Phil Anastasia: Audubon tops Lindenwold in football

A day before the season opener, Lindenwold football coach Derryk Sellers was worried about Audubon's Keith Michalski.

"Watch out for their fullback and linebacker," Sellers said. "That kid is tough."

Sellers was right: The burly Michalski played a major role as Audubon opened the Colonial Conference season Thursday night with a 10-0 victory over Lindenwold.

But the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Michalski's brawn was expected to be big trouble for Lindenwold. Audubon's secret weapon was a flash of a sophomore running back, Kahleil Chisolm.

The 5-9, 175-pound Chisolm, whose older brother, Arnell, is a senior two-way back for Lindenwold, ran for 154 yards, intercepted a pass, and provided the perfect outside complement to Michalski's inside work.

"The sky's the limit for him," Audubon coach Dom Koehl said of Chisolm, who is attending Audubon through the school-choice program.

Audubon, hoping to build on consecutive 5-5 seasons and South Jersey Group 1 playoff berths, also received a strong game from junior quarterback/safety Aiden Borden, who had two interceptions.

The Green Wave defense came up with four interceptions and stymied Lindenwold when the Lions drove deep in Audubon territory.

"Just a total team effort," Koehl said after winning his first game as coach of his alma mater.

On a rainy night, when both teams were hurt by several penalties, the Green Wave's big edge was their combination of a powerful senior who played tight end, fullback, and linebacker, and speedy sophomore who excelled at both tailback and cornerback.

Michalski, a standout as a power-hitting junior first baseman for the state-champion Audubon baseball team last spring, scored the game's first touchdown on a screen pass. He had a 22-yard reception on the same drive, taking several Lindenwold tacklers for a ride along the way.

Michalski also played a strong game at linebacker, laying out to knock down a fourth-down pass after Lindenwold had moved deep into Audubon territory midway through the fourth quarter.

"He's the heart and soul of this team," Koehl said of Michalski.

Audubon 0 10 0 0 – 10

Lindenwold 0 0 0 0 – 0

A: Keith Michalski 10 pass from Aiden Borden (Eric Schorr kick)

A: FG Schorr 32