Penns Grove suspends football coach

The Penns Grove football team will play in the South Jersey Group 1 semifinals on Friday without coach Kemp Carr.

Carr has been "suspended with pay," pending investigation of a possible violation of the student code by a Penns Grove player, according to Penns Grove-Carneys Point school district superintendent Joseph Massare.

Massare said Tuesday that assistant coach John Emel would serve as head coach on an interim basis.

Massare said the board of education would hold a hearing on Carr's status at 5 p.m. Monday.

"We want to have a full investigation and allow for due process," Massare said.

Massare said Carr has been suspended with pay from his position as a physical education teacher at Penns Grove.

Carr also serves as head coach of the Penns Grove boys' basketball team. Massare said Carr's status as basketball coach was "still to be determined."

Carr could not be reached for comment.

Massare declined to comment on the nature of the possible violation of the student code or on Carr's actions that led to his suspension.

Two sources close to the Penns Grove program said that the situation centers on a player who was involved in a fight but was allowed to participate in Saturday's 36-8 victory over Paulsboro in the first round of the South Jersey Group 1 tournament.

NJSIAA executive director Steve Timko said the situation was an "internal matter" for Penns Grove and would not impact the Red Devils' victory over Paulsboro.

Penns Grove (6-3), the No. 5 seed, will visit top-seeded Pennsville (9-0) in the sectional semifinals Friday.

Penns Grove was barred from participating in the tournament last season because three players were ejected from a game. Under NJSIAA rules, any team that has three players ejected during a season is ineligible to participate in the tournament.

Contact staff writer Phil Anastasia at 856-779-3223, panastasia@phillynews.com, or @PhilAnastasia on Twitter. Read his blog, "Jersey Side Sports," at www.philly.com/jerseysidesports