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Football notebook: Offseason of upheaval in South Jersey coaching ranks

Coaches who won a combined 14 South Jersey titles in recent years have stepped down, including West Deptford's Clyde Folsom, Cherokee's P.J. Mehigan and Lenape's Tim McAneney.

Tim McAneney resigned after leading Lenape to the first South Jersey title in program history.
Tim McAneney resigned after leading Lenape to the first South Jersey title in program history.Read moreChip Fox/Staff photographer

Clyde Folsom led West Deptford to seven South Jersey Group 2 titles and six other appearances in sectional championship games in the last 13 seasons.

P.J. Mehigan guided Cherokee to five sectional titles, including three in South Jersey Group 4 and two in South Jersey Group 5, since 2005.

Tim McAneney led Lenape to the first sectional title in program history, a victory in the South Jersey Group 5 championship game in December.

Mark Maccarone led Glassboro to two South Jersey Group 1 titles in his seven seasons in charge of the Bulldogs.

Besides combining for 15 South Jersey titles, there's something else that Folsom, Mehigan, McAneney and Maccarone have in common: They also resigned after last season.

As did Collingswood coach Jack McConnell after seven successful seasons with the Panthers.

And Tom Coen stepped down after 11 seasons at Cherry Hill East.

Add in the surprising decision by Lamont Robinson to step down after one season at Washington Township, one of South Jersey's most decorated programs, and that's a lot of upheaval in the coaching ranks.

Given the caliber of the men who has stepped away, this probably has been the most tumultuous offseason in the South Jersey football coaching ranks in recent history.

And here's the thing: It's likely to get even more unsettled since the openings at a few of these high-profile places – such as Cherokee and Washington Township – could be filled by successful coaches at other schools, leading to even more upheaval.

Stay tuned.

King to Temple

Woodrow Wilson two-way end Travon King committed to Temple last weekend.

The 6-foot-3 King, a first-team All-South Jersey selection as a defensive end after registering 16.5 sacks and leading the Tigers to the South Jersey Group 3 title game, originally committed to Rutgers but decided not to sign with the Scarlet Knights during the early signing period in late December.

Woodrow Wilson coach Preston Brown said Temple was a "great spot" for King and said the Owls project King as an outside linebacker and pass-rushing end.

Hinson to speak at national conference

Timber Creek head coach Rob Hinson is scheduled to speak at USA Football's national conference this weekend in Orlando, Fla.

The event is expected to draw more than 1,000 high school coaches and athletic administrators.

Other scheduled speakers include football Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Mike Singletary as well as Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson and Arkansas head coach Chad Morris.

Schedules soon

West Jersey Football League president Bud Kowal, the athletic director at Ewing, said the league is hoping to release its full schedule next week.

WJFL officials have been working on crossover games during a series of meetings over the last few weeks.

The situation is complicated by the fact that the league has revamped division alignments for the 2018-19 schedule cycle as well as uncertainty over the new football format approved by the NJSIAA general membership in December.

The new format calls for teams to play just eight regular-season games, with some combination of playoff games and/or consolations to bring each squad's slate to at least 10 games.

Donaldson gets offer

Eastern junior lineman Jermaine Donaldson has picked up an offer from North Carolina State, according to Vikings coach John Doherty.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Donaldson has been a standout offensive lineman for the Vikings. He also has played basketball and thrown the shot put during his athletic career at Eastern.

Doherty said Donaldson likely will be a two-way lineman for the Vikings in 2018. He projects as an offensive guard in college.

This and that

Woodrow Wilson senior all-purpose player Jairo Ramos has picked up an offer from East Stroudsburg. … Woodrow Wilson sophomore defensive end Fadil Diggs has picked up an offer from Virginia Tech, his sixth. … St. Joseph freshman linebacker Angelo Vokolos played in the International Bowl for the U-16 Team USA last weekend in AT&T Stadium in Dallas. … St. Joseph senior defensive back Cejai Parrish has drawn recruiting interest from Northern Arizona.