Salem football shuts out Penns Grove, 12-0

  • 10/04 - 12:00 PM FootballFinal
    Salem 12
    Penns Grove 0
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PENNS GROVE -- Last season, the Salem High Rams were eliminated from the playoffs by Penns Grove. On Saturday, the Rams got a measure of revenge.

The Rams defense shut down the Red Devils, allowing fewer than 100 yards of total offense, and kept Penns Grove from getting anywhere near the end zone as Salem won, 12-0.

"The defense was perfect," Salem senior defensive back Shamal Hayward said. "Any time you can shut somebody out, it's a good feeling. We did what we were supposed to do and executed."

A key defensive moment came immediately after a Salem punt early in the fourth quarter. With Salem leading, 12-0, Hayward undercut the wide receiver on a pass from Penns Grove quarterback Bri Ridgeway on the first play of the drive. The play was huge because the Rams would get the back and hold it for the remainder of the game.

Salem had extra motivation after losing to Penns Grove in the playoffs last season.

"We came in with a chip on our shoulders saying you know what, we have to prove we aren't pushovers anymore," Salem coach Dennis Thomas said. "This is a different Salem team."

The message was well-received. The Rams gave up only 76 yards on 22 carries and completely suffocated the passing game, allowing only 12 yards on seven attempts (four completions). The defense also sacked Ridgeway twice.

The Rams' first points came in the second quarter when a 14-yard pass from junior quarterback Shareef Jeffries to wide receiver Levi Shockley put the Rams ahead, 6-0. In the second half, sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor had a 65-yard touchdown run on a draw that he cut to the outside. Taylor torched the Red Devils defense for 124 yards on 17 carries.

"They thought they were the team to beat and they were going to get an easy win against us," Hayward said. "But we took what we learned in practice and executed it during the game."

Thomas said it was the first time this season that Salem executed everything according to the game plan. Last week against Gloucester City, the defense gave up 24 points in a loss.

Thomas stressed the word "effort" to his team in practice the past week.

"We watched the film and saw we weren't giving effort last week," Thomas said. "Today was a different story. We had guys out there giving 100-percent effort. That's what it's about. That's what this game is about."

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