he did. The Irish went 9-2 this season, earning a berth in the stacked Non-Public B state playoff bracket. Camden Catholic went 3-7 last year and hadn’t made the playoffs since 2021, and Welde has been a big reason for the turnaround. The tight end had 262 receiving yards and four touchdowns, and on defense he had eight sacks and two fumble recoveries as a defensive end.
“When I first took the job we had an assembly and I called down for the football team and about 10 kids walked in. School had just dismissed and I just saw this tall, lanky, lumberjack-looking kid and I was like, ‘you need to play football.’ He took down my contact information and then was a ghost. Camp started in June, you don’t hear from Welde from June
South Jersey Glory Days photos/Sully
Camden Catholic senior tight end Sean Welde earned a scholarship offer to Villanova despite having played just two years of football in his entire life.
until the end of July. He comes out in August, so this kid has only been playing football for a little over a year,” Gilliam II said after a midseason win over Overbrook. “He’s a blessing to have. There aren’t many 6-foot-6 unicorns walking around these days, so to have him out there and putting in the work every day is a blessing. After a while, I was like, ‘man, forget this kid, I just have to coach what I have — all 20 of my kids that were out there with me at practice.’ Then you just see his tall, lumberjack self running down with the helmet and shoulder pads, and I was like, ‘yes! Finally.’”
“Our coaching staff is in its second year, and knowing after a rough season last year we had to come back all summer and work harder. We have young
guys who have to play and step up; just knowing everyone has to contribute,” said Welde, a Cherry Hill native who went to Cherry Hill East High as a freshman before transferring to Camden Catholic. “We don’t have a 100-man roster like some teams, so it’s ‘next man up.’ Freshmen are going to play and seniors are going to play. All summer we were putting in the work, and it’s showing.
“(Being successful) is a great feeling. Especially only winning three games last year, it’s a rewarding feeling.”
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, From Page 14
Gilliam II said that Welde’s impact on this football team has gone way beyond the stat sheet. He’s brought a winning mentality from the basketball program, and has shown younger guys how much hard work it takes to be a varsity standout in any sport.
“He’s been a great leader. He came with a little bit of edge because they were winning in basketball. He wasn’t used to losing, so the demand from him and Mike (Moritz, senior quarterback) and a couple of my other seniors has been extremely impactful,” Gilliam II said. “It just shows the level of hard work he puts in during the offseason. He wanted me to send his film out and he wanted harsh feedback, too. Everything that college coaches said as to why he didn’t have offers is what he went out and worked on. It’s crazy to think that when he first came out here
he couldn’t catch a ball over his shoulder, and seeing him catch that touchdown pass over his shoulder (against Overbrook) just shows how much he wants to work.
“He stays after (practice) to work on his craft. If he dropped five balls in practice, he’s going to go out and catch 10 more. It makes everyone else their best. In high school football, a lot of kids don’t look at football like that, they look at it like, hey, practice is done, it’s time to go home. Now, I have kids staying after to get extra reps,” he continued. “If they saw something where they got beat on film, they are staying after to work on it with their teammates to make sure things are getting executed when it’s time to play the games. Welde demands that. If he sees somebody dogging it, he makes them stay after. And even with his body treatment, him and a couple other kids, it’s crazy — it’s like the tub club, they are always getting ice baths. That
shows the level of care these kids have for their bodies and working on their craft.”
What makes Welde valuable to the coaching staff is they can point to him as an example of what a successful athlete looks like — somebody who is always willing to learn and wants to be challenged by the coaching staff.
“The coaches are teaching me every day and I’m still learning a lot of stuff,” he said. “I’d say I’m a raw player, not knowing everything, but I’m learning every day and trying to get better.”
The hard work and grind he’s been putting in the past year-plus has resulted in a college scholarship to an outstanding university, and that in and of itself is a crazy story. The basketball player who never played organized football in his life until his junior year of high school is now a football player who also plays some hoops.
