 High School Football:
West Deptford Breaks the Woodbury Jinx
Saturday, September 23, 2000
By Ed Benkin
SJSports Staff Writer
It had been five years since West Deptford beat Woodbury on the football field. While the Eagles were awarded a forfeit victory off the field over the Thundering Herd last fall, West Deptford approached Saturday's contest with the memory of a 14-8 loss on the field. Only the accidental use of an ineligible player by Woodbury gave the Eagles the win in the record books. But when the two teams took the field on a rainy Saturday morning in Woodbury, the Eagles washed away five years of frustration with an impressive 20-0 victory. West Deptford not only raised their record to 2-0, they also enjoyed one of the most satisfying victories in school history.
"We never beat them on this field in my years at West Deptford," said Head Coach Clyde Folsom. "No question is was a great win for us. It wasn't the prettiest win ever, but we'll take it."
 The two teams battled in a heavy drizzle to a scoreless tie in the first quarter. In the second period, running back Brett Holmes picked up four of his game high 109 yards with a touchdown run to give the Eagles the lead. West Deptford made it 14-0 before the half when quarterback Bob Weinhardt hit Jamie Gonzalez with a nine yard scoring strike. The Eagles put the nail in the coffin late in the fourth quarter as Gonzalez scampered into the end zone on a 23 yard run. The Woodbury curse was lifted.
"They won the game on the field last year," said Weinhardt. "They were walking around saying they could beat us. We just wanted to come out here and win without the forfeit."
The West Deptford defense was dominating throughout the day. The Eagles forced two turnovers and held the Woodbury offense to just 78 total yards. After giving up only nine points in their opening win over Sterling, the West Deptford defense appears even stronger than their 1999 edition.
"We played very well defensively," said Folsom. "They're a very good defensive team as well, so we knew it would be a nip and tuck situation."
While West Deptford continues their quest for a Colonial Conference title, Woodbury will look to regroup after falling to 0-2. The Herd will travel to Haddon Township next Saturday, then play host to powerful Paulsboro the following weekend. Woodbury's conference title hopes are all but gone after starting the season with two straight losses. However, Jim Boyd's young squad still has their sites set on a Group One playoff birth, and the Herd should improve as the season goes on.
Meanwhile, the Eagles continue to make school history. Last fall, West Deptford won the Colonial Conference for the first time. They also picked up their first win ever against Paulsboro. The Eagles finished 10-1 and advanced to the Group Three semifinals. West Deptford could very well duplicate their record from a year ago, and possibly advance further in the playoffs. The Eagles are hoping this will be a season full of special moments. The first one came on a rainy day in Woodbury where the Eagles finally walked away victorious against their arch rivals.
Photos by Art Redd
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