GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP - The St. Joseph and Absegami high school softball teams are both young, but beyond that the two teams don't have a lot of similarities.

St. Joseph, all non-seniors, returned many varsity letter winners and a strong lineup this spring. Absegami, which lost seven starters to graduation, is rebuilding.

St. Joseph sophomore Dominique D'Andrea pitched a two-h…

ATLANTIC CITY — The Wildwood Catholic High School boys basketball team turned a 13-point deficit into a lopsided win Saturday, beating Absegami 62-39 at the Battle by the Bay.

The Crusaders trailed 29-16 with just more than two minutes to go in the first half.

They closed the half on a 10-0 run and then outscored Absegami 36-10 in the second half.

The win was a big …

WEST LONG BRANCH - With the final seconds of his high school career ticking off the clock, Dayshawn Reynolds of the Atlantic City boys basketball team chased ball-handlers to try to make a steal Friday night.

"If there's time on the clock, we can still win," Reynolds said. "We fight till the end. That's all that matters."

Time finally ran out on the Vikings.

Atlanti…

The Atlantic City High School boys basketball team is in the midst of its own exhilarating version of March Madness.

Heading into tonight's Tournament of Champions second-round game against St. Joseph Metchen, the Vikings have overcome second-half deficits in four of their six postseason wins this season. Two of the games have gone to overtime.

Here's a look at Atlantic Ci…

Bridgeton resident Dominique Williams was rewarded for his stellar 2012 football season Friday when he was named to the College Sports Journal's FCS All-American team.

Williams, a junior running back for Wagner College, is the only Northeast Conference player on the 63-man team (FCS teams have 63 scholarships).

Williams ran for 1,228 yards this season as the Seahawks reach…

Motivation is not something the Bridgeton High School girls basketball team lacks.

This year, neither is experience. The Bulldogs return all of its key players and welcome some new additions.

In her second season at Bridgeton, coach Audrey Carter said her squad will benefit from quickness and teamwork. The Bulldogs do not rely on one playmaker and will see contributions fr…

Perhaps the strangest eight-day stretch in the history of the Buena Regional High School wrestling program came to an end after an off-the-mat reversal of sorts.

Doug Castellari, who was fired as head coach of the Buena wrestling team Feb. 11, was reinstated by athletic director Dave Albertson on Tuesday afternoon.

Castellari will coach the team through the upcoming Distri…

Favorite athlete?

MMA fighter Frankie Edgar from Toms River. He's a Jersey guy and tough as nails.

If the TV is on, I'm watching …

"Ridiculousness"

For the last two years, the Egg Harbor Township High School girls track and field team has been slightly overlooked.

However this season, the team plans on using that as fuel to help show it is a team worth recognizing.

“We definitely see it as motivational,” senior captain Lola Agabalogun said in a phone interview Monday. “It helps us want to prove the other teams wrong a…

ATLANTIC CITY - The Egg Harbor Township High School girls basketball team led only once against Atlantic City on Monday in their Cape-Atlantic League American Division game.

But that was the last score of the game.

EHT's Emily Baker hit the winning basket with 25 seconds left to put Egg Harbor Township ahead 44-43. The basket was the finishing touch of a f…

David Williams says he’s ready to work.

“I want to be a champion,” Williams said.

The Hammonton High School senior has decided to try to make that goal a reality at Bloomsburg University. Williams committed to wrestle for the Pennsylvania school’s Division I program on a partial athletic scholarship

“I’m really excited,” Williams said. “This is what I’ve always want…

The Timber Creek High School boys basketball team pulled away to a 60-35 win over host Hammonton in a South Jersey Group III semifinal game on Saturday. Hammonton (21-7) was the top seed.

Christian Mortellite led host Hammonton with 13 points. The Blue Devils trailed 29-19 at halftime and Timber Creek outscored Hammonton 15-7 in the third quarter.

Sameen Swint topped the C…

ABSECON - A young Egg Harbor Township High School baseball team needed a few innings to gain its confidence Tuesday afternoon.

The Eagles rallied to beat Holy Spirit 7-6 in eight innings in the season opener for both Cape-Atlantic League American Conference teams. EHT trailed 6-1 after five innings.

The Eagles sprinted off the field as if they had won a playoff game after …

The Holy Spirit High School girls basketball team's storied season came to an end Thursday.

The Spartans fell behind St. John Vianney by double digits in the second quarter and could never catch up. St. John Vianney beat Holy Spirit 64-41 in a South Jersey Non-Public A quarterfinal game.

The loss was tough for coach Dennis Smith, who took over the program three years ago. …

The Lower Cape May Regional High School contingent could have fit into a car for the trip up the Garden State Parkway to the state individual wrestling championships at Boardwalk Hall this weekend.

But the Caper Tigers' three state qualifiers were not about to abandon their bus for the biggest event of their careers. More importantly, they weren't about to abandon the driver of t…

LOWER TOWNSHIP - The Lower Cape May Regional High School girls basketball team picked a great time to play its best game of the season.

The eighth-seeded Caper-Tigers dominated ninth-seeded Deptford from the outset to earn a 72-46 victory in the opening round of the South Jersey Group II tournament Monday night.