“Coach saw me in the hallways, I was a basketball player, and he asked
me to play and I said, ‘sure.’ I’m very excited (to play at Villanova). It’s kind of surreal,” Welde said. “When coach told me (about the scholarship offer), I was kind of shocked. I didn’t believe him, to be honest. I thought he was lying to me. Villanova was my first offer and I have a couple family members who went there, so I committed right away.
“I was always a basketball player, that was my thing. I was always a big kid. It’s not that I never wanted to play (football), I just never did. I was always the long, tall kid who played basketball.
Said Gilliam, “I think it’s been amazing, because now our kids understand what we’ve been saying, that if you put in the hard work somebody is going to find you.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
Welde finished his career with nearly 400 receiving yards and six touchdowns despite playing in just two seasons for the Irish. He also had 10 sacks as a defensive lineman.
SOCCER/BASKETBALL Leading the way to the future
SALA providing a whole new concept in the world of private academy training and learning
By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
Parker Solowey remembers when he was a young kid, wanting to be so good at soccer that he would kick a ball against the walls inside his house for hours, sometimes waking up family members in the process. He didn’t have an outlet where he could go and train for three hours a day, while also going to school. Though he’s only 25 years old now, times have really changed in the last 10-to-15 years.
College coaches in many sports have turned to high level tournaments and academies to recruit talent. One of the newest is SALA — or Scholar Athletes Leadership Academy, which is comprised of multiple accredited school campuses offering specialized education and sports training for kids in grades 4 through 12. The SALA South campus is located in Pitman at the Total Turf Experience complex, run by Jerry McGough.
“We have 24 kids who have gone on to play professional soccer. This is a different world. I’m not sure there are a lot of schools like this — that’s an amazing statistic,” McGough said. “Are we at the IMG level? Not even close. Nor do we want to be — yet. We’ve made a huge investment to build walls to make a second story (at Total Turf Experience). We’re at capacity and ready to take it to the next level. We’re going to offer golf, we’re negotiating for field hockey.”
The SALA school at Total Turf has
really taken off in the last couple of years and features nearly two dozen soccer players and about a dozen or so basketball players, a lot of whom are currently at the eighth-grade level. What is SALA, and how is it different from kids playing high level club soccer or basketball?
Well, the competition is comparable to club level soccer or AAU basketball, but what makes SALA unique is it’s kind of a one-stop shop for high-level athletes, or those aspiring to be. Parents drop their kids off at around 8 a.m. and from there it’s anything but a typical middle school or high school day. Kids receive a couple hours of sports training — including things like yoga, strength and conditioning and recovery — then break for classes. After lunch there are more classes plus more sports training. Athletes at SALA are getting about 15 hours per week of specialized instruction, plus the online curriculum is supported by in-house teachers, meaning students can learn at their own pace while also getting hyper-focused help from a teacher whenever they need it. Kids are also asked to perform “leadership duties” which might include things like cleaning the classrooms, wiping down cafeteria tables, vacuuming, etc.
“We don’t play in a traditional season. What we’ll do is hand pick games that are good for our kids to showcase themselves,” said Solowey, SALA’s boys soccer coach and a Delsea Regional High graduate. “So we’ll play against the New York Red Bulls Acad-
South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully
The SALA South boys basketball team is coached by Adam Jones, son of former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers. Jones won several high school state championships during his time in Winter Park, Fla.
emy, local top academies, we’ll play against some of the top high schools, like St. Benedict’s Prep, which has been nationally ranked for about 10 straight years now; Christian Brothers Academy, Germantown Academy — we try to show them what the best high school teams and academies are like.
“We are essentially a one-stop shop with the educational piece we provide.”
