Football finals 2014: Salem happy with season after loss to Paulsboro

  • 12/06 - 12:00 AM FootballFinal
    Salem 0
    Paulsboro 21
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GLASSBORO - It was just two years ago that the Salem High School football team posted an 0-10 mark.

Then Dennis Thomas took the helm.

The Rams made a Group I semifinal playoff appearance last season and appeared in Saturday's NJSIAA/Sports Care Institute South Jersey Group I final against Paulsboro.

The game got away from Salem, as Paulsboro earned a 21-0 championship victory, but the Rams had opportunities, including three drives that ended in Paulsboro territory - one which ended with a fumble in the red zone.

"I did (get the poor weather)," Thomas, the Rams head coach, said after the loss. "We did (get turnovers). But we gave the ball away twice.

"You can't turn the ball over, especially in the red zone. We had our chances and we didn't score. One of the things we talked about was turnover ratio.

"We moved the ball well and we didn't score points."

Rams senior running back - and D-I recruit - Dione Alston was responsible for a majority of Salem's offense. Alston carried the ball 24 times for 80 yards, with the Rams gaining just 115 yards total on the afternoon.

It's the end of a stellar season for Alston, who ran for 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns this year and will be headed to Albany next season.

"Hopefully things keep taking a step in the right direction," Thomas said. "We got a guy going D-I, a guy going D-II and a few kids going to play D-III."

The loss ends the best two-year stretch for Salem football in recent history, as the team has posted a 13-10 record combined with an 8-4 mark this season.

"Everyone keeps getting better in our conference," Thomas said. "We can take the next step, but it depends on a lot of things, it's not a gimme."

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