But they can't celebrate for long.

Lo…

Mainland Regional High School senior Ryan Brenner likes the football and education at Wagner College.

Brenner, a three-year starter for Mainland, has committed to Wagner in Staten Island, N.Y., and will be an outside linebacker for the Seahawks. He'll receive a partial academic scholarship, but could earn an athletic scholarship if he gets playing time.

"They recruited me,…

The Mainland Regional and Atlantic City High School girls swimming teams will be in familiar territory today and Thursday at Gloucester County Institute of Technology.

The top-seeded Mustangs (11-1-1) will compete in their third straight sectional final 6:30 p.m. today against second-seeded Haddonfield (9-2) in a South Jersey Public B final.

Meanwhile, Atlantic City, the N…

VINELAND — Middle Township High School senior twins Jeremy and Zack Novick have shared many accomplishments in their 18 years together.

Add a Cape-Atlantic League individual singles title to the list.

Jeremy Novick, the Panthers’ No. 1 singles player, defeated Vineland senior Rahi Patel 6-0, 6-1 on Thursday at Vineland High School.

Zack Novick was the defending cham…

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE - The Middle Township High School boys basketball team seemed destined to win Friday night.

With the right to host the South Jersey Group II title game on the line, the Panthers played a sloppy game against Medford Tech but still managed to tie it with five straight points in the final minutes.

Tom Catanoso scored, Jacob Cowan stole the ball in the bac…

ABSECON - Gina Lewis was emotional as she spoke to her teammates Friday night.

In a postgame meeting in the locker room, the Holy Spirit High School senior expressed overwhelming pride about the Spartans girls basketball team and its spectacular efforts. Her teammates gave her much to admire.

Holy Spirit defeated Millville 68-40 in a first- round game of the Cape-Atlantic …

The sound of a bouncing basketball or of a shot clanging off the rim reverberated around the gym when the Millville High School girls basketball team played at home from 2008 to 2010.

Few fans sat in the stands. Silence dominated. Teams on 55-game losing streaks don't draw big, enthusiastic crowds.

"It was kind of boring," said Ashli Weems, a senior center and a four-year …

Cedar Creek High School senior Michelina Hesse celebrated her 18th birthday over winter break.

She rang in the new year with her friends. She played in yet another holiday basketball tournament, just as she's done every year.

However, this winter break was unlike any Hesse had in the past. Hesse and her Cedar Creek girls basketball teammates were among four local teams tha…

WILDWOOD — Oakcrest High School’s Kanesha Foster scored all 11 of her team’s points in the third quarter against Rob-binsville at the Boardwalk Basketball Classic at the Wildwoods Convention Center on Wednesday.

Three of Foster’s field goals in the quarter came after she stole the ball.

It appeared at the time that the 5-foot-9 junior guard would lead the …

Julia Duggan hoisted the state Group III girls basketball trophy over her head March 10.

The Ocean City High School senior stood in the center of her teammates as they celebrated the first state championship in program history. The 6-foot-2 center was an integral part of their unprecedented postseason run that ended in a 50-37 win over Jefferson Township in the Group III final.

Coach Paul Baruffi of the Ocean City High School girls basketball team devised a simple game plan for tonight's Tournament of Champions quarterfinal game.

The sixth-seeded Red Raiders will play third-seeded Red Bank Catholic at 8 o'clock at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River. The winner advances to Thursday's TOC semifinals against second-seeded Rancocas Valley. The TOC features the s…

MAYS LANDING - Armin Cane didn't have many options after graduating from Pleasantville High School two years ago.

The 6-foot-1 guard was lightly recruited by NCAA basketball programs but didn't receive any scholarship offers.

"Nobody would give me a chance," he said.

Cane is on his way to earning that chance.

ATLANTIC CITY - The Battle by the Bay finale between the Atlantic City and Pleasantville high school boys basketball teams is usually one of the highlights on the season.

Not this year.

Both teams probably would like to forget Sunday's Battle by the Bay finale.

Atlantic City beat Pleasantville 61-39 in a ho-hum game that had none of the thrills of past Battle by the…

VOORHEES - Saturday's first-round Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic game between St. Augustine Prep and Eastern could just have easily been the final.

The Hermits are No. 3 in The Press Elite 11, the Vikings No. 4.

Each team was considered to be among the favorites to win the prestigious 16-team invitational tournament.

Weather turned the contest into a home game at the …

BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - Blake Rossell played like a starter Thursday night.

The senior forward came off the bench to score 15 points to spark the St. Augustine Prep boys basketball team to a 60-48 win over Christian Brothers Academy in a South Jersey Non-Public A quarterfinal.

The third-seeded Hermits (23-5) will play second-seed and defending state champion St. Joseph Metu…

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP - The St. Joseph and Absegami high school softball teams are both young, but beyond that the two teams don't have a lot of similarities.

St. Joseph, all non-seniors, returned many varsity letter winners and a strong lineup this spring. Absegami, which lost seven starters to graduation, is rebuilding.

St. Joseph sophomore Dominique D'Andrea pitched a two-h…

EGG HARBOR CITY - St. Joseph High School boys basketball forward B.J. Mitchell and his teammates eased some recent bad memories with a 70-69 win over host Cedar Creek on Monday.