“It’s unique vs. a traditional public school setting in that here the kids are self-paced in the curriculum. They have an online component that they work through, but at the same time we have education staff here, like myself, who do additional support with the kids,” said teacher Daniel Sloane, who holds a master’s degree in education. “We’re able to work with them in a 1-to-few or 1-to-1 setting where we are able to give them very targeted and tailored instruction that is specific to
that individual student’s needs. I have a seventh-grader who is highly advanced who is working on high school algebra. He’s advanced, he’s able to self-motivate and is able to work at a pace that is accelerated from some of his peers. I’m able to support him in that and he’s not held back in the classroom, where he might be in a traditional setting.
“And if we have a student who is struggling and needs extra support, I’m able to spend that time with them and really scaffold the instruction for them so that they are able to excel and succeed, where they might not have that kind of support in a traditional school in a setting of 30 students,” Sloane explained.
Including its founder, Samuel Gough,
DECEMBER 2024 u SOUTH JERSEY GLORY
SALA, From Page 16
SALA has 25 staff members, including teachers, coaches and support staff. It’s not for everyone, however, as it is more geared toward higher level athletes. The costs are similar to many private schools in South Jersey, in the $16,000 to $18,000 per year range.
“After 10,000 hours you become an expert at whatever you’re doing. Think about it this way — these kids train for three hours every day. (On a normal travel team) the schedule is they train two days a week, maybe play a few games on the weekends, then you start the new week over,” McGough said. “SALA students have three hours a day, 15 hours a week of that and in between all that they have school. (The book) ‘Outliers’ talks about those 10,000 hours, and what we experience from parents is, ‘wow, how did Parker get so good overnight?’ Well, he’s training for three hours a day, and it’s constant. And he’s also playing with folks around him (who are just as good).”
The basketball team at SALA South is coached by Adam Jones, son of former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers. He won multiple high school state championships while growing up in Winter Park, Fla., as well as a post-graduate school national championship.
“We push them in many different ways. We understand there are different skill levels, but we want them all to have accountability and discipline. If you are accountable and disciplined, that creates a really solid foundation for a basketball player,” Jones said. “I invite parents into the gym. I want them to see what we are working on and how we’re doing it. I tell parents that whatever their son’s goal is, it’s my job, with my experience, to try to get them to the highest level they want to get to. I do that on and off the court. Parents are going to hear from their kids when the kids get home about how I speak to them, my approach to the game — so they’ll get the overall picture by being in the gym and hearing about it from their kids.”
Jones and the other coaches say their goal is to get a kid to whatever level that player aspires to reach, whether it
The SALA boys soccer program has been highly successful, sending about two dozen players into the professional ranks throughout the years.
be NCAA Divisions I, II or III, or even to the professional level. They are also brutally honest, however, when educating young athletes on what it will take to get to those levels.
“The first question we ask before the season is, ‘how many of you want to go pro?’ And every kid raises their hand. Every kid. Then you ask, ‘how many of you are willing to do what it takes to go pro?’ They all still have their hand up,” he said. “Then, once you have that first practice and they see, some kids shy away from it and some kids embrace the fact that they can’t just be one dimensional (and want to just shoot the ball). Some kids get it. You have to work, day in and day out, and you have to earn everything here. No one is automatically a starter.”
“We want to meet every kid where they are at and show them what’s possible. We ask them what their No. 1 goal is. If it’s Division I, we help them get to that goal. If their goal is to go pro, we want to help them get there. We recognize that not everyone is going to go pro, but if you’re shooting for that and don’t make it, and fall to Division I, that’s still pretty good. If you’re shooting for Division I and don’t make it, but fall to Division III, you’re still one of the very few who are playing college sports,” Solowey said. “One of
“The students are receiving a much more enriching quality of instruction in a shorter amount of time.”
Daniel Sloane
SALA South teacher
(on the academy’s unique approach to learning)
the biggest challenges for us is somebody might come in here and say they want something, but they don’t necessarily know what it takes to get there. Sometimes that’s too tough, to come in here and train twice a day, every day, and that’s OK. Some people want the traditional school experience, but the ones who come here want the quality training and the individualized attention in the classroom. They stay because they understand the value.”
