Several Impressive South Jersey H.S. State Champions

by Marc Narducci | Dec 27, 2024

The high school sports fall sports season concluded with many outstanding performances from teams in the seven-county South Jersey area.

Here are the state champions from football, boys’ and girls’ soccer and field hockey:

Football

Winslow Township
The Eagles were the consensus No. 1 team in South Jersey after going 14-0 and winning the school’s first Group 4 state title (This was only the third year that the NJSIAA fielded state championships for public school teams). The Eagles capped their season with a 35-0 win over Phillipsburg in the Group 4 state final. The closest game all season for the Eagles was a 13-7 victory over Millville in a state Group 4 semifinal. Sophomore Jalen Parker led the high-powered offense by passing for 2,916 yards and 43 touchdowns. Winslow Township also won the toughest division in South Jersey (and one of the best in the state)—the WJFL American Division.

Glassboro

The Bulldogs also won their first state title, winning the Group 1 championship in dominant fashion. Glassboro beat previously unbeaten Cedar Grove, 56-14 in the championship game as senior Kenny Smith rushed for 400 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries. Coach Timmy Breaker’s team won its five playoff games by a 251-38 margin. The Bulldogs were also WJFL Diamond Division champs. Glassboro has many young players who should make another run next year led by WR-DB Xavier Sabb, considered among the better sophomores in the country.

Field Hockey

Kingsway

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The Dragons earned a three-peat when they captured their third consecutive state Group 4 championship. The 15-7 record may not seem great, but Kingsway played one of the toughest schedules in the state and that competition prepared the Dragons for the state tournament. Kingsway sealed its third straight title with a 2-1 win over Montclair on a game-winning goal by Erin Callahan. In winning five state tournament games, the Dragons outscored their opponents, 35-4. Kingsway also won the Tri-County Royal Division, one of the best in South Jersey, which included Group 3 state champion Clearview.

Clearview

Speaking of the Pioneers, Clearview (18-4-1) won its second consecutive state Group 3 championship with a 3-0 title game win over Northern Highlands. That was after beating Hammonton, 2-1 in a South Jersey Group 3 semifinal and Shawnee, 3-2 in the South Jersey Group 3 title game. Senior Alaina Lomonaco led the Pioneers with 35 goals and 16 assists.

Girls Soccer

Shawnee
The Renegades certainly put themselves in the conversation of one of the best South Jersey teams of all-time by going 25-0. Coach Drew Wagner’s team captured the state title with a 3-0 win over Northern Highlands. In six playoff games, Shawnee outscored teams, 24-0, with Mackenzie Borbi in goal. Miami commit Madelynn Sadusky was the offensive leader with 20 goals and 11 assists. She also scored the first goal in the state championship win. Shawnee also won the Olympic Conference American Division and the South Jersey Coaches Tournament, beating fellow state champion Paul VI, 3-2 in the final.

Paul VI

The Eagles (20-2-1) earned their first state title in school history with a 1-0 OT win over Immaculate Heart in the state Non-Public A championship game. Junior Emma McCarthy, a North Carolina lacrosse commit, scored the lone goal and finished an outstanding season with 17 goals and eight assists. Paul VI also shared the Olympic Conference National Division title with Bishop Eustace and advanced to the championship game of the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Tournament, before losing to Shawnee, 3-2. The Eagles won the South Jersey Non-Public A title with a 1-0 victory over Immaculata. It was their second sectional title in the last three years.

Boys Soccer

Shawnee
A program well steeped in tradition, Shawnee earned its first state championship since 2006 when the Renegades defeated Randolph, 2-0 in the state Group 3 title game. Shawnee outscored teams, 22-2 in its six playoff wins. In addition, the Renegades also won the South Jersey Coaches Tournament and the Olympic Conference American Division title during a 21-2-1 season.

Sterling

The Cardiac Kids were the masters of winning close games. Their last four playoff games were won by a goal. The Silver Knights beat West Deptford, 3-2 in the South Jersey 2 semifinal and Haddonfield, 1-0 in the final on a goal by Bright John with three minutes left. Both of those wins were over Colonial Conference Liberty Division rivals. Then Sterling beat favored Robbinsville, 2-1 in the state Group 2 semifinal before defeating perennial state power Harrison, 3-2 in the championship game. Sterling finished 14-5-5 and won its final seven games of the season.

Photo: Shawnee's No. 8 Madelynn Sadusky / Marc Narducci

Author: Marc Narducci

Several Impressive South Jersey H.S. State Champions

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