Camden’s Football Schedule Prepared The Panthers For State Championship
.jpg)
This season Camden was a Group 2 football team that played a Group 4-5 type schedule. That difficult schedule helped Camden (12-2) earn its first state championship. (This was just the fourth season that NJSIAA public schools competed for a state title).
Camden’s first loss was 21-20 to a Shawnee team that won a Group 4 playoff game and shared the WJFL Colonial title with Camden and Rancocas Valley. The Panthers also fell, 26-8 to two-time defending state Group 4 champion Winslow Township.
Among the impressive wins were 26-21 over South Jersey Group 5 champion Kingsway, 8-6 over Central Jersey Group 5 semifinalist Rancocas Valley, 37-18 over South Jersey Group 2 champion Haddonfield and 27-8 over North Jersey Group 2 champion Shabazz in the state final at Rutgers University.
During the state final, coach Rob Hinson’s Panthers caused five turnovers, including four interceptions.
The top big-play performer for Camden was senior receiver-defensive back Ibn Muhammad, who caught 56 passes for 922 yards and 12 touchdowns. A Syracuse commit, Muhammad was especially dangerous in the postseason, where in five games he totaled 27 receptions for 477 yards and seven touchdowns. He had at least one touchdown reception in all five postseason games.
Senior Ahmad Jones, after a slow start, emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in South Jersey. Jones missed the first three games due to NJSIAA transfer rules after competing previously for Pleasantville.
In 11 games, he completed 69.9% of his passes for 2,026 yards and 24 touchdowns. He threw 18 touchdown passes in the five playoff wins.
Senior Christian Braxton and junior Roman Duckett led a formidable running back tandem. Braxton rushed for 960 yards (6.1 avg.) and seven touchdowns. Duckett, a transfer from Winslow Township, rushed for 730 yards (6.7 avg.) and nine touchdowns.
Senior lineman Jerome Foster had 19.5 sacks while senior defensive back Talib Shakir added a team-high four interceptions.
The all-conference selections were Jones, Muhammad, Braxton, Foster, Shakir, senior Haleem Muhammad (who was selected as an athlete), senior tight end/wide receiver Jaiden Steele and senior offensive linemen Joseph White and Will Crisdon.
In the postseason, Camden took it up a major notch, outscoring the five opponents, 206-39. The closest playoff margin of victory was 19 points, both against Haddonfield and Shabazz.
Camden set the tone for its season in the opening game. The Panthers won on the road, defeating Martinsburg, West Virginia, 28-0. That snapped a 27-game win streak by the host Bulldogs.
Freshman Gregory Wyche, who capably ran the offense until Jones became eligible, threw three touchdown passes.
The Panthers took that momentum from that opening game and never let up in a season that was more impressive considering the number of quality opponents that Camden defeated.
QB Ahmad Jones / Marc Narducci
advertisement
Author: Marc Narducci
Archives
A Look at the Eagles Schedule
A Look at The South Jersey Group 3 Baseball Tournament
Previewing SJ Groups 1 and 3 in Softball
Tough Weekend for Philadelphia Sports Fans
A Major Milestone For Shawnee’s Anderson
Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic Set For Big Weekend
SJ Group 4 Baseball Will Have A Deep Field
Sterling’s Quick Rebuild Keeps Silver Knights In Division Baseball Title Hunt
Sixers Enter Knicks Series A Dangerous Team
Eagles Receive Good Draft Games
A Look At Some Top South Jersey H.S. Baseball Players
Fini Excited To Be The New Head Coach At Triton
Eagles and NFC East Draft Outlook
Colonial Liberty Making Its Mark In SJ Softball
A Major Move As Bill Belton Hired As St. Augustine’s Football Coach
More...