In terms of the scholastic side of things, kids are taking accredited classes so they are eligible to compete at the NCAA level once they graduate.
“We work off a curriculum based off the New Jersey state standards. It’s still a standards-based curriculum so they are still learning grade-level material — our goal is to prepare them, educationally, for what is next,” Sloane explained. “For some, that might be college, for some it might be the work force. Wherever they are going, we want them to be prepared with the same skills that their peers have coming out of a traditional school environment. If for some reason their sports aspirations don’t work out, they are still prepared to succeed at whatever they are going to do.
“The students are receiving a much more enriching quality of instruction in
a shorter amount of time. I can work with a student for 15 minutes and they are going to get a deeper level of instruction than if I were working in a classroom of 30 students for an hour,” Sloane continued. “And the other thing is, we’re teaching the whole student. We’re not just teaching math, we’re not just teaching basketball — we’re teaching them how to be better leaders, better athletes, better learners. That’s what is so incredible about the program. We’re not focused on one thing, we’re developing these students for what they want to become, and what skills they will need to become that.”
Solowey said it’s because of the people involved that SALA continues to grow, and he believes the sky is the limit for this type of school/athletics experience. In a sense, SALA provides a glimpse into what the future will be like for high-level student-athletes.
“When you look at the backgrounds of the ownership group and all the people here, that’s where the ‘L’ in SALA comes from, that leadership,” Solowey said. “I’ve been lucky enough to coach in seven different countries, Adam has played at a high level, Jerry has been very successful — I think all these like-minded people coming together and giving all this to the kids, that’s the reason I started here and why I’ll stay here. It’s so good for these kids to have a full, well-rounded, holistic experience and come out of here a better student, a better athlete and a better leader.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully
A lot to Offer Senior of the Month
There wasn’t much the Millville High football team couldn’t do with Marcus Offer at the center of everything
By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
The past four years, the Millville High football team recorded 44 wins against just eight losses. The Thunderbolts won a group championship (the year before New Jersey started playing down to overall state champions) in 2021, and the next season they beat Northern Highlands to win a state title.
They made it to three straight sectional championship games, winning twice, and were a touchdown away from playing for another state championship this fall.
To keep replicating that kind of success you need outstanding players who will do whatever it takes to win. In that regard, the Bolts’ center has a lot to offer.
Marcus Offer, that is.
South Jersey Glory Days’ Senior of the Month for December has been the glue that’s held together the offensive and defensive lines, and he spent his career snapping the ball to outstanding quarterbacks, including Nate Robbins, Jacob Zamot, and this year a sophomore, Robbie O’Connor. It’s no secret as to why those players have been so successful — they’ve had one of the best offensive linemen in the state protecting them.
“He’s a four-year starter and an amazing young man. He’s a first-team all-conference and first-team all-South Jersey guy, and a big part of this program. He’s been a part of sectional and state championships. He’s experienced
South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully
With Marcus Offer leading the way at center the past four years, the Millville High football team racked up nearly 20,000 total yards.
a heck of a high school football career. He’s our center, and our leader out there,” said current head coach Humberto Ayala, who was an assistant under Dennis Thomas when Offer came in as a freshman. “(Robbie) comes in his first year taking the reins at quarterback and has a center with that kind of
experience, a guy who can lead the line and understands everything that goes into it. You can’t ask for anything more than that.”
“When I came in as a freshman I wanted to be one of the very best in New Jersey. I set myself out to be that. I would say my career is definitely
what I expected it to be, but I believe I can always get better as a player,” said Offer. “The biggest thing I had to work on (early in my career) was my ability
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to pick up techniques and alignment. I did a lot of training, a lot of offseason training that translates onto the field. I believed that I could be a better player if I put everything that I learned into my performances. My (football) IQ got better, and my ability to read defenses.”
