By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
PISCATAWAY — There was no better ending Amari Sabb could have imagined for his high school football career.
The Glassboro High senior rumbled for 161 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns — and also snagged an interception — as the Bulldogs rolled past Cedar Grove, 29-14, on Sunday in the Group 1 state final at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium. It was the second straight state title for the Bulldogs, who defeated Cedar Grove 56-14 in last year’s championship.
“This has always been the plan from the start of the season,” Sabb said. “We got one last year, and we knew what the goal in mind was, and we did it here today. It hasn’t hit me that it’s my last high school game yet, but I’m feeling good to come out here and get the dub with the guys.”
Sabb scored first for the Bulldogs on a 3-yard run on fourth down with 2:26 left in the opening quarter. Less than six minutes later, he made a highlight spin move en route to a 78-yard touchdown reception that put the Bulldogs up 14-0 with 9:08 left before halftime. When Cedar Grove threatened for the first time in the final minute of the first half, Sabb snared an interception in the end zone.
The Panthers came within a score after Michael Cantarelli reeled in a touchdown reception from Pierce Asfalg with 7:48 left in the third quarter. However, that didn’t last long. JoJo DeLecce broke loose for a 69-yard touchdown run less than two minutes later, then ripped off a 44-yard run late in the quarter to give the Bulldogs a commanding 29-7 lead.
Cedar Grove scored on a wacky fumble recovery in the end zone following a Glassboro interception to cut the deficit to 15 points with 6:05 left — and even recovered an onside kick on the next play — but Glassboro’s defense was just too much to handle.
“We’re a team that thrives off the community,” DeLecce, who finished the day with 137 yards on 12 attempts, said. “All the people here you’re seeing from the stands, they’re all from Glassboro. So, we rally, and we come big. It’s one big family, and we make sure to celebrate like it’s a birthday party.
“This is pure joy,” he added. “This is one of the best feelings of my life. You don’t get this many times. Being able to do this and to win in his situation, I don’t think anything will ever be better than this.”
The triumph marked Glassboro’s 27th consecutive victory. Ironically, the last time the Bulldogs lost a game was 735 days ago at SHI Stadium, on Nov. 26, 2023, in the Group 1 final — a 24-6 defeat to Mountain Lakes.
“We had a bad taste in our mouths from this stadium,” Sabb said. “Last time we were here, we got whooped. That’s the fact of the matter. We came out here and did what we were supposed to do today.”
Full Circle Moment
A 2009 Glassboro graduate, Breaker led the Bulldogs to an undefeated 24-0 record in his junior and senior seasons as a player.
“Man, this is a feeling you can’t get,” said Breaker, who played defensive back at the University of Delaware. “You couldn’t describe this without being here and witnessing it. I played on a team that went 24-0 and won championships back-to-back. Now I’m coaching a team that breaks that record at Glassboro High; 27-0 and the second team ever to go unblemished. 27-0 without a loss, that’s exceptional.”
Breaker, per usual, was filled with energy before, during and immediately after the game on Sunday. He was even seen jumping around the field alone 90 minutes before kickoff.
When asked if he could’ve imagined returning to his Alma Mater as the head coach and achieving this level of success, Breaker replied, “No.”
“I couldn’t write this up in a perfect book. The perfect story, I could never write this up,” he added. “When I first started coaching, I didn’t know if I wanted to be the head coach. I got bumped into it, and I embraced the position with great kids and a great administration. I tell people it’s not a great team without great kids. We have a great staff, they do whatever is asked of them, and we built this from the ground up.”
