South Jersey Sports Weekly is a publication that launched in April. It’s produced by Sun Newspapers and appears in the physical copy within the Suns throughout South Jersey (in Moorestown, Medford, Cherry Hill, Washington Township, Deptford, etc). each Wednesday. Most of the content also appears online. The weekly, online notebook will provide you with even more of the content within SJSW’s physical pages.
It’s officially after Labor Day, which means two things: you can’t wear white (unless you’re a sports team?) and high school sports are back in action in South Jersey.
Schools all across Camden, Gloucester, and Burlington Counties opened for their respective first days of the 2019-20 school year on Tuesday and their sports programs wasted little time getting their first official games of the season in on a picture perfect afternoon.
Washington Township’s girls soccer team hosted Williamstown and received a standout performance by senior Giovanna Castorina. One of three Castorina sisters on the Minutemaids roster, Giovanna recorded a hat trick in Township’s 4-2 victory over the Braves.
If you’ve been checking this website regularly or read the physical Sun Newspaper that comes in your mailbox each week, you’re probably all caught up on South Jersey Sports Weekly special, two-week Fall Sports Preview Issues. If not, we’re here to help you get caught up.
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Fall Sports Preview
Since our Fall Sports Preview ran over the course of two weeks, there are not one but two Fall Sports Preview cover stories.
The first one is a look into one of the state’s top high schools for sports: Moorestown High School. The Quakers won six state titles and nine sectional crowns last school year, and this wasn’t an anomaly: their programs are regularly hoisting trophies.
We talked with students, coaches, and school officials about what makes the athletic programs so success at Moorestown High.
The second SJSW Fall Preview cover story features one of the state’s top athletes, Delran senior R.J. Moten, who recently committed to the University of Michigan, where he’ll play football and baseball.
With a photo nod to someone who did the football-baseball combo pretty well a quarter century ago, we spoke with Moten, along with coaches from both Delran and Cinnaminson, about the rivalry game the dynamic back and the rivalry teams will play to open the South Jersey football season this Friday. Moten and his teammates are eager to “Burn the Ships.”
The two-week Fall Preview was chock full of stories from across the South Jersey high school sports scene.
- We spoke with one of last season’s breakout athletes, Shawnee High School quarterback Matt Welsey, for a one-on-one prior to the beginning of his sophomore season.
- Seneca boys soccer won a sectional title last year and, despite losing a large chunk of the team to graduation, the Golden Eagles are eager to make another run.
- Bishop Eustace field hockey is taking this field this fall minus nine starters from last year’s standout squad. But with two state titles in the last seven years, expectations remain high for the Crusaders.
- Williamstown High School’s cross country team will receive a boost this fall: incoming freshman Alexa Fisher is one of the top tri-athletes in South Jersey.
- GCIT’s volleyball team is short on varsity experience as a whole, but has a talented leader in senior Taylor Downing who should help mold the Cheetahs into a successful team in ’19.
- Clearview Regional junior Anas Bensaoud is only halfway through his high school career and has big goals in mind after finishing as one of the top underclassmen at the 2018 Meet of Champions.
- Cherry Hill East’s girls tennis program won four straight state titles from 2001-04. Senior Pallavi Goculdas is eager to lead an experiences and talented Cougars team to bigger goals after last year’s sectional title.
- Shawnee’s girls soccer team was minutes way from upsetting Eastern en route to a South Jersey championship last fall. The experience Renegades are back and ready to make another run in ’19.
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Games to Watch
Wednesday, Sept. 4 – Tuesday, Sept. 10
Wednesday, Sept. 4
Field Hockey: Haddonfield at Collingswood, 3:45 p.m.
Boys Soccer: Moorestown at Burlington Twp., 3:45 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 5
Girls Volleyball: Williamstown at Washington Twp., 3:45 p.m.
Girls Soccer: Bishop Eustace at Seneca, 3:45 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 6
Football: Cinnaminson at Delran, 7 p.m.
Football: Clearview vs. Kingsway, 7 p.m. at Rowan University
Saturday, Sept. 7
Cross Country: Cherokee Challenge, 9 a.m. at Cherokee HS
Girls Soccer: Washington Twp. at Eastern, 10 a.m.
Monday, Sept. 9
Boys Soccer: Delsea at Deptford, 4 p.m.
Girls Tennis: Rancocas Valley at Moorestown, 3:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 10
Girls Soccer: Bishop Eustace vs. Cherry Hill East, 3:45 p.m. at DeCou Field Complex
Field Hockey: Lenape at Seneca, 3:45 p.m.
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Scenes from Opening Day
As we mentioned above, Washington Township opened the 2019-20 school year with a 4-2 win over Williamstown in girls soccer.
Scenes from Scrimmages
Clearview played host to Deptford in a preseason primer last week before the regular season got underway. Clearview opens the 2019 schedule vs. Kingsway at Rowan University on Friday night while the Spartans kick off their season at Cherry Hill East on Thursday.
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