Offer is the total package — he’s smart (a 3.2 PGA), he’s humble, he’s a leader on both sides of the ball; and he has the size to be a force (6-foot-1, 275 pounds). With Offer leading the offensive line, Millville amassed nearly 20,000 yards of total offense the last four years. That’s not a misprint. In four years the Bolts have accumulated 19,119 yards.
“What people don’t know about Marcus is his motor and how hard he works, and how badly he wants to win on a consistent basis. When I call college coaches I’m like, ‘his motor is unreal.’ He doesn’t stop. He’s a kid you’re fortunate to have and you don’t ever have to worry about is he going to give me 100 percent today? That’s just not a question,” Ayala said. “I tell college coaches, listen, there are kids all over the country, but there’s a difference when you recruit a kid from a winning program because that kid knows what it takes to win. He understands how to compete.
“He’s the prime example of what it takes to compete at a high level on a consistent basis,” Ayala continued. “Marcus has seen every situation possible, he’s been through every moment possible, and from a young age, too. He’s a positive role model to our younger kids.”
Offer said he has thrived in that leadership role, and it has showed the past couple of years. Fans know that No. 53 is going to make an impact on each and every game he plays in, and that determination to show out for his hometown is contagious and inspiring to other players.
“It’s amazing being a team leader. That leadership role has been challenging at times when you’re dealing with different types of people, but I love taking charge of my team because I want to be a role model for the younger
kids,” said Offer, who posted on X in November that he earned his first college scholarship offer from West Virginia State University. “(The seniors) are who I looked to when I was a freshman, and I’m just happy I could be that type of leader. Being a role model to a younger group encourages them to become a better version of themselves, and then we can have great leaders for this program in the future.”
It’s not easy for everybody growing up in Millville, and a lot of Thunderbolt players go through some kind of adversity in their lives before even suiting up in the blue-and-orange. But as football players they already have learned to overcome adversity, and they keep doing it every year on the field.
“The hardest thing to overcome is the critics who say how bad the line was during some games if we lost or something like that. Just being blamed for something that you put your all into. But in the end we were getting a lot of praise from people,” said Offer, who led Millville to a 10-3 season that included a trip to the sectional championship game. “Our team faces adversity and whenever a challenge presents
itself to us, our coaches instill in our minds that going through adversity is a normal thing and the best thing to do is to take the challenge head on and play your hearts out. That’s what the captains on this team try to teach the younger group is that even though you might be in a bad situation, you can always push past it and get yourself in a better situation.”
“He’s done a lot in this city. He’s helped out with youth clinics and done camps with kids to give back. He comes from a good home and his parents did a great job instilling core values in him. He’s going to be a leader in life and excel. He’s just a quality kid,” Ayala said. “It makes life a heck of a lot easier anytime you have kids who understand what goes into it and how hard you have to work to be successful. When you have to fight for them to understand how hard they have to play, that’s a challenge. But in Millville, because of our standard and the culture that we’ve established — and him being a part of that and growing up in the youth circuit — you don’t have to fight those battles when the kids get to high school because they know what’s
expected of them when they get here. They want to leave their legacy and create their own history like everybody in the past has done.”
As for Offer and this year’s senior class and the legacy they’ll leave, well, that’s simple — they’ll be graduating as champions, and guys who set a new standard of excellence at Millville High.
“I think the legacy that this (2024) class is going to leave on this program is the most memorable thing. Obviously we won a state championship. We faced a lot of ups and downs the last four years but we’ve all been together and we came all the way from the youth program where we won championships, all the way up to high school, where we did it, too,” Offer said. “That’s what is most memorable to me — that we went from winning championships in the youth program to winning a state championship in high school. It shows we’re a winning program altogether.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully Offer also gets it done in the classroom, sporting a 3.2 grade-point average.
