Camden Catholic

Camden Catholic senior Shannon McCormick scored three goals in the first half on Thursday afternoon, and it appeared that, once again, the Irish would ease to victory over Collingswood in girls' lacrosse. The Panthers defense clamped down in the second half, though, and it wasn't until the second overtime when McCormick's fourth goal found the net that sixth-seeded Camden Catholic eked out a 9-8 win over No. 11 Collingswood in a South Jersey Group 1 first-round game. McCormick ripped the game-winner after beating her defender to the right.

Brittany Snow was walking to the bench in Thursday's win over Cherry Hill West when she noticed some unusual stares coming from her coaches and teammates. "They looked at me and said, 'What happened? It looks like you have a third eye,' " Snow said. "I didn't even know. I had no idea my eye was that swollen. I honestly didn't know I had a black eye. " That about sums up the 6-foot center of the Seneca girls' basketball team. Snow also broke the school's scoring record of 1,075 career points on Thursday.

Colan Miller waited his whole career for Camden Catholic to push into South Jersey baseball prominence. Maybe that's why the senior righthander worked so quickly and efficiently in Saturday's Diamond Classic quarterfinals. Miller pitched a three-hitter with five strikeouts as Camden Catholic beat Pitman, 2-1, in a game that took just 74 minutes at Washington Township. "The tempo was perfect for me," Miller said. "I love to work fast. " With the victory, Camden Catholic (16-8)

Jarred Alwan scored his fourth touchdown of the game to lift No. 6 seed Camden Catholic over third-seeded Pope John XXIII, 28-21, Saturday in a Non-Public 3 quarterfinal football game in Sparta. Alwan's game-winning TD came on a 1-yard run with about 21/2 minutes remaining. The Irish running back feasted in the red zone, scoring from 6 yards twice in the second quarter and 9 yards in the third. He finished the game with 240 yards on 31 carries. Camden Catholic freshman quarterback Tyree Rodgers was 3-for-7 passing for 29 yards.

Last week was a battle of big plays on a dry, fast track. This week was mud wrestling. The conditions couldn't have been more different, but the result was the same for the Camden Catholic football team. The Irish overcame the elements as well as a serious challenge from Moorestown en route to a 21-10 victory Saturday in a West Jersey Football League Constitution Division game. Senior Pete Galiano threw two touchdown passes to senior tight end Andrew Racobaldo, and junior Jarred Alwan ran for another score for Camden Catholic (7-0, 3-0)

From Paulsboro snapping Absegami's 103-match unbeaten streak to the state-championship celebration of Washington Township's John Price, there was nothing boring about South Jersey wrestling this season. South Jersey boasted five NJSIAA state champions, five silver medalists and two third-place finishers in last weekend's individual tournament. At February's team championships, Camden Catholic (Parochial A) and Paulsboro (Group 2) won state titles and Holy Cross (Parochial B)

Just before Camden Catholic's Olympic Conference clash with Paul VI, softball coach Mavreen Hering thought the Irish needed a team meeting. "We've been struggling with the bats. We've been struggling on all cylinders," Hering said. "We had a team meeting. We talked about what we wanted to do. " The talk certainly paid off. Camden Catholic came out firing on Friday, scoring six runs in the first inning to spark a 19-3 win at Paul VI. The game was called after five innings because of the 10-run rule.

BASEBALL Team Record Last week's rankings in parentheses. 1. Washington Township (2) 21-5 In their 12-game winning streak, the Minutemen have outscored opponents by 106-36. 2. St. Augustine Prep (5) 16-6 Junior Zach Warren is 5-1 with a 1.20 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 402/3 innings. 3. Bishop Eustace (4) 19-7 Junior first baseman Dan Marano had a pair of RBIs in a 4-3 loss to Camden Catholic in the Diamond Classic semifinals on Sunday. 4. Eastern (1)

Baseball DIAMOND CLASSIC SEMIFINALS Washington Township 14, Vineland 2 Camden Catholic 4, Bishop Eustace 3 DIAMOND CLASSIC FINAL Washington Township 14, Camden Catholic 1 Baseball CAPE-ATLANTIC LEAGUE NATIONAL Pleasantville at Bridgeton, 4 NONLEAGUE LEAP Academy at Medford Tech, 3:45 Vineland at Salem, 4 Camden Academy Charter at Clayton, 4 Oakcrest at St. Joseph, 4 Woodstown at Highland, 4 ...

It took one road trip for Demola Onifade to astound his new basketball teammates and coaches. But it was nothing that the 16-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria, did on the court. "We're together as a team, back at the hotel," said Rob DePersia, a local attorney who is the coach of Team Speed, an AAU squad that features top teenage players from South Jersey. "Demola said, 'I have to go and study.' He went and did his homework twice. "He has that inner drive. That's why he's going to be great.

Colan Miller waited his whole career for Camden Catholic to push into South Jersey baseball prominence. Maybe that's why the senior righthander worked so quickly and efficiently in Saturday's Diamond Classic quarterfinals. Miller pitched a three-hitter with five strikeouts as Camden Catholic beat Pitman, 2-1, in a game that took just 74 minutes at Washington Township. "The tempo was perfect for me," Miller said. "I love to work fast. " With the victory, Camden Catholic (16-8)

This is the team that they all saw when they closed their eyes in the winter. Now it's late spring, and Washington Township is everything they imagined, and maybe a little more. "We're trying to make history," Washington Township senior catcher Ryan Long said after the Minutemen completed a remarkable tour de force on Sunday with a pair of imposing victories in the semifinals and finals of the 40th annual Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic. Long was 3 for 4 with a pair of triples, and senior third baseman Tom Hildebrand was 3 for 4 with four RBIs as Washington Township beat Camden Catholic, 14-1, in the championship game Sunday night at Eastern.

Camden Catholic senior righthander Colan Miller looks back at the Diamond Classic victory against Pitman. www.philly.com/ rallyvideos

Camden Catholic senior Shannon McCormick scored three goals in the first half on Thursday afternoon, and it appeared that, once again, the Irish would ease to victory over Collingswood in girls' lacrosse. The Panthers defense clamped down in the second half, though, and it wasn't until the second overtime when McCormick's fourth goal found the net that sixth-seeded Camden Catholic eked out a 9-8 win over No. 11 Collingswood in a South Jersey Group 1 first-round game. McCormick ripped the game-winner after beating her defender to the right.

Regrouping after two weekend losses, Gloucester Catholic earned a share of the Tri-County Diamond Division softball title with a 4-1 home win over co-champion Cumberland on Wednesday. Junior third baseman Annie Robinson opened the Rams' scoring in the first inning with an RBI single, then followed up with a solo home run in the third. Senior starter Abby Merryman stymied the Colts from the pitcher's circle, allowing just an unearned run in her complete-game victory. Cumberland loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but Merryman escaped the jam, inducing a line drive to second base to spark a game-ending double play.

Saturday At Deptford Audubon (14-3) vs. Washington Township (16-5), 10:30 a.m. Cherry Hill West (12-5) vs. Vineland (16-4), 1 p.m. At Washington Twp. Pitman (13-3) vs. Camden Catholic (14-7), 10:30 a.m. Bishop Eustace (16-5) vs. Eastern (19-2), 1 p.m. Sunday At Deptford Saturday's winners at this site, 1 p.m. At Washington Twp. Saturday's winners at this site, 1 p.m. Sunday At Eastern Semifinal winners, 5 p.m.