Mitchell, a sophomore, scored St. Joe's last six points in the final minute, including the game-winning free throw with no time left on the clock.

Mitchell's score off a rebound of Val Vadino's mis…

The Vineland High School swim teams are taking a road trip on Saturday - a much longer one than usual.

Instead of traveling 30 miles north for the South Jersey Interscholastic Swimming Association Coaches Invitational at Gloucester County Institute of Technology in Sewell, the Fighting Clan boys and girls teams will swim at the Eastern States Invitational at the Nassau County Aqu…

BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - Thursday night marked the first time Bill Ward coached the St. Augustine Prep wrestling team in a dual match in 21 years.

Ward's return was a success.

The Hermits dominated from start to finish in a 53-12 win against Vineland in a Cape-Atlantic League American Conference match.

Ward took over as head coach at the Prep this season after spendin…

ATLANTIC CITY — Lamar Thomas felt his heart beating quickly Wednesday night.

He probably wasn’t the only one connected to the Atlantic City High School boys basketball team with heart palpations.

“My heart was pounding,” the Vikings freshman said, “but I wasn’t going to let it stop me from doing what I do.”

Thomas sank two critical 3-pointers in the…

TOMS RIVER - The Southern Regional High School wrestling team failed to accomplish its ultimate goal Aunday, but that doesn't mean the trip to the Pine Belt Arena in Toms River was a wasted one.

The South Jersey Group IV champion Rams lost 34-27 to Shore Conference A-South rival Brick Memorial in the state Group IV championship after beating Hunterdon Central 33-24 in the semifin…

The Barnegat High School boys basketball team returns just one player from last season.

However, the Bengals' program as a whole is growing. Last year's 17-9 campaign, which included the team's first-ever playoff victory, has drawn attention to the team.

Erik Mazur has coached the Bengals since their inaugural varsity season began in 2006. The school opened in 2004.

The Barnegat High School football team evened its record at 5-5 with a 49-0 rout over host Pinelands Regional on Wednesday in the teams’ third annual Thanksgiving game.

A.J. Opre led the Bengals with three rushing touchdowns, including scores of 99 and 85 yards. Barnegat had a 36-point lead going into the half.

Chris Stoma, Ryan Ulrich, Pat Moran and Kevin Hoffman also sco…

Cheri Caravano, the new coach of the Lacey Township High School girls team, wants the Lions opponents to remember playing Lacey this season.

"I'm looking for improvement from game to game," she said. "I want to end each game regardless of wins or losses with teams saying, 'Wow, that's a tough team.' "

Caravano is a product of one the state's premier girls basketball progra…

LACEY TOWNSHIP - Running back Ray Lawry of the Kingsway Regional High School football team broke into the clear on his way to the end zone late in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon.

The Kingsway fans began to roar. The Lacey Township fans began a quiet walk to the parking lot.

Lawry's 34-yard touchdown with 1 minute, 53 seconds left clinched the Dragon…

A lot of new faces will be sitting on the bench of the Pinelands Regional High School girls basketball team this year.

With just three returning starters, the Wildcats have almost 10 newcomers that are expected to contribute.

Some of the newcomers are from the junior-varsity program. One player, Stephanie Healy, has transferred back to Pinelands, and another player, Gabby …

The Barnegat High School football team evened its record at 5-5 with a 49-0 rout over host Pinelands Regional on Wednesday in the teams’ third annual Thanksgiving game.

A.J. Opre led the Bengals with three rushing touchdowns, including scores of 99 and 85 yards. Barnegat had a 36-point lead going into the half.

Chris Stoma, Ryan Ulrich, Pat Moran and Kevin Hoffman also sco…

WILDWOOD - Wildwood High School girls basketball coach Dave Troiano spent his 890th game Tuesday pacing the sideline with the same energy and intensity he displayed in the first game of his career 35 seasons ago.

He barked plays against Cape May Tech with a booming voice that has been heard in Wildwood's tiny gym since 1977.

The 65-year-old implored the Warriors to maintai…

Wildwood High School junior girls basketball player Jessica Freeman hit two foul shots with 3 minutes, 52 seconds left in the first quarter to pass the 1,000 career-point mark in a 52-25 win over visiting Clayton on Tuesday in a Tri-County Conference game.

Freeman, who needed seven points prior to the game, scored 15 points to give her 1,008 for her career. She is the seventh pla…

The Cumberland Regional High School girls basketball team must replace one of the top players in school history.

Lauren Whelan, a 1,000-point career scorer, graduated last spring.

She now plays soccer and basketball for Rosemont College, a Division III school in Pennsylvania. The Colts must replace her scoring this season.

"We have to find scoring," Cumberland coach…

Why this game is special: This rivalry began in 2002 and has a neighborhood feel. The schools are located a short drive from each other. Schalick won 7-0 last year.

Cumberland update: The Colts come off a 28-7 win over Ocean City in a consolation game. Cumberland has won three of its last four games. Runing back De'Han Milledge has rushed 169 times for 1,087 yards and nine touchd…