LEEDS BY EXAMPLE
PRESENTED BY LEEDS BUILDERS OF MARGATE
Team always first for Holy Spirit’s Abbott
(Editor’s note: Throughout the school year we’ll be bringing you feature stories about high school athletes who maybe aren’t the most vocal, but lead by example and have gained the respect of coaches, teammates and opponents by grinding it out year after year. We’re proud to partner with Leeds Builders of Margate to bring you these stories of outstanding young men and women throughout South Jersey.)
By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
Matt Abbott didn’t step onto a football field until he was about to enter eighth grade. The second day he put on the helmet and shoulder pads, he went out and broke a kid’s collar bone.
He thought, ‘well, I could get into this.’ Not that he wanted to hurt anybody, he just felt being able to actually get out there, be physical and hit people — and take hits — was way cooler than playing sandlot football.
Senior Matt Abbott was a Jack-of-all-trades this season for the Holy Spirit football team, playing everything from wide receiver to tight end to safety. He helped lead the Spartans to a 10-win season.
South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully
As a freshmen entering Holy Spirit High four years ago, Abbott was better than 6-feet tall but weighed just 140 pounds. Spartans head coach Andrew DiPasquale didn’t know what the heck to do with him. Was he a receiver? A tight end? A tall cornerback? So the Spartans’ staff just tried him out everywhere.
And he was athletic enough to play just about every position. He was a safety, but also a blocking tight end at the edge of the offensive line. He was Spirit’s Swiss Army knife.
“We didn’t really know what position Matt played when he came in, he was just a tall, skinny kid, and you put a tall, skinny kid at receiver because that’s just where tall, skinny kids go. But he’s a kid who will do anything to get on the field,” DiPasquale said. “He’s played wide receiver for us, tight end, safety. He went from the tall, skinny kid to an extension of the offensive line on a team that likes to run the ball. He’s been vital for us and he became a captain for us this year because he worked his ass off in the offseason. This summer we were talking about playing him at defensive end because he’s about 6-foot-4, and he
didn’t even hesitate. He ultimately ended up going back to safety, but I think we tried him in almost every position just because he was a kid who you had to have on the field.”
“I didn’t start playing until eighth grade. I came in late in the summer — I think the first scrimmage was my second day ever playing football, and I actually broke someone’s collar bone. I came in not knowing myself what I was going to do. I tried playing receiver and that ended up working out a little bit, but defensively I was kind of just moving around everywhere. This year, I was moving everywhere from linebacker to corner. I was on the D-line as well, which is nuts,” Abbott said. “I was always big into football, I knew everything about it, just never played. But then in eighth grade I did, and it was great for me. (Coming into high school) I expected just to be on the team, hopefully play. My mindset was to play, but fresh-
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ABBOTT, From Page 20
man year I was probably 140 pounds. I was a very skinny kid who was tall. I had a little bit of potential, and it panned out to where I started playing sophomore year, then junior and senior year I played full time.”
He’s no longer 140 pounds. The current senior is now 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and he helped lead Holy Spirit to a 10-2 record this fall. He finished with 12 catches for 237 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver, and on defense he really showed his versatility. He had 40 tackles, an interception, a fumble recover and 8.5 tackles-for-loss, including a pair of sacks. He could rush the passer from the edge or drop back into deep coverage on a wide receiver. He’ll graduate having put together a nice little high school football career for a kid who didn’t have any idea what the next four years would bring when he entered Holy Spirit four years ago.
“From eighth grade I was like, ‘this is pretty cool.’ I got the trust of the coaches and became the starting safety. From that point, I just always used my smarts to be able to make plays,” said Abbott, a Ventnor resident. “I was able to read everything, and I feel like that got me knowing that I could do it. It came very quickly and that’s why I was getting opportunities. In high school, I would get in there and know exactly what I’m doing. I wouldn’t do it as well as other guys, but I was able to do what I needed to do.”
