Chimeras

Gary Melton hit the end zone four times for Cedar Creek to lead the second-seeded Pirates to a 41-3 victory over Willingboro in a South Jersey Group 2 semifinal Saturday. Damon Mitchell impacted the game on both sides of the ball. He threw for three touchdowns, ran in another score on a double reverse, and returned an interception to the Chimeras' 5-yard line.   Non-Public Group 1 Anthony Giagunto threw for two touchdowns as St. Joseph rolled past visiting Hudson Catholic, 72-0, in the semifinals.

Patience has paid off for Robert Cleveland and the Willingboro football team. Cleveland, a senior running back, has learned to take his time behind the Chimeras offensive line - not an easy chore for the high-energy athlete. "Sometimes, I get too excited and lose my mind," Cleveland said of his occasionally frenetic running style. "But I've learned to be more patient. " That's true for Cleveland's career, as well. He is 5-foot-6 and 165 pounds, which seems kind of small for an athlete who has carried the football nearly 200 times this season.

Patience has paid off for Robert Cleveland and the Willingboro football team. Cleveland, a senior running back, has learned to take his time behind the Chimeras offensive line - not an easy chore for the high-energy athlete. "Sometimes I get too excited and lose my mind," Cleveland said of his occasionally frenetic running style. "But I've learned to be more patient. " That's true for Cleveland's career, as well. He is 5-foot-6 and 165 pounds, which seems kind of small for an athlete who has carried the football nearly 200 times this season.

Robert Cleveland scored three rushing touchdowns as Willingboro beat Lawrence, 26-8, in a West Jersey Football League Patriot Division game Saturday. Cleveland began the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. After Lawrence scored on a safety when a Chimeras snap went out of the end zone, Willingboro (5-3 overall, 2-2 Patriot) began to pile on points in the second quarter. Anthony Robbins threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Pernell, and Cleveland scored his second touchdown, a 51-yard run, to give the Chimeras a 20-2 lead at halftime.

Jonathan Bradshaw scored on a 75-yard run and a 45-yard interception return, highlighting a 29-point first half that catapulted Willingboro to a 29-21 victory over Cinnaminson on Friday in a West Jersey Football League interdivision matchup. A 95-yard pass from Anthony Robbins to Rajahan Sams and Bradshaw's run helped the Chimeras to a 15-7 lead after one quarter. They entered halftime with a 29-7 advantage after Bradshaw's pick and Robbins' 12-yard scamper. Sams had two receptions for 140 yards.

Hammonton (4-2) at Absegami (4-2), Friday at 7: Notre Dame recruit Rashad Kinlaw, who has been out with a broken leg, could make his season debut for the host Braves. Holy Spirit (3-3) at Egg Harbor Township (3-3), Friday at 7: Two talented teams scramble to generate some midseason traction. Glassboro (5-1) at Pennsville (4-2), Friday at 7: These teams split last season, with the Bulldogs winning in the South Jersey Group 1 title game. Cinnaminson (4-2) at Willingboro (3-3)

Penns Grove senior Nick Elmer threw for two touchdowns and ran for four more as he put his footprints all over the Red Devils' 60-0 win over Schalick in a West Jersey Football League Diamond Division matchup on Saturday. The two TD passes gave Elmer the Salem County career record, albeit briefly. Elmer's two touchdown passes - a 32-yard strike to Jabrail Murray and a 55-yarder to Rich Gray - put Penns Grove up by 22 and gave him 49 scoring passes for his career. After touchdown runs of 45, 15, 3, and 55 yards, Elmer and his offense slowed down, but two defensive TDs put the exclamation point on the homecoming contest.

Penns Grove senior Nick Elmer threw for two touchdowns, breaking the Salem County career record. That alone would have been enough for the Red Devils to get past Schalick on Saturday. But Elmer ran in an additional four scores, putting his footprints all over the Red Devils' 60-0 win in a West Jersey Football League Diamond Division matchup. Elmer's two touchdown passes - a 32-yard strike to Jabrail Murray and a 55-yarder to Rich Gray - put Penns Grove up by 22 and gave him 49 scoring passes for his career.

Anthony Averett raced down the runway, planted his left foot, and soared farther than any New Jersey high school long jumper except one. Some guy named Carl Lewis. Averett, a Woodbury junior known more for his play on the football field, unleashed the second-best long jump in state history with a leap of 25 feet, 21/2 inches Saturday at the Woodbury Relays. Only Lewis, the four-time Olympic champion in the event, has jumped farther as a New Jersey high school athlete.

PERTH AMBOY, N.J. - Late in a South Jersey championship game Tuesday night, Willingboro fans teased Haddonfield fans with this chant: "This ain't football. " Maybe they had a premonition. The Group 2 state semifinal Thursday night between Willingboro and Ewing was more gridiron battle than hardwood classic, with shots clanging off the rim, bodies bouncing off the floor, and one star player leaving the gymnasium at the end of the night in a wheelchair. Willingboro, the sectional champion and No. 1 team in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings, thrived all season on physical play and pressure defense.