What really separated Abbott from a lot of other guys was his willingness to do whatever it took to help the team — even if it meant taking himself out of the lineup.
DiPasquale said even he couldn’t believe when that happened earlier this season.
Abbott read something in the defense, but knew he wasn’t fast enough to make that particular play a big gainer. He knew somebody who was, though. Fellow receiver Emanuel Gerena.
“I understand that I’m not the fastest kid. I read something in the defense from my side of the field and I was like, ‘listen, put Emanuel in.’ He’s the fast-
“I’d be lying if I said I ever had a kid come off the field and say, ‘hey, put someone else in for me.’ I guarantee the kids knew he did that because there was no other play he was off the field for. That kind of stuff is contagious.”
Andrew DiPasquale Holy Spirit head coach
On Matt Abbott pulling himself from a game in favor of another player to get the best matchup for the team
est receiver on our team and I was like, ‘just run a hitch-and-go, that corner is bailing, chasing the inside vertical. Run it to Emanuel and he’ll score on that.’
And that’s what happened,” Abbott explained. “It’s always the team first. You obviously want to have good stats and look like the best player out there, but I was just like, ‘let’s get our best player out there to go make that play.’ Coach was like, ‘all right, let’s do it.’ And he did it, but he did seem a little shocked.”
“I found out what kind of kid he was. I forget what game it was, but he was out at receiver and he came over to the sideline and he told me I needed to get somebody faster than him at receiver on a certain route, because it could work every time. He said, ‘it won’t work if I do it because I’m not fast enough, but if we put (Gerena) in, it will work.’ I did it, and he was 100 percent right and we scored a touchdown. (Abbott) is entirely selfless and just wants to see the team succeed. I don’t know many kids who tell the coach to put someone else in because they can score. That moment told me everything I needed to know about Matt Abbott,” DiPasquale said. “That’s leading by example. I’d be lying if I said I ever had a kid come off the field and say, ‘hey, put someone else in for me.’ I guarantee the kids knew he did that because there was no other play he was off the field for. That kind of stuff is contagious, and it’s not something that even needs to be talked about, it’s just the standard here. It’s what we expect, and that’s what makes us so successful, kids like Matt.”
Another thing that separates Abbott from the average high school football
player? He’s also a businessman.
“He works his tail off in the weight room. He had a great offseason (coming into this year). He’s very similar to Nick Medina, he’s just a great kid to be around. Other kids gravitate toward him, he’s an awesome kid in the school. He started a powerwashing business in the offseason,” DiPasquale said. “He’s just a hard worker, comes from a great family. He has a younger brother, Ryan, who plays for us and his older sister, Maddie, was one of the best lacrosse players Holy Spirit has ever had. I’m excited to see what he chooses to do after high school. He’s one of those kids we’re really going to miss.”
Kids like Abbott have been the backbone of Holy Spirit football for decades — those kinds of players who may initially get overlooked because of their size (or lack thereof) but just get better
and work harder each year until they are standouts on the varsity level.
“It starts in the weight room. We were in there last December just building that mentality that we’re going to go out there and play whoever we’re going to play every week, and we’re going to beat them. We’re going to be more physical than them from start to finish,” Abbott explained. “The coaches preach that every single year when you walk into the weight room, they just talk about how we’re going to be the more physical team even if we don’t have the best players. We’re going to play harder than them, and that’s the biggest aspect of the game.”
“Football is more mental than anything else. We want to play the best teams, because we want to be the best. We believe we can win those games. It has nothing to do with size,” DiPasquale said. “I don’t know the last time we went into a game where we were bigger up front or had more skill on the outside, but there’s never been a time when we came off the field and I didn’t think we played our butts off and gave them everything we had. That’s just the mentality we have — it doesn’t matter who lines up against us, we’re going to give you everything we’ve got and you can either stop us or you can’t. And when your captains have that mentality, good things are going to happen.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
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South Jersey Glory Days photos/Sully
